‘An unbelievable Die Hard rip-off’: two decades of Alan Rickman’s withering film reviews

It’s clear from Alan Rickman’s diaries that he by no means misplaced his ardour for the display screen. The pages are littered together with his verdicts on the films he liked – and hated. Right here’s a small choice.

For half of it, I believed it was a barely coldly correct rendition of the script. However by some means it kicked in. Holly Hunter was great. All of them have been. An inspiration.

Within the Line of Hearth, 1993

Unbelievable Die Arduous rip-off. Adversaries on the telephone to one another, falling from a skyscraper and many others, and many others.

The Final Seduction, 1994

Nice opinions, Linda Fiorentino, and many others, and many others. Bodes nicely. However a deeply cynical, joyless, diminishing piece of labor and we resolve to depart. An espresso is extra rewarding.

Like watching your personal life flash by. Issues that aunts did or mentioned and mums by no means forgot and by no means talked about leaving you perplexed as you open Xmas doorways on sobbing kinfolk. Tim Spall fairly great.

Good Will Searching, 1997

In the end a little bit of a let down. Matt Damon is a extremely effective actor, nonetheless. However the movie feels as whether it is in search of a way of objective, or that it has too many. And Robin Williams is simply too candy from the phrase go.

Bushes Lounge, 1996

Steve Buscemi’s lovely movie. Full rethink on the being-in-it-and-directing query, though it has such a central quietness you neglect anyone is appearing or directing one thing. V inspiring.

Jamie Bell is kind of great – not a sentimental second in his efficiency. The movie is Stephen Daldry at his most calculating. It’s nearly as if he has fed the necessities into a pc. The movie may have been lovely however its cynical use of the miners’ strike, added to a protracted listing of untruths (the boy within the gown, the snowman, the brother’s change of coronary heart), make the newspaper headlines – “The Greatest British Movie Ever” – an insult to [Joseph] Losey, [John] Schlesinger, [Lindsay] Anderson, Powell and Pressburger, [Mike] Newell, [Anthony] Minghella and the remaining.

There it’s – the script completely realised on the display screen. And I felt severely indifferent. Perhaps it’s an issue whenever you don’t actually care about any of the characters. As a result of strive as he may, Robert Altman can’t make us see the story by the servants’ eyes. The higher lessons will all the time cease that. That’s the purpose.

The type of miserable English movie the place single moms and Amnesty employees are ugly individuals in outsized sweaters.

They needed to make a dramatisation as a result of the 2 [mountaineers] are on a charisma bypass. However the pictures are superb and the continuing dilemmas jaw-dropping.

Lady’s Weekly tosh from Woody Allen.

Transferring and easy documentary concerning the “misplaced” singer [Sixto] Rodriguez. All the pieces they are saying is correct – he was forward of his time, his music is great, and his self-possession humbling.

A terrific movie, I’m instructed. Would I watch it twice? No. What does it say? Ought to Chiwetel [Ejiofor] get an Oscar? No. He’s in it quite a bit, wanting frightened, and respiratory closely. Is that sufficient? [Michael] Fassbender, nonetheless, could be very effective. Makes you ferret to know him. Someway, I used to be all the time watching actors, not a narrative.

Deeply irritating. Seeming to journey on (right) assumption of Judi [Dench]’s greatness, permitting numerous script laziness. Watching it’s to continually wish to put your hand up and yell: “Excuse me, what about/why didn’t she/why hasn’t he???” And so forth, and many others.

Maggie [Smith] and Tom [Courtenay] full-up with class. And Billy Connolly performing some nice work, however which OAP house is that? Let’s all transfer in.