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Reviews

Your Honor
(2020)

More than mere flesh can stand.
Firstly, I must say that I love Bryan Cranston. This guy is really something else. He can be tough, he can be funny, he can tug at your heart-strings and he adds the stamp of quality to whatever he does. Until now - a step too far. OK, the son is a dork who shouldn't be allowed to breed; I think we can all agree on that. But the Judge - what is that? That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a cross between Perry Mason and Groucho Marx, both brilliant in their sphere but whose idea was it to put the two together? The illegitimate offspring of LSD and a migraine, cavorting around the courtroom like a wasp on speed. You don't play this one for laughs, Bryan. To save myself from further embarrassment and my disillusion with one of the greats, I had to switch Mr Cranston off after just a few minutes. What could he have been thinking of? Not a lot, evidently.

War of the Worlds
(2019)

Bore of the worlds
I just gave up after four episodes. There was no war. There was no plot. Just the aimless wanderings of bored, humourless people waiting for something to happen which never came. An opportunity missed. I'd rather have watched Big Brother or the Kardashians and you can't get much worse than that!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
(2018)

Cure for insomnia found!
Heaven knows what's supposed to be going on. Solid CGI from start to finish. No acting required: Johnny Depp no more frightening in this than in real life. Just another spoonful in the Harry Potter gravy train whose only purpose is to make even more money for the franchise. Give this one a miss.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout
(2018)

Incomprehensible claptrap
Typical Hollywood violent claptrap. I find it immeasurably sad that people not only bother to watch this rubbish, but feel strongly enough to applaud it. Two hours of my life gone forever. Oh - and not enough explosions. Please do better next time with the next edition of this mindless drivel of the Mission Impossibel gravy train.

True Detective
(2014)

Another Mumbling Mess
Seems that anything with Matthew McConaughey is destined to be impossible to follow. I watched, with great difficulty, all episodes up to #5 of Series 3 and just gave up. These strong accents coupled with slurred speech makes the thing impossible to follow and I've reluctantly had to pack it in. Couldn't find the subtitles switch. It's something of great visual impact and I daresay great acting, but not everything you see is worth the effort: you need to be able to listen as well. Matthew "Mumbles" McConaughey has made another mess. Shame, could've been great.

Solo: A Star Wars Story
(2018)

Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed
Be clear about this - it's a cash earner trading off the back of earlier, worthier Star Wars movies. Thin plot, claustrophobic sets, no depth to characters (with one exception) and little connection to the later Han Solo: it would take a decent actor to do that, and we didn't have one. But Thandie Newton was gorgeous, Donald Glover even more so (imagine a black Howard Keel) and Woody Harrelson put everyone to shame. But that fine actor did get the best lines. And Imax 3D was very convincing. It was OK if you don't expect anything much, we're not in Bladerunner territory here. We must remember that these movies are aimed at an uncritical adolescent audience. Most of us have moved on, the franchise has not. My advice would be to save your money and wait till it's on TV. Shouldn't be long.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
(2017)

A movie of two halves
Just returned from viewing this movie in Imax and don't yet know what to make of it. Firstly, it's long. Far, far too long. The movie, and the viewers appreciation of it, would've been greatly improved had it been cut by 45minutes - the first 45minutes. At no time could I truthfully say that I had a clue as to what was going on: the plot is such a mess. Not helped by the Rose character's speech being totally incomprehensible, a common problem with Asian Americans (try making sense of Lucy Liu in the otherwise excellent Elementary). Chewbacca (this passes the spellchecker!) is supposed to be incomprehensible, but then, he's a Wooky, not a human. And all those pointless cute little critters that'll scare most children, what's all that about? Aimed at pre-adolescents, there are sufficiently numerous explosions to keep most interested at least during the performance but don't expect this cash cow to become a classic. A generous 5/10 as the music, coffee and nachos were very good.

