inkwarp Reviews

Yellowjackets (2021– )

slowly but surely

[4/10 · 30 May 2023]

Maybe the writers didn't expect a second season.

It was disappointing to say the least.

Come the finale this show is a complete and utter mess.

Balancing horror and comedy/farce takes skill and this show doesn not have it. A lot of this season didn't have any plausability. The cannibalism element was just so badly handled. I think the actors gave their best but the script was pants and got progressively worse as the season went on.

I won't be waiting for another season.

Maybe the writers didn't expect a second season.

It was disappointing to say the least.

Come the finale this show is a complete and utter mess.

Balancing horror and comedy/farce takes skill and this show doesn not have it. A lot of this season didn't have any plausability. The cannibalism element was just so badly handled. I think the actors gave their best but the script was pants and got progressively worse as the season went on.

I won't be waiting for another season.

Big Man Japan (2007)

Much to enjoy if you are in the right mood.

[7/10 · 1 October 2022]

From what I have read about this movie, it is a satire on Marvel characters particularly the Hulk. It is plaid so deadpan you might switch off but there are several bits in this that had me in fits.

It just about lasts for it's runtime , any longer and I think it would have started to wear thin. I must say, the last /endcredits sequence is truly bizarre and frankly quite mad that you might be left thinking what the hell did I just watch.

It was funny and entertaining enough PLUS I was in receptive state of mind.. I gives it 7.

It is a very welcome antidote indeed to the saturation of Marvel movies... It kept my interest which was non-existant with Dr Strange II, an odious piece of junk. Imo : )

House of the Dragon (2022– )

curiously flat

[5/10 · 29 August 2022]

So far, definitely a case of style over substance.

Episode two begins, suprisingly, with the an updated mix of the same theme tune. So.. This is just another episode of GOT? Seems odd as the visuals are as good as any but it's supposed to be a prequel but everything seems cleaner and more up to date. There are good actors here, it's nice to see Paddy Considine with a lead roll but the script is over-used cliche after cliche. The strangest thing for me is that this world seems hollow and well within its boundaries which is to say there is nothing outside of this world as opposed to GOT which had a large geographic scale and a large bunch of characters. This makes HOTD feel more like a soap opera (with gore and nudity)... Will give the third episode a try but I am already losing interest. Eppisode was also painfully slow...

The Black Phone (2021)

Baffled at high ratings.

[4/10 · 30 June 2022]

A film that is totally forgetable. There is no explanation for the motives of the ethan hawke character. In fact some of this is like third rate Stephen King. It's totally devoid of suspense. It certainly isn't a horror movie.

An utter waste of time. Don't believe the hype. This is just so weak It deserves less than 1.

Black Box (2021)

They don't make 'em like this anymore.

[7/10 · 17 May 2022]

A solid and tense paranoid thriller like 'back in the day' with parallax view and 3 days of the condor.

Manages to remain gripping for most of its run time.

Recommended : )

Scanners (1981)

Memorable for certain scenes but not quite a classic

[6/10 · 15 May 2022]

Cronenberg's visceral body-horror pics from the 70's up until Videodrome walked a razor's edge between between visceral and disturbing to downright silly. Phrases so excruciatingly bad like "I'm going to suck your brain dry" make these movies fall perilously close to the latter. There are some good ideas here ( the unborn baby scanning people in a doctors waiting room, the artist living inside a giant head) and there isn't anyone who've seen this film who will always remember the exploding head in the first scene, the effects were pretty good for the time but the film is let down by some dire acting ( especially from the aptly named Stephen Lack). Michael Ironside plays the evil adversary with some relish and Howard Shore turns in a a chilling score. It will be interesting to see Crimes of the Future, a remake of an early film returning to the genre of body horror that he defined through the 70's. And the early 80s after which he matured into a more sophisticated film maker with films like Dead Ringers which is , imho a masterpiece.

Russian Doll (2019–2022)

What happened?

[4/10 · 23 April 2022]

I enjoyed series one in spite of the excessive zaniness it got better as it went along.

This. This is a travesty. How can a show become so totally lame , almost embarrassingly so. I can't get past 4 episodes Very bad on every level.

