stebird-25957 Reviews

Thunder Force (2021)

The anti-superhero film

[4/10 · 5 September 2021]

So over-saturated are we with superhero films in this day and age that it was only a matter of time before a film lambasting the genre hit our screens.

"Thunder Force" is simply one big spoof, a film that rips into the comic book fandom and spits it back out; it is quite a unique spin on a done to death genre, but the overall execution and quality is seriously lacking.

Melissa McCarthy's usual cringe inducing humor is present, and really irritating, how often in this film is she seen chewing the scenery? Octavia Spencer is somewhat better but from start to finish seems to be well out of her comfort zone, I had the sense that she really didn't enjoy making this film at all.

The supporting cast are frankly ridiculous, no more so than Jason Bateman who plays a human-crab hybrid, and didn't seem to be able to take his role even remotely seriously.

Overall "Thunder Force" has an interesting premise, but it wastes its potential and ends up coming across as stupid and immature, what a waste!

The Running Man (1987)

Run for your life, criminal!

[6/10 · 1 September 2021]

Vintage 80's, Arnie doing what he does best; undoubtedly now a cult classic, "The Running Man" hits you with nostalgia and awe..., somewhat lame and crude compared to today's standards, particularly with the visuals and special effects, it is a film very much etched in the 80's and a product of its time.

Full of wall to wall action, fights and crude violence, the film doesn't give you a moment to breathe, it picks up the pace immediately and doesn't stop until the credits roll, and that is exactly how an action film should be!

"The Running Man" doesn't tell an intellectual and thought provoking story, not at all, this is an action flick designed for adrenaline junkies from a certain age, and it truly delivers what it promises.

A cool film that hasn't particularly aged well, but in my opinion the fact that it hasn't aged too well simply adds to its charm and appeal.

CODA (2021)

Uniquely beautiful!

[8/10 · 31 August 2021]

"CODA" or child of deaf adults, is quite a wonderful film, it illustrated both how life can genuinely be for deaf people, and how life can also be for the only hearing person in the family.

The sheer effort put in by Emilia Jones should be more than enough to get her nominated for awards at the very least, this could and should be her breakthrough performance, and there should be bigger things for her on the horizon, what a talent!

"CODA" is a touching film, a genuine film, a heartfelt film, a film that stays with you long after watching..., I have learnt more about deafness from this film than at any other point in my life, I understand, I feel now how deafness can affect people's lives, and I have a genuine appreciation for those living with the condition because of this film.

I enjoyed it very much, but not because it was exciting, but because it was real!

Alien from L.A. (1988)

Alien from LA? Alien from quality more like!

[1/10 · 31 August 2021]

I must write this short review whilst face-palming and shaking my head, oh where to begin?

This is a film that didn't know what it wanted to be, the introduction was more akin to an old and rather camp romance, especially with the overly dramatic music playing in the background; but from there it took quite a different turn, becoming instead a typical B-movie fantasy, that quite frankly induced yawning and groaning.

Once I knew where the film was going, I found it increasingly difficult to sit through, but I endured, and felt all the more shamed for it.

Kathy Ireland was as wooden as an old chest of drawers, and the supporting players seemed like they'd rather be anywhere else; the fantasy element was ridiculous and the underground "land" or whatever you want to call it, was like a poor man's Alice in Wonderland.

Poor, basically, just poor!

The Fog (1980)

Eerie-Creepy-Unnerving classic!

[7/10 · 31 August 2021]

"The Fog" is simple but effective, and it has aged surprisingly well considering it is now over forty years old.

John Carpenter is a master of what he does, and what he does helped pave the way for the huge wave of 80's horror flicks that saturated theaters for the whole of that decade.

There have been many attempts to copy Carpenter's, and others, success during this golden period of horror, but none of those imitations and remakes can hold a candle to the originals.

"The Fog" is paced well and knows how frighten, it doesn't overdo anything and doesn't give too much away, especially when the ghostly apparitions appear through the fog, it shows you enough of these ghouls but allows your imagination to do its work too..., it is masterful in suspense.

The acting could be described as camp, but for its era that's fine, you wouldn't expect anything less, and to be honest the campiness just adds to the film's aura, it wouldn't be the same without it.

Jungle Cruise (2021)

Based on a Theme Park Ride!

[9/10 · 30 August 2021]

Of all the wonderfully unique things to base a film on, a theme park ride would have to be near the top!

But with Disney's typical touch of magic, "Jungle Cruise" explodes with sheer beauty and brilliance; it feels very much like classic Disney, like this film could have been released during the 60's, only with more up to date special effects.

