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stephenmsaunders
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The Responder: Episode #2.1 (2024)
Bilbo Baggins goes to the dark side
It's BACK and not a moment too soon.
If anything The Responder Series 2 is grimmer and more stressy than the last series.
Martin Freeman continues to be a revelation. Talk about your antihero.... He's best summed up by a senior officer telling him: "mate, everyone thinks you're a knobhead."
Everything in episode one is complicated and feels real. There are tradeoffs and compromised coppers galore.
Pacing, accents, violence and the sense of a city that's beyond decline .... It's all here.
Keep an eye out for the chicken shop scene. It was clearly written by someone who knows the culture.
Banger. Watch it.
Fear (2023)
An intriguing combo of dull and hilariously lame
Holy crap! This is one stinker of a movie!
On the whole, I was impressed by the director and producers' inability to impart scares, thrills, or even a plot that anyone could care less about.
Everything is derivative and, well, rubbish.
Acting: not really.
Casting: predictable.
Dialog: Twonk shurk bing bwah now?
The so called horror is driven by two things: awful (AWFUL) hammy music, and dire sfx (which pretty much takes over the film's denouement.
I watched this film wavering between a boredom incepted fugue state and abject despair that anyone could have actually produced this nonsense.
And yet, I watched the whole thing, because it really is that bad. See it. Feel it. Laugh at it. Then forget it!
Dune: Part Two (2024)
The revolution will be jihad-less
There is no Jihad in Dune 2, despite the fact that that word, and its very specific meaning, are central to the novels that this film was based on.
I assume the filmmakers were too worried to use it, but this is far from being the only compromise on view here.
There is a tendency when a franchise is popular enough to just load in as many marquee Hollywood actors as possible, and this is a mistake. Here there are two pieces of completely insane casting. Florence Pugh looks like she has literally come from another universe. And Christopher Walken is absurdly himself, it's like he's not even trying to play the role.
Then there is Timothy Chalamonte. His agent says he hasn't had to audition for a role for seven years. Well, perhaps he should start again. His acting is more Hayden Christensen in Star Wars than Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia.
The only person worse is Zendaya, who doesn't appear to be able to act at all, and goes into a perpetual sulk for the second half of what starts to feel like a very long movie. Her sins with Chalamonte are painful.
The film is, of course, redeemed by the most astonishing, visuals, production value, design, and science fiction vision. It is truly awesome to watch, except when the human actors are on the screen.
What else? It's way too long. And yet Austin Butler's baddie, who is easily the best thing in the Dine franchise so far, doesn't get nearly enough time on screen.
Los colonos (2023)
A very hard watch
Watching The Settlers is a grueling, almost physical challenge. Some of the scenes are so disturbing, and presented with such unflinching realism, that it is impossible not to look away at times.
The presentation of the horror of the genocide in Chile, and the appalling treatment of the indigenous people, at the turn of the last century is depicted in a way that is moving in a all of the ways that Killing of the Flower Amon wanted to be (and simply wasn't).
All of the performances are fantastic, especially the Indian natives, whose traumatized and quiet demeanors seems to drive home the atrocities being inflicted on them.
The Horror!
Out of Darkness (2022)
Ice cold in the ice age
This is a genuinely great film, which sets it apart from much of what is being released currently, obviously.
The production is totally focused on delivering an immersive experience for the audience - and it succeeds.
The cast is superb, all the better for not featuring any recognizable "Hollywood" faces, which adds to the feeling of realism.
The music score is absolute genius - a succession of not-really-music music that delivers just the right accompaniment to the action and suspense.
The first two thirds of the film are perfection. Things start to unwind a little in the last third after a big reveal - but it's still great.
An ice cold ice age thrill ride.
Blue Lights (2023)
We're going to need another series
Well, wow, in an age of weak, poorly produced police procedurals from both sides of the Atlantic, along comes Blue Lights like a hurricane of excitement and emotion.
The acting in this series is nothing short of brilliant, and when combined with the fresh and multi-threaded plot, and local colour of Belfast, which is depicted amazingly, the whole thing just combines to be the best show since the early Luther.
It is probably going to be compared to every other British cop show, but Line of Duty most of all: that is a fair comparison, but this has so much going for it in its first season that you can only hope it doesn't tail off like line of duty did.
Let's have another series ASAP.
