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Reviews
Ancient Apocalypse (2022)
Excellent Information but Too Ego-Centric Presentation
This is an excellent series that provides plenty of evidence for a civilisation that we now know existed at least 200,000 years ago world wide. The "this is the first ..." is not helpful. The correct term is this is the earliest construction of this type discovered so far to our knowledge, which implies many dozens or hundred of similar sites dotted all over the world created by our ancestors. Instead of being "hunter-gatherers in loincloths that we can laugh at they were probably much more intelligent than their devolved and barbaric descendants, including our moronic educated "elite". The camera angle and constant close ups of his face are annoying as he is not that pretty close to, being quite old now. Also he does not let the technical contributors speak freely enough in my view.
Foundation: Creation Myths (2023)
Good Story Ruined
This does not seem to bear any relation to the book and the story is vastly inferior. The Mule is made out to be a zapping thug while in the original he is a guy that everyone obeys because they love him, which is a total character reversal. There are unnecessary sex scenes which are really horrid both the homosexual and the heterosexual ones. Too much irrelevant nudity which kind of makes me and no doubt many teenage boys heave. Whatever happened to true romantic love? It appears to have been banned from Hollywood and this makes me wonder whether I should switch to Bollywood. I used to watch the old Hindi Romances which were much more uplifting than this painful abortion. I get the feeling that the ratings and comments are being vetted and manufactured by Studio AIs. Of course our opinion does not matter - we are just plebs Ducky.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Crude and unfunny
I am always a bit shocked by the vulgarity of American humour, which is rude, vulgar and crass toilet humour. This one is one of the worst that I have seen. It is a not so veiled attempt to undermine a loving harmonious society with poisonous filth. This repeated recipe has succeeded in destroying western civilisation after centuries of hard and loving labour by our forefathers. The lead actor is really obnoxious and talentless and it would have been better if this had been a crime movie where he was murdered and his girlfriend was investigating the crime. His girlfriend was also obnoxious and completely right for him. The puppet finale was ghastly.
3 Body Problem (2024)
Disappointing and Pretentious
Being a real "scientist" I was hoping for some solid Science Fiction with a realistic story and realistic characters. When I heard people who were supposed to be scientists saying "science is broken" I thought this sounds like some political dig at the king of genetic mutations Dr F. But no they were idiots pretending to be scientists and speaking like drunken navvies in a whorehouse, which I find pretty insulting. So far a complete absence of science and no pretend scientist seems to have done their foundation course in metaphysics. The flashy CGI and crystal clear photography does not make up for confused mess of nothing.
Ticket to Paradise (2022)
A feel good film to cheer you up
This film is all about love conquering all and in these days we definitely need all that. It is set in a beautiful paradise and makes me feel nostalgic for the days when I lived in such a place with my exotic bride. So it brings back memories of the happy times together and also the difficulties that are certain to be present in mixed cultural marriages. Both couples in the film did very well and presented a very realistic response to the ordeals that they both were going through. The comedy part was also funny even if a bit cheesy at times. I had a big smile on my face for over and hour of watching the movie and that is very unusual for me. Loved it and will watch it again when I need to feel good again.
The Wheel of Time (2021)
Immediate disappointment
I was hoping for a decent thoughtful and realistic fantasy with a bit of old fashioned romance. Boy loves girl, girl loves boy, nasty monsters get in the way but they manage to get together. Instead it is a man hating and demeaning load of dog's doos from the very start. Any real magician knows that it is not male magic or female magic that is strongest. It is the love of men for women and women for men that is the strongest magic. Something modern people are not taught at film school. If you are knowledgeable about real human myths and legends that are based on long ago historical fact you would know that women are the main source of most depraved evil and malevolence in human societies. The Daikini, Kali, The Morrigan, Innana who lays waste to the countryside. Those are the facts and after seventy years on this rock it seems that is the rule.
Spy City (2020)
Good story, wonderful period cinematography, Sloppy Dressing
I watched the series in one session. After reading the reviews and watching the first episode I nearly abandoned it. First the beefs. The hero's suit was awful really out of place by 50 years. Blue synthetic suits were only worn by crass uncultured Americans in the sixties. His uniform would have been the sort of woollen baggy suits that were clearly visible in the period clips and worn by most of the cast. Seeing his suit grated every time. Then the bad boy hair would not been worn by a diplomat in his position. Spies are supposed to blend in so they live a little longer.
The next Beef was the dreadful continuity, where a roomful of people vanished and then random scenes of sex and violence. After the first dodgy two episodes we got into the story, which was excellent. The film suffered from too much explicit sex and violence but was most enjoyable in terms of seeing the Berlin of the sixties and a realistic story that could be easily transferred into the current time. The film is worth watching but has been nobbled by the distributors.
The Expanse: Gaugamela (2020)
Lets all fight until the human race is extinct - Subliminal programming
The amount of money spent on this lavish worship of hatred and slaughter could have been spent on desert reclamation and reforestation. But my fellow humans are morons who just want to program themselves to kill themselves. Very disappointed.
