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Plane (2023)
Great little movie....... 6.7/10
This is one of those movies that surprises you with how good it is. On paper, it all looks a bit meh, but thanks to great performances, especially from GB, solid direction and a tight script - it all comes together very nicely.
It is the sort of movie to grab your popcorn, maybe a beer or two, turn off your brain for a couple of hours, and just go along for the ride. It's good to see GB back to what he does best. He kind of derailed his career with those awful, awful rom-coms just when he should've hit a career high. Hope he sacked his agent, because they were bad choices. Anyway, I'm waffling now to make 600 characters...ah, done it. Go enjoy the movie folks!
Smile (2022)
Just over a 7 - thoroughly enjoyable little horror romp...
I caught Chris Stuckmann's review of this, and I'm glad I did. There's nothing particularly original, but what is here, is really, really well done. The thing I have to mention first is the music and sound design - it's the kind that actually takes the movie up another level, and incredibly creepy. Makes me think of 'Under Her Skin'.
The director is not afraid to take his time with long and static shots - and he does them well. There are some great camera shots - and some of the kind that make you think "how did he do that?". And good performances all round, particularly from Sosie Bacon (Kevin Bacon's daughter...) - she really does put a lot of energy and emotion into her character, I really felt for her. You know that situation where everyone just thinks they are mad, but WE know she's not - you get frustrated and upset for the character on screen, and that's good acting right there.
Towards the ending it took a bit of an odd turn, but nothing that spoiled the movie. It was nearly 2 hours long, but to be fair, it didn't feel too long, even for a horror flick.
Anyway, if you like your horror, then you will love this, for sure. But it is a good movie period. Go enjoy!
Better Call Saul: Winner (2018)
That's another season done and dusted....and it is AWESOME!!
So there we go - I have smashed through another season of Better Call Saul, and it only took me a couple of days...that tells you everything. There was one scene in this last episode I was actually shouting at the screen - do you ever do that? Get so worked up about something you are watching on the screen that you actually start shouting at it? Go on, you know you do!!
I have to say one thing though. I just cannot believe there are people are STILL comparing this to Breaking Bad, and giving it a low score. In what world are these people living in? Firstly, why on earth are you even still watching it? But moreover - this is Better Call Saul, not Breaking Bad. We are talking apples and oranges. Why compare? What has one got to do with the other? Because they share characters? So what? Does that mean VG has to write another BB-type show? Why would he even want to do that? BCS is much slower paced, a totally different style to BB....and? Why is that a bad thing? I suspect these people can't deal with a show that moves along at a slow pace. Maybe it does, but underneath it all there is SO much going on - the intelligence of the writing is breathtaking, and the performances are incredible, from just about every actor involved.
So, stop comparing it BB, and if you are still complaining 4 seasons in, then get a life, and go and watch, I dunno, She-Hulk.....
Better Call Saul: Fall (2017)
Jimmy.....NOOOO!! 7.5/10
So this is the first time I have ever reviewed a single episode of anything. I have been following BCS, reading the reviews and also the BCS/BB fandom website, that I really do recommend you take a look at. It has everything BCS/BB related, and I mean everything, right down to the details of the cars each character drives...seriously! And the plot synopsis of each episode are so well written.
Anyway, this episode. Jimmy pretty much ruining Irenes life - I just don't know. Up to now, I had Jimmy as a bit shady, but ultimately a decent guy - but not here. This is next level nastiness, and I have really mixed feelings. Do I change my opinion of Jimmy, after 3 seasons - that he is just a self-serving douch-bag? Or was I just wrong all along? And here's the thing - I am uncomforatble with it. I don't want to completely change my opinion of the man, but how can I not? What he is doing to Irene is pure nastiness - destroying the only freindships this poor old woman has, just for his own gain. Is this poor writing, have they gone over the top? Or am I being too sensitive.... LOL!!! Whatever he does to redeem this situation won't change a thing for me...well, I guess not, I will have to see!
I read about Chuck in these reviews and get a lot of criticism - I don't think he is that bad of a character. He seems to generally behave ok - apart from his jealously/hatred of Jimmy getting his law degree, but isn't that just brothers for you? I wouldn't know, i am an only child...!! He certainly wouldn't have pulled the stunt that Jimmy did on Irene, that is for sure...would he?
Midnight Express (1978)
8.5/10 - an absolute classic that all film fans should see at least once....
So, this film didn't win a bunch of Oscars and BAFTAs for no reason - it deserved every single one of them, nominations too.
