edgepros123 Reviews

Doctor Who: Orphan 55 (2020) Season 12, Episode 3

Please just stop

[1/10 · 12 January 2020]

I had high hopes for series 12 after Spyfall (still think it's a dumb title). The episode that brought back the master and clearly created series long arcs and character arcs (the lack of arcs in s11 was my major criticism) while having a very hammy A Plot had an interesting character dynamic, and set up some good ideas without stuffing the message in our face.

But this...

...this was garbage.

My one sentence reason why I disliked it so: It didnt understand time travel and ruined the parallel universe lock by delivering an awfully in your face message about how we should act against climate change.

For the record I think we should act about climate change, I just think you can deliver the message in a way that ruins the fabric and rules of what Doctor Who has always stood by, essentially throwing the cards in the air and stating there are no rules.

Think about it, if they were shown a direction the human race goes in and the doctor told them they could change it, then clearly that means the doctor can visit alternate versions of time streams = parallel universes. Davies had the courage to go there but the understanding that introducing parralel timelines is one of the most difficult things a writer can do and how you cant just do it like that.

Doctor Who essentially just shot itself in the foot, and they wont even care about it. It just tells me that the show is re-writing itself with either a new set of rules or with a lack of care for rules (which is what I think is happening and why I'm really sad right now).

The story itself: It essentially took Planet of the Apes, placed it in a terribly dreary action plot (like 28 weeks later) which had no tension, modernised it badly and chucked a scary monster in (the only part I thought was relatively interesting).

Please please please Doctor Who you are making long time fans really sad by not following any logic whatsoever. I hope this is just a blip but I dont think so.

RTD forever.

Doctor Who: Demons of the Punjab (2018) Season 11, Episode 6

Series so far

[7/10 · 14 November 2018]

Okay, Who, stop doing this to me now. The biggest complaint I've spotted with Season 11 so far has been the countless people claiming the show has turned from engaging science fiction into rather tedious lectures on overtly subtle politics. Are they wrong? No. But you might think it for all the people calling them out as misogynists. Do I like Jodie? Yes. I do. She is fun, engaging as an actress and feels like an interesting new addition to the line. She's a bit Tennant and Smith but she rightly pointed out she hadn't watched the show before so she's going with what the character feels like in her head which seems like a wise decision. The question stands though, is she the Doctor? I think so. It's hard to tell from 6 episodes although Eccleston, Tennant and Smith both felt perfect and like the Doctor in their first episodes, Eccleston in the first few moments, Tennant and his hand and Smith telling the big eyeball who's the boss. I haven't felt that moment yet when she really defeats the enemy and shows them what the Doctor can do and I don't believe it's her fault, I believe it's in the writing, especially in the lack of resolution which I'll get onto next. There have only been two episodes so far which I've felt satisfied by the ending. Episode one (although it was then ruined by a character death) and Episode three. Both episodes two, four, five and six have left me completely unsatisfied. Largely because the enemies were not very threatening (which is a severe problem with pacing), nonexistent (like I still don't understand who was the enemy in episode two) or not even an enemy. The writing is fine for any old show but this is Doctor Who. The occasional episode like this would be fine but the lack of Doctor vs. Actual Villain with a satisfying conclusion is starting to really annoy me. Even the garbled confusion of Moffat's later episodes still had a strong threat and resolution. But here, we're not getting any of that instead being stuck with lectures about politics (don't get me started on the Trump caricature) which is (as many people are now pointing out) really boring. That being said, the show has still picked up. Technically the show has never looked or sounded better and despite my issues it is a breath of fresh air to say the least. The companions are good. Ryan and Graham have good character depth and an arc I can see building which is nice, and Yas is starting to feel less like a third wheel now so that's good. Honestly, we're 6 episodes in now and I still haven't felt invigorated, excited or blown away by anything in terms of writing. Everything feels fresh and new but somehow still feels stale. I'm keeping my hopes up for the next few episodes but I'd be kidding myself if I said I'd stop watching it. I mean, how can I stop watching it, its Doctor Who.

Coraline (2009)

A Masterpiece

[10/10 · 25 September 2018]

Almost 10 years on now, I fully recognise Coraline as one of the defining points in my life. Coraline is a film loved by critics and hated by parents. It's use of creepy imagery, it's groundbreaking animation and simple yet powerful plot trap you into its horrifying web of a message.

I don't feel I need to explain the story, IMDB can do that for me, all I will say though is that the film is a phenomenal moral tale about parenting. In a similar way to the way Spirited Away goes about its fantastic analogy, Coraline uses simple ideas for great effect.

