Reviews
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
So much talent, so little imagination
First off, for the record I'm Scottish and have been a big fan of Karen Gillan since her first appearance on Dr Who. I was really happy she was getting her first real starring role in a movie and I really wanted to love this,
However, I was very disappointed as this is the first piece of work I've seen of hers where she was not real for me.
There were a lot of smart lines but they weren't embedded in any fully developed character. Not just Karen's character but all of the main characters came across as just delivering lines on cue, slick but a bit soulless.
Personally I found this a dreadful waste of talent, which was abundant in this movie.
Instead of creating something new, the whole movie was cliché and a pastiche of every shoot'em up that has gone before. There was nothing new here, For all the flashes and bangs,
The concept of the library was frankly contrived and silly. Where did they keep the bazookas, in the over sized section?
I was just left me looking forward to the next movie that Karen stars in with the hope that it is the right vehicle as this movie for me drove in to a dead end.
Black Lightning (2018)
Black show for white dudes...only if your bias. All stand up!!
I'm Scottish guy and a ginger, so if you put me in a white pigment chart you'd have to put me pretty near the bottom.
Despite that I see a lot of colour in this show. Pardon me if I spell it in an anglicized fashion. I enjoy the 80's vibe it portrays and the positive message that is attributed to that age. You have a hero with doubts and a community under pressure to make the right decisions, with the most vulnerable in that community answerable to those decisions.
What I like about this show is that it does not portray black people as reactionaries that deal with situations based on their adrenaline levels but portrays them as considered thinking human beings that we would all endeavour to be.
This is reflected by the choice of hero. He is no "young gun", rather he is a father, a teacher and as such he sees the dichotomy of his own position as a super hero and he knows how younger people may misunderstand the message he is delivering. This is not a show about a super hero it is about an adult making a decison about what is important.
This is an intelligent show and despite it's flaw of having to down talk its message to fit the commercial niche that has been enforced on it, that does not stop it being one of my most anticipated shows every week.
Is it perfect? No, by no means!!
How could it be when it is trying to walk a fine line between perception by black and white? Despite that it is brave enough to try and in answer to one persons criticisms it is more alive and impervious to harm than Luke Cage will ever be as this show has a heart and is not a construct built for a larger commercial gain.
When watching this show don't focus on the directors, producers and the rest of the silly details just listen to the beat...of its heart.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
Sherlock Homes Meets Under Developed Batman
Just watched this movie and as someone in their 50s who grew up and accepted the new incarnations and evolution of the Batman I was very disappointed. Yes I know this is set in the past but a regression in technology doesn't mean the character has to regress also.
I felt that the Batman in this movie was just a pale reflection of Sherlock Holmes and a powered down version at that. He even had his own version of Baker Street Irregulars which was just a bit derivative. While providing recognition of one of Batmans most central archetypes is appreciated it progressed past the point being of a homage but instead made the principal character of the Batman feel like just a cheap copy of the original..
To be fair the film is competently done and is watchable. The voices were well done and filled out the characters to a degree. I even enjoyed the song by Selina Kyle in the theatre as well as using the voice and character of Harley Quinn in a cameo role as an old drunk woman. I did not however appreciate the dead fish eyes of Bruce Wayne that again made him seem more 2 dimensional and detracted from my enjoyment.
One of the biggest failure in this movie was the misuse and under use of characters like Poison Ivy and Dr Hugo Strange who were just passing through this movie. Don't blink or you'll miss them.
Coming from the UK I've seen every permutation of the Sherlock Holmes legend in the media and this was a mediocre offering at best. I shouldn't have had to keep reminding myself that this was a Batman movie and not a Sherlock Holmes movie.
Steven Universe (2013)
Human and fun
I've not given this a "10" for two reasons.
Reason one, I've only watched the opening episode so do not consider myself fit to fully judge and secondly I'd only give a ten to perfection. Still it impressed me so much that I decided to write this review straight away so that the emotions it evoked would still be raw and real.
