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Reviews
The Ipcress File (2022)
A really decent remake
I'm not one to get excited about reimagining old and successful movies like this. But while it's a wee bit different from the original, I found myself wanting more. Loved the portrayal of Harry Palmer. A hint of the Caine character without trying to copy it. I thought the understated characters were believable . I can't find anything negative to say. That said it did seem to meander a bit in episode 5. I wonder if this a precursor to more ? There is so much poorly made TV drama around that this has renewed my faith in television production. The 50's and 60's are such fertile ground for spy thrillers, the Cold War spy stories never fail to impress.
The Night Agent (2023)
A good plot but......
What is it with the vocal fry with female actors? So much croaking it's driving me nuts. A good show spoiled by poor side plots. How is it there are eagle eyed conspiracy theorist sitting outside the very building our main protagonist parks. From across the road they seem to be less interested in their food but more interested in looking at random strangers in case they are wanted killers. Please !!
And did I mention the exaggerated croaky voiced females who seem to think that putting on a strange voice is somehow clever, sexy or attractive? And I'm also wondering how it is that I need to write so many words in this review.
Poker Face (2023)
Stars well and then slowly descends into political point scoring by episode 3
What is it with the Hollywood set? Can't you just make a good series without descending into cheap political point scoring? A wall building, fascist , MAGA dog ! Seriously? I was enjoying this series until the writers lost sight of their remit! Entertainment, if you want to make a political statement make a movie about a corrupt political family who are found out due to the incompetence of the son who leaves his laptop for service full of incriminating evidence of political corruption , oh. That's right it isn't ok to dump on the left. For the record , I am not American, nor do I ever intend visiting ever again or living there. Both sides of the political divide have some really seriously f@&$ed up ideas and neither can really hold the moral high ground. My other observation after 3 episodes is that the formula will get repetitious and predictable. I will decide on whether to keep watching after episode 3 or 4.
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
It still manages to please decades later
Who doesn't live Joe Pesci ? This movie doesn't get old. It's simple with great performances from the main characters. Marisa Tomei absolutely carries it off and a deserving recipient for her Oscar. I watched this again the other night and it seemed to go more quickly , but it didn't diminish the experience. Moreover a subject like murder handled in a light and humorous manner is often difficult to carry off. My favorite scene is the courtroom finale where Vinnie treats Mona as a hostile witness. And as she finally sees what he's doing (empowering her expert witness stature) she warms up and performs flawlessly.
Black Snow (2022)
You should start as you intend to continue
Where do I begin? Surely in a country which has produced a long procession of quality actors from Errol Flynn to Cate Blanchett we could find someone who can deliver a line with conviction and believability! Wooden, lacking in depth and emotion. I struggled through the opening scenes and finally gave up. A shout out to all those in the art department, what weed were you on? A 000 call on a public phone was a free call. Struggling with a coin is a big fail on research. Then opening a Time Capsule which looks like it has been buried for 25 minutes rather than 25 years was another lapse in professionalism. I hope I'm wrong when I look at the casting and see the woke hand of inclusivity, and diversity. What sounded like a really good story was ruined in the first 15 minutes. Eventually (I hope) common sense will prevail and actors will be selected on merit and will deliver a solid and believable performance.
The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson (2021)
Over promised , under delivered.
Aside from some reasonable performances this poorly executed story left me confused and wondering exactly what it was all about. Sub plots emerged and vanished without explanation, it's as if the story was supposed to be 10 chapters long and the budget only allowed for 5. I did enjoy some of the cinematography, but beyond that it is a confusing story line with no semblance of order. There were a number of obvious goofs. NSW became a star in 1901. This story is set before then. Frankly the fact that this production got off the ground is astounding. If you're going to do a period piece at least do your research.
Night Sky (2022)
Seriously good
Well I watched this and waited for it to go bad. It hot better as it went on. To discover it has been cancelled is devastating. The plot was great, the cast were great , it plodded a little bit from time to time , but it managed to save itself. So many more plot options beckon, I am surprised that prime have canned it. Maybe in a year or two, who knows. But don't wait too long, the older cast members won't live for ever. I am hoping this isn't another firefly moment. When one really great series dies so another mediocre one can continue. There isn't a lot of great Television viewing these days and this was a breath of fresh air.
August Rush (2007)
Enjoyable
A retelling and adaptation of Oliver Twist. Something Americans like to do. That said the usual overemphasis on schmaltzy scenes Americans are famous for was at least mildly restrained. Not all adaptations work, in spite of itself this did. Highmore was great and I thought the parents finding themselves and each other was handled without overdoing the pathos.
Robin Williams carried off his modern day faginesque character well the artful dodger character was less believeable. The loss of August to Fagin toward the end was underplayed but the reunion with his birth family was a nice ending. All in all a nice movie.
Marry Me (2022)
I can't watch
I got 10 minutes in and even Owen Wilson couldn't save this drippy vacuous rubbish. I must be getting old. The nerdy math club teacher! Pleeeeease! Jennifer Lopez is a strikingly beautiful woman. Why is the love interest so sleazy looking? Is it easier to dislike the runaway groom if he looks like a low level gang member? I didn't watch the whole movie. But let me guess, the groom dumps her at the altar ( so to speak) the teacher unwittingly ends up marrying her, they prepare to go on the honeymoon, small precocious child comes along for the ride, it's initially a bit awkward, then they gel. Then old BF turns up. Mixed emotions flow, handsome math teacher backs away, singing star realizes that BF is still a sleaze and runs back to math teacher?
Keep Breathing (2022)
More holes than a colander!
