penelopeleanne Reviews

Asteroid City (2023)

Pretentious boring tripe

[1/10 · 16 July 2023]

Utterly awful, pretentious and boring tripe. Clearly trying to be arty and quirky but had no substance, and no meaning, and wasn't in the slightest bit clever, but rather ridiculous. Noone in the cinema laughed. The dialogue was nonsensical and went on and on and on and the characters were pointless. Some of the aesthetics were good but not sufficient to save the movie. So many well known actors in the movie, presumably bamboozled by its pretentiousness, as no doubt it will win awards despite it being 'the emperor who is wearing no clothes' in substance. I was so bored that it was a relief when it finally ended.

Knock Knock (I) (2015)

Appalling load of tripe

[1/10 · 13 November 2022]

Only watched half of the film. What a laughably ridiculous and utterly stupid film. Bad acting - very wooden, stupid script, stupid scenes, irritating and unrealistic characters, lacking any suspense or depth and a pathetic Keanu Reeves character who talks in a monotone voice and is so weak that he seems to let the 2 young female visitors to his house create mayhem - and is then overpowered by these 2 stupid young girls. How could anyone think this movie was good and worth producing and releasing onto the unsuspecting public. Keanu Reeves needs to rethink what roles he takes or better still retire from any future acting roles.

The Gray Man (2022)

Just Bad

[1/10 · 2 August 2022]

What utter tosh! Nothing but scripted fight scenes done in an unintentional comic book style and absurdly OTT. Ryan Gosling takes out several baddies and police with just the help of one kickass female whilst keeping his immaculate hairstyle and attractive but expressionless face clean and in tact. Formulaic Americanised dialogue, scenes and caricature bad guys. Stuck it out just to see which country our hero was going to next, as shown written on the screen in large CAPITALS, as if this would make the movie meaningful - it just made me laugh - the dreary, dark scenery shots could have been done anywhere! Boring, silly action film, and a predictable ending.

The Father (I) (2020)

Superb portrayal of Alzheimers

[10/10 · 27 February 2022]

A harrowing and realistic portrayal of someone going through Alzheimer's where the viewer is immersed in the confusion and loss of time and space that this disease causes. Hopkins is superb as the father and Colman too is excellent as his daughter caring for him. A difficult watch, particularly for those who have experienced this and tears will be shed.

The Woman in the House (2022)

It was a Parody!!

[9/10 · 3 February 2022]

I enjoyed this because it took the mickey out of a particular genre of movies and was intentionally absurd and not meant to be taken seriously. The ridiculous fight scene was a good parody of Fatal Attraction and I recognized several other film scenes in this short series such as The Hand That Rock's The Cradle and The Girl on the Train. Probably not for those who haven't seen or don't enjoy such films or who misunderstand parody.

Brazen (2022)

Just Awful!

[3/10 · 18 January 2022]

Well it passed the time and I was wanting to watch something uncomplicated. OMG - like watching a substandard daytime made for TV movie. Bad story and script, bad wooden acting, bad sets, laughable action scenes and excruciating romantic scenes. The student villain was unintentionally funny and punched a much bigger student to the floor, the Dominatrix videos playing on the walls of the CEO's office were ridiculous, the brief Dominatrix scenes were funny not sexy, the police men stupid and useless, their female boss a stereotyped kickass and the female crime writer an Uber clever, brilliant detective - I as a female am all for women representation but this was 'in yer face' feminist nonsense and does our sex no favours!. Script and storyline was formulaic and like watching a parody of a 70's/80's crime movie. Just BAD! Other than that I enjoyed it!

Ideal Home (2018)

Heartwarming, irreverent and funny

[9/10 · 23 May 2021]

An entertaining, heartwarming and really funny film. Quite the tonic I needed for a society which is taking itself far too seriously nowadays. Irreverent, whitty, colourful and sometimes marvellously OTT. Final credits show an important message but not in a preachy way.

We Own the Night (2007)

Entertaining and engaging movie

[9/10 · 16 January 2021]

I really enjoyed this movie as it kept me entertained, interested and engaged in the characters and the story line to the end of the film. Joaquin Phoenix is captivating and sultry and the relationship with his family is well presented. It may have had some plot holes but some films do not require over analysis.

Bridgerton (2020– )

Just awful!