I think we all know the (true) story by now. Young Billy Hayes gets caught getting on the plane with a quantity of hash. Initially sentenced to 4 years, but then 53 days before his release, the sentence is changed from 'possession' to 'smuggling' and the thirty year sentence that comes with. Not surprisingly, this is where Billy decides to escape - and I think you can guess the outcome of that. But just in case you have lived under a rock all these years, I won't spoil it for you!
This movie gets it right in every department. Every performance from Brad Davis playing Billy, through John Hurt, Randy Quaid, Paolo Bonacelli as Rifkin and so on - is just outstanding. Beautiful cinematography, pitch-perfect direction from the late, great Alan Parker (he also directed another one of my all time favourites - Mississippi Burning) and of course, that score from Giorgio Moroder, the same man that brought us I Feel Love from Donna Summer - he won as Oscar for this. I didn't know that he has won three Oscars - Top Gun and Flashdance being the other two.
So, would I recommend this absolute masterpiece - waddya ya think? LOL! It is on one of the (UK version) streaming giants right now...go see it!!
Black Bird (2022)
Very impressive drama indeed......
I think this deserves something like 73/100.......
Anyway, it is a great little series - not too short, and thankfully, not too long. I do wish other series' would trim a few episodes.
I did a bit of background research and for the most part, it is indeed a true story. Drug dealer Jimmy gets a ten year stretch, and is then offered a get out of jail card if, and it's a big if, he will transfer to a jail full of nasty nutters and get some info out of serial killer Larry, who has the chance of getting out of jail. They know he has killed others, but they are not after that, they just want that little bit of info to squash his appeal and keep him in jail for ever - becuase they know, and we know, that if this utter psycho gets out of prison, he will most defintely kill again...and again.
I won't spoil anything here, I will leave it with saying that the perfomance from Paul Walter Hauser as the deranged serial killer, is Emmy award winning, as are Taron Egerton as Jimmy and the final performance from the late, great Ray Liotta as Jimmy's father (apart from, of course, whatever he was filming at the time of his death).
Highly recommended, for sure.....
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
7.5 / 10 - Entertaining for sure.....
So, I haven't even seen the first one (or if I did, it was so long ago I can't remember it), and it has taken me awhile to bother watching this one...not really a genre that interests me. But what is not to like about seeing jet planes shooting through the air at Mach 10.... WITHOUT the use of CGI, but the real thing. And wow, you certainly can tell.
The thing that impressed me most was the lack of "The Message" being shoved down my throat - Hollywood take note, this is what people want, not what MCU/Disney is churning out now...forced diversity and all that nonsense. Just a good ol' fashioned story. I am hoping that the "Woke Go Broke" message is finally getting through to the studios - it ain't what people want.
Anyway, back to the movie. Tom Cruise is, well, Tom Cruise. I always love a bit of Jennifer Connelly, and I thought Miles Teller was excellent in War Dogs - I am surprised he hasn't become more well known...well he certainly will be now! It was great to see the real thing on the screen, rather than CGI - it really does make a difference. I am a bit annoyed with myself for not getting my act together and seeing it at the Waterloo IMAX theatre in London - I kept meaning too. However, seeing it on my massive TV still did the trick, but I can imagine it would have taken the movie to another level seeing it with IMAX (is that "with IMAX", or "on IMAX", or "in IMAX" ...?)
So if you are like me and not really a fan of gung-ho action movies, turn off ya brain and go see it anyway - it's a blast!!
Monster (2022)
7.5 / 10 - Very impressive....
So better than a '7', but not quite an '8'.....
I've read a couple of books about JD, and seen all the interviews on YouTube, and I can assure you that factually this drama has it mostly spot on. Obviously due to the subject nature, it's dark and horrific, but if you can deal with that (or like myself - enjoy it!) - you are in for one helluva ride. It's slow, for sure, but I'm totally OK with that.
And the Emmy Award goes to.... Evan Peters for his portrayal of the man himself. Stunning piece of acting. He really does create the character of Dahmer - to the point that I actually almost felt sorry for the guy. He really does make him human, as opposed to just a cardboard cutout of a monster. And that is not easy to do. Also Niecy Nash must get a mention playing JDs long suffering neighbour. And of course, Richard Jenkins never disappoints - I remember first seeing him back in the 80s in The Witches of Eastwick with Jack Nicholson, and he was great in that.
So definitely not everyone's cup of tea - certainly not something that I would recommend to my mother, but if you like your drama dark, and have any interest at all in Jeffrey Dahmer, then trust me, you'll love this.
Internal Affairs (1990)
6.5? Unbelievable...
This is just a quick one to say this movie is an absolute 90s classic. 6.5 is a travesty.....ignore that and go watch. It's even on BBC iPlayer right now, so no excuse. Honestly, you'll thank yourself for it (and me! Lol!)
