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margotjerry
Reviews
The Big Bang Theory: The Locomotive Manipulation (2014)
Let's all have a laugh at the guys with learning difficulties!
Much as I love The Bing Bang Theory, I find this episode hard to watch. That's because of the way Howard, Bernadette, Amy and a waiter all sneer at Sheldon's new friend Eric. He is another train enthusiast who has suffered a brain injury. So it doesn't seem right for them to be unkind to him, especially given that Sheldon clearly enjoys Eric's company. I was hoping that one of Eric's family, who whom he had been accidentally separated, would find him and thank the gang for befriending him. That would have been heart-warming ending. Instead, Eric was just used as another way of making Sheldon took strange. Let's all have a laugh at the guys with learning difficulties!
Big Boys (2022)
Queer chosen family again
I enjoyed this so much that I binged both series within two days. My favourite character was Katy Wix's Jules, and I loved the way she popped up at the most inopportune moments. Much to the annoyance of Tom (Robert Gilbert), another of my favourites.
My score was dragged down by three elements. First the idea of a queer chosen family has already been done to death, in Queer As Folk and It's A Sin. So it was tiresome to hear not only Jack but also Yemi hammering home that point. We got it in the 2000s. Second, why was gay sex always portrayed without any affection? People are slammed up against cubicle walls, forced into cupboards or fisted in the dark. I know that happens but it would have been nice to see just one scene of tenderness between two lovers. Finally, was it necessary for almost everyone to swear so much? It wasn't funny.
Muscle (2019)
I was rooting for Simon
I did find the film gripping from start to finish. I'm someone who has spent a lot of time in Newcastle, and am old enough to have been to a gym like Atlantis. I was rooting for Simon despite his awful decisions, while also hoping that he and Terry might ultimately get it together, given their mutual admiration of muscle. In the last 15 minutes, I thought perhaps Simon was going to outwit everyone with something he had learned in his call centre days. None of that happened, but we did see that Terry had left a footprint in Simon. Not much else fell into place, but I'm still savouring the film after 24 hours. Incidentally, the extras on the DVD are super.
The Brokenwood Mysteries: Motorcycle Mamas (2023)
Didn't feel like a finale ...
... with such an abrupt ending. There's usually a nice set-piece with a little heartwarming humour. Mike's heart-to-heart with Kristen and / or the return of Gina's pendant belonged at the end, not on the middle. The mystery was absorbing and twisting and funny as usual. I didn't guess the killer. I thought it was the bike repair man Andy we saw recovering the motorcycle.
Talking of which, there's someone in the Brokenwood casting department with a penchant for good-looking beardie lads. There's usually one on the go in every show. This time we had three. The aforementioned biker daddy Greg Smith, the victim Gavin (James Wells) and his angry brother Jason (Callum Gittins). I hope at least one of them pop up again in Season 10.
The Brokenwood Mysteries: Brokenwood: The Musical (2023)
Fun, then heart rending
The musical plot was immense fun and I for one (and I may be the only one) would love to see the full versions of those songs. If anything there were perhaps too many familiar characters, because it quickly became clear that the murderer would the one newbie. That didn't stop me from enjoying Ralph's ham, Frodo's dancing and Missy's feistiness. I was rooting for Vicky and Timothy throughout, so the last 10 minutes were heart-breaking. Even more so as Mike had brought the ensemble together for the big reveal. Kristin wasn't the only one with a tear in her eye after the final song. Usually in Brokenwood we don't feel much sympathy for the perpetrator. That wasn't the case in this episode and I hope that they, like Ralph and Trudy, will be back in a future season.
Now, where can I get a recording of Brokenwood The Musical?
In from the Side (2022)
A great watch, but too many beards
I thoroughly enjoyed this film, it held my attention for the entire 134 minutes. It looked expensive, I cared about the characters, and appreciated the festive element having watched it on December 30. The sex scenes, particularly in Cardiff, were convincing and erotic.
That said, having invested so much in the relationship between Mark and Warren, I would have preferred a more satisfactory ending.