The Expanse (2015–2022)

Not so expansive any more

[7/10 · 28 January 2021]

This season, apart from a few choice moments, I'm not feeling it. Story threads seemed to be stretched to cover the running time of the ten episodes. Consequently most of the chances to generate suspense are missed oppurtunities. I'm wondering if a fifth season wasn't expected by the writer. There so much filler and tedious cliche moments compared to other seasons. I felt this began in season 4 but, as this was only a point on the story arc it was ok to foregive it's weakest moments ( everything up to the finale of season 3 was excellent). Several characters don't have any real reason to be here, esp. Alex and Bobbie and we have an arch 'villain' who dresses like Michael Jackson. Perhaps there will be another season? I agree also with some commenters who say the season feels too short. Still a great show compared to other sci-fi, just not the best it can be. Here's hoping they will raise their game is there is another series.

North Face (2008)

a lesser film for it's fictions

[6/10 · 17 January 2021]

The invention of the 'love interest' actually undermines the force of the tragedy here. If you are unaware of the real story you may well find this a bracing and dramatic experience. However, he filmmakers reluctance just to allow the depth of the actual event to speak for itself dilutes the film somewhat and renders it a little disappointing.

Beforeigners (2019– )

Highly recommended

[8/10 · 20 November 2020]

This is so entertaining. I watched the whole lot in two days and am now really eager for a second season. Framed within a sci-fi conceit ( an original one too), with lots of humour and told at a great pace. Great mix of characters. I can't fault it. If Anyone has seen Äkta människor or Dark, this should be right up your street : )

Alone (V) (2020)

I though it was pretty good

[6/10 · 19 September 2020]

I didn't have any expectations coming to this. So, despite the somewhat formulaic plot the great direction, the top notch performances, ( particularly from Jules Wilcox), amazing soundtrack, all contribute to make this better than the sum of it's parts. It's incredibly taut at times and it never lets up. Definitely worth a watch. I'll be interested to see where John Hyams goes from here. a solid film and , owing to my nerves being shredded at times it's a 7/10 for me.

Raised by Wolves (2020–2022)

Tedious and disappointing.

[2/10 · 7 September 2020]

This could almost alien covenant. Visually arresting at times but a truly dire script. The dialog has a forced quality and the story is ridiculous. There is a shot at the beginning of the first episode where we see the ship flying over rock terrain before landing. It is also the exact SAME shot as featured in Prometheous. I kid you not. Alien covenant was an insult to it's audience and now this. Scott cannot tell a story, mis enscene is his chief skill. It's a shame as there isn't a great deal of SciFi these days and so anticipation was high. Trailer was amazing, program was terrible. I've watched 3 episodes as I wanted to be proved wrong but alas, it really is dreadful. The child actors are awful. So farewell Ridley Scott, your reputation as some sort of visionary film maker is in tatters. Looks as as if Alien and Blade Runner were a bit of a fluke. You should spend time on narrative and character development before all the visual gloss. This worse that Snowpiercer and that's a pretty low bar. Not quite as bad as batwoman... not by much. Dreary and bland.All these 10 out of 1o reviews. A whole bunch are not genuine. Seriously, wtf happened to IMDB?? 4/10 and that's generous.

Tenet (2020)

overhyped again for christopher nolan

[5/10 · 31 August 2020]

The appearence of clever does not mean it's clever. what it is is overly loud sound all the time, incomprehensible dailogue. if you get lost in the first quarter of an hour you've no chance of following any of this. all spectacle and shiny things but essentially hollow. zero character development. zero charm. zero humour. don't risk covid to see this. wait for dvd so you can replay bits. and have a break - this is a long film. and it sure feels like it at the end. average at best dressed up with a ridiculous 200 dollar plus budget...

The Blackout (2019)

laughably bad

[3/10 · 25 May 2020]

Seriously, this is a terrible film. a few moments where they've spent money on some cgi, the rest of this ( very long) film is inane on the extreme. you may wonder why I sat through it all. I wish I could tell you. as bad as a sci-fi movie can get...

Beforeigners (2019– )

Brilliant

[8/10 · 19 March 2020]

Wonderful show in all respects. A novel take on time-travel, a police procedural, great satire, fabulous characters. Very funny. Just immaculate. (I've only watched 3 epsiodes but I'm not expecting it to nosedive like say, the Outsider)...

Bloodshot (2020)

A total waste of money and talent...

