Love Jason Statham films but feel I cant give this more than 5 stars due mostly because this one doesn't have much of a storyline and relies on many many shoot em up scenes, which are great as always, but I need more. Also, must have been made in England as I recognised many actors putting on their American accents (not very well in most cases). Statham's earlier films had some kind of storyline more than just revenge let's get even but these days it's like all he does is fight em, shoot em, kill em and although I'll probably still watch I will inevitably be disappointed. Got to use up more characters for this review so will add Minnie Driver wasn't used enough. She's great and deserves bigger roles.
Reviews
18 Reviews
Red Light
(I) (2020–2021)
Started off great
15 November 2022
It started off great and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I got to episode 5 and found my attention wandering because the storyline began to drag. Especially the woman cop's story which just repeated itself scene after scene and it got to the point where I began to fast forward everytime her scenes came on. The same old thing over and over, on and on with her husband. Maybe she sorts it out by the end but I don't care. I think I'll jump a few episodes and watch from 9 onwards. I'm sure I'll catch up and still know what's what. Good story and excellent acting from all concerned but like many tv series these days they contain too much padding. I keep shouting at the screen Get On With It. (Well, I've tried to submit my review but apparently it's too short so I'll just find some more words to pad it out - a bit like this series.
Gloria
(1999)
Gena Rowlands or Sharon Stone
16 May 2022
You decide. Actually no decision required. Gena a real actress that you get her just by her facial expressions (Sharon Stone only has one), her voice, her whole demeanour let's you know what's going on in her mind. Sharon Stone not so much. Bad remake of one of my favourite films.
Laugh out loud
1 May 2022
Very funny with moments that made me loud out loud a few times each episode. It's all silly and could be a kids show except for the swearing, murder and some violence but basically a kids show. It reminded me a bit of Dirk Gently with its preposterous (but good) storyline and humour, but far funnier. I hope there's a third series as I'm not easily pleased these days.
Slow Horses
(2022– )
Nothing slow about this.
29 April 2022
So good. I've watched the whole of the first series now and it's the only thing in months that's made me excited to see the next episode. Whilst it differs slightly here and there from the book, it actually makes for better tv (more visually dramatic). I hope the second series, which has already been filmed, is released this year. I'm a big fan and have read all the books - I can see this going on for a few more series. Can't recommend enough.
Upload
(2020– )
First series an 8 - second a 3
19 March 2022
Loved the first series but the second just couldn't grab my attention. The storyline went off somewhere else and didn't keep me interested any more. Too many wasted moments by filling in bits and pieces that had nothing to do with forwarding the story. Gave up halfway through episode 3 because I didn't care where it went or what happened next.
The Ipcress File
(2022)
Style galore but lacking realism.
8 March 2022
I'm afraid Joe Cole spoils it for me (and to a lesser degree does Lucy Boynton). Both parts are played very woodenly. Are they both meant to be cool, calm and collected, being spies and all? Everytime Joe Cole is on screen I can't help thinking that he's trying to look like both Steve McQueen and/or Damien Lewis - you know, the way both of those wonderful mesmerising actors are - they have this little thing they do with their mouth, not quite a twitch but it's very sexy - but I'm afraid Joe Cole doesn't pull it off. Lucy Boynton has only one facial expression with not much to say at all. So both leads are people of few words but with lots and lots of style. I gave it 5 stars due to everything else (mostly for the other actors who were top notch). I feel like we are being force fed the two leads in all their roles because someone up there likes their pretty faces.
Plebs
(2013–2019)
Very very funny
3 February 2022
Especially the first few series. Belly laughs. I can watch it over again every few months and it still makes me laugh out loud. It did get a bit stale after a while but still very funny. The writers are very clever and the acting is spot on. At first to me, it seemed a bit corny but once you listen to the little quips more closely, we'll 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I can't stop laughing.
How to Get Away with Murder
(2014–2020)
Late to the party
1 February 2022
I've only just started to watch this. I wasn't sure what to expect - I thought it would be the usual formulaic show but obviously better than most, going by the high ratings. Oh no, it wasn't at all formulaic at all but that wasn't a good thing. I forced myself to watch episodes 2 and 3 because quite often it takes more than that to get going. I gave it a chance. Three hours wasted (my own fault, I know). Backwards and forwards so many times over and although I could follow it OK I didn't want to because there was no need for it to keep jumping around, except for trying to hold your attention, a gimmick if you will. I'm certain if the show had been shown chronologically it wouldn't have had a second series. It was so slow with too much filling. Definitely not for me. Old and jaded I must be going by the high praise from so many others.
