Cinenut : movie reviews, in a nutshell

Saturday, 12 July 2014

The Haunting in Connecticut

Stars: 3 / 10 Generic hokum abounds. If you're looking for cheap, gooey, and trite, you'll get plenty of it. I wanted to like ...

12 Jul 2014

The Tale of Princess Kaguya ("Kaguyahime no monogatari")

Stars: 10 / 10 !!! Nothing short of P e r f e c t i o n . A fascinating and mysterious story, filled with a spectrum of wonder, t...

12 Jul 2014

Grave Encounters

Stars: 1 / 10 The tv show Ghost Adventures - meets - The Blair Witch Project, with a few cheap effects, alla The Grudge. If this had ...

12 Jul 2014

Monday, 16 June 2014

Maleficent

Stars: 8 / 10 Fanciful, beautiful, exciting, and fun : an instant favourite! With faeries, shapeshifters, enchanted forests, and Angeli...

16 Jun 2014

Sunday, 15 June 2014

Gravity

Stars: 5 / 10 Visuals : 10 ... Script: 0 If this had been a silent film, it would have been perfect , but, sadly, it's rife with b...

15 Jun 2014

Saturday, 14 June 2014

300

Stars: 7 / 10 A decadent spectacle of colour and choreography, elegant brutality, with an abundance of glorious beefcake and campy costu...

14 Jun 2014

The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane

Stars: 1 / 10 Stilted, unnatural acting, something of an amateur community theatre calibre. A tedious and unbelievable tale, any hint ...

14 Jun 2014

Friday, 13 June 2014

Millennium Actress

Stars: 9 / 10 Brilliant ! Beautiful ! Heartbreaking and hilarious. A uniquely told story, with a mystery that kept me on the edge of m...

13 Jun 2014

The Howling

Stars: 3 / 10 It's a full moon, on Friday the 13th, so what better day to watch a werewolf classic? Generally, this movie's a ...

13 Jun 2014

Saturday, 22 March 2014

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Stars: 8 / 10 One of my all-time favourite comedies. LOL's guaranteed! Clever script, top acting, smooth editing, and cute music....

22 Mar 2014

Nightmare (2011)

Stars: 2 / 10 A Chinese psychological thriller, heavily inspired by Ringu / The Ring, with nothing original to offer. Occasionally in...

22 Mar 2014

Thursday, 20 March 2014

The Beaver

Stars: 6 / 10 A seriously strange dramedy. The story centers around deep, clinical depression, even touching on suicidal tendencie...

20 Mar 2014

The Time Traveler's Wife

Stars: 8 / 10 Loved it! One of the finest romantic dramas AND time travel stories I've seen, all rolled into one. Different, int...

20 Mar 2014

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

Alice, Sweet Alice (aka Communion, aka Holy Terror)

Stars: 4 / 10 Overall, an ok "whodunit" slasher/thriller. (*see below for further comments) I wasn't "wow'ed"...

19 Mar 2014

Monday, 17 March 2014

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Stars: 2 / 10 Overrated. Yet again, Wes Craven manages to disapoint with his typcally whiney, anoying, and unlikeable characters, horr...

17 Mar 2014

Saturday, 15 March 2014

When a Stranger Calls (2006)

Stars: 1 / 10 What is this, a made for Disney Channel movie?! A sulky teen drama: "my bff kissed my bf and now my stoopid par...

15 Mar 2014

Friday, 14 March 2014

Black Christmas (1974)

Stars: 8 / 10 An instant favourite! This is a must-see for any horror film aficionado. A cult classic, considered to be one of the ea...

14 Mar 2014

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Metropolis (1927)

Stars: 10 / 10 This film is perfection. The very first full-length sci-fi film ever made. Beautiful sets and costumes. AMAZING special...

13 Mar 2014

Zodiac

Stars: 8 / 10 A superb adaptation of Robert Graysmith's book, Zodiac (published in 1986). Even though I knew what was coming (I...

13 Mar 2014

Monday, 10 March 2014

When A Stranger Calls (1979)

Stars: 6 / 10 Surprisingly, this movie really was quite scary! A simple story, inspired by the old urban legend, with nothing too impr...