Man Down (2013)
Absolutely hysterical.....
7.8/10
This is one of those series that I don't know anyone else that watches - but I want them too! It's funny on just about every level...surreal, physical, great comic timing from everyone, great performances (Brian is just too funny). I could go on, just do yourself a favour and check it out, they are all on C4 catch-up.
Raw Deal (1986)
Such a low rating....!
Of course, it's 80s cheese on toast, but it's classic 80s cheese with the master of all that chunky cheese - the one and only Arnie Schwarzenegger. And some of the supporting cast are great actors - all names you've probably never heard of, but faces that you'll definitely know. Sam Wanamaker, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi, Ed Lauter, Darren McGavin. You see, I said you probably won't know them! But all great character actors. (And no, I didn't know them either - thank you IMDb!).
But if you stop haven't seen Raw Deal, get onto Netflix, turn off ya brain, and check it out and enjoy!
Bundy and the Green River Killer (2019)
Oh deary me.....
So here's a first...I'm going to 'review' a movie that I haven't actually sat through. I simply can't, or won't, to be more precise. The first scene, as already mentioned, is set in 1978 in a nightclub - with banging dance music blaring. That is just really lazy. And it gets worse. Dreadful acting/script, the sets don't even remotely look 70s, I could go on.... and the movies only just started. So, I've stopped watching it but felt like popping this review up here cause.... why not?
I very rarely, if ever, put up reviews this bad, because someone worked hard to get their dream off the ground. But when you make a film and just can't be bothered to get simple things right that would cost nothing, you simply don't deserve to be making movies. Disgraceful really.....
Watch the first few scenes just to see what I mean - it's on UK Netflix....
The Next Three Days (2010)
7.5/10 - Excellent movie.....
This was surprisingly an excellent movie. I was expecting a by-the-numbers thriller, but instead got an extremely tense, exciting, well acted and directed piece of moviemaking.
Crowe stars as a husband whose wife is imprisoned for the murder of her boss. She gets a life sentence, but Crowe decides to break her out. The movie is for the most part his planning of the break out - and when it does happen....hold onto your hats for a thrilling ride. Any movie that has me shouting at the screen is good by me! Obviously the whole plan is all totally far fetched, but when it is done so well, that really doesn't matter. Just forget the details, shut your brain off and enjoy the ride.....I certainly did....!!
Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
Not much to see here, move along now.....
So sure, CMG is a great little actress, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was playing the lead role (or some other good actress) I would have scored even lower. In fact, she is the only character in the movie I can even remember their name. The men in it are forgettable characters that are only there to die.
So, Chloe boards a bomber in WW2 with a bunch of airmen, who of course treat her with total misogyny (yawn) and of course, she then proves to be better, smarter and stronger than all the useless (white) men in the movie put together. This is actually a theme of the movie which is unnecessary and all very predictable.
She has a package on her which needs to be protected at all costs - what it contains is laughable. You'll see for yourself..... Also aboard the plane is some gremlin type creature. Where did it come from? Don't know? How is it part of the story? It isn't - it's just there. I will say this though, I thought the creature effects were very well done - although in this day and age that should be a given, considering you could probably do almost as good on your laptop these days.
And, that's about your lot. Thankfully it is only 84 minutes long. I mean, it is not THAT bad - and if you have Amazon Prime then sure, it is an easy bit of time to waste if you have nothing better to do. But please, do not pay to see it!
Inside No. 9 (2014)
Everything from 2/10 to 9/10.......
As you can probably guess from my heading, this show for me is very hit and miss. When it gets it right, it is almost genius, but alas, some episodes really do fall well flat. I think they would've been better taking a page from the Cleese/Booth book of writing (they wrote Fawlty Towers)- less episodes, more quality. Every single episode of FT is pure gold, but there are only a few of 'em..!
I still have a few episodes of S5 to watch, but funnily enough, I still find the best one to be Episode 1 of Season 1..... incredible twist that just blew me away - dark, twisted, but so funny.
Anyway, they are all on iPlayer to enjoy, and they are only about 30 minutes a pop, so give it a go.... if you like your humour very twisted and very adult (definitely not for the kids!) then you'll probably love Inside No.9. And if you are a fan of League of Gentlemen/ Psychoville, you'll love it, for sure!
Antebellum (2020)
Well I enjoyed it..... 6.5/10
Stunning cinematography, great performances, and an interesting story line.
The Woman (2011)
Not very impressed at all......
