Reviews by Rachael Connelly
John Carter [12A]
Rachael Connelly
Clever, slick, fun. Based on the ER Burroughs story that defined the paradigm for the sci-fi that followed, including Star Wars.
13 years ago
John Carter [12A]
Win Win [15]
Rachael Connelly
Win Win is a charming, beautifully-told reflection on what it's taking for some of us to get by in the financial crisis. It's funny too.
13 years ago
Win Win [15]
Attack The Block [15]
Rachael Connelly
This thrilling sci-fi film is both super fun and thoughtful. I don't often go to films aiming to scare me - and it did - but I'd happily watch this one again.
14 years ago
Attack The Block [15]
Something Borrowed [12A]
Rachael Connelly
The quality of this chick flick is in line with that of any chick lit: so-so. But did that stop this chick from watching? Indeed, it did not.
14 years ago
Something Borrowed [12A]
Water For Elephants [12A]
Rachael Connelly
Lovely film that reminds us how gritty yet exotic life during the Great Depression in the US could be.
14 years ago
Water For Elephants [12A]
Farewell (L'Affaire Farewell) [12A]
Rachael Connelly
A bit disjointed but very compelling viewing nonetheless. I would recommend it.
14 years ago
Farewell (L'Affaire Farewell) [12A]
Arthur [12A]
Rachael Connelly
Okay film that pays too much homage to the original. They should have left Brand to his own devices and let him improvise more. That's what he does best, really.
14 years ago
Arthur [12A]
Little White Lies [15]
Rachael Connelly
I really enjoyed this slice of French life even though it takes itself a mite too seriously. It's not unlike (a French) The Big Chill.
14 years ago
Little White Lies [15]
Oranges And Sunshine [15]
Rachael Connelly
Sad tale exposing yet more government corruption & cruelty to children. Worth watching.
14 years ago
Oranges And Sunshine [15]
Archipelago [15]
Rachael Connelly
I thought it was pure drivel, as did the rest of the audience who audibly giggled and snorted their way through this turkey. One incredulous chap sitting behind me said, 'I'm going to the pub. Call ...
14 years ago
Archipelago [15]
The King's Speech [12A]
Rachael Connelly
Not quite the 'Second Coming' as it's being touted. Very good nonetheless.
14 years ago
The King's Speech [12A]
Gnomeo and Juliet [U]
Rachael Connelly
One for the kiddies as well as mum & dad. Good animation, loadsa Elton John tunes, and more Shakespeare references than you can shake a stick at.
14 years ago
Gnomeo and Juliet [U]
Just Go With It [12A]
Rachael Connelly
Sandler does his best to keep the party going, but things (i.e. plot points) just don't add up. Cute kids, though.
14 years ago
Just Go With It [12A]
West Is West [15]
Rachael Connelly
As is the case with sequels, I went in hoping for the best but prepared for the worst. And although West Is West has its flaws, I left well chuffed after learning what had become of my favourite ...
14 years ago
West Is West [15]
No Strings Attached [15]
Rachael Connelly
There are some surprisingly genuine laugh-out-loud moments in this so-so romcom that somehow manages to tug at the ol' heart strings. It's produced by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Up in the Air).
14 years ago
No Strings Attached [15]
I Am Number Four [12A]
Rachael Connelly
If you like your Buffy served with a side of Smallville (and a dash of Twilight) then this sci-fi teen romance is for you. Stevenage's very own Alex Pettyfer and Glee's Dianna Agron star.
14 years ago
I Am Number Four [12A]
Rabbit Hole [12A]
Rachael Connelly
I saw this a few days ago, and was both impressed and touched. Go see it if you're in the mood for something thoughtful and well made. Warning: This is not really a date film, and it's definitely not ...
14 years ago
Rabbit Hole [12A]
The Green Hornet [12A]
Rachael Connelly
Clever and fun from the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Totally go see it! Date movie: you betcha.
14 years ago
The Green Hornet [12A]
Brighton Rock [15]
Rachael Connelly
Saw this at a preview a while back. Another in a long line of British bad boy films, period and otherwise. More of a 'renter', whatever that might mean these days.
14 years ago
Brighton Rock [15]
The Fighter [15]
Rachael Connelly
LOVED IT! I think you might too. Yes, another boxer's rise to fame story but this one has genuine heart. Plus, I lived in the Boston area for a year and, yes, working class folks there do speak and ...
14 years ago
The Fighter [15]
Never Let Me Go [12A]
Rachael Connelly
An achingly beautiful film that will *only* have you scratching your head if you've never considered your own mortality and what it means to live life with dignity and with purpose. Brought to you by ...
14 years ago
Never Let Me Go [12A]
A Little Bit of Heaven [12A]
Rachael Connelly
This film was MUCH better than I thought it'd be. Another rom-com with a complicated ending, it's really worth buying a ticket for.
14 years ago
A Little Bit of Heaven [12A]
Barney's Version [15]
Rachael Connelly
Saw Barney's Version last night. Do not go. At best, it's a 'renter' or bargain bin purchase. Maybe not even that. I love the actors starring in it, but this turkey nearly sucked my life energy away. ...
14 years ago
Barney's Version [15]
Tangled [PG]
Rachael Connelly
Tangled is a great film. It's lovely to look at, and even though it's pitched at young girls, it doesn't talk down to them or reinforce the White Knight myth they're routinely force-fed elswhere. ...
14 years ago
Tangled [PG]
Riverdance
Rachael Connelly
Our trip to see Riverdance- The Journey (aka 'The Farewell Tour') last night at the New Theatre should have been the end cap to my father's visit before heading back to the States. Alas, thanks to ...
