asd29 Reviews

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Good special effects for the early 80s , but the stories in the segments arent anything remarkable or memorable.

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

Movie spin off based on the long running sci/horror series, with an anthology of four strange stories delving into the supernatural and unknown, There is a prologue at the beginning of the movie featuring dan aykroyd and albert brooks in which a driver(brooks) picks up a hitchiker(aykroyd) which ends with the line... you wanna see somethin scary?!!, story one directed by john landis is ok considering the stigma with what happened to vic morrow and the two vietmanese child actors on set...A story about a racist war veteran(morrow) who decends into a time warp and gets a taste of his own medicine.,an extra scene was filmed in a narrow gully with prop water in the former indian dunes movie ranch in california were a helicopter is persuing morrow trying to save 2 vietmanese children during a sequence in the vietnam war tragically the helicopter was hovering only 25 feet above and lost control after the rotas became laminated from the explosive effects and the aircraft plumetted on top of all 3 off the actors, landis for me was accountable for the tragedy he was breaking california law for children working in the middle of the night and paid the parents under the table as the scene was shot around 2am in the morning, landis and others involved were acquitted and compensation was paid to the actors especially the childrens patents, but a bad call by landis and everyone working on the safety of the scene. Story 2 directed by steven spielberg is just boring and weird about the strange forgoings of a old man (scatman corruthers in an elderly care home, this is easily spielbergs worst work ever , story 3 directed by joe dante is pretentious but has some great visual effects, which echoes the burbs (1989 in some ways.

Story 4 starring the excellent john lithgow, about a man affraid of flying having a mental breakdown on a flight or is he? Directed by george miller (mad max series) is the best in the anthology and saves a pretty routine watch up until the latter , this nod to the good old series is ok , its watchable and entertaining at times but i think there is many more memorable episodes in the series compared to these, but still a good homage never the less 6/10.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Surprised by the reviews, but overall this film is boring and anti climatic.

[6/10 · 5 May 2024]

Again this is one of those classics that is overated , superb cast - brando, sheen, duvall , hopper, and a young laurence fishburne , there is also a small role, cameo even for harrison ford which comes across as odd after the success of star wars , ok the film is Well directed the acting , cinematography , settings ; which is an authentic depiction of the vietnam war , the acting peformances are on par but some of the characters are too upeat and over charactarised for the situation they are in, so to me the film feels uneven slightly in tone ,it fails to feel as gritty as say platoon or FMJ, and i prefer the tone of the latter, you have to admit this movie is boring and aimless in some spells and the final showdown between sheen and brando although well acted is disapointing and anti climatic, sorry to all the fans of this classic , but as a whole i dont think this movie is entetaining enough to be great.

The Batman (2022)

Didnt like this version.

[5/10 · 5 May 2024]

The batman was the highly anticipated adaption that had a lot of promise , i viewed it at the cinema and i just felt bored and underwhelmed , most of the characters are boring and hard to relate to,pattinson just doesnt cut it as batman he looks too thin in the suit and looks like somebody who turns up to a haloween party dressed as batman, same goes to paul dano as the riddler his performance wasnt as good as they said just average, even colin farrells effort as the penguin doesnt save the movie either, the visuals, music and effects are good and its a well made movie, not the worse movie made in the whole batman series but its definately not the best i appreciate the attempt at a different vision but this just doesnt work for me.

Halloween Kills (2021)

Actually.........mmm.. pretty bad.

[5/10 · 8 March 2022]

If you thought 2018 halloween was mediocre this sequel in the reboot drops at least a level below the bar, probably due to the pandemic and scheduling the production looks rushed and delerious and the acting is like most of the actors are rehersing , Yeah the kills are imaginative and the blood and gore is a plenty with some notable scenes in regards to continuity from the last film , dr loomis makes a bizarre appearance played by a donald pleasence lookalike actor, jamie lee curtis is oddly reduced to a bit role but at least jade courtney and nick castle excell again as michael myers, and i dont really want to mention anthony michael hall who plays older tommy doyle who acts like some vigalante preacher, hall is OTT and the performance is pretty embarassing, i thought this sequel might keep the franchise alive but even if the upcoming HALLOWEEN ENDS rises above even part ones bar, i think this badly made sequel may have diminished some popularity amongst fans. 5/10 done to death. There was no need for this reboot.

Cobra Kai (2018–2025)

Entertaining and nostalgic but gets a bit silly and the tone doesnt quite match the original karate kid movies.

