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cleverhorse
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The Amazing Extraordinary Friends (2007)
Amazing Extraordinary Writing
Hopefully time has lent my fellow reviewers 10 years worth of perspective; they have somewhat missed the mark! This series doesn't punch below it's weight, nor is it a superhero reboot gone awry (wtf??).
The writing, acting and pacing are of a rare quality, comparable to those classic shows we miss with that pang of nostalgia; more so because of some of the gash currently on offer. The adventures really are well thought out so that the series interconnects, while episodes carry their own weight and identity too.
There's a chemistry here that's difficult to come by, which makes the show's short lifespan kind of understandable - things change quickly and so the magic withers. Some more robust marketing may have extended the show's audience but it's the lack of expectation which helps it exceed expectation x
Iron Fist (2017)
Demise of IMDb
The 8.6 rating for Iron Fist at the time of writing this post, for me, spells the end of any remaining honesty and/or credibility here on this site. If you are reading this and truly believe this show to be anything more than a bland, uninspired, lazily written waste of resources then there goes your taste in programming too.
This show lacks any craft, and borders on pointless. While the notion that American audiences have indeed taken too many drugs to know and demand any better seems all too evident: Think of generically boring people held hostage and placed in a trance. Then after a seemingly endless period of inactivity, while being forced to stare at a white wall; have them all come together to make a TV show.
The message boards would have belied the shamefully and embarrassingly misleading 8.6 - and shone an incriminating light on just how pointless the ratings system has become.
In fact, the message boards were my rating system, and without them, the elephant in the room is all the more unignorable.
See Iron Fist! But only if you can't be bothered.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
"Hey, I'm Casey Jones"...erm no, you're not.
Out of the Shadows; now this was fun, but I knew we were in trouble the minute I saw the guy from Arrow was playing Casey. The acting by Elias Koteas in the 'original' was grade A, played with integrity and emanating genuine chemistry. The guy from Arrow is a decent TV actor (...see Arrow Season 1), but he had no business being in a 'Blockbuster'. He was a major disappointment before I even bought a ticket - which as a fan I had to do. Alas, I feel his lame appearance in the trailer followed by his 'made for TV' performance in the film, has killed this iteration for now. This was too big a role to get wrong.
I'd have expected someone to turn up for work and say: "Bill Fitchner's gone...Casey will need to be an actor".
I think instead the executives may well have thought: "Ok, there's no way we're getting three movies out of this...we'll go with quantity over quality because we've got to sell toys".
Locke (2013)
Inherent dilemma
This was a good try (see Love Tomorrow 2012 for an example of how this type of approach should be executed!).
If Tom Hardy wasn't in this, no-one would have wished to see it or maybe you wouldn't have seeked it out. Your expectations would be fairly low and you'd be willing to appreciate the honesty of the story and it's simplistic, no-fuss delivery.
But because he was, you're more likely to pick out flaws and as you'd have higher expectations they'd annoy you.
The story was called 'Locke' thus drawing attention to Hardy's presence yet the story was primary here with several key supporting characters required to tell it. This supporting voice-only cast were weak with the exception of Alice Lowe who managed to scrape through.
Hardy, and the story itself should've been complimented with a more suitable choice of interlocutors who's presence could be better felt though voice work alone; though this may have made the film bigger than the story.
Alternatively, and the way to go in my humble estimation, would have been to use a lead with less stature, and allow the story to reach us by means other than a 'well-known' on the cover.
Miss Meadows (2014)
Toodle-oo
Katie Holmes can act, there I said it because I can...no, because I may, IMDb have granted me permission. Miss Meadows is like Earl Brooks with tap shoes and a flower in her hair, she doesn't trifle with the unnecessary so spoonfuls of morality are applied purposefully, justifiably and with manners. Her little handbag will bury one if one f##ks with her, that said one just wouldn't, she's too lovely and principled. In fact My advice to Earl would be to learn to behave a little or switch neighbourhoods.
This film will impress you if you enjoyed Costner's gem of a performance in 2007's Mr Brooks. The films are similar in that the leads portrayals leave you wanting more which will never happen due to arguably unforeseeable but nevertheless forgivable flaws. And that less is sometimes more.
See this if you like the little surprises scouring the earth/internet for a good film can bring.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
It was this or Training Day with my last Fiver.
I got my moneys worth. After choosing this on the back of a Jonathan Ross comment on the cover, i left my now closed (thankfully, what a dump!) video shop with something i hoped would remove me from reality and give the fiver i had just parted with the respect it deserved.
Training Day was the same price and was recommended to me by a friend who has similar taste but i couldn't bring myself to argue with a film nut who for me had been on the money a lot of the time.
Both films had been out long enough to be discounted VHS promos. Both are great and worth the 9 stars I've given.
One I've seen twice, One I've seen 15 times and counting.
It's not a perfect film but it's brilliant as is the 1988 mini series on which this is in my view based upon. Jason Bourne's journey/adventure was cool, very cool. And my Fiver wherever it is got maxed out long ago and i take my hat off to it!!!