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Ludwig (2024)
Absolutely Fabulous Drama and The Best Show On The BBC In Years
Wow. What astounding character-development. A man; who is clearly neurodivergent in many ways; has a brother who mysteriously dissappears.
He is sure that his brother is still around and alive and that he has left him special cryptic clues. He must solve these clues in order to discover where his brother is. He also must let people think his identital twin brother is still alive by mastering his brother's profession and being his identity at work.
The brother is John Taylor; who is played by David Mitchell; has to forge his way into the police system with the help of his brother's wife providing him with his ID card (to avoid confusion he also lives with her and only she and her son know what has happeend). She gives him a poor rough evaluation of his brother's colleauges so he looks less suspiscious. Yet the information is so small it needs prompt and decisive action to make people realise he is not what they think he is.
To play the part the brother he has to learn how to drive a manual car; a glorious vintage Saab; for the first time and clearly getting it spectacularly wrong. Some great humour in this script here and in other areas.
Learning how to be a Detective Inspector without informing others that he is not who they think. The level of concentration required is something neurodiverse people may really do well with due to processing information in different ways.
However he has to cover-up and mask other persoanlity differences which is extremely hard for people to manage successfully. It's rare to see how masking is done so well on TV and this is an exeptional example and the producers have done a superb job.
Fortunately for the pretending DI his partner is fresh and new to their force; due to a transfer two weeks' prior to the timeline; and has had a deep emotional experience so is not able to fully ascertain that this man is indeed his brother.
It's a really unqiue perspective and incredibly-written and just so much entertainment. Mark Brotherhood has done a tremendous job here and I hope he cleans-up in the TV awards. The acting is astounding with special prasie going to Dipo Ola who plays DI Russell Carter and Anna Maxwell Martin who plays Lucy Betts-Taylor; Gerran Howell as the youthful DC Simon Evans and Sophie Willan as Holly Pinder.
Great; exceptional casting with a strong sense of diversity and an understanding of a balanced and modern police force.
It's got everything I had hoped and more. It actually surprised me. I knew David Mitchell was a class act but here he is genius and has elevated himself. He has shown a new level of professionalism away from his comedic genius and that deservese high praise.
Absolutely astounding work. 10/10.
8 Mile (2002)
Solid Acting And Authentic Rap-Battles
Wow. This is a change. A hugely honest and refreshing movie about rap-battles and the ghetto of Detroit and how hard it is growing-up in the Big D and trying to become a successful man.
It's honest. It's got an excellent narrative. It's got some killer rap-battles. The score is good hip-hop from the era and it's played-out with emotion and real grit. It's got the streets and the industrial aspect of Detroit. Also the rappers can really act properly. It's legit!
It's a really well-made and constructive film. I'm really glad that Eminem kept this so damn real. It was almost a reflection of his own life yet is extremely fictional and is also very much different. You know the famous musician from the Big D that grew-up in a trailer park? The very one and only Jimmy Osterberg aka IGGY POP.
Great stuff. 8/10.
3 Days in Havana (2013)
Nicely-paced BUT it gets confusing near the end
So I can't help but thinking how did a man who looked dead then come back to finish the film off in a different way!??!!??? I really don't grasp that as it ruined the movie for me.
It had some nice sequences; exceptional music and the dresswear is fabulous and the scenes are beautiful. However it's a cheap script and it is quite over-acted.
The villans aren't really convincing and the most accurate actors appear to be the girls they party with in their hotel. Everything else is either undersold or over-acted. It's neither hear-nor-there.
It's got some moments that are nice and is good for an hour and a half but it's just not interesting enough and too confusing with the ending. A better script and less overacting would be a better movie. 6/10.
Midnight Mass (2021)
Proper Stephen King-Albert Hitchcock Suspense Horror Classic
It's got some amazing cinematography. What I absolutely adore is the incredible character-development and the way the CGI actually lifts the horror and doesn't make it corny or unrealistic despite a very difficult subject to pull-off correctly!
The artistic direction combined with the audio is absolutely superb. Much like Jaws if you mute this TV show to the build-up it's not that scary and then the horror comes in in such an astounding and unprescedented way.
