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Reviews
The Lost King (2022)
A Gem of a Film
I have never given 10/10 before, in this case I cannot think of a reason not.
If you have any interest in the history of Britain, this is a film to see.
My only caveat is that the story is probably skewed in favour of the main character, because it is based on her book The King's Grave. (The Search for Richard III by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones).
A great film to watch and think about, including Tudor propaganda. I include the great man himself, William Shakespeare in this. Although he was probably working under orders of some very unpleasant people.
Fun to see the excavation as a story, rather than on the news or in a documentary.
Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan's script keep the story interesting, without the usual action and drama of modern films. Some great British actors ,including Sally Hawkins as the main character.
SAS Rogue Heroes (2022)
BRILLIANT
I enjoyed Steven Knight's Peaky Blinders, even though that was fact surrounded by a lot of fiction. SAS: Rogue Heroes is in a similar style, although as far as I can make out, from my limited research, a lot more fact and less fiction. I thought I knew WW2 history, but this series made me realise I know very little about the origins of the SAS. I will rectify this and maybe I will be slightly less enthusiastic about the programme in the future. In the meantime, I am in total awe of the courage of main characters and very impressed with the actors who played them. I did not find the choice of music distracting, quite the opposite - from George Formby to AC/DC all seemed to fit. I enjoyed every episode and considered giving this 10 stars, my 9 is really nine and a half.
Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021)
Call of Duty has lost its way
I was going to give this 3 stars because the graphics are very good. I changed my mind and opted for 2 stars because the ending was so feeble. The main characters are bland, although there are a couple of subsidiary players who almost make the game worth playing. For example, Desmond 'Des' Wilmot part of an Australian contingent deployed in Tobruk; he had a great sense of humour. Also, the D-day landing in a glider was impressive, as was piloting a plane off an aircraft carrier, but the rest is just a lazy repeat of previous COD missions.
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Last Kingdom - Now read the books
Bernard Cornwell's historical novels of Sharpe were translated successfully to television, but on a limited budget. BBC started the televising of the Last Kingdom books - (Series 1 and 2). Netflix took over and have done a great job with the next three series. I have given this 10/10 because this is far superior to the plethora of mediocre historical series I have seen in recent years. The Vikings only kept my interest for about 5 episodes. At least with Game Of Thrones, I watched all of the episodes, and unlike many, I thought the ending a reasonable conclusion. The Last Kingdom is exceptional storytelling, supporting real history of a time we should know more about.
His Dark Materials (2019)
Missed opportunity
I have read the books and have the film on DVD (which I thought quite good). Whilst I was disappointed when it became obvious that books 2/3 would not be filmed, I was not surprised. When it was announced that all 3 books would be used to create a mini series I thought great, about time. After the first episode I wonder if the books are actually too difficult to film properly. At least that is the impression I get with this HBO/BBC offering.