Dexter: New Blood
(2021–2022)
Too slow to capture my interest.
9 December 2021
Slow, slow, slow. Too much filling to eek out the episodes. A screaming ghost that doesn't stop repeating herself. The storyline isn't bad but it takes too many episodes to tell it. The newly arrived son is so deadpan, he emits no energy and I couldn't care about him. I'm on to episode 4 but not sure if I can go any further as its quite predictible it will go one way or slightly another.
Whitstable Pearl
(2021– )
Mid afternoon crime worthy.
17 October 2021
It's about the calibre of many midday crime TV shows that we in the UK are used to, eg. Coroner, Father Brown, the Mallorca Files, Shakespeare and Hathaway, etc. But without the humour. So this makes it less enjoyable. Its certainly not worth paying for on the Acorn channel its on atm. I quite liked it though - they need to add some humour.
Lupin
(2021– )
Writing depletes star rating
8 July 2021
Writing from viewpoint of episodes up to S2 E3, and the corny writing is making my eyes roll so much I'm getting giddy. For my taste there's not a lot on TV for me (don't like teenage stuff, futuristic, superheroes (except Shazam) so I quite like the premise of this show, it makes me care what's going to happen next but really, talk about teenage writing especially regarding the relationships Lupin has with the women. He's character hasnt grown much since his younger flashback age. I'll watch to the end but know I'll be rolling my eyes through it all.
Extraction
(2020)
Too corny for me.
19 August 2020
4 stars for the actors and action scenes but that's all this film is about - action and more action with no storyline and so easy to guess what's coming next (or sometime later). I love me some action - I'm a Statham fan - but talk about rinse and repeat action getting the kid to safety. Action men will love it.
Mindhunter
(2017–2019)
Second series disappointing
18 August 2019
I'd give the first series a decent 7 stars because it was interesting and moved along at a reasonable pace. However, since the second was so slow moving with nearly every episode being taken up with the Atlanta child murders (which could've been covered in just two episodes imo), I found my attention wandering, especially already knowing that these murders have never been proven categorically to have been carried out by the person now behind bars. I was really looking forward to series 2 but wished I hadn't wasted my time.
The Sinner
(2017–2021)
What a waste of time
13 August 2019
I watched simply because of the high rating this show received (after initially writing it off). I should've gone with my first instinct and not bothered. I actually got through 3-1/2 episodes before stopping as my brain was being boiled to death by the mind numbing slowness of it all. I flicked through to the final episode just to give myself closure but then got annoyed with myself for even bothering to do that. I can only imagine that the high ratings came from people who don't watch much tv, or read books, or will watch any old tripe and think it good, or bumped up reviews paid for by the makers. One star is too good.
Nicholas Nickleby
(2002)
Tripe adaptation
7 November 2018
Fantastic actors in this. Absolutely. Except for the two romantic leads who are so wishy washingly simmering I cringed at the parts they played. I agree with most of the other reviews that gave this version a low rating. The original Dickens tale obviously had to be shortened but this was chopped so badly, I only gave it a five for the rest of the cast. I actually bought this DVD but left in store for years. It should have stayed there.
Trust
(2018)
Great cast Great acting
18 October 2018
But toooooo sloooooow. Far too much filling, especially from episodes 5 onwards. Terrific story and I loved all the acting - all first rate but it could have been told better in six episodes. The final episode was the slowest of all. I started off loving the show but lost interest halfway through when I was shouting at the screen Get On With It but it never did. I mean did they make Danny Boyle slow it down to fill 10 episodes. I suppose they did.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
(2016–2017)
Series one nine stars
10 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Series two five stars. Lacking in plot. Similar storyline to that of Once Upon a Time complete with wicked queen, magic wand in another medieval world, warring villagers and fluffy forest creatures straight out of doctor who. The main recurring cast were just as excellent though some not used enough (Bart being one lacking scenes) and the sheriff and his deputy played good parts but most of all the other new characters were children's comic book types fit for under tens.
I understand there's no series three forthcoming but if it was and its anywhere as dire as two then I would give it a miss.
I understand there's no series three forthcoming but if it was and its anywhere as dire as two then I would give it a miss.
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