charlesj-19419 Reviews

The Irishman (2019)

Nice to see the actors/characters brought out again but,..

[7/10 · 7 November 2023]

I felt duty bound to watch it because of the hype but dozed off for the middle hour. I do like to be gripped by a story and this didn't do that. Those familiar with the real people's stories might find it important historically.

The best snippet of the movie was the camera panning across a mirror and no reflection of the camera! Probably basic these days but I enjoyed it very much.

Glad Pesci got to do the wise solemn head for a change, enjoyed his acting very much. So many other unnecessarily famous actors in bit parts!

Glad it was made, it'll be important for many. It'll be remembered as an historical artifact and swan song for these collaborations.

Gasoline Alley (2022)

Quality performance by Devon Sawa

[7/10 · 27 February 2022]

Yep, I clicked on this movie because the lower budget films Bruce Willis does are usually pretty entertaining, not challenging, but good. And he does them where he barely makes a cameo maybe for the money, but more likely to support something or someone he likes. This is more than a cameo but he doesnt come across well in it. Rather the heavy lifting of the film is done by Devon Sawa.

Yes. You do know him from somewhere but you can't quite place him. He's Stan. From...the music video of, er, Stan, by Eminem and Dido. And the lead guy in other stuff you will have seen and enjoyed.

I'd recommend this film on the strength of his screen presence.

Foundation (2021– )

Ultimate Sci-fi

[10/10 · 10 November 2021]

I read the books, all the books when I was a kid, and they are brilliant - dry but brilliant. I never thought it would be on TV because that density, intellectuallism and deep humanism had no way to be communicated visually.

I approached the series with caution, and I've only watched the first episode. All the bare bones are there. Expect it to get deeper. Expect there to be many series.

I was so impressed with the ambition shown just trying to make this show and am relieved that the execution has so far helped to bring the books back to life for me.

If you can't read the books, watch something that'll put Star Wars back in the children's section.

Sound of Metal (2019)

I've missed this kind of film

[10/10 · 15 May 2021]

I used to teach at a school for young adults with a range of potential difficulties including hearing impaired kids and this film made me think about the students and my teaching back then. I learnt from it. Wish that I'd written this but I never could have, it's far too good, because I'd never have imagined it could've been executed as well as it was. All the actors are excellent but Riz Ahmed can do something better. Reminded me of the first film I saw him in, Shifty.

So glad I watched this, it'll stick for a long while.

The Midnight Sky (2020)

$100million budget for...?

[2/10 · 3 May 2021]

So I'm exasperated at what else the money spent on making movies could be spent on. But the key point here is that GC should be stopped from directing and acting, or really just directing. The story is not presented well but the actors do well with what they're given. $100million? Long. Slow. Contrived. If there's a message it might be don't kill the planet and people could be more humane. Or maybe it romanticises the possibility of a few people leaving the planet for us to survive. There's a nice scene with some peas. So, if you've watched everything else containing a small dose of worthiness, give this a go, especially if you're a fan of low budget 70s/80s sci-fi like The Black Hole or Silent Running, except those are substantially better.

$100million.

The Third Day (2020)

Very British and felt unique amongst the deluge of tv

[9/10 · 18 March 2021]

Hard to write a review for this but for me as well as the excellent casting acting etc the thing I like better than anything is a good story, and it has this. Very plausibly realistically deeply and unpleasantly british. Gave me the creeps in all the right and unexpectedly familiar ways

WandaVision (2021)

Unexpectedly brilliant

[7/10 · 3 March 2021]

After the Endgames I promised myself I was out of the marvel universe, time to be be adult and stop with this diverting fantasy nonsense. I mean 20 something films is a ridiculous commitment. The Spiderman movies didn't count so they were ok to watch but no more. Then this. Frivolous title. Kinda quirky. Nostalgic in all kinds of ways. But it builds. I'm writing this before the final episode comes out but I've been so impressed. By the astonishing attention to detail in every aspect of the storytelling. I can't fault it. It's a love story and it looks amazing. A week or so after the final episode, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier starts. Goddamn it! It'd better not be as good as this or I'm gonna get dragged in again. But I suspect it's too late.

Doom Patrol (2019–2023)

Positive review - If you like this genre you should 100% try it.

