robhall_ie Reviews

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Good but a vanity piece

[5/10 · 13 November 2023]

My expectations for this movie had been immediately tempered by the massive running time. After watching it, and wiggling in my seat to keep my cheeks from going to sleep I found that I was right to fear the 3.5 hour completely unnecessary duration. I'm taking 3 stars away for making me suffer for absolutely no payoff. In fact the end felt rushed! Imagine that.

There is a great premise behind this movie and it builds some good characters. A very shameful view of humanity indeed. Greed and racism at their manifest worst. Equally horrific is the lack of consequence for most involved in the scheme.

Was this a good suspension of the truth, I don't know enough about the facts to judge. It's an average docudrama made by a legend with legends. But the result is an often boring vanity project with only the telling of it's source material of any value.

Apostle (2018)

Torture porn

[5/10 · 11 June 2023]

If you are looking for a horror then this is not the movie for you. It's also not a thriller or mystery because the plot is very straightforward. The production values are high and the acting is quite good. However it's the weak plot and over reliance on brutality that let this movie down very badly.

The director fails to bring any menace to the screen. It's too dark in places so you can't make out what's happening but overall it's far too bright. This washes away any feelings of claustrophobia, horror or fear. Unfortunately the score is also inappropriate. It's brings a soft tone in places so kills the mood or Henson that was trying to be built.

I actually watched this twice by accident because the first time I must have been on my phone so much it became entirely forgettable.

From (2022– )

Unbelievably frustrating

[6/10 · 11 September 2022]

Godammit the pretext of the series is very intriguing but the delivery is very annoying. I don't care about the people and their growing relationships. All the while they are leading ordinary lives nobody is trying to figure out what the enemy are & how to beat them.

The electricity thing is just stupidly odd. It's just a totally random thing thrown in to a supernatural plot. None of them are trying to apply any logic to the situation and find ways out.

Food is magically plentiful in the local restaurant. I mean come on. It's treating the audience line idiots at this point (last episode).

I wont watch a second series unless someone tells me something actually happens in it. Yet another series with oodles of potential dies on the heap of crap drama bs.

A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

Rubbish rock climbing/action flick

[3/10 · 20 August 2022]

Got almost nothing right about the outdoors hiking/climbing. Utterly not credible. Actors had no script to work with. The music is also too grand for the setting.

What the actors do they do well but they are wasted by terrible story telling and unrealistic dialogue.

Almost all of the climbing is wrong. That cliff was totally walkable around. How they drop climbs, used the ropes, stood on the ropes...ANY climber would have corrected all of those things.

The worst is the story though. It just jumps from scene to scene. Characters are not really developed so we don't care about them. Their jeopardy isn't deal to us.

If you get past half way turn it off and save yourself the other 45. It won't get better.

No Exit (I) (2022)

Not a 6, generous 4

[4/10 · 9 July 2022]

Storyline was written by an algorithm. Formulaic and very bad. Some good actors wasted. Entirely unbelievable and predictable with the wrong music score.

Bosch: Legacy (2022– )

Just not the same

[6/10 · 25 June 2022]

Script and plotlines just don't match with the first few series. The daughter is still a wooden actresses. Even with these significant flaws we still watch it because the lead is great. Just wish they brought back the original writers.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022– )

Has potential

[8/10 · 5 June 2022]

While I'm enjoying this so far I have 2 observations. First the music seems off, it's somewhat theatrical and grand. Sending there are moments when the combination of script, unnecessary lines, and wooden acting let scenes down. Hopefully just a teething issue until the actors settle into and enjoy their characters.

Halo (2022– )

Just not engaging enough

[7/10 · 13 May 2022]

Such great potential getting slowly wasted. The episodes are ponderously paced and feel repetitive. The plot is interesting but too narrow, the 2 parallel stories feel totally isolated from each other.

Slow Horses (2022– )

Great start, then lost its plot and pace

[7/10 · 5 May 2022]

Started developing the characters well but put them in jeopardy before we actually cared about them. Very implausible tech guy. Plot just isn't holding together. Oldman is wasted amidst a mediocre cast and script.

