Notebook Reviews

Hugh Gran and Julia Roberts in Notting Hill

Notebook Reviews: NOTTING HILL

Roger Michell – 1999. Notting Hill is an entertaining and well put together London-centric romantic comedy. Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts make a good pairing and there’s an interesting cast of satellite characters for them to [...]

July 3, 2026

Notebook Reviews: HAMLET

Michael Almereyda – 2000. Director Michael Almereyda delivers a highly watchable screen adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Updated to modern-day New York City, this features strong performances from an impressive cast [...]

January 18, 2025

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca

Notebook Reviews: CASABLANCA

Michael Curtiz – 1942. Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca is a film that truly deserves its iconic status. It’s one of the films that set the high benchmark for how Hollywood productions are measured. The casting is outstanding – [...]

January 17, 2025

Bruce Willis pointing his finger at a young boy

Notebook Reviews: THE KID

Jon Turteltaub – 2000. It’s sentimental and a little cheesy, but if you go in with the right frame of mind, then you’ll find that Jon Turteltaub’s The Kid (aka Disney’s The Kid) is an excellent family-friendly fantasy with a superb [...]

December 30, 2024

Notebook Reviews: WONDER BOYS

Curtis Hanson – 2000. Wonder Boys is a first-rate film with an exceptional lead turn from a never better Michael Douglas. He’s assisted by some excellent support from Robert Downey Jr, Tobey Maguire and Frances McDormand. Curtis [...]

December 14, 2024

Futuristic soldier chased by a giant bug-like alien.

Notebook Reviews: STARSHIP TROOPERS

Paul Verhoeven – 1997. Starship Troopers once again sees Dutch director Paul Verhoeven return to the world of futuristic satire. This big budget sci-fi action pic delivers the spectacle, but it doesn’t quite pack the punch of RoboCop or [...]

December 1, 2024

Notebook Reviews: MYSTERY MEN

Kinka Usher – 1999. Mystery Men is a solid and good-looking superhero comedy. It has all the right elements, but somehow they fail to come together in a truly satisfying way. This features a great cast – Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, [...]

November 24, 2024

Notebook Reviews: THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

Tobe Hooper – 1974. Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a low budget and quite horrific horror pic that set the template for a plethora of other fright films. The set-up is a slow burn, but once things kick-0ff, it becomes [...]

November 3, 2024

Notebook Reviews: THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT

Rob Reiner – 1995. The American President is an excellent romantic comedy from director Rob Reiner and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. This politically charged pic has a superb cast – Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, [...]

September 28, 2024

Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Liv Tyler

Notebook Reviews: PLUNKETT & MACLEANE

Jake Scott – 1999 Plunkett & Macleane is an energetic – but hugely disappointing historical buddy movie starring Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Liv Tyler. It sounds like a great idea, but the mix of the modern day and the 18th [...]

September 25, 2024

Lori Petty, Tom Hanks and Geena Davis playing baseball

Notebook Reviews: A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

Penny Marshall – 1992. There’s no crying in baseball! A League Of Their Own is an enjoyable sporting comedy. Tom Hanks delvers a great turn as the drunken coach of an all-female baseball team (made up of Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, [...]

September 7, 2024

Notebook Reviews: DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

Rouben Mamoulian – 1931 Director Rouben Mamoulian delivers an early (and controversial) screen adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale. This 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an atmospheric work that delivers all the [...]

August 31, 2024

Notebook Reviews: THE PAPER

Ron Howard -1994. The Paper is an excellent comedy-drama from master of all trades director Ron Howard. It features a typically great performance from Michael Keaton – as well as an all-star supporting cast (Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Randy [...]

August 24, 2024

Notebook Reviews: THE CABLE GUY

Ben Stiller – 1996. A comedy with a dark edge, Ben Stiller‘s The Cable Guy is a solid effort but it ultimately lacks spark. Matthew Broderick is good as the hapless customer who is terrorised by Jim Carrey‘s titular Cable Guy. [...]

August 17, 2024

Notebook Reviews: O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?

Joel Coen – 2000. O Brother, Where Art Thou is deftly handled comedy from the Coen Brothers. The 1930s-set film features a terrific wide-eyed turn from George Clooney as an escaped convict. Jon Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson also deliver [...]

August 15, 2024

Review of The Bodyguard starring Kevin Costner.

Notebook Reviews: THE BODYGUARD

Mick Jackson – 1992 The Bodyguard is an excellent romantic-thriller that surpasses expectations. Kevin Costner is in stoic form as Frank Farmer, The Bodyguard of the title and Whitney Houston also excels as the star in need of protection. [...]

August 14, 2024

Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn in Message In A Bottle

Notebook Reviews: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

Luis Mandoki – 1999. Message In A Bottle is a well composed romantic-drama. The central casting of Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn and Paul Newman is a good one and this helps keep the film afloat when threatens to slip into a sea of [...]

August 10, 2024

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon 2.

Notebook Reviews: LETHAL WEAPON 2

Richard Donner – 1989. Sequels don’t get any better than Richard Donner‘s Lethal Weapon 2. This is is a first-rate action movie with a great cast on top form. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover once again bring the magic as Riggs and [...]

August 9, 2024

Notebook Reviews: ED WOOD

Tim Burton – 1994. A masterpiece. Director Tim Burton‘s biopic of Edward D. Wood Jr – the supposed worst film-maker of all time – delivers on all fronts. An excellent cast and sparkling screenplay make Ed Wood a joy to [...]

August 8, 2024

Notebook Reviews: MIDNIGHT RUN

Martin Brest – 1988. Beverly Hills Cop director Martin Brest once again tackles the action-comedy and delivers an enjoyable buddy movie with Midnight Run. George Gallo‘s screenplay hits the mark and the cast is off-the-chart great: [...]

August 2, 2024

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