gb901 Reviews (99)

War of the Worlds (2019– )

Decent atmospheric slow burn of the first series

[3/10 · 3 December 2023]

However second series onwards was a load of crap!

Don't see an alien until the very last gasp of serious one, however, from the start of series 2 these humanoid aliens are absolutely everywhere and are indistinguishable from the rest of the league and human cast apart from, very conveniently, a distinctive tattoo on their wrist.

So we discover that these aliens are the Descendants of Emily and psycho Sasha and that they have returned from the future in order to heal themselves from hereditary degenerative diseases. All well and good but why on earth announced your presence to the healers by writing out the vast majority on the earth's surface: naked quite of easily have killed Sasha and Emily in the process?

None of it makes any sense whatsoever and sadly after a promising first series turned out to be a damp squib imo!

The Six Million Dollar Man: Outrage in Balinderry (1975) Season 2, Episode 21

Terrible, terrible episode

[1/10 · 3 October 2023]

Don't ever remember seeing this episode as a kid in the UK back in the 70s - which is hardly surprising as I have since learned this was originally never broadcast as it banned because of its content!

This episode very obviously displays American sympathies for the IRA which led to its broadcast ban over here.

It's simplistic portrayal of the IRA and their "struggles for freedom" are so one dimensional it's ridiculous. Steve Austin obviously gets over mourning the loss of his childhood sweetheart, the newly made bionic woman, as he quickly falls in love with a gun toting IRA - sorry IBA (which disconcertainty sounds like a stomach condition!) - cell leader and wants to whisk off to America to show her the sights. She declines because she wants to stay and fight the good fight.

Considering the USA's intervention in other states affairs this episode is incredibly trite, and, frankly, insulting!

The Sweeney: 'Lady Luck' (1976) Season 3, Episode 12

Terrible lacklustre episode

[3/10 · 8 March 2023]

So the wife of a villain has become bored and wants to get rid of said husband but not lose the lifestyle to which she has become accustomed - but what can she do?

She becomes Reagan's informant with a bit of nookie on the side in the hope that Jack and Co can call her dodgy spouse and put in behind bars while she can continue enjoying the luxuries of his villainous ways.

It all comes to nothing because the only witness witness is a little old lady, who is viciously beaten by the gang leader and then identifies him in a line-up (since when did villains line up in a hospital ward?) subsequently pops her clogs. The fact that the poor old dear was in hospital due to the injuries received after the vicious clout by the villain is deemed of no consequence to her subsequent demise?

Are You Being Served? (1972–1985)

Nudge nudge wink wink

[8/10 · 7 March 2023]

I was shocked to learn that the actor, Felipe Izquierdo, who played the school boy in the penultimate episode of the final series in early 1985 was actually 20 years old when it was filmed: he looks barely 12 or 13!

Anyways, I have fond memories of AYBS and remember watching it as a youngster. Obviously the early series are far superior to the latter with the replacement actors and characters not being a patch on the original imo.

These were the days before political correctness when comedy allowed people to have a laugh without fear of a minority of perpetually offended making complaints.

Sadly comedy is so much more anodyne and bland today.

Judge Dredd (1995)

Unforgivable

[5/10 · 22 February 2023]

Apart from everything else, which I imagine posters have already well covered with their criticism, the one thing I found totally unforgivable - and cringeworthy - was the snug at the very end!

Dredd removing his helmet was bad enough as well as the quite anodyne storyline the producers choose out of the wealth of dredd stories that they could have delved into from 2000ad between 1977 and 95, but the tongue action between the usually implacable dredd and her she was the final straw - that and all the maths sharing and waving by the onlookers!

This was definitely an opportunity missed especially considering the considerable budget and high production values: I thought the representation of mega city one, props and costumes was very good.

Dinosaur - with Stephen Fry (2023– )

Appalling... absolutely appalling

[2/10 · 19 February 2023]

Unlike many of those who have already left review for this and travesty of a show, I'm anything but a fan of Stephen fry, who I just find it incredibly smug and annoying.

This show is terrible with PlayStation 1 level CGI: the representations of dinosaurs appear 2-dimensional and flat with Steven Spielberg's efforts of 1990s 3 miles ahead.

Also fried says we're going to start in the beginning so the first show should have been about the Triassic thing but no he goes straight to the Jurassic with the second episode jumping to the cretaceous!

Take my word for it this is best avoided unless you just want some schadenfreude.

The Accountant (2016)

Terrible - Is Affleck's character an assassin or accountant?

[2/10 · 12 January 2023]

Either way way hes an odious individual : laundering the money of some of the worlds worst criminals!

So he takes exception to one of his employers just because they off his felon friend from prison (another bent accountant) and goes on a murderous rampage against them!

To assuage himself guilt he also decides, using some unknown ethical justification, that some of his employers are somehow worse than other s and deserve to be dobbed into the justice department?

This film was an utter mess and certainly doesnt warrant - or deserve - a sequel!

This damn minimum is 600 characters is getting on my wick!

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Total bloody nonsense

[3/10 · 31 December 2022]

Obsolete F14 tomcat found conveniently on foreign base which protagonist uses to take out not one but two new state of the art enemy fighters!

Add that Cruises character - a relic - would have been retired from active service years before!

As I said: total bloody nonsense which takes nostalgia gullibility to new levels of ridiculousness imo.

Who came up with this minimum 600 character review nonsense as people invariably will just write a load of jibberish in order to meet the criteria - as I am now,doing to get around this ludicrous arbitrary requirement.

Personally, Ive lost my loving feeling for top gun. But then I've never been much of a tom cruise fan.

Magnum, P.I.: Never Again... Never Again (1981) Season 1, Episode 7

How on earth was this series so popular?

