mmcshane-08232 Reviews

Dune (2021)

Visually Amazing Storytelling

[9/10 · 23 October 2021]

An accurate retelling using original vocabulary and ideas. If you've read the books then this will not disappoint. Strong acting, great cinematography and natural look that harks back to Laurence of Arabia.

Too loud by far.

This is a film you will need and want to experience more than once.

As for comments about boredom, I can only say that the film requires the audience to participate l, as any good story should.

Worth the wait.

Baptiste (2019–2021)

Despite Other Comments Great Acting as Characters Develop

[8/10 · 26 July 2021]

This is great to for all the reasons others have slated it: imagine racism and murder being bleak, fancy an old man not being able to out sprint young criminals, what about having to use your mind to follow more than one plot line? It's not the Marvel universe and it's a lot better for it. If you fancy something you have to think about and which has a real plot (with a couple of holes) then this is pretty good. BTW if you don't pay a licence fee to watch it then you've no right to complain.

Trial by Fire (I) (2018)

A score of 51 for this is ridiculous

[7/10 · 7 March 2021]

Well acted and engaging. Don't let the ludicrous 51 fool you. This is a well made, engrossing film with solid performances all around.

News of the World (2020)

Character and Spectacle

[8/10 · 12 February 2021]

The film is in no hurry as it wanders like it's protagonist in a kind of inverse of The Searchers. So, you're given time to absorb it and enjoy the scenes and the scenery. The acting is good all over. It portrays the harsh, unforgiving environment of the West after the Civil War. Society is fragmented and rogues abound. A really good, absorbing film as more recent westerns have tended to be. I particularly liked the brief Searchers shot.

Greenland (2020)

Unexpectedly Good

[7/10 · 6 February 2021]

It's like 2012 but completely different. 2012 knew what it was an played to that, successfully. Greenland is about people. The actual source of the disaster is a side issue.

Well acted, well shot and avoiding most of the obvious pitfalls. It's still a disaster movie but one of the better ones.

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

Beautifully Produced and Naturally Acted

[9/10 · 9 November 2020]

This is a first rate production and I recommend it highly. The lead is captivating and there is not a single character who isn't portrayed well. The soundtrack enhances and ages the action. The story moves between engaging and gripping. Best TV I've seen since The Bridge.

The Operative (2019)

A Solid, Tense Thriller

[8/10 · 9 October 2020]

If you enjoy a good story, where a degree of predictability comes from well crafted characters in difficult circumstances then you'll like this. Kruger, Freeman and Anvar are all good. The story is linear but fraught with real danger. The outcome is not predictable.

If you're looking for gung ho, high-kicking, gadget-laden nonsense then keep moving. I don't know what being a real spy is like but I'd guess it's close to this than it is to Bond, Bourne or Bauer.

Honour (2020)

First Rate Storytelling and Solid Performances

[8/10 · 5 October 2020]

A compelling story well told. The pace and character's frustrations appear realistic. The acting, especially from Rihanne Barretto, is strong and personal.

Recommended.

Des (2020)

First Rate Acting, Measured Direction.

[9/10 · 21 September 2020]

There is a restraint about this series which brings a mundane realism, making it all the more gruesome. Instead of glorifying or emulating the horrors they are picked apart. All of the leads are believable: The police and the biographer are sympathetic, the killer is detached and scary.

If you're looking for stunts and action you need to think again. If you're after realism and an almost documentary retelling of a recent horror story then this is for you.

Dark Waters (2019)

First Rate Acting in a Genre that's Rare now.

[9/10 · 22 August 2020]

Complaining that this film is not uplifting is like complaining that contracting cancer wasn't as much fun as you'd hoped.

Everyone in the film is good but Mr. Ruffalo and Ms. Hathaway are great. The pace is measured not slow because this is a chronicle not a fantasy. I haven't seen a film like this for a long time (All the President's Men, The Killing Fields, Missing) which is a shame because this is cinema doing a job.

There's an obvious comparison with Erin Brockavich (sp?) but the films' differences reflect the mood of those suffering.

Ultimately the film is uplifting not just because we see people refusing to give up and succeeding but because it's a true story and they're still alive (some of them anyway). Gripping.

Hostiles (2017)

As ambivalent as real life

[8/10 · 28 February 2020]

Beautifully shot, well acted, laconic and slow. This is a film about people struggling with no idea of their final destination. If the west was ever accurately depicted in a film this was probably it. If you enjoy effortless acting and are prepared to invest the time then this is for you.

Little Women (2019)

A great, enjoyable film

[8/10 · 11 January 2020]

I have not read the book and that might make a difference. My read the book and it didn't spoil the film for her. We both loved it. The acting is fine, although Emma Watson doesn't give it much. I understand the timeline is a bit fractured but there's a point to that and it's not complicated. Great film, beautifully shot, great acting. One out of ten reviews make no sense.

Capernaum (2018)

Well made, thought provoking, hard

[9/10 · 4 January 2020]

The movie is beautifully shot and very well acted, the minimal cast stand out against the grimy setting and the injustice of their terrible circumstances. Zain and Yosef play their parts perfectly. If you think you have daily problems, and many of us do, take a look at what these children have to face.

The Witcher (2019– )

A Good Start which Could Develop

[6/10 · 29 December 2019]

I had to persevere with episodes 1 to 3 but then the characters became more engaging. Well shot. Somewhat chaotic timelines. Ultimately this is a good start. If they make more it could be well worth following.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Lots of Cheese, no Crackers

[3/10 · 24 December 2019]

Driver was good the rest was a desperate, unoriginal rehash. There is no plot. It's like watching kids in a playground playing at Star Wars. A disgraceful shambles. BTW the Lawrence of Arabia "homage" was laughable.

A Confession (2019)

Much better than these reviews suggest

[7/10 · 23 September 2019]

I agree that the idiot who came up with shaky camera work should be drummed out of film and I thought it had gone the way of the dodo but the negative reviews here are overdoing it.

There is some very good, understated, acting here. I also suspect some of the styling is intended to reflect the era.

It's also a long time since I've seen a film with the trailer "This is a true story" as opposed to the fatuous "Based on true events". I recall the story and this appears fairly accurate.

I agree, it's not as well made as it could be, but it's a lot better than some of the reviews here make out.