TomatoesareRotten Reviews

Files of the Unexplained (2024– )

Hokey Nonsense

[1/10 · 3 April 2024]

It's a sad day when Netflux commissions garbage such as this ?! Take the first episode Pascagoula Alien Abduction... it would have been easier on my mentality had it been entitled Hick From Missouri Drinks Moonshine And Is Abducted By Aliens ! ( Forgive the pun ) but what in the earthly is this ? Nothing is explained properly , for photographs of the victims they include painted representations of the faces ? Experts thad probably couldn't tie their shoelaces without assistance . I'm seriously reconsidering my subscription, if this is what the deem interesting and/or enlightening material . Total Mickey Mouse.

Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War (2024)

Exceptional Documentary

[10/10 · 28 March 2024]

I'm old enough to remember when all documentaries were made this well . The chronological facts are masterfully done , even when it leaps back and forward through time . In fact it has to on several occasions to make a very salient point . What surprised me , was the factual gaps in my own personal recollections going back to , as early as , the Sixties . Every day is a school day , as they say. We see the folly of armed conflict and its lasting repercussions , we see people in power who should be nowhere near , man's inhumanity to man but, most importantly, why we never seem to learn from our mistakes and repeat them again and again . I was left with the over arching conclusion , that there are no "good guys" or "bad guys", we're all as bad as each other.

Argylle (2024)

Utter Dreck

[1/10 · 19 March 2024]

If Cavill believes this garbage will enable his " shoe in " to the Bond role , he's just shot himself in the foot . The budget blown on this is colossal and for no good reason ? At one point , I couldn't believe it was an Apple commissioned piece of cinema , it came across as yet another piece of pulp from the limitless nonsense that's churned out by Netflux ! Dua Lipa is nothing short of woeful and is little more than eye candy ( and animated in some sections which is baffling in itself ). Truly astonishing that Rockwell had anything to do with this , so it's obviously a money thing, because I wouldn't want this on my resume'.

The Signal (2024– )

Wanted this to give me something new

[4/10 · 18 March 2024]

But it ended up being a smorgasbord of every Sci Fi trope from the last fifty years ( at least ). Think Close Encounters , but without The Contact ( see what I did there ? ). Then we have strong hints from the plot lines of Frequency with Dennis Quade and Jim Caviezel. It started off fairly well , but quickly descended into utter nonsense by episode three and episode four. I get the message at the end, but it's as subtle as an elephant standing on your foot. It's saving grace ( and the thing that will stay with me ) is the performance of Yula Bennet , she is absolutely captivating and reminds me of the early years of Dakota Fanning. For that alone it's worth a watch.

Hypnotic (2023)

Ben Afleck

[1/10 · 24 February 2024]

This guy is an Oscar winner and based on this tripe , it could easily be one hundred years ago. I seriously thought " The Accountant " would put him back near the top , but I was wrong . Nothing about this " Movie " works at all . Stupendously dumb writing ( which obviously wasn't sounded out in a group meeting ) which makes each participant in the crime , culpable by default. What is this thing supposed to be ? It literally makes zero sense ? There are several movies out there that have tried the same premise ( I won't name them for the sake of embarrassment to this garbage ) and they pulled it off . This is troubling because seriously large amounts of money produced this rubbish ?!

Masters of the Air (2024)

Boy was I looking forward to this

[2/10 · 21 February 2024]

And then it arrived.. It's nothing more than melodramatic tosh. Think Memphis Belle ( which is still heads and tails above this ) and literally put Elvis behind the controls of a USAF bomber command aircraft pout and all. I fully expected Butler to respond to the bombardier " Uh Huh " at any minute. Long smoky close ups of him for two episodes and a few others thrown in mid flight was too much to handle. It was almost like they were trying to emulate different black and white heroes from the golden years in glorious technicolour. The whole budget was blown on the CGI and the majority of it is not very good, particularly the taxiing aircraft, you can literally see the joins. To add insult to injury, they include a whole plot line from Band of Brothers from the episode "Replacements" which is very lazy indeed. So disappointed in this as I anticipated much more in the way of character and plot. I would further anticipate that there may be some veterans and or historical societies who will be less than happy.

