nistad-27265 Reviews

All of Us Strangers (2023)

A Film That Deserves Every Award Thrown at It

[10/10 · 3 February 2024]

What can you say? The movie has an intimate ensemble feel initially - and these actors know what they are doing - oh boy they do it seamlessly - with deftness and easy ability ; not one foot wrong from any of them!

Pure class.

The whole thing pulls you into another world beyond the initial intimacy - a world of meta-physics, mystery, wonder and life and love. It is a tear-jerker without a doubt, but I do not want to spoil it for others. I am a mystery fan and it ticked all of my boxes.

There are minor sex scenes without being too explicit but enough to know how the two main protagonists have connected.

The four principal characters truly all deserve many awards.

So enjoyable and so memorable.

Destined to be a classic.

Down Low (2023)

This Was Great

[10/10 · 14 October 2023]

I wasn't expecting much from this movie after looking at the IMDB score so I was utterly surprised when I finished watching this breath of fresh air.

This a deeply dark comedy (pitch-black sometimes) with elements of pathos and bathos seamlessly sewn into the comedic narrative.

Yes of course it brings to light in vivid beautifully bright colours the gay quandries of modern gay life and at the same time illustrates the human condition that all human souls suffer.

The dialogue is pitch perfect and a lot of it is delivered with speed and throw away lines - a lot of the lines are written for a gay audience with references to "Flowers In The Attic" or "Beaches" that will resonate with gay and straight audiences alike.

Zachary Quinto and Lukas Gage are completely brilliant and deliver the dark humour with a real dose of realistic absurdity ; we look into episodes of that same absurdity in our own lives and suddenly that chaos can be all to real.

A special shout to Judith Light who eats up her lines with relish delivering a comic tour de force whilst imbuing it with such a sense of humanity and sympathy that only good actors can capture ; alas she appears on screen all too biefly.

For this viewer at least the movie had echoes of "Harold and Maude" and as it reaches its climax, I feel there was a nod at least to "The Graduate".

In conclusion: an updating of classic dark humour underlining the zeitgeist of today's youth and the standards and morals of an older generation - both startingly similar.

Wolf (2023)

Superb

[10/10 · 1 August 2023]

Attention grabbing stuff that makes you uneasy waiting to see what comes next.

This I feel will become a must see as the story unfolds and it does have a "Killing Eve" kind of vibe to it.

Do not agree with the criticisms about tropes et al - these same mechanisms have been used in dramas for hundreds of years.

We can all be too pretentious about TV and movies and even books but ultimately their purpose is to educate or edify or entertain.

If you want to be entertained, unnerved and feel hungry for another episode then this is the edgy drama for you.

The BBC saved the day yet again for my dose of TV.