While not anime as in the Japanese form, this production has all the attributes of the best anime. It feels fresh and dynamic with great characters that are attractive and unique due to their human imperfections. The dialogue is crisp and energetic drawing the viewer in so that you feel the moment along with each character. On addition, the artwork is clean, simple and yet completely unique with its clear outlines and balanced colours.
Steven the main character in the first episode is a lovely chubby boy who is looked after by the three Gems who are "gem" super powered heroines that guard the universe. Pearl is slim and a bit OCD, Amethyst is rubenesque, ;aid back and a bit of a slob while Garnet is more amazon in stature and is not into speeches but lets her actions speak for her. The gems as a trio come across as matronly in nature. They work together to care and protect Steven who they see both as their protégé and their hope for the future to replace his lost mother who was a very powerful gem. While it is not implicitly stated they treat Steven almost as their adopted child. So Very early into the episode you get to feel the love.
Stevens Universe has the a very positive female orientated perspective. All the Gems seem to have been and are intrinsically female with Steven being the exception who is accepted rather than excluded. So Steven ends up with three mothers but no male role model, as yet (remember I've only seen one episode). Also the gem that gives him his powers is rose pink and his gem power is protective rather than destructive which is not stereotypically male but more in sync with where the perceived modern male role model is hopefully moving to.
So!! Fresh, different and did I forget to say funny? Yesl, I laughed out loud and had some happy tears too. Stevens innocence as a searching developing child with his own way at looking at his universe caught me by surprise.
If you could try one series that by incorporating adult insights might put you back in touch with your inner child then this might just be the one for you. Enjoy!!
Dragon Warriors (2015)
Not high brow comedy but not low brow either
For a low budget movie with questionable cgi this is a slow burner that does catch fire.
Where this wins over similar competitors is its awareness of its audience. Its smart humour is based in solid foundations of its watchers references whether it is Star Wars or Lord of the Rings (OK I gave it away), it's a nerd movie. Still with solid actors like Marsters, Johnston as protagonists and even Denton who projects himself well beyond some excellent Orc makeup effects this film is in safe hands. Luke Perry I would not have recognised in a thousand years does OK but is overshadowed by his contemporaries who provide energetic and articulate voices for their roles.
I would admit the guys get all the best lines and the female characters are not as well served in this area. A bit more flesh on their characters bones would have been appreciated. The pacing of the movie however was well done and the low budget cgi effects for the backdrops reminded me of the old Dr Who green screen, which to my mind added to the charm of this movie.
While this film is no "Princess Bride", If you appreciate intelligent movies that don't take themselves too seriously then you might just have found a little gem.
Four Lions (2010)
Funny in places but sugar coats a serious issue
The film as a comedy is patchy throughout with its main strength being the actors that play their characters dead pan. Their are comic moments that make you chuckle but this is no comedy.
What it falls down in is that it depicts those radicals as morons and ill educated losers trying to get recognition.
The sad fact is that while there are members that may fit this profile they are the fodder that become perpetrator and victim. The majority of those in charge are intelligent, educated and many from Britain come from middle or upper class families.
Comedy is said to be the art of taking a serious subject and making it funny. This may have funny moments but it does a dis-service as comedy has to have a centre of truth which is lost in this film.
Are we seriously to believe that an educated woman with a child and a career would quite happily support her husbands wish to die as a martyr ? Are we supposed to believe that these characters are so stupid that they are prepared to, without thought, sacrifice their friends while committing a senseless indiscriminate act of mass murder at a marathon. Moslems jog too you know.
No, the real truth is that most suicide bombers are in their teens or are single men or women who have been conditioned to believe that their only contribution in life is to die for a cause they do not fully understand. However, in the background mainly older men are prepared to accept their sacrifice while continuing into old age and savouring the joys of life they have denied to their lesser cohorts.
