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Reviews
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023)
Nice companion piece to the Bogart original
Final films by William Friedkin and Lance Reddick RIP.
This is a single setting courtroom court martial hearing that expands on the legal themes of the original from the fifties.
The original showed the various incidents of Queeg and then the trial. This is just the trial and aftermath.
Everything is a lot more fleshed out. Jason Clarke is great as the prosecutor and Keifer Sutherland does a passable Borgart homage.
I watched it as a companion piece to the original and would recommend doing it that way.
I always find the ending, where the solicitor speaks to the officers party a wonderful scene. Watch it for that at least.
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Fantastic, nuanced movie that is the forerunner to A Few Good Men
At the heart of the film is the fantastic central performance by Bogart as the troubled Captain.
The supporting cast of Van Johnson, Jose Ferrer and Fred MacMurray are superb.
Of course by modern standards, some of the production does show its age but this is really a piffling trifle compared with the genius of the script, the plot, the characters.
As I mentioned in the title, when compared to the more modern and equally revered A Few Good Men, it is easy to to see the parallels and the inspiration that Aaron Sorkin took from this work.
Highly recommended. Hollywood don't know how to make them like this in 2024.
Alabama Rose (2022)
Dreadful and, above all, boring
Some interesting drone shots of Alabama in the opening are the best thing about this movie. The rest is pap.
It has all the hallmarks of terrible movie, awful acting.....seriously all actors should give up, this line of work is not for you. The direction is terrible, the lighting bad, the story, script and plot are all pointless.
I give it a two out of ten because giving a low budget slice of nonsense like this is like clubbing seals. So I give it an extra point as a 'well done for trying' reward. But please, for the love of god, do not make anymore film, ever.
I'm not sure who would like this movie. Not recommended.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Whatever kind of movies you like, you have to admit, this is damn near perfect film making.
The stars of this movie are the actors, obviously. Streep, Hathaway, Blunt and Tucci are all pitch perfect.
The world building of the fashion industry is done through great character work. Every one of those characters have a great arc and they are all fully utilised.
The direction is on the money, the montage sequences are great and highly underrated.
There are a few strange reviews on here that prattle on about the woes or exploitation in the fashion industry. Ignore them, you could find something to moan about in every movie. An easy feat for the professionally offended.
Highly recommended.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
A decent enough spy, action film with a slightly dull plot
JRSR is an origin story of out titular character that was supposed to be a franchise creator. Unfortunately, it barely washed its face at the box office and we are left with a one and done movie.
The acting Is fine, the direction, the action sequences and production quality is good.
The films biggest issue is making Ryan a soppy, dish rag of a character. Constantly balancing his induction into the CIA and his clueless wife, who later on becomes intrinsic to the plot in true 'boss babe' style. Huh?
The other issue is the point of the plot. Downloading files from a high security office was surprisingly dull. And why did Kenneth Branagh let him walk away afterward?
Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
Not amongst Allen's best but way, way better than most
How do you know it's a Woody Allen film?
Well, it has the bumbling, fumbling wisecracking stuff that he normally does. Plus, he starts with the woman who is way too good for him. Plus, he also gets a woman that he could never get.
This may be Allen's movie, but Mira Sorvino is the star. She steals every scene and richly deserved the Oscar for her performance.
The whole Greek tragedy interjections are quite annoying at first, but later on it becomes the norm and starts to make some sense when Allen begins to interact with them.
If you have liked some of Woody's previous movies, then this will not disappoint.
Feng huo fang fei (2017)
A fantastic story told rather disappointingly
What a shame. A great story about the bombing run on Tokyo and the aftermath being the crash in Japan and the attempted survival of the 5 US airmen.
That's what the film should have been about. Instead we get an airmen hiding out, the relationship between him and the people helping and a possible adoption.
It seems like a true story but makes no claim that it is.
The direction is basic, the acting is poor and there is no real emotion between the characters because they cannot communicate. As a result none of the finale is believable.
I have to wonder how a director like Spielberg, Fincher, etc would film such a great story.
Nanjing! Nanjing! (2009)
Possibly more harrowing than Schindlers List
Although it's an astonishingly powerful film, it does leave a little meat on the bone.
Factually, it does leave out the horrific 'beheading' contest by two Japanese lieutenants.
There are so many characters to feel sorry for, the movie spreads our emotion a little thin by the end. Asking us to care about John Rabe, his secretary and his wife, Miss Jiang, the Japanese soldier, etc meant that some of their character was a little underdeveloped.
All that said, I do applaud the choice of black and white film stock, the acting was superb as was cinematography. The victory dance scene is a masterpiece.
Overall, highly recommended.
The Greatest Hits (2024)
Derivative and smothered with faux LA cool
Here's the problem. Other films have done this 'music is the centre of our relationship' schtick before and done in way better. Think, Hi-fidelity or Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist then take away all the heart and the drama and the characters and the comedy and, well, just any interesting stuff that makes a film interesting to watch, and, boom, you have The Greatest Hits.
