pk1873

With a few tweaks this film could be massively improved, sure it's the predictable unlikely buddy action movie, but that's ok it's a formula that has worked many times.. the two big issues here are the soundtrack and the editing.. a re-edit and for the large part an entirely new soundtrack it's a 7.

I love all the Anime and Manga fans.. they will never be happy with anything that is adapted so they should always be ignored, that doesn't mean they are always wrong, it simply means they will never be objective. I've watched the Amine and live action Japanese versions they were good imo, this isn't by any means great it has many flaws Light is horribly cast, nothing to do with whitewashing it's not set in Japan so that point is irrelevant. It's horribly cast because the 23 yr old guy is a bad actor, when he first encounters Ryuk, who is horribly underused, his reactions made me laugh it's that bad. The Mia and Light storyline is horribly rushed and inexplicably foul mouthed. Not everything is terrible though. I thought L was decent, the gore level is fairly high in comparison to the Japanese live version movies. The story has a few decent changes that could have worked if the acting was better and Willem Dafoe's Ryuk is good but as I already mentioned criminally underused. Not sure about the electronica soundtrack I didn't love it or hate it. The potential was there to make something great but the minute they cast Light it was on a slippery slope.. I really can't stress how bad a performance this guy dials in. I was really disheartened to see on his bio that he's involved in a few what initially looked like half decent upcoming projects. Anyway I didn't out and out hate it because I wanted to like it from the start, I just felt it was an opportunity missed for a great 6 or 8 parter instead of a poorly executed movie. I gave it 5 because the concept and some aspects of the production which were good were let down by others.

I didn't fancy this much when I saw it added to Netflix, but literally gave it a shot on a rainy day and was pleasantly surprised. This is not a comedy jammed with jokes and one liners, however the comedy within it is well crafted and can produce a good lasting laugh.. Sam's friend Zahid in particular has some great lines. The drama aspect is sympathetic I felt to those on the autistic spectrum and I really enjoyed some of the performances. Sam's sister Casey is superbly portrayed and well written a definite doff of the cap to Brigette Lundy-Paine I thought she nailed it. I have always liked Michael Rappaport and in my opinion he puts in another good performance here, his relationship with Sam and Casey comes across really well. My only minor bug bear would be the soundtrack it can be a little irritating in a couple of places, but on reflection that could be to give the feeling of how Sam perceives sound. Overall I was happy I gave this a try because I really enjoyed it.

After a lacklustre outing from Luke Cage.. I enjoyed the first half of that series but felt it really lost it's way.. and similarly Iron Fist which was slow to start but did actually pick up a bit towards the end. I'm very happy to report that the pacing here in The Defenders is much more even. We have the recap of where everyone is at, the strands of how they have been connected via previous series are pulled to bring them together and the action ensues from there. We get the performances we are familiar with and Danny Rand has been massively improved IMO by Finn Jones since his first outing, credit where it is due. The story is good, the fight scenes are more Daredevil than Iron Fist quality and on the whole everything seems to be back to the heights of where the Marvel franchise on Netflix has previously been. Even the fringe characters have some great scenes, Rosario Dawson of course is a standout but I was more than happy with the supporting cast. All in all a welcome return to form and I am very much looking forward to the Punisher now, after Bernthal's performance previously and the improved script here it promises to be a good one.

Some people seem to be falling over themselves to say how amazing this is, well I just don't see it.. 6 episodes in and I want to see where it goes but how we are getting there is incredibly tedious and boring with fleeting moments of intrigue.. Overkill seems to be the order of the day the soundtrack for example is a relentless screechfest of jazz?? I really don't know if it can even be pinned to the genre it's just terrible.. accompanied by a slow motion overload which is beyond repetitive and unlike some seem to think it shows a complete lack of imagination as it is used time and time again for little to no effect. As I said the overall narrative is intriguing, Ian McShane is impressive the visuals at times can be stunning but as a cohesive piece of entertainment it is poorly executed. One thing I don't understand from other reviews is how they can be 'riveted' I'm watching it at times thinking can that infernal music stop or can we move the plot along here this is boring me so much I've had a peek at my phone something I never do when watching a riveting piece of film or television. It's one of those TV shows where you think something good might just be round the corner so you keep watching, I just hope that unlike some others it actually appears.