The Expendables 3 (2014)
Never mind the quality feel the width
If you are looking for intellectual enlightenment please stop reading. The Expendables 3 is not for the cerebral it is full of blazing action scenes, comfortable humour and a plot that is held together by duck tape but it delivers in spades. OK Harrison Ford is his usual gray self but Antonio Banderas shines in every scene he is in mixing pathos and humor in a heady mix of, "why has he not been the lead in anything more than the cat in Shrek", for so long. Also Wesley Snipes has his moment in the sun as a quipping killer whose knife prowess and capability makes Stratham's character step up to the plate.
The character list is a who's who of action heroes and the in jokes keep on rolling. If you love tanks, guns, huge explosions and larger than life characters you'll not be short changed.
Personally I think this is the best of the three and I say look past its flaws and just enjoy the ride.
Borealis (2013)
Has Grit
I watched this with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised when it re orientated my point of view. I know it's hard to accept that some good things come from Canada but there you go. Yes some of the characters are a bit cliché however that does not distract from the family that makes up the heart of this story and makes me wish that there was more to follow in a series. This story is about hard choices in a hard world where people are the cheapest commodity. Ty Olsson who has credits from his performance of Benny in Supernatural does not disappoint and the supporting cast do what they are supposed to do very well. If you watch it you will be touched by the humanity of it's direction and want to find out where do these lost individuals go from here. This is not a moral tale rather a tale of people muddling by in a gray and darker gray world but hoping to see the sun in a cold cold land.
Addendum
Noted this comment from whokares "I too am at a loss with the reviews by the first 7 people and agree they must be associated to the movie somehow and have a stake in "gushing" over it."
Just like to point out I live in Scotland so my chances of being associated with a Canadian movie is pretty far fetched. Still he agrees with what he's said so must be right. This is a pilot that reminds me of Defiance which is another series that got the casting right. Yes as a film it stops short but as a pilot is does great.
Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror (2013)
I have a cunning plan ! Oh no you don't and BTW you are crap at science too!!
A rocket flies up a chimney flames pouring from its thrusters and in such an enclosed space no one even gets a hair singed.
How come the Dr's plans nowadays seem to comprise of running after the monster/bad guys then going "oops!!", when he catches them and he realises they have a bigger gun, claws, army, WMD (please circle relevant item(s))? For once I'd like to see the Dr using his huge brain to be, well, smart...and thinking just a little further ahead.
So many good things were trying to happen in this episode like the comedy that comes in the form of Jenni, Vastra and Strax as well as the homage to the Avengers. Loved the line "attack of the super models".
Diana Rigg as Mrs Gillyflower, with her lack of redeeming features and no room for the weak was excellent and very reminiscent of Maragaret Thatcher in her hey day.
Anyway, I guess whipping a dead horse instead of killing a live one, like Strax nearly did, is not so popular now since the media rewrote her legacy recently.
The fact that Diana Rigg's real life daughter played her screen daughter was a very nice touch.
Even with all that good stuff there was no build up of tension or suspense. As everything is bottled into a single episode, everyone now knows that in 45 minutes everything will be resolved and the Dr will triumph (half the audience changes channel or puts the coffee on). Unfortunately, the format of 1 story to a show is really destroying any sense of story telling.
The dumbing down of the show and the Dr, is evident as at the end we are to believe that 12 year old kids can take the time to find pictures of their nanny over more than 100 years and come to a conclusion that she is a time traveller. Wow google search has improved leaps and bounds as well as the attention span of 12 year olds.
Dr Who over 50 years has taken its original audience with it so that the children have now become the adult audience. When it returned from its years in the wilderness it came back revitalised and with innovative storytelling reached out to a a new, wider audience.
However, Dr Who is not a child's program rather it is a scifi program that children can appreciate. It would appear that the show is devolving into a variation of the Sarah Jane Chronicles, which was a great spin off for young adults, but that is not what Dr Who is or was ever meant to be.