15 years ago
Riverdance
Steeleye Span
Rachael Connelly
The older I get the more I find I’d much rather stay at home on a cold, rainy night than venture into town for a concert. Last night I overcame that urge and headed out to the New Theatre to see ...
15 years ago
Steeleye Span
Gabrielle
Rachael Connelly
The New Theatre on George Street was nearly sold out for hard-working single mum R&B diva Gabrielle whose stop in Oxford last night marked the second date on her 'Always' tour of the UK. Dressed ...
17 years ago
Gabrielle
Walk Hard [15]
Rachael Connelly
I saw the film a week ago at the Vue and thought it was terrific. It's totally 'boy' humour. Everyone in the cinema was rolling on the floor laughing. I was too.
17 years ago
Walk Hard [15]
Nabucco & Carmen
Rachael Connelly
Nabucco, Thursday 6th December 2007I think I've lost faith in opera, or at least in what I thought opera was on its way to becoming when I was a music student in the 90s. Then there was a feeling ...
17 years ago
Nabucco & Carmen
Deacon Blue
Rachael Connelly
Before we get started I have confession to make: I just moved over from the States a year and a half ago and therefore knew zilch about Deacon Blue before I saw them last night at the New Theatre - ...
17 years ago
Deacon Blue
America 07
Rachael Connelly
Everyone had a great time at the America concert at the New Theatre Wednesday night. For those who are too young to know, America is an American pop group who had a string of hits mostly in the early ...
17 years ago
America 07
Sirens
Rachael Connelly
I left work yesterday early and in a rush to reach Magdalen Auditorium in time for the lecture recital entitled 'Sirens' at 5 p.m. I've attended a few of these in my day, so I knew what to expect: a ...
17 years ago
Sirens
The Hollies
Rachael Connelly
The Hollies, one of the UK's best groups from the mid-60s, trotted out their greatest in a 2-1/2 hour long show at the New Theatre on Tuesday night. I was among a hundreds-strong throng of aging ...
17 years ago
The Hollies
Tango Fire
Rachael Connelly
I was among the lucky who were entertained by Tango Fire direct from Buenos Aires at the New Theatre on Tuesday evening. As promised, the dancing was 'high octane' and was performed by Estamps ...
17 years ago
Tango Fire
International Youth Music Festival 2007
Rachael Connelly
On Saturday 18 August I attended the final performance of the International Youth Music Festival Orchestra at Wesley Memorial Church on New Inn Hall Street. The Festival is the culmination of this ...
17 years ago
International Youth Music Festival 2007
The Free Beer Show - 2007 Season
Rachael Connelly
May 14th 2007 Richard Herring
Former comedy partner of Stewart Lee, author of Talking Cock and now, writer and star of ITV1's You Can Choose Your Friends, Richard Herring is a big act, and is ...
18 years ago
The Free Beer Show - 2007 Season
Sing-A-Long-A ABBA
Rachael Connelly
Back in 1983 when I had a serious Duran Duran habit, I was a proud member of the I-Hate-the-70s Club. My Aunt Cathy, on the other hand, was not. One day over a heated discussion about the relative ...
18 years ago
Sing-A-Long-A ABBA
Daniel Kitson - C90
Rachael Connelly
Daniel Kitson is a Perrier Award-winning comedian whose live shows are typically very long, chatty, inclusive affairs that are not unlike spending a long train trip with an uncommonly witty friend. ...
18 years ago
Daniel Kitson - C90
Blue Blood [15]
Rachael Connelly
Stevan Riley's Blue Blood is on general release from Warner UK. A festival favourite in recent months, this docu-film is a fly-on-the-wall look at the annual Oxford vs. Cambridge Varsity Boxing ...
18 years ago
Blue Blood [15]
Concentio
Rachael Connelly
I was impressed to learn that Concentio is a group of university-aged singers who present their concerts entirely under their own steam. Plus, it's a volunteer choir; members aren't just going ...
18 years ago
Concentio
Wolves in the Walls
Rachael Connelly
It may have been a school night, but families with children of all ages came out in droves to the Oxford Playhouse on Tuesday night to experience The Wolves in the Walls (A Musical Pandemonium), the ...
18 years ago
Wolves in the Walls
The Blue Room
Rachael Connelly
Rarely do the programming conditions of a play’s engagement contribute something important to its meaning, and rarely will you ever be recommended to see a play more than once in a week-long run, ...
18 years ago
The Blue Room
Crime Passionnel
Rachael Connelly
Oxford Kiwi's production of Jean-Paul Sartre's Crime Passionnel (Les Mains Sales) makes good Chekov's maxim about guns in the theatre. The revolver we see in the first act does indeed get fired in ...
18 years ago
Crime Passionnel
Oxford Lieder Festival 2006
Rachael Connelly
Sat 28/10/2006, Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building: Susan Gritton & Eugene Asti
Last night's concert featuring soprano Susan Gritton and pianist Eugene Asti marked the end of the two-week long ...
18 years ago
Oxford Lieder Festival 2006
Oxford Lieder Festival 2006
Rachael Connelly
Mon 16/10/2006, Holywell Music Room: Hugo Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch
After a full day's work and a lengthy commute home Monday night, I wasn't sure if I had it in me to cope with another bus ...
18 years ago
Oxford Lieder Festival 2006
Oxford Lieder Festival 2006
Rachael Connelly
Sat 14/10/2006, Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building: Sophie Daneman & Julius Drake
We were treated to some very fine singing last night at the Oxford Lieder Festival in a concert featuring soprano ...
18 years ago
Oxford Lieder Festival 2006