There are loads of great shock camera techniques. The way to camera is there to give you a sneak peak without telling you what is happening is sheer mastery.
Mike Flanagan is one of my favourite modern horror directors and is absoutely (forgive me) killing it right now. What a legend! I hope that you get to make some movies as the TV shows are just sensational. Great work yet again. 9/10.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Overproduced With Constant Injokes and Little Plot
OK. Marvel are running-out-of-ideas. It's also a considerable length-of-time between the last movie and this one. It's noticable on the aging of the characters. Middle-aged super heroes is a difficult and unrealistic pitch compared to actors in their treens and 20's.
Marvel are going all-out on their own references and film in-jokes. To the point where it got really boring and fast. The pace is fast and it's very furious with a LOT of action but the concept and storyline is very weak and just odd.
I don't know what is happening at Marvel but the quality of movies is now not as good. It's sad. Stuff is rushed out for no reason to make a film to honour a character instead of the emphasis on strong stories; excellent plot and narratives.
Sadly I think it's time to lay the series to rest or find something new. It's WAY overproduced. It's flat. It's not the coolness of old Deadpool.
What would be a great film is a retrospective movie on Stan Lee's life. The franchise is a huge money-spinner and it seems that is more important now than the quality-of-script and the storyline concepts.
Way Down (2021)
A Fun Heist Movie
It's got good script-writing; some solid action and tense parts and a lot of good plot-twists. I like the concept. It's similar to a popular Spanish TV drama and the film is 50-50 English and Spanish production and the actors are both English and Spanish for authenticacy on the accents.
It's shot mainly in Madrid and the emphasis is on locating and stealing rare coins which reveal the co-ordination of Sir Francis Drake's lost treasure.
It's got a simple structure with great direction. It's a proper heist movie and well-made. It's also original and fun. It's not the best heist movie but it is very very enjoyable and for that it gets 7/10,
No Time to Die (2021)
Over-Produced With A Lacklustre Ending
It's got the signature traits of a Bond movie. The classic Jaguar. Moneypenny and Q. Even a new 007 played by a woman. And also Daniel Craig as the lead protagonist; James Bond.
I don't understand why they decided to add 'you worked for the CIA' which completely goes against the concept of the books. There was no usual engagement of being loaded with new inventions from Q which is the whole point of Q's role.
I don't get why Moneypenny was so young. It's an experienced Moneypenny who has an intimate respectful relationship with Mr Bond that works for the chemistry.
Rami Malek does a deep voice tone with a fake Russian accent. This does not work. Were any other Russian actors not available? Léa Seydoux has huge talent and did a great job but the chemistry was forced.
The ending was so damn lacklustre compared to everything else until that point. There was FABULOUS action and AMAZING choreography and the cinematography and the long drone shots are just draw-dropping.
However the writing was not to par; the plot was just dumb and the ending was so weak it was painful. No Time To Die could have been so much better. So much stuff going for it but the scripting and cast-choices let it down. The 007 actress was great and one of the highlights.
Konvoi (2023)
An Enjoyable Suspense Thriller
Piloting boats and being seaman in WW2 was an extremely dangerous job. This film encapsulates entirely how dangerous this job is. To the most extreme horrors of merchant shipping life.
The only annoyance in the movie is the sheer lack of cargo in the hold. It is not accurate and otherwise the movie is great with loads of authentic props and a great storyline.
Acting is superb. It really creates emotion and tensions and you can feel that you are a member of the crew. The camerawork is great. You can almost feel the vibrating engine and the deck shaking in your room.
It's got a little CGI but it is done properly and well. I don't know the budget of this movie but I guess it is not a gret deal. It is done well and executed well. The Director is definitely one-to-watch!
A strong effort!
A Man Called Otto (2022)
"A Man Called Ove" for the American Audience so it's Otto
I watched this on Netflix. It's a lovely-paced and beautifully-shot movie. It's extremely touching; moving and so incredibly sad and pongent.
Otto is dealing with the recent demise of his wife; Sonya Andersson. He realises his own medical issues are a problem too. He also wants to be with Sonya immediately so tries to commit suicide in many different ways which are all shot beatifully with so much raw emotion.
