jonnithomas

IMDb member since December 2011
    Lifetime Total
    100+
    Lifetime Plot
    1+
    IMDb Member
    12 years

Reviews

Pennyworth
(2019)

Interesting start sofar worth watching
The 'alternative London' in this is odd and laughable in its view. However, the acting and characters are very believable and the storyline is interesting.

So it's definitely worth watching to see where it goes.

Crashing
(2016)

I'm amazed at the good reviews of this 'comedy'
The basic premise is that a group of strangers share their lives, loves, accomodation and social awkwardness together. Sadly using clumsy social interaction in this series simply isn't funny. It gives a sense of disjointed weirdness without any substance. The characters are all unrealistic in an OTT way. The storylines are disjointed and lack any entertainment value unless you like adults acting like they're on acid.

Warren
(2019)

This is amazingly bad and really not amusing
I expected this to be worth watching with some degree of subtlety and wit. How wrong could I be ? The wife character is basically too stupid to be realistic and the husband driving instructor behaves in a ridiculous manner. The acting is OK considering quite how bad the script actually is. The characters are unbelievable two dimensional shallow fools. Such a waste for Martin Clunes.

Delicious
(2016)

the first two seasons were pretty good, shame about the third
The original stroryline and premise were quite entertaining. However, the third season has become preposterous.... rich guy that's totally irresistible to all women who enter the sack within minutes of meeting him. Crazy storyline not worth watching any more... such a shame.

Watership Down
(2018)

What a disappointment. Poor animation/cgi
I have read the book several times and seen the original film twice. This is a shallow replica made suitable for showing at 7 p.m. for 'all the family'. The book wasn't suitable for a five year old and neither was the film. So why spoil it ?

The cgi is very weak and the appearance/ motion isn't rabbit at all. It's impossible to identify most of the rabbits from their markings (what markings ?).

I found the series quite boring at times. The book and the original film certainly aren't. The music is really quite bland and no competitor to the original.

It's a waste of money.

The Reluctant Landlord
(2018)

This 'comedy' is really really tedious
It simply isn't funny and I yawned watching it.

I have tried to watch three episodes and find it dull, lifeless and totally not funny.

That's not good for a comedy.

It seems it may have a second series. Goodness knows why.

The Royal Bodyguard
(2011)

This is a truly awful 'comedy'
David Jason has been given an impossible task in trying to make this rubbish work. His role has no character and the scenes are frankly shallow and totally unbelievable. Couple this with baddies that make the acting in ello ello look Shakespearian and you get the idea. It's a farce without any humour, subtlety or drama. I found this program to be cringeworthy and there is no way David Jason should have taken the role.

Annihilation
(2018)

This is not quality scifi. It is tedious
I don't know why so many people say this is a good film. It's not, it's slow, boring and lacks a story or believable characters. The director was spot on with his last film but this isn't even worth watching on a cold, wet and windy afternoon. I was really bored after the first 30 minutes and towards the end I had given up watching it. If you enjoyed the pretty lights in close encounters then you may like the last 20 minutes of it.

Fahrenheit 451
(2018)

Boy is this slow. the book was excellent and the original film OK
However, this remake is such a waste of time. Poor acting directing and so terribly tedious. I gave up after an hour and watched TV. Dont waste your time on it. It simply isn't worth it. Such a shame.

Requiem
(2018)

This is slow and boring, not worth your time.
The characters are nondescript and really uninteresting.

I found myself doing my emails at the same time as there was really nothing to capture my interest. The most irritating thing about this slow, tedious program is the 'music'.

Someone has decided that the only way to try to liven the script up is to have loud discordant music throughout the program. There's no drama in the script so lets try to make people nervous with the sounds ???

Really not worth anyone's time.

Grey's Anatomy
(2005)

It's bubblegum. Shallow but entertaining rubbish.
All of the 12 characters sleep with each other. Then swap and try to get over the last partner by screwing someone else. Then they want and sometimes get the previous lover back. It goes from social disaster to the next one. Lots of pop music throughout too Some amusing medical issues occasionally. Then ridiculous situations which would be dealt with in the real world by either dismissal or jail. Somehow it works tho if you want if you want bubblegum. Shallow rubbish

Runaways
(2017)

it's so slow moving and just boring
I was really disappointed in this and after two episodes found myself fast forwarding to try to find something worth watching.

It's badly written, directed and acted with appalling characters that really don 't stand up. Just having some decent looking women in it isn't enough, nowhere near enough to make it interesting.

I don't recommend watching it unless you are pre-teen and like rubbish.

