Bangorboy Reviews

The Boxer (1997)

Ridiculous accents

[2/10 · 1 September 2023]

If you live anywhere on the island of Ireland (north or south), or know anything about Northern Ireland, this film is basically unwatchable. Clearly the film predated accent coaches as the accents are all over the place, with few of them sounding anything like Northern Irish. Daniel Day Lewis has had a lot of plaudits in his career but it's a pity he couldn't develop a nuanced regional accent. Also not sure what accent Brian Cox is trying to do. Maybe AI could fix this for the modern day...

Oh and a lot of the actual film is made up of simplistic and quite insulting caricatures of the conflict, people, and culture in Northern Ireland.

Just Mercy (2019)

Dull, and lets down the true stories.

[5/10 · 29 October 2022]

Worth saying to start off that the topic of this film is important. There's clearly a real story to tell specifically and generally about discrimination in America. Unfortunately this film is just a good outline with bad acting and a poor script.

There are quite a few films that have shown how a law/court room drama can be gripping. Unfortunately this isn't one of them.

Michael B Jordan is completely dull and lacking in charisma. Jamie Foxx's performance is so laid back it's embarrassing, and belittles the movie.

It was basically like watching one of those old 90s afternoon movies that have no real purpose.

Overall this film a missed opportunity.

The Batman (2022)

Worst Batman ever?

[5/10 · 2 July 2022]

I was looking forward to this but unfortunately it was a massive disappointment in basically every area. The characters were dull. Pattinson was dull as Batman. The action sequences were dull. Even the Batman suit seems a bit weak. Overall the film seemed completely devoid of charisma while the 'storyline' was the opposite of gripping. I just about managed to watch it to the end but it was a close run thing. I can only assume the high IMDb ratings are 'driven' by the studio.

It's a long time since I watched Batman and Robin but I don't remember it being as completely boring as this.

King Otto (2021)

Good story pity about the subtitles

[6/10 · 28 May 2022]

The Greek story is good and interesting to hear from Rehhagal. However the subtitles in this film (which appear a lot for German/Greek etc) are inexplicably minute. They are also in white and often appear against a white background making them extremely difficult to see. Extremely frustrating.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Worst Spider-Man film by far

[5/10 · 2 May 2022]

I've enjoyed the Spider-Man films to date and expected more of the same. Unfortunately this was just complete rubbish.

The story is dull. The action sequences are dull. The dialogue is dull. There isn't even a good bit of music.

The story bringing older characters back seems like a commercial idea which some poor script writers then had to try and justify. It doesn't work and is just boring and disjointed. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield look out of place and disinterested (and a bit unwell).

Tom Holland is bland and people like Willem Dafoe are given little to work with. Zendaya is basically the only person in the film who presents a small bit of charisma.

The Spider-Man 'franchise' needs a long break and a complete reboot.

Ps. The fact this gets a rating of 8.4 on IMDb as I write worries me a lot. I hope IMDb isn't becoming yet another site where formerly independent ratings are manipulated by commercial agents.

Dune (2021)

Ok but a bit disappointing

[7/10 · 31 January 2022]

I was looking forward to seeing this for a while. The high ratings I'd seen made me want to see it even more. However in the end I was quite disappointed.

The first 45-60mins is really good and plays the 'mythical' line well. However the next hour is meh and I nearly fell asleep, while the ending isn't much either.

I don't really get the Chalomet trend either. He lacks charisma or presence or anything really for this role. And his mother and father in this seem a bit too young, though Ferguson is probably the best performer.

It's not terrible, just a bit disappointing. Seems a lot of films these days prefer to go for a longer run length rather than a shorter, better film.

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Don't waste your time on this

[4/10 · 19 December 2021]

Struggling to understand why this film was made. There's very little plot and the storyline wouldn't even have made a bad episode of Dallas. Kept waiting for something interesting to happen, or some core rationale for the story to emerge, but nothing ever did. Kirsten Dunst's character is basically the only one of interest but is sidelined. Much of the film just seems to be an excuse for Benedict Cumberbatch to do a very bad impression of Daniel Day Lewis. Can I have my two hours back please?

No Time to Die (2021)

A bit meh

[6/10 · 16 October 2021]

Unsurprisingly this is over hyped. I was quite disappointed. There are some good moments, especially early on, but it's unnecessarily long. There's little Bond humour and there isn't a great use of music. The second half of the film is a bit grey. Could easily have cut out 45 mins without much loss. Rami Malek's character is a bit dull and the 'new' 007 isn't really given much character. Bond himself is also a bit depressing throughout.

Normally I see a Bond in the cinema and think it's great but then my opinion goes down when I see on tv. Not sure if I'd even watch this again on tv and don't think it'll feature anywhere near among the best Bond movies.