I really don't like to give super-low scores to a movie. Someone got it together to finance and film their idea, so I always feel that I have to give props for that. I would've given this a 4, but I dropped a point for the dreadful soundtrack. There is a reason it has been mentioned in so many reviews - it is just so bad and using these poor, college-rock tracks is so inappropriate for the scenes they play over. Scenes that are supposed to be emotional and critical to the plot, and someone somewhere thought that it would be a good place to stick some rock tune - such a bad, bad decision, I find it hard to believe someone didn't step in and tell the makers of the film what a terrible idea it was.
Anyway, the movie itself. Not too sure what the message is, if there is one. I keep seeing the word "feminist" in the reviews, so maybe it's that. The story of some bloke who happens to find some feral, wild woman (I think she was brought up by wolves from a baby - because, you know, the wolves of course wouldn't just eat the baby) almost in his backyard while out hunting. And now it just gets sillier and sillier. He actually brings this woman back to his home, a home he shares with wifey, two teenage kids and a little girl, but of course because he is a "bad man" he has total control over his family so this is all accepted like he has found a stray cat. Not before the 'Woman' bites of his finger with barely a whimper from 'bad man' - as though she has bitten off his fingernail. I will give credit where credit is due - the husband plays slimey 'bad man' very well - he really is a total wrong 'un. The daughter comes across as though she has some kind of mental issue, and the son, it would seem, is a total psycho. Wifey (her from the classic movie 'May') also does a fairly decent job, all things considered.
Anyway, I won't drone on. Obviously it all goes pear-shaped and nearly everyone ends up dying a gloriously gory death...end of. Oh, and some other forest-freak with no eyes turns up at some point - I had kinda lost the will to live by this point and was only halfheartedly watching it.
Do I recommend it? I'll let you guess......... :o)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
One of the best.....
This is one of those movies that I remember the moment after the credits rolled....even though it was about 35 years ago. This film took me thorough the whole range of emotions - humour, sadness, anger, pity and more. Every actor in this movie is incredible, with JN giving us a tour de force of a performance. To watch this film and not be moved - you would have to be dead inside.
So please, do yourself a massive favour, and go watch this movie. It will be in your head for days afterwards, I promise. It hasn't dated at all, it could of been made yesterday - except now they would never make a film like this, unless it was some small indie production. But that's another story.
Go see.....now!!!
The Green Inferno (2013)
Oh dear, oh dear.....
OK, so I am a fan of Hostel (and Hostel II to a lesser extent) - not because I am particularly a fan of that genre, I just thought it was a well made movie.....well-acted, good script and I liked the concept. But, whatever skills Roth had to make those movies, clearly deserted him in making this absolute pile of nonsense.
It's everything Hostel isn't - poorly acted (Roth's real life wife is the main character), characters that almost from the first scene they appear in you just want them to die. The character that played this idiot - Alejandro - right from his first scene he was just so obnoxious, and yet we are supposed to believe he is some charismatic leader, I won't say more, as this is spoiler-free, but you'll see for yourself.
I could go on and on about all the things wrong with this film, but I won't bother. By all means check it out, but don't spend money doing so. You want a good movie - go check out the French film Martyrs (with sub-titles, not the dubbed and the French version, not the US remake) - now there's a good horror movie.
Moonlight (2016)
So wanted to love this movie, but.............
After reading the reviews, and seeing Stuckmanns review on YouTube (a reviewer I nearly always agree with), I not only wanted to really love this movie - I expected to. But alas, no. Certainly it has some really good things about it - the cinematography is beautiful, incredible performances from just about all of the cast, but the story? I mean sure, it is meaningful and I guess important to a degree, but it was just a bit thin on the ground. Young boy, becomes a teenager, then a grown man - and he is gay and has lived a lonely life because of it. Not exactly mind-blowing. And it had one of those really frustrating endings - you know the type, the ones that just end and you are like "Eh? Is that it....? Really...??!!"
But as I said, it does have many plus points, and it is certainly worth watching - just personally after all I had read I was expecting to be blown away, and I certainly wasn't.
Seul contre tous (1998)
What's all the fuss about...?
There are many good points to this movie, but those saying what a hard watch it is clearly have not seen anything past a Disney film. And the whole warning that flashes up is just downright silly, because for one, there is nothing to warn you about, and, well, it's just daft.
But I still kind of recommend it if you have a bit of time to spare....
Killer Ratings (2019)
I still can't decide....??
Brilliant documentary.... But I still can't decide if he's guilty or not, which shows what a great job the documentary makers made of creating an unbiased program. I'm leaning towards he was innocent, and the Families of the North were responsible..... What do YOU think?
The Perfection (2018)
Great little movie...
I really enjoyed it. It does get a bit daft at the end, and you definitely need to suspend your belief - a lot! But some great performances, and it's only 90 minutes - nothing worse than an overly long movie. Go check it out!