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Reviews
Uncanny (2015)
Not ex machina - very good B-movie
This film is probably going to be compared to ex machina because of the similar theme. It is a completely different story so do not fear repetition if you have seen ex machina.
I will not reveal any of the story line - I have seen one of the reviews on here that does actually indicate part of the storyline. The story is quite slow so it is not really a popcorn flick. I do not remember ever feeling bored. The story unfolds at a fairly casual rate.
The acting is good. The characters are intriguing and quite varied. I though the lady was actually quite unpleasant and childish (even for her age group) but she was not necessarily unbelievable. I am sure certain people will empathize with her.
Just remember that it is a low budget movie with very few actors. Take it for what it is but bear in mind that it is probably better than many films that had a far higher budget.
Snitch (2013)
Do not trust the overall rating - This is exceptional and so is Dwayne Johnson
I am not sure if certain details within this film are completely accurate. It is a story at the end of the day... but this is thrilling and chilling at the same time.
The whole film is dark, serious and chilling but the intensity mounts at points in a way that is extremely effective. It is not just the action scenes. I really have to reconsider the acting talent of Dwayne Johnson. He has come along way from the over-the- top, silly wrestling acting. He is up there with some of the best. I am not messing around.
I do not think that it is so much a moralizing story as it is a people story. It is the intensity between the people that matters.
I do not subscribe to the idea of simple "black and white"/"good and evil" type mentality. The story is balanced enough to not show this kind of reality. It does, however, manage to show some extremely dark gray and light gray to good effect though.
Great job!
Stargate SG-1: Need (1998)
An interesting perspective of addiction
This is somewhat disjointed and slow moving but it does pick up in the last half. I am somewhat puzzled that someone says that Jackson "falls in love..." That is something that certainly does NOT happen at any point in this episode! This episode is mostly centered around the idea of addiction - hence the title.
I found that part of the story seems to be built up in the first half but it just fizzles out. After about the first half of the episode it gets more interesting but the original story never really takes form. It does, however, show the nature of the bond between the members of the team.
The acting was intriguing (especially Michael Shanks) and the storyline becomes an important part of the SG1 series. It is not quite up to the standard of other episodes. It is a good episode for revealing more about the nature of the goa'uld.
Stargate (1994)
Implausible but fun sci fi - good intro to series
I think this is quite a fun movie but there are some very silly aspects to it. If it is not taken too seriously then it is not so bad.
In 1994 the population of USA was over 260 million. Are we seriously supposed to believe that in an unprecedented event (like sending people to another galaxy) the US forces would send a bunch of red neck meat- heads from out of that massive population?
These people are a representation of possibly the most stupid, trigger happy people on the entire planet... and these are the ones they send through a stargate! Is this supposed to give hope to high-school drop- outs? The only real exceptions are Dr Daniel Jackson and one of the soldiers (Brown). Even the Colonel seems like a complete meat head; he seems more like a guy who would never get past Sergeant let alone become an officer.
Other than that it is quite an entertaining light hearted comedy sci-fi. The length of the entire series that follows this film (we are talking several hundred episodes) is evidence that this was a worthwhile premise. It is a good introduction to a great series. It will be noticed that all the series (even including SGU surprisingly) have a much higher rating than the film.
Felon (2008)
Gritty, powerful, intense and realistic
The hate and violence in this film is graphically portrayed in an unforgiving fashion. This led me to believe that there was maybe going to be nothing in the way of a story and that it would leave me feeling empty. That was not the case.
This is a powerful film but it could be construed as immoral by some people. Some people live a life of violence by choice. It is maybe in their nature or it is just something that they have learned. Some people, on the other hand, get pulled into it and have nothing to do except fight back or be destroyed. This is what is being portrayed.
I saw one comment from another reviewer suggesting that the message contained in the film is bad. I have seen another comment suggesting that it is not very realistic. I disagree. It is fiction but what is going on within the film is believable. The message that is sent out within the film is that life is not always fair... and all there is left for you to do is to keep fighting until the end or lay down and die. It is also showing that some people choose a life of violence and others are thrust into it whether they like it or not.
This is a very powerful, very violent, but very moving film. Sanctimonious people who see the world through rose colored spectacles will probably not like it.
12 Years a Slave (2013)
2 hours of pointless and depressing oppression for what?
How this movie has got such a high rating is beyond me! I just need to ask: what is the point in this movie? What is it supposed to prove?
2 hours of oppression, crying, bigotry, death and violence for absolutely nothing. There is no suspense, no retribution and there is no justice. It is just a stream of one dimensional white slave masters getting worse and worse.
Maybe I should have marked this as containing spoilers because I have basically described the film. Nothing really happens except that which I have described.