Bounty Hunters
(2017)

Not hilarious but worth a look.
I was surprised to read a review which demonised this comedy because people die in it. There have always been some comedies that take crime and make fun of it. Arsenic and Old Lace for example wasn't without the odd murder. Now on to the comedy. It's not hilarious but does have humour in it. Some of the characters are likely to gain substance. It's not bad. Worth a look in my view.

Tin Star
(2017)

Seemed to be worth watching but gets worse as series progresses
Initially it works well as a plot but quickly descends into farce.

The writers seem to think that you can make something dramatic/scary by adding load of irritating discordant music. However its the equivalent of nails scrapped on a blackboard... it quickly becomes just plain irritating.

The characters whilst acted OK are not realistic or believable. If told to stay in your room after a death would you really leave in the middle of the night and wander around aimlessly ? I'm giving up after episode 4. It seems by other reviews that it gets worse.

The Sinner
(2017)

I gave up. too boring to watch.
There is only one word to describe this series and sadly it's boring.

The tedium of watching this badly written and acted program made me give up.

I like psychological dramas and well written scripts but this has neither.It has minor grubby sex scenes which are neither sexy or interesting. Actors that cannot act and a story that could have been interesting but just misses the mark.

The basic idea is normal Mum goes crazy and kills a guy nearby on the beach. Yes, the guy is 29 and he and his girl are acting like they are 17. I wouldn't tolerate someone so near having music so loud and all but copulating in front of me. I would get up and move away and not suddenly launch myself at the guy and stab him repeatedly.

So that's the plot. Why did she do it ? Hardly worthy of a TV series.

Churchill
(2017)

This film is saved by Brian Cox's acting
The acting of Brian Cox is quite quite stunning. He portrays Churchill as a man haunted by his failure in WWI and the many lives lost. The high costs England paid in young lives was horrendous and unsuccessful in Gallipoli against the Ottomans . That cross would be enough for anyone to carry without also suffering from visits by the black dog.

It is only this performance that gains the film 7 out of 10 in my eyes. Those issues plus his heavy drinking are well known about, documented and should be shown in any film about him.

However, any film of this nature should attempt to be historically accurate and not written for Hollywood and the American market.

This is an attempt by a poor writer to gain notoriety and success in Hollywood.She attempts to do this by standing on the shoulders of a great but flawed man. This is a despicable act as it shows Churchill as a failing tragic character and not one that gained high awards many years later for his own intellectual abilities as a writer. In fact he led his own political party until his 80s. The Conservative party are not know for accepting weakness in their leaders for very long and certainly not decades.

So watch this film but don't believe its accuracy. It isn't based on many facts apart from that D Day was a success.

Rebel
(2017)

What a pity, it could have been good.
It is a contentious subject. However, it should be faced. Fact some US police do kill black Americans.

So take one really serious subject and try to capitalise on it. Partly it was a story which had prospects. Add some unnecessary gratuitous sex. Add a heroin whose hair changes every time you see her. add some serious dialogue and a hodge podge of rubbish.

What do you end up with ? A badly directed piece of bubblegum. The subject deserves far more than this. The storyline after the original premise is so weak it is laughable.

So writers and directors you should be ashamed of yourselves. Serious subject made into trash. it deserves far more as a subject.

So you get racially prejudiced people making it a mockery. You get black people trying to support it.

Would I try to watch it ? Perhaps if there was nothing else on. Would I make a point of watching it..... hell no.

Jamestown
(2017)

This is really weak
The plot is weak on a subject which could have been excellent. The blonde character is supposed to be manipulating people but her actions and motives are laughable. She is far too transparent and it lacks any realism.

The characters are all far too clean and wearing clothes that just wouldn't be possible in that environment. some have long hair and haven't shaved but the whole location is plastic and unbelievable.

it just lacks any realism. The female characters are far too independent and it seems politically correct. They were bought by their 'husbands' and would have been effectively slaves. They are there to breed from, no love as most have never met their new owner before. In that environment argue with your owner and you would be beaten. that would be far more realistic. Instead you have romantic love interests popping up within minutes of seeing someone. its just unrealistic.

It really puzzles me as to the expected audience of this drivel.

Update. I did try to get into this but 4 episodes and it is total rubbish. All I can think is that it was written for children. Maybe if you are 12 and female you might think the clothes are good.

I, Daniel Blake
(2016)

If you can accept the politics it isn't bad.
The acting is bland and unrealistic. The directing doesn't create characters or do anything worthwhile.

This film plays to a believer in its message. it paints a story that lacks much in reality. it gains it's high reviews from people that support the viewpoint and it isn't a reflection of the merits of the film or its cast.

I have personal experience of the benefits system, job centres and food banks. of JSA, ESA and PIP. Also the court appeals system. I have never seen a food bank with a queue of more than 10 people. This is unlike the film where the queue is around the corner. The system is far from perfect but it is nowhere like as bad as this film portrays.