True Detective (2014– )

What an Unholy Mess

[2/10 · 21 February 2024]

It's done exactly what the second calamitous series did to the original premise , ruined the whole stock it had re garnered in series 3 ! One step forward two steps back ? The first two episodes set out on a fixed trajectory ( with some arbitrary and random family nonsense for good measure and NO it didn't help with character development ) but then went off ( no pun intended ) on several different paths, one of which was the utterly pointless inclusion of Christopher Eccleston and THAT side story. These deviations only contributed confusion and frustration for the viewer as the main story was, by now, being diluted to the point of insignificance ?! The last episode was some of the poorest storytelling and dialogue I've ever witnessed and it had Jodie Foster contributing her fair share of the nonsense unfolding. Breathtakingly bad, it even made Alaska look terrible and that's quite a feat.

Ambulance (2022)

What a cluster**** !

[2/10 · 8 February 2024]

Note to "Director" ; concentrate on one thing and carry it out to the letter, but no, camerawork that looked like the man behind the lens was on a bungee rope, woeful inept ( loud ) music across crass, melodramatic nonsense, car chases that would either induce nausea or a crippling migrain , lines like " love you bro' " or " you can tell me to F off " rather than the full expletive that gets used innumerable times within the script ? The writing , or the complete lack of any semblance of intelligence within the scriptwriting , was embarrassing at times . But, to cap it all off , Gyllenhal delivers an absolute stinker. One can only assume this was a contractual obligation to the production company. It's an absolute howler.

Detective Forst (2024– )

At least be original ?

[3/10 · 18 January 2024]

There should be a disclaimer at the beginning, along the lines of "We are very big fans of Jo Nesbo and you may find a few similar lines of reference ". A few ? There are parts of the plot that are almost carbon copies , particularly from The Snowman and I'm shocked that no copyright infringement has been raised in respect of this drama ? Throw in several other plot lifts from The Bridge, Wistin and Bordertown and you'll probably work it out without the use of any spoiler's whatsoever ! The lead detective and the investigative journalist put in a decent enough showing, but there are absolutely no surprises here.

Napoleon (2023)

Report Card Reads...

[5/10 · 11 January 2024]

Must do better ... Joaquin Phoenix is an actor who continually improves with each passing movie , but I'm afraid he became a little lost in this production. The battles scenes are terribly well researched , but that's about as memorable as it is ? Another movie that neglects accents for whatever effect ( much in the same way the Chernobyl series done, only much better ). On the whole Napoleon is cast as a spoilt little child , which I very much doubt the man was. Self absorbed and most definitely a megalomaniac, but the portrayal was a tad churlish. Vanessa Kirby, as the eponymous Josephine , is definitely one to watch, her stage presence is self evident. What happened to the Junot character ? He literally ends up on the cutting floor after Egypt ?

Sisu (2022)

The Tarantino References

[8/10 · 4 January 2024]

Are there for all to see . What struck me as curious was its choice of location , not many anti war movies go there at all. Rambo another reference , although the comedic tones ( thanks to the aforementioned Tarantino ) set it way apart from the underfunded Stallone movies. Kelly's Heroes deserves a shout as well , if you've seen the movie you'll get it pretty quickly. I don't recall Jorma Tommila in any of the Scandi noir stuff, but fair play to get his son involved as well. Aksell Hennie deserves a mention as well, he's more than recognisable and very good in this. All in all , it's a bit of a hoot.

Dream Scenario (2023)

Nic Cage

[9/10 · 3 January 2024]

At his manic best. I agree with others , every other year he produces an outing of this magnitude and this could well be his biggest shot at gongs since Leaving Las Vegas. He cuts a weary figure with the world with his pursuit of literary status and perceives that his peers are undermining his progress. The make up and costume are particularly impressive, right down to the bald pate. When the plot of the title starts to unravel, the horror and comedic nuances work really well, but it's not the main crux and it's very well done to shift it in an unexpected direction . I'm particularly pleased that the vaults ( regards the strikes ) have opened up and released gems like this.

