Rollo Tomasi

All reviews - Movies (77) - TV Shows (1) -

A feast to the senses

Posted : 6 days, 1 hour ago on 5 May 2008 06:48 (A review of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)

This film is a feast to the senses, I swear it's that well crafted I could smell it. Although Pitt gives an adequate performance the real stars here are Roger Deakins (cinematography), Nick Cave & Warren Ellis (music), and Casey Affleck as the creepy and highly annoying coward that is Robert Ford. One of my faves of 2007.

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Honest and brutal

Posted : 1 week, 6 days ago on 28 April 2008 03:12 (A review of Violin, El)

It's not hard to see why Francisco Vargas' feature length debut earned an official selection at Cannes. El Violin is an honest and brutal social depiction of corruption in the Mexican peasant fields. Hollywood should look beyond the border and take note.

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A brilliant debut

Posted : 2 weeks, 5 days ago on 22 April 2008 04:06 (A review of Ratcatcher)

Lynne Ramsay's debut feature is a stylish, gritty slice of realism that is so strikingly shot you forget that you're watching a film. I wish I hadn't took so long to get around to seeing Ratcatcher, that is my only regret.

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A remarkable story

Posted : 3 weeks, 1 day ago on 19 April 2008 05:38 (A review of Rescue Dawn)

Werner Herzog's passion and enthusiasm for Dieter Dengler's remarkable story make Rescue Dawn stand-out amongst the best of a long tradition of p.o.w. films, a genre one could be forgiven for thinking had taken its last breath. A fascinating study of the strength of human will, grit and determination. I haven't seen Bale this good since The Machinist. I still prefer 'Little Dieter Needs To Fly' but I don't regret Werner's decision to dramatise Dieter's story now I've seen the results.

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Intelligent thriller

Posted : 3 weeks, 6 days ago on 14 April 2008 01:04 (A review of Michael Clayton)

At last! A thriller with a plot that hasn't been diluted for wide release multiplex audiences. Its a little dry in places but the plot becomes more elaborate by virtue of the timeline on events which is cleverly done . One of Clooney's better performances.


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Not everything is "rotten in Denmark".

Posted : 2 months, 4 weeks ago on 13 February 2008 03:43 (A review of After The Wedding)

A thought provoking and emotionally absorbent film. By the end of the film you'll be questioning your own choices in life. It doesn't matter to me what language Mads Mikkelsen is speaking in a film, his face and mannerisms are an international language of their own.

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Not wholly believable

Posted : 3 months ago on 9 February 2008 09:50 (A review of The Believer)

The poster quotes read "It will pin you to your seat", "Riveting", "Volatile". It's all three thanks to a brilliant Ryan Gosling performance. However, it's hard to get behind this film too much when the story-teller omits such important things like telling/showing us what initially drove Danny to turn his hatred on to his own people. I find it hard to believe that it was built on classroom debate alone. Reverse antisemitism is a pretty inspired topic to cover and the film is a tough and emotional one, it's just that unlike the title I wasn't a believer on the whole.

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Dead Man is alive!

Posted : 3 months ago on 6 February 2008 11:44 (A review of Dead Man)

Jim Jarmusch treats us to a darkly brooding gem that is every bit as impressive a character piece than it is a western. I think Jim's buddy Nick Cave was aiming for similar when he wrote 'The Proposition'. That was good... this is in a different league.

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Panic at the Disco

Posted : 3 months, 1 week ago on 30 January 2008 06:20 (A review of We Own the Night)

We Own The Night isn't just another standard cop drama; at the films heart is a fascinating study into how people react in extreme circumstances. It's family loyalty versus trust in your friends. As always blood runs thicker than water.

Thanks to James Gray's directing style and a trio of deft performances from Messrs Phoenix, Wahlberg and Duvall things are just as substantial above the surface as they are under the hood. If you're an eighties kid then you're sure to the love the soundtrack too.

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You'll learn something valuable.

Posted : 3 months, 1 week ago on 29 January 2008 05:54 (A review of Indigènes (Days of Glory))

Works well as a war movie and as a study of the injustices imposed on North African troops by the French army during WWII. Well acted and an impressive all-rounder for a low budget film. I felt like I'd came out of this having learned something valuable.

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