Unfortunately this film is simply propaganda and consequently its extreme view doesn't actually help improve the system. It is actually counter productive.

This film is such a shame when I expected so much. Did this man really do Cathy come Home ?

Legion
(2017)

I have really tried to watch this but.....
it really is a case of the emperor's new clothes.

it isn't the Shining. It really isn't clever, philosophical or deep. It isn't scifi, intellectual or in any way even slightly abstract unless that means unintelligible rubbish.

It really is a case of trying to pontificate about existentialism with monkeys.

So I have persisted for six episodes as I wanted to like it and to give it enough time to bed in. For me to see if there was anything in it. However, sadly there isn't.

The people saying how wonderful it is don't want to admit that they don't understand it. That would mean they aren't intelligent wouldn't it??? The thing is that they may well be intelligent and don't understand it because it's twaddle. Complete and utter psychobable.

so if you want to watch well produced shite feel free to watch it. I have better things to do.

John Wick: Chapter 2
(2017)

Such a failure after the original. film
This film is just tedious. There is little to comment on as it became really really boring. It was so bad I started looking at my smartphone for something to do.

I actually enjoyed the original but found this film had such little dialogue and what it did have was drivel. This adds nothing to the first film and is simply an attempt to make money on the back of the original.

I am amazed at the IMDb rating and wonder if I actually saw a different film to its fans. However, having read the other negative reviews I see that I didn't.

If it's raining and cold and the cinema is warm and dry I would sooner go for a walk.

btw isn't he getting too old to play this type of role now ?

Remember
(2015)

A wonderful, thought provoking film
This film is very well cast, directed and acted with a very difficult and well written storyline.

I wasn't expecting the level of pathos created by the film and was totally surprised by the ending. It's a story that I find myself thinking about the next day and I found myself obliged to write this review.

The acting is outstanding and you feel real sympathy for the main character and find yourself rooting for his success. His motives are tragic and the success of the film is its ability to make you think about such a difficult theme. I became emotionally involved in the film and amazingly cried during it.

I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Jessica Jones
(2015)

Some good and some bad. Too much soft porn.
This could be a good series but just misses the mark.

The heroine storms about being rude to people as though that is tough in some way. She is supposed to be a good detective but doesn't really detect anything. Her sister is supposed to be an radio star but seems totally unaware that her actions may have a reaction from the villain. You ridicule him on air and then you are surprised that as a baddie he wants to get you ? how rational is that ? Also her security door is hit repeatedly by a police battering ram but gets no marks on it at all ?

There are various sex scenes which occur far too frequently. They are boring and I fast forwarded over them. They are presumably there to make it gritty in the same way as the pseudo lesbian scenes. However, who has sex without taking off any clothes ?

Now for Luke Cage, to show his invulnerability he uses a rotary saw on his stomach. Of course we all have one in our pocket all the time.

Back to the heroine who is supposed to have a drink problem but never actually gets drunk or slurs her words. Is that another super power ? So all in all I don't recommend it. It's without any substance in the same way as the characters in it.

Outlander
(2014)

This series is an odd mixture
The storyline is OK and the directing is good. The characters are quite realistic although some are a little wooden.

However, it's a mixture of soft porn for women and an interesting scenario where a trained nurse from the war goes back 200+ years. She has some knowledge of the period, some specialist skills and has to fit in whilst striving to survive and get back.

However, you get scenes of minor flagellation, attempted rape and various buttocks (male and female) and of course bare breasts. I'm not making a moral point at all (she has a nice bottom ) but simply suggesting it is either too much or too little. It's just boring.

It seems to be a shallow story to titillate women with the handsome young stud and heaving breasts.

Certainly the episode where she gets married is really quite ott, the only thing it lacked was him giving her roses and undying love and his life. Simply no fighting man in the 1600s would have done that in the setting and period. He also wouldn't be a virgin at what is probably 30.

so overall it could be good but it's not, sadly it's boring.

Fortitude
(2015)

Life is just too short to watch this
The holes in the story are only equalled by the lame dialogue and acting.

Girl throws a snowball at a window to have sex with the man inside. She doesn't know if his partner is inside too. Man goes outside to girl and it's snowing heavily. They go to a nearby barn and have sex without shutting the door. So bare bits and a snow blizzard a few feet away.

Then the little boy jumps energetically out of bed (he's ill at death's door) and jumps out of the window with only his pyjama bottoms on and nothing on his feet. So of course he doesn't realise it's snowing and there is snow on the ground so he gets frost bite.

Couple this with freezing weather and no trace of anyone 's breath showing and the standard of this program is obvious.

There isn't one interesting or pleasant character. The directing and acting is non-existent. I got so bored I picked up my laptop to look at emails.

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