And of course, parents hate it. Why? It might be down to the fact that the film includes some horrifyingly tense and scary moments that, as a kid, frightened me. I was nine when I watched this film (yes guys, that does mean I'm only 18 now) but the effect of this film grew on me by each day I thought about it and to this day it still gets better.

In the same way The Twilight Zone encapsulated kids of the 60s and Doctor Who had our parents hiding behind sofas, Coraline is an extremely important story psychologically for children and is thrilling to watch. The moments of my childhood I remember with film feature things like the melting faces moment in Raiders of the Lost Arc, the Rabbit Massacre in Watership Down and of course, Coraline escaping from her Spider Mother.

It's the buttons, it's the tapping of the needle legs, it's the screaming children who've lost their eyes, the rats made of sand and the stitched mouth of Wyborn (can't remember spelling) as the mother makes him smile.

Every element of this film is designed to scare, thrill, entertain and push the boundaries of what is acceptable. The parents are wrong. Coraline teaches an important lesson about fear, that we need it and need to learn about it.

If you're a parent and you're wondering if you should show this to your kids, do it. It's one of the moments in film that affected my childhood and turned me into who I am today. For a film to affect me this much after ten years is incredible and I wonder what I'd be like if I hadn't seen it. Maybe I would not like horror movies? Maybe I wouldn't like movies in general? This film taught me what film can do, it's power to make people feel. I remember my sisters reaction (she was only 7 so maybe she was too young). She cried that night and wouldn't go to sleep. However all these years later, she considers the film to be as good as I do. For a film to make someone stay up all night in fear and tears and still make the viewer fall in love with it is astounding. And I still enjoy it as much as an adult now as I did when I was a kid.

This film is a masterpiece.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

Just our of reach of perfect...

[9/10 · 11 September 2018]

Stranger Things (Season 1 and 2) is brilliant. It is a clever combination of elements of Stephen King's "it" and Spielberg's "E.T" as well as combining elements from some of the most recognisable pieces of pop culture from the 80s.

The story is interesting following the disappearance of Will Byers where Winona Ryder plays (arguably) her greatest role in a while. It also follows a girl who has escaped from a scientific facility where people have been experimenting on her.

Without spoiling it, both series are brilliant. They both have there ups and downs (notably S2E7) but overall the story really carries it and the build up is perfect. Effectively there are three stories running alongside all the way through. Joyce and Hopper trying to find Will, Eleven and Mike doing the same thing but also exploring Elevens background and a bit of a teen story with Nancy, Jonathan and Steve.

It takes a push and a few episodes to get you gripped but by the last two you'll be so glad you stuck with it. Eventually, all the stories combine powerfully and to awesome effect.

The brilliance of ST is how its able to utilise the "80s nostalgia feel" in a way other films (like 2017s "it") couldn't. It doesn't focus on it or let it take up screen time, instead letting it sit in the background. The Duffer Brothers truly know how to helm the production.

The one biggest flaw it seems to have is that it doesn't trust the audience enough to let the actors speak for themselves, annoyingly ruining the greatest moments of acting with silly unneeded flashbacks to events that have only just occurred. I wish filmmakers would trust audience members to grasp simple visual storytelling and emotion and not do that. Although this is more of a bad directorial decision than a writing issue.

Stranger Things is well worth the watch, I absolutely love the tone of the show and the music is outstanding as well as perfect for the ambience. I feel it is a prime example of how we are living in the golden age of television. However, I'm only giving it a 9/10 because I feel the show hasn't yet reached its full potential and a few better directorial decisions and writing clean ups would make this show perfect.

That Good Night (2017)

A Underperforming Masterpiece

[9/10 · 6 July 2018]

That Good Night

John Hurts final performance is one that is so rivetingly powerful and honest that it can only be combined with a film and story that truly match his own personal character. The story follows an aged and self-deprecating screenwriter as he finds out he has a terminal illness. Morbid stuff right? However, this is not a morbid and depressing story instead running off of the idea of A Christmas Carol, presenting a man who discovers life is worth living.

Shot in the exquisite south of Portugal, the director knows to give the story centre stage. No intrusive visual effects or stylistic trifle, instead opting for a wonderful calmly paced tempo and exploring each and every shot in the beautiful sunshine of the location. Each and every shot has meaning and clever editing adds an extra needed layer of filmmaking prowess that accompanies the story wonderfully.