[1/10 · 15 January 2021]

I've given up after watching half way through the first episode. Frothy, mindnumbing and certainly not aimed at anyone with more than an iota of intelligence. Ridiculous representation of the Regency period unless we are to suspend all belief. I don't think black people were part of English high society and certainly mixed race relationships were not the norm! Inane one dimensional characters, pantomime sets and costumes and anachronistic in every way which even if intentional just does not work. Also naughty sex scenes randomly thrown in with a view of a naked backside does not a decent drama make! What a load of tripe!

Parasite (2019)

Disappointed

[4/10 · 13 January 2021]

I had high hopes for this due to the Oscar awards but was left rather disappointed. It was an odd mix of comedy and serious drama with unconvincing characters and a bit of a stupid story at times. Very different but for me fell flat and very overhyped. I've watched much better thought provoking films with good social commentary.

A Christmas Carol (2020)

Pretentious and Boring

[2/10 · 18 December 2020]

So much potential and very different but fell flat. Lovely visuals but a storytelling narrative and tone to send you to sleep and Scrooge's voice wasn't much better - lacked intonation. Weird mixture of storytelling, theatre and dance where characters do not actually speak their words and only 'dance' which consisted simply of them constantly flailing their arms about and spinning around - not creative modern dance at all. How to ruin a Classic! Pretentious and boring.

Dating Amber (2020)

Uplifting gentle movie

[9/10 · 15 November 2020]

Advertised as a hilarious comedy and it does have its humorous moments and characters but it's more a nicely observed piece on the difficulties and attitudes of growing up and being gay in 90's Ireland. The developing relationship between the 2 main characters and how they gain strength from each other to follow their natural paths is very heartwarming. A gentle film, not too serious and full of warmth and hope.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Freedom of thought and speech

[10/10 · 19 October 2020]

Utterly compelling and absorbing depiction of the real life events in Chicago in 1968 of the trial of 7 protesters against the Vietnam war. Impressive, intelligent, sometimes funny, emotional and thought provoking dialogue and some very impressive character acting by the cast. A movie relevant to our times - the importance of bravely standing up for our principles, equalities, freedom of thought and speech, liberties and rights to question authority and to peacefully protest. A must watch movie which I will watch again when the government next lock us down again!

Safe (2018)

Ridiculous but entertaining

[5/10 · 16 July 2020]

I found this both an engaging and extremely irritating drama in equal measure. So dramas need some dramatic licence but not too many ridiculous, far fetched, very unrealistic character behaviour, contrived storylines and coincidences. Sia's family actions after finding the body in the pool - Was this supposed to be the comic light relief. Their acting was bad! No teenager at the party was outside other than the 19 yr old fit male about to be drowned in the garden pool by a middle aged woman. 2 surgeons who are close friends who don't seem to work but have oodles of time and the skills to be detectives. All the protagonists still live in the same community now as adults. Can police in the UK can afford such a nice house and do we have gated communities? Stupid soap side story 'You're my Dad!'. Dr gets severely stabbed but absolutely fine next day. Why do all dramas have to fit the 8 episodes format nowadays. Put all the stupidity to the back of your brain and it is an enjoyable drama that passes the time.

Collateral (2018)

More BBC propaganda than entertaining drama

[1/10 · 23 May 2020]

It started off well enough as a drama then turned into little more than a BBC production slapping you in the face and shoving it down your throat till you gagged on just about every moral and political agenda you can think of (even if you the viewer agreed), without any subtlety or point in moving forward the story. We had a Bishop discussing the church to a lesbian priest living with an illegal immigrant on drugs, a Labour MP ranting about brexit to the viewers and immigration and refugees, a criticism of the Labour party, we are given a speech how terrible and immoral the refugee holding centres are (the viewer can see this), a sanctimonious detective bombards us with her moral messages and talks in a weird stilted fashion whilst patronising the black detective, discussions about the terrible wars in Syria etc and how badly the army treats its soldiers/veterans and their families, poverty and disability and the state etc etc. Without all of that and without the weird jarring interplay of dialogue I would have enjoyed it more.

Black Mirror: Smithereens (2019) Season 5, Episode 2

Very emotional

[10/10 · 20 May 2020]

This episode had me in tears - it's very well acted. Some reviewers have said this episode is not BM, not sci-fi, not original and boring. As a person who grew up without social media I think BM is a good platform in reiterrating and questioning and as a warning to the future of some of the adverse effects social media can have on society, personal responsibility in it's use and it's emotional impact. The message clearly hasn't got thru cos when I go on scenic walks so many people do not 'look at the sky' or even look at you when about to bump into you, they just stare at their phones. Everything is now known about you out there except the essence of the person. So many people's attention span seems less today and more emotionally detatched. Too easy to glance at a post,'like' or emoji cry, then move on as in the end of this episode. Conversely, now in lockdown cos of Covid, today's technology and social media even more shows it's positive benefits to society in keeping us less isolated and for many - less bored, whilst at the same time reminding us of the importance of in person face to face social contact and nature, not just viewing the world thru screens. All of this is why this BM episode made me cry! It also filled my time under lockdown!

