Rango (2011)

Chameleon protagonist shouldn't find it too hard to blend in to this love letter to Westerns.

3 stars

Red (2010)

Aging stars turn up and take the paycheck here; they run around a fair bit and wise-crack even more, but the end result falls flat.


2.5 stars

Revanche (2008)

Austrian crime drama with depth of character. Some narrative implausibility detracts slightly from a well rounded drama, although the tight direction and memorable cinematography justify the Oscar nomination.


3.5 stars

Restrepo (2010)

A film that should be seen by all the hoards of CoD fanboys out there, to show them war is far from a game.

Rapt (2009)

The Road (2009)

Not got the T-shirt.

Janck 3.5 stars (Aug 2010)



Bleak; desperately so. This downbeat drama is well made, but difficult to know who you would recommend this to. Heavy going.

Mitch 3.5 stars

Robin Hood (2010)

Robin only quite good.

Chi bi a.k.a. Red Cliff (2008)

This Chinese 3rd Century war epic allows John "Face Off" Woo to pack an action packed punch in tandem with sweeping scenic visuals and some serious cinematic grandstanding. Ambitious.


3.5 stars

The Reader (2008)

Solid post-war Germany drama directed by Steven Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliot). In spite of mixed reviews, this more than holds its own, and to say this is another ''movie about the holocaust" would be misleading. Winslet won Oscar.


4 stars

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)

Whatever way you look at things the guy has had an extraordinary life.. and surely 30 years living in France is punishment enough for any crime?

Revolutionary Road (2009)

Sam Mendes revisits troubled American suburbia, although any American Beauty parallels would be wide of the mark. This time he directs the missus and DiCaprio, who both pull off powerhouse performances with ease; tempers flair and patience runs thin. Very solid human drama.


4 stars

Role Models (2008)

Mentor program set-up with some snappy dialogue and geeky charm. Popcorn comedy with some decent laughs, and never takes itself too seriously.

3.5 stars

Righteous Kill (2008)

Look beyond the De Niro/Pacino hype and see this for what it is.. straight-to-DVD fair starring Curtis "Fiddy" Jackson.

Janck 2 stars (Apr 09)



In spite of bad reviews, the De Niro and Pacino match-up is too big a draw for even the casual viewer to simply ignore. However, these Hollywood heavyweights never get out of first gear, hindered by a bland and dated script. The end result is below average...but you will feel compelled to watch it anyway.

Mitch 2.5 stars

RocknRolla (2008)

Yes, this is basically just Guy Richie retreading old ground, but entertaining old ground at that, meaning the likes of Revolver can be Swept Away and forgotten about. Some great casting (I never thought I'd see Stringer Bell playing Super Hans at pool), including another tip top performance from Toby Keppell, make this slick gangster (with panto overtones) piece a welcome return to form for Toff Guy.

Janck 4 stars (Aug 2008)


Enjoyable, yet familiar Guy Ritchie gangster territory. A stellar cast combine well, but it's not quite as memorable as Lock, Stock or Snatch. It won't disappoint though.

Guy Mitchie 4 stars

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Aronofsky, addiction and asses.

4 stars

The Ruins (2008)

Decent enough horror fare, think Little Shop of Horrors meets The Descent.

3 stars

River Queen (2005)

An interesting, if disjointed, story of a woman torn between British colonialists and Maori people in nineteenth century New Zealand.

3 stars

Reservation Road (2007)

Downbeat drama concerning a suburban Conneticut family whose lives are changed forever after their son is tragically killed in a hit and run accident.

Admittedly, this won't be everyone's cup of tea; exploring themes of anger, guilt and loss, but there is some fine acting from a well assembled ensemble cast. Not exactly made for the masses, explaining why this film never got a UK cinematic release.


3.5 stars

Recount (2008)

Absorbing insight into how Dubya "won" the 2000 Presidential Election.

3.5 stars

[Rec] (2007)

Superlative Spanish horror shocker that leaves you thinking long after the end credits, with an inoffensive runtime of approx 75 mins. There is much to appreciate here; the low budget and docu-style camera add intensity to, rather than cheapen, this picture. I'm gutted that Hollywood deems it necessary to remake this movie (barely a year?!) so soon. Bloody impressive.


4 stars