dagallop Reviews

Moonfall (2022)

Just want to waste almost two hours, this is it!

[5/10 · 29 July 2022]

Aside from the terrible reviews, if you watch this movie with the intent of simply wasting a couple of hours of your life, you would have succeeded. I don't want to use the classic phrase: well there's two hours I'll never get back, but alas it is how you will feel initially!

If on the other hand you like movies with spectacular, over the top CGI but care not for a story line, this is undoubtedly the movie for you. If you believe that scripts should be written by teenager nerds, this is the movie for you. If you want solid acting, well there is some, in fact it really isn't bad but only sometimes, the 'fill in' scenes are corny, predictable and frankly boring and could well have been edited to reduce the two hours you will need for this.

I agree with the review by FeastMode, but I would have included the Abyss as the primary candidate for the master xerox activity, if you remember the Abyss tell me the hack isn't so. But I didn't want to be as unkind so I give it 5 stars because the CGI is pretty awesome at times and the music score wasn't bad, not as good as it would have been with M83/Anthony Gonzalez but good enough.

Synopsis: it is a long movie that doesn't need to be. The acting by Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson and sometimes John Bradley, isn't bad but they could have replaced almost the entire remaining cast with cardboard cut outs or string puppets, I don't think anyone would have noticed! It is without doubt a rip-off of a myriad of other movies but what is there left to do? I would only recommend this movie if you want to waste a couple of hours 'vegging out', you will have to let go of any remaining common sense to get past the ridiculousness of the story but you did that already for 90% of all movies these days!

Black Crab (2022)

Not a fan of subtitled movies but this was worth it!

[8/10 · 20 March 2022]

It can be a little 'scattered', by which I mean there are a number of flashbacks which really don't help with the movie overall because there are gaps that would have been better filled with some more detail. The concept was intriguing and partially what drew me in to watch this.

But Noomi Rapace and Jakob Oftebro do such a great job with a rather predictable story that once again in combination with the sets, pace and action scenes, they make it worth the watch.

The action scenes are well done but there is a constant feeling of just knowing who it isn't going to end well for. That aside they probably could have made some of them seem a little more realistic, and I'm not referring to the gore, there is no shortage of that, I am alluding to the fact that typically combatants tend not to make themselves easy targets when there is a gun battle going on!

The sounds, music score, lighting and camera work are very well manicured and generally the scenes fit, with the exception of some interesting moments where they must have been walking on sand and not snow as they made no sound as they moved across it.

Synopsis: an intriguing basis for an action movie, beside the defined purpose of their 'mission'. Tremendous acting by almost everyone bar some extras and shorter part actors. Good action scenes and believable CGI. Great sets and attention to details. The one thing that bothered me was the almost endless references to 'the enemy' with absolutely no attempt to expand, identify or hint at just who 'the enemy' was!

The Cold Light of Day (2012)

Why so many haters?

[7/10 · 13 March 2022]

I don't understand the level of (apparent) hatred for this movie?!

Yes, it was a very (very) typical action thriller type movie but surely we know what we are getting in to when we watch movies like this?!

It is simple entertainment, linear story, good acting, almost believable plot and constantly moving. What more do we expect from this genre. It wasn't that long ago that we were awe struck by a movie with some passengers on a bus that couldn't drop below fifty miles per hour or it would blow up, yet we complain about the story line in this movie. And we should not forget that with actors like Cavill, Weaver and Willis shouldn't we review their abilities to act as brilliantly as they do? I guess some folks were just disappointed that Cavill never once ripped his shirt off to reveal a super hero below..

Synopsis: Not the best, far from the worst, great entertainment if you aren't expecting a movie with a myriad of plot twists. This has great actors and pretty much non-stop action with some great scenery to boot. Worthy of a fill in between the super hero movies.

Supervized (2019)

Great to see some fine actors still having some fun! But..

[5/10 · 6 March 2022]

As many others rightly pointed out, this is a great concept for a movie, and frankly, given the right funding and some attention to detail, it would have been a great watch, but it really wasn't and therefore it isn't a 'great watch'!

There isn't much to say about the first half of the movie other than there are a few laughs, as well as the absolute minimum character building. Then it goes rapidly downhill with some ultra corny scenes and finally concludes with a blast of nothingness! The special effects are okay sometimes and should serve as a reminder that skimping on costs for CGI can do more harm than good.

