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Reviews
The Responder (2022)
Brilliantly told, brilliantly acted
Anyone who gives low scores (especially 1, 2 or three stars needs to calm down. They are surely just being cynical for the sake of cynicism. The idea of a drama is to take yourself off for a few moments into another reality. The Responder does that in spades! Beautifully written by Tony Schumacher and some of the best acting I've seen in ages. It flowed, dipped and dived and felt real. I haven't watched Martin Freeman in anything for a while as he is so many things i kind of felt it was overload. However I am so pleased I watch his magnificent performance in The Responder. (I might go back to some things I avoided with him in now!). Congratulations to ALL the actors, writer, and crew who brought this to our TV screens. And don't let those pesky Tories destroy the BBC.
Enemy (2013)
Jesus!
I rented this off Amazon for 99p as i couldn't decide what to watch and thought i'd give it a punt (and yes Jake Gyllenhaal is usually a safe bet...but not always...and certainly not this time). Art house films can be a real journey. An exploration into new dimensions of how to think and feel... or a real pain. This was nothing but a pain, and i just wasted 2 hours of my life and 99p. Reading the 'higher score" reviews there are a lot of people out there easily sucked in by sheer audaciousness coupled with obnoxiousness, and then call it art or whatever. Temptation can and has been done far better. Anyway I don't care...i just want my 99p back the b*******s!!!
Behind Her Eyes (2021)
Gets better with every episode
Yep...i loved it. Not knowing anything about the story prior to 'giving it a go' the first episode was engaging enough, and by the second I was now interested enough to keep going. Each episode hooked me in more and more and I started binging on it! Brilliant actors and amazing story line. You do have to suspend reality a bit, and i was sometimes thinking (do we need that to make this work?....but oh yes we did!!!). Best twists in a plot I've seen in a very long time and i thoroughly recommend "Behind Her Eyes"....(I would love there to be a season two).
Missions (2017)
What on Earth??? (Pun intended)
I caught this in BBCi player and it immediately grabbed my attention as if sci fi is done well (rarely the case sadly) I'm a glutton (Black Mirror/Love Death and Robots!). As i'm working in my recording studio most nights lately I watch most of the first season between downloads, which worked well for me as they are short. The opening sequence had me hooked straight way. Beautifully filmed and a great start....for a few mins, then began the struggle. The intros and 'recaps' seem to take up half of every short episode. The characters are trivial and meaningless and if they were a crew for a trip to Mars then jeeeeze...maybe I should go too. The dialog is the worst with lots of those pointing out the bleeding obvious lines and unbelievable characters that are a sad example of the first people to land on Mars.. Even being on Mars seems to underwhelm them all. Its like they've landed on a fake mars in a TV show...oh of course...they have! Hardly anyone seems in awe of this achievement and as the plot meanders on it just becomes almost intolerable. Being in French is not the problem. (Although all the British, American and Russian characters seem to be very fluent...so hooray for "French" but not realistic in my opinion.). I didn't care whether some characters lived or died. And that when you know...deep down...you're on a road to nowhere and losing minutes and hours of your life you'll never get back. I noticed some people love this show in the reviews but this one is obviously not my kinda space! If I can say anything positive some of the fx are very well done (hence my 4 stars). But you have to have a good plot, believable characters and some dialogue that isn't infuriating to make it something great. OK...my next download has just completed. Over and Out...or 'Terminé' as I think the French say.
Midsommar (2019)
Sweden is now off my list of holiday destinations
OK...title joke aside I think this is a classic. Not least because of Florence Pugh's stunning performance. I'm not a big fan of horror just to be made to jump out of my skin or cringe at shocking violence. I only have to watch the news to be appalled at what human beings can do to each other. This film however transcends 'horror' in a very nicely disturbing way. Was beautifully filmed and for that is a great cinematic experience. It has a feel of The Wicker Man but holds its own. I won't forget it like many movies out there. I think i got the subtext of madness, love, grief and humans essentially all being at least daunted, if not terrified of this thing we all experience called life.
War of the Worlds (2019)
Just not quite there
I watched all of season 1...guess i had nothing better to do and each episode just about held my attention. I love Sci-Fi and kept hoping it would sort it self out...but it didn't. I don't think I will invest any more time in Season 2 as i hardly care what happens anymore. The story meanders and the characters are pretty dull. Like many of these types of 'Season' driven stories they are very thin on character depth and are about a million miles from what would really happen in a devastating Alien invasion. I could criticise the very poor layout of the story but I'm boring myself even writing this anymore.
The Pact (2021)
Fantastic
There are always a few negative people. No matter what it is. I would completely refute the few negative comments on here about The Pact. This drama has great acting, some very smart twists and it's a 'who dunnit' that will keep you guessing till the end. Its believable (people do make stupid mistakes), tense, gripping, wonderfully filmed and beautifully acted. Contgrats to the writers, producers, actors and all who helped make this great piece of art.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
I just wasted an hour and a half of my life...
As ever, somehow a lot of these so-called blockbusters suck you in with clever trailers and good old-fashioned hype. This review section on this site starts off with rave reviews (surprise surprise) but as you read on you realize you are not alone in feeling duped!I Phew! Just wasted an hour and a half of my life...and to my utter dismay, I helped waste an hour and a half of my wife's life!!! My wife is not the biggest movie fan, (unlike me) and I convinced that this one would be worth watching! How will she ever trust me again with movie choices!!!! Really obvious script, almost childlike acting, really stupid plot, and the last 5 minutes rip off 'war of the Worlds type B movie sci-fi effects with this supposedly vulnerable girl turning into some kind of alien destroying specialist superhero was...well I'm now speechless. Do not think this has any relevance to the amazing Movie "Cloverfield". Because it hasn't. Full Stop!!!
Fear the Walking Dead (2015)
What rubbish Zombies (and I'm talking about the lead cast)
I never saw the attraction of Zombie related movies/TV shows. However, after unusually clicking the play button for TWD (Thinking this will awful, but lets have a look) I was hooked from the word go. It was gripping, exciting with a group of great actors and dynamic characters. I have since been hooked by the show and I really do care who lives or dies! TWD does have some weak plots at times but somehow gets away with it. I can't wait for the return in Oct 2016.
Now....FTWD. I've endured the first season (ever the optimist that somehow it may start making sense). A bit of the second season (I must have been desperate for something to watch). I've (if you haven't guessed already) given up on it regretting how much of my life I've given to this poorly written, dreadfully thought out pile of trash. Why do they make such garbage....? I don't get it and I certainly do not care who lives or dies!! Hopefully all of them very soon! Do not waste your time with this lazy show...it will only turn you into a zombie in your sofa.