wetnall Reviews

The Deep (2010)

I can't believe someone got money for this

[1/10 · 30 December 2010]

Anyone hungry? Try tripe...or this show. Big name actors to entice us; James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver - but what a waste of viewing time. The scriptwriters should be shot. Oohh look, there's a thing; ooh look, it's big; ooh look, nasty Russians. Bland, bland, bland.

The story did not develop the characters for us. We are expected to trust the script and almost automatically know that Minnies character is the leader, that she's in love with another, that James character is the broody tough guy who will overcome the adversity, that Svetlana knows 12 languages and is not just a pretty face. Also, add in a token black female character cos somehow, that balances the crew.

I thought scientists in a sub would all wear the same clothing, you know, overalls or wet weather gear.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was better and that was 40 years ago.

One hour never to be recovered. Forget the next four.

Bordertown (1995)

Reality versus artistic licence

[6/10 · 31 October 2009]

I've just begun watching this series. As an English migrant who came to Australia in the 1960's and lived in a hostel (long since gone), I thought it would be a relatively realistic interpretation of the hostels; the problems, the fights, the isolation, the friendships. but it seems to be a very imaginative take on the situations encountered.

E.g; dining in a rather swish manner. Not where I stayed.

Having recently visited one of the remaining (unused)hostel sites in Australia; Bonegilla in Victoria, it is easy to work out that the location is meant to be there. Imagine travelling across the world from war ravaged Europe in 1947 to a small country location at least 4 hours from Melbourne and finding a dry, parched scene where rain is not plentiful and there is nowhere to go. My heart goes out to those people, but, many who stayed in Asutralia would say it was the making of them.

I will persevere with the series based on other viewers comments, but with an adjusted view of my expectations of the story.