With less and less for the adult viewer to appreciate the current programming is undermining the integrity the show has built up in recent years and is becoming a candidate for the Disney channel. As a matter of fact with the current plot line I'll be monitoring the Disney channel just in case the tardis materialises there with Clara's kids on board.
Hope we can stop the rot soon and save what has become an excellent institution.
On an up note (pun intended), doesn't Jenna-Louise look great with her hair up.
Doctor Who: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (2013)
Oh what a great show this could have been, except it was an episode short!
Oh what a great show this could have been, except it was an episode short! The new format of one storyline to an episode is IMHO destructive to character development and ultimately to Dr Who. When capable, intelligent actors are turned into shadow puppets with no substance then interest can but wane.
Quite a few holes in the plot and continuity. Like when the youngest brother gets a pole right through his shoulder and he then picks a fight with his brother when freed only to remember he is hurt after the fact (no blood and no hole). Also if the engine was based on a nuclear rod principle then he'd have been melted anyway.
Dr Who has got a lot to offer but not as a fast food meal with no substance and not as a science fiction show without the basic science included. If these flaws were a one offs in a good season I'd forgive and forget but as the whole season has been flawed I think the buck stops with Stephen Moffat. Come back Russell T. we never had to forgive you anything.
On the plus side some good acting by Matt and Jenna-Louise. Poor Jenna hasn't been treated very well up to now with her character reverting from cool, assertive adult to a silhouette of a 14 year old looking for the Dr's approval. Not her fault just poor scripts. Lets hope this episode is indicative of the old Clara's return.
Gekijouban Fairy Tail: Houou no miko (2012)
Watch it!!!
First off I'd like to say that the 2 reviews I've read are very disappointing although the film is definitely NOT. One was a review of the series rather than the film and the other was by an alleged fan who has ADHD or watched another movie altogether.
In this film you are introduced to the guild of Fairy Tail full of lovable eccentric mages. Even if you are not a fan you can pick up the storyline and quickly are given an insight into the rich tapestry of great characters. An earlier criticism from "a fan" was that this effort to introduce the characters and additional scenes could be viewed as filler in the movie. This is not my view, as in reality it was done to ensure this was not just another fanbase movie that only the fans would watch.
Within the first 10 minutes you realise that these characters are larger than life and funny as hell. Happy, Natsu's pet flying cat, always has me laughing with great offhand comments and didn't fail to deliver in the movie. Fairy Tail are guaranteed to bring havoc wherever they go but they have hearts so large you can't help but warm to them.
What Japanese anime does well,and this movie is a good example of, is combine pathos and fatality with comedy to provide a roller coaster of emotions so that you can be crying and laughing within the same breath.
Look at UP, Toy Story and even Wreck it Ralph and you can see how the influence of anime and quality anime such as Fairy Tail has had in this area.
I loved the new characters too, Eclair and Momon's story was loving and poignant and if you watch the prologue which was released after the movie as a 15 min short it just enriches the story of these two. It is referred to as Fairy Tail Movie Prolouge - Hoou no Miko aka "Sunrise" or "The First Morning"
The Fairy Tail mages I felt were a bit under powered from the series but that does happen when you translate onto the big screen. Still their hearts were just as big and the emotions evoked by fully developed characters just as solid. There are a couple of scenes where there is slight nudity for comedic purposes but nothing graphic.
As a fan I'll give it 8/10 as this is a solid example of why after 175 episodes of the series it is still going stronger than ever. Quality never goes out of style and with all the great characters in Fairy Tail there is someone there for everyone.
The Mindy Project (2012)
Person of Colour..you said what..??
I was watching the pilot of the show and getting used to the fast paced dialogue and the high pitched voice of Mindy.
So I was just a bit surprised when I heard that part of her justification for doing an interview was that she was "a Person of Colour" (PoC)
No one even raised an eyebrow or grumbled "You said what....?"
