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Reviews
Bodies (2023)
Worst Netflix sludge I've seen. Don't bother.
Shockingly bad. Almost no redeeming features. The story could have worked but was too slow. The directing is why this didn't work. Poorly acted, even their big name - Stephen Graham was dreadful. Others were really bad in some cases. The cast (the usual 'diverse' cast) with the expected 'strong female characters' - yawn. A shoehorned gay storyline with how oppressed they were. The straight male characters are weak, inept, lazy, corrupt or evil. Costumes were straight out off the new rail and just didn't look genuine. Camerawork was poor and often felt odd, like a first timer. The lighting was fine, as were the sets (generally) - if a little lazy and clique. It just didn't work. Don't waste your time.
Westside vs the World (2019)
Essential powerlifting movie
Fantastic powerlifting movie detailing the rise, influence and decline of Westside Barbell and its founder Louie Simmonds.
This movie details a world beating gym and its founder Louie Simmonds. The origin of the gym, the lifters it produced, and its successes and ultimate demise within the sport. It's release a few years before Simmonds death was fortunate in that it was honest and respectful. A more detailed and critical version may not have been so kind, but that's a small price for a unique and incredibly inspirational movie about this sport. It has flaws but for anyone with an interest in the sport it's essential viewing.
The Gold (2023)
History spoiled by politics.
The actual story of Brinks Matt is fascinating. The BBC doesn't do this justice. It's just another drama with the standard flaws. The acting is great, with the usual quality the BBC can muster. Sadly, the pacing is too slow and the diversity of the cast is bizarre. How many Chinese bank managers or lawyers were there in the 1980's. The women are all awesome, much better than the men. Strong, competent but oppressed - and they slip that in a lot. The costumes are clique and all look brand new. The cars are all clean. Hair and styling were normal BBC drama standard. Nothing about their recreation of the biggest robbery in British history was new or impressive beyond the story itself. What a shame.
Godless (2017)
Good but not great.
There's a lot that's good about this show. The acting - what a cast, just awesome. The sets were movie standard. Costumes, lighting, music, sound, photography and directing was just sublime. The cinematography is perfect. It shows without telling. In short, the production is as good as it gets. The pacing might be slow for some, but means a better pace to allow for character development and build atmosphere. This should be highlighted as the personal development shown by some of the characters is unusual and rewarding. The problems are the usual with modern scripts. There's always a lot of strong female characters, gays and perfect minority characters. They're tired old tropes and it's a shame that Hollywood hasn't moved on yet. 7.5 from me.
The Recruit (2022)
Netflix trash
Not much to recommend here. It's pretty bad. The storyline is unrealistic and and filled with overbearing cliques, it was one scrape after another. The cast are mostly planks of wood that aren't suited to their roles, but of course as diverse as possible. The main character is too quirky and just not likeable. The 'Russian' could act but the accent was a bit too much to maintain. The camera work was really amateurish. Odd angles, heights and strangely jumpy. I felt a little dizzy at some points. The costumes were pretty good. Lighting good. Sets good. It could have been good. Rookie CIA agent gives lots of potential options, but keeping a social media profile??? The music was such an odd choice and really loud. The sound was a real problem. The star mumbled some lines and the music was played too loud. It's probably made for teenagers or dim twenty somethings.
SAS Rogue Heroes (2022)
BBC version of the story of the SAS
A lot of good stuff. Location and costumes were great. Lots to dislike. The casting, pacing, acting and music was varied or poor. It felt like the BBC were 'making something for the men', but then put the usual BBC spin on it. Threw in some strong female characters, a 'diverse' cast (they thought really hard how to do that) some class issues and '80's rock music - that was really out of place. The biggest issue was the script. These soldiers had a cavalier attitude in the first couple of episodes but struggled when colleagues died. The chirpy first few episodes felt like the great escape and actually a little disrespectful. Their language was very twenty first century. Why? Liberal use of the F-word and the C-word. It felt really out of place. The main actor playing David Stirling had zero charisma although Jack O'Connell and Dominic West were fantastic. The pacing was too slow at the beginning but I'm glad I made it to episode three and beyond, it did get better. Was it good? No. Okay? Yes. Did I make it to the end? Only just.
