bcbennett-29559 Reviews

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Akira Kurosawa would turn in his grave

[3/10 · 23 December 2023]

I was hoping that this was going pleasantly surprise me. But instead it was one of those that you potter around the house with and use as background noise.. and are indifferent to when its done. To sum it up, an opera flopra, that belongs in the same trash can as Jupiter ascending..

Not one spark of authenticity, basing its premise on the Seven Samurai trope. The character arc is weak, leaving the audience with no sense of investment, live, die doesn't really matter (I would prefer the latter just to put this waste of money out of its misery).

The film is disjointed, with themes and threads that are lost before the really begin, leaving you not quite who is who, what their role is or what they are fighting for.. and those moments of character focus fall short. Its just seems that no one is invested in the movie. Djimon Hounsou barely says a word, Robbie the robot runs away at the start of the movie, then runs away until the end credits, by which time he's turn feral!

The blurred planet hopping was relentless and confusing, just as in Jupiter ascending, so ultimately pointless.

The bar scene with the gay alien was about as interesting as it got.

Visually good, looked the part, but ultimately this film is a flop in my humble opinion. I'll be surprised if the sequel gets funded..

Predator 2 (1990)

Second in line

[9/10 · 31 December 2022]

When this movie hit the cinemas, it was not received well by critics.. to manys disbelief. One of the major things going against it, what having a black lead.. a rare thing during this period. Glover had firstly gained prominence in "The colour Purple" (a fantastic film), then went onto solidify his blockbuster presence with the "Lethal Weapon" series.

The gamble didn't pay off at the box office with this one. But for the black community, this film was a victory, having another African American break through as a headliner instead of playing second fiddle to a white lead. This was our "Black Panther" movie.

It's a fantastic contrast to the original, urbanized, gang fuelled romp with many twists and turns. Featuring Jamaican yardies and latin gangs, whos fight over city turf is ripping the city apart in sweltering in.

A perfect environment for predator to go on safari.

In this sequel, we get to understand more about the species, their technology, and motives for visiting earth.

Featuring a star studded cast.. this movie still stands up well, over three decades later!

The Orville: Domino (2022) Season 3, Episode 9

Can't touch this!

[10/10 · 6 August 2022]

Love this series.. Can it get better than this episode? Hard to top. This universe is an engaging one.. Full of relevant current topics, delivered with TLC. I'm a die hard Sci Fi fan, and this series slams Star trash, like the wars and the trek. Must admit the expanse is right up there too.

Keep it coming!

Ambulance (2022)

A total bungle fest

[1/10 · 23 April 2022]

I thought the world had moved on from these kind of movies, clearly not. They put the toilet, the kitchen sink and the plug into this plot.. a million coppers, a million bullets, and still no one managed to shoot this movie down way before the tedious 2h 16mins of this disaster had elapsed. Over the top, pointless dribble with the typical score to try and tug on heart strings every 10 seconds. This was total whack!

A ZerO rating, and the producer should be banished to the island of self flagellation.

Wrath of Man (2021)

Proper!

[8/10 · 26 May 2021]

Hail the Brits! The Richie Stratham double act always bears fruit, and this sombre, shady affair, does not disappoint. Moody music, lighting and the typical yet refined style of script and editing that is a signature of Richie's style, gives this film great pace and timing, always with that driven feel of (on the one). Stratham and Richie deliver in this action thriller.. Well worth the viewing time and defo another visit!

Survive the Night (2020)

Survive the end of Bruce's career!

[3/10 · 28 May 2020]

I'm not going to give this a lengthy write up.. It started with die hard.. aground breaking film, that defined the genre.. and now this limp, insipid nonsense, that is so full of holes.. and Bruce, what was your role in this? it was all over the place and delivered nothing at any point.. Booooooo!

Ad Astra (2019)

Sci fi is the last thing this movie is about.

[8/10 · 4 December 2019]

All the low reviews are by headless chickens. In every actors career comes a movie like this. This is not sci fi, action, quick wit, melodrama.. just a study of the journey of self discovery, peeling back the layers of an onion to reveal the true motives behind ones intentions.

Forget the scientific and mathematical accuracies and embrace the subtle yet amazing repertoire of acting skills that Pitt delivers. There is so much that ties in with a man who has reached a certain stage in his life, marriage, fatherhood, divorce, gain, loss, loneliness, and the big question... who am I, what is my purpose? reflection, anger, sadness, desperation, loneliness..discovery, love and acceptance. A spectrum of states, that most of the reviewers seem to be void of.. as they search for ever better "ooohs" and "aaahs" in CGI world, full of explosions photoshop and muscles!!

If you have a brain, watch this film!