Where do I start? More flash backs than a bad trip , moreover seemingly irrelevant to the survival story.
Who gets pregnancy advice from someone in New York City who says " avoid poisonous wild berries while pregnant ". ? Does that mean it's ok to eat poisonous wild berries when not pregnant, and where in New York City do these poisonous wild berries grow which need to be avoided? Anyone who has been to Alaska or read anything about Alaska knows that 3 minutes in those waters will mean you die from hypothermia! Starting and feeding a fire with stacks of $100 bills when there is bracken, twigs, logs etc beggars belief. And what is this boiling the fresh natural running water ? I found myself willing this to get better, it didn't! But like a slow motion train wreck it was hard to look away. I'm still not even sure what the whole story was actually about! Confusing plot lines, bizarre
behaviour, and meaningless metaphors. How did this ever get past the first drat read is anyones guess.
The Terminal List (2022)
Old school good prevailing over evil
A return to entertaining non woke story lines. I watched all of it. Sure American shows have that slightly predictable edge to them.
Y'a gotta love the one man fighting against against all odds kind of story. More of this please.
Silent Witness (1996)
Woke and insipid
The Beeb just can't help themselves, preachy story lines. Woke casting. It has become offensive and trite. I will probably not live long enough to see this awful trend reverse. It seems quality drama is something you have to look for in 20-20 year old shows.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
The real Bond. Not some woke modern version
So here I am in 2022 watching Pierce being the quintessential bond. My favourite was Daniel Craig until the last effort. . In fairness not DC's fault. I wish he hadn't done the 00woke movie. I fear for the franchise , I guess I shall have to watch re-runs. :-)
Interceptor (2022)
Woke
7 minutes in and the woke BS is already neck deep. Why anyone thinks this kind of nonsense will last is beyond me, the redneck Idiot in real life would be peeling potatoes in fort Bragg not sitting in a seriously vital seat in a middle
Defence system.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Disappointing prequel to stars wars.
Where do I start? If you're going to have a 10 year old girl do a lot of running away from the bad guys then at least get someone who can run and then the chase scenes won't look like the keystone cops. Acting is poor, is this a low budget series Ewan McGregor notwithstanding. He carries it and saves it from complete disaster.
Captain Nova (2021)
Nice idea. Just drop the obvious
The story was ok up to a point. Then the Blah Blah Blah. (Greta Thunberg reference) stole any fun from the story. A nice save the world movie otherwise.
Alaskan Bush People (2014)
Is this for real
I know that with over 350 million population the great thing about America is that there are enough gullible unsophisticated people who will consume this mindless pap. The mountain yokel personas are so fake they're almost amusing. This is time you can never get back.
Stargate Origins (2018)
What were they thinking ?
I'm confused, how do you have a series which essentially predates the movie where they first learned how to access the gate? Was there some kind of collective amnesia? Aside from the appallingly poor acting, woeful script and fight scenes which remind me of clumsy children trying to do some kind of gymnastics exercises.
The entire premise lacks any thoughtful reference to the original. Even the series which I thought was average to poor was at least watchable in parts. If I could give a minus rating I would.
Legion (2017)
Too slow, no real direction
Season one is slow slow slow. It's like when the writers of twin peaks ran out of meaningful plot and resorted to a meaningless fantasy world. These issues can and should be dealt with more quickly. I am still none the wiser about exactly what this show is about. I am preserving in case it gets better.
Deep State (2018)
Who put me in that position (series 1 episode 8)
I like British spy movies / series more than American ones. I find a realism in them which the yanks never seem to quite get. However I am sick and tired of the female (in this case the second wife) who goes off piste looks for things she was told to NOT do and then complain about it. Had she kept quiet, done as she was told and kept her head down ..... well
You get my point.
While this isn't in the la carre mould it is at least quite watchable. And the usual American BS is seen for what it is. I gave it a hug rating, not because it is stunning show, but because compared to other fare on offer it is way ahead. I think Mark Strong is brilliant.
The Long Call (2021)
Wokeism is alive and well
I tire of the constant taming down my throat of the woke agenda in every show that reaches our screens. It would be ok if it were "truly" representative of life. If I knew as many gay, mixed race relationships existed in the real world as I see on TV I would be fine with it. But it doesn't happen that way.
No Time to Die (2021)
Slowly woke
There is enough of the old / real James Bond to keep me interested through the movie. The "new" 007 is a work flop for me, way too glib and brash to be a fixture in the future. MI5 is now a diverse and progressive organisation if this latest backdrop to the story is to be believed. Did I miss something with Q ? He was Havin a date with a "him" I'm getting too old for this and I can see the day when I stop watching as the hurt feelings brigade do to 007 what they did to Dr Who. I gave this a six star rating 51/2 of them for Daniel Craig.
PS , Dame Judy was a way better "M" than Ralph Fiennes .
Stay Close (2021)
Bloopers.
In episode 4. The business card "Paparazzi for hire" should read "paparazzo " ( the singular noun) as there is only one photographer for hire.
Some of the behaviours displayed are ridiculous in the extreme. There are too many secrets within the one family to be believable.
Voyagers (2021)
Clumsy Lord of the flies in space
Typical low brow remake of a classic.
The only thing missing is the hunt for the pig. One wonders how anyone could write this rubbish. Who would send a bunch of kids into space without an established society of families. How are children with no life guidance suddenly become capable of running a sophisticated deep space mission.
Deadly DNA (2020)
DNA testing
Anyone who has had a "family" DNA test knows that the shared DNA process is nothing like the way it's portrayed here. But I guess the drama doesn't work with a more realistic view of the world.