Reviews

I watched this show because I needed some good 'switch off' from a hard time. Goodness me, what a load of utter rubbish. Nothing about this show is believable. Guns on a plane, multiple murders on a plane, full mobile phone use on a plane, access to every part of the plane, including the luggage compartment with very unrealistic ease. Cheesy story line, with an implausible plot. Every single 'good guy/bad guy cliche that has ever been done before.

And yet, it met my need like a cheap holiday book. It was like laying on a hot sandy beach, laughing at the nonsense and yet lapping up every single ridiculous minute.

Oh, I so wanted this movie to be great. I am a big fan of Ridley Scott's movies. In my mind a Scott movie is pretty much guaranteed a good experience. So I went in to 'Napoleon' expecting great things and, to be fair, there were many brilliant parts of this movie. Phoenix is brilliant, absolutely perfect for the part. Vanessa Kirby is equally perfect. In fact, I cannot fault any of the acting. The film photography is excellent, although I did think the scale of the battle scenes could have been done better (most of the Napoleonic battles involved 100's of thousands of soldiers, not 10's.). But, where the movie falls down for me is in continuity. It jumps from year to year without any sense of natural progression. I was lost trying to catch up where we were in historical context. I hear that a directors cut maybe coming that will correct this. Hope so and will definitely watch if it does.

I watched this movie when it first came out and I guess it didn't leave a lasting impression on me because I have never really felt the need to go back and watch it again. You know those classics that you just have to revisit every few years? For me it's The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, The Revenant etc. You have to go back and watch your favourites because they are just so darned good!

So why no revisit for Heat? It has some big hitters, Pacino, De Niro, Kilmer and others that set their stalls out with this movie. On paper the story is text book must-see stuff. But, for some unknown reason, it just didn't ring my bell back in the mid nineties.

And then, it keeps coming up. Friends remind me about it. Apps, based on the relentless pursuit of data modelling and their unnerving way of knowing what 'I need' keep telling me that it's my kind of movie. Tom Hiddleston does a very entertaining impression of Pacino and De Niro in a key moment of the movie on the Graham Norton show (if you haven't seen it, check YouTube, it's great!).

I am left with no choice. Happily, I don't have to pay to rent or buy the movie as it is on Netflix. And....? Well it's awful, the pyro effects are worse than movies twice the age, some of the acting by support characters is just gosh darn cheesy, and some of the character relationships are just totally implausible. But, yes I am going with a Jeremy Clarkson moment, it is also utterly brilliant. After 5 or 10 minutes of seat shuffling, wondering if I should just watch something else, wondering if my natural born ability as a movie critic is in fact spot on, I then fell under the spell of this movie. Once you are engaged, and prepared to forgive some of its shortcomings, the movie becomes spellbinding.

If for no other reason, (there are many other reasons), watch for the famous coffee shop meeting between the Al and Bob. It's cheesy, it's over acted and it is absolutely ridiculously brilliant!!

That's all folks;)

First of all and addressing the many 'film experts' posting reviews, this is NOT a bad movie. I have read that this is Will Smith's apology tour for his notorious behaviour at the 2022 Academy Awards. I have read that this movie just checks the boxes because it uses a colour infused black and white picture and the 'action' has all been done before. I have read that this is just yet another movie about the emancipation of slaves and, yes, I have read that the film title is a bit too obvious. I have seen ratings of 2, 3, 4 and 5 and not many 9's and 10's (for me it's an 8, which makes it more than watchable).

So, here, for what it is worth, is my opinion. This movie has what I call 'real feel', in other words, it 'tastes' authentic. Of course it is dramatised and is made to entertain, but that takes nothing away from its effectiveness in portraying the horror of slavery, the bravery of men and women who suffered (and sadly still suffer in too many parts of the world) the abject disgust that we feel about the perpetrators and our contentment in seeing slavers brought to their knees.

How many movies have you seen in a black and white film with subtle colour infusion? I can only think of two others? How many famous actors are noted to be less than angelic off the screen? A dozen come to my mind without even thinking about it. How many of us choose not to watch a movie because its actors are less innocent than the pure driven snow? Not that many methinks. The story and action has all been done before? Show me a unique movie ..... go on, I dare you.