Instead, I was frustrated and confused by the fate of both leading men. Mark rediscovered his love for sport but was left single. Warren couldn't have been happy with John, otherwise he wouldn't have told Mark he would have ended things in that final scene when the Stags beat Rochester. Why were they both there anyway? It didn't ring true that he and John would cheer on Mark's team after the affair was exposed. Why would John be pleased when Mark scored a try?
It wasn't explained why Warren didn't defend Mark when John hit him. Mark's own relationship with Richard was also hard to understand. Like with Warren/John, we barely saw a moment of attraction between the two, in comparison with loads of love and affection between Mark/Warren. In London, Cardiff and Switzerland. Talking of which, why didn't Mark's parents react when they saw their son with someone other than his partner of four years? A little more dot-joining would have gone a long way,
The message of the film seemed to be that for an all-gay sports team, sex is as important as sport. Sure enough, we saw an entirely new guy eyeing up Mark as the film closed. Why were there so many lads with beards? It was hard to tell who was who.
BoyTown (2006)
Super pendulum
I waited a long time to watch this film. I did sit though it in one go without losing interest, but it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I had hoped. Here in the UK I've have been hearing Molloy, Robbins & co on streamed radio for years. They are grossly funny, but this film didn't match up to that level. The funniest part was Molloy's real-life banter with his young 'double' in the extras. And what a waste of Tony Martin. On the other hand, the songs were clever and memorable, Sally Phillips is always super, and I was impressed with Mick's penduluming.
The Man with the Answers (2021)
Couldn't enjoy it
Oh dear, I couldn't enjoy this film because I didn't like either of the lead characters. One was a shoplifter and the other an unlicensed driver who littered. And these were the most interfering things either of them did. As I actually bought the DVD, I will give it another go at some point in the future.
Gangs of London (2020)
Five points for the homoeroticism
The opening scene was powerful, but turned out to be one of the moments which turned me off the series. We never found out why Shaun Wallace felt he had no choice but to immolate that poor boy, and we quickly learned that the victim had been telling the truth. So straight away, I could never be on the side of the main protagonist.
There was too much violence for effect and too many guns at head moments. There was not enough humour or development of characters we might like. I will say that the machete fight sequence in episode one, with chunky Lee Charles in briefs and boots, was somewhat homoerotic.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: It Had to Be You (1991)
All-time great moments of comedy
This is one of the funniest single episodes of television I've ever seen, and I've watched a lot. There wasn't a flat moment and every one of the ensemble had great lines. I must single out Vivica A. Fox in the first scene at the restaurant with her excoriating series of zingers. Karyn Parsons was also in incredible form. Alfonso Ribeiro suddenly appears midway to all but steal the show.
I laughed as hard watching on stream in 2021 as I did the first time on analogue in 1991. Possibly even harder, given that I've seen nothing so hilarious in years.
Lines I've used and used again in one form or another:
"Did you think you could sample the milk without making a down-payment on the cow?"
"I'm glad you found a time that was convenient for you to call"
"Save the charm for the girl on your arm"
"Do I make myself clear?"
"I really should write a book"
The Bay (2019)
Unconvincing but enjoyable
Overall I did enjoy the series and the final instalment was satisfying, but I did notice the same plot holes reported by others here. It was hard to feel sympathy for the victim's family who were lashing out in all directions without acknowledging what was going wrong inside their own house. Why, in an early episode did Jess's mother moan "what are you doing here" when Lisa called (err, she's your family liaison officer with possible news about your missing grandchildren). Why, if Sean's family meant so very much to him, was he off with not one but two different women in one night instead of being at home with his pregnant wife and/or stepchildren. Why was Holly so warmly welcomed back into the fold when she had abandoned her dead brother and let her family suffer, needlessly, for days on end. Why would Sam, so morally brave when it came to drug-dealing, not come clean about his fight with Dylan. I spent too much time asking these questions. I hope the next series, which is imminent, will be more watertight.