Being a PoC or any other genotype or derived descriptor of, is not a qualification for anyone giving an interview or it shouldn't be.
I almost heard Richard Medley doing his terrible impression of Ali G saying "It's cause I'm black innit!!!" Yes we know that she's not Caucasian, male, middle class oh well, maybe she is middle class just a little, but do we really need it spelled out in such gauche terms.
I got a feeling this pilot was trying too hard to label itself and in doing so tripped itself up. I hope that it will find its feet soon.
Labyrinth (2012)
Love the Cathars so what went wrong?
Love the Cathars, would be happy to have one for a neighbour. The concept of liberal Christians that believed in equality for all, accumulation of wealth was bad, sex was healthy and believed in reincarnation is very interesting. The fact that, in the 12/13th century, philosophically they were kicking the roman catholic churches butt says a lot. Tying that in with the holy grail and mixing it in with factual historical references gave this mini series a lot of scope. The reference to carrying our past with us in our blood is very reminiscent of Frank Herbert's Dune and the inference of a genetic memory.
However, the heavy handedness of the direction and use of cliché characters and tropes that did not make sense left me squirming in my seat. Especially in part 1 and the end of part II in the medieval period it felt as if the Cathars had some rabid twitter account saying "Dear bad guys guys want to know all our secrets?....". Yes we know it's the good guys against the bad guys but how come the bad guys seem to know more about what their counterparts are doing than they do? Damn you twitter account!!!
Speaking of which, I felt sorry for Katie McGrath who portrayed a cardboard cut out of her Morgana character in the Merlin series. She's a good looking woman and a fine actress but did she seriously have to lose her clothes so often? She was only one of many flat characters with trite dialogue. There is one scene where she can see someone shake his head in response to a question she asks when she is looking away from him. At this point I was also shaking my head as the dialogue/monologue leading up to this point felt like a quick fix to try to explain her motivation for being such a nasty piece of work and failing miserably.
When it came to the end it felt that I had only seen half the production. It felt as if a whole group of scenes had been cut out and re-spliced leaving me trying to figure how we got to F from A without B, C, D and E. If I'm being kind I would like to think that due to external pressures that a real cracker of a production is out there waiting to be shown at a future date.
As it was I found myself just becoming more frustrated as things made less and less sense. Even the role of the grail in the end becomes diminished except potentially as lesson teacher to humanity.
On the plus side Jessica Brown Findlay playing the medieval heroine was the closest to a fully formed character in the whole story and I'd like to see her in more roles. Production was good especially in the medieval scenes and the filming felt clean and slick. I now feel enlightened as I've had a chance to meet the Cathars, not to be confused with the Kardashians. Giving it 5 out of 10 as I feel like I only saw half of what could have been.
Orlando (1992)
Asexuality doesn't mean ambiguity
Tilda Swinton as a man does require a certain denial. She is female lets not deny it. She is not the epitome of femininity but that is not a detraction from the person she portrays. She is plain but from start to finish she is not asexual far from it. She is rounded in her portrayal of Orlando except in the minor aspect of the deficiency in anger that is found in many men or to be more precise the denial of their expectations and acceptance of the reality with which they are met.
However, his/her characters adaptability and acceptance of reality despite the negatives of choosing a such a crippled sex in that age is what defines her inherent female persona from start to finish.
Quentin Crisp knowing his personal history is the epitome of queen and Billy Zanes acceptance of Orlando for the person that he/she is shows that his nature while that of a hero does not typify a gender pre-requisite stereotype.
This is a beautifully rendered film with a delicate touch and attention to detail not just of England's mini ice age but of a richer tapestry that skates just above below the ice.
When watching it you are scared to intrude as everything feels so fragile however the warmth, endurance and re-creation of Orlando as a life affirming force of nature is what makes this experience so robust. If anything it says that gender is not the issue but the the will of the individual to move forward in life despite the illusions and obstacles that society presents as the norm.
