alanlamont-34154 Reviews

Civil War (2024)

Another Ode to the Vultures of the Press

[4/10 · 3 June 2024]

What promised to be a polemic movie of some depth sank down to yet another back slapping silly and facile glorification of the fifth estate ........ but lacks any direction , meaning or worth . Rather it leaves a bad taste all round but mainly at the lack of any morality on the side of the journalists , summed up by one of them exclaiming that ( minor spoiler ) somebody died and we didn't even get a worthwhile story . Appeared at times like an X-Box or PlayStation game than a movie . I can honestly say , given the hype about this movie and the obvious hints of a prophecy due to current political events in the USA , I have never been so disappointed as I have been by this rubbish .

Hierro (2019–2022)

CRACKING CRIME COSA CANARIES

[7/10 · 20 May 2024]

Binge watched 2 series in the UK on Channel 4 s excellent " Walter Presents " which features , mainly , crimes series from across the World including many Nordic Noir and splendid series from many European countries . One might say a SMORGASBORD of crime . This one from one of the Canary Islands , whilst having a few " hard to believe " police procedures and plot twists is compulsive viewing with a great cast many , but not all of which I have enjoyed in other series and all talented actors . The STANDOUTS for me , with absolutely no disrespect to the adult cast who were all great ( I can't think of one dodgy performance by anybody which can be rare ) we're the 2 young female actors who feature quite alot as sisters and daughters of 2 prime characters in the second series . I don't know why it is but our EUROPEAN neighbours seem to bring forth young boys , girls , teenagers who put the young spoilt brat stereotypes in so many USA movies or TV SERIES and with a few very notable exceptions also in the UK industry into the shade as far as acting goes and I will be surprised if we don't hear / see alot more of these two young ladies in the future BUENA SUERTE GIRLS.

Moonfall (2022)

ENJOYABLE MOVIE IF , AS OTHERS HAVE SAID , YOU CAN TURN OFF YOUR BRAIN AND SUSPEND DISBELIEF

[6/10 · 12 May 2024]

The title of my review more or less sums up this movie and 6 stars might be a bit generous but I can honestly say I enjoyed it despite the ridiculous storyline and the fact that , at times , it resembled one of the Airplane spoof movies than an actual sc-fi impending disaster movies . I'm not even sure if it not deliberately tongue in cheek or not but I hope for the sake of the cast and the esteemed Director it was . There were so many scenes that are wide open for parody like the scene , having refused to try to save the earth unless they get his son released from prison on a driving and drugs charge which they do and bring the son to meet his dissolute ex-astronaut who gives him a short speech about trying to save the world so he can grow up to be a better man than him ..... a perfect response would have been ....F that Dad ....... I'm gonna get stoned l.

Death and Other Details (2024)

WHAT A DISAPPOINTING WASTE OF 10 HOURS OF MY LIFE

[4/10 · 1 May 2024]

First 4 or 5 episodes promised so much and I told my friends to watch it , especially if they liked the Knives Out movies . Excellent ( mostly ) cast totally let down by a storyline that , the longer the episodes went on , the more ridiculous they became with a totally unsustainable storyline and inexplicably convoluted and ridiculous revelations . It starts out as a very promising detective series and descends into a stupid some kind of " morality tale " without any morals whatsoever . The most worrying thing is that there were hints at a second series but I hope we are spared another embarrassing waste of some actors who deserve better.

The Creator (2023)

A LOAD OF ENJOYABLE SENTIMENTAL RUBBISH

[5/10 · 17 April 2024]

As I watched this I couldn't help but think .... WHEN IS AMERICA EVER GOING TO GET OVER HIROSHIMA AND VIETNAM ....... All these types of movies for decades have been depicting the big Western Democracies as being the assailants on poor opponents , usually in middle east or Eastern countries and , although I'm not suggesting that this enjoyable romp is deliberately aimed at the West , I sometimes wonder why the Hollywood and other machines rarely produce Blockbusters about the atrocities committed by the Vietcong , Japanese against China and the rest of the World , big time atrocities against almost every country the Allies allowed STALIN to commit against all the smaller countries in what we shamefully allowed to become the USSR and for which cowardice MILLIONS have suffered . I know this comic book movie , which IS an enjoyable bit of fantasy ( despite all the holes and contradictions in the plot ) . It is worth the watch if you enjoy silly but enjoyable movies.

