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gnasher1001
Reviews
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Not terrible, just instantly forgettable.
As an avid gamer, but not really big in the Nintendo sphere, I was looking forward to this, but wanting it to be a good story, good direction and funny for adults and kids rather than seeing all the Easter eggs and nods to the Mario players. Unfortunately it delivers mostly on animation quality and amount of fan service, while the story, jokes and general writing are average at best, but mostly predictable and actually quite boring.
My 5yo loved it, but even he could barely recall any of the movie by the next day, whereas the classics (pixar, disney, other illumination selections) he can recall and quote them for days after!
In summary - Great for a quick watch for the kids, a bit meh for the adults, won't stick in your mind.
Quantico (2015)
Poor acting, bad writing and shoehorning red herrings
Just because you shoehorn a thousand red herrings or twists into your show, does not make it a good bit of entertainment.
This has terrible storylines, and as said above, every 5 seconds there is a 'secret' or reveal about something that makes everybody a suspect.
The acting by the lead Priyanka Chopra is dire, and the supporting cast are so forgettable I couldn't even tell you their names, let alone think about which ones could actually act.
Oh, and to save you the bother, in the 1st season, Liam the instructor is the terrorist. There you go, saved you 15hrs of your life.
I came into this thinking it would be a great thriller, but no, it bored me/made me laugh at it in equal measures.
Avoid.
Dead of Night (1945)
Classic Creepy Horror
Many will watch this nowadays and show similarities with everything from Twilight Zone to Black Mirror. The story is merely an extra creepy layer for 4 creepy stories about premonitions, ghosts and ventriloquism dummies! There's no gore, just posh people telling each other some stories, but it is done very well, especially for its time, and the stories still hold up. I first watched this in the 80s when I was young and still remember having the hairs on my neck standing up. Now re-watching it in my 40s and I certainly wouldn't want my small children watching the ventriloquism story! Though most teens would laugh at the thought of this being scary, which it isn't, it's creepy in a great way.
Aladdin (2019)
Fun Homage to the 1992 with Some Weaknesses
If you come into this as an Homage to the 1992 Robin Williams/Disney animation, then you will have a nice time. It's a fun, well-made musical, with many of the original songs and a couple of new ones, and some originals slightly remixed. The sets are colourfully OTT, looking like the Agrabah of the animation, and there are some good performances.
Now the weaknesses, and my main gripe with the film - Jafar. In the animation, he was a powerful, evil, man who was well spoken, with dry humour and just wanted more power. In this version he comes over just as a spoiled brat who just moans about being second all the time and doesn't want power as such, just moans about not being 'first'. Second, much less of a big gripe is that although he never tries to replace Robin Williams, (and you shouldn't see this film to compare him to the original) Will Smith just doesn't carry the movie enough. He is competent, and fun, but just doesn't give out the classic character feeling that Robin Williams' did.
Overall, see this, it's a fun romp that you'll enjoy, sing-a-long to and then probably watch the 1992 version the next time you want to watch Aladdin!
Margery and Gladys (2003)
Who would of thought?
The pairing of Penelope Keith and June Brown seemed a bit strange to me, but as there seemed to be nothing else on that night, I watched this, and I'm glad I did.
P.K. and J.B. worked their 'unlikely ladies double act' off perfectly, with Penelope's slightly snobbish employer of June's cleaner character. Going around the country accidentally avoiding the police and leaving a trail of crimes when they were innocent of any crimes to start with.
A funny ITV comedy-drama (I normally hate ITV dramas - heartbeat etc..) that I would love to see again, or more unlikely partnerships perhaps?
8/10
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
No-Brainer done very well
It's a complete no-brainer, as I described above, the story is blatantly obvious from the start, more like a 30 minute cartoon I suppose, but the action and one-liners are an enjoyable experience, and the cgi and fight scenes are great. It's great for a visit to the cinema or to rent, especially for the kids, but you'll be forgetting it in a few months.
Story - 2/5 but with the experience in mind - 3.5/5
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Finally.....
Finally a comedy that they haven't shown the only funny jokes in the trailer (although the dog is great!!). Jim Carrey does his job well. Decent film, not bad jokes, but it's no classic. A good 'couple's date' type film, that's all. 7/10!!!
Identity (2003)
Great Film - Decent Plot
Well.... If you expect something along the lines of 'Urban Legends' or 'I know what you did last Summer', then you'll be disappointed, because they are crap, equally, if you want something with as good a plot and twist as 'Usual Suspects', you will be closer to the mark, but not as good. The storyline doesn't explain itself at all until late in the film, so if you want a narrative that will carry you along with the plot - tough. It does grip you so that you want to know why 10 (maybe spoiler - ooops 11 people.......) are stranded at a motel, and are being killed off one by one. Don't listen to these people that say it is paper thin/weak as they wouldn't be impressed by anything. Once you know why they are there, you still want to know what will happen. Blimey this is hard to explain - JUST GO AND WATCH IT!!!!!!!!!!!! Cinema only film definitely!!!!
In Deep (2001)
Brilliant
The usual quality of BBC police dramas is questionable. They are either depressing (e.g. Messiah) or just plain awful and unbelievable (e.g. Mersey Beat). In Deep gets the mix just right. It doesn't go too far with gadgets, action, abilities of the main characters etc.. but has the right amount to keep you enthralled without going into "yeah - right" territory. I didn't believe Nick Berry could pull it off (I loathe Heartbeat) but he produces a great performance every episode.
The stories are written very well, with twists and turns, humour, drama and action. It is split into two episodes per story, and the suspense that grips you between episodes means that you are sat in front of the tv well in advance to make sure you don't miss it.
If you haven't seen it yet. Do so.
Trigger Happy TV (2000)
Eat your heart out candid camera....
Dom Jolly, what can you say? He thinks of the stupidest things to do........... and does them. Never has someone acting so dumb (but still being extremely intelligent) been so funny. The exterminator coming round to get rid of the rat, only to find a man dressed in a giant rat suit reading a paper, and also interviewing Peter Stringfellow while unloading giant boxes of "Peter Stringfellow's Musk" and g-strings etc. in the background, the list goes on. If you think getting the DVD will make it annoying, think again - the commentary makes it more hilarious as Dom gives you the details of their antics and any problems etc. and it makes the scenes even more hilarious.
Genius.