rusnr Reviews

Unhinged (I) (2020)

Duel meets Wolf Creek.

[7/10 · 10 May 2024]

Solid movie, but Spielberg did it better, with less farfetched violence.

After a brutal start, the shows pace picked up as cooper runs rings around the characters in the show. Clever scripting, gives good insight to characters without breaking the immersion to the story.

Characters make mostly logical decisions, and not a lot is left to chance once the action starts.

With solid performances across the board and a decent soundtrack the tension is almost unrelenting, even with the annoying adds.

You cannot always pick which direction the show will run.

It is worth the time to watch, even with ads.

The endings predictable but the journey there is tense.

The Famous Five (2023– )

Er....font of all knowledge

[1/10 · 31 December 2023]

This is literally one of the worst adaptations of anything I have seen. If you are a fan or are familiar with the original work, I recommend avoiding it. However if you are looking for a story and are not expecting the original books, then this might work for you.

As an origin story it started well. The introduction of the five was well managed. The cast is great, and the production itself was quite slick. We had an old school moustache twirling villain, but the story was total rubbish. The opening credits were a fluorescent rave.

I grew up on the books, and although I am flexible enough for creative licence the idea of foretelling the future within the grounded story of the famous five really is nonsense.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

A pleasant surprise.

[8/10 · 11 August 2023]

I have to say I did not expect to like this one.

We watched it tonight for movie night and I thought it'd be another shallow, Marvelesque, effects heavy waste of time.

But I was pleasantly surprised. Sure there are the one liners which seem to be in everything these days, and there are a lot of visual effects. But they tell a story with heart. It is a fun romp which entertained myself (a d&d player-albeit casual), my wife who has never played and my kids who have dabbled.

It used the side quest tropes well, probably the one movie which is allowed them and although slow at times it has some great action set pieces. I was only once pulled out of the story by a moment which Edgin definitely should not have walked away from.

The story was logical and fun. I wish I'd seen it in the cinema. I'll definitely go see a sequel if there's one.

Crime (2021– )

Sigh. Not again.

[4/10 · 3 June 2023]

The acting is really good, with the main cast really drawing the viewer in to the emotion. But again, the damages D I,the above reproach sergeant, the chauvinist colleagues are all characters I'd seen before and better portrayed.

The music and filming carry the mood of the show well, and the mystery is compelling.

The pacing can be disrupted by the delving into the personal lives of the characters. The expositional dialogue around these scenes can slow the story.

It is some of the cringeworthy scripting which really lets the show down. As a nurse I work with genuinely strong and amazing women. Not once have I heard one of them spout the way Drummond does. Strong women assert their strength by their actions not by shouting, or waffling a load of cliches. Shows like this make strong women seem overly sensitive. It is a shame the script writers don't spend some time with them as watch them handle themselves.

The Wheel of Time (2021– )

What a waste of potential.

[1/10 · 18 February 2022]

As a fan of the books I was not expecting this adaptation to meet up to what I imagined. I do not however expect to find myself wondering had the script writers actually read the books. The world building is not well handled. The characters are not well developed. And the "creative" changes for the characters will not make sense later on if they stick to the plot of the books. For example, in the books Mat was a scoundrel, not a thief. Further "physical" relationships occur where the love was meant to be unrequited.

The lush greenery of the country side looses the sense of desperation that Robert Jordon was trying to put across.

This series has been dogged by production problems and would likely have benefited from a chance to over come them. Further the fact they have tried to cram it into so few episodes gives it a rushed feel, with the scenes just jumping from one plot point to another.

The only praise I can bestow is the visuals and the acting are good.

In short I was disappointed by a series I was really looking forward.

My advice would be to skip the series and head for the books.

The Legend of the Five (2020)

This is the reason a producer shouldn't star.

[1/10 · 28 June 2021]

A cascade of tropes and cliches from Narnia, Tolkien all held together by some poor casting choices. I honestly could not shake the sense that this was a vanity project gone wrong.

This being said, my daughter, the target audience (I hope) seemed to enjoy it.

Conan the Adventurer (1997–1998)

Two stars is generous.

[2/10 · 13 August 2020]

I can handle bad acting if the plots are good...enough said.

The War of the Worlds (2019)

Slow and boring.

[2/10 · 18 June 2020]

This is a very slow retelling of The War of the worlds, which changed the focus of the books from a road trip style tale of survival to a story with characters which were not in the book. Could have been so much more.

