dave1033a Reviews

No Child of Mine (1997 TV Movie)

Hard Work!

[8/10 · 9 January 2021]

This is a hard watch! The grittiness of the piece and the true to life performances are great but the story overall is just hard to watch, not in a bad way... you just feel for the main character all the way as we see the stuff she goes through and you can see the despair as it grows inside her... It's on YouTube at the moment so if you haven't seen it, give it a watch before it's taken down..

Heart breaking masterpiece

Boys from the Blackstuff (1982)

A perfect series!

[10/10 · 7 October 2020]

Set in the early eighties, Boys from the Black Stuff is a true masterpiece by Alan Bleasdale who pulls no punches in showing how hard the working poor had it.. each episode is dedicated to a character and each has their own troubles but the standout character is Yosser. Mentally unstable from the bad luck he has had we see him slowly spiral into a dark place.. Bernard Hill is outstanding as Yosser and makes you feel for the character.. The series is an indictment against the government of the day that actively spent lots of time and money to hunt people down that were claiming benefits and working on the side, purely because the benefits were not enough to live on.. Usually the series is linked with Thatchers government but she hadn't come into power when it was aired.. nevertheless a lot of her decisions had similar effects to the working classes.. I can go on and on as this series is magical and needs to be watched, having recently rewatched it I think it has aged well.. Check it out!! "I'm Desperate Dan"

The Rage (II) (2017)

Great Short with a twist on the genre

[9/10 · 6 October 2020]

Zombie films have become tiresome in the last few years.. as someone that lived the genre even I had become fed up.. simply because almost every story was the same. This short was a breath of fresh air.. although technically in this short they're not zombies, they're more along the lines of the Infected from the 28 days later franchise it's still a zombie film.. Joshua Cleave directs this short and the main bulk is shot from the POV of the Protagonist a la Hardcore Henry.. performances are OK as the majority of the cast are infected ragers.. There is a nice little twist at the end and I am looking forward to The Rage 2.. Well Done to all involved and I can definitely see the Director going on to bigger things in the near future .. Bravo👏👏👏

A Confession (2019)

Reviewers are something else

[9/10 · 6 October 2020]

Not sure why people are having a pop at the camera work. The hand held works when it is used.. if people get motion sickness then that's on them, use of hand held is a widely used technique.. The story is from a real case that adds the extra emotional involvement and I actually remember this case.. The performances by all are great and the chemistry between the characters is superb. If you like police procedurals as well as murder mystery then this is for you.. get it watched!!

The Expendables (2010)

Action as action should be!!!

[7/10 · 31 August 2010]

Over the last 10/15 years action films have fallen by the wayside, and by that i mean the typical action film, not films with action in them.

I'm talking about the action films of old, the good old fashioned 80's action flick!!

When CGI Explosions were something of the future and the only way to portray a man flying through the air after a vehicle blowing up was to throw a stuntman through the air after blowing a vehicle up!!!

The Expendables is a nod to the action pictures of old and it doesn't apologise for that.

If you go to this movie expecting a compelling storyline or Oscar worthy acting, then you will be disappointed, However if you go into this film expecting lots of shooting, stabbing, explosions, guys doing things ni-on impossible then you will love it!!

I was psyched when i heard this was being made and even more when i had heard who was in it. However, do not expect that "scene" to make the movie as it doesn't, it makes you giggle as "subtle" jibes are made at each actor, but it is comedic.

I just think they should have kept the cameos under wraps but hey ho...

And... Where the hell was Chuck Norris?!?!?!?! He would have made this the ultimate retro action picture...

I loved it and you will too if you like the Die Hards, Lethal Weapon, Tango & Cash, Delta Force, MIA and any other 80's action film you know and love..

All the actors play their parts well.. I actually think Statham is the best in this film and that is saying something coz this guy cannot act.

So all in all a great movie i would recommend to everyone.. But not girls!!! ;)

The Devil's Tomb (2009)

Bad... bad bad bad bad!!!

[3/10 · 18 May 2009]

Really bad!!! Why actors such as Cuba G Jnr, Ray Winstone and Ron Pearlman (who i think is highly under-rated) would put their talents into this piece of crap is beyond me!! The acting is cheezy at bast, and down right awful at worst. The story is lame, the writing is lamer... Full of clichéd one liners that weren't even funny in the eighties and the characters are so 2 dimensional it isn't even funny.

If i didn't know better i'd think i was watching an Uwe Boll film.

I know films like this aren't made to win Oscars but the writer could have at least but a bit of effort into it, instead of recycling every cheezy 80's action B movies lines putting them into this film!!!

I Am Legend (2007)

Lost it's way

[7/10 · 11 January 2008]

For a start i am aware that this will be the third incarnation of Richard Matheson's book I Am Legend but the only one with the same title.

The first being "The Last Man On Earth" with Vincent Price and the second being "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston.

I did have high expectations this time around and for the first hour i wasn't disappointed. Will Smith is excellent as Robert Neville and you genuinely feel how alone he is as he talks daily to mannequins he has placed across a barren new york, as well as his trusty side kick Sam (his dog) The director did a good job with certain scenes by making the viewer feel almost as isolated as Neville.

Where it falls down is basically everything Akiva Goldsman wrote into the script. Fortunately i was able to read the original draft done by Mark Protosevich and it was superb. It had all the elements of Mathesons book, namely that Neville hunted the creatures during the day. They could talk and showed signs of intelligence and saw Neville as the cause of the demise of humanity and therefor their sworn enemy. He became "legend" However Goldsman has a lot of sway in Hollywood and stamped his mark on the script by completely changing the ending, and the middle, and the creatures etc etc.

The ending of this film felt rushed. It is over in 20 minutes and you really do feel robbed because the first 2 acts build you up for something good.

The creature design is awful. The CGI doesn't work in this. It is meant to be scary and it isn't. The darkness is meant to bring with it a heightened sense of dread. It doesn't.

I have watched this twice and still feel the same way. The ending lets it down immensely.

It's not the worse movie i saw in 2007 and it's definitely not the worse re-make i've seen but i was hugely disappointed by this film.

If you are a fan of Mathesons book then you probably won't like this film at all. If you are a fan of any of the earlier films then again you prob wont like it.

If however you like your isolated, alone, apocalypse, end of the world films then it is worth a watch. Just bare in mind about the ending.

Out of 10 i give it 7

Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)

Not bad!!

[6/10 · 19 March 2006]

I have seen worse football based films, i mean, when Saturday comes was shocking (why would a big club like sheff utd sign a thirty something non league player???) anyway, i think becker plays the part really well and looks like he has emotion and passion for the sport but the rest of the acting is wooden. Also, the part Beckham had was shocking, i mean did he even have one acting lesson? if not, he needed it (and another hundred) One of the goofs not pointed out is when Newcastle are playing Liverpool at the end, liverpool equalise through a Steven Gerard header to make it 2-2, when the opposing team score, the rules are that the team that conceded the goal re-start the game. In this film it isn't, After liverpool score they re-start for some strange reason..

Anyway, not the best but you could definitely find worse sport based films...

Deadly Prey (1987)

Deadly film???

[1/10 · 24 April 2005]

I remember seeing this film when i was about 10, one of my friends had it. At the time it was just a film as i was about 10ish and just thought of it as another action film.

When i look back now as a complete film buff this is quite a shockingly bad film. Whoever produced this film i am sure had a short Hollywood career. Although the lead actor seems to have done a few films according to IMDb, albeit i haven't seen any and don't really remember him too much.

Anyway, just to say that this film is really bad, in all ways it could be. I would love to see it again though :oD