#onemansmovies

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

Maria (12A): The Unreliable Recollections of a Dying Swan.

One Mann's Movies FIlm Review of "Maria". The last days of Maria Callas makes for an imperfect biopic. 3/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Maria” (2025). Directed by Pablo Larraín, the Maria in question here is the peerless opera soprano Maria Callas. We follow the diva through the last week of her life in Paris in September 1977, where she died of a heart attack aged just 53. Bob the Movie Man Rating: “Maria” Plot Summary: It’s Paris in September 1977. The butler Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino)…

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The Wild Robot (U): An Animated Treat For Kids and Adults Alike.

Uncover the touching tale of 'The Wild Robot' as Roz, a robot seeking her purpose, takes on the responsibility of raising a gosling in a future shaped by Global Warming.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Wild Robot” (2024). Again proving that Disney/Pixar is not the only game in town, Dreamworks Animation brings us “The Wild Robot”. I must admit that the trailer really didn’t do much for me. But the actual film is really delivered with some panache. Bob the Movie Man Rating: “The Wild Robot” Plot Summary: It’s a post-Global-Warming future (the Golden Gate…

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

Joy (12A): Unbridled Joy From the Development of IVF Treatment.

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "Joy". A solid British film documenting the emotional creation of IVF treatment. 3.5/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Joy” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival). This movie is NOT to be confused with the 2015 Jennifer Lawrence film “Joy“. There are no mops in sight here! We are instead in the UK of the late 1960’s here and the development of the now-familiar and common-place IVF treatment. This led to the birth of the world’s first ‘test-tube baby’, Louise Brown. I was…

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From Roger Moore With Love (12A): A Documentary That's Interesting But Not Challenging.

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "From Roger Moore With Love". A documentary about the late actor's life and career. 3/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “From Roger Moore With Love” (2024). Who was your James Bond? Well, on paper anyway, my Bond was Roger Moore, since the first Bond film I went to see, with my brother David at the ABC in Manchester, was “Live and Let Die on its release in 1973. However, I was so taken with the character that I then pursued a retrospective watch of all the previous Bond films with…

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The Assessment ('15'): Assessing Parental Fitness in a Dystopian Future.

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "The Assessment". A brilliant glimpse into a dystopian future of parenting with a brilliant cast. 5/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Assessment” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival). Is AlexGarlandy an adjective? If not, it should be. For “The Assessment”, a brilliantly polished debut feature from the memorably named Fleur Fortune, is one of the most AlexGarlandy films I’ve seen in a while. Bob the Movie Man Rating: “The Assessment” Plot Summary: It’s the near future and society…

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The Summer Book (PG): Very Little Happens, But Beautifully.

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "The Summer Book". Beautiful but slow moving melancholic drama. 3/5.

(This is related to the book – there is only one published picture from the movie at the time of writing) A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Summer Book” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival). I don’t know. You wait years for a gentle drama set in a Finnish Summer House and then two turn up at once! Hot on the heels of the excellent “My Eternal Summer” comes Glenn Close starring in “The…

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Triumph ('15'): Bulgarian Psychic Madness in a Dry and Bizarre Comedy.

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "Triumph". A mind-bendingly bizarre Bulgarian comedy about psychics, sex and possibly alien artifacts.. 3/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Triumph” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival). Original title: Triumf. It’s one of those films that seemed to baffle half of the press audience. And indeed it is a pretty baffling film, even though it is – bizarrely – “inspired by true events”. Bob the Movie Man Rating: “Triumph” Plot Summary: In Bulgaria, a secret army initiative is using two psychics –…

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All of You ('15'): Can a Computer Algorithm Find Your Soul Mate?

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "All of You". A romance drama where the selfish characters irritated the hell out of me. 2.5/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “All of You” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival). In “All of You” we have taken dating to the next level. With millions of people having taken “The Test”, the SoulConnex organisation will, for a suitably large fee, find your perfect soul-mate who might be anywhere in the world. So not, as I first met the Illustrious Mrs Movie Man 45 years ago next week,…

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Memoir of a Snail ('15'): A Stop-Motion Animation That "Celebrates the Cracks"!