[2/10 · 6 December 2022]

This is the first time I've seen any of the first series of magnum all these decades after it's initial broadcast and I can't for the life of me understand how it became so popular: it's so cheesy, preposterous and simplistic!

Anyway having just watchrd this 7th episode of the first series, with his Nazis masquerading as Jews, I have a question - does the evil twisted nazi crone surrender to Magnum at the end or, as I suspect due to terrible editing for a day time showing, does she slit her own throat?

I rather suspect that she commits suicide rather than timely submit especially as have a loving husband has bit the dust?

Gemini Man (2019)

A steaming pile of dog do

[1/10 · 29 January 2022]

This film is terrible, truly terrible. The matrix style acrobatics of the clone have no gravity and look totally unreal there's no feeling of reality at all: it's so obviously CGI.

The female dia agent - who supposed to be so Kick-Ass - throws underarm for goodness sake!

On the Up (1990–1992)

Not even diverting - less than average at best

[3/10 · 19 November 2021]

This very so so early 90s BBC sitcom. Vaguely recall watching it but certainly didn't wasn't an avid viewer of all episodes throughout the three series! The pairing of the young secretary and very very much older Sam Kelly at its denouement very much stretched credibility!

Young Rock (2021–2023)

God help us

[1/10 · 19 November 2021]

It would appear the bankrupt of original idea film and television industry knows no bounds: will there next be a young Kardashian or young whoever flavour of the moment is? I know Larry David has taken the piss out of this concept in the latest curb with young Larry a young rock is really taking the proverbial!

Stath Lets Flats (2018– )

Appalling drivel

[1/10 · 4 November 2021]

The protagonist is an utter moron who just gets even more stupid with every series: something one would have thought nigh impossible!

God knows how this one of BAFTA and has been extended to 3 series?

The Last Detective: The Dead Peasants Society (2007) Season 4, Episode 5

Disappointing end to a fine series

[6/10 · 3 November 2021]

Quite apart from anything else, what ever job did dangerous' wife get to necessitate her commuting to Paris: she'd not worked a day doing the whole four series?

Baywatch (2017)

Abysmal

[2/10 · 12 August 2021]

Utterly, utterly abysmal...lasted barely past the credits. How on earth does something this atrocious get green lit? And who in casting thought they would pass off short arse Zac Efron off as an Olympic gold swimmer is anyone's guess?

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996–1998)

Actually quite dark

[8/10 · 8 August 2021]

Watching this 20 odd years later on the drama channel I now it's actually pretty dark: Hetty gets her young prodigy Geoffrey to check under the eyelids of a corpse to see if its eyeballs have been replaced by glass and on another occasion please comforted by a sudden death - all this in the first series!

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

An insult to anyone with double digit intelligence!

[1/10 · 2 April 2021]

Its just absolutely inane, preposterous, uninspired, OTT nonsense with its specious bare bones story just an excuse to have two CGI leviathans battle it out!

Utter, utter crap imo!

Wonder Woman (2017)

Absolute drivel

[3/10 · 17 January 2021]

Bring back Linda Carter's wonder woman I say because this is terrible. I can only assume it's got the plaudits it did because it has a female director and female protagonist and the current climate of #metoo and age of groupthink? As one British newspaper reviewer stated this new wonder woman is just a "weaponized smurfette": I have to concur because she is so one-dimensional!

Skyscraper (2018)

Utterly preposterous

[1/10 · 13 January 2021]

Hey, at least the two films it ripped off were high octane fun, with die hard setting new precedents for action adventure films and towering inferno filled with so many star cameos that blink and you'll miss one - but this blatant ripoff is just utterly preposterous. For example, the one legged hero somehow manages to climb the external structure of a adjacent crane to get above the height of the fire in the eponymous skyscraper: 96 floors high at a speed that would put an arborial ape to shame - and there's even more ridiculousness to come!

Utter rubbish.

Greed (I) (2019)

Preachy, virtue signalling nonsense

[3/10 · 3 January 2021]

How on earth can you parody or spoof the high street retail when the likes of sir philip green exist in reality? Incredibly I see this as awarded 5 stars in the daily mail - now that's comedy!

The Midnight Sky (2020)

Derivative rubbish

[2/10 · 22 December 2020]

This film has been done numerous times infinitely better. Notably, films , which star its director, suffer from the conflict of interest which invariably arises - and it's very much the case here: clooney needs to make up his mind whether he wishes to be a star or director - it's clear he can't do both!

Miracle Workers (2019–2023)

Series 1 and 2 couldn't be more different!

[5/10 · 7 September 2020]

Series 1 for the start was quite funny, whereas, well, the second just plain isn't! I rate this 5* as the follow up second series seriously nullifies the enjoyment of the first!

Very surprised to read a third series has been commissioned as I thought the second would be it's death nell?

PS Daniel Radcliffes acting still hasn't improved and he's just as wooden!

Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer (2020– )

Truly, truly terrible

[1/10 · 7 August 2020]

As other posters of commented the initials of this show spell out SOS..which immediately spells disaster! I for one can't understand why the media currently fetes Mr Crouch: the BBC have heavily pushed both this and his podcasts - hi frankly find him as humorous as a haemorrhoids!

The Great Wall (I) (2016)

Meh!

[4/10 · 5 July 2020]

Could only make out Matt Damon's oirish accent at the end of the film with his very last lines!

Everything happened at breakneck pace - I suppose any slower and the films plot holes and faults would have shone through even more?

The Nice Guys (2016)

Fantastic morbidly black comedy

[9/10 · 29 June 2020]

Very, very enjoyable. Remember it being released back in 2016, and, as not a particular fan of either of the two leads, didn't give it serious consideration and as a result didn't watch it. Oh, what can error if judgement on my behalf. I can only imagine individuals bemoaning this on IMDb aren't nuanced enough and that it goes totally over their heads?