I read a couple of the reviews and I was wondering what these individuals expected.. too much sex and violence?.. what did they honestly think a wild west fully immersive theme park for the rich populated by androids would offer? homesteading? gold panning? surely it is a place for them to live out their fantasies be they wholesome or depraved.. by the way not all the 'guests' are on a tour of evil, which is clearly shown as part of the narrative... as a species we happily go paintballing, if we were shooting robots we'd most likely want to fire something a little more powerful at them.. the pilot has a couple of decent plot twists which were unexpected and I thought the production values were high. Are there questions about A.I sentience, evolution, morality etc.. yes, but I would have thought that is part of the appeal of a sci-fi based series, to make you think of the what ifs and why nots.. overall I found the opening episode very promising and I expect the rest of the series to throw us a few more curveballs as to what we think is truly going on while dishing out plenty of action along the way.

Stranger Things is another very good offering from Netflix.. it certainly holds its own with the best in the horror genre on TV.. a stronger area than some would have us believe.. Walking Dead, American Horror, Penny Dreadful, Outcast.. strong performers all. As someone who grew up in the 80s the cultural references in this are off the charts.. you can see what they watched and read for inspiration, It, the Langoliers, ET... even Predator.. apart from some fairly obvious reasons heres a great one for fans of the Arnie classic... Jim Hopper saves Hawkins from the monster... My one minor complaint is that at a couple of points the cgi/green screen is a bit dodgy. The make up, sets, acting, direction and writing make up for it though and most of the visual FX are decent.. It is left for a season 2 if there will be one, but not to worry it's not left on a cliffhanger which is always a relief. All in all another great one for a binge session.

This programme caught me completely by surprise, I tuned in assuming it would be full of great scenery, amazing vistas and a little bit of history about the canals themselves... and it was, in fact the history aspect was extremely well covered by Tim, who is a very well informed man and a joy to listen to as his passion for the subject matter is mesmerising... but here comes the punch, through Tim and Pru, who are well into their 80s you get this fantastic insight into love, relationships and getting older. I found the journeys quite emotional, Tim and Pru's spirit of adventure lifted my heart so much as I watched them navigate the waterways. Absolutely brilliant, a hidden gem.

If you are checking out the reviews you will notice that the earlier ones are very negative at times about gratuitous violence against women in this show, if the reviewers had actually bothered to wait until they had seen a couple of episodes before judging they would come to realise that men get their fair share of gratuitous violence against them too. Is the show violent.. yes, but no more violent than many other 10pm shows. The ongoing narrative is good, the 'case of the week' is diverse and in many instances a bit different from the majority of what has gone before in the cop genre. Stalker certainly delivers some proper edge of the seat moments. Don't let the one episode wonders who seem to know everything on day one put you off, this is good TV.

The Missing isn't going to be to everyone's taste, but if you like suspenseful character driven crime drama then i suggest you give it a try. The premise is simple.. a child is abducted surrounded by mystery, we see the aftermath and we see the obsession of a father who desperately needs closure, the timeline cuts back and forth from the time of the abduction to the present day.. something which is used to great effect to explain how each character got to the point they are now at. Some reviewers have suggested the pacing to be slow, but having watched the first 4 episodes now the pacing for me is well timed, we get some background information, we think we are getting a handle on some of the facts surrounding the case then as the tension builds we are knocked back from the edge of our seats with one swift body blow and our perceptions immediately change. The acting writing and direction for me have been very good. Nesbitt is always watchable. but he portrays Tony's pain and anguish very well indeed it is at times quite literally etched on his face, the supporting cast equally earn their dues. If you want a story that is wrapped up in 40 mins this isn't for you it's all about the journey and the final reveal i am sure will be well worth it.

I had to add a review of this show after i saw the minority of reviews were so negative, i really can't believe that anyone would rate this series at 1/10 that is a disgrace in itself. the production values would rival most high budget movies and the acting is definitely 2 steps up from anything else horror orientated on TV( with the exception of billie piper who does an irish mish mash of accents while pulling the faces of a bulldog chewing a wasp)this however is a minor complaint, even josh hartnett pulls it out of the bag as far as the rest of the cast go. If you like your classic horror tales or goth horror then this is definitely worth checking out, i grew up watching the mummy,Dracula,the wolfman and frankenstein on late night TV and i have to say this series revisits those nights curled beneath the duvet with the class and atmosphere of the tales from which it draws it's inspiration. well worth a look guys, don't let the downers put you off!!

