Torchwood was a spin of from Doctor Who hence the anagram and initially it was a slightly darker more adult adjunct to the Dr Who franchise. Now it seems its a vehicle for John Barrowman to express his homosexuality. No problems with his sexuality but it's like it's shoe horned in to the series for no apparent reason. The latest story Miracle Day is just boring, a trans Atlantic mix that takes the worst of UK and American culture and makes a pile of crap - so Cap Jacks gay love affairs are all deep and meaningful the hetros get caricature comedy love neither of which adds to the story. In Miracle Day the American actors knock the socks of the British actors most notably Bill Pullman who acts his way through this limp 'worthy' sci-fi epic with his eyes closed but still has more charisma than the whole British cast (and i count Barrowman as British). Torchwood has become a clichéd version of the worst of American sci-fi, revelling in a false belief that uk actors are better than American ones. Fringe for all its faults makes a better job of the same type of material and does a thin story a hundred times better.
Reviews
4 Reviews
The Green Hornet
(2011)
avoid this movie
20 August 2011
This film makes Harley Davidson and the Marlboro man look good. It is without a shadow of a doubt the worst big budget film I have ever seen. Seth Rogan has the charisma of a beer mat and why the producers wanted to raise the money for this film is a mystery. The film has no direction, no reason and no idea what it wants to be, its neither pastiche on the hero genre or an action movie - it doesn't so much fall between 2 stools as it is one big stinking stool. You cant actually write a spoiler for this movie because it doesn't have a storyline to spoil. Its best point is Cameron Diaz looking nice but if thats your thing then go online and find a picture her in a swim suit because that will be more satisfying than watching the movie. They say an infinite number of monkeys given infinite time could write the works of Shakespeare but they couldn't write a review that reflects how bad this movie is.
Fringe
(2008–2013)
on the fringe of good.
11 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
well its not the x-files another series that went on too long for its own good. i can understand the need to keep going with a series but it works best when each episode stands in its own right and less well when it becomes a soap making new viewers give up after one or two episodes because there's so much back story they will have missed ( a problem with many American series, they have a great start but never have an end, usually getting cancelled before anything is resolved). i like most of the actors in this but anna torv is dire, i have no sympathy or empathy with her character - as someone mentioned in another review she does appear to have one expression that of a sufferer of extreme constipation and that applies to her as olivia1 or olivia2, tho olivia2 must win an award for most crappy wig ever worn not as a joke in a TV series. i think the rest of the cast do a great job. josh jackson is pretty good as peter, lance reddick is always good value but jasika nicole is sadly underused but does get some great scenes and lines with walter(john noble), in fact i think she would have made a much better olivia, maybe she just couldn't do torv's constipated face. noble's walter bishop character(proper walter not walternate) was endearing to start but by series 3 i was finding his off the wall quirkyness just annoying and repetitive and increasingly 'hammy' but the guy can act and is by far the most convincing in the dual roles. so roll on series 4 but please guys make it the last and do resolve the the story not leave it hanging in the hope of a 5th series.
XIII: The Series
(2011–2012)
poor 3 out of 13
11 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
sorry this series is just not worth the effort. fight scenes that make a jean claude van damme film look realistic. terrible scripts and even worse actors. i,m sure the producers thought it was a great idea but hey heres a thought get actors that don't make a log seem like an Oscar contender, don't stretch a clichéd idea already done to death about a CIA/dark ops guy seeking 'the truth'. its been done before and much better than this half assed effort. just having a conspiracy idea doesn't make an interesting series. i lost the will to live by episode 3 but i tried to make it to the end, giving up by episode 10 by which time i was seeing suicide as a less painful alternative. you know its bad when there isn't one memorable scene or one good quote you can use in a conversation with your mates in the bar.
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