A friend of mine committed suicide a few years' ago so this movie made me cry a lot. It's extremely moving and something people need to see to understand grief and dealing with grief and the stages of remorse which one goes through in life to eventual acceptance and helping others with their problems.
Otto's life journey is documented in this movie. It's moving and gracious and wonderful as well as grumpy; quirky and resilent and combative. He is the perfect example of a hard-working citizen doing his best to get by.
A masterclass in acting from Tom Hanks and Mariana Treviño as well as Truman Hanks; Mack Bayda and many others. Great acting and a really strong storyline. Superb!
Don't Move (2024)
Sleak; Style and Substance. Superb Suspense!
Stunning acting. Amazing direction. Superb use of audio and shock tactic close-ups. Great dynamic sound usage. Focal point on two protagonists with Kelsey Asbille playing Iris and Finn Wittrock playing Richard.
The rest is a supporting cast. It's all shot-on-location in a simple wooded forest with a few extra cabin shots and a lake sequence at the end.
SFX is minimum and the gore shots are great and it's got some top slasher moments but it's not ott and it's about the character development and the dialogue and the psychosis of being drugged.
I have been a patient myself and the affect of the visuals on psychosis before you pass out is absolutely-nailed. I think the production team did a fab job! You go into this weird deep trance and just fall asleep. Then they operate on you.
The Direction is great. It's a slow-burn and refreshing. I don't get the low rates. It's honestly super-enjoyable and just a great old school suspense thriller movie. It's about the slow-burn. Fight scenes are well-choreographed as well! Nice job!
Woman of the Hour (2023)
Strong Directional Debut
It's a nice debut from Anna Kendrick. It's well-polished; superbly-shot and the interaction and acting is solid. I'm seeing that other reviewers are suggesting that they had a lot of creative influence for the movie. This happens a lot in cinema; sadly. However what has been done has been executed well and it is excellent suspense in the style of Hitchcock. The acting; especially by Anna Kendrick; Daniel Zovatto and Nicolette Robinson with a good supporting cast to back-it-up!
I dig the locations and adore the vintage diner and the gas station. There is an absolutely top-class tracking shot as one of the victims runs near the end. It's really a superb shot! I like the style and it has plenty of weight and substance. Anna is definitely one-to-look-out-for. As a debut goes this is a very solid effort and deserves a 7/10 for portraying a difficult subject with grace and humanity. Nice job!
The Union (2024)
Straight-To-Netflix Does Bourne. Poorly.
It's just a clone of Jason Bourne with a ridculous sub-plot that the actor somehow wakes-up in London after falling in New Jersey; flight-time alone is 7.5 hours; and feels no jet leg and starts running around doing these crazy mission sequences.
The intro training is just ridiculous. You don't go from an average driver to a fully-trained spec pro in a few days' time. There is too slick too polished action and the roof sequences is just absolutely stolen from Jason Bourne.
It's not got the context or the storyline of Bourne and it's expensive but feels cheap. It's a film which is now not at all original. The chemistry with Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry) and Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg) is forced.
Not even the great acting from Mike Colter (who was excellent as Luke Cage) can save this storyline. It's a vey tired and cliche spy thriller. It's got some nice stunt sequences and gags and the stunt team did a wonderful job.
It's just 20 years too late. It's dated and not as good as contemporaries. Another straight-to-Netflix movie I am glad I did not pay good monies to watch at the cinema. Good cast. Shame about the plot and the script!
Jimenshitachi (2024)
A Lesson In Always Doing Your Due Delligence
Wow. Great show. Solid narrative. Superb pace. Smashing suspense. Really excellently-written with fabulous character-development.
Characters are very interesting and dynmaic and the chemistry works super-well. From incredibly awkward paid people placed in big stake operations to the big evil boss to crazy personalities in Tokyo's underbelly. Top stuff.
I really loved this show. I'm 5/7th of my way through and I watch a lot of Japanese cinema and I'm now curious to see what other shows Hitoshi Ône will make. He has talant. This is definitely what Netflix needs more of.
Original and gripping drama with fabulous characters. Please do more of this Netflix.