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "Memoir of a Snail". An hilarious Aussie Stop/Motion triumph. 4.5/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Memoir of a Snail” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival). Regular readers of this blog will know that I am NOT a big fan of Stop-Motion animation movies. When everyone had quiet orgasms over Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinnochio” in 2022, I was much more lukewarm about it. Yes, I could obviously see how clever it was. But as a movie entertainment experience, it…

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The Outrun (15): Alcoholism Brought to Life by a Fearless Performance from Ronan.

One Mann's Movies FIlm Review of "The Outrun". Saoirse Ronan in fine form as a struggling alcoholic. 4/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Outrun” (2024). I don’t think “The Outrun”, given it’s British setting and strong dialects, will play well in the US so I think Oscar consideration is unlikely. But Saoirse Ronan surely deserves a shot at the Best Actress nomination from BAFTA this year. Bob the Movie Man Rating*: (* Sorry – I seem to be stuck on 4 stars at the moment… there is a glut of very…

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Speak No Evil (15): There Ain't Nobody Does "Deranged" better than James McAvoy.

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "Speak No Evil". A remake of the bleak 2022 original that is pure edge-of-the-seat entertainment. 4/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Speak No Evil” (2024). Just back from a very pleasant, but cinema-free, two weeks in Portugal. So I have a bit of catching up to do with the latest releases. First off the block is this James Watkins remake of the original Danish horror/thriller “Speak No Evil”. And very entertaining it is too. Bob the Movie Man Rating: Plot Summary: Louise (Mackenzie Davis),…

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Kill (15): One of the best small-scale thrillers I've seen this year.

One Mann's Movies Film Review of "Kill". A surprisingly taut and well-made Scottish thriller from debut director Rodger Griffiths.. 4/5

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Kill” (2024). (Alternative title: Betrayal) Sometimes a ‘little’ film packs a bigger punch than all of the glossy big-budget Hollywood thrillers that come out. Case in point, “Kill” (aka “Betrayal”) – a film that, at the moment, seems to only be getting a limited release in Scotland, but which deserves to be seen more broadly. (Distributors, please take…

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Blink Twice (15): Absolute power corrupts... absolutely in this "Me Too" thriller.

#onemannsmovies #filmreview of "Blink Twice". #BlinkTwice. Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut hits it out of the park. Chilling and suspenseful. 4/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Blink Twice” (2024). When I saw the trailer of Zoë Kravitz’s “Blink Twice” I was immediately reminded of Mark Mylod’s 2022 comedy/horror “The Menu“. In that film, Ralph Fiennes plays Chef Slowik: a rich and pretentious chef who invites rich twats to his exclusive island to enjoy fine dining with a twist. I wasn’t wrong about that. But there is also a good dose of…

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

Harold and the Purple Crayon (PG): A surprisingly enjoyable family film.

#onemannsmovies #filmreview of "Harold and the Purple Crayon". #HaroldAndThePurpleCrayon. A surprisingly fun family film despite the dodgy trailer. 4/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” (2024). The source material for “Harold and the Purple Crayon” dates back to 1955 and Crockett Johnson’s children’s book. It was actually turned into a 7 minute animated short in 1959. When I saw the trailer for this one a few weeks ago, I was NOT impressed. So it came as a nice surprise when I watched the film. For this is a really…

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

Kinds of Kindness (18): "You've Just Crossed Over Into... The Twilight Zone".

#onemannsmovies #filmreview of "Kinds of Kindness". #KindsofKindness. Yorgos Lanthimos again challenges the senses with a bemusing anthology. 4/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Kinds of Kindness” (2024). If director Yorgos Lanthimos might have been referred for a psyche ward after doctors viewed the manic energy of “Poor Things“, “Kinds of Kindness” would have got the doors locked and bolted! At times, it is seriously ‘out there’. But it’s undeniably a brilliant cinema ‘experience’ however you choose to take it. Bob the Movie Man…

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

The Dead Don't Hurt (15): Romantic Western Drama Whose Timeline Will Have You In a Spin.

#onemannsmovies #filmreview of "The Dead Don't Hurt". #TheDeadDontHurt. A classy western-set romantic drama with Viggo Mortensen and a superb Vicky Krieps. 4/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Dead Don’t Hurt” (2024). “The Dead Don’t Hurt” is a new ‘western’ written and directed by the star, Viggo Mortensen. I say ‘western’ in quotes, since although it’s set in the West of the 1860’s, it’s a romance / drama / revenge story that could equally well have been set in any location in the present day. Bob the Movie Man Rating: Plot Summary: Immigrant…