neil-43355 Reviews

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

How to Make a Sequel

[9/10 · 14 September 2022]

Loved it, yes it's full of clichés, Maverick doing Maverick stuff, the ubiquitous love interest, the estranged relationship etc etc you probably know to expect it and yet get it - don't let it put you off, its sort of comforting in its own peculiar way!

The flying sequences are absolutely superb and make you want to say wow, the movie is pretty perfectly paced, the sound engineers did a fantastic job, everyone looks like they are having great fun filming it and its a great way to spend a couple of hours - what more do you want.

If anybody ever writes a book called "how to make a movie sequel", this will be chapter 1 - well done.

Paper Girls (2022)

Knocked It Out Of The Park

[9/10 · 11 August 2022]

I went in to this knowing nothing at all about it and how pleasantly surprised I was.

Let me start by congratulating the casting department, whoever picked those 4 leading girls did a great job, the acting is fantastic and they all have a bright future in Hollywood.

The story clicks long quickly, there's never a dull moment and plenty of WFT is happening here moment's that made me laugh out loud, great cinematography, decent effects and I don't really have much to fault it on.

Binged it in one sitting and looking forward to the second series.

Interceptor (2022)

Pretty Awful

[2/10 · 8 June 2022]

In all honesty, I didn't expect much from this movie, and that's exactly what I got.

The screen writing is rubbish with a slew of cringeworthy one-liners and a story that stretched credibility to the extreme, the CGI is so bad it looks like an episode of Thunderbirds at times and the acting is nothing to write home about either.

The only saving grace is that it clocks in at just over an hour and a half - you will feel every single minute though, still it could have been a two hour sitting and for that I'm grateful.

Mr Inbetween: Socks Are Important (2019) Season 2, Episode 9

Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

[10/10 · 10 May 2022]

This is a great show anyway but this episode takes it to new heights.

Quite possibly the most tense, gripping 30 or so minutes of TV you will ever watch - even if you give the rest of it a swerve, this is must watch TV and shows just what can be achieved on the small screen.

Mr Inbetween (2018–2021)

Great Show

[9/10 · 10 May 2022]

This is a fantastic show that ranks among the best of its kind - the lead character is fantastic and also very likeable, he's a hitman come fixer with a very human side.

The other actors are also brilliant, its a very seedy world where most of them come across as decent human beings.

The Batman (2022)

Solid Movie

[8/10 · 21 April 2022]

I don't like superhero movies, I don't like overlong movies and I don't like Robert Pattinson so I was a bit apprehensive about this.

The Batman delivers us a sort of film noir, crime detective thriller rather than an out and out superhero movie - Gotham City is dark, gritty and brutal, some of the cinematography is stunning. It feels more intelligent than the average Marvel movie and squarely aimed at a more mature audience rather than your average gamer boy. Yes, its a long movie but it didn't feel long - there's always something going on so the three hours or so didn't bother me at all - the score was a bit naff though imho, I found it all pretty dull and 'samey' throughout the movie.

As for Pattinson, I was shocked - he was superb as were the rest of the cast in all honesty, plus what a superb makeup job they did on Colin Farrell, I would never have recognised him.

All in all, much better than I expected and a very enjoyable 8/10. I would like to add its a bit unfair to compare this with the Dark Night which is a completely different beast altogether.

Trigger Point (2022– )

Average at Best

[4/10 · 2 March 2022]

The acting is a bad at times, the storyline is a bit rubbish and I think everyone knows who the baddie is all along. He might as well of worn a black hat and some ominous music every time he came on screen.

You'll also have to leave your brain in neutral while watching it - there is some really terrible writing that make some of the situations beyond ludicrous. I doubt I'll bother with series 2 and if you haven't started series 1, personally I'd consider giving it a miss.

Prisoners (2013)

Gritty, Intense & Bleak

[9/10 · 16 February 2022]

I didn't have much idea what to expect with this one and wrongly surmised it was a prison flick.

Its a hard watch with unlikeable characters but its intense and just keeps on going relentlessly, at times its almost too intense and makes for an uncomfortable watch.

I did spot the "baddie" almost straight away but the film was still good enough to have me wondering how it would unfold and kept me on the edge of my seat. A great, if somewhat bleak, movie and well worth anybody's time.

Reacher (2022– )

Pretty Good and True to the Book

[8/10 · 9 February 2022]

I quite liked this, it was a great adaptation of the first Reacher novel the Killing Floor that remains pretty true to the book (from memory).

Alan Ritchson made a great Jack Reacher and the rest of the cast did an admiral job - great escapist action stuff, bring on series 2.

Copshop (2021)

Bang Average

[5/10 · 9 February 2022]

Cliched, average action flick which tries to be another Assault on Precinct 13 and fails miserably. Its very, very average and instantly forgettable - if your stuck inside with nothing to do, looking to kill some time and like this type of movie then you may like it if you can switch you brain off for a few hours but the plot holes are ludicrous and the writer tries too hard to be funny and hip. I've seen a lot worse lately but its not for me.

The 355 (2022)

Meeeeh

[7/10 · 9 February 2022]

I don't want to slag it off too much, the girls did a fairly decent job and the action sequences were pretty good but the script was a bit of a dead loss - its way too easy to see who the baddies are from the first 15 minutes and you will know how its gonna end, the girls save the world and leave it wide open for a 355 Part 2.