[2/10 · 15 March 2020]

So tired. mediocre. Utterly devoid of interest. Nothing that's not been seen before and, for the most part, done better. ( If this was part of the Universal Soldier franchise, it would be the lowest on the list). I don't understand how these films get made. It's budget was somewhat less than most blockbusters but still in the $50 million range, ( that's an estimate on the low side). I can't remember the last time I yawned watching a movie. Just gave up. I hardly remember anything about it. Apart from Guy Pierce ( yet another bizarre choice from him; paycheck must have been to his liking. He loses a lot of credibility being in this. His choise I guess). It's obvious that the makers wanted to plant the seed for a franchise. Judging by how unuterrably poor this is I think there's very little chance of that. Although there are plenty of awful franchises so who can tell. Not recommended. This is garbage.

The Outsider (2020)

started well

[4/10 · 11 February 2020]

Very well in fact. But scince the introduction of the supernatural element and the 'investigator' character ( who is utterly unconvincing) it seems to be hurtling downhill ( well not hurtling so much as drifting off). Suddenly every scene seems overly long. A shame as I had some hopes for this...

Batwoman (2019–2022)

At best, mediocre

[3/10 · 14 October 2019]

There is something 'off' about this. The word that springs to mind is amature. A misfire on all fronts. It reminded me of Knightrider more than Dark Knight... Cheesy music, bad dialogue. terrible editing, cardboard acting. an absolutely cookie-cutter villain. And all under the rubric of LGBTQ which gives it an air of worth it doesn't deserve.

Ad Astra (2019)

this is GOOD. and a welcome change from the slew of superhero flicks...

[6/10 · 22 September 2019]

I can understand some of the negative reviews. i can understand some finding this boring.. what i do not understand is the venom in some of these reviews. This is the film Interstellar wanted to be. it's visually gorgeous and brad pitt performence is a master class in sublety and nuance. the film is a journey where a man who thinks he is master of his emotions a facade that cracks as his journey progresses to the point that when emotion comes to the surface it has an emotional punch. this is what was missing in interstellar. i just could not care about the lead in that film. the attention to detail is amazing, the action set pieces are wonderfully crafted. ( a 'gunfight between moon rovers is particularly memorable). i feel this is a film to be watched again to fully absorb the wonder of it all, like a kubrick movie i think repeat viewings will make the viewer more appreciative of how good this movie actually is. no superhero antics here, just beautifully crafted scifi drama. and possibly brad pitt's finest moment.

Swamp Thing (2019)

this swamp is drained..

[4/10 · 13 June 2019]

The first epsiode was entertaining and pilots usually get a pass because, well, they are pilots. the visuals were solid. the script perfuntory. epsiode two was terrible. every single scene was a cliche, some were clearly influenced by other movies ( the terror and John Carpenters The Thing to name a few). the writing is atrocious. direction was just bad, each 'development was tired and predictable. Sad to see Virginia Madsen wasted here to...

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Made to meet expectations

[7/10 · 27 April 2019]

We were never going to see something radical at this stage. it's a very entertaining move but it's not as good as Infinity War ( or Thor Ragnarok). As the summation of a long story arc it works well enough. But there are so many characters here that it's impossible to give anyone real depth. Most appear as cameos more or less. The one thing i felt at the end was that it was over stuffed. The last battle which aims at total spectacle suffers from this surfeit of characters. There were a few occasions in the film where i felt like i had missed something. Particularly the introduction of Captain Marvel. I haven't seen the standalone so maybe i am missing a chunk. She just seemed to come out of nowhere and seemed out of place. And the Hulk stuff was off for me ( the protracted 'selfie' scene is a good example'). The treatment of the Hulk character was also a bit of a fail in the Infinity War movie imo. Thor has a beer belly and is an alcoholic? that was a fail for me. Where did that beer-belly go? Some of the humor is a little off in places although the new 'Banner Hulk' trying to get into character in the jaunt to New York was very funny and naturalistic. Infinity War also had a great focus on the Thanos character whereas here he gets very little time and regressed to a pretty standard comic book villain. All that being said, there was a need to have resolution ( as i understand it) and it would have been failing if it didn't try to please as many as possible. it's a hard film to overly criticize. It's a comic book superhero movie. Just not a truly great one. As a resolution it does it's job. Oh, and the visuals are fantastic : )

Devil's Pass (2013)

not as bad as you would think

[6/10 · 15 May 2017]

one thing i can say with certainty is i had no expectations ( no high ones at least), and i was expecting something quite mediocre when i saw renny harlin's name attached as director. certainly his career has been on a downward trajectory of late. but, i have to confess, i found this kind of compelling. there are certainly some interesting ideas even if they don't resolve satisfactorily some of the time . it definitely goes some strange places i wasn't expecting. the mountain scenes are really atmospheric, the actors do well with the material they have. and what starts as a 'found- footage movie' gives way to a sci-fi/horror hybrid. i watched it on a rainy night and didn't feel i'd wasted my time - it got me interested in looking into the real-life mystery so it had some positive effect. i recommend it. it's uneven and sometimes fails to hit the target but this is certainly atmospheric and creepy and shows that the die hard 2 director still has some shots in the sling... i'm going to give it 6 for effort at least : )