Brimstone (2016)

Whoever created this needs therapy

[5/10 · 27 September 2021]

Just about made it through this film. The creators clearly need therapy or more; both for writing it and then filming it.

The Social Dilemma (2020)

Delete Facebook

[8/10 · 30 June 2021]

Yeh delete Facebook. Delete Facebook. Delete Facebook.

Shadow and Bone (2021–2023)

Like bad kids tv

[3/10 · 25 April 2021]

Pretty poor. Like a darker lit byker grove. Poor acting and mediocre scripting. Suppose the inevitable result of game of thrones: wannabe mediocre copycats.

Ancient Aliens (2009– )

Dire and getting worse

[3/10 · 17 March 2021]

If there are in fact aliens, and you believe in a conspiracy to conceal their existence, then this program is front and centre of the effort to discredit.

I remember 20 years ago when the possibility of ETs was generally approached seriously. This programme however basically just takes the p. No matter what they look into they determine that aliens cld well have been involved.

I have also yet to hear 'ancient astronaut theorists' say anything other than yes.

Dire bull****

The Mule (2018)

Ok but Clint is let down by others

[6/10 · 17 March 2021]

Only posting a review having seen some others. Yeh Clint is old but he's not the problem with this film, in fact he still stands out.

This isn't a bad film. As per above Clint is getting on in years but can still more than play a part and command a presence, particularly in the second half of this film.

The film is though let down by some mediocre sequencing/scripting/casting from others. The idea of Laurence Fishbourne sounds great but clearly his role hasn't been thought thru out so he isn't properly used. Bradley Cooper has talent but there's no chemistry at all between him and Clint.

Lastly there are some pretty obvious and poor edits in the film where significant things have happened but are not shown, particularly towards the end.

42 (2013)

Meh

[5/10 · 30 January 2021]

Surprised this has such a good IMDb rating. I can see there's an interesting story here but the film doesn't really deliver. A lot of it is completely disjointed with random time jumps.

This may not be popular to say but Boseman is a mediocre actor and lacks charisma. Unfortunately Harrison Ford also seems to have lost his mojo years ago.

Also - as a non US resident - baseball is a ridiculous game to be seen as a professional sport

Death to 2020 (2020 TV Special)

Just when you thought 2020 couldn't get any worse

[3/10 · 30 December 2020]

Dire. If this is what the future of programmes under multinationals looks like then you can count me out. Brooker's screenwipe on the BBC used to be the highlight of the year. This 2020 programme however is like what you'd get if it was auto generated by your iPhone. Completely unfunny and a waste of time to have celebs involved.

Just when I thought 2020 couldn't get any worse it delivers this.

Maybe the American audience will find this more amusing - if so then America really is the most foreign country.

The Contender (2000)

Flawed, disappointing and disjointed film which could itself have been a contender

[6/10 · 27 December 2020]

This film promised a lot. There are some great actors and some good performances. However the film itself is completely disjointed. It's like there are 3 or 4 potential focus points, none of which are decided upon.

Personally (and spoiler alert) I think there is a major fault with the first core premise: if there were photos of any male politician in an orgy it would equally be used to discredit any political nomination. The wider point about sexual issues being used more against females than males still stands but is weakened a bit by this film's premise.

The Joan Allen character itself is also completely underdeveloped. The character lacks any charisma or intelligence and you are left wondering why she would be nominated to Vice President anyway. The stand she takes of simply refusing to answer questions is a bit laughable and would probably be against any PR advice if you were actually 'innocent'. Similarly the bit about 'principles' is questionable - fair enough if you were being asked questions about your personal life but the questions being asked here were about a supposedly public and group experience.

Jeff Bridges' performance is good in itself but seems a bit removed from the rest of the film. The theme of him repeatedly ordering food from the White House kitchen might have worked in a film where he was meant to be the focus but here it just seems silly.

Lastly (almost) the bit about the other contender being arrested almost makes you feel like the previous 70mins of the film have been a waste of time.

In conclusion, as you can probably tell, I was disappointed. Some great actors and important topics, but a completely disjointed film. All the more disappointing as many of the themes it wanted to explore are even more relevant today. Also - in another way - parts of it seem like a nostalgic ode to a now seemingly extinct idea of a decent American democracy.

Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind (2020)

The truth isn't in here

[4/10 · 24 December 2020]

To borrow from another tv show: 'I want to believe' - however this didn't help with that. I'd heard some of the debunking of Steven Greer beforehand but thought I'd give this a watch, even if just for entertainment value. The first 40ish minutes are reasonably interesting and there are some interesting theories (though perhaps people with scientific backgrounds would immediately dismiss). Beyond that however it just descends into rubbish. Some of the claims made relating to meditation/Buddhism etc are beyond laughable and almost insulting (and I say that from having in depth knowledge and experience of both). It then goes on to show a series of 'ufo' clips, most of which have been debunked as being Chinese lanterns etc.

