ashleywetherall Reviews

Shōgun (2024–2026)

So far, so amazing..

[9/10 · 29 February 2024]

If you are going to remake a classic mini series , this is the was to do it. I won't go into the plot of the series but just to say I am so far very impressed at how these first 2 episodes have panned out. The original 1980's series was very impressive for its time and Is worth checking out if you haven't seen it.

But this remake has so far proved to be superior in scope and attention to detail and script. The acting and characterisation is sublime.

Obviously a lot of research has gone into the production and the casting of the main characters. I would recommend anyone interested in this period of history to check it out.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023)

Liam Neeson back home

[8/10 · 23 February 2024]

In The land of saints and Sinners marks a return to form for big bad Liam Neeson. This is probably due to the fact that he is starting to play his age and that this well made thriller is set in Ireland. This is a slow burn thriller where he plays hitman Finbar Murphy who has no real affiliations to any of the political groups of the time.

After some soul searching he decides to give up the life of a hired killer and try to make something different of his life That is, until three fugitive members of the IRA hit town after they're mission kills 3 innocents.

Finbar unknowing kills one of IRA's family members and the movie plays out from there.

What make In the Land of Saints and Sinners a cut above the average Neeson film is that it has great but subtle direction, a fine script and some truly great turns from the excellent supporting cast. Best being a return to screen acting by Jack Gleeson as Finbar's complex wannabe sidekick.. Kerry Condon make a great nemesis hopefully will earn some bigger roles via this performance.

All in all this is a great little thriller that doesn't rely on lots of big action sequences, car chases and OTT violence. Its more about the people and there relationships making the stake higher when the action happens.

The Death Wheelers (1973)

A Personal Favourite

[9/10 · 6 February 2024]

Lets face it Psychomania is a ridiculous film.

I first saw it as a 7 year old back in the late 1970's. But I loved it , mainly because it was filmed around the area where we lived .

As I said the story makes no real sense and the film isn't really scary. There are lots of silly errors to pick up on. One being when we hear see the song Riding free being played, or should I say mimed. The actor is strumming the guitar where the song the music is being finger picked.. Also cars that have been wrecked suddenly mend themselves 2 scenes later. Not to mention a banquette that magically appears in Nicky Henson's hand.. But I love the fact the biker gang rode down the street where I lived and attacked the shopping centre where my mum shopped almost every weekend.

I also love the cast of seasoned performers that made this film some how work. Nicky Henson never gave a bad performance in his life and George Sanders and Beryl Reid add some class to the proceeding.

The movie moves along at a brisk pace and is well directed by Don Sharp.

I also love the stories that have come to light in its making. It sounded like a very jolly set and contrary to opinion George Sanders had a great time doing his scenes, knowing full well what type of film he was making.. It's a shame that when people mention this film someone always say's that it was so bad Sanders killed himself .

Lets be honest this film is pure cult and gets better with every watch..

Masters of the Air (2024)

Looks great ... But.

[6/10 · 28 January 2024]

Two episodes into Masters of the Air and to be honest I'm quite enjoying it. But this is mainly due to the well done action sequences and the fact that it show the steep learning curve that the US had to deal with coming into WW2. The acting is pretty good and the story is interesting but by episode 2 the characters became very cliché. The so the viewer gets scenes of the same old fictional rivalry between the good old down to earth yanks and the uptight snobby English. Throw in some Brit hating Scott's and you have taken away any good done in the first episode.

My both my grandparents fought in WW2. One was an officer in the RAF and both nothing but good thing's to say about the Americans. It's a shame this American made series can't return the complement.

I will stick with this series, but it need to improve and deal with the fact's as it will end up doing a disservice to those it claims to champion..

The Great Escaper (2023)

A 10 because it hit home hard.

[10/10 · 9 October 2023]

I've just come back from seeing this beautiful little film and I'm still emotionally connected to it.

The story Bernie and Rene who have been married for 70 years living out they're final years in a care home near Brighton.

Bernie a D- Day veteran wants to visit Normandy for the 70th anniversary of the landings but is also worried about Rene failing health. He also learns that he was too late to take part.

But Rene gives him her blessing to make his own way there.

