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cliffvose
Reviews
A Gentleman in Moscow (2024)
A revelation.
Well. Well. Well. Having only seen Ewan McGregor's name in passing really I was pleasantly surprised to watch the first few episodes of this series. I have never actually seen any of the films he has been in, largely because they have not appealed to me during the times they were released. , but am aware of the popular culture that supports him. His acting abilities in this exemplary series has been a revelation to me. I hope producers and directors recognize his extraordinary talent so that I at least can enjoy future performances from this as yet unacknowledged national treasure of Scotland or of England and erm Northern Ireland. Oops, and Wales.
Downton Abbey (2010)
Technically an almost perfect production
This series in my opinion is almost technically perfect as to production values, plot and storyline and choice of cast members. All the cast produced perfect performances. The problem I have with it is the constant reinforcement of the idea that the toffs treated their almost slave-like servants with such tenderness and concern when history shows that that was not the case. Tories like nothing better than to rewrite history and encourage their cult followers to wallow in their erroneous sentimentality which was in essence a post-slavery society when 'family values' included the lord of the manor's right to tupp the housemaids/hallboys as they saw fit. Little has changed.
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
Luvvies's in-jokes abound
This shoddy mess of collective geriatric thespians in bad wigs and face filler should be named: Carry On Up The Abbey! Or The Downtonfield Thunderbolt. How gratifying for the Brexit Brits to see that the little Irish 'rebel' Branson is now fully Anglified and 'one of the family' after his rather unfortunate dabbling with socialism. His toff wife Sybil soon knocked those silly notions out of his potato head and now after changing his spots is welcome at the finest tables in the South of France no less! He never mentions those nasty words 'socialism' and God forbid 'revolution'. All the elderly inhabitants of Downto in the TV series now look younger than the current crop of toffs. Mary seems to be suffering from arthrits, while her sister Edith has blossomed despite her murky past. In fact they all have murky pasts as it transpires Old Lady Grantham was a trollop. Who would have thought it? I suppose we must be glad that Robert was not found in a HANDbag in Victoria station. Ghastly beyond ghastly.
Reacher (2022)
A winner!
I am impressed. Alan Ritchson's Reacher could eat Tom Cruise's pathetic portrayal of the eponymous character for breakfast and still have room for a generous helpng of the best Georgian peach pie and a gallon of coffee. If Ritchson was a little more swarthy he would be a perfect Reacher chacterization but at six feet five and full of muscle and a better actor than Cruise I am prepared to overlook the lack of beard growth as the show is updated for today's audiences. Faithful to the Lee Child books this looks to be a winner of a show. Keep up the good work.
Prospect (2018)
At last!
At last an intelligent sci-fi movie that doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence with back stories, romance or gratutious sex scenes. Instead this is an atmospheric and haunting movie with lots of twists to keep you guessing. The acting, direction and production are top notch in my opinion. Not a ciemantic blockbuster but a riveting action-packed storyline. Ten out of ten.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Suspension of disbelief
Ok, we are expected to believe that Cassie is 29 turning 30 years old? Carie Mulligan was born in 1985 and it shows.
We are also expected to believe that Cassie works in a coffee shop after dropping out as a brilliant student at med school, lives with her parents and can't afford to move out but has seemingly unlimited financial resources to buy a mass of wigs, makeup, Champagne and designer clothes -and has a car. Talk about the audeince is stupid. And that Ryan character is a writer's dream. His lines consist of uttering the same words over gain in the same sentence. So annoying. Altogether a terrible movie and the sets are cheap.
Unhinged (2020)
Morphed Crowe
Where to begin with this load of gratuitous peurile garbage? Russell Crowe has morphed into a psycho John Goodman before Goodman lost the excess pounds. He must be hard up to take on the role of the road rage killer Cooper. Apart from the terrible script and direction, since when does a Volvo which is so clapped out the window mechanism doesn't work have a super-charged engine to outrun most vehicles on those roads? I am sure the whole movie just revolves around the writer's one joke about courtesy taps. Overall a waste of time.
No Time to Die (2021)
You will wish you were
Oh, dear. When all you can think of is that 007 needs ironing and how did he chug that huge whisky and then expected us to believe he could still run, is the time to give it a rest. This soft-porn cliché belongs in the grave along with the aged 'misunderstood and troubled hero'.
You will wish you were dead if you sit through this for the nearly three hours run-time.
Jessica Jones (2015)
Absolutely terrifying
Some sequences in this series are truly terrifying. Tennant's portrayal of Kilgrave is chilling. At my age I am usually blasé about scare tactics and menace but, he surpasses all that. Absolutely the best 'demon in human form' ever. I say that because I knew a man who had such complete control over his girlfirnd at the time, to the extent that even in public she would never look away from him. To him I was a casual acquaintance and scared me but, he told me that something I had done with a house...too long a story... was good and that he approved. I was 'released' in a way from his influence. It haunts me to this day.
I of course have to say that the rest of the cast, and production team, are superb and fully deserve all the accolades this show can glean.
Foundation (2021)
Aaaagh
Reece Shearsmith really has gone over to the dark side in this abysmal adaptation. He has become 'American'. One can hardly blame actors for wanting to broaden their horizons but to sell your soul to a country whose inhabitants largely believe in Trump AND the flat earth theory is really beyond the pail of gunk that should be poured over this abomination. Also what is with the big 'hoods'?
