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Reviews
The Holiday (2006)
Bad. Very, very bad.
In my opinion, this film amounts to a pile on of clichés, some awful central performances, and a nonsense of a script. In my opinion.
Things that bug me about it...... Who in their right mind would abandon their dog to a complete stranger's care for two weeks? Why the dog? Give me a reason that she has a dog in the first place. Since when was LAX north of the PCH? Why could the limo not take Amanda to the front door of the cottage but Will's car could manage it from the opposite direction? Obviously we needed to see Amanda struggling down a quaint country lane in high heels with her luggage! What woman in the world, staying in a cottage in the middle of nowhere would answer the door in the middle of the night to a drunk and then let him stay the night, let alone sleep with him? For a man so keen to keep his life compartmentalised, Will all too readily invites into his daughters' lives a woman he knows nothing about.
Things are over-egged, then just for good measure, egged a little more. We see both female protagonists doing "crazy frog" dancing to well-known tracks, harking back to the more successful Hugh Grant as PM dance in "Love Actually". There's just so much wrong with it! I think this film tries to emulate other, better romcoms and comes up short.
The Lincoln Lawyer (2022)
Gets better
This is clunky but it gets better and the lead is miscast in this role. Not sure if it's the original writing at fault or the adaptation for TV at fault, but the exposition of plot was really unsubtle. I watched it..... it grew on me but I rate Goliath on Prime over this series.
Doraibu mai kâ (2021)
I know what a SAAB 900 looks like now
I had high hopes when I settled into watch this on MUBI this afternoon. Landscapes and some shots were beautiful but it's way, way too long. Some of the editing was jarring. Way too many long shots of them driving (clue is in the title I guess) and the plot was just plain daft beyond the stuff about his marriage and wife. How on earth did this win so many accolades?
The Batman (2022)
Oh dear....
I saw this last night, but I should have waited for it to transfer to a streaming platform. The Batman is long - too long. For all its dark, brooding chiselled chin-ness, it's a bit boring. Saving grace is its "looks" - It had more in common with the comic-book Batman - I half-expected speech bubbles to appear or onomatopoeic words to appear on screen in fight scenes. If that was the look the director, design team and cinematographer was going for, they did an amazing job. RP did his best with the role but ultimately, for me, he was unconvincing. There are 4 writers attributed to this script. Not sure what they all did but the result had me laughing out loud quite a few times. I mean how can anyone deliver a line like "I'm here to see the penguin" and not crack up? The main musical theme reminded me of the death star theme from Star Wars and was a tad OTT in my opinion.
It wasn't in the same league as the last 3 Batman movies although it had many memorable and admirable elements. Thanks.
The Souvenir (2019)
Irritating
With The Souvenir sequel just released, I finally got around to watching this film today. I wanted to like it however I was very disappointed.
My main issue was with the script (if there was one). It must have been vague. About as vague as Julie's ideas about the films she wanted to make or the reasons she wanted to make them. In my opinion, there was way too much reliance on improvised dialogue, some of which served no purpose whatsoever. Not in terms of plot or characterisation. Some scenes were also totally pointless. Just flabby. There were also a number of jump cuts I found jarring. Not sure what some of them were about.
I suppose, what really counted in the end was that I didn't care about the characters. I found them unlikeable and irritating. I understand that the film is semi-autobiographical. For that reason, I feel bad that I didn't find more to like about it. It just seemed rather self-indulgent.
And Just Like That... (2021)
Frighteningly Bad
Not only is this frighteningly bad, but it is dangerous too. I get that "Big" AKA Chris Noth didn't want to be in the darn thing for more than one episode so they had to kill him off, but the way the show portrayed him having a heart attack plus the ridiculousness of Carrie doing sweet FA to save him - not even phoning 911? She could have given him CPR......... and he could still have died FFS. But to show her complete incapacity to "do" anything of worth just about sums the whole fluffy, stupid show. I hope people understand that it's still possible to survive an event like this if the people around you have a clue.
Next the "woke" tropes....... Oh please! Yes we know time has moved on and people have instas and there are podcasts, but to make a big deal out of Miranda struggling with being able to say the "right thing" to her much younger, black lecturer on her first day back in law school was pathetic.
The script is awful too. Let's see something new and different not regurgitated dross.
In a nutshell, do yourself a favour and don't bother watching. Chris Noth was always the best thing about the show anyway and spoiler, he dies in the first episode.
The Night House (2020)
Promised bit not delivered
I saw this in the hope that it would be a thriller/horror along the lines of the original The Haunting or What Lies Beneath. It started out well and had some great moments but the ending?! What a disappointment! It was like, "oh shoot we need to wind this up. Quick! What can we do?" Trying so hard not to spoil it for others but honestly, there are better ways to spend your time imo.
Invasion (2021)
I feel mean, but......
I do feel mean as I start this, after all it's easy to be critical and so hard to write a good script but someone should have told them before all this money went into creating this show. The script is flabby and there's so much gratuitous action. Hell, gratuitous everything. Lazy writing could have been saved by some slick editing. Instead, there's clichés here, blatant product placements there, unrealistic dialogue (especially female characters). It needs to make up it's mind what it is. It's like someone said we've got a wish list of all the issues you'll need to get in there. Oh and let's make sure we use film crews from all over the globe... I've watched all the episodes available hoping it'd get better but it hasn't. I wanted to like it but some of it is so bad, I laughed out loud. Sam Neill, I hope they paid you handsomely to spout such drivel. C'mon Apple, you can do better.
