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Oppenheimer (2023)

Oppenheimer Could Be A Darker Knight

There are few people who as individuals make an indelible mark on history, for good or evil here is one of them. Perhaps good and evil are labels we apply after events, and while they are in train they just are what they are. Oppenheimer changed the world forever, the all-in world we live in today.

The film is a dense and intimate character study of a towering historical figure, one that is part saviour and part devil. Critically Nolan lets the viewer decide which is which.

There are moments where you feel Oppenheimer is going to descend into the pit of madness - in fact he spends a decent part of the film skirting its edges and peering into the abyss while somehow managing not to fall in. Nolan conveys this inner chaos with the masterful use of camera work, vision, sound, and pacing.

It's not a perfect film. Some of Oppenheimer's more egregious failings such as his womanising are given a very gentle brush and some of his enemies are a little too one dimensional. Also, I would like to have seen Emily Blunt's character given more air, her performance is amazing, but I suspect a little too much of it was left on the cutting room floor.

Towards the end we witness Oppenheimer's redemption after a sustained and malicious character destruction by Lewis Strauss play brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr who almost steals the show with his shamelessly corrupt and self-serving ambition.

Oppenheimer made a lot of choices on behalf of humanity, the film asks were they the right ones, the moral ones, the only ones that could be made given the circumstances? Even with the benefit of hindsight there is no clear answer, those choices are still controversial and will probably remain so forever.

Nolan reminds us that we all live in the moment and choices have consequences - some bigger than others.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

If plot holes were pot holes

You could lose a train in these.

Right off the bat I loved the movie. I loved the balance of action with nuanced interaction, I loved the stunts - more so because most of them were practical and not CGI.

But (and it's a big but) a couple of plot holes were so insultingly stupid and unnecessary it was like finding a rat's tail in an otherwise gourmet meal.

Insulting plot hole 1: Steam trains are inherently more interesting than diesel or electric right? They have smoke and steam and whistles all going on at once, carting that big coal hopper right behind the engine to intensify the grime factor - all good for movie making. So, the bad guy invades the engine carriage and kills the two guys frenetically shoveling coal into the firebox, maxes out the speed then breaks off the throttle control and brake handle, and the train just keeps going at full speed for a really long time despite the lack of shoveling? Magic coal is much worse than infinite bullets.

Insulting plot hole 2: The bad guy maxed out the train speed before a curve where the train was supposed to slow down and give our hero the chance to get on board. Naturally it didn't slow down but hey no derailment (or even an edge of your seat moment when you thought it might) so why was the train supposed to slow down in the first place?

Insulting plot hole 3: This whole movie was about finding a key, which was in two parts, both of which were needed to open the lock. The evil AI's objective was to get the key first so no one could locate and destroy it. The evil AI gets the first half and keeps looking for the second half. Why doesn't it destroy the first half immediately, if it did the second half becomes worthless and the evil AI is safe.

Now there is no way the movie makers didn't know this; they just didn't care which is why they are so insulting. Every movie has plot holes granted but the shameless disregard here is at another level.

What could have been a 9 or 10 is therefore reduced to an 8.

Still going to watch part 2 though.

The Flash (2023)

A hot mess soon to be a dish best served cold

Scene from a fantasy Awards Ceremony

Presenter: "The award for the most unrelatable character in a superhero movie (envelope please) and the Ofscar goes to...Ezra Miller"

Commentator: Well folks that comes as no surprise, Ezra has been the hot favorite to win this award since he debuted in the DC Universe.

Basing an entire movie on such an unsympathetic unlovable character was just the first mistake, here are some more 1. Bizzaro CGI 2. Weak and wandering script syndrome 3. TMOC (Too Many Other Characters)

The beacon of sanity in the middle of this supersludge is Michael Keaton, tied for BBE (Best Batman Ever) with Christian Bale. Now if someone could only recut this movie as Batman Saves Time (with a guest appearance by The Flash) they might just have something.

The Menu (2022)

Once in a while you are presented with a truly unique theatrical experience

The Menu is one of those times.

Recipe Preparation Take a generous serving of psychological tension and add an eclectic but oddly familiar cast. Pour in a fine script of wickedly clever writing and blend with creamy pacing, then allow 20 minutes to set in a claustrophobic environment.

Cooking Note: To ensure the ingredients do not escape use a heat resistant container with a secure lid.

Commence cooking over a low flame, gradually increasing the heat until all characters are thoroughly agitated, then increase to maximum heat for the final 20 minutes. Blacken the top with a chef's burner if required.

Serve on sizzling plate with dark observations and bitter insights into modern society.

The Rookie: Feds (2022)

So bad and yet...nah just bad

I've been a huge fan of The Rookie from the beginning and Nathan Fillon in general. As relatable as that show was from the beginning this one is not.

