roxphox Reviews

Foundation (2021– )

A foundation, but not The Foundation

[7/10 · 4 May 2022]

As a huge fan of Asimov since I learned to read, I have been so excited for this series since I heard it was going to happen. I was almost ready to burst when the opening credits of the first episode ran... and then that quite quickly led to a huge disappointment. Fortunately I contained that disappointment long enough to watch more.

What did I expect? Well, an epic space opera based closely on the Asimov books. What did I get? Well, it is a huge space opera, but not based on the books with the exception of a few names and some vague references.

The CGI was extraordinary, the scenery was stunningly beautiful and the acting was amazing. The story was excellent and compelling and made me come back for more. However the story bore very little relation to the books. I didn't mind any gender swaps as Asimov himself stated he would write more female characters if he had felt comfortable doing so. The race of characters did not bother me as it was a subject that the great author rarely commented on in all his books with the exception of occasional mentions of hair or eye colour. The huge rewrites did bother me.

If you ignore the title this is an incredible show, but it is not Foundation.

The Batman (2022)

Not the worst Batman film, but not the best by a long way.

[4/10 · 24 April 2022]

Ok, is this as bad as Batman and Robin? No, but is it Oscar material? Very far from it.

For the most part the acting wasn't too bad, but several actors didn't fit the roles they were playing. Pattison wasn't right for Batman. Serkis just didn't sell Alfred, though he only had about 3 minutes of screen time to do so (which is a shame as I normally like Andy Serkis in anything). Kravitz was possibly the worst Catwoman I have ever seen (and I saw Halle Berry's attempt).

The plot dragged and dragged and just when you thought it was going to pick up it started to drag some more. I think this whole move could have been presented in a 30 minute TV episode after all of Batman's moping scenes were cut out.

The score seemed off, particularly with the running Ave Maria theme. It just didn't fit the scenes and I wish Danny Elfman would return.

Overall I found the movie to be mildly entertaining. Not quite a waste of my time, but not worth watching again.

Chucky (I) (2021– )

So many naughty words...

[9/10 · 1 December 2021]

I understand that these days a movie or TV show is rated by naughty words rather than graphic violence, so I thought that would be a good point to mention first.

Now as for the show? I didn't have high hopes for this. A rehash of an old movie series??? Wow, I was pleasantly surprised. There was plenty of nostalgia (flashbacks, sight gags, Easter eggs and the use of animatronics etc.), but there was also a huge pile of fresh material to keep things turning over.

I felt the acting was great, despite so many of the cast being so young and the story-line kept me coming back for more. There was a morbid humour throughout that tended to amuse without distracting too much from the horror.

Cosmic Sin (2021)

This is so bad...

[1/10 · 28 March 2021]

It's not often that I can honetly say that I could make a better movie than this. Today I actually get to say I could easily write a better script, make a motorbike look slightly more futuristic and possibly even act better.

Bruce Willis looks like he doesn't want to be there and is probably only taking this for a quick payday (money for private yacht fuel?). The plot barely exists and what little of it does exist makes no sense (particurlarly an early scene regarding aliens attacking a military base). The costume department was apparently supplied by TopShop. Finally, if you don't know how to write a script, it's apparently obligatory to drop the "F-bomb" as many times as possible to make up for the lack of talent.

Tales from the Crypt: Judy, You're Not Yourself Today (1990) Season 2, Episode 11

Another Looney Tunes from this series

[8/10 · 17 February 2021]

Horrible overacting, comical silent-film style music throughout the episode. Nonsense and slapstick trash. What more appropriate tale could anybody ask for from the crypt?

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Potential wasted

[4/10 · 6 August 2020]

The basic plot of this movie seemed to have a good potential, but it all seemed to go wrong somewhere. The CGI was truly impressive and the music was enjoyable and seemed to fit the mood well, but the acting... Oh wow, the acting... I don't think I've ever seen such wooden emotionless acting outside of a low budget independant flick. Watching the two main charachters play their roles was akin to watching two wooden boards saying lines. There was no emotion, no personal tension, no charachter building, and for some strange reason, virtually no eye contact.

As a peraonal fan of big budget Sci-Fi , I really want to give this a higher rating to encourage more space operas to be made, but I honestly don't think I can justify it..

Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996)

Who doesn't love this show?

[9/10 · 4 August 2016]

Tales from the Crypt is a series that ran for a full seven seasons, with the last one being entirely filmed in the UK. Each episode has a dark story of love, hate, pain, death or a mix of any of the above with a little twist of dark humour thrown in for good measure.

This show proves that a low budget and cheesy monsters cannot ruin great writing, fantastic acting and naughty hidden gags.

If you choose to take my advice and watch this programme, you will find many huge names making early appearances. I personally enjoyed the episode with Ewan McGregor. I won't ruin the ending of this episode, but suffice it to say, you probably won't see it coming.

Unearthing Ancient Secrets: Alexander the Great: A Case for Murder? (2009) Season 1, Episode 4

Not what I hoped for, a severe disappointment

[2/10 · 5 December 2014]

I have always been fascinated by the life of Alexander, and as such, when I saw a program throwing suspicion over his death, I jumped on it at once.

What I watched was utter drivel, a phony investigation followed with no new information and ending with no conclusion. Every sentence was repeated ten times, it was like a teacher speaking to a naughty child with attention problems.

I was looking forward to catching more episodes of this series, sadly, this episode I saw has left me with very little chance of seeking out others

The Outer Limits: Ripper (1999) Season 5, Episode 11

Good episode, terrible accents.

[7/10 · 14 July 2014]

I am a great fan of this whole series, David warner shows some marvelous acting skills as the detective trying to capture Jack the Ripper in London, 1888. Suffice it to say, all is not as it seems and the Ripper may not be a normal person.

The story is well written, even if the plot is a little cheesy, but cheesy plots are half the fun of The Outer Limits. Sadly the episode is somewhat tainted by terrible accents. While, most of the main characters are played by British actors, most of the bit parts are played by Americans sounding like chimney sweeps who would make Bart Simpson's English accent seem convincing.

An altogether enjoyable episode, otherwise. But I feel I must also point out some quite obvious anachronisms, such as electric street lights, UV lamps on a camera and modern make-up

Alpha Girls (2013)

Fun jaunt for such a low budget

[8/10 · 10 September 2013]

well as mentioned, the budget must have been less than an average weeks wages for most movie actors, but a well written and fun ride through the evil underworld.

it starts with the new members for Alpha house, an elite girls sorority in an unnamed university. The girls dabble with a little dark magic they find in the sorority house book, as they descend into evil, most of the girls want out, but not all of them fear what may come.

The acting is very good from the main cast, although I hope they shop assistant didn't get paid for his err contribution, lol. Few CGI graphics in this film, but done well when used. the plot is a little cheesy, but the film doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, so you don't mind it.

If you are looking for a serious horror to scare your pants of, this isn't it, but if you want some light b-grade entertainment, then this is definitely worth a watch.