The primary cast were, and still are, great actors but their efforts couldn't make up for the rest of the cast, I don't want to use the word mediocre for some of them because that would be too generous. Although, in any actors defense comes the inevitable script and direction, so who knows if they were really that bad or were just forced to be that bad.

Synopsis: Having watched it all the way through I have to state that I am not sorry that I stuck with it, there was enough entertainment in it to warrant giving it a full view. There are some punchy lines and for the most part it is watchable.

Vienna Blood (2019– )

Absolutely riveting!

[10/10 · 5 March 2022]

I happened upon this period crime drama completely by accident and I find myself wanting more, so if the makers read any of these reviews; please keep this one 'rolling'.

The acting is undeniably some of the very best I have seen in many years and the harmony of the characters makes this an absorbing and entertaining watch. The sets, lighting, story line and interactions make you feel as though they had digital cameras in Edwardian times.

On the downside, I do feel as though there is some script struggles as they try to add caveats and twists into the primary characters personal lives but it doesn't detract from the overall pleasure found in these stories as a whole. Given that there are numerous similar stories, Sherlock of course being a modernized twist on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, Ripper Street in a similar age and the less 'realistic representations' such as Murdoch Mysteries. This achieves the aims of some level of realism as well as an engaging story line. The inclusion of a Freudian element provides a welcomed digression from the 'norm' and overall achieves the needed sensibility of the connection.

So; as I mentioned earlier; I look forward to and hope to see new episodes or even a movie! :-) [don't change the actors!]

Synopsis: great story, great sets, excellent acting with credible science. Watch this and Ripper Street when you want those things, Sherlock when you want some 'modern spin' and Murdoch when you just want to 'relax in front of the TV'..

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

Glad I saw this on a Delta flight

[1/10 · 5 March 2022]

The best thing about this movie was that I didn't have to buy a theater ticket to watch it! If I had, I'd probably try and give it a negative value review.

I guess you have to be a fan to enjoy a movie like this, and that I am assuredly not, and given this example I suspect never will be. Many times I have wondered what made me watch this, it was a ten hour flight so I was running out of movies worth watching so it may well have been a 'last resort' that inspired me.

In my defense I did watch the whole movie, albeit an edited for Delta version, mainly because I was always hoping for that; "this is going to get better" moment which, alas not only; never arrived but ultimately led to the worst case of; "it can get worse"..

The acting wasn't all bad, it wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination, and the CGI was pretty good, but like the most recent Spiderman movie the CGI and mediocre acting cannot make up for what is fundamentally a boring, more often predictable and pointless movie. On a long flight you know a movie isn't doing it for you when you find yourself craning to see what other passengers are watching, I did that a lot, but I did stick with it because everyone else was watching stuff I'd already seen or playing the pointless games you find on aircraft entertainment systems.

Synopsis: relieved I watched it on a flight and didn't pay for movie tickets as well as hoping to forget that I ever watched it, sums it up!

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Sorry, more excuses to make a movie than a movie worth watching!

[3/10 · 5 March 2022]

Apologies to all you folks out there that seem hell bent on making this sound like a great movie, but seriously; it was really a mediocre movie!

It lacked so much, took vast circles, then some ludicrous twists that it leaves you wondering whether this was story that was written, or simply made up as they went along. Don't get me wrong, the CGI was amazing, as is the case for these types of movies but, did it make up for the cringe fest that it rapidly became.

I like Tom Holland, he is a good actor, no doubt, the 'Benedicts' are awesome actors, but no amount of brilliance can substitute for a diabolically stupid plot.

Synopsis: it was Daddy Daughter night out and my daughter really wanted to watch this movie, so it was 100% worth the watch, just to see how much she enjoyed it, but as an older viewer I was expecting some modicum of entertainment but soon found myself wondering what the heck was going on! It just felt like a 'movie made for the sake of making a movie' and I since heard that they had to make this movie to retain the rights, if that is true, then it kind of reinforces my opinion of it.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

There was probably few ways this could go but..

[5/10 · 9 January 2022]

Given the almost infinite ways this movie could have played out, they did a reasonable job of the multiple ones they chose to follow!

My only real criticism is that they did use multiple yet managed to really ignore a continuation based plot!

The special effects are good but sadly, really 'run-of-the-mill' by today's standards, the acting was probably the best of the entire series although the agent Smith was too different whereas the fight scenes were almost identical - something really new might have been a nice touch!

Worth watching with low expectations so you are less likely to be disappointed!

Synopsis: best acting of the entire series makes it worth a watch, complex and tangential story lines lose something but doesn't demolish the viewing enjoyment enough to suggest it isn't worth nearly two and a half hours of your time!

