roguegrafix Reviews

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation (2019)

Great until the last 8 minutes

[1/10 · 20 November 2022]

This was a great doco until they decided to politicize it. Why would they do that?music is supposed to bring us together but the producers try toto divide.

And to bring gun violence into this is absurd. Why not try with the Altamont concert when one guy tried to assassinate Mick Jagger with a gun!

This was an 8/10 doco until it breached everybody's sensibilities with this dumb-arsed move. It explains the problems leading up yo the concert and there after. Getting there by helicopter was always new. I'm born in 1965 but I remember the radio news describing the traffic jams getting to the concert.

Obviously they couldn't afford the rights to the music so you can't hear the songs they are talking about. Still a good movie before the last 8 minutes.

This was a great doco until they decided to politicize it. Why would they do that?music is supposed to bring us together but the producers try toto divide.

And to bring gun violence into this is absurd. Why not try with the Altamont concert when one guy tried to assassinate Mick Jagger with a gun!

This was an 8/10 doco until it breached everybody's sensibilities with this dumb-arsed move. It explains the problems leading up yo the concert and there after. Getting there by helicopter was always new. I'm born in 1965 but I remember the radio news describing the traffic jams getting to the concert.

Obviously they couldn't afford the rights to the music so you can't hear the songs they are talking about. Still a good movie before the last 8 minutes

This was a great doco until they decided to politicize it. Why would they do that?music is supposed to bring us together but the producers try toto divide.

And to bring gun violence into this is absurd. Why not try with the Altamont concert when one guy tried to assassinate Mick Jagger with a gun!

This was an 8/10 doco until it breached everybody's sensibilities with this dumb-arsed move. It explains the problems leading up yo the concert and there after. Getting there by helicopter was always new. I'm born in 1965 but I remember the radio news describing the traffic jams getting to the concert.

Obviously they couldn't afford the rights to the music so you can't hear the songs they are talking about. Still a good movie before the last 8 minutes.

Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal (2019 TV Movie)

She is a witch

[1/10 · 5 November 2022]

Meghan Markle uses people to gain advantage--her advantage. Then she distances them. Then discards. Her own father is the perfect example. He took care of her, paid for all her education, went into financial insecurity over her and she then tells the world she grew up in a Sizzler's salad bar at $4.99.

She bullied the Royal staff and insulted the Queen. She was using Harry right from the get go. This movie does not address any of these truths but rather plays to the American version that she is a wonderful person and what she says is the utter truth. Her interview with Oprah contained at least 17 factual errors but she was never questioned.

Don't waste your time with this movie. It is just propaganda.

Piano to Zanskar (2018)

You can drive to Zanskar

[2/10 · 19 April 2022]

Having been to Zanskar 30 years ago, I was intrigued by this doco. However, after 30 minutes you realise this doco is done "for the film-makers" and not according to reality. I arrived in Zanskar in 1991 on a bus. That is, you can drive to Zanskar. And unless you're delivering the piano to one of the outlying villages, you don't need yaks. There are probably roads to them now. So the mini-van which rocked up to Laddakh with the piano would have been perfectly capable of going to Zanskar. The scenery in the film is good though. The "hardness" of the premise is completely false.

The Wimbledon Kidnapping (2021)

WAY TOO LONG!

[17 November 2021]

This could have been a tense, gripping hour-long doco but it's something like 3 hours -- at least it felt that way. No narrator to set the scene. No narrator to guide you through the story but just random scenes with no or little connection to anything before. Just WAY TOO LONG! I If you don't know the case, google it on Wikipedia and save yourself the agony.

Dune (2021)

Awesome

[10/10 · 19 October 2021]

This is an awesome movie. The scenery is awesome, the characters are awesome, the photography is awesome and the actors are awesome.

Despite, what other people say, this is just an awesome movie.

I particularly like the scenes involving the Federatiom against Dune. He is the master and god threatens hell on his memories. He is such a great hero.

OK but what I really want to say is that "The 4 feathers" 1939 is a great film.

The Four Feathers (1939)

Brilliant!

[7/10 · 19 October 2021]

This is a great firm--technicolor so you can watch it as normal. Great acting, great story-telling, A great surprise at the end.

Better than the 2002 disaster with Heath Ledger which was slow and stupid. So this 1939 effort is awesome. More than 150 characters. Good.

Old Henry (2021)

100 minutes of great story-telling

[9/10 · 8 October 2021]

A great movie with loads of action all done within 100 minutes -- awesome. A rarity these days where movies often take 2 and a half hours to get done. This move is cut to the bone great story-telling and great action. Lead actor with the sleepy eye was just great.

Going Om (2021)

Boring

[4/10 · 19 July 2021]

After reading the reviews--obviously written by the film makers -- I was quite excited by this. But, as usual, it' as boring as sh**. Long winded to the max. Om doesn't even come into it. Could have been way better with better editing.