The Mind's Eye (2015)

awful infantile rubbish

[4/10 · 25 September 2016]

i can only agree with previous comments to the effect that this is a terrible film. it sure is, it's a total irredeemable stinker. i hate to say it , i suspect this was made in trying circumstances, on a minuscule budget but i cannot deny that this was a total waste of time. ( Sean Carruther's Primer will show you what can be done with less than a thousand dollars. the music was a fair pastiche of late 70's Howard Shore but the film it tries to ape more than any other is of course Scanners. I can imagine the makers discussing how they can blow up somebody's head and then building the rest of the film around it. yes it is a film of 1 or two lackluster set-pieces displaying the wonderfully clever mechanical effects they constructed, the rest is beyond un-engaging and utterly risible. the lead is to ineffectual and the villain of the piece is hilariously over the top bad, not affectionately bad, absolutely execrable bad. by the time they face off i was ready to sleep. the end of scanners works because of the protagonists, you can totally believe that Michael Ironside will " suck your brains dry" bad line but, as i say, it's michael ironside) the two characters at the end of this just look as if they are constipated - it's one of the most unintentionally funny moments i have ever seen in a movie. And there is a sex scene which seems so ill-judged that it makes the love scene in "Watchmen" seem like something out of DH Lawrence Yes, it is an homage to 70's Cronenberg, but it is a very bad one. giving this 4 is generous and allowing that this is a feature debut ( and the soundtrack was the best thing about it). Definitely one of the worst sci-fi films i have ever seen. and i am all about the sci-fi : )

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

x-men to z-men

[5/10 · 5 June 2016]

yes, this is a bad film, not irretrievably bad like Gods of Egypt, not quite laugh in it's face bad, just lazy, cliché-riddled repetitive. this well is exhausted. if it weren't for the presence of michael fassbender it would have no weight whatsoever... CG overkill cannot rescue films such as this anymore. the technical aspect of spectacle totally underscored with plot, character development ... a scene that takes place at the gates of Auschwitz is what sent this straight down the toilet for me. doesn't a super villain who wants to 'cleanse the earth' make the inclusion of that scene utterly risible? and when said 'super villain' utters lines like "you are all my children' you know you are watching lazy garbage. and the necessity to have to be aware of plot lines and characters from 'the marvel' or 'DC universe' precludes many viewers who have no interest in being a citizen of these 'universes'. characters do ridiculous things for ineffable reason, and there are so many characters all 'super in some way' that this genre is now almost utterly vitiated. these films are either reboots or remakes or reboots of remakes etc... while bringing nothing new to the genre other than a newer younger face. ( that being said, Sophie Turner is utterly miscast, not her fault, just rubbish script writing) .. i wish for the days when a movie had the power of originality, and writing good enough that you could spawn a whole mythos from one solitary film. watching Under The Skin gave me that and so i define that as art. X-men is derivative shallow nonsense and hence i describe that as garbage. ( apart from the lovely caveat in the end credits say 1500 people where employed in making this movie, that is laudable i guess)..

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

An adjective I don't use much these days..

[8/10 · 1 July 2015]

Exhilarating. There, said it. I enjoyed KickAss, i enjoyed Xmen First Class. I know Matthew Vaughan is a solid director. I still had no idea that this was going to be SO good. I cannot find fault with it from the audacious opening credits ( compare it with say Tommorowland and you will see how joyously this leaps through a glass darkly compared the pallid Disney or marvel universe type dreck.) i fully expect a sequel and DEMAND it in fact as long as mr Vaughan is still at the helm. who would have thought, genre tropes subverted , astonishing and electric ultra-violence, great acting.. perfect effects.. and, oddly perhaps, quite moving at times. At last a film that not only met but exceeded expectation and that is a wonderful surprise when we are being saturated with endless and homogenous superhero fare. i am so bored with Marvel so thankyou Matthew and Jane Goldman for reinvigorating and, it can justifiably be said, reinventing the Gentleman Spy for this jaded appetite. I was uplifted and for that you have my enormous respect. kudos :)