The always fantastic Charles Dance performs a character called The Visitor. He is the metaphorical vision of death in this film. Always presented in white, he questions, not in a argumentative or salesman way, Hurts character on whether or not he should consider euthanasia. Hurt shooting down the idea of counselling and wanting to immediately end his life. Dance instead helps him to understand the consequences of such a decision which is the films important message.

John Hurt is obviously fantastic in his final role suiting the character perfectly as if it had been written just for him at this stage in his life. What he provides for the story the story provides back (something other critics seem to disagree with) and with clever agility the story carefully avoids issues that could potentially tank the plot. This, of course, never happens and i personally think this film is perfect.

The music, the cinematography, the carefully concise editing, the powerful acting and a brilliant plot help to facilitate this beautiful, feel good, tale of the importance of life and death. The most powerful bit being the character's change throughout the feature.

The run time is perfect feeling slow paced but never dragging and the story moving along very well. The ending itself could easily have been badly written and filmed but the screenwriters and director do a perfect job of avoiding obvious cliche and melodramatist.

What strikes me about this film is how, apart from critics, no one has seen it. Likely being a mixture of misunderstanding of the content, bad marketing if not any marketing and a very limited release. At this time only 87 people have rated it on IMDb which is unheard of for a film of this caliber in my opinion.

This is a beautiful, perfect film that must not be missed. To rank it would be unjust but I'd definitely go as high as saying it's at least as good as the 2018 Oscar best picture nominees if not better than some. I think this is a must watch film and would be highly successful with a good release date, proper marketing and word of mouth. This could easily become a classic and I hope it does.

(Reviewed three weeks after viewing, something I think is important for reviewers to put in their reviews)

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Won't keep me up at night

[6/10 · 1 December 2017]

Murder on the Orient Express is a lavish, entertaining film that will grab mainstream audiences in an instant. Based on the hit Agatha Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express follows Poirot as he attempts to solve a case of (you guessed it) murder on the expensive, upper-class European train, the Orient Express. This is clearly a massive "star actor" vehicle with many famous faces popping up all over the place. Michelle Pfeifer, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, the suddenly famous Daisy Ridley and of course acting directing star Kenneth Branagh. I must say I enjoyed the film. It never dragged; the pace was solid all the way through. The visual are stunning (although quite obviously fake) and the cinematography is very interesting with the films use of birds eye view for each cabin. The acting on the whole was good although no one ever took any of my interest. There wasn't a defining character that really interested me and invigorated the story. Judi Dench was Judi Dench, Johnny Depp was a less drunk Johnny Depp, and Kenneth Branagh was witty but rather plain to say the least. These problems all most likely arise from how many star actors there are and how little screen time any of them receives mainly to the size of the cast and how short the run time is. Kenneth Branagh is an interesting person. He is clearly a very clever individual capable of directing and starring in his version of Orient Express and his acting is always on point. However, he never really shines. I don't personally hold anything against him but I have never once really seen Kenneth Branagh become engrossed in a character. I feel that he has the potential but never feels he wants to push it. Watching his directing is almost like seeing the same thing occur. I never feel he really pushes the story, style and talent to its most and therefore the final product is a little lacklustre. I feel the real problem behind the film is actually the story. I hate to say this (because of how much of a literary genius Christie is) but the story is actually a little drab. The mystery is interesting while it exists but the ending feels like a cop out. I understand it was probably the first to use this type of ending as a device but there's a reason mystery stories that end in that way have no future. The mystery excites and hypes people up to find out who the killer is. And then it's all of them. I mean, come on. I get that they got around the massive coincidence factor by stating it was all set up before hand and Poirot just happens to be there but I can't stand it. Sorry Ms. Christie. I don't think it's all down to her though. The film obviously adapts from the novel and while the major story elements are there the film will condense and adapt them which I feel has clogged up the story a little. While it never drags, that doesn't mean it doesn't have problems. The film will impress people and make a lot of money, which is what it's designed to do, but at the end of the day the film stands with the words "Blockbuster" and "simple" all over it. Will it attract attention and make money? Yes. Will it be remembered in 5-10 years? No.

