paulholborn

Where do I start?

The bad points:

The CGI is frankly awful, for a $200 million dollar film it really is a let down

Gabriel Luna does the best he can with a minimalistic character in other words he isn't Arnie & T1000

Good points:

Yes it is bowing to the "me too" campaign & actually does it well.

It is action from the beginning to end.

Linda & Arnie are excellent & exactly what you want from a jaded Sarah Connor & an aging T1000 without direction.

Mackenzie Davis is pretty damn good as Grace, reminds me a lot of Charlize Theron I'll be watching her future projects with interest

Let us be honest, this film is Terminator 3 everything else in the Terminator franchisese is frankly awful in comparison.

Is it flawed, yes, but it still doesn't warrant the bad reviews. It relies far to much on bad CGI but is still head & shoulders above the other sequels.

It is exactly what I wanted a Terminator sequel to be, action, action, action, strong female leads, Arnie being Arnie.

I am not going to say this shows concept is anything original, it is not, there is a plethora of shows that revolve around the concept of time travel. Slider & Quantum Leap to name but two.

What makes this show stand out from the crowd are a number of things

1: It is not always 'family friendly' it uses expletives, there is nudity it touches on subjects that other shows would avoid in favour of popularity (murder, child abduction, etc, etc, etc)

2: The actors, Nacho Fresneda, Juan Gea, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo & aime Blanch all stand out adding humour & gravitas to the show.

3: History, every show these days feeds us American & British history and I imagine like most I take what I am told for granted, because for the most part I know a little of the history being told. But being Spanish, this show had me Googling every episode. Whoever wrote this, either had a passion for Spanish history, or spent an amazing amount of time researching, the good, bad & funny parts of Spanish history.

4: the photography and sets, I suspect this show doesn't have the kind of budget that Agents of SHEILD or other such shows can boast, this show looks just as polished as any of them.

It will be interesting to see what Netflix (who have apparently brought the rights to this show) do for season 4, personally I hope they allow the actors & writers to carry on as they have.

Having initially put this on in the back ground as I did other things, it piqued my interest enough to make me restart it and make a concerted effort to watch it, I am glad that I did.

I've read many of the other reviews of this film who say that the script could have been better, that the editing isn't up to Hollywood standard and the action missing in many ways.

To a degree they are right, but, they are missing something very fundamental, this is not a Hollywood block buster, this is a small Australian film, that punches above its weight on many fronts and frankly is better by a very long shot than a lot of the dross Hollywood is pushing out lately - Suicide Squad, Alien: Covenant, Transformers: The Last Night, The Dark Tower to name but a few.

If you enjoyed Chappie, District 9, Wyrmwood and are generally a lover of more independent films then I think you will like this film, it isn't perfect by a long shot but, I hope they do make a sequel as I am interested to see where the story goes.

Finally I would point out one actor for praise, Isabel Lucas surprised me, I initially mistook her for Yo-Landi Visser from Chappie! I thought she did surprisingly well in this role and for me, was the stand out actress/actor in this film.

Before I start I want to clarify that I've read the books, but years ago and frankly can't remember a thing about them, so I am reviewing this as a show, not as a adaption of a book.

I really, really wanted to like this show, whilst I cannot particularly remember the books I know I enjoyed them greatly as a teenager 30yrs ago, plus Manu Bennett who I tend to find enjoyable in most things he does.

Shows like Xena & Hercules showed what New Zealand can produce on very low budgets. sadly, The Shannara Chronicles is another case of a show trying to cash in on the teenage drama/fantasy shows & failing, abysmally.

The acting is downright terrible, even Manu hands in a lacklustre performance, the rest of the cast are frankly terrible. The script writing is so weak it makes the average soap opera look reasonable.

The music is another thing that needs mentioning, it never fits the action or what is happening on screen, it feels like someone just said "chuck some music in here, anything will do"

Whoever did the casting for this show really fell short of the mark, they had a chance to make something as good as Forever and they failed, mainly due to the actors: Tom Ellis - he doesn't do bad, but we all know he can do better (Miranda), here he seems to be coasting along waiting for the show to be cancelled, if he is hoping this will launch his Hollywood career he needs to be given more freedom to show what he can do.

Lauren German - is trying, but really doesn't seem to be enjoying the role, I am not sure if this is due to the script or her limitations, not having seen her in anything else, I cannot say which.

Kevin Aljendro - In Arrow he showed what he can do, he really seemed to enjoy playing Blood, yet in Lucifer he is irritating, I've a feeling he is here for the cash, after all, everyone has bills to pay.

lesley-Ann Brandt - now I have to admit I like her, I think the writers really need to give her more screen time and to develop her character more, we know from Spartacus & Librarians she is not a half bad actress, I would rather she been given the role which Lauren German was given to be honest.