Friday (1995)
The OG Cult South Central Street Movie
I remember watching this film a long time ago and just saw it on Netflix and for old times' sake; I decided to watch it tonight.
It's got that hoodlum element of two hood rats; Craig and Smokey; trying to survive and evade being beaten-up by their nemises! They try-it-on with the neighbourhood hotties and deal with intimate family matters and street relations too!
It's aged pretty well considering it's now nearly 30 years' old! It's got beautiful chemistry between Ice Cube and Chris Tucker and that's what makes this movie really work!
It's got lots of slapstick and hood jokes. Two dudes just trying to survive their way into another weekend. Just. It's a really fun movie and it's perfect for a pot of something to go with your popcorn. The banter is great. It's just fun. RIP to the cast who have sadly passed away.
Mr. McMahon (2024)
Expose On Mr McMahon Amid A Huge Lawsuit
Ok it's a great show. It's hugely indepth on how the WWE started and the character development of the wrestlers and the show's founder. It's massive.
It's also been recorded JUST before the time Mr. McMahon received a lawsuit which unfortunately heralded his request to deny finishing the last interview segment for this show!
I'm really not sure if Mr. McMahon is guilty or not. It's far too hard to figure this one out as he was such larger-in-life and was so over-the-top with his chracter on screen that it's hard to know what is true and what is not!
It's from a period where TV was really out-of-control. I did not watch WWE whilst growing-up as I did not have the pay-per-view and I was in England. However many friends of mine are huge wrestling fans and advised me to watch this show!
The show itself is a really well-made and unique insight and extremely comprehensive into one of the most successful sports of all-time! Professional American wrestling!
It follows the life of Mr. McMahon who is still with us today. I am very impressed with the structure of the show and the questions asked. The interviewers did a great job. There's a lot of Louis Theroux top-level style journalism here and I loved the production of this show.
It was super cool seeing The Rock and Hulk Hogan discuss very intimate aspects of the show as well as Hitman Hart and various other og wrestling superstars!
I felt it was a really great show but it was also very emotional and difficult for people there who looked visibly hurt by the surrounding lawsuit which took place when filming was wrapping-up. It's very rare to get something like this done at the core of a lawsuit yet with so much access to the people involved. Really awesome job to the film-makers!
The House (2017)
Cheap Gags; Very Easy Script and Not Thrilling
Well this was just silly. A couple try and send their daughter to Uni/College but realise the funding has gone and therefore they need to raise copious funding through creating a 'casino' with a friend at their house.
I just don't know even know where to begin with the script. This film has a perspective from a drunk frat teenager's house party. It is pretty much the same level of humour and stunts and acting. Though the CGI and SFX in the movie are actually descent and save it from being even more mediocre than it actually is!
There is a lot of slapstick in this. The comedy is ok but it's just so repetitive and it gets very dull and it's so very cliche. The actors stick out and are trying far too hard to be cool.
It's just a rushed movie and something done for 'humour' but it's not real funny like 'Naked Gun' or 'Airplane' etc. It's just cheap and stupid. I don't get how they did not constantly get shut-off for not having a casino operating license or liquer license. Really dumb. You could not do this in real life. Or make the amount the apparently made with local residents paying.
Econimcally it doesn't add-up. Script-wise it doesn't add-up. It's just a really dumb and stupid film. Why was it released?
Capital (2015)
Drama But A Unique Twist
It's a nice TV drama series featuring some superb actors as Toby Jones; Adeel Akhtar; Danny Ashok and Wunmi Mosaku.
It highlights residents living in the London capital city on a high-value surbaban street where houses cost more than £2m. The value of the houses rise as the months of the characters' lives are portrayed.
Each character has signifant issues in the script during the series. It is also a melting pot of 'WE WANT WHAT YOU HAVE' being advertised at the characters in various messages either through thier door or on advertising elsewhere. No one knows where or why this message came (from).
It's a very interesting cynical look at the elite v us and how people's lives can change so much for the worse or the better. The most affluent member of the street is also not immune to having a life being rapidly-changed.