Nothing you haven't seen before but a half decent action flick that will probably keep you entertained for the 2 hours or so running time.

Don't Look Up (2021)

A Solid Eight

[8/10 · 7 January 2022]

I wasn't really expecting to enjoy this as much as I did but found its use of satire to perfectly expose the ridiculousness of modern society, conspiracy theorists, the flawed political system and greed of the elitists and shows an event which would probably play out pretty much the way its portrayed.

We really do live in a crazy, sad mixed up world - we really could have had it all.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Boring, Boring, Boring

[2/10 · 15 December 2021]

What can I say, just didn't get it at all - its one of those movies based on a boring, pretentious, high-brow novel that critics love and what we end up with is a boring, pretentious, high-brow movie that critics love.

Maybe I ain't suited to this type of move but this ain't no Matrix baby!

No Time to Die (2021)

Great Movie

[8/10 · 29 November 2021]

I have lost faith in James Bond movies in recent years but this one delivers the goods and represents a fantastic final swansong for Daniel Craig.

Its a touch overlong but everything you expect from a Bond movie is delivered in spades, great storyline, great acting and a quite emotional ending.

Red Notice (2021)

So Over Ryan Reynolds

[6/10 · 25 November 2021]

Its not a bad movie, there's plenty of action that runs along at a fairly brisk pace - its a typical Netflix family(ish) movie. Not great but not too bad, but Ryan Reynolds and his wisecracks are just too annoying, every bloody movie is the same now and its wearing a bit thin.

Dune (2021)

WOW!

[10/10 · 24 November 2021]

Absolutely blown away, what a movie - easily the best movie of 2021.

The visuals are draw droopingly beautiful, the CGI is fantastic the acting is top notch and the music score is on point.

I cannot wait for the sequel, if you haven't seen this yet - get it watched, I will probably watch it again in a few days it was that good - absolutely epic.

The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

Disappointing

[6/10 · 10 November 2021]

Given my love of the Soprano's, Goodfellas and most other mob type shows & movies - I was expecting great things from this only to be left feeling a bit let down by it all. Don't get me wrong, its not a terrible movie - its just a bit meh and left me thinking its just a vehicle for some type of follow up series or movie.

Black Box (II) (2020)

Worth a Watch

[6/10 · 21 September 2021]

This is not horror, but if you are quite willing to switch your brain off and look past the script errors, its not a bad watch - don't get me wrong, its not great either but quite adequate to pass the time on a plane journey like I did. Its more of a psychological thriller come sci-fi than horror and although I figured out what it was all about around the half-way mark, I kept going and its a decent little story with quite decent acting from the main players.

Jurassic Hunt (2021)

School Project

[1/10 · 6 September 2021]

Everything about this movie is utter rubbish, it looks like it was made by schoolchildren. Not a single redeeming feature, avoid.

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

Solid 7/10

[7/10 · 28 July 2021]

Its pretty much like the first film which to be honest isn't a bad thing - there is a lot to like, the acting is good, the pacing is lightning quick and the monsters look great. Its a decent movie and well worth a watch, don't believe the 1/10's and the 10/10's - there's been much better and far worse movies released this year. If you enjoyed the first one, you will probably enjoy this.

Settlers (2021)

Dull

[2/10 · 12 July 2021]

It starts slowly and gets slower the longer the movie goes on, its all pretty pointless and nothing really happens. I suppose the acting is sort of okayish but there is very little storyline for them to use their acting skills so who knows. Avoid.

Rogue Hostage (2021)

Wow

[1/10 · 5 July 2021]

Prepare yourself - this is as bad as it gets, John Malkovich hang your head in shame.

The story is non-existent, the action sequences are laughable, the set design is appalling and as for the acting (or lack of), every single one of them were terrible but Tyrese Gibson was the stand-out, he's single handedly managed to take bad acting to a whole new level.

This is pretty much as bad as it gets and I've watched some absolute rubbish this year - one to avoid.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Decent Movie

[8/10 · 3 July 2021]

Given all the rubbish that seems to be out there at the moment, this film was a mice surprise - its not great and its a cliched storyline we've seen all before. However, the film belts along at a great pace and its full of action with some great CGI. It is what it is, a solid sci-fi / action movie, leave your brain at the door and enjoy the ride.

No Strings Attached (I) (2011)

Nothing to See Here

[6/10 · 25 June 2021]

You all know the plot and all know what is going to happen in the end - its the same movie with different wrapping paper as countless others. There's nothing particularly bad (or good) about it, Portman and Kutcher did a decent job but its just another "seen it all before" movie. Don't expect too much and you probably won't be that disappointed.

The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Hmmmm

[6/10 · 25 June 2021]

People love a good tragedy which probably goes someway towards the really high rating this movie gets and I'm probably not the target audience. It was OK, and pretty much the usual girl meets boy, girls falls in love with boy then boy dies - Ansel Elgort was pretty annoying with the whole cigarette metaphor thing, however, I did think Shaileen Woodley was superb. TBH I think that its a movie best suited for teenage girls or woman feeling a bit vulnerable in life so if you fall into that group you can probably add a point or two to the 6/10 I gave it.