I watched series one last year, it was a good cop show, it came at things from a slightly different angle as it had the anti-corruption unit (internal affairs) as the 'good guys', so my rating was a solid 7.5... i enjoyed it enough to tune in to the second series which as i write this has one episode left to air and i have to say it has been TV at it's very best, from the opening few minutes it had me glued eagerly anticipating each weeks new developments, no spoilers here i only recommend you watch it for yourself to experience the shocks, the thrills and the suspense which it has in abundance, the casting of Keeley Hawes as DI Lindsay Denton was a masterstroke, the character is complex to say the least and she will trigger every emotion you have in your arsenal. Superb character acting, it really is. My revised rating overall is 9/10 but i'd give series two 10/10 after 5 of the 6 episodes...Well I thought I'd return for an update as I love this show so much now.. Needless to say season 2 finished as it had began.. sheer class and a great example of how good TV is right now.. Keeley Hawes we salute you.. now we are 1 ep into season 3 and Jed Mercurio has done it again the season opener quite literally blew me away I was so looking forward to it and it was like welcoming an old friend back into my life.. I can't wait to see where the show is taking me next

There have been one or two negative reviews posted about this show and I have to say that after 2 episodes, I really like it... nit pickers may say that there are historical inaccuracies, but there are also many myths dispelled ... and with the appearance of Valkyrie on the battlefield at the very beginning of ep1 to take fallen warriors souls, unless you are deluded and believe in that being factual it was clear from the very outset that there was always going to be some dramatic license used. Others say the show is too Hollywood, this has to be the case to some extent but by no means is this another mass produced piece of garbage, unless you want the show cancelled after the pilot it must appeal to a mass American audience as entertainment it isn't a documentary. I personally feel that the show DOES have a European feel which is absent in many historical dramas, the locations are beautiful, the cast has been well selected and act their parts fantastically well. The good guys are instantly likable where as the bad guys you just can't wait to see them get whats coming to them, that is always a good sign as far as I am concerned as i want to see what happens to them and am looking forward to the next episode. So don't be put off by the pedantic armchair historians out there give vikings a chance.. it is what it is.

As I await season 3, this show has been posted as the 'top user rated TV series of 2012' while I thoroughly enjoy most episodes I have found one thing in particular lacking... meaningful battle scenes.. we have seen armies sweep across the fabled land of Westeros while rarely seeing them draw a sword in anger, this show is in effect a 'medieval' soap opera with occasional glimpses of the real action, my main issue with this is that the program demands more action and on a much grander scale and in reality it pretends to have these set pieces in abundance which is a little bit of hype on the part of the producers. Anyone who wants to see epic battle sequences will be bitterly disappointed. I can only hope that in this coming season we will actually see more of these 'wars' played out on the battlefield rather than focusing completely on the aftermath of battles or the reactions of various noblemen.

I am a late comer to this one but I have to say.. This BBC drama was outstanding. The performances by the lead characters were as good as you will see on the small screen and the head to head moments between the dark and sinister protagonists are so tense they literally suck you to the edge of your seat then blast you back again in one intense moment, sheer genius. The plot has some excellent twists and turns and keeps you guessing in all the right places. If I have one complaint it is that the final episode is a little rushed. It really could have been doing with that bit of extra time and meticulous detail I had come to expect from the previous 6 episodes. A minor complaint in the grand scheme of things, still 10/10 and TV at its best in my book.

While this is a perfectly decent movie, it certainly is not the 10 out of 10 some people seem to think it is worthy of, a victim of the over hyped build up by the studio maybe. To be frank, I found all the Avengers themselves lived up to expectations, but the overall storyline and plot was not worthy of the super heroes so many have come to love and adore. The truth is that with so many central characters their opportunity to shine is limited, no matter how well they play their roles. The Dark Knight is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of the super hero genre(so far) and the Avengers doesn't come close. Sorry guys I know I will have offended a few Marvel Maniacs with that comment but it really is true if you look deep enough within yourselves, The Dark Knight is one of the best films of all time, the Avangers is not, plain and simple. Worth watching but not worth the wait. Iron Man/Captain America are at least equally as good in their own right.