This is called predictive programming. It was first introduced into the media in the 1950s when the perpetrators were just trying to program idiots. Now the programmers are so programmed themselves that they have no clue about what they are doing.
Just try and find a realistic series about a group of happy content heterosexual families building a better world. You can't, such stories don't exist.
The Goth community is the only section of our society that understands the current situation The band that spells it out best is called "Suicide Commando" and you are the suicide commando who may give applause to some airhead politician who proudly boasts that they will use nuclear weapons and end humanity.
Inspector Morse (1987)
Nice series , terrible detective
It was a real treat to see the UK as it was in the eighties. The decorations and way of life that were rougher around the edges but far more enjoyable than today. The cases are interesting and clever but Morse is a real dummy of a policeman and the body count goes up when he gets involved because he doesn't catch the bad guy fast enough.
He is also an obnoxious alcoholic as well as a useless policeman. I find it hard to understand why women viewers really loved him and made him a sex symbol of those days. It sort of highlights why good steady kind guys get treated like dirt by the opposite sex and that is why the world is so messed up.
Me Before You (2016)
Not "Reach For the Sky" which is a much better movie
This evil message of Euthanasia is what you should expect from modern day Hollywood. Boomer Remover mentality wrapped in a beautifully crafted, visually enchanting movie. Remember that Lucifer was the most beautiful Angel of all.
Watch "Reach for the Sky" instead, which is a amazing true story about a real person.
Oh. I have been commanded to write more.
This film makes the stories of dead babies in fridges at Hollywood parties become more believable. Euthanasia was supposed to have been prevented by World War II destroying the Nazi's but that was never really true when there was "Operation Paperclip"
The Ipcress File (2022)
Excellent and realistic spy thriller
This was an excellent spy thriller that I watched in one sitting because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The additional plots to the original were good and made the whole story more realistic and human. The problem with this film is that it is too realistic and that probably upset a few political types and warmongers who now cheerlead for nuclear war. People back in these days were better educated and more sensible about the strategic nuclear situation. One other realistic touch was when they showed a selection of 1960s cook books, we had all four of them in our house in those days. That blew me away.
The War of the Worlds (2019)
Woke Crap
Almost immediately we are treated to a modern racist (American mindset) view of Victorian Britain. British people were rightly proud of providing "all mod cons" for the Empire which was 25% of the World but they didn't go gobbing off on racist rants like modern people do. That would have been considered rude and lacking in manners. These qualities are also missing from modern society and so modern people would not understand the moral constraints of the average person in those days.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Franchise Destruction in Full CGI
I really liked Natalie Portman's character in the first two Thor film series. That was probably because I was a scientist, who worked in general relativity theory as well. She is a really good actress when given good material and the attraction of opposites works well in the first two films as a believable story.
But in Thor: Love and Thunder she is literally turned into a cheap and nasty action doll. (Action doll franchise perhaps?) She loses her intelligence which was her attractive quality to me. She is also turned into a pathetic cancer victim. For sympathy points. So her established character is totally wrecked.
Then we come to the way the "funny" dialogue lines are delivered. It was atrocious. Chris Hemsworth delivered unfunny lines badly with no comic foil to make it funny. Tom Hiddleston's excellent acting in earlier films was very good at making Thor's lines work, but not in this film.
First the script was really awful, with no depth of character at all, very little original storyline. Most of the scenes were out of other films and TV series, like the opening "Star Trek" like scene. The dialogue was awful and the actors interactions missing or badly timed. This was the first film where I thought in the middle of the film "The directing is awful, how did this get made".
Then there were the CGI violence scenes which by now I find very boring and I found myself dozing off because they were too long and just messed up destruction with no tension built into them.
Thor is a Norse God, Zeus is a Greek God and this film disrespected both of them. In a way it is "Cultural Appropriation" in a similar way to the way that the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists did their thing. The theme was one of God killing which is maybe an unwise direction to go towards, just in case God is listening.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
A fun realistic 60s style spy film.
The humour in this film was very visual and it captured the cold war era very well. The stylish clothes and opulent old school decor were great. It was nice to see the allied countries fighting baddie Nazis again, instead of each other. It showed how personal relations within the intelligence community can overcome national bickering, which is very lifelike and a theme in John Le Carre's work. So nice to have a limited number of explosions.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: A Quality of Mercy (2022)
Too Tedious to Watch
The spaceship is the modern obligatory dark dismal background for much of the time. The stories are re-hashes of the original series. I find the abundance of deep meaningful self reflection by stiff cardboard characters intensely tedious. At least do something original.
Resident Alien: Girls' Night (2022)
Awful episode that destroyed the credibility of the show
It is a alien comedy show but treating an alien that can destroy the Earth's population at a whim with no respect at all is being too unrealistic and kills the shows credibility. Game over. In the real world the extreme woke point of view is having the same effect on the tragic Ukraine / Russia disaster. Time for peace talks and not bragging about who has the biggest bomb. If you don't know who has the biggest bomb then look it up.