Niecy is not bad, and her captain barely adequate, but the rest of the cast is just lame. The writing is 3rd rate, and the actors don't redeem them with their delivery.

In the original Nathan was fully aware that he had to be better just to be seen as adequate, Feds does exactly the opposite and Niecy screws up pretty much continuously. The FBI would never tolerate such behaviour, she would not have made it out of the academy.

I wanted to like this show, but I just can't. Would be surprised to see this show make it past the first season.

Eternals (2021)

Reset Your Expectations

Marvel was always going to have to start making different movies if it was to thrive long term, and Eternals is the first effort in that direction.

The dichotomy here is that while Eternals is a bigger story it is also more human. While it span the entirety of human civilisation it's more about the dynamics of family intersecting with duty. It is this that gives the story its dramatic tension, asking the question "When you have to choose, where do your loyalties lie?"

If you want non-stop action this movie is not for you. If you want a deeper and more meaningful outing then Eternals may be the one.

Earth at Night in Color (2020)

Yes Yes and No

The first Yes is the ability to see animal behaviour in the night in a way never possible before. Sure thermal imaging and low light tech have given us a glimpse but those methods tend to strip the essence of nature.

The second Yes is Tom Hiddleston's enchanting voice, one of the few that is comparable to Sir David and Benedict Cumberbatch.

The No is why stop at 30 minutes (including the making of). Each episode could easily run double that, and we sometimes even see shots in the "making of" that were not in the main episode. The editing must be agony.

Kudos to the folks literally stumbling about in the dark, you have produced something wonderful and unique.

Kate (2021)

Where for art thou car chase...

There used to be a name for flicks like these, potboilers. Movies that are cranked out to fill the release schedule and pad content. Kate is more of a pot simmerer (oh its a word bro, it's a word).

The eponymous character is your usual Super Assassin, trained from childhood, frosty, able to take out 18 black ops types before breakfast yada yada. Of course Super Assassin Rule No. 1 - no kids goes without saying.

BTW I've always wondered what the cut-off age is - 16,17, getting the braces off, or when they just look old enough to snuff...but I digress.

Kate suffers from uneven performances by Mary and Woody (Toy story? NO! FOCUS!) and an abundance of randomly connected scenes, leading to the most predictable, tension free ending possible. Just ONE twist would have been appreciated.

But we have to talk about the car chase - only the car Kate drives is CGI, bad CGI. Oh my. Its so bizarre I burst out laughing halfway through what was supposed to be a intense chase by a Yakuza goon squad. She may as well have hitched a ride with Dumbo or Peter Pan. It compromises the integrity of the movie beyond redemption and it never gets the mojo back.

There were moments during Kate when the actors put their humanity on display, and these are the best ones for me. They are overshadowed by lumpy editing and a sense that the director wasn't quite sure what movie he was making. Next time get enough budget for a real car chase, that's the thing that saved 6 Underground after all.

This one should disappear into the Realm of Forgotten Movies (Oh it's a place bro, it's a place). If we still had DVD's it would be straight in the $2 bin.

Kung Fu (2021)

No Kung Fu Like An Old Kung Fu

You would think the CW would have learnt from the disaster that was Batwoman, but they just seemed to have doubled down on the awfulness.

Acting as wooden as the staves, martial arts more like marital arts, and a script suitable for fortune cookies. There is nothing of the thoughtfulness and contemplation of the original and nothing of the humanity of the lead character. Compared to this live action Mulan was a masterpiece.

The current crop of reboots has declined precipitously in quality, this is a prime example.

Please. Just. Stop.

Raised by Wolves (2020)

Really good...until it wasn't

The first 9 episodes of this show were amazing. The 10th was an unmitigated disaster.

For 9 episodes the world building, story telling, cast, and acting were superb. We knew who all the characters were, we were treated to some first class cinematography and an intriguing set of plot lines anticipating an amazing payoff.

The last episode threw everything away. The world building and its rules...gone. The storylines...tossed out like so much garbage. Characters...changed up without any reason. Any semblance of a nod to physics...bah, begone!

What possessed the showrunner and others to do such a thing I cannot imagine, all I CAN say is that they destroyed any hope of me watching a second season and ruined my goodwill to any future Ridley Scott endeavor. What a waste of ideas and effort.

It gets a 9 for the first 9 episodes and a 1 for the 10th.

6 Underground (2019)

Mindless but fun

This is not a movie you are going to remember a year from now. Except perhaps for the neon green Alfa which sadly doesn't transform even a little bit. Having said that if you can manage to turn your brain off for the duration there is a ton of enjoyable, and very Bayish over the top action scenes.

