Movie reviews of Bob Mann

As I’ve said before, I like my documentaries to show me something surprising about the world that I didn’t know about. Dahomey is a bit light in that regard as we follow (painfully slowly and artfully) a number of statues and other artifacts as they are boxed up in a Paris museum. Review

This is a terrific little adventure movie, novel and engaging, with good performances and great action sequences. Review

Above all, it’s just plain dull as it drones on with its pontificating for 158 tiresome minutes. Review

There are jump scares throughout, as you would expect of a movie of this type, and some of them I found half-decent. Review

This is a really well-made drama turning the spotlight on the struggles of alcoholics trying to stay sober. It’s a tough watch at times, but also surprisingly uplifting. Review

This was the directorial debut of cinematographer Ellen Kuras and she does a great job. She has an eye for a shot as smart as Miller herself. But the movie is anchored by a tremendous performance by Kate Winslet who was so passionate about the film that she helped to personally fund it after the money ran dry. Review

Highly recommended…. provided you have a strong stomach for this type of body-horror movie. This one is bound to be high up in my Films of the Year list. Review

A thoroughly entertaining little horror/thriller that’s actually more thrill than scare. Review

It’s an enduring classic and, for once, it really doesn’t show its age. Review

A game of two halves. The movie had its moments, but the final product never keeps up the momentum of its first half. Review

This is a wonderful, if disturbing film. A taut hour and a half of near cinema perfection in my book. Review

This was a real surprise. A small-scale thriller that is superbly made (a debut feature for Rodger Griffiths) and actually manages to thrill. Review

Overall, I’m afraid this came across as a bunch of student filmmakers deciding to make a horror film as a project and extending it to 90 minutes. Review

A good-looking film, well acted and with an interesting story. So lot’s of potential. But, for me, the script lacked a sense of drive that made it a standout drama. Review

This early/sub-teen audience is probably a good target audience for this one and will enjoy it greatly. For me though, this felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. Review

Preeti Panigrahi is just perfect as the young Mira. Yes, she’s naive and easily manipulated, but she is also fiercely intelligent and defiant. Review

If you treat it with a big historical pinch of salt, this is an entertaining and engrossing historical romp, anchored by two terrific performances by Alicia Vikander and Jude Law. Review

A really entertaining British film that showcases some great acting and will hopefully get some awards recognition. I think this will go down a storm with the older population of cinemagoers, packing out Silver Screen performances up and down the country. Review

A really solid and entertaining yarn, beautifully shot and well paced. Bits of it you have to take with a large grain of salt, including the finale! But this is definitely a recommended watch. Review

This type of film has been done much better before, for example by the surprisingly fun M3gan from last year and Ex Machina from 2015. Review

Although morally dubious, this documentary is a stunning piece of work and both thrilling and horrifying. Review

I have no baggage associated with the brand on this one, so I’ve watched this as a simply horror/thriller. And I thought it was fine, without being anything special. Review

I really enjoyed this one. Zoë Kravitz should be justly proud of it. It’s a different sort of film (Lord be praised!). Review

I really wasn’t expecting too much from this film, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. It undoubtedly has some rough edges, and the odd bit of amateurish acting to boot, but you could do far worse than give this a try when it appears on your screens in October. Review