I am awe struck as to why so many people have rated it so highly. The story is drab and very poorly executed. The acting is alright but over the top. The only reason for the good acting is that the actors themselves are good. There is nothing interesting about the script or the lines.
All I could think of at the end was that I needed to watch an uplifting film just to get this film out of my mind. The point of a story should be to inspire you. Many films are sad and violent but at least they leave you with a sense of purpose.
Django unchained is not very serious and meant to be comedic, but at least it entertains. 12 years a slave is not even close to the story telling power of Django Unchained. That is a quality film... this film is not!
You have been warned (but unfortunately this will be lost under all the rave reviews). Dreadful film...
Star Trek: Voyager: Favorite Son (1997)
Like a naughty video without the naughty bits
I am using the word "naughty" because I thought this review might get rejected if I used any other word. Essentially speaking it has the kind of corniness and sleaziness that you would expect from that kind of video but obviously no actual naughtiness.
The girls on the episode are very attractive (to me) but somewhat one-dimensional (whichever reviewer said that they were not attractive is not too familiar with what guys like). Loken is stunning! This one-dimensional aspect just makes the whole episode get kind of boring. There is too much smooching and kissing. Scenes seem to take far too long and nothing much really seems to happen until the last 10 or so minutes of the episode. It is one of the Voyager episodes that I always remember as being slightly poor.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Distant Voices (1995)
A surreal experience for Doctor Bashir
I have been careful to avoid spoilers in this review so I have tried to explain why I see it as a great episode without revealing the plot.
I love this episode and I am slightly surprised that it has such a low score. The episode delves into a philosophical exploration of the mind.
The episode handles the topic well and proceeds at a pace that only reveals the eventual plot with care. It is somewhat unclear what is happening at first but it all becomes clear as it progresses. It is well executed and intriguing in concept.
This is a great episode for revealing the character of doctor Bashir. It helps to expand upon his character in respect to later episodes.
Enterprise: Doctor's Orders (2004)
Humorous and exciting at the same time
No spoilers here. The episode works best if you have no idea of the storyline.
This episode seems to capture humour, creepiness and excitement all in one interesting episode. The main winning point has to be the humour.
The episode mainly focuses on one character and could be considered somewhat boring at times but it does pick up as it progresses. Because the whole episode seems to focus one one character there are obviously limitations but it is carried out well.
The twist at the end makes it a very satisfying episode. It is one the few episodes that I have literally found myself laughing out loud to. It is probably one of my favourites apart from the the fact that it seems somewhat limited in scope (hence the 8/10 instead of 9/10). There is a very similar episode in Voyager. I will not say which one because it could be construed as a spoiler.
Enterprise: Chosen Realm (2004)
Interesting premise, poorly executed, anticlimax ending.
I have had difficulty working out how to grade this episode because it was actually somewhat entertaining. Maybe the entertainment is down to the dreadful plot.
As other people have pointed out... they must have extremely lax security to allow these people right next to the warp reactor in the first place. That part of it made it somewhat unrealistic.
This episode could be considered offensive because it is only showing the very negative aspects of certain religious stereotypes. It could have been written by any one of the "... religious people want to destroy the universe!" people. I noticed that it was not written by Christopher Hitchens. Maybe he should have been credited as an influence!
To round everything off, the end was very much an anticlimax. Going by the profile of the extremist leader, the destruction of the planet that is shown to him at the end would not have had any real impact on him. The question is then: why is he shown as being in awe of the destruction? Is this not the very type of destruction he would want for his "enemies"? Is it being suggested that his ways have been changed because he sees the result of battle? Seriously? He seems like the kind of guy who would readily destroy a planet full of cute kittens just to satisfy his deities.
The premise of this episode could have been handled with great eloquence. It was not!
Enterprise: Cogenitor (2003)
A highly intriguing episode ... but ruined by the end sequence!
I feel compelled to write a review for this one because the end really irritated me! Essentially speaking, Captain Archer was the direct contributor to the death of the titled character. He then goes into a rant with Trip suggesting that it was in fact Trip's fault!! Trip then puts his tail between his legs and acts as if it really was his fault and that he should not have "interfered"...
All the way through the episode we see a very pertinent side of Trip's character. It can be seen that he sees value in people and believes in peoples rights. He works hard at helping a very vulnerable but potentially very interesting character.
To see him tuck his tail between his legs at the end like that makes for a very poor chain of events. I have given this a fairly high score but that is purely because it was mostly well done. It was the end that ruined it severely for me. Maybe it is because there is an element of reality about the situation that I became so irritated. It does however soil my (already shaky) opinion of Captain Archer. I would have liked to have seen Trip show more spirit though... it would have been more consistent. After this episode I really do see Captain Archer as a very nasty piece of work.