The Rock goes from strength to strength, he is becoming more and more comfortable in his film roles now, to the extent that I can honestly say that he's having a wail of a time here with Emily Blunt, whom he shares amazing chemistry with.

From a story standpoint, the plot is wafer thin and somewhat lacking, but that's not the point with this film; it is the overall feel of it that counts, and everything other than the plot is truly majestic.

As much as I dislike needless sequels, I do hope we get a sequel to "Jungle Cruise", if only to see The Rock and Emily Blunt together again.

Palmetto (1998)

He's never going back to Palmetto, or is he?

[7/10 · 30 August 2021]

"Palmetto" is an underrated and under-appreciated neo-noir that simply doesn't get enough love.

It had me hooked from the very beginning, it is a fast paced piece that isn't too fast, it hits all the right tones and doesn't slip up at all throughout.

Woody Harrelson is ace, what a brilliant actor, and Elisabeth Shue does an excellent job; the rest of the cast do their part and none of them outshine Harrelson and Shue, which is just how it should be.

If "Palmetto" isn't already considered a cult classic, then it absolutely should be, it defines what a neo-noir film should be, and illustrates this contemporary genre perfectly, it's classic predecessor, the original "film-noir" should be very proud.

This is a film that could've been made in the 40's with Bogart and Bacall in the lead roles, that explains how well Harrelson and Shue did here; definitely worth a watch, I recommend.

The Woman in Black (2012)

Gothic drivel!

[3/10 · 30 August 2021]

Well Daniel Radcliffe had to do something after the Harry Potter series ended didn't he?

But low and behold he has opted to take his first steps into mediocrity; "The Woman in Black", truth be told, is a rather boring Gothic ghost story, the likes of which I have seen too many times before.

It's boring, pure and simple, it wallows too much in jump scares particularly towards the end of the film, yet the beginning of the film is slow and boring..., I wanted it to be so much more, but it simply fizzled out after spending so long trying to get stated.

The ending is predictable, and that was probably the best part of the film, which says very little for the rest of the film, all in all Radcliffe seems to be already suffering from a hangover after the success of Harry Potter, and his career post-Potter doesn't seem to be very bright.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

How do you follow a classic? By making another classic

[10/10 · 11 August 2021]

"Empire Strikes Back" took what "A New Hope" had started and completely blew it wide open, a film that is equally as good as its predecessor, if not better, and that is some feat for any sequel.

"Empire" took Star Wars down a darker path and further expanded upon the mystery of the force, the Jedi and everything else involved; you kind of knew just from watching this film that a franchise was being born and not just a single film or a couple of films.

Perfect!

One of the best films of all time undoubtedly, and another that you can watch over and over without ever getting bored.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

The one that started it all!

[10/10 · 11 August 2021]

What more needs to be said about the timeless classic "Star Wars"?

It was revolutionary, it changed the landscape of Hollywood and launched one of the biggest film franchises of all time.

Old enough now to be considered a classic, it has to be one of the most widely viewed films of all time, completely re-watchable over and over again; so much has been written about Star Wars that it would be a difficult feat to write anything new.

Definitely near the top of my all time favorite films. Absolutely it must be seen.

Bad Boys for Life (2020)

Bad Boys, Old Boys, what ya gonna do?

[4/10 · 10 August 2021]

A needless sequel released nearly two decades after the last installment, and it begs the question as to why?

Okay fair enough it was nice to catch up with the characters after all this time to see where they are in their life at this stage, but couldn't that have been left up to the imagination instead?

The tone of "Bad Boys for Life" is very akin to that of the previous two films, only this time it feels stale and exhausted; you have Martin Lawrence thinking about retirement, Will Smith who doesn't want him to retire, altogether it's just really weak and kind of pointless.

In an era of unneeded sequels, this one can be added to the list..., will they be bringing out a fourth film in the future, it wouldn't be surprising if they did.

The fan boys will naturally love it, but that's about it really, the first two films are better.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

It's time to crack the code

[8/10 · 10 August 2021]

Exceptional effort by Tom Hanks, "The Da Vinci Code" is a real gem, a mystery of the best kind that deserves all the accolades that has been bestowed upon it.

A long film that could be described as an epic, the action is non stop and seems crazy to be two and a half hours in length, when it feels much-much quicker and shorter; that is testament to its quality, that such a long runtime seems nowhere near that.

The acting is good across the board, the best of which is Hanks who shows his acting chops brilliantly, and he is surrounded by an accomplished cast where there isn't a single weak link between them.