Sleeping Dogs (2024)

TIME SOME OF THESE SLEEPING DOGS WERE WELCOMED BACK INTO TJE HOLLYWOOD PACK

[6/10 · 10 April 2024]

Great to see Russell Crowe back on our screens even if it's not in the same standard as past great successes . I don't know or care why he and Guy Pearce appear to not be offered the type of movies they used to get despite both having starred in some great movies while we are being fed a diet of so called " Blockbusters " featuring less talented actors rehashing old movies , mostly with inferior results despite massive budgets . This is not a GREAT Movie but is lifted from a 3 or 4 to a solid 6 by Crowes reliable performance and another excellent performance by Scottish actor Tommy Flannagan who SURELY deserves a major role himself and not just known for his Sons of Anarchy role where he stood out ( not difficult compared to some other " lead " actors ) . I admit that , at first , I didn't recognise Tommy but was struck by his resemblence nowadays to a real LEGEND , the great Anthony Zerbe , who had a great career but like Tommy Flannagan , never quite got the recognition he deserved.

Ripley (2024)

SLOW-BURNING DONT BE PUT OFF

[8/10 · 9 April 2024]

For some reason , I have never been a big fan of your lead actor . I can only put it down to his role in Sherlock , where , I now have to confess , I thought he was misscast and also too young to portray Sherlocks Arch Enemy but there is no doubt that he has remarkable presence . I wasn't terribly interested in yet another TV studio lacking any originality ripping of Movies ( as an Oldie ) but I have to confess that this is up there with the occasional unexpected gem in a field of dearth. At first I thought the black and white was being somewhat pretentious , given the genre has become somewhat over used ... but the CINEMATOGRAPHY was exquisite and worthy of any awards anywhere . Carravagghio would approve. HOPE THERE IS MORE TO COME (but I haven't read the books ) .... GIVE IT AT LEAST 3 EPISODES AND LET IT BUILD.

True Detective (2014– )

SEASON 4 .... 6 HOURS I WILL NEVER GET BACK

[4/10 · 28 February 2024]

What a disappointment . I have been waiting for ages for the new Season 4 of one of the finest series on our screens and was delighted when I heard Jodie Foster was to lead the cast but what we have been presented with is a pathetic attempt to emulate the worldwide success of " Scandi - Noir " television detective shows which are regularly butchered in the USA into English language watered down versions ( with the rare exception ) complete with brooding music track . The ridiculous storyline is derivative and the casting unfortunately completely backfires with absolutely no chemistry between the two female leads, little or no empathy with ANY of the characters and a growing disinterest in their fates . Add the stomach churning sight of Ms Foster climbing over the ample belly of Mr Eccleston, once seen cannot be unseen and the inability of the scriptwriters to complete a sentence without the F word ( I recommend if you are bored ... which you most likely will be .... you try counting the swear words in each episode. I fear for the careers of all involved .

Justified: City Primeval (2023)

TIMOTHY OLEPHANT RULES

[7/10 · 4 October 2023]

Timothy Olephant was born to play this role and I can't understand why it was capped years ago . Maybe he had had enough or the viewing figures had dropped a point . WHATEVER THE REASON Its a very welcome return . Saddly instead of the stellar cast before we are subjected to Boyd Holbrook who either has dirt on somebody or is related to somebody . Everything he has been in he plays like a HIGH SCHOOL PRODUCTION . I'm also a little fed up since THE LAST OF US which I enjoyed immensely , that every series now has to have a daughter or young girl in danger . I recognise its a staple of the industry but its being overdone . I'm only halfway in but I hope Holbrook and the daughter get killed and Raylan goes back to where he was with better writers . I understand some of the negative reviews buy Timothy Olyphant earns 7 STARS ON HIS OWN .... WHAT ABOUT A SHOT AT THE NEXT JAMES BOND.

Manayek (2020– )

IM MOVING TO ISRAEL !!!

[9/10 · 28 September 2023]

Excellent riveting cop drama from , don't quote me but , the same Israeli channel that has brought us FAUDA which is another definite 9 and which Iam egarly awaiting the next series having thought it was finished . Its difficult to go too far into the winding plot of this great series without giving too much away but suffice to say it is mainly focused on an Internal Affairs investigation into corrupt policing and well drawn characters are portrayed brilliantly with one if those storyline that will make you binge watch pretty sure you know what to expect but intriguingly remaining uncertain if you are right . WILL YOU BE .?????? If this and Fauda are representative of the standard of broadcasting in Isreal the SHALOM.