The Mountain II (2016)

Decent but 30 mins too long

[6/10 · 28 April 2022]

Good acting and story telling. Action is decent. It's let down by drawn out patriotic (even worse than a US movie) scenes with heroic dialogue/slogans and music. The last battle is way too long and completely loses the pace of the movie. Watchable.

Archive 81 (2022)

Very interesting but paced a bit too slow

[7/10 · 17 March 2022]

I like many things about this show but it's overall pacing can be quite annoying. Cutting 2 eps would have been about right. The eerie music will always stay with me.

Billions (2016–2023)

No Axe No Show

[5/10 · 22 February 2022]

5 eps into S06 and I just don't and can't care for any of it. There's no rogue & no sneaky plans. Now our billionaire wants to do the right thing and the gov wants to f it up. I don't care. Removing half my stars.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

An affront to fans of the original

[3/10 · 9 January 2022]

Really pooor production team behind this. Script was really awful in places, mis-cast scripts who were quite poor in their delivery. Music was generic crap. Plot and story telling were massively complex for no good reason. The editor was getting paid by the cut and by the runtime. Just terrible.

Lost in Space (2018–2021)

Decent but getting messy

[6/10 · 15 December 2021]

First series was excellent & very original but the plot is getting more random and silly so it's dropping off quickly in series 3. Still decent but not gripping...

Foundation (2021– )

Proven. It's unfilmable

[8/10 · 23 October 2021]

We all thought it. We did it to ourselves. And now it's been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Not only is the time scale and subject matter impossible to get across but inserting modern sensibilities and tropes into it is just crass. A disservice to Asimov. From ep1 this was woeful and it went rapidly downhill from there.

Dune (2021)

Forgettable actor performances

[7/10 · 23 October 2021]

A rather lack luster script with alot of very dull lines admittedly didn't give the actors much to work with but the performances were all very wooden and forced. Great visuals didn't do much to lift the movie. I'll probably watch the next one while I read the news on my phone... What a pity because Lynch's version was brilliant.

Till Death (I) (2021)

Unbelievably stupid

[2/10 · 16 September 2021]

You know the way ice is cold? And snow? Well not in this movie! They have absolutely no effect at all. My wife hated the fact that she never lost her make up, lip gloss or hair styling. 5.8 is waaay too generous.

Superhost (2021)

Rubbish. Avoid

[3/10 · 11 September 2021]

There really was no script here. Acting was very average although they had nothing to work with. Short movie that could have been 30 mins shorter.

Doors (I) (2021)

For true Sci-Fi fans

[7/10 · 11 September 2021]

Anyone scoring this low doesn't understand Sci-Fi. This is a great movie, taking an original concept and exploring it through simple scenarios and leaving the viewer to complete the picture on their own. Don't not miss this if you really love sci-fi.

A Classic Horror Story (2021)

Tries very hard but not quite good enough

[5/10 · 30 August 2021]

I could see how this could enter the cult classic listts but it needed a little more actual horror, tension and jeopardy for the protagonists. The music was interesting and the actors were decent. Direction fell short as stated but also had nice touches.

Sophie: A Murder in West Cork (2021)

Not balanced at all

[3/10 · 27 August 2021]

Unbalanced in the extreme. No coverage of the terrible police investigation, the other suspects and rumours, interviews with the various legal teams, local officers, rumours of police involvement. No psychological evaluation of the main suspects character. Poor.

Voyagers (2021)

Lord of the Flies in space, kinda

[5/10 · 25 July 2021]

Very very bland movie. After an interesting setup it becomes totally predictable. Yawn.

No Sudden Move (2021)

Complexity for the sake of it

[3/10 · 23 July 2021]

So confusing. So unnecessary. So underwhelming. So many characters. So underdeveloped. When playing chess there is a time to take some pieces off the board, this movie just dumps more pieces onto the board to make sure you lose interest.

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

More creeping around

[5/10 · 29 June 2021]

It's as good as the last one but doesn't grow the alien story or plot line much. The thrill ride is bit very predictable.

The Vault (2021)

Could have been fun, but wasn't

[4/10 · 5 June 2021]

So formulaic, except the variables got bored and left, as did the plot, story and characters.