[9/10 · 9 December 2020]

I've only watched series 1 and s2e1 and these were pretty great. This was mostly because of an excellent cast. It was also a whole superhero series I had no idea about, and I guess some really good writing/construction/design - whatever it is they do to put these things together nowadays. I was also really pleased that DC stepped up but I don't really want to get into that, suffice to say I tried to watch Marvel's Helstrom and another Marvel series before it, and found myself watching a few episodes, before reading episode summaries and then watching the last episode, usually bored. This soared in comparison. It was entertaining. Interesting. All I've got to say really - but the cast IS excellent

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

An impossible job done brilliantly with one failing

[8/10 · 16 November 2020]

It wasn't as if this movie was a flop but it didn't quite live up to its predecessor. 2047 would've felt like an impossible sequel to make but they did an incredible job. Where it fails is the original movie's timeline. Back in 1982 it was conceivable to imagine an ominous 2019 where AI, environmental and societal collapse and other technologies had advanced to such a point. It felt truthful and far-sighted. But 2047 although an excellent extension of the original, no longer has that ominous realism. Our flying cars are rubbish. AIs are likely to remain stuck in massive server rooms - an entirely different dystopia. Perhaps the warning of the original Bladerunner paid off, but at some point, lets say 2019, it disconnected. With that disconnect - the Bladerunner universe now working independently of our future, the movie still offers insight into what it is to be human, to be alive, and is more accessible than the original without sacrificing scope. Since 2047 has opened up huge possibilities another sequel or two feels like a good idea. Personally, I'd like to see the AIs saving the humans despite everything.

Walk Don't Run (1966)

Charming, heartening - a lovely surprise

[8/10 · 29 April 2020]

It was on TV during lockdown, nothing else on, and I was busy pottering around but got quickly drawn in. There are some absolutely masterful moments, tiny details in the acting and scripting that are reminiscent of a bygone age of film in which love honesty kindness and trust were still understood. The acting is superb throughout and they all have immense timing and patience to make it even funnier. An unexpected joy.

Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Wanted and still want to like it.

[6/10 · 7 March 2020]

But I'm having to force myself through episode 7, same as many of the previous episodes. It has lots of bits, snippets that could be something, but overall it is less than the sum of its parts. Most of the characters are alright and it is nice to see the lives of the old characters in this updated verse but its not enough. The themes, of betrayal and betrayal of values, alienation...might have worked...the story might have worked, if introduced with a light touch over the course of each episode. But what we have here is a soap opera. One long narrative hinging on a few details that might get slightly resolved after about another 4 hrs. I really want to like it. I guess the story-telling algorithms have spoken and I will probably finish the series out of a sense of misplaced loyalty, (well done algorithms), but might as well admit theres nothing left of Star Trek going forward.

NCIS: Sound Off (2020) Season 17, Episode 13

Sad it has become so tame

[3/10 · 23 January 2020]

Ncis hasn't been good for a while but I've not really been able to put my finger on it beyond a general dissatisfaction with the storylines, camera work, characters. It is like all the actors are speaking their lines to the camera, "hey, this is me delivering this line, this performance, this moment of hilarity, just for you"...makes the already weak storylines even more fragmented. I know they are trying to rediscover the chemistry and urgency of the early days, but really none of it is clicking. Even Gibbs, one of the great characters, is tepid nowadays. Realistically he should retire if he didn't hold the show together. McGee should have his own team. All the other characters with their troubled and interesting backgrounds have all chosen to be docile, toothless and childish even Vance. No wise elderly characters left which were a big part of the appeal. The return of Ziva was ok for a bit but wasn't enough to rescue the show from the lack of integrity and coherence it has shown for a long while. So I'm drawing a line... I hope... I've watched it for a long time. I hope they retire Gibbs and don't kill him off for some cheap lousy reason. Return Michael Weatherly, and do something meaningful with the rest of them. Find some impactful stories from somewhere and ncis could be good again. Sonic gun? Nope. That's stupid. As are a dozen other holes in this episode.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Critically unappreciated beauty

[10/10 · 20 December 2019]

The film is a grower. I've always loved the opening credits but the opening premise of the destruction of a paradise is worth revisiting as conceptually dense. The dreary failures of humanity that follow perhaps overwhelm it, which is a shame. I haven't read the other reviews but I imagine criticisms might include the casting of the main two characters who just look a bit too young and frankly weak to do what they do. And maybe the storyline later doesn't quite fulfil the promise of the first 13minutes. However, if only taken as a visual and imaginative spectacle it would still score highly. I gave it a 10 and hope Mouiseur Besson can conjure a sequel that builds on it.