Masters of the Air (2024)
So much CGI
It's obviously tempting for expensive series makers to use their computer animations to the maximum these days, but this really takes it a little too far. So many of the shorts on screen are obviously artificially generated. And not just the flight scenes! Entire fields of cows, villagers, and anything else you can point a computer mouse at is CGI, presumably to keep the budget down.
My next bone to pick is with the casting, or more specifically the shallowness of the individual characterizations. It's all straight out of central casting, and I wonder whether people in the 1940s really were as predictable and talked by rote in the way that everyone in this series does.
Finally, there's the plot, and the action scenes. There have been some classic movies made about bomber Cruise in the second World War™. And unfortunately, they have explored all of the possible permit of peril that this show wishes to duplicate. I just felt like I was watching a preceded version of all of the other movies that I've enjoyed about this period.
This is no brothers in Arms, or Pacific.
I.S.S. (2023)
Not for Marvel fans
So, here we have some high brow, hard sci-fi.
If you're a fan of that kind of thing, this is definitely for you. But if you're more of a Thor Ragnarok, Dr Starnge in the Universe of Infinite Boredom person, you will
absolutely hate this film.
For people who like their futuristic movie fare to be bleak and hyper realistic, there is lots to love here.
The action takes place on the international space station, which has a Birdseye view of a nuclear war, which has broken out between Russia in the US below on planet earth.
This adds a whole level of dystopia to the plot, which takes place in an extremely claustrophobic and uncomfortable environment in space.
As the movie plays out, and various characters die in incongruous medieval ways, the continued reminder of how the Earth has been destroyed, and is now in fact, on fire, below the space station, provides a constant reminder of Man's ability to be properly horrible to each other.
Probably not surprising then that while there is no happy ending, there is a slight uplift of optimism in the final frames. See it to find out what that is.
True Detective: Night Country: Part 1 (2024)
And finally.... Series 4 Delivers!
True Detective's reputation was based on series one. I loved series two, but I can see why a lot of people thought it was laughable. And then there was series 3, an unwatchable bore fest with only one decent scene in the whole enterprise.
And, here we are several years later, with series 4 - an absolutely superb drama that lives up to the reputation of series 1. Casting, check; atmosphere, check; , and a challenging but worthwhile plot, with none of the manipulative BS you associate with so many so-called thriller series.
It's clear that series 4 will not make the viewer's life easy in terms of emotion or intellect. This is a show to dwell on and get invested in.
Superb.
Reacher (2022)
Series 2 lost the plot
I stopped watching after half of series two. It's just not good enough.
The first series had so much to recommend it - funny, focused, fresh.
The second series just wanders around ... here a plot hole, there an unrealistic gun fight.
And there's just so much boring exposition where in series 1 there wasn't a wasted minute.
When you love the first series of something and then series 2 is a total bore you have to wonder what part of the team changed between 1 and 2.
I won't be watching reacher again. Which is a shame because I really looked forward to series 2 after the first one. But this was just boring, and so unrealistic that I couldn't be bothered to make it through it. What a disappointment.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
Thank God for Godzilla
It's been a weird year for film. So many promising films that turned out to be predictable bores (Napoleon, Oppenheimer), self indulgent wank (Killers of the Flower Moon) or pretentious Oscar grabs (Saltburn).
And then, finally, we have this: Godzilla Minus One. Sure it's a monster film (and WHAT a monster film) but there's so much more here.... An extraordinary and unique glimpse into post war japan, an emotional rollercoaster, a genuinely scary thrill ride....
Thank God for Godzilla. It may have destroyed most of Japan but it saved cinema in 2023 along the way.
See it for the genre defying joy of it but book early - it's selling out based on word of mouth.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
Bizarre production quality
I'm in episode two and Kurt Russel just turned up so everything just got a bit more interesting, but considering how much money this show cost the production quality is absolutely woeful.
Dialog? Dr Randa walks out of jungle and sees a giant destroyer. "What is that?" She asks. Well, like, duh. Ludicrous.
In another scene kentaro changes direction in a crowd scene and walks directly into ... the same crowd extras. Just shoddy.
There are other examples but they haven't stopped me enjoying this completely.
I'm sure the monsters will be worth the wait
Probably most people wouldn't care about things like plot errors and crap dialog but I do.
COBRA (2020)
Pretend Tory's aren't all bad
There is something very disingenuous about cobra, a weak sauce, governmental soap opera, sett in a made up world, where politicians have morals, and some basic level of competency.