The Stuarts
(2014)

BBC Masterclass
Clare Jackson is an exceptional presenter and the series beautifully written. This is history as if it happened only yesterday. Some surprising revelations. Indeed, to reinforce the many parallels with today (you remember the adage that failure to learn from the mistakes of history results in their repetition), there are many timely illustrations from more recent incidences. Music too dovetails well with the narration and the whole series is a typical BBC tour de force. In fact, a must-see. Watch, and learn.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
(2017)

A movie of two halves
Just returned from viewing this movie in Imax and don't yet know what to make of it. Firstly, it's long. Far, far too long. The movie, and the viewers appreciation of it, would've been greatly improved had it been cut by 45minutes - the first 45minutes. At no time could I truthfully say that I had a clue as to what was going on: the plot is such a mess. Not helped by the Rose character's speech being totally incomprehensible, a common problem with Asian Americans (try making sense of Lucy Liu in the otherwise excellent Elementary). Chewbacca (this passes the spellchecker!) is supposed to be incomprehensible, but then, he's a Wooky, not a human. And all those pointless cute little critters that'll scare most children, what's all that about? Aimed at pre-adolescents, there are sufficiently numerous explosions to keep most interested at least during the performance but don't expect this cash cow to become a classic. A generous 5/10 as the music, coffee and nachos were very good.

Magellan
(2017)

A great advert for...er....Adverts!
Do not believe all you read on IMDb re this movie (prior to this, I mean). It is cr4p, total and utter. I watched this on the basis of the IMDb score and profoundly resent the waste of time. I'm 68 and will never get those minutes back. I watched this on Sky Syfy which includes adverts, rather than Sky Movies, which do not. Thank heaven for those adverts : bright, lively, entertaining, evidence of money spent, and relevant. I short, everything the movie is not. Do not, unless suffering from insomnia or need an excuse for ending it all, watch this movie. I warn you, watch and regret. To think I pay £70/month for this!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
(2016)

Loved it. But......
I love Harry Potter. I've read all the books, seen all the movies, been to Alnwick but yet to visit a theme park. It seemed to me that JKR began to write by the yard with the books, and in due course the movies, becoming flabby, overblown, overlong and lacking direction. But don't get me wrong - I'm still a fan. With the advent of Fantastic Beasts came the opportunity to right a few wrongs and start afresh but no, the same problems persist, along with a few new ones. The plot of Fantastic Beasts is obscure and often difficult to fathom and retain. If the Director lacks direction, then pity the poor audience. Having read the HP books prior to seeing the movies I had some idea of what was supposed to be going on, but not in this case. JKR is rightly an icon but that's not to say that everything she does is great. And this is not great. Most of the innumerable characters add nothing but confusion to the picture and it speaks volumes that the most endearing character is a mute CGI mole-like creature. There'll probably be a spin-off. The movie is saved through it's 3D and CGI. It is fabulous. Breathtaking. Dare I say it before someone else does? -spellbinding. The best ever. But shouldn't it be more than this? I was lucky enough to have seen this in Imax 3D and thoroughly enjoyed the experience but I very much doubt that watching in a lesser format would be half as impressive. So - what's the bottom line? Is it worth seeing? The answer is a definite Yes, though not in 2D. And JKR? Still love you but please listen to your critics and do better. Please.

Arrival
(2016)

And your point is?
I saw this a few days into its UK release, following interviews of Adams and Renner on a chat show and checking up on IMDb reviews. Initially I was disappointed that the movie wasn't shown in Imax but having now seen it I realise that the big screen would have been inappropriate, and would only serve to show up the shortcomings. The movie disappointed me greatly. Dark, claustrophobic and cheap. A droning noise masquerading as a soundtrack, sets which were no more than a few tents, an impenetrable plot only the most pretentious of whom would pretend to understand. No explanation for the aliens' presence, no action, no audience involvement. I saw little evidence of Renner's considerable talent though even this Director couldn't entirely squander Forest Whitaker and Amy Adams who, to be fair, were given little to work with. Sensibly the aliens left before the end of the movie : Take me, Take me!! If ever there was a case of The Emperor's New Clothes, this is it. Don't waste your time on it - wait for the TV showing, it shouldn't be long. The Hollywood hype machine is coming off the rails.

I'll Follow You Down
(2013)

Not too boring for words
Aka Continuum according to Sky TV. A reasonable premise, ridiculously dealt with and typical of USA productions, beautifully filmed to give a gloss that just isn't deserved. And slow! I had 3-cups of tea whilst watching, just to have something of interest to do. Imagine a Physics genius who invents a time travel machine in order to go on holidays,(dropping in on Albert Einstein for no good reason), without his wife knowing as she'd really rather stay at home. Little wonder Gillian Anderson committed suicide 1/2-way through - Surprised she could stand the boredom for so long. A starry cast having to deal with this crap: how I sympathise with the three main leads. Now, I have a much better idea than you watching the movie. Pick a wall in your house that needs decorating and buy good quality paint and brushes. Or a felt roller. Modern emulsions (and don't let your emulsions rum away with you - joke) dry quickly. No, not for painting over the many holes in the plot but just watch the paint dry, 89 minutes should do it. You'll thank me for this one day.