Chernobyl: The Invisible Enemy (2021)

Just wasted space

[3/10 · 15 July 2021]

You see some good footage but the dialogue is about 1 sentence per minute. Nothing about the shutdown simulations which led to the disaster--just "a routine safety check went wrong." No, it wasn't routine. They were trying to blow the place up and they succeeded. As I said the footage is good but the sound track is terrible.

Lansky (2021)

Great movie

[9/10 · 25 June 2021]

Great movie. Harvey Keitel plays a brilliant Lansky--the Jew that joined the mob. The whole story revolves around a modern reporter getting to interview the allegedly mob boss and all the pitfalls and advantageous that it contains. Full character development and great acting on all parts. Enjoy.

Hampton's Legion (2021)

Did they learn the script

[1/10 · 15 June 2021]

As a Civil War enthusiast, I was quite prepared to give this movie a go despite how bad it could be. However, after 5 minutes I had to turn it off--something I've never done before. Seriously, I have never heard a script so badly spoken like this. It looks like it was filmed on the 1st rehearsal. The make-up of the slave getting beaten in the beginning was cheap and looked fake. The whole thing looked like a high-school production. Avoid unless you're a masochist.

Edge of the World (2021)

Interesting but slow

[6/10 · 5 June 2021]

This is quite an interesting story but the execution of it is pretty slow and plodding. The script suffers from too many unfinished sub-plots and the director seems intent on trying to show the inner demons of Brooke's mind rather than tell a good story. As such, there are elements of Heart of Darkness but it is certainly not A Man Who Would Be King or Apocalypse Now. Indeed, it is a rather confusing and drawn-out affair.

Closing Gambit: 1978 Korchnoi versus Karpov and the Kremlin (2018)

Awesome doco of political chess and human nature

[10/10 · 19 February 2021]

As a chess player, Korchnoi never really attracted me. But after watching this doco I may go back and examine his games. But this doco is not only for chess players (apart from about 3 specific moves) it is all about the man Viktor. A Russian chess prodigy he defects from the USSR and then takes on the mighty Soviet chess/political system and damn nearly destroys it.

Lovely commentary from a host of chess contemporaries, you see Viktor in his prime, in his depths of disaster and in his return. Likewise Karpov has come up in my eyes because of his compassion after the fall of Communism.

If you know something about chess, this story is for you. If you do not, this story is for you. This is just a great story. Enjoy.

Upper Story (I) (2020)

More an infomercial rather than providing answers

[5/10 · 15 February 2021]

If you are looking for a lot of answers to the complexities of life, there are few, if any, nuggets in this documentary. Rather, it comes across more of an informercial about the work being done between scientists and Buddhist scholars in various institutions around the world. Interesting but not captivating.

Third Eye Spies (2019)

Super Interesting

[8/10 · 17 January 2021]

This was so unexpected and interesting. And, I think, convincing. I'm usually a skeptic but what was presented was pretty dramatic. As another reviewer said: If only half of it is true, it's a story that needs telling.

The Witcher (2019– )

For children it would be good

[1/10 · 20 December 2019]

It's not even 5 minutes into episode 1 and it's already woke. Then it precedes to get woker with each passing minute. The story seems like it would be great for 12 year olds but I could not get into it. All very trite and lacking gravitas.

The King (I) (2019)

Historically inaccurate--what more needs to be said

[4/10 · 1 November 2019]

As a piece of cinema, this film is watchable. There is enough action and violence to keep you entertained.

However, it is entirely fiction. Anyone looking for an accurate movie depicting the build-up and the events of the Battle of Agincourt will be sorely disappointed. The ending is just fanciful and "woke."

Netflix has made hostage a significant moment of history to really a second-rate piece of film-making. Once you know it never happened, you ask the question, "why did this film ever needed to be made?"

The Nightingale (I) (2018)

Started well but then WTF!

[2/10 · 25 October 2019]

As the title says, it started well and then it went downhill seriously.

Firstly, I see the producers have taken over the Trivia section with their own blowing of trumpets.

The film starts well but then degenerates. Partly, this is due to the setting. Three days walk from Launceston and you are talking 45-60 miles. The scenery could be Mole Creek or perhaps Ben Lomond way but the majority of the film is shot in the highlands or the southwest. So totally unrealistic from any Taswegian's point of view.

Then there's the female lead. Bold at first but after gruesomely killing the killer of her child, she reverts to a sniveling child upon meeting her rapist. Just went back into cliches and stereotypes but note you feminists, it was the male who did the ultimate killings, proving that the girl really was a child and not worth denoting an entire film to.

The blackfella again reverts into the stereotypes of the "noble savage" and carries it off badly.

The final scene takes place on a beach with a raging surf. The only place close to Launceston like that is Low Head -- another 2-3 days travel by horse. So again totally unrealistic.

It seems to me that after the first 45-minutes, the producers wanted to take the tale from serious vengeance to a woke perspective. It should have been a chase film like Apocalypto or a film of vengeance . But it sadly delivers none of the sort-- something of a mix-mash of whatever. View it at your own discretion.