Books that are adapted into the film medium can sometimes be a bit hit and miss, and sometimes shaky, but this adaptation of Dan Brown's hit has translated wonderfully onto film and is probably better than the book itself, something that doesn't happen too often.

"The Da Vinci Code" is the first in a trilogy of films based on Dan Brown's books, and I must say the best of the three, easily (the other two being "Angels & Demons" and "Inferno").

Black Widow (2021)

Delayed, delayed, delayed..., but was it worth it?

[6/10 · 9 August 2021]

Thanks to the Covid pandemic, we had to wait ever such a long time for "Black Widow" to finally reach our screens, that additional wait only helped to build more and more hype for Marvel's next big feature film, but once it finally arrived, was it actually worth all that waiting?

The answer is simply meh, "Black Widow" is okay and an enjoyable watch, but certainly not worth all the hype that it generated, and certainly not one of Marvel's strongest outings.

It's basically an origin story at the beginning, then quickly moves to a period of time just after "Captain America Civil War" ends, so we're able to see what Natasha Romanoff got up to when she was away from The Avengers.

In all honesty the film was pretty needless, although it was nice to see Romanoff get the spotlight for a change, instead of being outshone by another Avenger.

The action scenes are pretty average, the CGI is typical Marvel level stuff, so not bad, the best part of the film though was being able to delve into Romanoff's backstory, seeing where she came from, what's happening with her and why, seeing her younger sister being introduced into the franchise, as well as seeing her parents and other characters associated with her.

I cannot unfortunately rate it any higher because that would be an injustice to Marvel's better films, but it is a much needed return to the Marvel Universe after the pandemic, and essential viewing for anyone who follows the Marvel Universe.

No Sudden Move (2021)

A throw back for the nostalgia gang

[5/10 · 9 August 2021]

"No Sudden Move" is a darling of a film, a throw back to far more simpler confusing time, that being the 1950's, well before my time but the film manages to capture the era with aplomb.

A bit chiseled and rough round the edges it may be, but entertaining nonetheless, you could well describe the film as a neo-noir, it carries over some of the tone of those old noir films and perfectly integrates them into a messed up crime caper with overtones of the thriller genre.

It boasts a big cast of well known names giving it that extra bit of legitimacy, and the quality of the actors involved stops it from being even remotely wooden; that said it is still rather weak in places and seems to occasionally forget the bigger picture, it can come across as clunky and splutters sometimes in pacing.

And despite the feel and the tone of the film being quite excellent, the story itself is incredibly simple and the twists, swerves and reveals are mind numbing predictable, the film always asks us questions but then quickly answers them for us therefore taking a lot of the shine away from the mystery.

It was nice to see Detroit depicted from a 1950's point of view, but it just feels so dated and irrelevant to a modern mind, maybe okay from a purely historical standpoint.

The Ice Road (2021)

Do you want ice with that?

[6/10 · 8 August 2021]

Liam Neeson has seemingly gotten into something of a rut that he seems unlikely to get out of, even as he gets older and the years start to elapse.

I'm not sure if it's just me but all of his films of late seem to be very similar, only with a different set dressing; "The Ice Road" is his latest endeavor, a rather entertaining film even if it's pretty par for the course; it has a simplistic story that is done right, even if it refrains from taking any chances and plays it safe.

"The Ice Road" is what I like to call a rainy weeknight flick, it doesn't insult your intelligence and doesn't ask too much from you; it's fun despite being slow paced in places..., there's enough edge of your seat moments without it becoming boring, and it has a rather interesting mystery that keeps you wanting answers until the end.

"The Ice Road" isn't anything special, but it isn't bad either.

The Unholy (2021)

Unnerving in places, ridiculous in others

[3/10 · 8 August 2021]

Tapping into the supernatural, here we have yet another God fearing film that fails to really get off the ground.

Granted "The Unholy" has a few good moments, but they are unfortunately surrounded by an awful lot of dross; dull and uninspired moments that act as nothing more than filler, and they come across as, dare I say it, boring!

Part of me feels that in the modern age, these sorts of film have been done to death, and there's very little new to add, hence "The Unholy" just feels recycled, and uninspired.

The acting isn't the best to be honest and can come across as annoying and wooden in places, and the only real "miracle" is how this film got approved, it's far more of a miracle than the actual miracle contained within the film.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Super-Sonic? No I don't think so

[3/10 · 8 August 2021]

Where do you even begin, perhaps with a face-palm and a shake of the head?