So folks, if you are still reading this ramble then thank you and do yourself a favour and invest a couple of hours. Not only is it not as bad a movie as some of our expert reviewers would like you to believe, it is actually rather good. Oh, and for those couple of reviewers that posted 'without spoilers' and then, albeit subtly, spoiled the ending..... you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

This is a perfectly good movie. The comparisons to The Covenant, Guy Ritchie's movie with Jake Gyllenhaal are understandable, and while there are some similarities, it is not a like for like by any means. There are in fact many differences. I won't spell them out for fear of giving spoilers, but if you watch both movies you will get my point. Gerard Butler does seem to be the go to guy for an awful lot of action movies over the last five plus years, but there is a good reason for that. He meets the requirements of a Hollywood hero very well; handsome, likeable, tough and and pretty decent actor for the most part. I enjoyed the movie and would recommend to anyone who likes action/military type movies.

I just love this show. So much so that I have broken my rule about not giving reviews on IMDB because of the silly minimum word count.

But heck yes, this is a beautiful show. Hilariously funny, sweet, gentle, touching and utterly lovely. Brilliant casting, so well acted that you ache for some of the characters. In this day and age of negativity and social media BS, it is an absolute joy to watch a show that lifts your spirits in the nicest possible way. I had heard of the show, but didn't bother with it because I thought it would be too goofy. So pleased that I got over myself. Damn, I hope this show never ends.

Tom Hollands gives a fantastic performance in this powerful and insightful movie. The story speaks so well about PTSD, drug abuse and crime and how war veterans are so poorly cared for. Tom Hollands shows what a truly talented actor he is, wonderfully supported by Ciara Bravo. There are some really nice touches with side dialogue to the camera and sign posting.

Spider-Man has grown up and definitely come home. This isn't a movie to watch with the kids and it certainly isn't happy viewing for the most part, but it is nevertheless great viewing and kept me interested throughout. Looking forward to seeing more from the grownup Tom Holland.

This is possibly my best show of 2022 and I watch a lot of shows. The story is in many, many ways, very dark, but it is the character acting that is absolutely superb. I wasn't sure in the first episode, but then I got sucked in. Every good thriller needs a really good bad guy and, oh boy, did they get it right here. I wasn't sure if Taron Egerton was the right actor in the lead part, but he is excellent as the cool dude who is put in an almost impossible position of trying to find out whether our bad guy is as bad as we suspect. Paul Walter Hauser gives a master class in suspense and evil. Like all good 'baddies' you almost want to like his character. And what a character. Some of the best acting I have seen in years. I tried not to binge watch, but I failed. Gripping to the end. Highly recommend.

Beautiful, ugly and brutal. One of the most moving films I have ever seen. Much of the horror is understated making it all the more difficult to watch. Rarely has a movie better demonstrated the evil that man puts upon man. The child actors in this movie are amazing. Never for a moment did I doubt the authenticity of this story. The press haven't alway been kind to Angelina Jolie over the years. I have personally never had any problem with her and this movie is an extraordinary piece of work. The abject horror of the this awful period of history has been captured in a brilliant piece of storytelling. Amazing film photography, stunning acting. It made me weep.

First of all, the flash backs to the bloods to the Vietnam war, they all look the same, old men with grey hair and in the 'current' period none of them look old enough to have been in Vietnam in the '60's. How are we supposed to feel the movie is authentic with that lack of detail? Secondly, this is a movie with a message, an important message about the suppression of African Americans in the '60's and '70's. But it makes out that African Americans made up a majority of front line troops. That just isn't true. About 30% were AAs and they made up 25% of war casualties.

This is a fictional movie but on of the characters is called Stormin' Norman. Why would you choose a name from a well known soldier from another war?

I could forgive all of this except that: The war scenes are woefully amateur.

Some of the acting is just plain average.

There are some awful clichés about the war, men in general and the the Vietnam culture.

I am amazed that this is an 'Award Winning Movie'.

