Talos Reviews

I Am...: I Am Victoria (2021) Season 2, Episode 1

I really like these stories...

[7/10 · 1 January 2024]

Suranne is a good actress . I've watched her in other films and she shows great range.

I appreciate the stories behind this series and getting such an in-depth view of women and their thoughts, struggles and heroism in some cases.

What I don't like ( call me old school) is the hyper active camera work. The constant zooming in and jagged, jiggly camera action is distracting and made me dizzy.

I get the use of it as part of the impact of the dialogue but it's way over-used! Even in the quiet, solo moments the camera can't stay still. It's like a hyperactive child has control of the camera.

But even with the use of the jiggle camera, I think the improvisation by Suranne was great.

Dead Ringers (2023)

Dreadful

[2/10 · 24 April 2023]

I love Rachel Weisz but not in this mess. Hopefully her next project will be up to her acting standards. She has such a great screen presence.

I saw the original Jeremy Irons/Cronenberg movie years ago and that film had me guessing. And I have to say it was better.

Sometimes the tv series being made go one or two episodes too long; but this one should have been never have been made. Again, Rachel Weisz had us intrigued but she wasn't able to save it - even with double her strength!

Other reviews covered what I thought of this series. (I could only make it through the first episode...barely. I could tell my wife was struggling to make it through as well).

House of the Dragon (2022– )

Not as Good as Game of Thrones

[4/10 · 19 December 2022]

The first season of House is nowhere near as good as GOT. It seems to follow the same formula as other "royal dramas", very soapy with similar power struggles, angst about being rich and powerful as well as tedious, long stretches of one-on-one, boring chatter.

There are flashes of the GOT brilliance but they are few and far between. I've read all of Martin's books and this series (from what I can remember) doesn't match the action, imagination or thoughtful narration of his books.

I'm hoping that season 2 will seek to rise up to at least some of the brilliance of Game of Thrones.

There are also not a lot of likeable characters in this series. My memory of the last book is that there are at least one or two protagonists who one could root for at least a little bit.

Knightfall (2017–2019)

Nice cinema photography but Landry's voice grated on me!

[4/10 · 18 September 2020]

I wanted to like it and at times I really enjoyed this show but other times, eeesh. Acting was over the top at times. Not factually accurate. And I am not sure that the king would always always be wearing a crown. Kinda reminds me of the king in Shrek. I also don't believe the pope would be wearing a mitre even when he is meeting with people one-on-one in informal meetings. It seemed over the top (get it?) to have the pope and the king wearing their respective head hear all the time! Yet, Landry was always bare-headed all the time. But Landry (not Tom Landry)...his voice...and overacting.

Steve Jobs (2015)

Agree, this was boring

[4/10 · 16 August 2020]

Another rater wrote this was boring and I really have to agree. I would also agree with yet another rater who wrote about this was a film of just shouting and arguing in one monotonous scene after another. I actually nodded off just a bit! I do think that Kate Winslet had the best scene in this movie at about the 1 hour, 19 min mark. One-time viewing only.

Hidden (2018–2022)

Beautiful cinematography and thoughtful directing.

[8/10 · 17 June 2020]

Yes, I agree that the writing is great and the setting for Hidden makes for an entertaining and interesting show. The use of lighting combined with the beautiful exterior and sometimes brooding interior scenes are so artful and play an important part of the story. My wife and I really like the show. (I still can't get over the beautiful, artful direction and cinematography ...repeating myself; I know)!

Atypical (2017–2021)

True warmth in a clever way

[9/10 · 15 November 2019]

I love this show because of its sometimes subtle compassion in its characters. Their interactions are realistic for the most part, in a way that real life sometimes is. The writing is great and wise.

Before We Go (I) (2014)

Dizzying

[6/10 · 1 February 2019]

Ok, I get the trend towards handheld camera shots for "realism" but I got woozy watching this movie, especially the outdoor scenes; there was so much jiggly camera movements! Holy cow! Enough already!!! The dialogue was too cutesy and cliche-ridden, especially Chris Evans' character. I still gave it a pretty good rating overall. It was fairly entertaining.

House of Cards: Chapter 69 (2018) Season 6, Episode 4

I quit

[1/10 · 21 December 2018]

I have watched every episode until this one. I made it to half of Episode 4 or chapter 69....whatever. THIS SHOW HAS LOST ITS WAY. I am bored and confused. I quit! There are more interesting shows and movies to watch.

The Romanoffs: Panorama (2018) Season 1, Episode 6

Potentially good idea that lost out to mediocre execution

[6/10 · 11 November 2018]

I'm not quite as critical as others here but I do agree that it was pretty lackluster. There was a chance for this to have a nice romantic interlude given the backdrop of Mexico City and nice music but it lost out to a failure to complete a strong storyline and a weak script, mostly due to the dialogue. I'd like to see Juan Pablo Castaneda in some other projects; or be able to see his other work become available.

Requiem (2018)

Disappointing

[2/10 · 26 July 2018]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one since I stayed away from reading the reviews. I thought I was in for a tale of mystery and some good old detective work with a twist. Well, there was a twist, and a turn, and another twist and then some meandering into some weirdness that wanted to have me make a wee bit of sense out of it all. But alas, six episodes revealed that it disappointed me and I was rooting for poor Hal (at least) instead of the spoiled heroine, Matilda. Sometimes a movie, or in this case, a TV series is too clever for its own good.