[7/10 · 4 January 2022]

More fun and entertaining than great, and the nostalgia keeps the series ticking along especially for the 80s kids such as myself, the characters are written very well and its interesting to get more into depth with the original players from the films , minus the great mr miyagi ( the late pat morita) of course R. I. P. The karate kid 1-3 released between 1984 and 1989 are a must watch for the new generation who are currently viewing this (if you havnt seen the movies yet ) well coreographed martial arts sequences , endearing drama, funny and uplifting , The tone is different from the original films as the show doesnt take itself serious like the latter, the action gets a little OTT especially season 3, but seasons 1 and 4 are very good, im looking forward to season 5 already 7.5.

No Man of God (2021)

The best potrayal of ted bundy ever! Oscar worthy performance from kirby without a doubt.

[7/10 · 30 December 2021]

You could consider this a sequel to the 2019 zac effron version which focused on the serial killer and his relationship with his long suffering girlfriend and his escapes from custody and the followng death row trial and his incaciration, This version delves into his relationship with the great FBI analyst bill harghmeir who bundy related to during the last months of bundys execution in 1989, harghmeir coaxed bundy into helping him profile cases such as the then live case green river killer ,whilst trying to get further confessions out of bundy, The charactarisation in this movie does portray the killer as the monster we know and it is a very eerie uncanny performance by luke kirby and elijah wood plays harghmeir as the humanized profiler who is not affraid to test bundy and play him at his own game , the performance from wood is the best ive seen of his for a while, and kirby as ted bundy is extrodinary definately as good as charlzie therons performance as eileen wournos in monster (2003) A good film ,i liked it because thats the evil sly demeanour ive always thought bundy had behind the charming, innocent, persona.

But dont expect a slasher gore fest , its a psychological portrait of an unlikely working relationship with one of americas great FBI men and one of americas most evil serial killers of all time. 7/10.

The Little Things (2021)

Surprised how weak this film turned out, didnt even wait for the ending fell asleep.

[5/10 · 27 October 2021]

Exciting cast had a lot of promise, but wasnt on the same exciting level as SEVEN, KISS THE GIRLS , or the USUAL SUSPECTS (definately not) another detective cop film that shows the genre is wearing a little thin, the actors do a decent job but the plot is just sub par with very little substance, the movie tried to bring something different to the table but it doesnt live up to the billing, disappointing.

No Time to Die (2021)

4th consecutive 6/10 rating for craigs last four bond films!

[6/10 · 4 October 2021]

Casino royale (2006) 8/10 craigs best outing as bond and in my opinion one of the best films in the franchise.

Quantam of solace (2008) 6/10 A lot of promise but a poor villian and badly filmed action sequences, not nearly as entertaining as casino royale.

Skyfall (2012) 6/10 The most entertaining and comes 2nd in my opinion behind casino in craigs franchise but let down by shoddy script and ott villian and unbelievable storyline , many love this film, it made a lot of money but there are clearly plot holes a plenty.

Spectre (2015) 6/10 Apart from the opening sequence in mexico city the movie falls flat with a surly uninteresting bond girl and a weird modern day blofeld , some good bond themes but the movie is ultimately boring.

No time to die (2021) I was mis informed, this movie was breaking away from the universe of the last 4 craig outings and was going to stand alone with a new story but the story continues after spectre , the same dull bond girl from spectre and a cameo from blofeld who was defeated by bond in spectre, there is a new female 007 and not enough of the new bond girl played by ana de armas shes beautiful, felix leiter Returns as bonds comrade from casino royale and quantam of solace but only briefly, and the villain played by the usually excellent rami malek but his performance is just void in this, just a weird and badly developed character with an agenda i still havnt got my head around.overall the film starts well and has some nice touches just like the three prior bond films, but again the film wollows with inconsistencies just like the others, a good effort by craig as bond he was refreshing and brought something new to the franchise but the last four movies since casino royale have in my opinion been mediocre and choppy, maybe too many chefs ave spoiled the broth (directors, writers) roll on mr bond number 7 6/10.

Rocky V (1990)

Pretty good in parts , but underated for obvious reasons.