Top quality British TV. Agonising viewing for any parent but such good acting. Twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. I didn't think I would enjoy the second series as much as the first, but I was wrong. Great viewing, highly recommend. For some reason that I am unclear of, IMDB requires that you right at least 600 characters for every review. They did not used to have this requirement, but now they do, so I am filling text to meet the requirements. 600 hundred text characters . Six hundred characters . Six hundred characters . Six hundred characters. It's a shame because I love to leave reviews but I can't always come up with six hundred characters.

It was a bit slow getting going but definitely worth the wait. Really good movie, great acting and big action scenes. Felt very authentic. As the title implies, this is not a battle that is well remembered.... but it should be. We tend to think that WW2 was all about the Brits and the US against the Germans. There were, of course many many other nationalities involved in this tragedy. This movie isn't a Hollywood big star action flick, it is an authentic review of the latter days of World was 2, the resistance movement, the terrible decisions that normal people had to make during German occupation.

Brilliant acting, fantastic film photography. This is not a happy story, in fact in many ways it is brutally sad, but I was riveted the whole way through. The horrible injustice of life is well represented in this movie. Does it have a happy ending? Watch to see.

This show isn't just about surviving in the wilderness, it's about surviving life in general. There are plenty of reviews saying how disappointing it is that there is too much flashback and not enough of the surviving in the outdoors. They are missing the point. During a tough physical experience in the wilderness our protagonist searches the trials and tribulations of her past. It's well done, nice acting, thoughtful and thought provoking. Don't tune in if you are only looking for macho survival.

Its pretty much all been done before, the geek who discovers a global threat and no one believes him, the beautiful scientist, the wrung out hero who has unsettled relationship with his wayward son etc etc etc. But that's fine. When we want a BigMac we go to McDonalds and we are guaranteed a burger that tastes exactly like the one we had last time. Knowing the genre and having a fair idea how the story will work out is no bad thing. We know we will get lots of action with great special effects. We know that there is a good chance that it will all work out okay in the end. The haters will hate, but sometimes we just want what we know we like.

This show is outstanding. Fantastic acting, a story that just get better and better. My favourite show of the year (I know it started earlier, but I watched all this year). There are some shows that, when they end you almost mourn their departure. This is one of those. I am going to truly miss Marty and Wendy Byrd and Ruth Langmore et al, as part of my daily life. Do yourself a favour, this is brilliant TV.

It is a little bit predictable. You feel like you know where it is going pretty much from the off, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Renne Zewelegger is great and a delight on the eyes as always. Good supporting cast and Jodelle Ferland puts in a scarily good performance.

If Densel is in it then you know you are guaranteed a top movie. Brilliant acting all round. And it's based on a true story. It is definitely one of those movies that you are routing for the bad guy.

What a great movie! Leonardo C. Is excellent as is Tom H. Its one of those films that really has you routing for the 'bad guy'. A lot of fun and added value given that it is based on a true story!

It's a good movie. Gotham never looked darker. But the Dark Knight films are much better. Both 'Batman' and 'The Riddler' lacked menace. It just wasn't quite macho or evil enough. I enjoyed it though and it is worthy of a 7 for the new Batmobile alone.

It's ruined by some terrible script and some awful clichés. Its a real shame because this could have been a good movie. Someone should have sacked the writer and maybe the director too. They clearly had the budget, decent special effects and all. Shame.

I was going to score this movie 7, but I upped to an 8 because it's a true story. It's about injustice for sure, more than that though, it is about an amazing woman, who, despite her own tragedies, never gave up on an innocent man. Inspirational.

I have never given a movie 10 before. But this deserves it..... its about family, love and a little bit of hate, its about friendship and ups and downs. However, mainly its about booze and the positive and negative effects that it can have. I loved this movie, it spoke to me on so many levels. I can't recommend it highly enough.... other than giving it a 10!

This movie is very obviously about the law and how it is applied, rightly and wrongly. But more importantly, it is about family. I don't know anyone who has the perfect family, we all struggle with that one relative or two. And yet blood is thicker than water as they say. Great acting, a good story and a thoroughly good movie. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.