Another Life: Across the Universe (2019) Season 1, Episode 1

Soooo Trope

[1/10 · 9 February 2020]

I cannot believe how bad this first episode it. Not only is the arguing amongst the characters annoying, but each character seems unable to complete a task without a rambling speech. Each character is a cliche, and unlikable at that. But the final straw was when Katee got back on the bridge and resolved the crisis by effectively telling a crew member to do her job and venting some hydrogen.

Another Life (2019–2021)

Another nail in the coffin for Sci Fi.

[1/10 · 9 February 2020]

Visually amazing is about all the positive I can muster. Whoever did the hiring for this mission needs to be fired. To put together a crew who are so unstable as to be continually arguing like this and then send them out would doom it to failure. I get more maturity from my kids. The committee style of leadership is annoying to the point of almost unwatchable. And each of these characters is a cliche just dying to get that exposition out.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: He Said, She Said (2019) Season 6, Episode 8

BS 99

[1/10 · 25 January 2020]

Just a bad episode. I love the Holt plot, but the agenda BS was really against the feel of the show. My daughters came out of it thinking that rapists are on every corner and give up on your life if you report something. Fortunately I work with victim survivors and was able to talk them through it. Please writers stop trying to be experts on social issues about which you know NOTHING.

Dirty Harry (1971)

Awesome era for film.

[10/10 · 2 January 2020]

1970s was a great era for film. This gritty hard hitting action flick is embellished with dry sardonic wit keeping the entertainment and tension high. In the year 1971, ignoring the orders of his superiors, maverick police detective Inspector Dirty Harry Callahan , gambles with innocent lives to capture a psychopathic killer blackmailing San Francisco. This film is full of classic one liners, action and attitude which simply does not date.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

Ok movie but too far from the book to be great.

[4/10 · 10 December 2019]

My kids got me reading the book which I enjoyed. The movie on the other hand, despite a great cast was lacking in the depth of the book. It missed vital developmental plot points and insulted the audience with needles exposition feeding to many details to the audience. They try to make this a form of Harry Potter with a classic style setting. It would have made a much better TV series then a cinema release.

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

Khal Drogo was a better Conan portrayal.

[3/10 · 7 November 2019]

Am a huge Robert Howard fan and when I saw Jason Mamoa was cast as Conan I was happy to see Conan had gone to the source material. Instead we got....this.

Doctor Who (2005–2022)

Please bring back the sci fi.

[2/10 · 29 October 2019]

The lack of experience of sci fi writing is destroying the series. The writers have minimal experience in the genre and so the episodes feel like a social science lecture with sci fi shoe horned in. I stuck the season out but my wife gave up after the third episode. I really hope this changes or a passion I have held since 1983 will dwindle and die.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)

A film course in 15 episodes.

[7/10 · 29 October 2019]

A fascinating insight into the evolution of the art form known as film, from the very first medium of moving pictures through the latest in digital technologies. The narration can sometimes be tedious, and the content occasionally boarders on snobbery BUT it does not detract from the sheer wealth of information delivered. A must see for anyone interested in film.

The Predator (2018)

Not to be taken seriously.

[7/10 · 24 September 2018]

Anyone going to see this hoping to see a remake of the classic Arnie movie will be disappointed. But given its all been done before to try and reach the tension and mystery of the first movie would be pointless. Instead Shane Black took a more lively approach creating a movie that's fun to watch with a couple of pseudoscientific twists thrown in for good measure. Solid acting all around (thank goodness Hollywood are moving away from cute blond kids with lisps) with no cringeworthy moments. Sit back and enjoy a bit of fun.

Aftermath (IV) (2017)

Based on does not mean documentary.

[9/10 · 7 September 2018]

It is easy to get distracted by the facts of the story. However, knowing nothing about the actual crash I found this a touching movie. As a long time fan of Arnie I love that he tried something so different and managed to pull it off. My hat also goes off to McNairy who's portrayal of a man torn by a tragic mistake is solid. Keep in mind. It's a movie not a doco.

Godzilla (2014)

Fun

[8/10 · 17 July 2018]

Just sit back and enjoy it. Don't over think it, and you'll have fun.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

A real romp.

[9/10 · 25 May 2018]

As a long time Star Wars fan I have become disgruntled in recent years. But this movie has helped bolster my flagging faith. With clever scripting respectful to the character through to the action of Chewie in full beserker mode I never lost interest once. Thumbs up. For those worried about SJW undertones...don't.