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Malory Towers (2020)
My imagination brought to (virtual) life...
Hello, I first read the entire series of Malory Towers in 1957. I was 7 years old.
I was born and raised in a poverty stricken Salford, Near Manchester - times were hard, yet my mother spent money we couldn't really afford to buy me these second hand books.
You might think that I read these books and felt envious of the characters - they did, after all, have so much more than I - but no. I was intrigued, captivated and laugh-out-loud entertained by their antics.
I've always been a prodigious reader - but some themes', some ideas stay with you a lifetime - in this case it's the 'rose tinted glasses' ideal of an England where the Summers last forever... where friendships never fade and justice is served.
The acting was... as has been noted... occasionally poor - but not exceptionally so - and the editing could have been far better.
To summarise - this show holds true to the very essence of the books - and I believe that Enid Blyton would have been extremely happy with this outcome.
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Excellent... Action Packed and Funny Addition to the series...
Will Smith (Looking 10 years younger than is actual age) & Martin Lawrence (Looking his age plus the answer to the question: Who ate all the Pies?) - are remarkably good in this revisit to the 'rogue cop' genre of the 80s' & early 90s'.
Kate del Castillo - an excellent actress, appears only briefly (what a waste of talent) - and yet she still manages to create a detailed presence with the few lines and scenes given her.
Jacob Scipio - (Kate del Castillo characters son in the film) - does an excellent job of portraying the familial loyal son with doubts. Unfortunately, the writers couldn't be bothered portraying him with any kind of real personality, regular speech patterns or wit (shame on them).
I could go on, about how good the actors and actresses are in this film... but I'd far exceed my submission length here... so, I'm going to try and sum in up in a few sentences.
The movie is about the original 'Bad Boys' - but it should NOT have centred itself (almost in its entirety) upon them.
A man/woman who has enough hatred to kill you, is NOT - by definition - a bit part! - They must have a reason, unless you're dealing with a complete sociopath (in which case, there is still a reason!) - and that reason shouldn't appear in the last 2 minutes of any Movie or the last 5 pages of any book!
With all of the above in mind - the entire casting effort was excellent - great actors and actresses who were under used in soooo many instances - but still excellent.
Ernesto's Manifesto (2019)
Poorly acted, Poorly scripted - Yet a still Fantastic, upbeat movie!
The overall acting was below par - with absolutely none of the actors standing out.
The script is diabolically simple... way too simple.
..BUT... the end result is a success!
This, obviously, limited budget Movie has REAL character. It's one of the best - if not THE best - Low cost productions - I've ever watched.
I simply cannot disparage any main part of it - except, perhaps, the scripting (which is way, way too simplistic ) - and have to say that the main actors did their best... without any major experience... but with TONS of talent.
I'm not going to go into individual performances here for the reason previously stated... but I will mark 'Fernando Hidalgo' and 'Tabitha Caulfield' as people to watch. Talent will shine through.
Inspektor Max (2018)
Had absolutely no idea.... !!!
I've binged watched the entire first season and found it both compelling and soooo different from the usual cliched' BS I'm normally subjected to,
I can't believe it came from a country (the Czech Republic) that I've been led to believe (by Movies, TV and News Channels in the UK) is full of Concrete Tower Blocks and Poor old women.. carrying sticks on their backs - for Bob knows reason.
The Acting, Character-Dynamics and Plots are just superb - more than a little exaggerated, sure... but I could call your attention to Hill Street Blues when it started.
Unlike the VAST majority of TV 'crime/drama/comedy' produced by the West - at least I relate to these people - as people. Nothing was 'assumed' - their quirks and foibles surfaced, slowly, as they should.
I've seen many reviews from the Czech Republic that castigate it... the Actors, Plots etc... and I can only assume they've been contaminated by the belched by Western broadcasters.
Down East Dickering (2014)
An insight into a bartering culture long though dead
'Bartering' (Trading goods or services without the exchange of money. Ref: thefreedictionary.com)
The cast majority of modern cultures have no real concept of 'barter'. Pretty much every modern transaction is based upon 'Money' (A conceptual device used to denote 'worth', initially it was based upon a rare material, i.e. Gold, but has since been replaced by one of the most common materials, wood pulp (paper) - and even this is being steadily replaced by bits on computer systems.)
Anyway... enough of the history... This program demonstrates how barter not only worked but how it works. It's an essential guide to bartering for any community on how it can work without the use of the (essentially) worthless pieces of paper, commonly used as currency today. Admittedly, this systems does NOT and CANNOT work for large communities - for example, any large systems must integrate services such as Hospitals, Fire Fighting etc
This program is, by definition, a 'History Program' : studying a modern culture using an, albeit, throwback method of trade. It has rich and distinctive 'cast' who excel in getting across the ideals', lifestyle and 'laid-back' attitude to life that so many people in this 'modern' age seek. That so many people in this age spend there time looking back probably should tell you just how ******-up we all find it!
Timber Kings (2014)
Reality TV at its Best!
It doesn't matter whether you're into DIY, House Construction, Woodworking or just Art... this program has it all.
The program is centered around a group of individuals within a company called 'Timber Kings' - their speciality is the design and building of unique high-end (read: expensive) log homes.
As per, the production company tries to instill moments of fear and tension into the program - in this case, it doesn't have to - because what we have here is a group of artists, and their medium is wood (or, more precisely, logs).
The sheer skill and dedication that these people put into building the log homes for their customers is exceptional. You're not watching a construction project - you're seeing works of art (albeit functional works of art) being constructed.
The tool of choice is the chain saw - and though I'd have preferred to have seen them utilised with a little more safety wear in evidence - you can't argue that these guys and gals are virtuosos' with them
I was riveted from the beginning and am praying for more. If I had a spare million or so, these are the people I'd go to.
Watch. Enjoy. Say "WoooooWWWW!!"