Saltburn (2023)

Keoghan

[9/10 · 1 January 2024]

Smashes it out of the park again. He manages , effortlessly it appears , to master other accents and that's no mean feat when your mother tongue is Southern Ireland. The movie is almost a hybrid of The Talented Mr Ripley with a smattering of Brideshead Revisited. The bawdiness, on full display, is almost Shakespearean, it's absolutely hilarious at times. When Oliver asks for "eggs over easy" , because it's a kind of American cool thing to say and impress the hosts, the butler gives him two raw eggs ! I was laughing like a drain at that point. I don't know what it is about Keoghan, but he reminds me of a young Jack Nicholson and I have a feeling he may just turn out to earn that plaudit.

The Golden Hour (2022– )

Was going great guns

[6/10 · 20 December 2023]

Until the last ( and quite frankly ridiculous episode ). There is quite a lot of shoot outs and gory, terrorist based violence. That is where the initial investment in the main protagonists takes speed. Unfortunately, we get sidetracked on a few occasions with random characters that don't give anything to the plot. Add to that, innumerable flashbacks all covering the same scene - I think I couldn't one of the same repeat scenes at least half a dozen times. Back the ending of the series itself ; the episodes 4 and 5 were gut wrenching and extremely well done ( although the rookie/ hero cops were soon forgotten in the plot ). The last episode smacked seriously of a budget that simply ran out and the direction and script became the principal victim.

Changing Lanes (2002)

Never take...

[8/10 · 16 December 2023]

...a movie for granted. I went to see this when it first came out, primarily because of the two protagonists. It's exceptionally well done. When you see Sidney Pollack in one of the primary scenes, you know he's on board for this project. I wouldn't call the race card regards the plot, although it's subtly there, but the rich ( couldn't give a flying ) is very evident, so the class thing screams off the celluloid. Both Affleck and Jackson bring there A game to this. It's very absorbing , but now over 20 years later , its absolutely relevant and a lesson to all those who think they're better than anyone else.

Car Masters: Rust to Riches (2018– )

Formulaic Nonsense

[2/10 · 15 December 2023]

Every show ( of this genre ) always has the same template ; the owner of the business, in this series it's Mark , and the utterly pointless partner in the business Sean, the madcap wild man ( called Caveman here ), the bit of " fluff " to keep the viewers attention ( Constance ) and the varied , tattooed and bearded cohorts. With Sean in particular, he's balding and aged and obviously in denial. He couldn't sell a tractor to a farmer and I really don't get his involvement in the proceedings at all ?! He'd be better off hitting the road as a Dana Carvey impersonator. Regards the vehicles , it's really a bit of a hit and miss. It's saving grace, it doesn't dwell too much on the fabrication and paint too much and the pre rehearsed "drama" is kept to a minimum. It's worth a watch, but ultimately forgettable.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Don't revisit ..

[3/10 · 24 November 2023]

The original.

The first 20 minutes is stomach churning ; cheesy smaltz a plenty. A 60 year old, with more surgical, cologenic, facial enhancements than an old supermodel, trying it on with the young bucks ?

It parodies the original ( no surprises there ) but , why then rip off better pictures to make the return and ( to the now franchise ) plagiarise the likes of " Behind Enemy Lines " ( Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman ) and " Bat21 " ( with Danny Glover and surprise, surprise... Gene Hackman ! )

Cruise is past his best and to regurgitate this nonsense ( and it is nonsense ), is seriously indicative of a career on the slide. Umpteen millions of your own money, to keep your head relevant , is an ego that's quite frankly, pear shaped.

Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire (2021– )

Strange documentary

[5/10 · 14 November 2023]

Continually "padded out" with repeat scenes, e.g. The high end cocktail party where all the "players" would congregate. The lad that managed to escape the fire and states " it ruined my life...and I never wanted to talk about" is present throughout the series ? It seems a little disingenuous that all the identified and corrupt individuals are, in the most part, long dead and will never be brought to justice, even long after the 30 year time bar on relevant paperwork has passed ? Neville Wran ( former PM ) had been indicted, several times , throughout his tenure ( for similar types of corruption ), but none of that is covered ? This documentary felt like an exercise in lauding the investigation by the journalists, rather than the case itself. Very odd.

Bodies (2023)

New YES ....