Maudie (2016)

Could've Easily Missed It

[8/10 · 30 November 2017]

It's not very often in modern cinema that one can go to a cinema and watch a film that can seem to spur up every emotion that you think you can handle at the same moment. Maudie does this. This striking, beautifully shot and moving film floored me. As the projectionist at the Rex Cinema in Wareham I don't get the chance to pick and choose the films I watch but I can surely say that I would never have chosen to watch this movie if I had the choice but what a mistake that would've been from my point. Maudie follows the story of an arthritic woman who seeks out a job with as a housekeeper, who she falls in love with, as she begins to expand her artistic talent becoming a beloved figure in the community. The beauty of this film doesn't lie with the extremely beautiful landscape of Nova Scotia (the setting of this feature) but with the way she sees this landscape and the world around her. The beautiful cinematography by Guy Godfree somehow is transposed into the colourful paintings of Maud as she transports the shack she lives in into a blooming, colourful world of its own. But what brings me constantly back to Maudie is the relationship between Maud and Everett Lewis. The beauty of it lies in how different these people are which makes their relationship even more absorbing and intriguing. Its how they see each other and how their relationship grows which is the prime focus of this feature as you understand the extremely odd and harsh Everett and the beauty behind this seemingly feeble arthritic woman. Both the major performances of Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke drive this film into something further than the script. The pain that Maud goes through is astoundingly portrayed by Ms Hawkins and Ethan Hawke holds an incredibly interesting role which I was floored by. If I left this film with anything it was these actors wonderful performances. Nitpicks – The end of the 2nd act drags a touch but I didn't think it removed anything from the experience and it didn't bother me. It picked up very quickly again and I feel it is a pretty extreme nitpick. - It's hard to rate films based on real life but I wasn't quite following certain aspects of the story such as the long lost daughter being found. Overall, Maudie is an emotionally riveting feel good film that one should not miss and while there were aspects of the film that didn't hold up quite as well, the driving performances of Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke allowed me to forget these.

The Straight Story (1999)

An Underrated Masterpiece

[9/10 · 18 May 2017]

The beauty of 'The Straight Story' is that of the calm, quiet and slow paced nature of it. The film follows the story of Alvin Straight as he journeys across from Iowa to Wisconsin on a John Deere lawnmower. It begins with Alvin and his daughter Rose discovering that Alvin's brother, Lyle, had a stroke. Alvin then begins a six week journey in which he encounters various people all while traveling at four miles per hour on a lawnmower. We, the audience, get to sit back and relax to one of the heartwarming tales to be shown on film. Directed by David Lynch, this movie came a bit unawares. It did receive positive reviews but is very rarely talked about nowadays. I believe this is one of the most underrated films I have every seen. The film is about as slow paced as the speed of Straight's lawnmower yet it is a beautiful journey as you see the people he meets including a runaway hitchhiker, a woman who claims to kill multiple dear a week and an old man who recalls some tales from the war. Every time a new person is introduced, we learn more and more about Alvin's life before we get a beautifully heartwarming ending that ties everything together. Absolutely incredible performances by every actor notably Sissy Spacek who gives a wonderful supporting performance. I cannot understand why this movie did not get more attention than it did. If you want a beautiful story with an incredible underlying message, look no further. Bear in mind, it is very slow-paced but it never drags and always stays on to of its game. A masterpiece. Thank you Mr. Lynch.

Doctor Who: Oxygen (2017) Season 10, Episode 5

Such a big shame after a relatively promising start

[2/10 · 13 May 2017]

Firstly, watching the next time preview didn't look promising considering I could hardly remember it the Monday after. But I was wrong, this is an episode I will never forget. I have never written a review for an individual television episode before but I couldn't help myself here. This is probably my least favourite episode of Doctor Who since the tree episode in series 8. I have had enough with this writing. I have been fed up since series 7 and now I've had it. What is with the terrible hammy acting, the god-awful effects and the unoriginal story! We've had the same story so many times but at least the times before it was done better.

From the word go it was bad. A minute in I was nodding my head in dismay. A woman's radio communicator is broken in space, and you can audibly hear her shouting "can you hear me" as if she's actually trying to communicate through the immense void of space! But the biggest fault was the story itself. I could write a book on the plot holes there are son many but the reason I'm so annoyed is because the ending was so poorly written it ruined the entire episode. Why would you send people to space for business when you will inevitably kill them, why not just send the suits themselves! Why was Bill the only one who could be saved at the end when she was only taken about a minute after the last person who was "killed"! I understand that they did explain that you could survive in space for around 90 seconds but when Bill was exposed for around 40 seconds she was up, running and breathing perfectly healthily within the space of a few minutes. I actually laughed out loud at the moments that were supposed to be horrifyingly scary. So many jokes fall flat and their brief attempt at discussing issues like racism felt painfully forced. I'm sorry but there is nothing redeemable in this episode. Really bland cardboard secondary characters and terribly bad story writing. Other episodes in this series have been bland and mediocre but not bad. The next time preview also looks terribly bad.***POSSIBLE FUTURE EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD*** and it is obvious from the start what's in the vault (the big horrid thing they've been building up for so many episodes). I will be surprised if it's not Missy in the vault. I have had enough. I will continue to watch but this has been a big disappointment to a series that was looking to be somewhat promising. Shame. Doctor who used to be my favourite television series of all time up to series 4. It's really low on my list now. At least they can't get worse, can they?