The first question that needs to be asked is why, why did anyone feel that a film version of "Sonic the Hedgehog" was needed? It really is what you'd expect from a video game adaptation, it struggles to find its voice, any voice in fact, and seems to be held back by its limitations, that being it's of course based on a video game.

Possibly it could sit well with younger viewers, but as an adult I found the film to be lackluster and a bit insulting to my intelligence; Disney have shown how to make "kids" films enjoyable for adults, so there's no real excuse here for "Sonic".

The only saving grace for the film is nostalgia, as a child I enjoyed playing Sonic games on the old Sega, and the film at least whisked me off somewhat down memory lane which was kind of nice.

Altogether though the film is passable and carries no real weight.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Read the book, it's better

[4/10 · 7 August 2021]

Oh DiCaprio what have you done?

I'll give it to the film that it's faithful to the source material, but alas far-far too faithful; the book "The Great Gatsby" is an American classic and a very good read, but when it comes to this film adaptation it leaves an awful lot to be desired.

It's as though its scared to veer off from the source material and stringently follows it scene for scene, dialogue for dialogue, action for action, like it's a direct copy, a replica that is so much more inferior.

DiCaprio is better than this and I have to feel sorry for him, Jay Gatsby is a great role for an actor to score, but I highly doubt that DiCaprio knew how flat and wooden the finished product would be.

Flat and wooden, all over the production, it was acted wooden, spoken wooden, and a bit annoying to follow in places, particularly during the second half after Gatsby has made his grand entrance finally into the film; you expected DiCaprio as good as he is to elevate things, but when he finally appears, all hopes of that are dashed and you are simply waiting for the credits to roll.

As I said at the beginning, read the book, it's better!

Cruella (2021)

It's Cruella, not Estella!

[7/10 · 7 August 2021]

The Disney bandwagon shows no sign of slowing down, and here they are retreading one of their classics and providing us with an origin story for one of their most famous and despicable villains.

Did we need this film, probably not, are we thankful for it, absolutely!

It was nice to see a live action prequel to "101 Dalmatians", which I must say is far superior to the other two earlier live action outings that Disney gave us.

Overall the film is a hoot, it's colorful, magical and wondrous..., there is of course CGI but gladly it isn't overdone, the effects are used when they need to be used and don't over saturate or spoil the story that is being told; perhaps Disney, the forerunners in most things, are paving the way in showing the world and the cinematic community that CGI isn't everything, and that less is sometimes more, and that a powerful and coherent story is the most important thing in film, it certainly shows here in "Cruella".

Kids will love this one, but not just kids, the film was designed in such a way that people of all ages can enjoy, that's something else that Disney are specialists in, appealing to a broader audience and not just limiting themselves.

Far from perfect and the magical 10 score, but a well justified film that should retain Disney's place as the top dogs.

Wrath of Man (2021)

Vintage Statham, vintage Ritchie

[7/10 · 7 August 2021]

"Wrath of Man" is vintage Jason Statham, here doing what he does best; teaming up with frequent collaborator Guy Ritchie, they have together achieved something quite brilliant albeit not on the same pedestal as some of their previous modern classics (Snatch, Lock Stock).

Set in Los Angeles rather than their usual England, it is a high octane piece that keeps you guessing and glued all the way through..., a crime, mystery, thriller that hits all the right notes and shows that Ritchie hasn't lost it despite having a few misfires since his heyday.

It does however lose a couple of points on originality, despite being a rather unique film in its own right, it certainly isn't unique when it comes to Ritchie or Statham, they kind of played it safe a bit and stuck to what they're good at, at what has worked well before.

A serious high octane romp full of energy and adrenaline, it has a brilliant story, brilliant characterization, a brilliant mystery, but I just can't get the taste out of my mouth that it's still a bit middle of the road though.

Die in a Gunfight (2021)

Needless stain on a Shakespeare classic!

[3/10 · 7 August 2021]

Are Hollywood running out of ideas or something? Why is it that they always have to put new spins on an existing piece of work that has already been done to death?

Quite obviously "Die in a Gunfight" is an attempt to rip off Romeo and Juliet, but a poor attempt at that.

It's contemporary, set in the modern day with all the expected trimmings, two warring families who both have their own competing empires, trying to one up each other, each have an heir to their respective empires, but both heirs have no interest in the business and only have eyes for each other..., it's drivel that plays out predictably and there's not a great deal to sink your teeth into unfortunately..., oh and the title is lazy and uninspired, which says it all really.