Fast Color (2018)

Unexpectedly good

[8/10 · 7 August 2019]

Watched this as a filler, as something to have on in the background that was labelled in the fantasy genre - and I found myself drawn in. I loved the characters and the emotional content and that is absolutely not what I normally watch. I guess the acting must have been great - just people being human. Perfectly balanced story and film for me. Kind of a massive relief after endless thrillers and cheesy superhero variations. You could definitely do worse than curl up and just enjoy this.

Game of Thrones: The Bells (2019) Season 8, Episode 5

Absolutely Great

[10/10 · 13 May 2019]

There are a lot of user reviews here written by people who have barely followed the series. This was perfect in a lot of ways and made the previous episodes fall into place better. This episode was brilliantly written and presented. No one can have anything to complain about - I can't understand some of these reviews. People giving a 1-star are unfathomable to me. Watch it as the culmination of a piece of fiction, like a book, (remember them?), not as an endless soap opera. It is shocking, funny, horrific, violent, emotional, and well acted, yes, actually well acted. So please, just enjoy. That's what it is for. One more to go. Honestly great episode.

Us (II) (2019)

This film is art

[10/10 · 21 April 2019]

Ok. Don't watch the trailer because they messed up and showed too much, effectively spoiling part of it for many people. There is also a lot of confusion about the film, about what it means, and it means more than any of those comprehension details. I guess you can take it anyway you like, from a simple stabby horror, to a savage critique of American structures and... everything. Ok, that sounds pretentious, but the writer/director has put together such perfect ingredients, I could be glib and say the thing almost writes itself, it bursts with possibilities, and yes, I'm definitely sounding pretentious now, but I loved this film. I will rave about it to my friends and rewatch asap and see some of what I missed first time round. It won't win the bigger awards because it has planted itself firmly in the horror genre, but it is a great film, and deserves to be held right up there.

Game of Thrones: Winterfell (2019) Season 8, Episode 1

Solid start to the last season

[8/10 · 19 April 2019]

So perhaps a bit of game-playing going on from the writers. Things needed to be sorted between lots of characters. Relationships settled, established and developed. The many threads needed to be brought together, new ones established...and this episode does that really well in many parts. Even the opening credits make it clear how much has changed since the last series. But yeah, perhaps not the cgi extravaganza many fans were hoping for. Bombshells, not so many, but right now I don't think that's what fans want to see. I expect to give the remaining episodes scores higher than 8, but if this had been the first episode I'd watched I'd have given it a 4 tbh, it wouldn't have grabbed me, and I felt uncomfortable with some of the acting, which I'd like to attribute to emotions and characters I am unable to relate to from my recumbent position. I do hope the stars haven't got too big for their roles, that's all.

Star Trek: Discovery: Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 (2019) Season 2, Episode 14

Really brings it together

[10/10 · 19 April 2019]

I kind of think of ST:D as the lesbian star trek, and I know that's unfair but good on them risking their traditional audience for some diversity. Despite a whole lot of things that made me wince and grumble through the two series, I've hoped that the obviously huge effort and thought CBS put into this series was going to pay off, and for me this episode brought it together and set up series 3 as hopefully one of the best ST series, period. I'm relieved yes, but also thrilled - I kept thinking of Stargate Universe which I stuck with through some real dross, only for it to be cancelled when it got interesting and had the opportunity to be challenging. I've just read a review which ripped it apart almost scene by scene, and all I can say is that the reviewer showed a lack of understanding and imagination. My only sticking point, is the amount of dialogue and discussion, emotional soothing and relationship ironing-out that goes on, but ST had always tried to pride itself on its values, showing a better way, providing role-models and the like. So yeah, sometimes it felt inappropriate but totally forgivable as far as I'm concerned. It isn't supposed to be all about space battles, cos you can watch the worst sci-fi and see that if that's all you want. And I thought the space battle was done well as well, actual 3d representation as a space battle would be, but we never see. Anyway, genuinely positive about how S3 could go. With a much simplified crew dynamic, there should be less of the relationship trauma/healing as well. Thrilled.