Then after all of that, set it in LA, have it poorly acted with everyone trying to be really rad, cool and/or laid back and go to do 'cool' LA things (silent disco, driving around in a vintage convertible in LA.....when has that ever been fun)
Settlers (2021)
It's a boring western set in 'space'
Seriously, don't bother. In the style of the Muppet Show, this film is brought to you by the words, disappointing and boring.
There is hardly any dialogue. And what there is is basic and doesn't allow us to form conclusions about any of the characters or care about them in any way.
We have so many questions whilst watching. Who else is on Mars? Why can they breathe the air? How do they live? Are there any neighbours? Is the brown man a psychopath, a coercive lunatic, a 'grapist' or all three? It suffers badly from having no world building and leaves us to make our mind up.
The best character is the Wall-E box thing.
The direction, script, plot, acting are all an irrelevance
As for the ending. These are brought to you with the phrases, 'deus-ex Wall E' and the word anticlimactic.
Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989)
A riotous laughfest it is not.
It's been 30 years since I first saw this. It was heavy hitting then and it still packs a punch now. I did forget how morose, doom laden and crushing it is.
The drama takes place in a neighbourhood in Brooklyn, post war and in the middle of a strike that is hitting the poverty stricken and violent community hard.
Nothing turns out well for any of the characters here.
The movie is well made, the cinematography is good but the script is a little stilted and as such the characters and the acting comes across as a little hammy in places. It is never a dull ride however. There are several dreams dashed along the way for all concerned.
In parts it did feel like it was written for the stage.
Definitely worth a watch and placed in the category of 'they don't make them like this anymore'.
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)
Terrible script and characters in Magnificent 7/7 Samurai rip off
Well it looks good. And that's the positives over with.
Everything else is rubbish. The plot is a rip off. The characters are paper thin and badly acted.
Zach Snyder may make beautiful looking movies but he cannot write worth a tap.
The slow mo editing is grating and predictable after a while. Style is one thing but Snyder Is a one trick pony of a director.
There are far too many characters in the film for us to care about and none of them have any traits that make them interesting.
If this was supposed to be Star Wars movie that got rejected, I'm glad it did. Although with what has happened to Star Wars recently, well, don't get me started.
Is it too much to ask for a passable, well written movie?
Fallout (2024)
Great world building, interesting story with some strange plot holes
I have never played the game, so my review is based on the TV show only.
The world building and production quality is excellent. The sets, costumes, direction and cinematography are all great. The first few episodes grabbed my attention and held nearly all the way to the end.
The problems came in the last couple of episodes. What happened in Vault 32? Don't know. Who cleaned it up? Don't know? Who poisoned the raiders and why? Don't know.
Why didn't the self harm boot girl get punished? Don't know. Who gave her authority to decide who can be a knight? Don't know.
I hope the attention to detail gets better in season two.
The Squad (2023)
Beware the director that watches Spring Breakers and is the inspired to make this.
Yikes. This. Is. Catastrophically Appalling.
No real introduction as such, just straight into boss babes being vacuous and boss babeing.
Let's ignore that they all seem to be ten years too old for spring break for a second. This movie is essentially one big music montage interrupted by several scenes of truly inept movie making, direction, acting, lighting, editing, etc.
I have given this a 2 rather than the one it deserves because making movies is difficult and the extra one point is credit for at least trying. Think of it as a participation medal for a fat kid who came in last in an egg and spoon race. Bingo, 'The Squad'. Avoid.
Jailbait (2014)
Only one reason to watch this.......bewbs
Sara Malakul Lane is front and centre in the lead role as one unfortunate incident after another happens to her that leads to prison, prison gangs and an abusive warden.
The plot is pretty generic but the story as such is quite good.
However the acting is lame. I lost count of the amount of times the lead character took het top off to show us her enhanced bewbs.
I can only recommend this movie if you like watching a movie whilst looking at your phone whilst it runs through all the usual themes of prison movies like female prison gangs, lesbianism, drugs, spontaneous violence, prison riots, 'grape' by the warden and finally ...redemption.
Wicked Little Letters (2023)
Vaguely humorous swearing is the only reason to see this...
..... Because it is not the script.
1920's England made for 'modern' audiences. A symphony of diversity, inclusion and equity in casting that would have been historically impossible.
The acting is actually terrible. So incredibly wooden and done like a farce. Olivia Coleman is below par and Jessie Buckley is the only shining light in the whole affair.
As for the men in the film, they all suffer from being stupid, incompetent or ignorant. It is as if a misandrist has written their own narcissistic view of the world.
Wicked Little Letters is a crushing disappointment. Made 20 years ago it would have been free from this modern take, and all the better for it.
Princess of Mars (2009)
Admit it, you only watched this for Traci Lords
Traci Lords aside. Imagine seeing this absolute dross of a movie and then five years later, Disney decide to make the most expensive movie ever that then becomes the biggest box office bust in cinematic history.