It's hilarious watching Ryan Reynolds SO wanting to be Deadpool and having to stop himself in multiple scenes. Because he's NOT Deadpool the bad guys just have to miss a lot, but thats pretty normal stuff in this kind of everyone-has-machine-guns-but-only-the-good-guys-can-hit kind of movie.

All in all a stocking stuffer for Netflix, a payday for Ryan and the crew, and some mindless fun to while away the COVID lockdown.

Pennyworth: The Landlord's Daughter (2019)

A story in 2 parts

The writing in this episode is the most uneven thing i have ever seen in a TV series. The scheme to free the barmans daughter from the gangster's nephew was clever, unexpected, and well done.

The absolute opposite of this was to free the woman about to be executed. This was so full of rubbish it has nearly put me off the series. So ridiculously implausible at every point that you need a lobotomy before watching. Whoever wrote this should suffer the same fate, metaphorically, as she was meant to.

Overall, the writers better get their act together or this will be a one and done. Treating the audience like idiots is not a formula for a lasting series.

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

There is hope

Jojo Rabbit demonstrates that there is hope, both for humanity and Hollywood. By the latter I mean it's hard to imagine how a film this original got made in an era of reboots, remakes, sequels and prequels (mostly bad)

The characters are charming and quirky, the dialogue clever and the plot wisely confines itself to telling an intensely personal story rather than one of the war itself. The young male star is perfect, and the other performances shine as well. It does seem though that Scarlett got less time on the screen than she deserves.

The director cleverly doesn't show us certain things, and a lot of good choices were made in the editing room.

Hollywood, if you're listening, more like this please.

The Mandalorian (2019)

Edit: Getting better all the time

Edit: Season 2 has upped the storytelling and quality considerably. This series can now be considered Star Wars royalty. Nice pivot John F.

The first episode of The Mandalorian wasn't bad, but in my opinion does not deserve the stratospheric rating it has achieved. At least so far.

In the first episode we are treated to an overabundance of scenes with the eponymous character walking through sets that scream "decaying civilization in the aftermath of an empire's fall" rather too obviously. Fine but enough already we get it. The other dominating theme is the Mandalorian on other violence which will get old pretty quickly.

I worry a little that the helmet, which is a character on its own, is taking away from the character's ability to display emotions. After all most great performances in TV or cinema have been written on actors faces, and even those stoic anti/heroes had microexpressions that gave them substance. We will never get that chance with a helmet that never comes off. Or will we?

I'm willing to give this series time to find a more engaging vibe. Stars Wars devotees obviously love it, and I'm happy for them. For the rest of us this is a fair start but more will have to be done to make this one of the greats.

Edit: The second episode moves the quality needle a notch, and we get a more relatable Mandalorian in the process. What the Jawas do with the egg is something of an anticlimax though,

Snoopy in Space (2019)

Snoopy Brings Joy

Snoopy in Space is wonderfully true to the original heart and style of the Peanuts characters I grew up with. Nostalgia - hell yes - but the original had so much pathos and insight that rose coloured glasses are not required.

The voices are perfect, the execution just right. It felt as though the ghost of Charles M. Schulz was standing behind the animators watching over their efforts.

May Snoopy and the gang live forever, and to Apple, thank you.

Mr Inbetween (2018)

So many Aussie shows are cringeworthy...not this one

I've been waiting for an Australian drama to come along that would combine the realities of Aussie society with a believable anti-hero. Mr Inbetween fills the bill brilliantly.

Scott Ryan is a revelation, he doesn't seem to be acting at all and delivers his brutally direct performance with sardonic understatement. The supporting cast is equally convincing, and thankfully nobody is Hollywood beautiful.

Everything feels genuine and you identify with the characters almost instantly. Nothing feels forced and the story flows with perfectly judged pace. There are as many laugh out loud moments as there are dramatic ones.

Hats off to FX for this gem, long may it run.

Batwoman (2019)

Eye wateringly bad

I like Ruby Rose and appreciate her talents as an actress, but Ruby should be taking vengeance on whoever talked her into this.

"Wise older mentor trains raw but talented future star" tropes are a cliche, but this show takes it to a level of sheer stupidity never seen before.

A pointless rambling script, painful social justice themes having zero relevance to the story, paint by numbers cinematography, and some of the laziest editing in television history complete this unmitigated disaster. Please let it be over quickly.

Batwoman is a stain on Bob Kane's memory and an insult to the Bat mythos.

Yesterday (2019)

Totally predictable...but so what?

Movies like Yesterday aren't meant to challenge our intellect or keep us on the edge of our seats. They're mean to entertain without strain, and tap into our sense of feelgood and nostalgia.

That's exactly what Yesterday does, and it does it very well. The acting is spot on, the characters relatable, and the humorous moments well placed and paced.