Justice League (2017)

Yup. Screw the critics

[9/10 · 29 December 2017]

I liked and enjoyed it. It must have been a phase I went through: we all have small secret shames. One of mine is that as a 30-something, I got into the Justice League and JLU animated series. I still think there are great individual episodes in those series, as well as some great story arcs. So I was actually excited, when there were distant rumours of a JL movie. That excitement was worn down and all but forgotten by the negative response to the films that built up to this. They weren't necessarily great, but their biggest failing was that they fell into the shadow of the Marvel machine; the movies were less epic, less all-encompassing, and the PR couldn't compete. So instead of hunting out a seat in the first weekend or even the first week, I undertook watching this as a (slightly hopeful) chore, but I was so relieved. The film had a lightness I can't necessarily explain; it felt familiar and authentic. It had qualities of superhero stories that felt like reading the comics and watching the cartoons, almost as if maybe it cared for the audience. Crazy huh. For whatever the glitz and drama of the Marvel movies, they are perhaps more than a little self-involved. The cast did a great job. Aquaman was introduced really well and Jason Momoa was cast really well. Ben Affleck's Batman isn't the same one as all the others. I thought he was more real, more believable, just better all round. A much-needed change. Lego Batman he is not. Wonder Woman and the Flash brought all that those characters are supposed to bring and did it v.well. All those years ago when there were rumours of a JL film, I would've expected it to have been epic. Now, I was relieved it wasn't. It was just very good. (Yay, Justice League!)

The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards (2015)

Different but entertaining in its own way.

[9/10 · 20 December 2017]

I really admire this film. Well put together. It really worked for me. The interludes are fascinating. I was admittedly mildly distracted by the big names in the cast, but the quality of the acting made a huge difference - done by lesser actors it could've been rubbish. I've seen their contributions referred to as cameos, but to put it that way is to deliberately ignore the short-story structure of the film. The characters are enjoyable. Very individual and very real. The first story was perhaps the least tangible, which made it difficult for me to get past, and in that instance, I felt I needed more, but the others worked really nicely. Although the film works as a cumulative piece, especially if you can pause and have a bit of a think, for reach and accessibility I'd like to see it broken up into the seven parts and put on YouTube. I doubt whether anybody involved had realistic notions of garnering a high score on a review site or making a financial killing, but it is so good that someone is bringing what literature can do, to film. It is a film that makes me want to read the book, some other works by Robert Boswell, or watch some of James Franco's other recent attempts at literary conversion.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

So much in it past just the amazing characters and stories

[10/10 · 7 September 2016]

The trailer for this looked brilliant but I had pretty low expectations for some reason. Maybe I felt it was a bit contrived, generating a bit of excitement wit two main protagonists rather than one. And for the record I thought the first Avengers film was great, the second one pretty good although the long fight at the end in 3D made me want to just shut my eyes and go to sleep - too much for too long. But this in my opinion is the best of the Avengers films so far. The new characters were all brilliant, solid etc. Black Panther, Spiderman and Ant-Man all brought something unique and genuine and believable. Added value to the Avengers Universe. But the story is only really made possible by the baddie of the movie, Zeno, I think he's called. Yes, we get distracted by all the superhero stuff inevitably, but he brought an intensely human aspect to the movie. No super-robot, killer aliens, or universal tyrants. Just a guy looking to use the truth. He says something like, "a civilisation that is beaten can rise again. One that destroys itself from the inside out is gone forever." One of his great lines that adds dimensions of relevance to everybody in the the weird, corrupt, destructive and vengeful world we live in. I genuinely think this movie is, dare I say it, political. Also about forgiveness, friendship, rage, hurt, family, responsibility, recovery. I don't think it deals with these themes in a superficial way either. Genuine quality that can be enjoyed in so many different ways. Only slight negative is when it starts talking about the legality of the Avengers actions. eg. When they are locked up it is because they are criminals. Not signing, doesn't make them criminals. Not even sure the treaty was completed. So is a dubious assumption of authority. With the next bunch of films likely to deal with those power stones, and Thanos, I can't see how we are going to have such a grounded and relevant superhero movie for a long time. I really fought for Batman v Superman's corner but having re-watched Civil War, there is no comparison.

Delivery Man (2013)

Better than it was promoted

[10/10 · 23 April 2016]

I'm not a fan of Vince Vaughn. And the premise for this movie sounded terrible - the advert made it sound particularly slapstick, like it would basically be one long jerk-off joke. The title - as a play on words of "delivery" is cheap. But the film, once you get past the initial set-up of the character as one of life's losers, is really good. It was on TV, and I only had it on while I was cooking for something to be on. I caught clips then had a phone call. Surprised myself by then buying it to find out about the bits I missed and how it panned out. It is a comedy, but it is warm, and well written. Am not a clever reviewer, and if I saw a review that said "heartfelt" I'd read it as "good effort", I really enjoyed it, and thought that was worth sharing.