D.B Woodside - he doesn't do bad in this role, but I think he could do more to convince me he is the irked angel he is meant to be.

Rachel Harris - sorry but I really can't stand her, her character is irking the hell out of me and her acting is terrible at the least.

But for all it short comings in casting, it is an enjoyable show on the whole, it could be better, hopefully having seen the recent episode (six) it is the start of a story arc that will make the show stand out of being another cop show.

I am a fan of Tarantino's work, though I am willing to admit that on occasion he falls short of expectations. This is one of those times for me.

This film shows what a great script writer he is, but, also shows that he cannot direct a film of this style. I would expect a film like this from Clint Eastwood, had he been at the helm I think this film would be up there as one of the great westerns, but, sadly Tarantino falls back on what he often does, profanity and racism to sell his films, often to the point where it masks the story line and this is the case here.

That said there is some great acting:

Samual Jackson is his usual self very polished.

Jennifer Jason Leigh for me is the real star of this film, I've never seen her act so brilliantly as she does in this film, I didn't even recognise it was her!!

Bruce Dern will for me, always be one of Hollywood greats, who has never quite made it to the level his skill deserves.

I went into this show with less than low expectations, given SyFy's habit of making terrible C rated movies & shows.

But for once, they've made something that is a real hidden gem.

I know a lot of people knock this show, but I don't think they get it, this, for me, is right up there with Wrymwood as a great low budget horror comedy.

Where the Walking Dead has become a slow moving zombie soap opera with no real plot or point (sorry but it is the truth) Z Nation has an actual plot, each episode has a point and on top of that, funny as hell.

I really hope SyFy carry this on for the full (rumoured) five seasons, though given its decrease in viewers I fear another good show will bite the dust. But if you fancy something that gives you a good giggle, isn't loaded down with pointless drama (ala Walking Dead) then give this show a try.

I went into this film with very low expectations, having seen the reviews on IMDb I really was not hopeful that this was going to be any good at all, I had a gut feeling it was nothing more than a remake of Limitless with bigger stars to give it a better chance at the box office.

But, I can say I was pleasantly surprised,whilst this film obviously has resemblances with Limitless, it also reminded me very heavily of Lawnmower Man. I found the script well written & well paced at no point did I feel the director was adding filler to make the film longer. Johansson & Freeman are excellent, this again shows what a talented actress Scarlett is & one who is obviously capable of being so much more than eye candy.

To add to my recommendation my partner who generically hates every film absolutely loved this one, so she gives it a 10/10

I went into this film with very high expectations, being a dedicated lover of the graphic novels & the original film, I have waited a long time for this film to come out.

I will start with the positives, the film is as beautiful as the original & stunning in its visual appearance. Mickey Rourke is excellent as Marv yet again.

Sadly, that is about all the good I can say. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was very weak & his character almost pointless, beyond being time filler. The script writing was not as snappy as the first. The whole thing just didn't flow as well nor feel as polished as the first, a real let down, they could have made something stunning & just went for easy money

I know I will be among a minority, but so be it, as an avid film fan & cinema goer I was looking forward to this film.

When I finally got to see it, what a let down, yes the CGI is amazing, but it is blatantly CGI. yes this film is all about metaphors & meanings, that can be translated into any religion or persons beliefs as I am sure many will, but, it looks what it is, a amazing cartoon with a kid in front of a blue screen! Sadly the script is so heavily laying it on about metaphors any semblance of reality or believability goes out the window in favour of CGI to make it look pretty.

Sadly Mr Lee got an Oscar & the people who actually made this film so beautiful went bankrupt.

My son found this film & recommended that I watch, having been a fan of David Anders from Heros as Adam Monroe & being a fan of the Zombie genre I had high hopes.

I wasn't let down, this film was brilliantly entertaining & the ending totally unexpected! Anders & Wylde work brilliantly together & D. Kerry Prior's script is a great new take on the zombie genre which other film makers should take note of. This film is up there with Shaun Of The Dead, The Vagrant & a host of other films, most of which never get the credit they deserve.

A true future classic

When I read the reviews I was dubious to say the least, but my son wanted to see it (I suspect because it has Rihanna in it) so in an attempt to be a dutiful parent went to see it with him.

Seriously what did people expect? This is a film based on the board game Battleship! At what point did they expect award winning scripts & acting? Battleship is Hollywood doing what Hollywood does best, big bangs, aliens, CGI, few giggles all wrapped in a family friendly package, job done. I was pleasantly surprised, my partner loves it, as does my 16yr old son.

Army Colonel Gregory Gadson deserves mention, given he is a genuine bilateral amputee who still serves in the American forces kudos to the producers for giving him a part in the film & to him having the courage to stand in front of the camera.