a_naismith Reviews

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Not as great as they say

[6/10 · 2 January 2024]

Oh my, it took me a while to get around to see this. Positives? The cast was great and there are some very decent actors in there. Cillian Murphy was superb as was Robert Downey Jr. I found it overly long to be honest by about 1 hour. The subject matter is well known, much of the historical details having been hammered out in the TV Drama some years back. They did labour the history.

The sound was awful, too loud and drowning out the dialogue. The music was equally too loud and just gets in the way, especially in the first hour. Yes I understand that Nolan has a habit of doing this but it just makes it an unpleasant experience.

Special effects were just plain bad.

In a year of not that many great movies, I suppose it will do well honors wise but in truth it does not deserve too many awards. Best lead male obviously but not much else.

Hard Cell (2022)

Don't waste your time.

[1/10 · 12 April 2022]

I think they must have thought this one up during the dark days of the pandemic with the sole purpose in mind of giving the film crews something to do. What utter garbage. Not even slightly amusing.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

2.5 hours of my life I will never get back.

[2/10 · 29 March 2022]

For years I have been meaning to catch this movie. I was intrigued as it was touted so much as a great film. Finally I had the opportunity tonight. Well I found it initially slow but like the quirky camera work typical of Lynch so I opted to persevere. Shortly after they found the corps it seemed to go haywire and totally confusing. By the end I was in a state of understanding but did not care enough to delve into why's and wherefores of the plot. Nope, to me the whole thing reeked of self indulgence in arty farty fantasy. Noi wonder folk are abandoning Hollywood. Looking at this years Oscars, where were the giants of cinema? Where were the truly great movies? Belfast was about the best but could not counter the inevitable wokery.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

Disappointing

[4/10 · 26 November 2019]

Dear me, not movie material. It would have made a better TV one hour slot. So slow and several drawn out scenes could have been shortened severely or culled altogether.

Nightflyers (2018)

Garbage

[3/10 · 3 March 2019]

The characters are unloveable so when they die you could care less. One or two of them are so wooden you should not let them near a naked flame The plot is pretty standard stuff but uninteresting. There is a lot of characters looking off into the distance, questions being asked with no real response. Recent SF has been very disappointing plot wise.. Arrival was a rip off of TV's Torchwood when it came to meeting the Aliens. Prometheus was just dull and now this.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

If it were the other way around - it would be panned.

[1/10 · 20 January 2019]

But it is fine and dandy to have black actors in the 16 the Century portraying high office officials. There goes realism. And the two queens never met. So change history why don't you. I give this movie an 'F'

IMDb Originals: In Memoriam 2018 (2018) Season 3, Episode 36

Excellent montage

[29 December 2018]

Would like to see more clips as described above.

To the complainers the two mentioned only just died. It takes time to produce these tributes and the world is not perfect. Sheesh! Always one or two.

Salvation (2017–2018)

Was OK until the end.

[4/10 · 21 December 2018]

I can take a little overacting, implausible plot twists, characters always saying "WHAT!" after another has announced some revelation. But the end was just an awful way to wrap up the series just because a series 3 was not in the offing. The 'meteor' was depicted throughout as a misshapen potato until the last frames when suddenly it morphs into an alien sphere. I walked away feeling cheated.

The First (2018)

Disappointing

[3/10 · 26 November 2018]

Quite the disappointment. Not SciFi for starters, more of a relationships study, but not a very good or deep nor accurate depiction of how real people function. The music in the soundtrack offered throughout was simply dreadful and the last episode beginning was just annoying. The plot was totally predictable. The director was trying his best be 'arty' I am sure but his special scenes were non contributory to the whole story and too long. Unnecessary sex scenes which went on too long also. Two people go into a bedroom, we know they are going to have sex we do not need it spelt out. Sheesh. Boring. There was even a totally spurious toilet scene. This time a woman. We all go to the toilet directors but I do not need to see it. Is there a contractual obligation or what? And what was the telephone repair guy all about at the end? If there was a secret meaning then it was lost on me but I was largely disinterested by that point. Mr Penn is looking more and more like Stallone and acting like it too.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1970)

Required viewing

[7 August 2018]

This movie should be re released. Courteney is marvellous. The desperation is palpable. Those who deny what Communism leads to should watch and learn.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

Lovly Movie

[10/10 · 7 August 2018]

I just wish they would make more entertainment like this. No bad language, no violence, just nice.