Space Milkshake (2012)

Surprize! A great budget movie

[8/10 · 6 September 2021]

Frankly I have no idea how I missed this one! I only just watched this and it's nearly ten years old! Oh my!

Great 'chill out' and take it "as is" fun! Good acting and so happy to hear the voice of George Takei as the 'bad guy'! I have been a Trekkie for ever and so hearing George just killing it in this was one step short of wonderful!

Not wanting to give George Takei all of the credit, this whole thing was exceptionally well acted and entertaining. The sets, special effects and frills reflected the budget but it really didn't matter, they made it superfluous to the movie! Although, since they went to the trouble of generating some displays such as the decaying orbit one, they could at least have done more than simply 'rewind' the first one! (hence the 8!).

Definitely would recommend this as long as folks know it was a movie-on-a-budget so be ready for that, watch it for the story and the acting, you really don't need anything else and frankly it actually makes it more fun to watch!

Coma (I) (2019)

Great movie but!

[8/10 · 27 March 2021]

Combine The Matrix with Oblivion and Dark City and.. The list could be almost endless! And that is the but!

It isn't so much based on all of the above but shares characteristics of all of them and as I mentioned many many more. But that doesn't make it bad, it actually allows the watcher get the gist of some of the scenes by merely relating them to stuff you probably saw before. The effort taken to explain some of what you see is a 'nice touch' although it is often unnecessary because of the similarities.

Overall it is a well made movie that certainly doesn't appear a low budget, first movie. It is extremely well made if you are into cutting edge CGI which, is frankly some of the best I have ever seen. The acting is sound and although to many non Russian viewers are 'unknowns', they are (for the most part) very believable, although the required 'bad guy' in my opinion seemed to be something of a 'cardboard cut-out' at times!

Synopsis: Some of the best CGI out there, strange yet familiar story and broad content, well made, well acted and definitely worth a watch. I wish I spoke Russian as I am sure that some of the 'dubbing' lost the 'edge'!

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Oh my!

[1/10 · 13 March 2021]

This is a movie that leaves you feeling regrets as no other; regrets that you paid something to watch it. Regrets that you may have endured the risk of catching Covid to brave a movie theater. Regrets that you will never get that time back. And finally regrets that you ever saw it and cannot un-see it.

I harped on to folks that the DC series were as good as the Marvel series, and now, I am shamed amongst those to whom I spoke those words.

Synopsis: a great kids movie with some really stupid, often bad scenes that simply do not make sense if you are over early teens! And, aren't even entertaining.

Personal comment: please, please, please: never make another movie - and I mean everyone responsible for writing, directing and producing this cringe fest!

Save Yourselves! (2020)

Great concept, disappointing delivery, awful end!

[4/10 · 8 October 2020]

It looked like a good concept, it had all the makings of a great story, it even 'flowed' for a bit. The acting wasn't terrible and the 'marginal' humor was actually kind of funny! But, it falls apart so quickly it's devastating!

As I mentioned before it had the makings of a great movie but the personal interactions were almost cardboard, I can't thin of a better way to describe them!

And, because there is really so little to say about this movie, the ending is a total and utter let down!

Synopsis: don't watch this unless you want to see how a good story can be destroyed in so many ways it become depressing. Note: I did, not by choice, watch this entire movie, I really hoped that it would get better and it didn't.

I gave it four stars because it could have been great and the overall acting wasn't terrible.

I Am Number Four (2011)

Great watch during lock down!

[8/10 · 30 August 2020]

I cannot believe that I missed this movie!

This is a well written, well directed, well acted and well made movie. I am more disappointed that I managed to miss this movie, but thanks to the lock down, I have a growing list and this was on it.

The sad part is that because this movie was made some time ago, it meant that there may be a follow on that I could watch in quick succession, but, it appears that the production house has not and probably never will. That is great disappointment for me.

There is literally nothing bad to say about this movie other than it tries to follow the original stories and loses the plot from time to time. But, the story and action is immersive enough that it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of it.

Synopsis: great action/fantasy movie that centers around teens, but doesn't get harmed in the process. Frankly a better story than anything Marvel or DC have on their books right now and sadly probably the one and only. Nothing too horrific to scare your kids but probably too much for pre-teens!

Dead Dicks (2019)

Great concept, terrible and I mean terrible delivery (no pun intended)..

[3/10 · 25 August 2020]

What did I just watch??