The fabulous songs of the Beatles don't hurt either. Watch through the credits for the full version of "Hey Jude"

Don't judge Yesterday by the same yardstick as Endgame or Get Out and you might thoroughly enjoy it as I did

Summer of Rockets (2019)

Waste of Talent

After watching the first episode the production values are all that can recommend it. Otherwise highly disappointing for many reasons.

• Lack of a coherent narrative
• Contrived melodrama with overly intense music and painfully long camera holds
• Stiff characterisations and meandering dialog
• A one hour episode that should have been 25 minutes

A series of scenes with thin connective tissue, excruciating exposition, and little purpose, ending with a senseless confrontation.

Packed with recognisable faces, this effort will not go down as their finest hour. The emotional breakdown of Keely Hawes in the car ranks as one of the most awkward scenes of a tortured relationship seen outside a high school drama.

Perhaps the fact that I had just finished watching Chernobyl - likely the greatest miniseries ever made, caused it suffer by comparison, but by any standards Summer of Rockets first stage booster is a spectacular fizzle.

Chernobyl (2019)

IMDB needs an 11 for this

Captivating from the first moment, Chernobyl's Cherenkov radiation lights up the screen.

The craft on display here is of the first order - the cast is perfectly chosen, full of gravitas and portent, the mood is suitably dark but recognisably human, and the play of events nicely paced.

Though the events are well known the minutia is less so. The extent to which the tragedy could have been exponentially worse is frighteningly apparent as is the fact that there are heroes to be found everywhere.

Chernobyl is great TV, and an exposition of human frailty and sacrifice to boot.

The Rookie (2018)

A new look on an old genre

Doing new things in a cop show is pretty challenging, and The Rookie has nailed it without moronic gimmicks or wacky characters.

We spend enough time each episode with the minor characters to get to know them, while hanging out with the central ones long enough to give them depth - that's a hard balancing act in a 42 minute episode. So you actually care with the gruff TO has a junky wife, and Fillons rich college friend gets carjacked and mugged.

Each episode has fun with itself with just the right touch of gravitas for what is after all life and death situations. This speaks to the quality of the writing and the pitch perfect delivery of the excellent cast.

An interest blend of stories on the big scale and the small, this series delights in surprises while maintaining its credibility and refraining from overtly sappy set ups.

Can't wait for the second season.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

Return to the Mission Impossible roots

Fallout is a welcome return to the elements that made the TV series and some of the movies icons of the twisty-plot-action-thriller genre. Fallout favours more dramatic tension and intimate action, ultimately with greater impact than some of the overblown stunts of the past. The exception is the end sequence which treats the protagonists' bodies as largely indestructible and gives us another cut-the-wire-with-1-second-left cliche.

There are still plenty of great action set-pieces but plot twists that are actually believable are deployed to good effect. Why, there is even some character development, without going overboard of course. And naturally there's LOTS of Tom Cruise running (and running and running...) Looks like the director read the study that linked the success of MI movies to the amount of time Tom runs.

Henry Cavil was OK as a bad guy, though a bit wooden. He needs a menacing smile to counterpoint his smouldering scowl.

My challenge to the next movie, save the world with 5 minutes to spare and still make it dramatic.

Nazi Overlord (2018)

Sharknado without the self awareness

Where to start...

You know those movies that are so bad they are sort of good? Well this isn't one of them. Good bad movies need to have a campy self awareness of how bad they are and revel in it - the people who made this seem to be under the delusion they were making a good (if low budget) movie with at least some redeeming artistic value.

Oh Tom, what have you done. Why Tom why?

Never given a 1 to a movie before, richly deserved here.

Big Cats (2018)

None like this

Cats, especially big cats, have been done a thousand time before, and you wouldn't think there is much story left to tell. Well, you would be wrong.

Don't be fooled by the name, this superb series includes cats big and small. Some of the smaller and lesser known species prove to be the most fascinating.

Exploring a range of habitats and behaviours not seen before on the screen we are gifted the true wonder and beauty of the cat pantheon.

My favourite was the rusty spotted cat - go on, watch it and discover yours!

Titans (2018)

Compared to actually good shows....

This series isn't.

I think this show must have been created by a TV AI, one without a relatability or empathy algorithm. The characters come out of nowhere and go back to the same place. The story line, well what exists seems like a kids Halloween review. Mum and dad must be so proud.

The writers have completely mastered cut and paste. Seemingly they decided "hey let the visual effects guys carry this one, we need a break"

Dick Grayson looks about as badass as a junior chess champion, he obviously works out at the genius bar.

Not teens, not titans, nothing to see here. As for all those positive reviews, well they have legalised pot in a lot of places lately...just sayin'