[6/10 · 11 February 2021]

Fith entry in the much loved franchise. Rocky (sylvester stallone)loses his fortune to a crooked attorney and goes back to his old roots in philladelphia and trains a new protege, the late real life world heavyweight champion (tommy morrison) THE GOOD * Tones down the far fetched formula of rocky 3&4 with a believable plot and realistic fight scenes. * The heartfelt scene in the gym were rocky remembers recieving rocky marcianos necklace from mickey. * The scene when adrianne tells rocky he beat all those fighters with heart not muscle after tommy betrays him. * Tommy morrisons performance as tommy gunn is pretty good in his first movie role. THE BAD * Rocky junior has aged 3 years when the events of this film are a week after rocky 4, this totally contradicts rocky 4 altogether this is silly. * Surely rocky could have got himself out of his financial prediciment even though it was too dangerous to fight again, he learned to read why not do commercials? This is definately questionable. * The script is sub par compared to last entries. THE UGLY * This is sylvester stallones worst performance in the franchise, i know hes supposed to be brain damaged but the performance feels cringe worthy and inconsistant. * duke washingtons character is clearly based on real life promoter don king- (An ugly guy inside and out) which feels like a cheap rip off. Badly made sequel with some memorable scenes but the movie is only marginally worse than the absurd rocky 4. 5.5/10

Rocky IV (1985)

Makes rocky 3 look like reality tv.

[6/10 · 9 February 2021]

I am amazed i used to think this film was the best in the series back in the day, when you watch the movie now its clearly the worst and most absurd in the saga, lets be honest its as bad as rocky V in its own way the movie just made a lot of money because its engaging and entertaining and maintains the spirit of the main character , great soundtrack, training scenes and two exciting fights beginning and end but the flaws in this are ridiclious, (the robot, the obvious murder of apollo creed by drago in the ring, then rocky gets punched 5000 in the head by the russian who can punch five times more above his own weight and balboa still wins, and lets not forget the cringeworthy speech at the end !!!! Ugggh! in 1987 i gave it 10/10 but now a modest 6/10 a guilty pleasure, if you will, be interesting to see stallones upcoming directors cut as sly may look at the film in the same vain but at the time of the release of the original cut this film was a blockbuster and was far from been a flop, it actually soared ! Funny how time changes opinions.

Rocky III (1982)

Good but sloppy at the same time.

[7/10 · 9 February 2021]

Like its number in the series this second sequel is in my opinion the THIRD best in the saga, better than 4, 5 and rocky balboa, i dont count CREED 1&2 against the original six films as the films are spin offs and very belated, This movie brings in new characters including MR T (clubber lang) and HULK HOGAN (thunderlips) as rockys opponents which makes this sequel an exciting spectacle but the end result is quite sloppy and over the top and really undermines the reality of boxing , Rocky (after winning the world heavyweight championship from Appollo creed in part 2 )becomes rich and famous and overcome ten title defences , meanwhile there is a new challenger in the midst james CLUBBER lang an brutal hungry fighter gunning for balboas title, clubber challenges rocky to mickeys disaproval because his old trainer thinks rocky is too civalised and not as hungry now hes achieved his ultimate goal, the champion persuades mickey for one last fight, After not training hard enough for the fight rocky loses his title to lang in a one sided fight ,during this mickey collapses and dies, a respectful appollo creed decides to train a humbled and scared ex champion to win the title back in the inevitable rematch.

The fight sequences in this entry are over played and not plausible and probably the worst choreography in the whole franchise, its like watching two video game characters, but the film is on the same tone of the first two movies and stallone, talia shire , burt young, carl weathers and burgess meredith reprise thier roles well , MR T does ok as a novice actor and nearly steals the show , this movie had the potential to be the best in the series,- its exciting , emotional ,and action packed with a great music soundtrack but the choreography and script wears thin compared to the previous two movies , its a worthy entry in the franchise but it easily could have been better (but most films are not perfect) 7/10

Superman III (1983)

Not that bad, not much worse than superman1&2 and definately better than its sequel.

[6/10 · 9 February 2021]

This was my favourite of the original three films back in the day, i thought the rescue scenes were well staged(chemical factory explosion, The rescue of the kid from the combine harvesters and the bad superman vs clark kent fight in the junkyard is probably the best scene in all of the series, this movie is spoiled by bad characterisation of the villians, the series did need a break from lex luthor and otis and even lois lane but the characters in this sequel just arent interesting, and christopher reeve was right about richard pryor , we love pryor but he looks so out of place and he single handedly undermines the film and the character of superman.

Superman II (1980)

Would have been better than the original if it hadnt been for the glaring errors.

[7/10 · 8 February 2021]

This 1980 sequel is nearly the best in the series but richard lester ruins richard donners original cuts with shoddy direction and plot holes, everybody prefers this sequel but underneath all the exciting scenes the movie is a bit of a disappointment in a character and continuation sense. The writer carnt make his mind up whether superman and the villians are human or alien in some scenes on earth, the special effects are worse than the original films, and also there are cuts from the last entry which are reused here , overall almost the best in the series but when you watch this movie now - i would have to say superman (1978) is still the superior film.