Dunkirk (2017)

Awfulness

[1/10 · 17 February 2018]

Have directors forgotten how to make a great movie? There is no empathy for any of the characters because they do not take time to develop any of them. I gave it 40 minutes and walk away.

Darkest Hour (2017)

Well that was underwhelming

[6/10 · 15 February 2018]

I was looking forward to seeing this given all the hype. Turns out it is a bit of a dud. They raved about Oldman's costume. IMO he didn't look much like Winston but that was redeemed some by his acting which was first rate. I have seen better Churchills make up wise. Lily James was very good. I am sure she will go on to great things given the opportunity. Plot wise, I felt that the subject could have been handled much better in a 3 or 4 part TV serial. This for me is where Hollywood falls down, they have failed to grasp that TV is in the ascendancy whilst they flounder. Most homes nowadays have large screens. Why the fantasy items. There is no evidence Churchill ever took the tube and interacted with common folk. Then the virtue signalling was unnecessary. And the tube ride from St James to Westminster lasted 5 minutes when in fact it is one stop and should have been just 1 or 2 minutes. Makes me wonder what else was made up.

Wonder (I) (2017)

Nice movie but predictable

[6/10 · 10 February 2018]

I could have predicted exactly how this movie went. Guaranteed to have the kid in difficulty fitting in with his peers and culminating in everything turning out just Peachy. It was not overly schmaltzy and it would have so easy to go down that road so that was good. Performances were as expected. But I do swish the writers/director could avoid the cliche of the white kids were mean and every black person in the movie was virtuous. The white parents of the bully were especially mean. Then of course the virtue signalling. I do not need to be lectured when I watch a movie. Otherwise I would have scored it higher.

Rellik (2017)

I gave up - Tedious

[2/10 · 4 February 2018]

All the annoying flashbacks got too tedious. I got through 3 episodes and found it so tedious. All in the interest of being different causes it to fail. It would have been very difficult to understand it watching on a week by week basis, I tried in binge fashion but found it just tedium central. Shame because the acting and special makeup was good.

Doctor Zhivago (2002)

Beautiful movie.

[1 January 2018]

It feels heretical to say this for I loved the original so very much, but this version is better. Different too which makes it not a remake as it presents the story in a different context altogether. Both equally valid.

I Love You, America (2017–2018)

Unfunny

[1/10 · 1 January 2018]

Another of these modern unfunny comedians. They are not like the cutting edge of the golden age of alternative comedy in the 60's. They just come across as sneering and bigoted against anything they disagree with. Silverman excels in that department.

Mother! (2017)

Terrible movie

[1/10 · 24 December 2017]

No suspense, terrible acting from the highest paid actress in Hollywood. All she does is scream. overly long ... by 1 hour. Plot was obvious from the beginning. It reminded me of an Outer Limits story from the 60's.

The Book Thief (2013)

Lovely touching tale

[8/10 · 22 December 2017]

I loved the movie so much on first viewing that I went out and bought the book. One of those occasions however where the movie is better than the written word. It surprises me that it seemed somewhat overlooked when on first release. Yes it is a bit too sentimental in places but that is what movies are sometimes meant to be, to take us out of our drab existence. The soundtrack is excellent too and by John Williams of course. In time I expect this to be a Christmas Day movie.

It (I) (2017)

Have they forgotten how to make suspense?

[1/10 · 22 December 2017]

I have seen 2 movies this week. Mother & It. Mother was about 1 hour too long and the acting was terrible. It reminded me of the old Outer Limits TV show except that would have been done better. I guessed the plot very early on.

"It" was also too long, not suspenseful, there were no moments of tension. My wife commented that it seemed to her a bit like an Enid Blyton "Famous Five" story. Some of these directors need to go back to director school.