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derektjthornton
Reviews
In the Land of Saints & Sinners (2023)
Irish Who's Who Worth A Watch
A very watchable Irish western with a top Irish cast. It's not an original story line but it's done pretty well. It has some profound moments scattered amongst the slow parts.
It was only on the second appearance of actor, Jack Gleeson, when I realised it was him (Joffrey from Game of Thrones). He totally steals the show as. Kevin, a cocky, jack-the-lad Dub, in rural Donegal, who's a hitman for a local shadowy "businessman", played by the always entertaining Colm Meaney(Ireland's Da). Gleeson is worth the admission alone - I knew this type of guy in Dublin in the 70's. Gas craic!
Niamh Cusack, daughter of Cyril, makes a solid appearance too.
It's not a classic, but movie that improves as it goes. The actors save it.
True Detective: The Hour and the Day (2019)
The Low Ratings Always Tell The Truth
Sitting typing this because the sheer boredom of this series is unbearable. I'm giving up now at episode 4. It completely lacks the menace, drama, suspense, humour and intrigue of S1. All the hopping back and forth between decades serves nothing.
The dialogue is so basic; the actors have nothing to work with. And even when they do, they inaudibly mumble it, especially Hayes.
The couple arguing is tedious. The basic story of one murder is just a big nothing. Please don't waste yourprecious time with this pretentious garbage. As dark as S1 was, it had dark humour to go with it, but this season doesn't manage this. Avoid.
Cypher (2021)
Hole-Filled Awful Stuff
Wooden acting, hackneyed dialogue, F-list actors, unexplainable scenarios, without suspense, slow-moving...basically, as it all. Came here to check I wasn't mental.
The Lost City (2022)
Forgettable
Low quality movie, considering the quality of the stars. You'll probably guess that the 10-star reviews are to be ignored and maybe pitied.
It's Romancing The stone that takes the stone too seriously and leaves no room for heart.
I noticed that the comedy relied on post production overdubs.
If the fire alarm went off during the movie and you had to evacuate the cinema, you wouldn't bother asking for your money back.
Alcatraz (2018)
A Truly Awful Movie
I lasted 21m. Don't waste your time on this low budget rubbish. It really is terrible. Netflix has a lot to answer for.
The acting and dialogue is so, so bad. There is zero character development.
The Little Things (2021)
Do Not Waste Your Time
Leto is fine, Denzel does Denzel and Rami Malek has to be the most overrated actor knocking around; he has one toothy expression and a mumble.
A terrible, pretentious pile of nothing happening claptrap.
What has that opening got to do with anything?
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)
Don't Get Strung Along
Intriguing first episode but they drag out could've been a decent two-part to four. Basically, common sense explains it, nothing like the supernatural.
Snitch (2013)
A Solid 6
This is pretty straight ahead for The Rock, without relying on his muscles or his comedy snarl. Really solid cast all the way through with special mention for Barry Pepper who always shows up and looks his part. Nothing amazing, but guarantee you won't turn it off like a lot of Netflix dross.
Entebbe (2018)
Interpretive Dance Nonsense
As many have written already, (and I'm so relieved it's not just me), the main pivotal point that the whole movie works towards, ie., the actual raid, is intercut with a completely pretentious interpretive-dance scene. It can't be understated how badly this ruined an already stuttering movie - stuttering because it was soft on the terrorists in trying to humanize them, and preachy towards the Israeli government for their handling of the crisis.
So if you know the story, and figure you'll power through the moralistic tones to get to the good bit, you'll be so disappointed.
The Highwaymen (2019)
Mumbling Mess - Spoilers
Let's say for the sake of argument that we can all agree that The Godfather is 10-Star movie, or Goodfellas, or Terminator 2, how can one possibly give this forgettable tosh receive 10 Stars? It makes me very suspicious.
This movie takes two fantastic actors, a decent director and serves us up a very boring framed nothingness.
Costner and Harrelson mumble their lines to the point that you can't understand them - why?
What was the point in keeping Bonnie and Clyde from view virtually the whole movie, to the point that we're just not invested in the climactic scene of their demise.
Kathy Bates is so underused its criminal - the standout performance.
Netflix seem to think that gathering talent and throwing money at it, will make a good movie. It doesn't. Triple Frontier a case in point, another hot mess.
There isn't any suspense build-up in a true story that should have ample opportunity to do so. A waste of a true story.
The lines are completely forgettable and the set-ups make no sense.
One ridiculous scene has our protagonists get the villains in their sights in a car chase, only for B&C to drives rings around heroes on a dry dusty patch of land, driving up so much dust that they get away in the dust cloud. Wtf!
Don't believe the other reviews, this is at best a 3, but considering the cast and budget they should be deducted stars for ruining a great story. It's just damn slow and boring, without any payoff. Avoid.