All this is in the trailer. But the film isn't just about that. The film is about coming to terms with the past and also about a love and devotion and forgiveness. Not just between the leads but also though the wonderful supporting cast.

Michael Caine is wonderful as Bernie but Glenda Jackson is the heart and soul of this film. Both reminded me of my own Grandfather and Grand mother. My grandfather was a D-Day veteran but my grandmother was his rock.

I found tears rolling down my cheeks as I watched this film as memories yesteryear came flooding back..

Lame Ducks (1984–1985)

Nowhere near as bad as I remembered..

[7/10 · 29 May 2023]

I mostly remember this 80's sit com due to the fact that at 14 I had a bit of a teenage crush on Loraine Chase.

But I also remember finding not very funny.. That might be why Its never really been repeated, Jump forward 36 years and I tracked down both series and decided to give them a watch.

On the down side the performances from the minor characters were very hit and miss, and the direction seemed very lazy.

But on the plus side the actual main cast were pretty good and the script and storylines were interesting.

Unfortunately during some of the early episodes some of the laughs seemed a little flat. But the series really gets better by the 3rd episode.

The eccentric characters become more 3 dimensional and along with the comedy theirs some pathos. Plus the 3rd episode is when Brian Murphy joins the cast as the germaphobe private eye.

I was also surprised by how good Loraine Chase was in it. Her timing and delivery of the jokes was as good and the old pros.

Overall lame ducks isn't brilliant, and in some places it is a little (excuse the Pun) Lame. But there's also a warmth to it with its rather unique storyline and a has a very likeable main cast.

So I would recommend a re-visit to those who like me , remember it for the wrong reasons.

I hope Lame Ducks is officially released on DVD as I did enjoy it the second time round and I would love to add it to my collection.

I Remember Nelson (1982)

Kenneth Colley is Nelson

[10/10 · 7 April 2023]

This four part miniseries is possibly the best best depiction of Admiral Nelson put on screen. This is an intimate portrait of the man and not the legend. We see Nelson through the eyes of four very different people.

The first being his estranged wife. She loves him deeply but Nelson has become increasingly cold towards her. She now questions did he ever really love her. For himself Nelson is depicted in this episode as very distant towards a woman who obviously loves him but really never understood him, and his guilt is very palatable. His affections are now for the free spirtited Emma Hamiltion.

The next episode deals with Nelson through the eyes of Sir William Hamilton , friend of Nelson and Husband to Emma. William is depicted as a genteel decent enough man a taste for all things beautiful and believes that Nelson is a great man in all things. This opinion slowly slips as he realises that Nelson and Emma are having an affair. He also realises that Nelson has a hard edge to his character when dealing with a courp marshal of once allied. Nelson for his part is talking sense but are reminded that the opinions of old friends come second to regulations.

The third part sees Nelson through the eyes of his trusted friend Captain Thomas Hardy. Hardy is invited to Nelsons house where he is introduced to the decadent and indiscreet William Beckford. Hardy becomes slowly applaud by Beckford's, Emma's and even Nelson's behaviour and this lead to a confrontation between Nelson and his trusted Captain days before they depart for Trafalgar.

The last episode is seen through the eyes of William Blackie, a member of HMS Victory's lower gun crew. We get an idea of what the battle of Trafalgar looked like from Victory's lower decks and the carnage of sail ship battles. Blackie is spoken to by Nelson as he inspects the decks before the battle and a now wounded Blackie witnesses Nelsons last moments before he succumbs to his wound.

What set's this depiction Nelson apart from the others is that most of it has been taken from diaries letters and journals of those who actually knew the man. So the viewer gets a realistic sense of the man and not the Hero. Kenneth Colley makes Nelson very human. A man trying to do the best for king and country but also a vain man who love the pomp and ceremony associated with himself. A man who also has a common touch which makes him loved by the public but sometimes uneasy with those with titles.

The rest of the cast is universally excellent, with great turns by Geraldine James as Emma Hamilton, Tim Piggot Smith as Hardy , Phil Daniels as Blackie, Anna Massey as lady Nelson and a scene stealing turn by her brother Daniel as Beckford.

The series was written by Hugh Whitemore and subtely directed by Simon Langton.