Ladies in Black (2018)

A nostalgic, twee, empty chic flic

[4/10 · 15 May 2020]

So I made the mistake of watching this on a Friday eve. This movie is more suited to Sunday tea time spent with your old fashioned, reminiscing granny over tea and scones. Awfully nice, nostalgic and terribly twee. Very lightweight and empty in substance with little character development and peculiar separate storylines for the main characters which lead nowhere. The 50's dresses were nice to see tho. Very syrupy uber chic flic.

Once Upon a Time in London (2019)

Dreadful

[1/10 · 3 April 2020]

Only watched 15 minutes. That was too much! Terrible. Very substandard.

Jungle (I) (2017)

Watchable but not wholly engaging

[6/10 · 1 February 2020]

Altho many admire Daniel Radcliffe as Yossi, I find him an odd casting. He tries too hard to overact the macho, determined adventurer but isn't helped by his boyish stature/frame and silly grins. The cynic in me thinks he's trying to get an Oscar for his art by loosing a lot of weight as needed for this film. Doesn't Israel have any actors so the accent is authentic? The survival scenes are entertaining hence my 6 star rating but I didn't really care for the characterisation. Sadly another true story of irresponsible Westerners getting into trouble during their ill prepared and ill advised travels then expecting the poor locals to bail them out and sadly the real loss of life told as an afterthought at end of film. For this reason it was hard to empathise. Also disliked the delirium, hallucinations scenes. I found them a forced and unsubtle presentation with needless to say for Hollywood the obligatory sexy females, one who was supposed to be indigenous. I look forward to a movie where an average looking female is paired with an uber hunk rather than always the case an average bloke paired with uber 'babes' altho in this case I guess he was hallucinating! In summary an entertaining watch but left me cold and heroised a stupid young man's jungle adventure ultimately causing unnecessary suffering and loss of life.

Dracula (2020)

Disappointing

[3/10 · 1 January 2020]

Started off well and some good special effects. Dragged on too long and this Dracula just got more and more ridiculous. Won't be bothering to watch the remaining episodes.

Retribution (2016)

Unconvincing but OK watch

[5/10 · 30 November 2019]

I weirdly sort of enjoyed this melodrama although it was very implausible, unconvincing, unrealistic and full of plot holes: The behaviour of the murderer going to the house in the storm. All characters having dramatic back stories and secrets. All family members colluding in not contacting police etc. The nurse time spent with patient and assisted suicide. The policewoman selling drugs backstory. The police investigation itself. The DNA test and thus discovery by Bill of the relationship and his wife's affair yet this hadnt occurred to his wife whose daughter was likely to be her lover's child not her husband's. Said child who now to marry ex lover's son! The Ending!- The protracted explanation of the plot by the culprit to his family and the police for viewers benefit and that police allowed him to get dressed alone after charging him with murder of the murderer to give him time to get a gun! The 2 wives hugging despite one wife had had an affair with the other's husband with whom she had a daughter and the consequent marriage which ultimately led to their deaths. Drama allocated no blame or guilt to the female lead character only the husband.

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

A cure for insomnia

[2/10 · 28 September 2019]

So much potential for this movie and it's actors so what happened? A few scenes were good and the cinematography is visually pleasing but the pacing was awful and altho I am ok with slower paced films it was so SLOW it sent me to sleep. The music is also a dirge and often too loud and sometimes the dialogue is not clear. I cannot see how it warranted any awards and also most reviews on here are unfavourable so how is it rated above 7 out of 10. On a minor point it was irritating at the start of the film where it was incorrectly quoted that Beale Street is in New Orleans which confused me cos Ive been there and its actually in Memphis!! I stayed with the movie convinced it would improve but even the ending was a non event and it took a few seconds for me to realise that was it!

All Together Now (I) (2018–2019)

Saturday evening tripe!

[1/10 · 2 March 2019]

'Celebrities' and people of no talent on the panel behaving OTT and self promoting 'dancing and singing' to equally unimpressive singing. BBC presents us with prime time Saturday trashy viewing again! Pity cos I thought The Best Dancer was so much better despite its reality format. Netflix and Prime again for me.