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mza115
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The OA (2016)
Late to the party but WHYYYYYY??!!
Yeah I'll add another one...
WHY IS THIS CANCELLED!?!?
This show has been on my radar for years and even though I knew this show had been cancelled I eventually figured... "Lets just watch ep1".
Well it's exactly one week later I've now binged the entire two seasons... and I don't really binge TV shows.
Ep1 starts with a WTF moment which hooks you in just long enough for you to see the episode out and then they drop a bigger WTF moment.
And then you're in....
And even though I knew it was cancelled. Even though I knew this was a risky play I kept watching... It was like dating that girl that you just knew was gonna break your heart but you couldn't stop.
My fav show ever is Twin Peaks. And this could have been my second fav show ever but DAMN YOU NETFLIX!
10 stars but minus one because they didn't finish the story.
This is more of a rant than a review. Apologies but I just had to get it out of my system.
Ambulance (2022)
ABSOLUTE BAYHEM!
Casually put this film on when it came up on Amazon Prime on a chilled Sunday evening.
WELL THAT WAS THE END OF ANY IOTA OF CHILL THAT NIGHT.
I was seduced by the cast (Gyllenhaal is always watchable and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was brilliant in that TV version of Watchmen) and put it on without any research. Then the dreaded words came up... "DIRECTED BY MICHAEL BAY.
Too late.. I was in..
The opening looked like a very quick copy of the Bank heist scene in Heat which was fun although there was barely any character development so it was hard to really care about anyone except Gyllenhaal cos he's a legend.
And that was it.. 20 minutes of cool bank heist and we're in the Ambulance driving round LA to action music, action cinematography and action dialogue. Basically... ACTION!!
This car chase goes on for about 2 hours. I actually left the house at one point to pop to the shop to pick up some wine and when I returned they were still chasing each other on the freeway.
Worth a watch if this is your sort of thing. And the cast was great (please to see the girl from the Dusk till Dawn TV show and that guy from Fear the Walking Dead show up).
Also + points for Gyllenhaal's crazy eyes acting.
Bay can defo film an action scene. I just wish he would just spend more time setting characters up like he did in the Rock and the original Bad Boys.
Project Almanac (2015)
Great Idea - Zero Logic
Love a time travel / time loop movie but this one wasn't one of the best.
If you can get past the annoying teenage characters. If you can get past their questionable plot choices. If you can get past the annoying shaky cam "found footage" filming technique. If you can get past the absolutely ridiculous" time travel logic". And finally if you can past the gaping plot holes. Then there is a movie here.
Sadly all the above has been done in other films with better results.
If you want to see a better teenage shaky cam film watch Chronicle. If you want to watch a better time travel movie watch Primer.
HOWEVER... I did watch it till the end so I'll give it a 6 out of 10.
The Beast Must Die (1974)
If this was dinner... I can't wait for the cabaret.
An interesting 70's werewolf flick for fans of the genre.
The film goes with a "who dunnit" and even goes as far to pause the film to ask the viewer who they think the werewolf is 10 minutes before the end. Pointless though as it doesn't offer any clues through the films entire runtime and is merely a guessing game.
The film's runtime has to be discussed although coming in at a brisk 90 or so minutes it honestly felt like Avatar... I would suggest that there was literally 5 10 minutes of meaningful plot and just ENDLESS scene s of characters talking nonsense and people walking around the woods to a funky 70s beat. About 15 minutes in there is a 10 minute car chase scene which serves NO PURPOSE to the story. It's as if he director had one chance to make a feature film (this is his only movie - I checked) and just said f* it.. I'm gonna film all the shots that ever dreamed off whether the story requires it or not (its didn't).
There are some good performances from Cushing and Gray but what really saves the film is CALVIN LOCKHEART! I had not heard of him before but his general screen presence whether it be loading a hunters rifle, changing his shirt or fighting the actual werewolf (They used a Labrador. No American Werewolf in London FX here folks) he absolutely chewed u the scenery to bits.
Film get's 1 star for pacing, editing and story but an extra 5 for Lockheart cos he's da man.
Ready or Not (2019)
Does what it says on the tin
Fairly enjoyable slasher / chased damsel in distress movie with some pretty good kill scenes and a few laughs.
Goes well with pizza and a Saturday night in.
Surrogates (2009)
I know what you're thinking...
... who was the guy on the computers??
Buzz from Home Alone!
Apart from that this film really didn't deliver. Outside the whole surrogates idea (which was pretty cool bf) there isn't much going on apart from some cool action scenes.
Missed opportunity.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Only Nixon could go to China
I quite enjoy al the original Trek movies and number 6 did not disappoint. The overall plot (mirroring the fall of the Berlin wall) was a great idea and I also really enjoyed the prison ice planet scenes (pretty much any scene in Trek is elevated by Kirk and Bones doing there thing). Also the Klingon assassination in zero gravity was pretty cool.
But the whole "who fired" plot was so dumb. Are you actually suggesting that a star ship in the future wouldn't know if they fires an actual weapon?? And also what was with the space boots??!! Again so a star ship only has 2 pairs of boots on the whole ship?? And if that was the case why didn't the offender just 'beam' them off the ship into space...
Plot holes aside a fun film in which every original cast member got a 'moment'
Life of Pi (2012)
So it is with God...
Finally watched this for the first time on a Sunday afternoon and was completely blown away. A true cinematic masterpiece both visually and storywise.
The film is told via flashbacks from a now middle aged Pi aboput his life growing up in India and his relationships with various religions. The characters, script and associated colour pallet is very Wes Anderson and the first 30 minutes could easily be from one of his films as the story cuts between current day and flashback.
The main story starts once Pi and his family take an ill fated trip across the Pacific to Canada. Here the director wisely stops with the flashback narrative and focuses purely on young Pi and his adventure.
For me the next 90 minutes of the movie was mesmerising as Pi wrestles with both the forces of nature and his own various faiths. Suraj Sharma who plays the lead then gives a fantastic performance alongside a convincing CGI tiger which taken literally is a wonderful story of courage and survival but also works on several deeper levels addressing the role of faith when applied to storytelling.
The CGI in the this film is stunning - every frame is visually dazzling (the film rightly won several award including the directing oscar for Lee) and I can only imagine how it would have looked in 3D.
As a family adventure film about a young boy lost at sea with a supporting cast of larger than life animals this film is unmissable but as a story about faith and its role in unbelievable narratives then this is essential viewing.
A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)
SFX
Have no idea what the plot was. Worth watching for Dans motorcycle death scene though.