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Reviews
Nefarious (2023)
A masterpiece in scriptwriting and acting.
I'd never heard of this film, but liked the synopsis.
Boy, am I glad I did. What an absolutely brilliant movie. Sean Patrick flannery gives an absolute acting masterclass. He is simply brilliant. The script is excellent. Thought provoking, clever ands draws on key aspects of Christian thology. From a plot perspective, it provides twists and revelations that keep the momentum going. The direction and sound keep the atmosphere just right.
Im an atheist, so I saw the film for the entertainment and intellectual exercise that it is. Bit as a religious exercise, which many seem to have interpreted it as.
Cocaine Bear (2023)
A great opportunity wasted.
Having seen the excellent cast, the previews I had high hopes for this film.
Billed as a comedy, Cocaine Bear fails to deliver any real laughs. Despite some great aspects of the film, this is it's great failure.
How banks could take such a great cast, a bonkers story based very loosely on a stranger-than-fiction historical event and fail so badly to make the film fit any genre is beyond me.
The cast make the best if a bad situation, the special bear effects are mostly excellent and the music is fine.
In the end, it not scary, not funny, and, well bot anything really.
It's just a big fat wasted opportunity and 90 minutes of your life that you will never get back.
The Continental (2023)
Better an some ways than the John Wicks
Comparisons with the John Wick series are inevitable.
Two things stand out about The Continenantal that improve on the films.
The first is the whole 70s vibe. It is so comprehensive in The Continental. While many period shows try to do the same, this series really brings the era to life. From the clothing, New York City at its worst, the aqrsome classic music of the time etc. You really feel luke you are back in that grungy 70s New York.
The second difference is that, despite retaining many of the John Wick features, such as brilliantly choreographed and styalised violence, The Continental is quite character driven. This is a weakness of the movies, where even Wick himself is barely fleshed out as a character.
Great acting, direction, scripting, wardrobe and sets/CGI.
As for Mel Gibson, well, he's just terrific.l in a role that had his name written all over it.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
Cage makes a lot of duds. This is not one of them.
Funny, touching, layered, action-packed, self-deprecating and if you applied an irony-counter to it, it would break.
Films built around a great actor playing themselves are often too self-indulgent.
Not so this film, which, for reasons that will become apparent, begins as a thought-provoking adult film about the human condition and slowly morphs onto a action/comedy flick.
All the fundamentals are there. Superb script, solid direction, good sound and music, stunts, etc.
And the acting is just the best.
The supporting cast do their job, but Cage and Pascal, two superb talents when they are at their best are just terrific.
It's not going to win any Oscars, but it will win a lot of fans.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 24: The Return (2023)
A prefect 10, so what's with the low ratings?
You have to wonder about star wars fans that can give this episode a 1/10. That is complete misue of the ratings system. Even the worst episode of the worst show is hard to justify a 1/10. Those people need to get over themselves.
This episode was flawless and a perfect finale to the threads of the story running through series 3.
The CGI was worthy of a star wars film, the action terrific and the plot great. Very little in the way of script, obviously as it is mostly action.
All edited well to run the various parallel battles to their conclusion together.
A superb episode of TV. Thank you.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
How a multiverse should be done
This spectacular, bonkers, incredibly original, laugh out loud and incredibly moving film puts all other attempts at a multiverse to shame. And most other films for that matter.
It is so utterly unique that it is hard to compare it with anything that has gone before it.
That it was even made gives us all hope that, amongst all the regurgitated clones, lazy and unoriginal films that are made each year, a true diamond can still be found in the rough.
Everything about this film is nearly flawless. The script is one of the heros. It's tight, hilariously funny, moving, ribald (don't let kids watch it!) And, despite the utterly chaotic nature of the film, still flows and manages to keep the viewer informed enough to abandon it for being to hard to follow, which is no mean feat.
Yeoh is incredible in everyday. She shows the full range of her talents, which are broad indeed.
The rest of the main cast are superb and the casting team should be commended.
The action is, as you'd expect, it brilliant and varies enough not be become repetitive, a perennial problem with many martial arts movies.
The score is great, as is the direction and editing, which, once you've seen the film would have been a tough gig indeed.
Ive just watched it a second time and enjoyed it even more as there is so much going on, it's hard to take it all in on first viewing.
Let's hope more original films now get a chance at life. God knows, we need the..
Tales of the Walking Dead: Amy/Dr. Everett (2022)
A fascinating intelligent take on TWD world
What a great standalone story.
Ive watched hundreds of episodes in TWD world and yet this is the first to truly look deeply into this world from a scientific and objective perspective, finally putting the walking dead in a context where they aren't just scary zombies.
Whilst much of TWD is character-driven and examines the human condition under extreme situations, which sets it apart from most slash them zombie gorefests, this episode takes the scope way out to the planetary level. If you want an episode that really makes you stop and think more deeply about TWD version of Earth beyond just the "humans as a virus" theme that (rightly) prevails in most dystopia movies and TV shows these days, this is a good place to start.
Well acted by the two players, superbly written.
Well worth watching.
The Oak Room (2020)
The power of a story
A very clever and carefully-crafted film.
Great atmosphere and, despite being mostly one to one story-telling, it keeps your interest until the end.
Terrific acting from a very small cast, especially RJ Mitte and Ari Millen.
The soundtrack is very good and compliments the mood of the film well.
The script is great, although the main characters sometimes get too repetitive, as though the writers didn't fully trust the audience to get the point.
At one point, it was a story within a story and started to have an Inception feel.
Worth watching if you like your brain to be engaged during a movie.
Samaritan (2022)
Simple and gritty.Not bad, actually.
