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Reviews
Wolf (2023)
Boring uninteresting and slow
Unimaginative two-dimensional lead characters and a severely drawn out plot with an unbelievable supposed twist at the end that felt like nonsense. BBC3 at its best. Should have been over and done with quickly. Six hours was far too long.
A poor horror, not really comedy, not a chilling psychological thriller, just a wierd mix of bad story writing. Best thing about it was the sunshine. And the worst, was the choppy changing scenes between characters, some of which added nothing towards the plot. When a series starts with a boring flashback, you know it is amateur in its setup.
All nonsense for nothing. Just glad the dog survived, because I nearly didn't.
The Mother (2023)
Motherly love
An overly masculinized, emotionally bereft action-woman goes all out to protect her kidnapped child she was not allowed to keep and who looks nothing like her because it is her duty. Some of the action is good and J-lo plays the tough-minded former assassin role well, which is not hard. But the film is long and boring, confusing gender stereotypes without authenticity and full of cliches. The only character who actually grows is her daughter, who struggles to be like her, realises why her mother had to give her up whilst still 'loving' her from afar and that she must go back to her foster parents whom she loves and feels safe with. If there was a feminist agenda behind this movie, it was confusing.
Elvis (2022)
Heavily caricatured and too choppy
Elvis wiggles and the ladies immediately start falling over themselves to rip him to pieces. This film ramps up the ridiculous probably too much to be likeable. Tom Hanks plays Colonel Parker in a pervy way, typical of Luhrman's direction, with an odd supposedly Dutch-American accent. Elvis looks good, but plays too much into stylised modelled poses that he loses any naturalness. It chronicles events in Elvis' life but doesn't give you any insight into who he really was. Echoes of Moulin Rouge saturate the film without the magic, meaning it doesn't feel unique any longer. If I were a massive Elvis fan, I am not sure what I would think of it.
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
Repetition of the same with limited new ideas
The original is a classic that many of us hold dear and we looked forward to watching the new sequel, with low expectations that it might not be worthwhile. However, we were surprised and enjoyed it. If anything, it's just a fun and light hearted rehash of the same iconic scenes without adding much new. It doesn't throw wokeness all over your face either: the diversity of new characters just feels natural. The characterizations of the sisters is not as good. SJP is the weakest but BM is fabulous again. The script is not as funny, although there are some moments. It is fun and worth watching, but we felt it missed the opportunity to bring newer or better ideas.
The Batman (2022)
Not another Batman film?
So every 10 years another one comes along, making it quite hard to reinvent. Unfortunately, this version plods along too slowly, taking too long, with a dark brooding aesthetic that is just soporific. The action and fighting is limited. There is no real batcave imagined and Batman's gadgets are not outstanding, especially the car that makes an appearance that felt unneeded at that time. The plot could have been smarter, as could the Riddler's riddles, with loose connections that were unbelievable. The cast is surprisingly mixed of good US and UK actors, but none of the characters move out of being quite one dimensional. Pattinson is reasonably good as Batman but quite flat as Bruce Wayne. The cinematography tries too hard to create visually iconic scenes, like the flare rescue at the end, which actually add nothing to save this dreary version. I was disappointed and felt they actually could have tried harder with it.
Druk (2020)
The hypothesis that alcohol improves your life
The film sets out to illustrate the impact on human behaviour alcohol has in our lives, good and bad, under the hypothesis that maintaining a low level of alcohol in our bloodstream actually improves how we feel and behave positively. Whilst this may be true, the challenge is in the maintenance. Alcohol can lift you out of middle age depression, mediocrity and boredom, by stimulating creative thinking and feeling. However, with it, comes addiction, destruction and annihilation. Each character suffers in a different way because control is unmanageable. This is not an anti-alcohol film but a study in the realistic virtue of alcohol treating depression.
Eternals (2021)
Eternally ok
Not the best Marvel venture. Some odd casting and an annoying mix of accents - especially American accents 5000 BC - Scottish, Irish, Mexican, and Angelina who barely said anything intelligent. They all turn against one another because the world is about to end and break all allegiances at the stroke of a hat. The comedy is a bit stupid at times and not well set up. It went on too long without feeling like it had a purpose and finished with Harry Styles being introduced to the nonsense. Shame they didn't follow the comic more closely.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
An oustanding masterpiece
The Power of the Dog is a mesmerising masterpiece that left me stunned afterwards. From Peter's final wry smile to Phil's open wound, Campion shows you subtle details that only later do you realise are important. The complexity of the characters is the real heart of this film, each hiding an aspect of themselves sometimes in plain sight: Peter's unexpected psychopathic nature; Rose's unhappiness and alcoholism; Phil's sexuality deep within toxic masculinity; and George's general inadequacy. The animal cruelty seems harsh but plays into the brutality and tone of the film. Each scene is well crafted with tense music and imagery. I would recommend you watch it again afterwards to see more of the layers and with the new perspective you will have gained.
The Good Liar (2019)
Too implausible to actually be good
If you like thrillers that are totally stupid and ridiculous in a bad way then this is a great movie. However, I thought it was naff. The movie has a playful feel making it feel light at the beginning but odd at the end. The twists and supposed turns left me questioning why to each step that just made it too unbelievable. It essentially set up the characters as 2 dimensional only and you didn't know the real them. Then you don't feel any emotion towards them at the end as things are clarified. I enjoyed taking the mickey out of it all the way through because of its stupidity.
Bridgerton (2020)
Awful
Really disappointing. No real story. Beautiful aesthetic but terribly superficial characters.
It's a Sin (2021)
An amalgamation of other AIDS dramas
RTD'S new gay drama is bright and bold but tries too hard to emulate other HIV-related dramas without enough depth into the characters. The emergence of the early AIDS pandemic is set against the coming (out) of age of a group of young adults in 80s London, when it's actually filmed in Manchester! But that aside, the group come together much like they do in Pose, similarly later getting an HIV test together. The scientific lack of knowledge recreates the public anxiety developing whilst some characters deny its' looming presence, believing they are unsusceptible to it. One character succumbs early to the disease, adding an incongruous twist. The Margaret Thatcher bashing happens in true RTD fashion, before a typical celebratory running scene with joyous music, which left me feeling unnecessarily revolted. The group then march with much the same feel as in Pride. The parents are stereotypical in their attitudes towards their gay son late in the series and only then is the predominant sentiment revealed - shame - but to limited effect. The series offers no hope, despite many people with HIV surviving to today. The cast are good, the sex is graphic but no longer shocking, it critiques the discrimination of the time and has an awesome soundtrack. Unfortunately, it paints the view that all gay men are promiscuous and lacks the emotional tragic rawness of other dramas like The Lonely Heart or Angels in America.