Vigil (2021)
Drama in Spades
Having read all the very negative and critical comments about this drama/thriller, I'm compelled to wade in and give my opinion. I'm not an expert in submarines, the Navy or CND etc. Nor am I an expert in pathology, psychology, criminology, medicine....... The list is endless. Picking holes in a screenplay for inaccuracies is not very helpful - after all this is not a documentary, just as Holby City isn't. If you're a writer or a director and you find fault with it on a dramatic level, that's your opinion and you're obviously qualified to offer it up. All that being said, I've been gripped by this series from the first episode. I don't usually give over my Sunday evenings to watching TV when it airs but this one has got me hooked. Episode 5's ending gave me palpitations! The acting from the two female leads is phenomenal. I could be controversial here but I'll just say, make your own mind up. Give it a watch.
Olive Kitteridge (2014)
So Good - Not to be missed
So yesterday was a blah day and then I started browsing TV stuff like you do. Saw this mini-series and as I just saw Nomadland and being a huge fan of Fargo etc., Frances' name sold it to me without any further research needed. I had no expectations. I was riveted immediately and my afternoon was well-spent. The key characters acted their socks off and gave real depth to their portrayals that I find it hard to believe that these aren't their true personalities. Kudos to the director too. Such a beautiful handling of the story and some difficult themes. The whole crew and production team should be very proud of the finished result. I can't recommend it enough. A great antidote for a lot of the stuff being churned out for cinema release.
Intruders (2014)
In the Beginning there was Death
Oh dear. I bought this series on Amazon, having been impressed by Millie Bobby Brown's performance in Stranger Things. Apparently Stephen King saw Intruders, was so impressed by her acting chops in the show and suggested she would be excellent for the part of Eleven. He was totally right, by the way. She is amazing in this show but that's the only positive thing about it. Perhaps I'm being a tad harsh and it may well be a bit like Marmite: it divides opinion. It seems you either love it or really don't like it.
Some of the acting is transparent and I want to believe in the characters and be swept up in their story, not think about the acting. The moment that happens, the spell is broken. This happens with the lead character a lot. It might be about his accent. I could forgive that but not so the script. I've watched through to episode 5 and that was enough for me. It just doesn't make any sense.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Right Movie at the Right Time
This movie is so sharp and on point. Just perfect for now. In the unfolding story, both men and women are culpable, either through direct action or through silent complicity.
Carey Mulligan is totally believable in the role of Cassie - I can't do her performance justice here. The casting worked from the key roles right through to the smaller bit parts.
The script is superb and takes some satisfyingly surprising turns.
It's difficult to discuss without giving spoilers and I'd hate to spoil anyone's viewing pleasure.
Just watch it.
Taking Lives (2004)
Just Dire
Happily I missed this on original release. If only I'd managed to avoid it last weekend on a rainy afternoon. A completely predictable and ridiculous plot. The twists are as obvious as an elephant in your icebox.
The Shining (1980)
The Shining Revisited
I saw this movie at the cinema during its first release. At the time, I found it deeply unsettling, so much so, that I haven't wanted to see it again. Until today, that is.
The first note I made is that Nicholson is perfect for this role and he delivers all the unstable menace needed to be totally credible.
Shelley Duvall is not so convincing and this could well be more about the script than her acting skills. The main irritation is her voice but she simpers and subjugates herself to his 'questionable' writing talent and In 2020, none of it sits well with me. Her performance has not weathered the 40 years well in my opinion.
I loved the opening arial sequences, the maze scene, the cascading blood sequence, the kid, Danny - he's very good - but with an eye to the editing, the exposition and flow of the storyline, the veritable nuts and bolts of the film, I found it wanting. Primarily, It felt as though the film needed to fit a certain length and was edited to fit it. As a result, I felt cheated out of backstory that may have helped round out the characters.
It's still a great film. Worth watching multiple times and has a great deal to teach us about movie-making
Le jeu (2018)
Practically Perfect
What a superb ensemble piece! The tight script must have helped enormously, but this has to be one of the best films I've seen in a very long time. It's one of those films that will surely get re-made and ruined by Hollywood for an English-speaking audience. I don't think the backdrop of the lunar eclipse was particularly necessary to the plot and I was a little disappointed by the unnecessarily upbeat ending which was unconvincing and contrived. There's so much to love about this film, that it doesn't matter.
The Longest Week (2014)
What the hell did I just watch?
Nothing but admiration for the cast but this was a terrible vehicle for them without exception. It reminded me of one of the more recent Woody Allen films In tone and plot. It was billed as a comedy but there was nothing remotely comedic about it. It wasn't even cute. The use of a narrator just came across as lazy storytelling.
Taxidermy: Stuff the World (2005)
Memorable Documentary
I saw this documentary 15 years ago and it's one of the most macabre and yet somehow, funny documentaries I've ever seen. Think Coen Bros. Think Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. Full of irony and leaves you questioning that these people really do exist. I would 'kill' to get a copy.
Safe (2018)
Is it just me?
I came to 'Safe' after watching 'The Stranger', enticed by Michael C Hall who I've rated in 9