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

As flawed as part 2 but still an enjoyable conclusion to the trilogy.

[7/10 · 8 February 2021]

The final entry in the trilogy ends in the old west in 1885 when doc is accidently transported from 1955 in the conclusion of back to the future part 2 , marty has to go after doc and save him from the inevitable bullet of buford mad dog tannen and bring him back to 1985. Probably the funniest movie in the trilogy with some nostalgia with the entertainment value hiding certain flaws but it is understandable at this point in the trilogy as the formula is starting to wear thin. As good as part 2 but back to the future (1985) is still the best in the trilogy.

The Karate Kid (1984)

Still THE BEST martial arts movie out there.

[7/10 · 7 February 2021]

Memorable, endearing and entertaining, and still my favourite martial arts movie. A true classic.

Superman (1978)

Good but could have been better.

[7/10 · 7 February 2021]

Great spectacle at the time and remember the character is based on a comic book which are always far fetched and hokey anyway, i think the film tried to play that tone and i think some viewers look through its intent, the film is a flawed classic and was a cinematic experience at the time , its the most slow burn in the series and some of the characters are annoying and the plot is questionable and an ending that nearly kills the whole point of the film, but reeve is great as superman, hackman does a good job with lex luthor and the effects are pretty good for the time of its release, overall good but also a little bad , but christopher reeve as superman in great colour still defines the experience of this movie.

The Karate Kid Part III (1989)

A rehash of the original thats lazily written and directed.

[5/10 · 12 January 2021]

Disappointing second sequel, macchio has clearly gained weight and aged( and has become a whiney wimp overnight,) in this although this third part is set a year after the original, miyagis character demeanour is just dead pan throughout and larussos new love interest is pointless and the final tournament is rushed and is a big let down compared to the original, this movie is only watchable for the introduction of new characters terry silver and mike barnes who make awesome foes to larusso and miyagi but overall this film is a bad sequel that makes boring part 2 look like a classic.

The Shining (1980)

Enjoyable and very memorable due to nicholsons performance , but slightly overated.

[7/10 · 30 August 2020]

Stephen king didnt appreciate this film because it left a lot of elements out of his novel, this classic is kubricks own animal, its beautifully shot and the music score is astounding, i understand were kings coming from with the story, its rather abrupt and it skips through kings novel and gets down to the nitty gritty (literally) kubrick goes more for the psychological element( to keep the audience compelled) the movie is an horror movie but it wouldnt be that scary at all if it wasnt for jack nicholson's disturbing performance, he is really scary in this and his transformation into madness is mesmerising and daunting, nobody could have played his role better, this picture will be a classic forever for jacks performance , visuals , music and originality at the time and it still is one of the best psychological horrors of all time, king said "like a big beautiful cadillac with no engine inside" i think hes saying its good but it could have been a lot better which i agree, to be brutally honest i prefer kings other film adaption directed by rob reiner "misery" kathy bates matches nicholsons performance hands down in a film that i think is the best adaption from a stephen king novel to date.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Despite some character development flaws, this is the best horror sequel since psycho 2 in 1983.

[7/10 · 29 August 2020]

This very belated sequel is the follow up to stanley kubricks the shining (1980) danny torrance (doc) is now an adult and is still coming to terms with the trauma he endured at the overlook hotel when he was five years old, his mother wendy has passed away and now he is a chronic alcoholic , he finds a job as an orderly after attending AA meetings and gets back on the straight and narrow, meanwhile theres an evil cult in the midst called the "true knot" headed by a modern day witch called rose the hat played brilliantly by rebecca ferguson, this cult feeds off gifted childrens souls after abducting and murdering them, rose the hat discovers a girl with the shining gift and been relentless tries to persue her , the girl makes a connection with the adult doc as they have the same gift, danny is then lured into protecting the girl and with there powers combined they pick off members of the cult one by one, with rose still in pursuit of the girl, knowing the dangers danny takes the girl to the abandoned overlook hotel to lure the witch into a cauldron of evil.