Hannibal: Dolce (2015) Season 3, Episode 6

Too much already.

[3/10 · 4 July 2018]

Ok, a touch of realism would really help here. The last few episodes (and dare I say even further back) have had pointless dialogue. Yes, there are fantastic images but the actual story line is now muddled up pretty well. I have to disagree with raves and write that I am now getting bored. Sometimes you have to know when to end a story or at least go in a completely different plot direction.

Collateral (2018)

Meandering Mess

[4/10 · 25 May 2018]

I really tried to like this mini-series but it fought me all the way. And boring, yes, very much so. The most intriguing and engaging character for me was David Mars, played by John Simm. Carey Mulligan's acting left me cold with her monotone dialogue and robotic character of Kit. Yawn.

The Lookalike (2014)

Pretty much a hot mess.

[5/10 · 4 May 2018]

Despite lots of good actors, this film (story line) is all over the place. Meg.

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Way too contrived...or just way too much

[2/10 · 13 June 2009]

Gee, I thought this film was going to have some promise, but it just hit me wrong. I agree with those who said I could have watched a friend's wedding video and been better entertained. I hated the camera work and I hated the contrived dialogs....There were many parts that made me sick. It seemed like many times it was going to be good and there moments where it was darned good but the bad parts just made the high moments fade away and fast....It was nice to see Debra Winger. The father role was different and I liked what happened there but there wasn't enough in this film to make me keep from getting nauseous...in part from the camera work but also the character development and their lines! Sheesh!

Wicker Park (2004)

Implausible, OK, but Rose Byrne was a saving grace.

[7/10 · 11 September 2004]

Well, yes, I am a guy and yes, Rose Byrne is great to look at, but, honestly? I thought her acting in this film kept me from going off the deep end on its obvious contrivances. But, then again, I also felt like the film wasn't really trying to draw the audience into any strong belief that it was taking itself too seriously. Huh? My wife was taken in a bit by Josh Hartnett, so it was easy for her to stay with the film. Diane Kruger playing Lisa, as the unreachable blonde was fine. I just have to go back to Rose Byrne's Alex who just had me with her passion (if that is what it really was...). I hope more of her films get to DVD status some day. I will hope for the best. Overall, pretty entertaining for a couple on a nice little date...heh heh heh.

Luther (2003)

A biopic done in the vein of older films along with the good and the bad elements of those films.

[9/10 · 27 September 2003]

The story of Martin Luther receives a respectable if not predictable treatment. But, after all, we all know how this turns out, right? Still, all in all, this was a very good film. Joseph Fiennes, in the role of Luther seemed to struggle to find the true essence of Luther at times, but manages to capture most of the nature of Martin Luther's dissatisfaction with the administrators, politicians, and ne'er-do-wells dwelling in the Catholic Church back in the late 1500's; both in Germany and in Rome. Sir Peter Ustinov adds a wonderful touch with a slight comedic bent for the "relief" factor to the dramatic battles taking place throughout the film. I have to say that I enjoyed this film for it's historic insight and spiritual saliency.

When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? (1979)

Good film.

[8/10 · 1 July 2003]

I would like to see this film out on DVD. Actually, Mark Medoff's scripts are pretty rich in dialogue and character development ("Children of a Lesser God" for example). I thought Candy Clark and Pat Hingle were fine in this movie as well. This is just a fun film but nothing outstanding.

Men with Brooms (2002)

How funny can men with brooms be?

[4/10 · 29 June 2003]

I actually thought this movie was going to go somewhere. It showed promise; especially with the early part of the movie setting up the relationships among the various friends. But, it descended down into the oblivion that marks many, many mediocre movies using screwball comedy sketches.

Serendipity (2001)

Cusack is ready for a different kind of role.

[5/10 · 2 October 2001]

Well, John Cusack's time has passed. After watching the serendipitous happenings contrived in Serendipity, it's apparent to me that John is now ready to pass to more substantive roles. The flighty romantic comedy no longer suits him. Indeed, the plot for Serendipity seemed very plodding while at the same time, leaving me with the feeling of being in an endless circle of events, going round and round.... whew! I sensed no real chemistry between Kate Beckinsale and Cusack either. All in all, this was a mediocre movie, but given recent events, it might be what people need right now. It's too bad there wasn't that extra verve in this one to save it.

The Hurricane (1999)

I have always been a Denzel fan, but in this movie....wow!

[9/10 · 30 January 2000]

Denzel Washington is one of those actors that can make a movie richer because of his presence. The story itself was powerful enough but adding Denzel in the lead role makes this movie an Oscar contender; at least, for Mr. Washington. Granted, the movie's plot was shown from Hurricane Carter's perspective, but that was what made this movie so great for the movie fan.

I, for one, am glad that "feel good" movies are still being made today, although this movie chronicles the suffering of one man for the most part. So much for the "feel good" movies of yesteryear. But it captures what is good in people. Hopefully, there is still that kind of compassion and goodness for others. It's an inspirational story and that is just fine with me.

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965)

Kim Novak looking her best!

[6/10 · 22 October 1999]

This movie has to be one that shows off Kim Novak at her most luscious. It's too bad there wasn't enough showcasing! It's also too bad that this movie was made as a COMEDY unlike the newer PBS version. The only consolation, once again, is the luscious Kim Novak.