Enterprise: Marauders (2002)
Not very believable and not that exciting
I do not think this episode was terrible; it was just not a very convincing set of events. The acting was good enough and the setting was believable. The situation itself was convincing enough but when the story progressed there was a very "family oriented" and lacklustre feeling to how things turned out.
I understand that care has to be taken to make sure that the wrong message is not given. I do not feel that gratuitous violence and payback is a valid solution. Unfortunately, the way that events unfolded near the end made it appear that they were playing it too safe.
I would have liked it to have been a little more dirty and untamed.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Genesis (1994)
Almost like a Red Dwarf Episode - Odd science but very fun
Anything that could be construed as a spoiler is pretty vague but I have put it just in case.
The science within this episode is somewhat strange but overall it is one of my favourite episodes. It almost seems on a par with something you would see on Red Dwarf (a series that parodies Sci Fi).
I would have preferred it if more of the main characters were present. There was an odd sense of emptiness where that was concerned. If it were not for that then I would have given this 10/10.
The nature of the occurrences were not exactly scientifically believable but it did not really matter to me. It is a fun episode that is light hearted but at the same time still exciting.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Child (1988)
Not quite sure why the score is below 6
This is a very good episode out of the earlier ones. I believe that there may be something wrong with the ratings or someone has put 1 by mistake.
The episode is not so much exciting as it is "moving" and well executed. On the other hand it does contain a certain amount of intensity that is seen throughout the Star Trek TNG series.
The main reason for me rating this episode is down to the oddly low rating. There are a few "not-so-good" episodes throughout the entire series. This, however, is always remembered by me as one of the better ones (out of the earlier episodes).
EDIT: The only problem is that it is a little bit slow paced at times. I originally gave this a 10 but I have downgraded it to 7 because it is good in comparison to other early episodes but it is not one of the best overall.
The Blood of Heroes (1989)
A gritty and dystopian film with heart
(This does not really contain plot spoilers; however, because I am describing the nature of the characters it could be considered a spoiler because it may indicate the general direction of the plot).
This is a B movie because it does not seem to be that well known but some of the actors are fairly well established. As long as you are aware of what you are going to get (in terms of film type) then this is a really satisfying film.
When it first started off it seemed to have a rather tacky feeling to it. It picked up soon enough and after a while I really started empathizing with the characters. None of them appear to be strong as individuals but this adds to the sense of them being the underdogs (that is vaguely a spoiler). The acting is not amazingly expressive but the economy of the acting seems to give a sense of depth to each character. The main characters are tough and dangerous but also vulnerable and scared, like people who have endured a harsh and painful life.
The ambient nature of the setting gives a sense of depression and hardship but there is a subtle undercurrent of humanity. Even though life is rough and dangerous, people still seem to have an obscure kind of respect for each other. This comes across as realistic to me. Too many dystopian type films seem to focus on people's complete lack of regard for human life. People are nasty to each other in this film but they still seem to have that vital spark of humanity. It is hard to describe but I believe that it has to be seen to be understood.
It is not unnecessarily violent but I could almost feel the pain and discomfort due to the clever camera work. Enough gritty action is shown without the need for explicit scenes of gut churning violence.
The steady pace that the film goes at could maybe be seen as boring but to me it just went at a perfect rate. The story is simple but the economic plot shows enough human interaction to provide a meaningful story. The film is more concerned with mood and ambiance than complex story-lines.
I really enjoyed it but I could imagine some people wanting more complexity. I was going to give it 9 but only because I could imagine certain people wanting more. I guess beauty is in the eye of the holder and for that reason I give it 10.
The Master (2012)
Not any where near as good as his other films
No spoilers as such but I may give indications of the type of film it is.
I rarely write reviews but when I do it is normally due to a misleading score. I like Magnolia and Boogie nights but unfortunately this film is somewhat lackluster. Lets put it this way, it is not popcorn material and not exiting (and I did not find it thought provoking). It is just odd and surreal. Magnolia actually stirred emotion in me and so did Boogie nights.
To be perfectly honest I am not quite sure what it is attempting to convey (in the way of meaning). I doubt it is a reference to Scientology. It kind of seems to be about 2 unstable people who kind of drift together in some sort of fashion. Both seem to be equally irrational and everyone around them seems irrational. Maybe it does have some kind of meaning but it eludes me.
Maybe I just watched it at a bad time. The acting is professional and the directing is equally professional. It just never seems to have any kind of "spark". I just cannot relate to anyone and I am most certainly not someone who has had an uneventful life (in other words, I could be considered a bit "strange", as it were!)
Basically, to summarize, the film just does not seem to have any kind of clear purpose or meaning. The acting and direction is professional; that is why I give it 6 instead of a much lower score. If you like slow moving films with elusive meaning then you may like it. I would not get the popcorn out though!