The movie does have certain flaws mainly character development ,we dont know much about the cult or the girl with the shine, and although ewan mcgregor is miscast in this as danny his performance is adequate, a good story with some intense horror scenes and the nostalgia at the end is quite exciting, you get see the evil spirits that graced the original in all its glory in a stunning blueprint of the overlook, the actors who play jack and wendy torrance and dick o halloran are excellent and mimic the original actors to aplomb, but the highlight is rebbecca ferguson as rose that hat, an excellent performance and probably the sexiest movie witch since michelle pfeiffer in the witches of eastwick. The shining was always going to be an hard act to follow, and stephen king didnt like the original very much so this sequel had a lot to live up to and it pulls through compared to recent stephen king adaptations and other recent horror flicks, it has originality and nostalgia if nothing else. Probably as good an effort as a horror sequel as was psycho 2 to hitchcocks 1960 classic !

Back to the Future Part II (1989)

As entertaining as the original, but not as well made.

[7/10 · 27 August 2020]

This 1989 sequel to the 1985 classic is fun it has more action than the original, but the script and concept in the story is a bit sloppy and theres too much going on with the actors and thier various roles, the future is overblown , the alternate reality is forgetable , but the ending is a lot of fun, a good sequel which we all have a soft spot for , but while it tries to undermine the original , it doesnt have the charm and obviously the originality that made the 1985 hit a classic.

Back to the Future (1985)

Still the best time travelling movie of all time.

[8/10 · 27 August 2020]

I always thought this movie was way ahead of its time, and it still doesnt look too shoddy by these days standards, groundbreaking and an instant classic, lots of humour, action, and tension. All the cast put in an excellent performance and a delorean as a time machine? isnt that cool ? Also hands down the best in the trilogy.

A Star Is Born (2018)

Not bad, but this third remake lacks substance.

[6/10 · 4 July 2020]

So so direction by cooper in his directorial debut, he learned to sing for this and his singing performances are pretty good whilst lady gagas singing was always going to be better than her acting , she seems to play herself and not the character but we have seen far worse performances , she nails it in her own way, the problem with this movie is the character building aspect , we know jackson maine (cooper) is a over the hill country and western singer who is suffering with drug dependence and alcoholism, ally (gaga) is a struggling but talented club singer, they meet in her club maine discovers she can write songs aswell as sing they form a duet and go on tour and embark on a romantic relationship , but there isnt much background story or substance its all just in your face ! and the movie feels rushed and sloppy in some instances, the suicide aspect is rather annoying, we know jackson is at a low ebb but again we dont really know why he kills himself it comes across as selfish and you dont even feel sorry for him or for that matter gagas character, cooper should have rewritten the ending as its a touchy matter and i think it comes off all wrong, but overall not a bad film great music and singing performances from gaga and cooper and an excellent supporting performance from the underated sam elliott.

Jaws 2 (1978)

Entertaining sequel but its a lot more goofy and camp than the classic original.

[6/10 · 15 April 2020]

This 1978 sequel is set 5 years after the original JAWS (1975) when another great white shark claims the shores of amity island once again, this entertaining sequel is a poor mans version of the original, or a rehash if you like... entertaining but slow to get going and lacks the suspense and superior scenes that the classic original ooozed , shark looked even faker in this film, the concept is highly unlikely ( another G.W.S in amity five years later? And of course the annoying kids who are hunted by the beast whilst sailing, and to top it off a pretty bad script. Overall its ok but a goofy and campy version of the original, the entertainment value carries the film forward but this sequel isnt a patch on the superb original.

Jaws 3-D (1983)

Not a bad premise, but poorly executed.

[4/10 · 15 April 2020]

This 1983 second sequel could have rivaled the 1975 classic original, but the cheesy shark effects and naff 3D visuals ruin the promosing story and setting within a sea world theme park,the shark in this entry looks ridiclious- 35 feet, can swim backwards and growl plus it enters the theme park causing havoc looking for its baby, even though female great whites dont have a paternal instinct, if that plothole had been avoided and the script and effects had been better who knows? when i was a child when i first saw this movie i thought it was fun and watchable , most recent when i have watched it i felt embarassed and realised how silly this sequel is and pity it to think this flick could have been much better, BUT! its still a lot more plausible than JAWS the revenge (1987) which is beyond bad. 4.5 😞

The Irishman (2019)

Ok but definately not in the same league as goodfellas or casino.

[6/10 · 11 January 2020]

For some reason this film feels belated it looks like it should have been made in the 90s probably before goodfellas (1990) because of the CGI and make up the picture looks false and forced,(visually) the story is definately not original but the script is Ok and there are some OK scenes and of course a great cast ,the violence is toned down from previous entries or it was netflixs influence, this is a more intelligent mature film by scorcese which is bogged down by CGI and over the hill actors putting in tired performances, disappointing but to be honest i half expected this. A generous 6/10