It's all completely ludicrous. Having seen what Sunak and Johnson and May and the rest of the clown car;s occupants have done to the UK it is completely and utterly unbelievable that any Tory government would handle any of the so-called crises that present themselves in COBRA with anything like this level of competence, or confidence, or without simply doing what it would take to keep them in government, and get another job in the private sector afterwards.
Some of the script is just poor. A bit like modern Britain.
Summary: Tory Government Soap Opera.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Better than the Irishman .... but still poor
.... Better than the Irishman but that's obviously a low bar. Both films have the ponderous pacing, the "jobs for my old chums" casting, and, above all, length.
And, it's official: Scorsese is in a new phase of his career; self importance.
Scorsese makes two cameos: one as himself to be introduce the film and really spell out his agenda. And another at the end, playing a bit part. Bookends, then, delineating his overt role, making the world aware of the appalling injustices suffered last century by the Osage Indians. And they are appalling, and they are also 100 years ago. Given the current state of the world you feel he could have done better to pick a fresher cause...
Scorsese and the production designer and the actors really commit to creating the culture and world of Olde Oklahoma but it's taken to such an extreme that they forget there's an audience in the cinema.
Hard to believe this is the same director who made Taxi Driver.
Bones and All (2022)
Utter Wank
It's hard to know which is more irritating: How bad this movie is, or how the so-called expert critics who have seen it could have given at such high ratings.
Let's start with the pacing. The whole reel is a turgid bore from beginning to end. The dialogue is trite, and the acting is totally narcissistic and up its own arse.
Everything about this film is self indulgent. It seems like the director and cast have collaborated to make something which only they could love. Obviously Timothée Chalamet has his own cabal of toadies who will give anything that he is in 10 stars but now that he is actually going out with a Kardashian, surely it's time to just accept that he's nothing more than a another part of the Hollywood scum that are destroying cinema day by day, film by film.
Oh what a lovely bore!
Dead Shot (2023)
Captures the 70's agro
Really good.
This is not a low budget movie and a lot of the money has been spent on getting the griminess of seventies N. Ireland and London right.
The actors look a bit too healthy for that period but overall the production designer has done a grand job and even if you don't like the plot car lovers will have fun spotting all the vintage classics.
The plot is ok - not ludicrous - and the action is excellent.
There are only a handful of recognizable actors and it's nice to see less familiar faces get a look in.
This is like a more realistic the Devils Own and all the better for it.
Lots of quite good reasons to watch this.
Invasion: Something's Changed (2023)
It's back - and everyone's annoying
Amazingly, given that it didn't get very good reviews or audience response for its first season, Invasion is back! The most impressive thing about it are the special effects, which are excellent. Unfortunately, they are not matched by acting or dialogue, both of which are absolutely dire.
The biggest problem here is the lack of any charisma in any of the main characters. Everyone is grumpy, sarcastic, entitled, sad, argumentative, and thoroughly dislikable.
About halfway through the first episode in season two, I started rooting for the aliens to win. Or at least to take out the Elon Musk wanna be entrepreneur super-jerk in the Amazon forest, or his equally jerky, psychoanalyst assistant.
Everything in this show is just slightly out of kilter. It keeps on wanting to be a rich and imaginative thing, but then it just sort of drifts off into complete mediocrity.
Given that it must've cost an absolute fortune to make a second season of this, the producers really should've done better.
Sisu (2022)
Achtung! Die nazi scum!
Somewhere at the end of the first big fight scene - and there are many big fight scenes in this amazing film - you realize that Sisu is not dedicated to the depiction of realistic violence.
And it is so much better for that.
This is such a breath of fresh air when compared to todays two main cinematic choices: arty boredom or Marvel multiverse predictability.
The entire film is one hell of a ride - with frequent nods to Tarantino (all the way down to the font style of the chapter titles shown on screen). The action is equal parts inventive, hilarious, and bloody.
It's in scope for this movie that the lead actor says nothing until the final frame - and one he does it's in finnish.
What a rush.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Superb and true to the game
This is everything the dire, self-important, dull LOTR TV series wasn't (but could have been).
In parts exciting and hilarious, with a moving "loss of loved one" subplot, everything about this film is perfect.
The D&D details (from gelatinous cubes to rival doofus dungeon gang in a tournament at the end) are all superbly observed.