Angel Has Fallen (2019)

I Understand the hate... but it was fun! And the best in the franchise.

[7/10 · 14 November 2019]

Personally, I enjoyed it. Yes it had that lower budget feel, no longer Gloss, but Matt. and yes the CGI was second rate graphic design artist, and yes Butler saves the day in a 'gun ho' bullet fest. And yes, the script was off the range a bit. But I still enjoyed the macho, bullet bouncing, bunker busting craziness of it. It was fuuuuun! we've got bogus Star Wars, rubbish Terminator, mediocre horror flicks. LGBT and gender awareness is transforming movies for the new gen, fair enough. I just want to enjoy a moment of reprised 80s macho man brainless action without having to think if it's politically correct, or has to send out a deep message. At least the baddies were home grown for once!

The King (I) (2019)

Burn Hollywood burn! Netflix has done it again

[9/10 · 3 November 2019]

A fantastic, well cast, well acted, well shot, directed re-enactment of the battle of Agincourt and the burden and sacrifice a king must undertake. The timing, editing and score in this slice of British history is on point and truly provides substance and mood. The ghostly emptiness and loss of ones self is realised all to well by the lead, "Timothée Hal Chalamet". I was pleasantly surprised to see "Joel Edgerton" as trusty friend/advisor to Henry V. Both actors gave a fantastic performance.

Hollywood, the old guard are right in seeing the demolition of what was once a stage to enchant people with true story telling. Pop corn movies have there place, but flooding the market with fantastical dross from all angles is stifling true story telling, dumbing down audiences, instead of embracing the real essence of film making, which is to be provocative, challenging educational and entertaining.

Instead we leave the cinema knowing that Captain America can now weld Mjölnir!

Roll on Netflix!!!

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Welocome back Eddie... We missed you!

[10/10 · 26 October 2019]

Eddie Murphy returns it true style, like only Eddie can in a film that has great rhythm and comedic timing. A well picked cast of talented actors that complement Eddie's fantastic performance, and Wesley Snipes was on point! Glad to see the old guard return and put some life back into comedy flicks. We've been waiting for too long, but the man is back. Dolemite!

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

A mediocre sequel with some moments

[6/10 · 14 October 2019]

First the elephant in the room, "what the hell was that madman review csungradpiano_ward_e". When I read it, it was being in the film Arrival trying to understand some tentacled E.T.s!! Needed the Enigma to crack that code, or a tree hugging dude on mushrooms! Anyway back to the flick. It was Oooookay-ish.Woody towed the film to the end, Columbus was off the pace, or maybe the act is a bit passé and predictable. The hippy, the bimbo didn't really cut it and the monster truck taking out the hordes of undead, was a was like a moment out of Banana Splits! the script was too light to honour the first instalment, which I though was a pretty solid flick. But as I said said before, Woody saved the day!

Light of My Life (I) (2019)

Silence should not be percieved as boring!

[8/10 · 12 August 2019]

A well produced, directed effort, with great pace, timing and maturity. There are some ratings and comments about this flick that do not do it justice. This movie is engaging in a subtle way. The BOOM BANG Hollywood formula is not present, instead we are given a slice of time in the life's of a father and daughter, and their struggle to maintain some equilibrium, sanity and safety in a post apocalyptic world devoid of women. If you want all the usual fast food additives and over the top music scores, stroll on. If your interested in a well directed, scenic, well acted film that understands that silence and a slower paced and well crafted use of timing can deliver more.. then this is well worth the 2 hours!

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Another episode @ the Vic!

[18 June 2019]

It was ok.. if you're into Eastenders or Love Island then you probably will enjoy this mediocre instalment. Sansa just isn't the one, she lacks charisma and at least a bit of depth, you know like the dregs of a tea cup! CGI is on point as usual and there are some good choreographed action scenes.. but it's not even in the same ball park as Avengers or Guardians! This is pop remix super zeros for the new gen!

Ma (I) (2019)

Ma god, what happened here!

[4/10 · 18 June 2019]

The horror didn't convince.. The concept was a good idea, but ended up like a flat cup of soda.. it just didn't deliver enough suspense, characters failed to draw you in, but you keep hoping, because the flick has potential, but then the finale is weak and you come away cheated out of a good ending. My rating is 3 for concept.. 1 for attempt. try harder next time!

Shaft (2019)

Samtastic!

[17 June 2019]

If you like jive talking comedy then your in for a treat. This sequel packs a lot of laughs and is highly enjoyable.. 2/10 raters are haters because they prefer comedies by Hue Grant (no disrespect intended Grant). The movie is a light hearted affair, with Sam at the helm (age 70!.. amazing) doing his thang.. well put together, fun easy flick. If your looking for depth, go scuba diving!