It shows you that you should not neccessarily be too greedy and want everything and there are problems when you reach the top as much as there are problems at the bottom.
The dialogue is great. The script and casting is superb. I regret that I did not see this on TV but it came out on Netflix and as I am a huge fan of Toby Jones so I had to watch it!
It's really a great drama and I don't want to ruin too much but if you enjoy how different people live on a street and character development and big drama with characters fighting and making-up and interwoven love-stories then this is the perfect show for you!
Really nicely done. 8/10!
The Inheritance (2023)
Inheritance Of A Mystery Of Uselessness
So the plot is odd. The 'loved' Dad who turns out to be a phony in a relationship with a new wife of 14 years which was SOMEHOW kept a secret from his THREE mature kids and SOMEHOW they never figured out that he was being spiked and had dementia signs? Let alone the bogus missing euros from their accounts?? How??
Really? Honestly? My Grandma had dementia and it's a serious illness and quite frankly you have to be really ignorant in order not to see it. I also don't understand how the 'ex' of one character turned around his atittude quickly in the last series...??!!!
The script-writing has many holes. Like the coroner not re-opening the case after the new relationship being discovered. Like the same standard drunken revenge desparate son and the one who was control over anyone who is married to his sister! So much for happy families. It's so degenerate it's just stupid and also the plot twists are so polar it makes it even worse and ruins whatever substance you thought was there in the opening minutes!
It's not a great show and it appears more slick than it actually is. It's very odd that the basic patterns were not understood and the police were this incompetent. An awful script with average acting and average screenplay.
Gangs of London (2020)
The Modern Krays - Gangland Violence Is Amplified!
Wow. I'm already over half a season in but I feel compelled to write a review! The acting is excellent! Audio is stunning. I love the production it's all very on-point.
Location wise is fab; a mixture of highend and local hoodlum hangouts and traveller parks etc. It's got a great script with LOADS of intense character-development!
Gareth Evans' signature choreography is one of the best in the business! Certainly the best from the uk. The fighting is just superb! Also the gunplay is exceptional. The tracking shots are absolutely next-level.
Stunning cinematography. Superb audio. I really love the depth and the global aspect of the gangs! It's great that actors are using real dialogue with real accents and real languages! This means a lot! It's just utterly awesome. We need more of this!
Hoshikuzu kyôdai no densetsu (1985)
New Wave Romantic Quirky Cult Manga Movie
A combination of themes going here! Lots of basis of London punk and new wave; which was common in 1985! Bands like Adam and The Ants and David Bowie are definitely inspirations in the movie.
The new wave songs are good and the live shows of the Brothers seem natural and not forced. There is a lot of punk energy about them and I like the cinematography style.
It's very arthouse. It's very advanced for the era and for a very young director to do this movie it is accomplished and with plenty of slapstick and style.
What it sadly misses is a better narrative and storyline. It's like a bunch of random themes put together from live shows to a car-chase to some sort of weird alien/zombie apocolypse script with a homage to other bizarre cult movies!
I really enoyed the film and it is a LOT of fun. Just the plot line is very thin. The brothers perform fabulously and the band is fun. Bands get huge recognition in Japan and for artists it's one of the best places in the world to tour. It's highlighted here with the two brothers performing to an energised and enthusiastic crowd.
Bands that don't always get noticed when they should but get amazing treatment in Japan (just watch the Anvil doc; ignorerd overseas but loved in Japan) and it's so nice to see the Japanese people truely adore pop culture. As a big music nerd this has been done very well but it also feels like one long pop video with an interesting end!
With a descent script this could have been so much better! However it is so funny and quirky and amusing that I still loved it! I got the first pressing on Third Windows which has a cd with it of the soundtrack! This is a very nice touch as a package! Thanks to Third Windows for allowing me to see these fun films which I otherwise would not have. It's hard to rate but I loved the entertainment value. 7/10.
Sabi otoko sabi onna (2011)
Quirky and The Unusual
A trilogy of directors and films assorted together on one catalogue reference. The big surprise here is the follow-up movie from the Director of Survival Style 5+; Gen Sekiguchi and this SOMEHOW being his only follow-up movie since!