The Lost King (2022)

Good but there was a lot left out.

[6/10 · 8 November 2022]

All in all The Lost King was a very watchable film, With great performances from Sally Hawkin's and a very restrained Steve Coogan.

But I would recommend watching The king in the car Park documentary afterwards as this really has more hard facts regarding the excavation of King Richards body. Philippa Langley wasn't exactly ignored or used by Leicester university.

She was in fact very much the public face of the dig and research. In fact the documentary presented by Simon Farnaby who's presence is pretty much absent from the film puts Philippa front and centre, and it also shows that her personnel emotions were sometimes getting in the way of the actual work.

The one thing the Lost king does well is explain Phillipa's mental state as in the said documentary she seemed over emotional, but I had no Idea about her ME and depression. The film also has a great idea of showing Philippa's relationship with her imaginary King Richard and her obsession with finding him.

The Lost King is a good film, I just wish they hadn't exaggerated the academic villainy and given a little more credit where credit was due.. This isn't Hollywood this is the UK.

The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM (2022)

Very Interesting.. Kind of this would happen

[9/10 · 21 October 2022]

Being from the UK I have been able to be and observer of the George Floyd case from the outside. It is also obvious that no one is going to win when justice isn't working and opportunist or disgruntled fringe are in the area. But this documentary seems to get to the heart of the problem. Who benefited from from Floyd death. The police man who possibly contributed to Floyds death is now in jail.

The community where Floyd lived is now is a stated of anarchic marshal law.

Plus the 80 or so million dollars has not been used for purposes that it was collected. In fact its been imbesseled and used for mostly Illicit purposes. The evidence is all there and as always, few have the guts to call it out. But that might be hard for a country that is almost always at war with itself and always seem to go after an easy target instead of confronting the actual truth of a situation.

Please watch this with and open mind.

Clerks III (2022)

Smith comes home .

[8/10 · 15 October 2022]

At last after a decade of up and down reboots and some slightly strange career decisions Kevin Smith has returned home. Clerks 3 might lack the originality of the first film or the ambition of the second but it lacks nothing in the heart department. Heart being the main word, because this is unashamedly Smiths most personal work, inspired by his own brush with death.

The story picks up a 15 years or so after Clerks 2. All the characters are getting older and only a little wiser. Without giving anything away that was not in the trailer.

After a life changing event Randal takes stock and decides instead of bitching about movies. He's going to make one. Obviously his movie is going to be about Clerks with the still and now still neurotic Dante being put upon to provide everything else. The only difference being Dante now has a real reason for his down beat attituded to life. If anything he is the real heart of the film.

So now we're meeting older characters from the View Askew universe ,along with some unexpected surprises.

But Clerks 3 is more than just about being knowing about the past along with some Dick and Fart jokes. Its about mortality, trying to move forward, friendship and loss in these trying times.

I don't know if there will be a Clerks 4. In some ways it might be best to stop here. But the film did leave caring about the future of Randal and man who might one day step out side of the New Jersey store and really get that life for himself.. Now that might be a great film..

Death Comes to Pemberley (2013)

Its not Pride and Prejudice, But maybe that's not a terrible thing or at least something new.

[8/10 · 19 August 2022]

This is not Jane Austen this is P. D. James.

The thing about this mini series is that it actually gets better with repeated viewings. These are more complex than the characters presented in Pride and Prejudice, Complex because this is set 6 years into the Darcy's marriage.

Everything is seemingly Ideal, or is it? But after a killing on the grounds some cracks begin to show.

We get a very different Elizabeth Bennett from Anna Maxwell Martin, Her Lizzie seems unsure about her role as Mistress of Pemberley. She fears she is out of her social class and seems more happy talking to the servants and grounds staff.

Darcy hasn't changed much but this is because he is more at home. But the murder and its repercussions seems to make him doubt himself and maybe the last 6 years. Matthew Rhys plays him with assured confidence never trying to emulate previous actors in the role.

The rest of the cast of seasoned actors and actresses are universally excellent with special praise for Matthew Goode as Wickham and Jenna Colman as a hilarious but also a more complex Lydia.

I won't go into plot details but only to say that this is a very good sequel of sorts and in my opinion actually improves on its source novel.