There are some great bits but they are overshadowed by the 'not so great' bits and there are a lot more of them.

The acting is, well, okay. But the script doesn't help, there are times when you wonder if the writers thought; "oh, that pause was way too long, let's fill it with something, literally, anything"!

The fact that it all takes place in a room or two, occasionally the stairwell and at one point they almost get outside, but that is a fleeting instant so it doesn't really count, is a tribute to the actors. They keep the scenes rolling one way or another and it works.

This was 'over sold' and that harmed it. They would have been better stating this is an indie movie that explores a weird concept and circumstance. It would have got better reviews from real people if it had been promoted as it was, rather than the inferences that it was Cronenberg'esq'!

Synopsis: not a great movie, mediocre and reasonably well acted. The story is 'interesting' but not enough to justify some of the reviews. I believe giving three stars may have been a little generous but I don't feel like I wasted 90 minutes of my life, I just wish I'd have done something more productive such as wash the car!

The Postcard Killings (2020)

Not sure why so many people are saying bad things about this movie??

[9/10 · 12 July 2020]

This is a well acted and well directed movie. The story, while deviating from the book, is still excellent and the locations/scenes are perfect.

I'm not a fan of crime drama movies but this is one that I decided to watch and I'm glad I did, I'm only sorry that my expectations were set low because I stupidly read the reviews (here on imdb) before watching it.

It is well acted and I have to say that Jeffrey Dean Morgan excelled as far I can see. The support acting was equally as good and Joachim Król was superb as the German detective (could have been Inspector Frost's German brother!).

Synopsis: well acted, good story although deviates from the book but that doesn't detract from the overall experience.

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

What a great and weird movie!

[9/10 · 29 March 2020]

I had no idea what I was getting into with this! I'm glad I didn't, I probably wouldn't have even given it a chance but I am so glad that I did. It is a wonderful and strangely 'out there' but worthy of a watch movie.

The 'background story' (in quotations because it is odd at the very least), makes this a stranger than strange, while fun romp. Yes, it is cheesy at times, yes, it is a little 'out there' but it encapsulates all of the facets that make weird movies great.

The set designers were probably less than over worked, the lighting folks did enough (although to their credit there are some pretty impressive moments!). The music is, which it ought to be, pretty darned good and the acting.. Bruce Campbell is spectacular! Ossie is as great as ever and even Ella Joyce carries the role to perfection.

Synopsis: if you like really strange, out there weirdness and a good farce then watch this and enjoy. If you watch this with high expectations; you will not be surprised to be less than impressed!

Lost in Space (2018–2021)

Oh my, did they just...

[5/10 · 21 March 2020]

A great movie and TV series remade with something from each but, alas badly!

Drone, drone drone.. A seriously tedious; "we're going to make this take 10 episodes come what may.." effort. That has some pretty spectacular SFX but has so many flaws they almost cancel the good bits out.

The acting isn't bad, but it really isn't top notch. Probably due to scripts that seem to make use of almost every single line ever used in any Sci-Fi ever! The cloned components are 'in your face' so badly that you wonder why one young girl character wasn't also called Newt in this show!

I gave it five stars because it is okay, mediocre and very rarely entertaining.

Synopsis: borderline bore fest but okay if you didn't renew your Netflix account just for this then watchable.

Avenue 5 (2020– )

Hugh - always brilliant!

[8/10 · 29 February 2020]

Not perfect, too many side stories going on, but, still great.

As space comedy goes, it isn't a Red Dwarf but given the limitations it is still great.

The only thing that 'grinds my gears' is the constant camera movement which is supposed to give the 'fly on the wall' sort of 'happening live' feel and actually only achieves the inevitable questions; did someone film this with an iPhone? Or; did the high school arts class get volunteered to film this? effect.

Overall I believe that the story is funny, although I keep expecting to see Ruby Rhod appear and complete the; "we got the idea from this" probability!

Synopsis: not brilliant but good enough to border great. Hugh Laurie is, as ever, solid and thankfully back to his origins; making people laugh.

Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Should be called Star Trek: Memento

[1/10 · 22 February 2020]

I believe this is a classic case of; we had to go back in time to fill the hole we just created in the story. We had to go back in time to fill the hole we just created in the story. We had to go back... repeat an almost infinite number of times.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Watched 3 times, doesn't get any better!

[2/10 · 22 February 2020]

This is a sad sad moment in the Alien stories because it spells the ultimate end of them. Why? because this is a Ridley Scott movie and it is flawed in so many ways that no self respecting movie studio is going to want to take a chance on anything that follows.