Appaloosa
(2008)

Cliché City
I cannot believe that so many good actors (Zellweger excepted) have put in so much effort in such hot and sweaty locations and come up with the most cliché-ridden "Western" I can remember. It took 30-minutes into the movie for me to realise that it was not a comedy and that it was actually meant to be taken seriously. Irons, Zellweger, Spall and Mortensen are the least convincing Western characters imaginable and for Ed Harris to put his name to it (as Director, screenplay writer and actor) is probably the greatest mistake(s) he's ever made. Sorry Ed, it don't get much worse than this. Never mind the worthless awards, this is rubbish of the first order. Still, locations and costumes were decent. Just a pity about everything else. The tag line was "Feelings get you killed" : whatever, beats watching the movie.

Elementary
(2012)

A rare treat from the USA
This purports to be a take on Sherlock, migrated to modern New York and it does this very well. Sherlock is a true eccentric, Watson equally and entertainingly odd with the NYPD reassuringly stereotypical, adding balance. Jonny Lee Millar gives consistently outstanding performances full of quirky finger movements, twitches and sudden changes of direction - mental, emotional and physical. Watson is a bewildered soul mesmerised by Holmes, resentful of his offhand treatment of her, intrigued but unable to escape. Irene likewise is outstandingly good - another flawed character, riveting to watch. This series is a revelation, worth watching for JLM's performance alone. Worth 10/10 were it not for Watson's quacky delivery and Holmes' mumbling when thinking out loud but don't let this affect your enjoyment - just see if you agree. Absolutely brilliant.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
(2014)

Good, but not brilliant
Saw this in Imax 3D at the first showing in B'ham UK. I had to queue, at 0945! In the am! Firstly, you need to be up to date with both the last movie Desolation of Smaug, and the first (Fellowship of the Ring : first and still the best). Some scenes which might seem non-sequitur rely on an enthusiast's recall of the original story and the preceding two movies in this latest trilogy. The rather thin plot, which follows upon the demise of the lovely Cumberbatch in the disguise of the loathsome Smaug (not a spoiler I hope) revolves on the Dwarf King wanting to hold on to more gold than there actually is, at least in this world (or any other I strongly suspect) - anyway, enough to disturb the balance of earthly economies. So that's the first 1/2-hour dealt with. The rest of the film is a confusing battle between Dwarfs on the inside (with gold), Men and Elves on the outside (who want the gold), Dwarf Cousin Billy Connolly and his mates on the outside (who want to help the little guys on the inside keep their gold), and no fewer than two whole armies of the spectacularly-poor-warrior Orcs on the outside who don't want the gold, just the whole mountain, together with everyone's death. No change there, then. Gandalf, as usual, flits ineffectually in and out of the movie to give some continuity with the previous screenings. And no-one needs to eat or go to the toilet. If you like Dungeons and Dragons, you'll love this. If you liked Lord of the Rings, you may be disappointed. It was all rather 2-dimensional for a 3D-movie. And me? I loved it, can't wait to see it again.

Skyfall
(2012)

Not good enough Mr Mendes.
Not as good as the hype says. Craig is as dependable as ever, but get on with the next movie as time is not on your side. Hope he can hold on for another movie. The usual formula of car chases, boring gambling and explosions held together by a paper-thin plot. So many opportunities for the baddie to kill M, why pass them up? Why did Bond draw the baddie to Scotland when he was so unprepared? Why make great show of some assassin cutting through plate glass to poke a gun through to easily shoot through the same plate glass in the building opposite? Why put Bond in Norman Wisdom's jacket? - not going to frighten anyone! References to earlier Bond movies were read as lack of originality. And finally - would M drink product-placed cognac from a whisky tumbler? I think not! The Scottish house looked like a cheap model and probably was. Especially in view of the lavish budget, not good enough Mr Mendes, must do better.

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