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Bloods (2021)
Unwatchably dire!
I realise that this is supposed to be a "comedy" and as such the characterisations and scenarios are likely only to have a passing resemblance to real life, but this is on a whole new level of awful!
I knew I wouldn't like it after about 10 seconds, given "Maleek's" attitude at a drowning arrest. I was A&E ambulance crew for 17 years and NO paramedic that I ever worked with (including the numpties) would have behaved like that at an arrest. Let's ignore the fact that a crew would have a proper Defibrillator, not the AED that was shown, and that the pads would have been left on the patient after obtaining ROSC. That whole scene was reminiscent of the ludicrous "Cardiac Massage" and "Ambulance skateboard surfing" scenes in the equally unfunny and unrealistic "Sirens".
The characters "Maleek" and "Wendy" are both paramedics, and neither of them are fresh out of training school. So it is inconceivable that Wendy would give a druggie whom they have just taken to hospital £10 - "to buy a harmonica". No ambulance crew would give a junkie money, and every crew knows that druggies spend all money they have on drugs.
I gave up after Wendy and Maleek met the two Darryls/Darrens (I can't be bothered to check if I've got their names correct) at the hospital A&E.
There is actually a lot of funny incidents and comedy in the Ambulance Service, but most of it is so dark that attempting to realistically portray it in a TV series would never get past the "professional offence takers".
The shame of it is that there are some really good actors in this abortion of a "comedy" series: Jane Horrocks, Adrian Scarborough and Lucy Punch; but they are woefully served by such absymal writing.
Braveheart (1995)
In the best tradition of Hollywood Mel Gibson plays fast and loose with history
To those who said that Mel Gibson couldn't play a Scot, some Scottish friends of mine have countered with: an alcoholic bigot - perfect casting :)
I like this film, even if Patrick McGoohan does play Edward I like a villain from a James Bond film. Think of this film as plot 7A from Western films, with an idiotic romantic sub-plot thrown in. The cinematography is good, the combat scenes give a flavour of the savagery of medieval fighting, and most of the supporting actors give solid performances (James Cosmo, Brian Cox); but the notion that a one-step-up-from-peasant outlaw would be allowed near enough to a princess to get her pregnant is just ludicrous.
As an Englishman living in Scotland however, the most depressing thing about this film is that a significant minority of Scots think it's a documentary!
Captain Phillips (2013)
I can't believe I waited so long to watch this
First let me say that I really like Tom Hanks as an actor. He is, I believe, one of the small band of actors whom I've never seen turn in a bad performance.
Now the film, based on true events. This film is SO much better than so many other films that have been raved about recently (I'm talking about you, Black Panther!). As others have commented there is documentary-style "shaky" hand-held camera work which - if done badly - can be bloody annoying but which works really well here. It helps to build and maintain the tension. Even if you know the story, which I was aware of but didn't know the details, the direction and camera work help to suspend disbelief and draw you in, maintaining the suspense (but is not overdone).
Tom Hanks, as always, turns in a solid performance, ably supported by the rest of the cast, especially Barkhad Abdi, whom I remember from "Eye in the Sky" (if you haven't seen this film, watch it).
There were a couple of scenes that rang so true when trying to contact officialdom: the first time the ship tries to contact the US Emergency Maritime Response number only to get no answer; and when Hanks get through to the UK Emergency Maritime response number he is told by someone sitting safely at a terminal that "they are probably just fishermen"!!?!
I looked up about the real hijacking after watching this film and found that the US government despatched 3 warships, a P3 Orion and a SEAL team to rescue ONE American citizen. One thing I found depressing about this is the knowledge that if Richard Phillips had been British the UK government would not have taken any active measures to rescue him. My government would not have used any Naval or Military forces because bleeding-heart liberal lawyers would argue that the possibility the pirates might get shot would infringe their Human Rights; and the Foreign Office would - at most - have sent the pirates a note saying "You've been very naughty, now please can we have our citizen back".
D-Day (2019)
Move along, nothing to see here!
There are truly great films, there are average films, there are bad films, there are films that are so bad they become classics (cf Plan 9 from Outer Space), and then there are films that are so bad you can't watch them all the way through (cf Black Panther).
This waste of celluloid is most definitely in the last group. I lasted for 15 minutes and I've now deleted it - it's so bad I won't give it hard drive space.
From the little I could stand to watch:-
"Acting" that is so wooden you could make garden furniture out of the performers.
Southwick House (Allied HQ) is about 5 miles north of Portsmouth. It is NOT on the coast.
An UNSHAVEN Lt. Colonel reporting to a Lt. General, AND not saluting either when reporting or on being dismissed.
Said Lt. Colonel being briefed on his objective only 24 hours before the attack! Let's ignore the fact that D-Day was originally scheduled for the 5th of June.
"Operation Overlord planned by General Eisenhower", when he was appointed Supreme Allied Commander well after planning had got under way.
A (drunk) Major refusing his assignment immediately before the attack and arguing with his Commanding Officer in front of a junior officer.
After relieving the Major, the Lt. Colonel then asks a LIEUTENANT if he was correct!
Why were the Americans "blacking up" for a daytime assault.
As someone else commented, one of the opening scenes is of American troops assaulting a beach in the Pacific.
The Allied armada consisting of NINE ships!
All the Assault troops coming out of ONE Landing Craft.
All the Germans wear Swastika armbands.
MG42's had a much higher rate of fire than shown, and crews were told to fire only short bursts to maintain accuracy.
What helmets are some of the Americans wearing - because they certainly aren't the M1 Helmet?
Three soldiers being lifted bodily into the air by one German hand grenade, but they all remain in one piece.
On D-Day (and for a long time afterwards) Americans would being wearing the 1941 Parson's jacket, not the post-WW2 jackets from an Army Surplus store that these people are wearing.
Insignia would be fully sewed on to uniforms
A medic on the beach firing a pistol. Let's ignore the fact that any pistol would be useless firing upwards to a 100ft high cliff.
I gave up at this point. This travesty is clearly just a very cheap attempt to cash in on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. Do yourself a favour and give this a very wide berth, or it's 1hour 25minutes of your life you won't get back.