Munich: The Edge of War (2021)
Irritatingly Unwatchable
My parents fought in World War II and having been immersed as a boy in the whole environment this was just difficult to watch. The people did not look right, wrong hairstyles, wrong clothes and most of all wrong mannerisms and style of language. They looked like millenials acting out a more modern politically correct version of the war with modern social issues thrown in for good measure. I just felt that it was an insult to the spirit of the generation that fought the war meaning my parents.
I Give It a Year (2013)
Dreadful Vulgar and Unfunny Film
I would give it a zero if I could. A hateful attack on heterosexuality and marriage. The characters were unrealistic and cardboard and horribly vulgar. I wouldn't give any actor that wanted to be a part of this film another part. They would be better off making dog food commercials.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
Most Enjoyable Romance I've seen in the Past Year or So
Being confined in my "lockdown" prison cell I have been watching oodles of films. I'm totally sick of psychotic Americans pointing guns at people and blowing everything up with loads of gore and suffering thrown in for good measure. I'm also fed up with slick fast talking robot barbie dolls trying to fake a romance with action man. Get it On! Ugg!
So here was a beautifully shot slow paced human drama with a happy ending. Very rare these days and just perfect. Thanks.
Captain Fantastic (2016)
Ghastly Movie written for fake people
I found this on Flickchart looking for a Romantic Comedy. Somehow this film got a high rating in the comedy drama and was in the wrong category. It's not funny just painful like getting your teeth drilled. The father is the most unlikeable person imaginable and I'm sure any woman that married him would commit suicide. Not that he cared about that. The pretentious moronic philosophical diatripe is so pathetic I can't believe that anyone would write such junk. It's much worse than the sixties Pravda soviet rants about numbers of tractors and bushels of wheat. The money spent on this should have been spent on desert reclamation and tree planting.
The 7th Dawn (1964)
Brings Back Memories
The film is very well done and the characters are very realistic human beings, each with their own quirks and personal viewpoints arising from different life paths. The range and complex interaction of the characters could not be done in the modern Hollywood era. The interplay between duty and personal relationships of all involved is true to real life and cannot be found in modern shoot em up action films. This was made in Malaya in 1964 and I was in Singapore in 1966 and so the tables and chairs in the movie were the same that I sat on every day. Something I had forgotten. It was great to see a real Kampong with banana leaf roofs again. There was one next to my house in Singapore which I walked past most days. Living there was as beautiful as is depicted in the movie and is from a traditional era that lasted thousands of years but now long gone and fondly remembered by those that lived through it. The simpler life and constant natural beauty are missing in these days of the mobile phone.
The Space Between Us (2017)
Best feel Good Movie I've seen for at Least a Year
The big twist is a happy ending, which is just not allowed or expected these days and so the sheep start bleating. I'm a scientist myself and so I picked up on the numerous "errors" that the clever dicks like to list as some sort of fake brain size point system. Have you ever read a fairy tale? Have you ever read a traditional tale or legend? I expect these days many people will say no they have not and it shows. Traditional storytelling, especially in love stories has the hero do "Six impossible things before breakfast". So this is a modern version of a fairy tale that warms the heart. Best of all there is no shooting and killing of people all over the place by psychopath "goodies" who have no real human emotions at all. This was the best feel good movie I have watched in a long time and I have been searching for them for a while as they have become a rare breed.
Another Life: Through the Valley of Shadows (2019)
Proof that Woke culture means the destruction of mankind.
What a waste of wonderful technical effects and space age sets. The crew are just a bunch of squabbling kids ,where expressing their feelings matters more than fixing the oxygen leak. They all deserve to die and if they behaved like that in a real situation they would.
There are dozens of talented people out there with good storytelling skills so why waste all the money on this bunch of clowns?
Ba mùa (1999)
A Different Way of Life
This film took me back to my childhood when I lived in Singapore in 1968. The buildings, the rickshaws and the street vendors were all a part of Singapore culture back then. Like the Lotus Blossom girl with her yolk and baskets calling out her wares most days we had an old man shuffling along down the road outside our house selling beans and calling out.
For me it is sad that this ancient culture that had remained the same for millennia has now disappeared. Strangely the old house we lived in in Singapore still remains while most of the others around it have been replaced with modern buildings.
Hurricane (2018)
Too miserable and too much Brit bashing to be rated as good.
My landlord who owned a house at the end of one of the runways at heathrow was one of these pilots. He was a nice guy who loved planes and was quite similar in temperament to my next door neighbour who was an English spitfire pilot. So I can't see the need for the Brit bashing which was the core of this film. There have been other black and white films that highlighted the contribution of the Polish pilots in a much more upbeat fashion than this one, like "Reach for The Sky". We won the war together and that should not be forgotten. So no more of this Brit bashing please from people who have no idea how the people of those days used to behave. Everyone was much more positive and chirpy back then even though they went through horrors while today everyone has it easy and are moaning and groaning about how hard done by they are as shown in the film.