Dune (2021)
No, no, NO
What a waste of time and effort. Awful. It's like a blow by blow account of a typical rich American's dysfunctional family in therapy agonizing about the heir to its corporation, who is a drug addict. Sound familiar? The level of acting is post-Fame level. La Mamoa obviously spends more on the highlights in his hair than any acting classes. The only redeeming feature is the appearance of Charlotte Rampling, but her face is hidden behind a haute couture concoction because she is 'old'. Give it a miss and read the book.
Succession (2018)
Not since The Sopranos
Not since The Sopranos have I seen such a boring and predictable show. Wooden characters, gossipy script, same old pseudo family dynamics every week. Brian Cox did himself a disservice agreeing to be involved. Dundee will never recover from the infamy.
Downton Abbey (2019)
Bags
This fim should be distrubuted along with sick-bags to catch the effects of the schmaltzy stroryline. Along with the bags there should also be a sewing kit with strong thread and a big needle to mend the gaping holes in the plotline.
Pennyworth (2019)
Good premise
A good premise. Excellent photography and dialogue. The settings are great. The mood is dark and humorous. But, there are too many inconsistencies in the plot. Suspension of disbelief is one thing but a lazy plot is hard to forgive.
Chernobyl (2019)
Superb gritty realism
Wow what a show this is. Absolutely riveting and horrifically scary knowing the story is about real events. Of course I know of the events in Chernobyl having learned of them on the news but the reality is shattering. The whole production values are incredibly realistic and the acting superb from everybody. It should be shown in all schools as a lesson in the dangers of hubris, secrets and lies. Congratulations to all those involved.
Line of Duty: In the Trap (2012)
An insult to the intelligence
We are expected to believe that a senior police official, with a pierced ear, wanders in and out of crime scenes on his own, in his suit, while another has drinks with a witness in their case. We are also expected to believe that a divorced female millionaire is having an affair with a married policeman. The plot has so many holes the series should be renamed The Colander.
The Sopranos (1999)
Annoying
After all the hype for this show I started watching it. If you liked Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie then you will enjoy it. You can place bets as to who get whacked next although they are so predictable. The production values are cheap as are the gratuitous naked broads in every episode. The main character's verbal tic of the sound of phlegm in his throat as he begins to speak is really annoying and makes me nauseous. The plotlines seem to have been made up on the spot and written on bits of paper which were subsequently lost by the scriptwriters. Overall a hyped up mess. The only redeming character is the scheming mother but her character is mostly under used in favor of depictions of violence and murders in broad daylight with the whole population of Pennsylvania seemingly vacationing in Wyoming.
Broadchurch (2013)
impossible
It is impossible on this forum to attempt to address all the plot inconsistencies in this production.The red herrings are so yellow a blind person could spot them. Without the musical score it would descend into parody.
Ozark (2017)
Horrible
A sub-Schitt's Creek/Breaking Bad hodge podge of violence and pornography. Showing the underbelly of American society. The scene with the pregnant belly dancer did it for me. Wretched and gross. Yeeeuch.
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
WOW! Just WOW!
What a refeshing change from the usual shoot-em-ups and nippleodions!
An intelligent and thoughful scenario. Who would have thought chess could be this exciting? The Thomas Crown Affair used it as an erotic tittilation to seduce the viewers but this series' central tenet is cerebral and therefore so much more exciting and thought provoking. Congratulations to all who worked on this treat. A welcome addition to the gloom of 2020.
Mad Men (2007)
Soft porn-fest
A soft-porn-fest full of meaningful looks from the main protagonist that ultimately actually men nothing. A Peyton Place clone with no message and no plot line other than how often Draper gets to have sex. A cynical vehicle for Michael Mann as a sex symbol. Absurd.
Homecoming (2018)
Split ends mystery
Half way through the box set and finding it gripping and well done, expect for the underlying mystery of Julia Roberts' hair. It is so fascinatingly bad. Back-lighting someone with so many split ends is very distracting. I keep wondering if her hair is actually a wig and is part of the plot. Will it be ripped off by a maniac? Will it conceal a make-up job? My point is that it is distracting to the central theme. With so many people involved in production I would have thought one of them had a bottle of decent shampoo to let her use.
Midway (2019)
Difficult to know where to start
It's difficult to know where to start to criticize this straight-to-Broadway CGI-fest of nonsense. The 'guys' all together? The weeny guy who makes good? The grotesque distortion of historical events? The almost complete lack of any people of color ...except for the 'enemy' ...of course. If you have nothing better to do while waiting for the pool guy to turn up on a Saturday afternoon then this movie is for you. I give it 1 because there is nothing lower available on this site.
Judy (2019)
The old saw...
Obviously Zellweger... what a mouthful..has never heard of the old saw of never working with children and animals. This poor show doesn't even come close to pathos compared to when La Garland threw away her microphone during a live show at the London Palladium. The wigs are terrible and the wardrobe department should be prevented from ever working again. Overblown and overstretched.
The Irishman (2019)
Arthritis make-over.
Just watched this miserable movie. Pity the big bosses can't fix the awkward symptoms of Robert De Niro's advances arthritis like they did his face. If you like your aged actors all looking like Gollum then this is your bag.