10 Mar 2014

Friday, 7 March 2014

The Arrangement

Stars: 6 / 10 Inovative and progressive. The beginning seems like it will be only an inocous story of romantic entaglement, with passi...

07 Mar 2014

La Belle et La Bête

Stars: 7 / 10 A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, reasonably close to the original French story. One of the most gorgeous and visuall...

07 Mar 2014

Kaze tachinu (aka "Le vent se lève", aka "The Wind Rises")

Stars: 7 / 10 I saw this film last night, in Japanese, with French subtitles. Overall, I really enjoyed it! Without giving spoilers,...

07 Mar 2014

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* Star Rating Scale *

How films are judged:

I rate films within their respective genres, and always consider the era in which they were made, judging a film on its own merits, as well as in contrast to others (within their genre.)

Though I try to be fair and balanced, a certain amount of personal bias does figure into the scores (of course.)

Stars : 0 - 10

0 : Unwatchable. This film is an unwatchable abomination. Consider it one of the worst movies that never should have been made. Whoever released it is a sadist. If I couldn't suffer through the whole thing, it's an instant 0.

1 : Garbage. Burn it and bury it! Unless you are being paid a King's ransom, this movie is never worth watching. Somehow, I managed to suffer through it, but there is nothing worthwhile about this movie. Nothing. Unless you are a glutton for punishment, don't waste your time.

2: Awful. This film is a stinkbomb. Hold your nose and run the other way! There was at least one scene or major element of the film that I liked, but overall, it's best used as fertilizer.

3: Bad. Mostly this movie is Awful, but there was at least one or two scenes that I liked, perhaps one actor's performance was well done, or some effort worth nodding to. It's still tripe, though.

4: Tolerable. It wasn't the worst movie, it even had a few ok scenes/qualities, but it had a lot of stink, too. This film is nothing special. I have no interest in ever seeing it again. Meh.

5: OK. I didn't love, nor hate it, outright. A take-it-or-leave-it film, but has some redeeming qualities. Typically it's not something I would want to own, but I suppose would watch it again, at least once.

6: Good. I liked it. It was entertaining and enjoyable, even if there were some major goofs or wonky bits, overall, it's a decent movie. Not much of a prize winner, it won't redefine it's genre, it won't change your life, but something in this film makes it worth watching. I would certainly recommend it to someone who loves its specific genre.

7: Distinctive. This film stands out amongst its peers. Something about this movie has greatness. There was some imperfection, but overall, this film was really well made. This film is memorable, and sticks with you. I recommend it, and it's something that I would definitely want to own.

8: Fantastic. An instant favourite. This film is exceptionally good! It's impressive, unique and beautifully produced, it raises the bar. A memorable film that stirs the mind and the emotions. You have to shake it off after you see it, because it teleports you into its world. You may find yourself thinking about it days, even months, afterwards. I highly recommend it, and it's certainly something I would want to own.

9: Practically Perfect. I love this film! It's rare to find a gem like this. Treasure it. Practically perfect in every way, you'll never tire of it, and every time you see it, it shines like diamonds. This unforgetable film will change the way you look at all others. Depending on the type of film, it may even influence your life. I definitely recommend it, and you can bet your bippy that I own it, in a special edition, whenever possible.

10: Perfection.

FAQ

Why do you write reviews?
-- I love film, and I like to share.

Why minimal reviews?
-- I like to review in a way that cuts to the heart of the matter.

I'm not going to give you a long-winded synopsis of the film, because trailers, official film websites, and IMDB already do that. I will tell you, in a nutshell, what's the premise of the film, and what I liked or didn't like about it.

Birth of the Blog:
I tweet about movies after I watch them, and thus, the idea of a blog with my minimal movie reviews was born. I wanted to collect my reviews in one easy-to-access place, as well as have the option to give an Expanded Review for some of the films.

My Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieSparkles

Why so many thrillers and horror movies?
-- I like the genres, so I watch a lot of them.

Where you do live?
-- central France

How/where do you watch these movies?
-- Online, mostly. Some I borrow from the library, some I own on disc, and some I saw in the theatre.

Have you studied film making?
-- Not in a professional sense, no. I took one "history of film" course at uni, I've read a handful of screenplays, books about how to write screenplays, and inumerable books and articles on film making and the history of films. I've watched thousands of films, as well as countless documentaries and interviews with/about film makers.