Westworld (2016)
No wonder it was cancelled.
Season one was great. New, fresh, slick. Really well done. But the storylines gradually worse until it became unwatchable. Season four was dire. It changed from a sci-fi adventure to a progressive, feminist action romp. Interestingly as the series progressed the actors showed their limits or skills. Although the show retained the production values and some great actors (Ed Harris and Tandy Newton are fantastic) Delores was shown to have a very limited range as an actor and can only play a surprised innocent and became very wooden. The expected 'diverse' cast with the usual strong female characters and unlikable male characters only alienates some of the audience. The script became more about their emotional journey than anything else and very very convoluted. I wish I'd stopped after the first series. No wonder it's been cancelled.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022)
Only episode 3 was worth it.
Another Netflix spoil. Not seen the HBO original but unfortunately it has Netflix fingerprints all over it. Lighting, costume all feels the same as their other shows, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's usual 'diverse' cast and bland dialogue makes all so predictable. It was pretty bad. Just made it through first two episodes but the IMDB score for episode three was really good, so I kept going. Really glad I did. It was like a different show. Far more original than the others, with a much better script. Netflix are so keen on spewing product, their standard is increasingly unwatchably bad. There was certainly a del Torro vibe through all the shows, but its edge has been diluted. If you like bland, unoriginal TV (expect for episode three) then this is the show for you.
House of the Dragon (2022)
Not great. The script and casting are awful.
What a shame. The script is really poor. Too violent (it's just not believable and clearly written to shock) the sex is unnecessary and underscores the clunky 'oppressed women' theme, and the dialogue is dire. I'm surprised they don't use patriarchy in some places. It's basically a cat fight between two queens. Always good to make the women the centre of the show eh? The men are largely supporting actors playing unlikable idiots, although some do it better than others. None of the actors have a royal air (remember Charles Dance in GoT?) they just play characters. The casting really let's this show down. Having said that Matt Smith is awesome, and Rhys Ilfans is pretty good too. The sets, costumes and locations are great, but that's not enough. What a shame.
The Northman (2022)
Conan the Barbarian for an intelligent Audience
Really enjoyed this. Not wizz-bang and sensational, but instead it had a slow burn that some may find slow. That's a shame because I thought it just built the tension, so no quick fixes but makes the most of every scene. It was a story that had been told before in Conan the Barbarian or even Star Wars, but so what? How much is truly original these days? The cast were incredible. Scenery amazing - Ireland and Iceland, how could you fail? Beautiful. Lighting was great, and in the dark or torchlight it really added to the scene. Some of the scrip was a little... unbelievable - but this is a Norse fantasy so you just need to go with it!
Ghosts (2019)
Good fun
What a surprise - I really enjoyed this, and I didn't expect to. Sweet, gentle and good honest fun. Done on a budget, but that doesn't matter - it's not about that. Reminds me of Blackadder in that the storyline and jokes are the focus, the rest is just detail. Lots of great characters (largely well acted) and an engaging storyline that keeps you watching. The cast was annoyingly 'diverse' and some of the plots were tired with predictable cliques, but it didn't detract from the positives, of which were there were plenty. For a modern comedy I was really impressed. I hope the writers get more work.
Trom (2022)
Barely watchable
Set in the Faroes it had the possibility of being original. It wasn't. It followed every cliché currently on TV. Toxic, inept, male characters. Strong, competent female ones. The pace was too slow and formulaic. Storyline unoriginal and staggers from one scene to another. If you're in the U. K. it feels like 'Shetland' - an uninspiring BBC crime drama with a bizarrely diverse cast. Seeing the Faroe Islands was the best bit of the show, but that's not really enough to sit through it.