This makes a nice change from the slick Marvel movies.
Pretty simple film, but puts the whole superhero worship into perspective. That's been done before, but its done quite well here.
I thought Stallone was quite good.
Saw VI (2009)
Best Saw since Saw
You either like these films or you don't.
But, for those of us that do, this issue of the franchise has a solid plot and a strong social message about the scandalously corrupt and heartless health system that Americans unfortunately depend on for their lives.
A good, solid gore-fest with a heart.
Kateo (2022)
Video game movie made to look like a video game.
I think some of the reviewers missed the point that this film was meant to look like a video game.
Not a masterpiece, by any means, and sometimes dizzying, but non-stop action and fascinating camera work. And some of the stunts are incredible.
Definitely a brainless, but very enjoyable ride.
Boiling Point (2021)
A single shot masterpiece.
It wasn't until about 20 minutes into the film that I realised it was a single take. The whole film!
Setting that aside, this a a masterpiece from all involved, with Stephen Graham and Vinette Robinson delivering absolute master-classes, and the cast, crew and director all delivering a superb non-stop, character-driven instant classic, upstaged onky by the sole camerman, who deserves and Oscar.
Original, brilliant, captivating and thoroughly with 90 minutes of your time.
The Sandman: 24/7 (2022)
A slow building masterpiece
At the start of this episode, I thought it was an unwanted distraction from the series.
But as it slowly builds, it becomes a masterpiece and a thorough examination of the human condition.
In my view, the best episode of the series up to this point.
The Terminal List (2022)
Superb conspiracy thriller with a heart
This is a terrific conspiracy thriller with a heart.
Unlike similar films and series of this type, terminal List muddies the moral waters, showing that everything isn't black and white.
Rich characters, played very competently by a great cast, terrific direction, pacing and cinematography.
This is a very enjoyable series that slows things down to take a deeper look but then suddenly ramps up the action.
Watch for some very original plot lines and twsits too.
I highly recommend.
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
One of the best Rambos
Far grittier and real than all but the first.
Has the best of Rambo, Taken and doesn't suffer from the American patriotic nonsense of Rambo 2 & 3.
I was very pleasantly surprised.
Oldboy (2013)
Great if you haven't seen the original
Most of the negative comments are because it's a remake and the usual comparisons apply.
For those of us who haven't seen that original, it is an enjoyable, entertaining film with a bit of everything and some solid performances from Brolin and Olsen along side some borderline characature performances from the main protagonists.
Certainly worth watching.
Old (2021)
Not perfect, but very original and enjoyable
Far better than I expected.
If there is one thing that characterises the "streaming era", it's that there is a lot of content and hardly any of it is original.
This is fabulously original and an excellent ending.
If, like me, you like Shyamalan's movies, you'll love this one.
No Time to Die (2021)
Perfect end to the series
This edition was worth the pandemic wait.
It is a perfect bookend to Casino Royal and closes off all of the elements of the Craig era.
Despite being 2 hours and 45 minutes long, the action, the interest and the pacing means that it flies by, surely a testimony to how enthralling the film is.
In many ways, this is unlike any other Bond film.
In others, it is a Bond classic.
Looking back on Craig's legacy, only Quantum of Solace is a let down in what is otherwise a set of the best Bond films ever.
If you have seen all of the others, you will not be dissappointed.
The Seventh Day (2021)
Better than expected
After seeing all the bad reviews, I gave this film a chance as I love Guy Pearce.
I found it to be a solid, enjoyable film, not overly scary although it is quite violent.
The small cast put in good performances.
Worth a look if you like the genre.
Wakefield (2021)
Hard to watch....because it's so good.
Wakefield is a difficult show to watch at time, partly because of the subject matter, and partly because it's so real.
But the pay-off is a beautifully scripted story, superb direction, spectacular scenery and a set of flawless performances from an incredible Australian ensemble cast. Oh, and an Englishman as the star, although his Australian accent is so surprisingly good, I think we will make him an honorary Aussie.
The final episode left me sitting quietly for a while contemplating what I'd just watched.
If you want something that is seriously cerebral but still capable of making you burst out laughing, Wakefield is for you.
Antebellum (2020)
Unfulfilled potential
The nucleus of a great film was there, the music and direction good, and the acting, when allowed to be more than one-dimensional, was good.
But the film feels rushed and unfinished.
Notwithstanding that, I still enjoyed it.
Blackhat (2015)
A solid Michael Mann film
Solid, well paced action thriller with recognisable Mann action scenes, tight scripting and direction.
An enjoyable, albeit very violent, watch.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Better than expected
After reading some media and user reviews, I didn't expect much. And people arguing that the physics doesn't make sense.....seriously?
I was pleasantly surprised.
Good back stories, solid acting, excellent effects, a plot that is far more coherent than some people reviewing here seem to think.
And the pace is really good. It's long, but doesn't feel it.
Without Remorse (2021)
Nothing like the book, but a good film nonetheless
As a big Tom Clancy fan that read the books in the 80s and 90s, I was expecting this to stay a lot closer to the book. That it didnt is disappointing.
However, if you have NOT read the books and dont have a preconceived view of Clark, then as a standalone film, I think this is very good.
Despite a few glaring technical errors, the action is very good, the pace excellent and the plot good enough, and quite topical, given that current massive divide in america at the moment.
If you have Amazon and like a good action movie, watch it. You wont be disappointed.
She Dies Tomorrow (2020)
They forgot the ending
Very atmospheric, haunting and kind of stylish.
And the premise sucks you in.
It's an interesting angle on modern day nihilism.
But I can only assume that they ran out of money and couldn't afford an ending......