Prometheus was okay, it filled in a few blanks, had a reasonable story, presented some reasonable acting and contained the horror that Alien represents. Beyond that it was mediocre at best, but this is almost laughable on all of those points.

Although the story could have been good the constant need to do the same things again and again, made this a predictable and 'made for TV' style presentation. It also attempts to sew the seeds of the next one in too many ways at too many points along the way.

I have been a great fan of the majority of the Alien movies, immortal moments such as 'game over man, game over' have become a facet of almost everyday life, but this falls so far short of that I literally watched it three times to see if I could enjoy some of it at some point, and, I didn't.

Synopsis: sadly this is likely to inspire the end of the Alien franchise, but the saddest part of that is that it will end on a bad note with a bad movie.

Line of Duty (2019)

Why?

[1/10 · 7 January 2020]

Aaron Eckhart is a great actor, so why? Was it the money?

All I can say is that Die Hard was a great movie, this is an attempt to try something like it, and, it fails again and again and again. What a pity that Aaron Eckhart added his name to this totally 'over done', 'over acted'. 'cringefest of a movie'.. was this a high school project and one of the kids Mothers or Fathers knows Aaron Eckhart? By the way, if that is the case, then it's brilliant!

From start to finish it's just plain bad, worst than bad, it is dreadful.. Hanging in there to see if it gets better is a tactic I applied to this movie; didn't.

Synopsis: 90 minutes you WILL NEVER get back.

The Nightingale (I) (2018)

Good extrusion on what could have been a shorter movie

[7/10 · 7 January 2020]

Could have been 30 minutes shorter.

Synopsis: acting was good, scenes+props were good, story is okay (not original but context helps), music is frequently good. Nothing to write home about but worth a watch.

Crown Vic (2019)

An utterly brilliant study.

[9/10 · 5 January 2020]

Hopefully this is not based on anybodies reality although anything is possible these days!

The camera work, the action scenes and the acting make this a great movie. Training Day step aside, this adds a level of reality to the concept that not only delivers a punch to the guts but then drags you along by your hair for a bit before finally slapping you across the face and says 'wake up'.

Synopsis; tremendous acting along with the; if you had a bad day it might look like this, make this a gem of a movie.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Tom Hanks is a master but..

[3/10 · 29 December 2019]

If you didn't grow up with the Mr Roger's show about you (which I didn't) then chances are this is going to seem somewhat boring, even tedious at times. I guess you need that history to get it.

That said, Tom Hanks does what he does best, creates a perfect image of he who he is portraying. The problem is that this isn't a movie about Mr Roger's, it's about the Esquire 'interview' and the reporter who produced it. That doesn't help if you a) have no idea just how important Mr Roger's was in so many young peoples lives, and b) you had no idea that a reporter had a change of life because of interactions with Mr Roger's (or don't care), I guess that reinforces the statements that many people have made about how Mr Roger's influenced their upbringing.

So, with no 'background' I watched this movie because it had received so many sterling reviews, that however, successfully marred the entire experience for me because it was plain and simply boring and doesn't live up to the reviews!

Synopsis: If you remember Mr Roger's from your childhood you'll probably like this movie, if you didn't, I would recommend giving it a miss unless you like melodrama's based around dysfunctional families.

I Am Mother (2019)

A Cinematic Masterpiece - and a Great Story

[9/10 · 29 December 2019]

Firstly let me thank daniel-33683 who's review, while frustrating me a little bit because I missed one of the details, was an incredibly good review in respect of enlightenment for anyone that thinks this movie was 'strange' or bad.

As for the movie, not only is it a wonderful piece of cinema, both from a technical perspective but also from an acting, lighting, set and sound it literally sets many other sci-fi movies to shame. The CGI is good for the most part, there are a couple of scenes where you wonder if they didn't take it as seriously as they should have or 'rushed it'!

The story, of course, is the heart of all movies. The big issue with this one is that it is deep and you have to be on your guard at all times because the pieces (as daniel-33683 points out) are all there, you just need to see them. The concept is pretty darned clever, although the 'holes' that are present really do not need plugging, if anything they add to the overall mystique.

Clara Rugaard creates an exceptionally believable character and Hilary Swank just does as good a job as always.

Synopsis: A good movie as long as you watch closely and enjoy paying attention to detail. The acting is perfect and the story is worthy. Definitely not recommended for someone wanting a Star Wars, Star Trek or even Aliens type of sci-fi.