This is low budget tosh. Men in masks pretend to be aliens. The 'action' happens next to those famous rocks outside of LA where Captain Kirk fought the lizard alien thing sixty years ago or, if happens in caves. The CGI is basic quality at best. The acting is ..... meh.
John carter of Mars is not a bad story. The Disney version is not a bad film but this is a travesty, a travesty of a sham, of two shams of a mockery.
Maries Lied: Ich war, ich weiß nicht wo (1994)
Beautiful looking film that lacks an emotional punch
The title says it all in a nutshell. There is no dialogue to speak of. It exists in the world of show don't tell. As a results, it's a bit slow for some tastes.
The drama comes from what is shown and not from dialogue. The action is quite sparse.
I must give the plaudits to the lovely, lighting, photography and cinematography triumvirate, that do seem to be on the money here. It looks ravishing.
The actings is actually rather good and the direction creates an atmosphere. I never once felt bored watching it.
Overall, recommended, as long you like truly beautiful movies like, Heavens Gate, The Fall or Days of Heaven.
Dot the I (2003)
An OK, plot driven flick that now seems rather dated
I get it. Dot the I. It's all about I or in this case me.
Amazing to see a young, Bernal, Hardy and Cox in this tale of twisting turning loyalties.
I won't say anything about the plot, but about the time that this was being made, the UK TV landscape was festooned with reality programs and this has clearly influenced the writer. But, can you make a movie with hidden cameras when no one knows that a film is being made?
The acting is a little overwrought, the direction is adequate, the budget is quite low and the plot is rather contrived. Overall, I would only recommend this movie for Tom Hardy completists.
The Holdovers (2023)
If you like Alex Payne's other work, you will love this
Payne's previous works include Sideways, The Descendants and About Schmidt. They, like this, are all character based works that arc up and down throughout their runtime as the character and audience eventually find the truth of the matter or complete a chapter in their life.
They are traditionally structured movies and I love them for it.
The Holdover is well made, written, acted and directed. It starts slow and builds to very satisfying conclusion.
One thing I would say of it is that I think I have seen movies like this before. Family ties, dead poets society and even scent of a woman are similar in their tone. Otherwise, excellent.
Suze (2023)
Very solid comedy drama from Canada
Lots to like here. Suze deals with issues of divorce, mental health, female menopause, child seperation and mid life crises. That may seem like a lot to get through, but Suze tip toes through these minefields quite deftly with good writing and characterisation.
The production values are good enough, the acting is totally believable and the script, story and plot are very pleasing.
So why give it only 6? Well, whilst the movie was pleasant and whimsical, at times I wanted a little more comedy in the comedic moments. Maybe that was choice between script, director and actor. Also the 'make out' scene was a touch clumsy.
That being said, I would still recommend.
When the Game Stands Tall (2014)
Compared to other football movies, this is pretty corny
Seriously, We Are Marshall, Remember The Titans, even Friday Night Lights. All are better than this.
At no stage did I feel that knew any other the characters, their motivations, their hopes, their dreams, their fears. From the start we were straight into the games. And I didn't care about any of it.
The writing is sooo cornball. It's like every cliche in American sports movies has been collected from the past thirty years to simply dump on the screen here. The pushy parent, the black player from the hood, the player with the dad for a coach, the motivational speeches. Tick, tick and tick.
Meh.
Drift (2023)
Lacks the emotional punch it should have
Why is it lacking? The pace. This movie is sloooooow.
No words are spoken for the first ten minutes. Little is said in the whole movie until the ending is revealed.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad film by any stretch of anyone's imagination, it's just that it is slow at the start, takes its tome to reveal its real meaning.
It is well made, the direction tries to tell a story by showing rather than telling. The acting is a little bereft of convincing emotion.
There are more issues to do with the plot. When is this film set? The Liberian civil war was 20 years ago. How did the fisherman break his arm and leg? Where did she get all of her money?
The Great Gatsby (2000)
A decent faithful adaptation of the novel
They haven't pushed any boats out here. There is no dreamy quality like the Redford/Farrow version or exhuberance of the Baz Luhrman. But this is a more faithful rendition and truer to the novel.
The acting is acceptable without being standout, the direction is adequate, but there is is a certain PG quality to proceedings. The action avoids being graphic in any way.
Mira Sorvino is a little lost, Paul Rudd is ok and Toby Stephens is breezy without being inspiring.
Literature students may choose to watch something like this instead of fawning over DiCaprio as they will probably learn more. Although I must confess it that version I prefer most.
You'll Never Find Me (2023)
Surprisingly good, low budget, psychological horror
If twisty turny stories are your thing, then look no further.
Is it an arthouse movie? Is it a horror? A psychological drama? Is it all of the above?
Without giving too much away, I would say that some people will hate the very slow and deliberate script, direction and editing of the 'action'.
I loved the to and fro of the dialogue in the first hour which makes you think the story may go one way or another. Then, when the movie makes its decision it is still compelling,
The end was a little contrived for my liking but still, those with a little patience will love the movie.
Has to be said the acting is first class.