If I have any negative comments on the movie is that it should have been longer and filled in the gaps that were obvious in the life of anyone who is over 400 years old as it fails to emphasize the tearing and pain that such inherent change entails.
Lola rennt (1998)
I know what it is trying to do but it misses the mark
Just watched the movie so impressions are fresh. Is this a good movie? Goddam yes!! Does it show that we are all connected I'd certainly say so as Lola tries to make things right (listen to the soundtrack). She loves a man and that is what it takes to make things right. Feels very Trainspotting in places with the background music and pace. Believe me you will not be bored.
Lola loves her man and she has all the answers, well he says she does, so how does she fix the fact that without 100,000 DM her boyfriend that she loves will die in 20 minutes? Bit tricky, yes.
Lola's strength is her inability to accept defeat for her or her boyfriend so when she meets it she says "NO!!" In the film their is a parable that says "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", it almost slipped by me.
Where the film drops short for me is what makes the individual special? As we never get to know the main characters intimately why are they any more or less deserving than anyone else or does their love for one another stand them tall? I saw the intelligence of the movie running through the square missing the cracks in the pavement but would have liked to have seen the detail in the characters more instead of snapshots. In this area the film misses the mark as it sees everything in the third perspective so is a voyeur rather than a provocateur.
After watching the movie I'm still asking myself the question why is anyone special and what makes the characters worthy of a second or even third chance. That's not bad, as if movies can't make us think why do we watch them?
Arrow (2012)
When do the adverts end??
I've enjoyed DC for many years in all its mediums and the reprisal of the (Green) Arrow to the mainstream in Smallville was enjoyable despite the beautiful people aspect of the series. So I was expecting a lot from "The Arrow" especially when 2 of my favourite actors appeared in it, John Barrowman (Dr Who/Torchwood) and Manu Bennett (Spartacus). I was thinking "YES!!!"
So I've stuck it out for 15 episodes. Even when the soap level side plots and lazy scripting and dialogue have threatened to derail some pretty good action scenes and the main plot line itself.
The cast has quality in it. Susanna Thompson who is rock solid in her role. Colin Donnell does well as the troubled son trying to find his way in life. John Barrowman is toothily good in his role as the Arrow/Queen family's nemesis. So I won't blame the acting for the stuttering character development, as I know what this cast is capable of. You can almost see the actors gritting their teeth having to use heavy handed cliché dialogue. I would point to the direction as a big problem though. For instance Paul Blackthorne's portrayal of Lance (another solid actor) came across as a case of psychotic schizophrenia...."Who am I he?" he cries...loving father or psychopathic cop that is quite happy to risk his only remaining daughter for a bust. To lose one would be careless to lose two? No wonder the poor guy is losing his hair.
What can I say about Stephen Amell/Arrow, well he has an expressive suit(even though it is ill fitting especially for a billionaire). More than I can say for Stephen's acting. To be fair he does look the part, still that can only take you so far. The original DC Green Arrow was a bit of a wit and had a turn of phrase which is something a more expressive lead may have brought to the show. While the suit could certainly be saved by a visit to the tailor it might take more to save Stephen from looking so constipated all the time.
The product placement in almost every episode has not enamoured me to the show either. Treating the viewer as an unthinking consumer that will digest anything put in front of them is patronizing and insulting, more so when it is done so blatantly.
Since when does a tracking device that can be monitored on the internet require you to switch from an alleged state of the art smart phone (Lumia) to a notepad(Surface), a device that we know fits in every gals purse when they are at a dinner dance wearing not much more than a smile.
Still 15 episodes in I'm still looking for it to become more than an extended advert for chewing gum. Will it get a second season? Probably but for all the wrong reasons.
All this series needs is new writers,real direction and a miracle to raise it from mediocrity and sometimes outright embarrassment. Maybe it is time to start again.
I would ask one question of IMDb how does this show merit an 8.2 rating? Seriously!!!