[4/10 · 3 November 2023]

Original NO, by any stretch of the imagination. It's a hybrid version of Terminator ( Skynet ) and Bladerunner ( Tyrell Corporation ). The plaudits I would afford, are costume and set design , it's exceptionally well done , via the use of EV's in the latter day timeframes. Several of the actors I have never seen before and that made me hesitate to invest in them right until the end, but all with the exception of two complete standouts : Jacob Fortune Lloyd and Gabriel Howell, absolutely captivating, albeit with a poor script. My unending thoughts are , with a little more foresight and imagination, it might have been better than a terrible Doctor Who series.

A Million Miles Away (2023)

I've had worries..

[8/10 · 6 October 2023]

About where Michael Pena' career was heading , Sniper , World Trade Centre and Mars gave him a great platform , but the he carried out work on Fantasy Island which ( to be fair to us all ) should be permanently erased from the celluloid experience . That aside , this is both a cultural celebration of what the Latino community has done for the United States as a whole ( particularly California ) and for themselves , who have continually strived to push on and prove their worth to the global community. The culmination being a place in a space expedition !! One of my extended family ( in name ) has been in space and it fills me , equally, with pride.

Muzzle (2023)

Back in the day

[1/10 · 6 October 2023]

They called this kind of effort " under the counter " ; they couldn't rent it so they made out it was better than it was and had gullible punters paying out for something of nothing. It is utterly woeful. The editing alone is astonishing in its ineptitude. The classic hat off hat on hat off nonsense from the junior high video projects. Where on earth did Ekhart fall foul of the casting agents ? He's utterly lame and then some. To think he keeps fit to add this nonsense to his resume. IF he ever retires, he won't be telling anyone about this on his resume, like many others, he is now a parody of himself.

God Is a Bullet (2023)

Waldau

[3/10 · 22 July 2023]

He's the Danish guy right ?

But now he's " Bob Hightower " ?

When I want to watch a " picture " , I need some meat on the bones .

Nothing ( in whatever this is ) makes any sense at all ?

I could add some spoilers ( the idiotic ones at least ) , but the that would allow to escape what I've just witnessed.

Waldau has been involved in some seriously good movies : Blackhawk Down , Headhunters , Gods of Egypt and The Silencing to name but a few ?

The guy is so much better than this , but he's now chasing a paycheck ?

Some of the previous movies mentioned would keep any decent actor in fiscal heaven, but it would appear he has money problems.

Warhorse One (2023)

It's a sad day

[3/10 · 13 July 2023]

When the screenwriters and / or scriptwriters thinks it's a great idea the wring the living daylights out of Afghanistan as a source material , when they've already done the same thing to the country real time ? How many similar movies have been done on the country so far ? Recently we've had The Covenant ( which is basically an identical premise ) , then we have Kandahar and again virtually the same premise ? Were they all copying from the same crib sheet ? This effort is particularly wearisome as the protagonist involved is part of the production house and this comes across as nothing more than a vanity project.

Quarterback (2023– )

Avid Football Fan

[6/10 · 13 July 2023]

But periodically , it takes off into the " worlds " of the infuriatingly , annoying, sub cultures of their partners . They have nothing to do with the football and they are numbingly uninteresting ! That aside , it's a great insight into the trials and tribulations of ( undoubtedly ) one of THE most pressurised responsibilities in world sport . The rewards are phenomenally overpriced, as the " commodities " have already sold the sport to the highest bidder in terms of contracts , but then " double down " on sponsorship for the individuals AND the clubs in question ? Add to that , the price of a seat is staggering in the extreme .

Silo (2023– )

Very well done

[4/10 · 11 July 2023]

In the sense of the budget that's been afforded and the cast assembled, but it's basically a mish mash of previous tropes that were in classics from bygone years. Examples ; Logan's Run , 1984 , Brazil , The Platform , to name but a few. Bizarrely ( the author ) actually borrows heavily from the video game Fallout , which was out more than a decade before the books were penned ? As others have said , the first two episodes are well done to the degree that , it sucks you in to keep watching and you really wish you hadn't ? I can't really see where the second series will go , but it had better pick the pace up considerably.