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scottyholroyd
Reviews
Infinitum: Subject Unknown (2021)
Micro-budget head scratcher that end with questions
Very impressed with what they've done here (I'm ignoring the fact that it has, I'm guessing, no budget whatsoever), and not just because it was shot during the pandemic with zero crew (I've done nothing all year so a star awarded just for that!). But this is a very clever, possibly too clever for me, idea that has been brilliantly put together. Reading the critics reviews, this is part of a bigger world, which is good because the ending is ambiguous to say the least. You come out of it feeling like you've really been through everything that actress Tori Butler-Hart has. I can't remember a film recently that has left me feeling so like I've been through a real experience like that. It might be a bit much for some, and as it's so much like the feelings of isolation and fear that we're al living through at the moment I can see why this absolutely won't be for some. I think if you're interested in filmmaking then this is one to watch, if you're wanting a big budget sci-fi extravaganza go and watch Tenet (although the sound is much better in this, I can actually hear the few lines spoken in Infinitum). Sir Ian McKellen and Conleth Hill provide some much needed exposition, which is really all they are there for, not that I'm complaining, but this is Tori Butler-Hart's film who is in almost every frame of the film. Not an easy task for anyone let alone someone so young.
Sex Education (2019)
Bravo
What a wonderful blend of UK and US high school worlds colliding to make a very open and reachable show.
I was a little dubious of the first ep but get past that and it's well worth driving in to this mad, made up world.
Writing and performances are spot on and the overall production is great. Eagerly awaiting season 2, which I assume is just around the corner?!
Pin Cushion (2017)
Well done, if a little slow
I think this was a well made, well crafted movie by people who really cared about the subject and the project as a whole. And it's a very much needed story about bullying and friendship between a young woman and her mother.
It can be a little slow, and I usually love slow movies, for my liking, and sometimes is a little tedious, but on the whole it's a good watch. First movies are never easy though, so i'll give them a break. Think 6 is a pretty decent score which reflects the flaws as well as the good points.
The Isle (2018)
I've been waiting for this and was not disspointed
I love this kind of movie, it's brave, it takes on modern ideas of what the studios are pumping out, and it delivers on every level.
Tremendous acting, direction, intriguing blends of ideas and genres.
It's not a horror as such, more a drama with ghostly subplots. It may not work for some, and my only complaint is that they needed a bigger budget, but I'm so happy that this exists and is getting great reviews and exposure.
Turn the lights off, and getting ready for a slow creep that gets into your bones and stays there long after the movie ends.
Nina Forever (2015)
Life After Beth...But bad.
It has always been us Americans that like to remake films, but this is an example of the Brits doing it, and doing it badly.
Maybe the filmmakers were just not aware of the excellent Life After Beth from 2014, and maybe it's just one of those occasions when two lots of people have similar ideas, but this film has just recently come out, so I'm not sure.
Whatever the reasons this film is pretty bad. It's mediocre in almost every respect, which makes it less entertaining than if it were truly bad.
The actors try their best and I commend them for that, but it's just not a good enough vehicle for them to shine. The directors, and I think I'm right when I say there are two, which explains a lot, seem muddled in their storytelling.
But my main argument is that this has been done before, quite recently, and better. So why bother?
I hope, and think that they will, go on to better things, but they need to learn from this film and see it for what it is before they move on.
I wouldn't recommend it. Just watch Life After Beth. (I have nothing to do with that film!)