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Midsommar (2019)
Not terrible...
...but a 5* for me is a film that really didn't add to my life in any meanignful way and I'll never get those minutes back.
There's a one word spoiler for this film: 'Wickerman'.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
A-List Director, A-List idea...
... but patchy performances from a great cast and a plodding script results in bit of a B-List film. I don't like to think that Spike has gone off the boil but it sure seems that way. Nice use of (3) differing screen ratios though (very Kubrick). Not a waste of time though so I would recommend it with a caveat.
Warrior (2011)
Good fight film, just not a great film.
For anyone like me who started to watch this and was concerned over the terrible first scene (so much back story shoe-horned into such awkward dialogue) and almost gave up right away - this is for you: I had this film queued up to watch for over a year or two now so I decided to stay with it.
Sure the acting is pretty wooden in places (Nolte nominated? laminated more like); the dialogue and plot are cliched; the fight montage is laughable; and some of the main characters fail to come across as anything but comical, but the film has something that keeps it going and there is some good acting (usually when Hardy gets a chance), and there are some good moments that aren't in the ring, just not many elsewhere.
It's not the great film that many would have you think but it's not terrible either. The fights are where it shines, and my pulse was racing during these, so if you're not a fight-film fan then set your sights a little on the low side if you want to get through the build-up to the final scene (which I'll avoid any comment at all about).
Le chant du loup (2019)
Solid setup in first 55 minutes...
...that fails to deliver in the second 55 minutes and it all falls apart (the scriptwriting at about 81 minutes). The main character switches from someone that sits fairly well in a gritty French drama to throwaway Hollywood good looks - and the film follows suit - and his final scene is downright cringeworthy. I'll still give it a 6 as the premise and the first half are very good (worthy of a 7 or 8) but the second half scrapes a 5.
Black Pond (2011)
One flaw...
...Simon Anstell. Edit him/his character out (as his acting simply jarred) and you have a 9/10. Was it a case of hero worship by a young Sharpe that he was invited to mar an otherwise excellent film?
Roma (2018)
Neither as great nor as awful as you expect
I initially had high hopes for Roma but then saw the huge number of 1/10 reviews. I'm glad I saw them now as they did lower my expectations (not always a bad thing). The film has some glorious camera work, as many have pointed out, and a plot/story that isn't actually as boring as some might have you think, with some rather impressive scenes, however in amongst a solid piece of work are some rather painful self-indulgences (forest scene for one) and a few obvious anachronisms that distract from it. Ultimately it's a film that I cannot recommend but on the other hand I didn't feel that I wasted 150 mins of my life.
What Did Jack Do? (2017)
ELIZA?
Not sure to give it anything more than a 6 as the dialogue comes across as the sort of conversation you'd have with a natural language program (written with Tom Waits in mind). There is a story, but it does feel clunky, and there is that end. I'd still recommend watching it though as it very 'Lynch'.
Homeland (2011)
Tedious
An indicator of how bad I think a film or series is, is the proximity to either the start or the very end I get before thinking 'dear god can this get any more tedious?'. Now forgetting the films I've stopped having only endured a few minutes) Elysium was one case in point, where I turned it off 10-15 minutes before the end (during the final battle scene) as it turned into a laughable cliché-fest. I axed series 1 of Homeland from my viewing part way through episode 9 as I could simply take no more watching nothing much happening (glad I never made it to the relatively poorly rated season 3) - TBH I'm amazed I made it through 'The Weekend'.
I've previously enjoyed several long running series, and for reference I'd rate The West Wing, The Wire, Breaking Bad as amongst the best, but TBH I found Damian 'ITV drama reject' Lewis and the frankly unbelievably bad acting of Clair Danes (who I also note has never done anything to her credit) to be on a par with 24's actors, and the characters they portrayed; the plot also seems to be poorer than Jack Bauer's daily routine. I'm stunned how this series get's such hype.
The Line, the Cross & the Curve (1993)
Iffy
I'm just bouncing all my old VHSs to DVD to save space and was watching this during the process and began to remember how uncomfortable I felt each time I watched it. Yes it has some excellent music, though most Kate fans will concur that it it's not her best material by far, but her acting is so cringe-worthy it makes Bowie look good. I don't want to put too much of a downer on it, as any self-respecting KB fan should watch it, but it's not just Kate's acting that's a bit iffy as many of the supporting roles and the screenplay are unexciting at best. As a device to link together some reasonably good videos it just about works but I think I may do a version that skips out the storyline entirely.
FYI her best performance was in the Comic Strip episode 'Les Dogs' though I can't recall if she says that much. She's still gorgeous and is almost without doubt the most significant female singer-songwriter in the history of modern music.