Chris Pine is at his most likeable and enjoyable since Star Trek. Hugh Grant chews the scenery - perfect Brit villainy!
The whole thing races along, carried by superb pacing and direction. The cast has a blast. You will too.
See it - it's an absolute owl-bear hoot!!!!!
65 (2023)
I love this movie
Dinosaurs versus a spaceman (and girl). You had me at "dinosaurs."
At a time, when most of the movies at the cinema are either art house toss, or Marvel dross, laden with predictable plot lines and boring special effects, this is a blast of fresh air.
The pacing, plot, and special effects are all fantastic. There's something weirdly minimalist about the movie, and it's all the better for it.
It's refreshing to see Jurassic's lock on dinosaurs, being broken so effectively and efficiently. Thank goodness! In this movie, the dinosaurs are actually terrifying, and this drives the whole film forward.
What surprised me was that there is a tender and emotional sub plot going on through the film which makes it surprisingly moving. It's not just a monster mash flick.
I see the critics are being unkind. What a surprise. Never have the people who are supposed to understand what audiences want being less in touch with the consumer.
Yellowstone (2018)
China is Authoritarian, US is stupidarian
So, Yellowstone. It's a show about an America that a lot of Americans think used to exist, and wish that it still did exist.
Everyone is an arrogant ass. Everyone is a bully. But bullying and violence and competing to be as unpleasant to your neighbor as possible is cool, and results in being "a winner." So, USA! USA!
In the world of Yellowstone all of the cliches roam freely on the plain of soulless and predictable plot lines. Chinese people being stereotypes on a tourist bus? Check. Biker gangs that must be beaten up for being too bikery? White collar metrosexuals that must be mocked for their effete flat white drinking ways! Ohhhh yeah.
Ironically, this show is so successful because it gives Americans a stereotype that they want to believe in.
Everyone involved in it should be ashamed of themselves.
Welcome to the United Hates of America.
Infinity Pool (2023)
Watchably weird!
Let's begin by saying this is part of a recent trend of weird movies set on islands with an arty look and some generally weird stuff going on.
It's a lot better than Glass Onion, because at least it has proper actors doing proper acting.
And it's at least watchable, which Cronenberg Sr's Crimes of the Future certainly wasn't (see: boring pretentious twaddle).
There's a cool look and feel to the whole project (it's set in a madey uppy country which is actually one of the more believable parts of the film).
And the acting from skarsgaard and Goth is really good (Skarsgard manages to get past his "I'm just ridiculously good looking" handicap to deliver watchable work).
A Bluebird in My Heart (2018)
An exceptional indie
The acting, plotting and pacing are all in total contrast to the typical fare available to movie goers today.
If you want to be invested in truly believable and imperfect characters and situations veering wildly between mundanity and terror, I can't recommend this highly enough.
The vibe here is very off beat, quite noir but not cliched. There's an industrial and murky feel that is more usually found in grim post apocalypse movies.
The three leads are exceptional. It even has a symbolic dog scene. What is not to love?!
Also, Roland Moller is such a gem of an actor. We need more of this fine fellow!
Glass Onion (2022)
No thanks
If you liked this film you're probably a big TikTok user and following a bunch of influencers.
For actual movie fans the movie breaks a cardinal rule of cinema in that all of the characters are horrible and easy to hate.
I wanted them all to die as quickly as possible but sadly it was not to be. Instead we have to put up with Daniel Craig chewing the scenery and generally imitating the worst of amateur dramatics.
In a world of shallow fickle amoral influencers and social media donkeys do we really need a film where people portray more of the same?
This was awful and the "professional" critics drooling over it will be embarrassed in the future. History will not treat these reviews kindly
What a crock.
All Eyes (2022)
Absolutely amazing
This is such a remarkable and original flick. It has more Wit and entertainment value than 99% of big Hollywood blockbusters these days, and sticks to an original bonkers premise without letting go for the entire feature.
It's weirder than Nope and 10x cooler than Don't Worry Darling. A total genre bender.
It's a shame that this did not get a theatrical release, and that it is getting so little love here on IMDb, or from mainstream reviews. I would watch anything with the lead actor and the director of this film; I hope they do another.
There is so much to love here, but perhaps its greatest achievement is in making a true piece of cinema through the use of nothing more than committed actors, a great script, and, above all, superb pacing.
See it. You won't regret it.