Donnie Darko (2001)

An interesting journey

[8/10 · 1 May 2017]

"Donnie Darko" is not a usual film. It is an example of a new regime of films that in the current day is seen quite a lot. The sort of films where the viewer actually has to think after watching it; films like this include "Enemy", "Only God Forgives" and "Under the Skin". These are usually art-house films which, unlike the current Hollywood blockbusters who render viewers into morons, actually have depth, interest and thought underneath a well made film. Donnie Darko was the first to really kick-start this and help make the films listed above.

Not only has this film got emotional and philosophical depth, but it also has a giant talking bunny rabbit, liquid cylindrical tubes coming out of people's chests and Patrick Swayze. I don't know which one scares me the most. There is no doubt that this is a well made film. It is done professionally and you feel like you're in the hands of a director that knows what he's doing and has enough creative control by the leaching studio's to pull this off. Looking into the film afterwards as well as re-watching it over and over again really helps to make this film better. Little things start to make more sense and you see how much more clever the film is than you initially thought.

The story concerns teen Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal) as mysterious circumstances start to mess around with what he sees. His character is almost schizophrenic but you don't get quite that level and the film makes sure that it is slightly ambiguous if what he's actually seeing is due to the events in the film or his mind playing tricks. Anyhow, Donnie is seeing visions of a man in a bunny costume after a jet engine falls out of the sky (seemingly from nowhere) and the bunny is telling him to commit certain acts such as burning down houses etc. I won't spoil it, but the film has a pretty nifty ending and requires some thinking time afterwards. The acting is pretty much gold with great performances from pretty much all the actors, noticeably Jake Gyllenhaal who really understood his character (which was a really hard character to portray). I also thought Jena Malone was pretty good in one of her first movie roles. Patrick Swayze doesn't really have to act much to play his role but he was definitely appropriate and I laughed out loud at those hilarious self help videos they played. I thought they were real...

The music is appropriate and the shots are well composed and thought out. Production design is fine and everything pretty much looks like the streets in 1978's Halloween. Direction is phenomenally good and brings everything together and the story is clever and interesting to watch. The film has a good blend of emotion, humour and horror and never gets tonal shifts wrong or badly times. Some of the CGI is noticeably of the 2001 era of computer animation but it didn't bug me too much as the story allowed me to get invested enough in it. The ending, for me, wasn't as powerful or shocking as I thought it would be while watching the movie. After the film ended I was in a level of "that was quite clever" which is good but not as impactful as I was hoping for. The film itself reminds me of American Beauty as the style and feel is similar. However, there are some wonderful, memorable moments in it such as Donnie threatening to stick something up his gym teacher's anus and a talk between Donnie's friends about Smurfs having a gang bang. Don't ask.

Overall, Donnie Darko is a wonderfully clever story which was well executed and is well worth your time. For me, I don't think it will go down in history as a masterpiece of cinema but it is worth noting it as an important footnote. I enjoyed it and it was nice to see a movie that makes you think for a change

7.5/10

The Blob (1988)

No. Just No.

[4/10 · 27 June 2015]

This is a silly, god awful film but it is funny. I have no idea why I watched it and I don't plan on watching it again but it was strangely funny. It is blatantly obvious that they were trying their hardest to turn this remake, of a not great film anyway, into a actual horrific teen horror movie. No. The premise is just to stupid. A blob?!? Please. The only way it would work was if they turned it into a horror comedy. They didn't try to but it ended up that way anyway. There's this one scene that just made me crack up so much. The bit when an unsuspecting teen sticks his hand down a sleeping woman's top (on purpose, obviously) and the blob comes out and... Well... Does whatever a blob does?! Anyway, if you know what your gonna get and don't mind it, then it's well worth a watch. It's a horror comedy that doesn't know it yet manages to still be a great horror comedy. Besides the crappy practical effects, this film works. Not how it's meant to but it does. Don't go expecting an ending like Godzilla, but it is reasonably good when the blob starts squishing people. I've rated it 5 because the film was a bad horror movie. But if it was a horror comedy, it would be a 7 or 8.

That's my view anyway.