Dean's Film Reviews.

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Films are reet good lad!

This is my review page for films (!) which are really good fun. This is by no means meant to be an extensive review of all films so don't be surprised if you can't find what I think about a specific film. All I've done is review films I can remember seeing, so that means there are more modern films than old films; you can probably tell how recently I saw a film by the length of the review. I'm always down the cinema and I'll put up reviews of new films as I see them and get time.

Last updated; March 2008.

Recently written reviews:

'For Your Consideration'
'Jacob's Ladder'
'I am Legend'
'Halloween'
'Apocalypto'
'Notes on a Scandal'
'Cloverfield'
'Inland Empire'

Recently seen films, review pending:

'Y tu mama tambien'; not great, but a film which can be appluaded for being deep despite its air of simplicity.
'Stray Dog'
'The man who cried'
'The 39 Steps'
'The Squid and the Whale'
'Volver'
'Requiem'
'The Devil's Backbone'
'Life Is Beautiful'
'The Battle of Algiers'
'The U.S. Vs John Lennon'
'Twelve Angry Men'
'Sunshine'
'The Lives of Others'
'Letters from Iwo Jima'
'Twelve Angry Men'
'Belle De Jour'
'3:10 to Juma'
'Juno'
'No Country for Old Men'
'Zulu'
'Flanders'
'All About My Mother'
'Unknown'
'Lost Highway'
'Michael Clayton'

Dean's rating system: 'Thumbs up...'

In order to provide an easy comparison between films (so that you don't have to read my comments) I've decided to include a 'thumbs-up' guide to the films I've seen. I'm going to stick strictly to the concept that 'an average film gets and average mark', therefore 5/10 is an average film. Allow me to elaborate:

10/10 Unsurpassable. A perfect 10, in my system, represents something unbeatable. If 8 means you should make an effort to see the film and if 9 means I would take time out of my schedule to re-watch a film then 10 is another step up the rung of greatness. 10 thumbs means that literally the film couldn't possibly be better, that it is the best in it's genre or one of the best movies ever made.

9/10 Superb. I would make time to watch this film again. Upon the discovery that a collegue had not seen a film rated at this level, I will make an effort to get them to watch it even if this means watching it with them.

8/10 Excellent. This film has something special, a mark out 8 out of 10 means that there is something in the movie that really makes it stand out from the rest of the pack. I would insist that people make an effort to rent the DVD or go to the cinema, this is the sort of film that I would watch again if it were on TV or if a friend of mine were watching it.

7/10 Well-above-average. 7 thumbs means that we're looking at a film that has something to make us sit up and pay attention. I would recommend people go to the cinema or at least make an effort to take it in.

6/10 An above-average film. Something about this film means that I enjoyed it, I would recommend it to other people but probably wouldn't bother to watch it again.

5/10 This mark means average. Come on, you know what that means don't you?

4/10 Below average. There isn't anything specifically wrong with this film, more that I didn't enjoy the plot or the casting was a bit off. I wouldn't tell people not to see this film, rather that I had some reservations and that they should make up their own minds.

3/10 Very substandard. I would tell people to think twice about watching this film, something about it made me want to cringe or there was some other unforgivable problem that couldn't be redeemed.

2/10 Dire. If I was at the cinema I wanted to leave, if it was on DVD I wanted to stop watching but probably didn't as it cost me a quid. I recommend that you avoid this film.

1/10 This is the wrost film that has ever been made. It has no redeeming features at all, all the characters are rubbish or annoying or wooden or 1-dimensional, all the acting is terrible, all the direction ruins the flow of the action and destroys the story (if a coherent story exists of course). Avoid at all costs, burn your DVD!

10/10		Unsurpassable. A perfect 10, in my system, represents something unbeatable. If 8 means you should make an effort to see the film and if 9 means I would take time out of my schedule to re-watch a film then 10 is another step up the rung of greatness. 10 thumbs means that literally the film couldn't possibly be better, that it is the best in it's genre or one of the best movies ever made.
9/10		Superb. I would make time to watch this film again. Upon the discovery that a collegue had not seen a film rated at this level, I will make an effort to get them to watch it even if this means watching it with them.
8/10		Excellent. This film has something special, a mark out 8 out of 10 means that there is something in the movie that really makes it stand out from the rest of the pack. I would insist that people make an effort to rent the DVD or go to the cinema, this is the sort of film that I would watch again if it were on TV or if a friend of mine were watching it.
7/10		Well-above-average. 7 thumbs means that we're looking at a film that has something to make us sit up and pay attention. I would recommend people go to the cinema or at least make an effort to take it in.
6/10		An above-average film. Something about this film means that I enjoyed it, I would recommend it to other people but probably wouldn't bother to watch it again.
5/10		This mark means average. Come on, you know what that means don't you?
4/10		Below average. There isn't anything specifically wrong with this film, more that I didn't enjoy the plot or the casting was a bit off. I wouldn't tell people not to see this film, rather that I had some reservations and that they should make up their own minds.
3/10		Very substandard. I would tell people to think twice about watching this film, something about it made me want to cringe or there was some other unforgivable problem that couldn't be redeemed.
2/10		Dire. If I was at the cinema I wanted to leave, if it was on DVD I wanted to stop watching but probably didn't as it cost me a quid. I recommend that you avoid this film.
1/10		This is the wrost film that has ever been made. It has no redeeming features at all, all the characters are rubbish or annoying or wooden or 1-dimensional, all the acting is terrible, all the direction ruins the flow of the action and destroys the story (if a coherent story exists of course). Avoid at all costs, burn your DVD!