nicholasebdon Reviews

The Roast of Tom Brady (2024)

Far too long for a mediocre show

[5/10 · 8 May 2024]

If ever a show didn't live up to its own billing it was this one.

Firstly, even good roasts would begin to suffer if they were all three hours long and this was far from a good roast.

Secondly, if we all thought Kevin Hart was as funny as Kevin Hart did, it might not have felt so long but, much like the last three or four of his specials, the routine is front loaded and wanes into repetition and mediocrity.

Nicki Glazer was the stand out writing and delivery and without her contribution and the hope there would be others as good, I would have struggled to make it to the end. Even Ron Burgundy wasn't a big deal this time round.

At the end of some previous roasts, the targets end up with the audience and viewers on their side, but for me, even if he was part playing up to a character, Brady came across as unlikable.

Secret Invasion: Resurrection (2023) Season 1, Episode 1

So far, so meh!

[5/10 · 23 June 2023]

A programme that instantly throws you into the thick of it, is probably more welcome than another origins story done badly in the comic world genre. We know the main players antagonists and protagonists (twists aside) so it can be forgiven for jumping straight in.

What doesn't slip through so easily is the evolution of the problem and why it now only is one when, basis the dating of the captain marvel origins, as far as threats go this should have been the easiest one to see or grasp.

Unfortunately there was barely enough in the first episode to get you hooked, so you are left after the first show relying purely on good faith that the hook of SLJ and his Fury will mean the story gets bigger and better. Not enough to get excited about, but just enough to tune into next weeks offering. If it doesn't deliver then, expect to see viewing figures diminish, with even the die-hard MCUers beginning to believe that GOTG3 was an outlier and the decline in quality is still ongoing.

Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)

Plain mind-numbing nonsense and drivel.

[2/10 · 15 March 2023]

If they ever give out Oscars to films for the most moronic scripts, countless plot holes, clumsy contrivances and exposition, over acting and most frowns and cringes experienced in one movie, this will take home everything.

You wonder what Andy Serkis really thought when he watched the final cut of the film. You also wonder what kind of drugs the people who have been banging the 007 drum for Idris Elba over the years must have been taking to think he could carry that roll. His performance and his presence didn't actually look out of place in this film and there's a reason for that, he is no more than a co-star and tv actor.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)

Could have been a great vehicle, instead it's a car crash.

[4/10 · 1 September 2022]

What has happened to Marvel? I cannot believe the likes of the Russo brothers, John Favreau or James Gunn have watched screenings of these and the other drivel Marvel Studios has churned out recently. This and the latest Thor crud make it very clear that prioritising trying to primarily make a funny film or programme rather than focusing on making a great story and production (that may have humour in it) results in making something that is neither great and cringeworthy rather than funny.

Kevin Feige and some of the production team have clearly fallen into the trap of believing their own hype. She Hulk should have been great, offering a return of the hulk and serving as a vehicle to introduce other fan favourites. Instead its preachy, poorly CGI'd, badly edited, badly scripted and filled with unnecessary naffness and dumbing down (such as Wong and Bruce).

The best thing Kevin Feige could do to stave off a continued decline in quality is stop with the box ticking, hire female talent for their talent and not any message they want to put across and most importantly of all, ask for some honest and serious feedback from the aforementioned directors of previously more successful phases.

The reviews and the revenues will continue to dwindle lower as I have no doubt will this mess of a series.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Breath of fresh air

[8/10 · 22 August 2022]

I can't imagine any other actor nailing it or getting what this film is about better than Nic Cage.

I love his quirkiness and this film is a perfect vehicle without actually compromising the fact that it is actually an entertaining film which is paced to be both funny and constantly engaging.

I hope it leads to bigger and better projects.

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

When a director and lead believe their own hype.

[4/10 · 18 July 2022]

Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth made the film they wanted without little consideration to character, fan or franchise loyalty and the end result was a film that cared more about lining up the next naff joke than telling a story.

Unless Jojo Rabbit was a fluke and Ragnorak had more external input than we realise, TW clearly can make a good film when he wants to. Unfortunately it seems what he wanted to do with his latest Thor offering is either push the boundaries as far as he could, or dump on a franchise so much that it's beyond repair, or both. The result is a slap in the face to fans and another dent in Marvels credibility.

Stick to vampire spoofs and stop vandalising comic book characters.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Noisy mess and missed opportunity.

[5/10 · 26 May 2022]

I cannot understand some of these higher ratings. Maybe there are more Sam Raimi fans than I thought, but with the momentum and financial clout Marvel Studios currently has, this shouldn't be seen as anything other than a misfire. The CGI was underwhelming and was in danger of falling into the same trap as the Snyder dross. Action sequences were meh, but it's hard to tell if they were that bad or the constant bombardment of overly dramatic music (worst and most dated and cliched soundtrack to any marvel film to date) just dulled the senses. It just wasn't much of anything - not fun, not scary, not gripping, not clever and was a huge waste of the two main leads talent. 5 out of 10 was as kind as I could be but novelty and nods to fans will never replace good story telling.

Eternals (2021)

A gamble that doesn't pay off

[6/10 · 7 November 2021]

It probably deserved less but Marvel sentiment gave it some ratings premium.

Marvel have gambled on subject matter, characters and director and though not an abject failure, none hit the spot.

I came away thinking I had sat through another DC offering, though Gunn's suicide squad proved gambles can work if calculated.

The film didn't seem to know what it wanted to be and it showed. Stand out performance was probably Angelina's character, though even hers was the best of a 'meh' bunch.

Kit Harrington played his usual, just about to burst into tears character and is shaping up to be the most dud Black Knight imaginable.

Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman (2009)

Waste of time documentary romanticising a scumbag

[3/10 · 28 October 2021]

Some crime documentaries are interesting. This wasn't one of those documentaries. This was a hard to fathom tribute to a scumbag, murderer and grass. We're there any 'legendary' Irish mobsters who didn't crawl up the FBIs backside?

No Time to Die (2021)

A dud finale and a lacking book-end to Casino Royale.

[5/10 · 24 October 2021]

I use to leave James Bond films feeling pumped and wanting to shoot bad guys. I left this one wanting to shoot myself having wasted nearly three hours of my life watching what was clearly a box ticking exercise and nothing close to anything Craig's bond has delivered before. It's like the film was put down and picked up again and lost all momentum or cohesiveness in the process.

Perhaps the most fitting tribute to the bond fans was the ending, so they can at least look forward to a reboot and reimagining that remembers what it is that makes James Bond special.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

Low on escapism, just a vehicle to preach.

[6/10 · 25 April 2021]

A good premise that was clearly hijacked before it had even begun, the Falcon and the Winter Soldier set out to make a point, not entertain the people paying a subscription for Disney+. The mediocre action sequences spattered throughout the series seem nothing more than a flimsy effort to keep the viewers tuning in every week so the writers can ram more simplistic preaching down their throat.

Two solid characters and two decent actors totally wasted (along with several collective hours of viewing waiting for something half decent to happen).

Any good series leaves the viewer wanting more. The Falcon perhaps should visit his friends in the richest country on Marvel's fictitious Earth, Wakanda and point out the famine and depravity that they are allowing to happen on their doorstep every day, rather than bleating the America hates black people message we've had rammed down our throats for the last year and are seeking escapism from.

My suggestion is series 2 just be called 'The Falcon and Oprah' and be one long subjective and whiney interview where a repressed billionaire talks to the falcon about their respective mutual struggles in becoming the richest media personality in the world and a member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.