He's started making advertisements and this is really sad as I adored Survival Style 5+ but it just bombed in the box-office!
I'm ever so grateful for the team at Third Window Films for allowing me this unique opportunity to see these movies together! How Gen Sekiguchi is not asked to do more movies is really sad for me as he is indeed a special talent in my eyes!
I adored that there was two male and two female directors shown. I loved the short pieces and the quirkyness of the movies. Sure it was not ground-breaking but it was fun and very original and entertaining with morality values and other aspects.
The love stories between characters were incredibly sweet and I loved the character development in all of the segments. It is hard to rate these movies and they were very low-budget titles. I will give a strong 7/10.
Fighting with My Family (2019)
Taking On The TV Series and Pushing It To The Big Screen!
Well I thought this was a generally excellent films except for some lazyness in research like Ricky clearly wearing an Arsenal shirt in the TV series and the Nick Frost character wearing a Norwich shirt in the movie! I mean come on!
The show was a really enjoyable featurette on Channel 4 and this movie takes the nuggets from the show and showcases how Paige became a professional wrestler.
Acting is really top. Stephan Merchant is a great writer so the comedy and the gags are absolutely spot-on. The casting is fabulous. Really nice screenplay.
There is plenty of drama and special appearances by movie legend 'The Rock' or Dwayne Johnson. Dwanye just comes across as your missing brother in this movie and deserves a lot of credit for being involved to support the industry and the diversity it so badly needs!
It's a really fun and enjoyable popcorn movie and I'm really glad to have finally watched it on Netlfix. 8/10. Amazing soundtrack too! Oh they really got the dressing room environment spot on! I watch a lot of band stuff on You Tube where they have dressing room locations. This is very accurate.
Trolls (2016)
Predictable Fairytale Drama With Glitter And Morality
It's pretty much a standard predictable and tired fairytale drama. It's got some great voice actors such as Jeffrey Tambor and John Cleese but Russell Brand and James Corden..please...
Don't really understand what was going on in the casting pool for that. It's more of a musical animation set as well as a drama. The music is hit-or-miss. Some good old funk tunes but also a lot of crap. Could do with KC and The Sunhine Band.
The script is ok but it's just easy repetitive gags and storylines. I'm not the demographic for this movie but I wanted something entertaining and light and it did the job it just did not wow me like Toy Story and Inside Out and Wall E did.
A good effort but it falls short. The morality bottom-line is a good education for kids though.
Insutanto numa (2009)
Charming; Hilarious and An Adventure Of Realisation!
This is an excellent movie! It's extremely quirky with LOADS of slapstick gags and Chaplin-style gags. It's witty. It's quirky. It's got great character-development and an excellent narrative.
It's a down-and-out girl who is not happy in her job and she loses her job. She finds her lost relative and discovers that they have a strong connection and a similar gift. Then she decides to follow his career path and becomes enlightened by him and his idocentricies.
It's a very romantic movie. Whilst this is happening with her rediscovering her lost relative her mum is in a coma and needs awakening. There is a special secret to her awakening and it all comes togeter in such a beautiful way.
Also a special shout out to the Director for making Gus; the punk-rocker; a social responsible guy! Many of us punk-rockers are not deemed well in society and this is just great to see!
It's weird it's wonderful it's quirky it's funny it's fun and it's even palpable at times too! Just awesome cinema! It hits your emotions and makes you connect to the characters. It's a low-budget movie with some nice CGI and it's not OTT. I love the structure of the film and the cinematography and sets are excellent. It is long at two hours though!
My copy is from the Satoshi Miki box-set on Third Window Films.
8/10. Excellent movie!
The Umbrella Academy (2019)
Great Until The End
The show started off so so well but then it tailed into some weird ending with a dumb narrative. I don't understand how it went from an EPIC start to such a disaster downfall.
Sure I get the connection of the ending (not giving spoilers) but it's just absurd with so much happening before it and it feeling that it just did not sync at all with previous seasons. It really left me bitter about the potential it had early on.
The first season is absolutely incredible. It just never carried-on with that flow. I don't understand what went wrong with the writing and the script. The direction and carmea work and everything else is top-tier though.