Prison stuff. In prison movies.
“And I don’t think I let the people in my life down by making the wrong choices. I think I let them down by convincing myself I never had a choice to begin with.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on June 27th, 2014 at 10:16 pm. Updated on June 27th, 2014 at 10:23 pm.
If you’re looking for some light entertainment, this is probably not the film for you. At one level it’s a story of an intelligent first-time prisoner battling to survive in a harsh prison. But it’s much more besides.
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Posted on June 23rd, 2014 at 9:59 pm. Updated on June 27th, 2014 at 10:22 pm.
This may not have been the first of the law abiding citizen movies – where decent guys engineer their transfer to prison in order to avenge horrible things done to their family members – but it came before Doing Hard Time (2004), Law Abiding Citizen (2009) and Offender (2012). And as far as escapist action flicks go, The Escapist goes OK. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on June 14th, 2014 at 10:47 pm. Updated on June 14th, 2014 at 10:47 pm.
There is not much that can be said for this other than that it is a singularly distasteful, exploitative film. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on June 8th, 2014 at 9:41 pm. Updated on June 8th, 2014 at 9:43 pm.
It’s over twelve months since I finally caught up with the Irish film H3 and then declared that I was in no hurry to see another movie about Bobby Sands, the dirty protest or the Troubles. But here I am, back again; I’m clearly a sucker for a dirty protest.
Posted on June 1st, 2014 at 7:58 pm. Updated on June 1st, 2014 at 7:58 pm.
“Crime reporter Jack Moir is framed by crooked nightclub owner, ‘The Duke’. In prison, Moir plans his revenge…” is what the internet synopses say. And that’s all true. Just don’t expect a lot of prison plotting; the prison scenes account for just 5½ of the film’s 59 minutes. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on May 31st, 2014 at 9:04 pm. Updated on January 1st, 2017 at 9:04 am.
Mickey Loren (Louis Crugnali, who also wrote the script) is troubled. He’s been out of jail for several years, but is still haunted by the drunken accident in which he killed his ‘blood brother’, Anthony. He drinks too much, continues to drink and drive, and has come perilously close to breaching his parole. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on May 25th, 2014 at 6:17 pm. Updated on May 25th, 2014 at 6:17 pm.
In saying that this is the most interesting new prison movie for some time, I need also to declare my bias: I know a number of the principals connected with its production. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on April 25th, 2014 at 4:10 pm. Updated on April 25th, 2014 at 4:24 pm.
The real-life trial around which this film revolves was a landmark battered wives case in Britain. Unfortunately, director Jag Mundhra makes the mistake of assuming that his audience has no intelligence at all; the story is so dumbed down and melodramatic that at every corner there is a “My God! That’s brilliant!” moment as someone thinks of flicking a light switch in the dark. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on April 21st, 2014 at 7:18 pm. Updated on April 21st, 2014 at 7:18 pm.
When this opened where I live, it opened, I think, for just one session in one cinema. That might say as much as needs to be said. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on April 14th, 2014 at 10:56 pm. Updated on April 29th, 2015 at 10:34 pm.