Imdboost Reviews

The Out-Laws (2023)

Crazy Cast Keeps me Cackling

[9 July 2023]

So glad I didn't read the negative reviews till now...when I already watched and laughed throughout this movie. Yes it's occasionally "vulgar" lots of action lots of real laughs and totally ridiculous. Ellen Barkin works her role as bad mama (as usual) and Brosnan is the consummate wicked father-in-law. So many of these "comedies" are a letdown with all the best laughs in the trailer.

The Out-Laws surprised me with an adventure that unfolds beyond the trailer and quite a few really hilarious moments. So if you are looking for a comedy with a great cast, a decent budget for action and effects and you need to unwind, I recommend it.

Deadloch (2023– )

Yes it's a comedy: so smile

[8 July 2023]

Yes Amateur Reviewers this is a sort-of comedy. Yes there is a lot of extreme "language". Apparently this is disturbing to some of you. However there is not an excess of gun battles, exploding brain-matter or other damaging explosions. It is a little different from the police or detective dramas made in the west. Did any of those disturb us?

I found myself looking forward to each next episode as it was originally released a week at a time. It maybe better watched this way rather than binge-watched. Some sly satire about life in a small town, about attitudes towards an engaging contingent of indigenous characters and some other engaging characters including the lead PC and her veterinarian wife. The foul mouthed visiting detective is also a delight for viewers who understand not to take this too seriously.

FUBAR (2023– )

Couldn't Continue

[11 June 2023]

I thought this might be fun and it appeared popular. I could have continued to watch an aged Arnold in a silly and preposterous series of antics. If not too plausible it might have been an "action comedy". But then it stops being funny when characters are horribly tortured with power tools and/or dismembered while still alive. Why is that necessary? Who finds that entertaining? They needed to decide whether it is an action comedy or a horror film. Good story telling doesn't have to stray into this territory so graphically. It troubles me that the series is attracting so many viewers. Done with this...

Treason (2022)

Engaging Brit Spy Mini-Series

[4 January 2023]

Do you feel ready for a British spy story? Of course you do, and it doesn't disappoint and quite suitable for binge watching with only 5 episodes. Chaplin is great, those expressive eyes! MI6 story with all the usual trappings of scheming for power and a bit of blackmail (kompromat) thrown in. If you were looking for lots of gun battles including "let's get out of here" dialogue you might go elsewhere, (but we do have at least one gun battle/exchange) I would encourage Brit spy or police drama fans to take this one in......... Decent acting, suitably engaging story and I can recommend it without reserve.

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Long, mournful movie

[20 March 2022]

So many award nominations, it must be good. Right? Well it wasn't one of those films that end, and then leaves you wishing there was more. It may leave you wishing you had managed to stay alert enough that you could piece together enough clues to decipher the cryptic ending and divine what really happened.

I understand many praised the score. May be a matter of taste but I found the grating violins just that...grating. The soundtrack is disturbing enough that I won't be streaming it any time soon.

Clickbait (2021)

Storytelling

[13 February 2022]

If you like good storytelling this miniseries is a good bet. Several layers peel back to reveal answers then eventually a solution. Intricate connections... but creative.

Truth Be Told (2019–2023)

I must be truthful about Truth Be Told

[28 August 2021]

Watched season one. Some things didn't make sense but I persevered. Now at episode 2 season 2 and "truthfully" this is not the right show to be releasing one week at a time. You need some action, some emotion, a cliff-hanger. I can easily wait a week (or three) to watch what comes next. I will wait in fact until I need a sleep or want to multitask. I agree with another reviewer who found even the cinematography flat, but maybe this was a minimal budget production?

Allied (2016)

War Time Thriller/Romance

[28 March 2021]

This works so much better than the trailer suggests. In fact, skip the trailer. Beautiful couple conspiring to undertake a dangerous undercover WW1 operation then falling in love. Then it gets tricky and more suspense to come. Pitt and Cottilard pull this off.

I Care a Lot (2020)

Classifies as comedy

[7 March 2021]

Many reviewers seem unaware it's a "comedy". (Although one negative reviewer says it's so bad it's laughable). In fact Pike did a great job with this role. Yes it's an absurd premise. It is also very dark humour that will appeal to connoisseurs of bleak comedy

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Slow Start, need some more music

[25 December 2020]

The first half hour was hard work. Still I stuck with it as the backup band argued about nothing for the first third of the film. Have a strong coffee before watching this movie adaption of a play, and appreciate Viola Davis talent

The Social Dilemma (2020)

Would impact be similar without the Scary Music Track?

[20 October 2020]

Social Dilemma reminds me of the propaganda docs of the 50's and 60's trying to instill fear about sex, alcohol, drugs. Including horror-movie music track. It needs more balance, more future-improvement-focus and less dwelling on past mistakes and missteps. Ironically it's showcasing only "advocates" representing one side of this dialogue so it's a manipulative doc about...manipulation. Also made worse by staged representations of AI: no, it's not 3 guys standing behind a star wars command centre. If you really want to help teenagers, teach them critical thinking.

StartUp (2016–2018)

Continue following S1 E5?

[23 September 2020]

It seems unfair to rate this following only episode 5. However I have to evaluate whether it is worth my time. 1) I know a bit About technology and about crypto and business. The creators of this show do not seem to know much about any of these. Research? 2) I know you have to create an image of how bad A character is. Gratuitous violence and undue wallowing in human suffering (of a woman) makes me question whether my time will be well spent on 25 more episodes

Tin Star (2017–2020)

Too much despair

[15 April 2020]

We found that the scenery was lovely, the concept had promise but the first season wallowed in so much despair we couldn't get motivated to continue watching

A Simple Favor (2018)

Lot of Plot

[16 February 2020]

Enough of a twisting plot, some personality from actors Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, some black humor, it adds up to real entertainment. Kendrick is at her quirky best, Lively is deliciously hateful and it's enough to keep me engaged till the very end

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Depressed Uncle

[9 February 2020]

Depressed uncle story. Quite a long movie that may leave one as depressed as the uncle. The soundtrack is tough to listen to, quite funereal. Some good acting but watching this overlong and grief-infused movie bordered on an ordeal

Homeland (2011–2020)

Complex & challenging from season 1 to 7

[7 December 2019]

I marvel at the ability of these writers! Plot complexity and great timing keep it really engaging. If you are looking for a bit more intellectual challenge than the usual TV fare, and less outright horror, mission accomplished. Layering the heroine's disorder onto intricate suspenseful plot lines, adds more interesting drama. For those who wrote harsh reviews I say: this might be a drama where they play with probable reality, but in today's world, just maybe it isn't hard to buy into the improbability of rogue characters (in 55minute chunks)