Better Call Saul (2015)
Storyline was awful.
It was a shame. Acting was great, characters great, filming, editing... the whole production was great. The storyline was far far too slow. BB was amazing, but this felt like Kubrick. What a shame.
The Undeclared War (2022)
As bad (and woke) as it gets from C4
Awful, just awful. Poor camera work, lighting, music, costumes, (most of) the acting and the screenplay. Some of the acting was good - Peg is always great and I felt the script had a kernel of promise to it, but the adaptation - oh dear. Bet the writer was sorry C4 bought it and worked it to death.
Sherwood (2022)
Watchable
Almost enjoyed this, which is unusual for a BBC production. Not too woke, although obviously it had the ubiquitous strong female characters, weak or bullying male ones, and a very racially diverse cast. The storyline was pretty good - if patchy, although lots of cliques and stereotypes. Not all, but some of the cast were really good. There were some great performances from the big names. It was okay.
What Is a Woman? (2022)
It was funny, and important.
Really enjoyed this. Well made, sensitive, funny (wasn't expecting that) and raises issues (the down side to treatment) never discussed in MSM. This is a great, ground breaking film that WILL lead to a culture change. It has to. Fantastic.
Slow Horses (2022)
Pretty good
Great story, cast, great sets, costumes etc. All really good. The only problem is the script. It has too many of the usual lazy cliques, (strong female characters, weak male characters, very ethnic cast...) which is a shame as there's s lot to like. It feels like a fresh take on things (US adaptation?) but maybe that's where the cliques come from. This could have been great, but it isn't, it's just good.
The Void (2016)
Fun low budget horror
Could have been really good, but the poor bits let it down. Great photography, sets, acting (largely) and story. Parts of the script were awful. A lot of the dialogue was clique and felt rushed, as were some of the later sets. The good stuff made it worth watching though.
Yellowstone (2018)
Bits really good. Bits really bad.
Really amazing acting (largely) with some huge stars. Scenery, sets and parts of the story is awesome for a TV series. But parts are awful. Nonsensical decisions by characters, so many cliques and lazy (anti-white) racism. Worth watching for the good stuff though.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
Good jump scares.
Not very original and it's all been done before, but it's well made with great jump scares. Casting was excellent, sets, lighting, directing and script - even if clearly running out of steam. Good fun (especially the investigators) for a series that's run it's course. What do you expect with so many having been made? I enjoyed it while it lasted though.
Black Summer (2019)
Only just made the end of series one
Not all bad, but the story and script were dire. It just seems a way for the 'strong female characters' to shine. I liked how characters were killed off, but it doesn't hide a lazy 'modern agenda' so common with entertainment these days. I won't watch season 2.
Upside Down (2012)
Pretty, but unfulfilling
Despite the fact that it really was visually incredible (like something from a cool music video) and the acting good, the script was so bad it almost made it unwatchable. Shame, it could have been good.
The Blacklist (2013)
It was great, but now it's dreadful.
Lots to like and the first four or five series were awesome. Great sets, location, cast, storylines... Loved this show but then it became more and more woke, and now it just feels like it's reached the end, despite Spader's phenomenal acting.
Pieces of Her (2022)
Not for everyone
Don't let it's 'by women, about women, for women' approach put you off. Generally well cast and acted, great sets, lighting etc. The story was patchy and probably better in its original book form - were the characters really that dumb and annoying or was the adaptation poor? The end was a predictable letdown. I sat through this next to my wife - who wasn't overwhelmed either.
Locke & Key (2020)
Lots to like, lots not - unless you're a teenage girl.
Clearly a great original story (Dirk Gently?) but became the usual woke Netflix fayre soon enough. Some strong (main) cast members, some poor. Sets, lighting, costume, was all good. Main problems were the cliques - the annoying secondary characters (diverse ones in every scene???), strong female characters, plot holes and angsty teenage relationships. This is made for teenagers (girls) without enough for anyone else, which is a shame because the root of the story is clearly pretty good.