This is the first time I've seen Greer beyond the odd clip. Maybe he is telling the truth but to me he has no credibility, and the fact he is given such platforms is quite sad and worrying. I mean he talks about how he has briefed senior government officials and infers he's been privy to confidential meetings when actually he's never worked for the government. Yeh some might say 'that's because it's all secret' but to me theyre just obvious signs of a con. Reminds me a bit of nick pope who has made a career off of having worked in the UK ministry of defence, even though he was only an extremely junior employee who likely had zero access to anything interesting - at least though pop actually can claim some knowledge of how government works.

David Crosby: Remember My Name (2019)

Refreshing to see a biographical film that isn't hagiographical

[6/10 · 28 November 2020]

Ok film and it deserves a lot of credit for not falling into hagiography. Some interesting tails and perspectives. From my knowledge the CSN(Y) story is still largely untold so interesting to hear some if it told here.

Unquiet Graves (2018)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 18 November 2020]

This film is cinematically quite well put together but it seems to have a narrative it wants to present and goes about delivering that narrative. While there is some factual basis, the film (a documentary) doesn't seem to approach things dispassionately and it weakens its credibility for that reason. It would benefit from more balanced discussion of the wider context.

While the story presented here is legitimate, and a useful contribution, it is not the whole truth (and probably doesn't claim to be). The danger though with pieces like this is that there are some people who accept them as the whole truth without any further examination or wider study.

Silence (I) (2016)

Rubbish

[4/10 · 14 November 2020]

I gave up on this. Andrew Garfield's accent is all over the place. Also, I marvel at how priests in the 17th century had the tools to have a perfectly sculpted beard. To be fair though Adam Driver still performs well and has presence.

Climax (I) (2018)

Don't waste your time

[3/10 · 14 November 2020]

The first 20-30 mins are quite good and introduce some interesting characters. Unfortunately the rest of the film comes across like a 15 year old trying to make a david Lynch/ arty film which doesn't work at all.

Enslaved (2020)

Disappointingly dumbed down

[6/10 · 26 October 2020]

This is ok but not as good as you'd expect from its promotion and the involvement of Samuel L Jackson. Some of the cinematography is quite good and it tells some interesting stories. However it's quite dumbed down and feels like one of the American made 'documentaries' you see on the history channel ie light on academic detail/heavy on entertainment. For some reason most of the story is told by a group of divers and a journalist. Fair enough but none of them seem to have any academic or expert background at all. There are some experts but not many. Samuel L Jackson also has very limited involvement. He features quite a lot in the last episode but in the other episodes he's probably there for 5-10mins max, often not saying anything at all.

Overall I feel like in four hours I could have learnt a lot more of what is clearly a very important subject. I don't think this series did the subject justice at all.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Quite good but some bad casting

[7/10 · 17 October 2020]

This has a lot of the hallmarks of an Aaron Sorkin work - good, rapid fire dialogue which will draw you in. It's pretty good but feels about 20 mins too long. Mark Rylance and Frank Langella are excellent. However in my opinion Baron Cohen, Strong, and Redmayne are badly cast. Strong and Baron Cohen are not good actors and it they drag the film down; their wigs also look like something from a school play. I've liked Redmayne in other things but he seems out of his depth here. Redmayne and Baron Cohen's accents are also all over the place. Worth watching if you've nothing else to do but it's not Sorkin's best.

Ancient Aliens (2009– )

Basically a parody show

[3/10 · 11 October 2020]

This is just terrible and seems to get worse with every series. There was a time when the media allowed for some sort of serious examination of the ufo phenomena. However this show has basically taken the approach that any single thing in existence 'could be' because of aliens. You name it they will ask 'could it be' that this piece of grass is an alien hybrid etc.

A few programmes are mildly interesting but there is more intellectual depth in an episode of scooby soo.

Seems slightly ironic that a programme entitled Ancient Aliens has done more to undermine the credibility of ufos/aliens than anything else. I for one find this quite sad.

The Comey Rule (2020)

Enjoyable but not perfect

[8/10 · 3 October 2020]

Enjoyable series though not perfect. It has a slightly hagiographic nature in relation to Comey though at the same time he comes across as pretty naive. Brendan Gleeson's portrayal of Trump is brilliant but you can't help feel it humanises him a bit too much. Some of the characters, especially the Trump side, are presented very one dimensionally as 'baddies', but perhaps that's accurate...