The Highwaymen (2019)

A Damn Good Film

[8/10 · 29 March 2019]

A great film for history buffs -- although given a lot of poetic licence. I love the way they dehumanize Bonny and Clyde (B&C)--making them the enemy. As corny as Kevin Costner can be, he is good in this film as his his side-kick.

There is no evidence Costner said "Hands Up" at the end and the fact that Bonnie shot cops is heavily disputed but the coke bottle message is correct.

It was just great to be memorized by this film for a couple of hours. Enjoy.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

Worst movie in years

[1/10 · 17 February 2019]

This is seriously a bad film and the worst movie I've seen in years. Others have exposed the greatest lies (the queens never met, Mary's Irish accent etc.) so a few more.: The "battle" / "ambush" scene never happened -- Mary's forces NEVER engaged those of her half-brothers; Mary was besotted with Darnley. The film lays the blame for her setbacks on him when in fact Mary's judgment was impaired through her infatuation with Darnley. Mary was rash and weak and dependent on the clan chiefs for her rule--not the leader portrayed here..

The film claims Mary's guilt in attempting to assassinate Elizabeth was never proven when in fact, Elizabeth had Mary's guilt in Mary's own handwriting.

The PC indoctrination in the film is overwhelming and vomitful. There are no saving graces to the film. Poor acting, even worse script, slow, boring -- not even the scenery is well presented. Save your money and watch "Rise of the Clans" if you want real drama and real history.

Custer: The Final Mystery (2018– )

Seriously questioning historical accuracy

[1/10 · 31 January 2019]

OK I'm confused. They claim the Crow were the enemy of Custer but I always thought the Crow had been pushed out of their land by the Sioux some 200 years earlier. The Crow were anti-Sioux and scouted for Custer who ignored their advice prior to the battle. Custer fought the Sioux, Cheyanne and Arapaho--not the Crow. How do the Crow suddenly have the alleged treasure and when (if at all) did they change sides? Others have commented on the so-called battle-era bullet being a modern bullet. I don't think this show is historically accurate.

Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun? (2017)

Intriguing

[6/10 · 4 October 2018]

Once you get into the guy's storytelling, this isn't a bad doco.--especially after a beer or two. The premise is good and well-laid out but sometimes he allows himself to wander from the plot. But not too far. Sometimes it's a fascinating insight into the mind of those in that Southern town. The images of the Civil War commeroration are powerful and I think, today, unique. The picture he concludes of his GG GF is actually more horrific than when he began. It ain't going to set your world on fire but it's keeps you watching. Enjoy.

Black '47 (2018)

Seriously Good Revenge Tale

[9/10 · 29 September 2018]

Probably the best movie of 2018 so far. This is an excellent story of revenge told well with a good script and great actors. As someone else said, it could have been dragged down by the background of the famine but instead it kept a steady focus on the story and vengence is its name. Besides a few minor factual errors (stealing a sheep would have resulted in a death sentence or life transportation instead of 7 years and certainly not to Port Arthur as that was for second offences commited within VDL), the film was rivetting from beginning to end. Watch it, you'll enjoy it.

The Last Witness (2018)

Whoever gave this 1 is crazy!

[8/10 · 31 May 2018]

The Katyn massacre by the Soviets in 1940 remained officially undisclosed until 1990 when Gorbachev admitted it. The unofficial truth was known by the British and American governments during World War II and by the public since the late 1940s. This film follows a journalist's fight to tell the truth to the public and the repercussions of his actions.

Whoever gave this film a 1 must be crazy. Extremely well shot and acted, this is a good film especially if you are interested in the Katyn massacre. An Anglo- Polish production, it is not a Hollywood blockbuster but a very poignant tale told in a non-Hollywood way..I enjoyed it.

Churchill (2017)

Leftist Revisionist Fantasy

[1/10 · 14 September 2017]

Pluses: Some good acting and nice scenery but this has to be the grossest mis-carriage of Churchill ever. Complete fabrication. Every man has his flaws and his strengths and as an Australian, I'm not batting for Churchill after Gallipoli but this "film" is pure fantasy-- complete revisionist rubbish. And what's more it was written by an alleged "historian"!!! (A woman, I may add).

The main gist of the film is that Churchill was against the D Day landings and did everything in his power to stop them. This is an utter lie. While he did have misgivings over beach landings after his Gallipoli experience, by 1944, he was completely in favour of Operation Overlord.

As Andrew Roberts, an eminent Churchill historian, says: "The scene where he prays for bad weather for D-Day ("Please, please, please let it pour tomorrow. Let the heavens open and a deluge burst forth such as has never been seen in the English Channel. Let the sea churn into peaks and troughs and tidal waves!") is particularly puerile, considering the hopes that Churchill really had for the success of the operation at the time."

This would rate with one of the worst films I have seen. If you want truth, seek out the many excellent documentaries about him -- flaws and all. But if you are wanting to know what type of man he was, don't watch this film. It is a huge packet of lies.