The Playing Card Killer (2023)

SHOCKINGLY BAD

[3/10 · 7 July 2023]

I have never watched a WORSE true crime documentary where nobody , except the survivors or the families of the victims come out with anything approaching sympathy . Why it was made into a documentary I have no idea and I am not sure who comes out if it the worst ..... the newspapers , the television stations , the police , the army , the government or even the killer . WHY make a documentary featuring all these incompetent players in a case where NOBODY was even close to identifying the killer until he got drunk and turned himself in then scramble to take credit for his " capture " and the bunch of vultures feeding on the bodies of the victims from all directions appear as morally bankrupt as the murderer.

Ad Astra (2019)

AT LEAST A SE7EN

[7/10 · 15 May 2023]

At last BRAD PITT reminds us he isn't just a pretty face . I didn't think I would like this largely because I'm not a great fan of space sci-fi movies as they are all more or less the same story but this one was a cut above the rest . TOMMY-LEE JONES stole the show without barely appearing in it but Brad Pitt gave , for me at least , his best performance since TRUE ROMANCE and SE7EN and shows , if given the right role , he can actually ACT . I found myself thinking ,after the first 30 minutes , that this reminded me of another movie and at first I couldn't think which movie it was . Then the penny dropped .... IF YOU LIKE SCI-FI AND like APOCALYPSE NOW ... YOU WILL LOVE THIS.

Fauda (2015–2022)

FANTASTIC FAUDA DOES IT AGAIN !!

[9/10 · 23 January 2023]

I have only just finished the most recent series ( series 4 ) of this amazing series and already I am pining for Series 5 . The quality of writing , production , writing and acting continues to render any thoughts of staleness or repetition redundant and every fresh storyline and every fresh character blend seamlessly into an intricate twisting televisionary feast . For anybody who has missed out on this series you are in for a treat and very little sleep if you start at the beginning with Season 1 and just keep going . This review is deliberately short on plot details as I would not wish to taint your feast . Only complaint is how long it takes for the next series to come out .

Slow Horses (2022– )

MY FIRST 9 STAR REVIEW ... EXCELLENT

[9/10 · 31 December 2022]

I thought I had already left a 7 or 8 star review after the first series but something must have told me there was more to come and I was delighted to watch the second ( of many more ) release of one of the finest BRITISH drama series I have seen in a long time . Gary Oldmans BRAVURA PERFORMANCE in the lead role is a mixture of the great Sir Alec Guinnesses portrayal of George Smiley and Alfred Burkes ground breaking detective in Public Eye ( would love to see some repeats of that instead of the usual tripe ) and he is surrounded by an admirably portrayed band of misfits who each perfectly fulfill their varied and essential roles. Reminiscent of some of the best of the BBC productions back in the day when they screened THE REAL TOP GEAR and did not have the timerity to banish STEVE WRIGHT IN THE AFTERNOON from our airwaves . Shame on the BBC AND WELL DONE APPLE ..... PLEASE GIVE US MORE.

Rogue Heroes (2022–2024)

GLOSSY RUBBISH

[2/10 · 8 November 2022]

Against my better judgement I decided to give this a chance and it wasn't long before my worst expectations were confirmed . Glossy made for USA trash and not one fraction as good as the documentary series with interviews from some of the main players recorded in the 1980s . Saddly no " Paddy " Maine as he had long since perished in a motorcycle accident and whose statue proudly adorns the town square in Newtownards , County Down . As a former pupil of the same Grammar school ( Regent House ) I have a particular interest in his crazy exploits and the injustice of him not being awarded The Victoria Cross , a slur that should be rectified posthumously. For anybody interested in the TRUE STORY of the SAS I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the recently updated SAS : ROGUE WARRIORS.

Mayans M.C. (2018–2023)

Sons Of Anarchy Can't Compete

[8/10 · 29 September 2019]

As someone who came late to the Sons of Anarchy series , I was curious to see what all the fuss was about . Having watched the first few seasons , I am STILL curious to understand what all the fuss was about The acting , mainly in certain lead parts , was school play standard and some of the plots began to suffer from IBS and repeat themselves . MAYANS MC however , whilst only in its second season and to a certain degree indebted to SOA is an entirety different prospect ( pardon the pun ) and could easily stand alone without the viewer having seen a single episode of SOA . Great storylines with multiple undertones and vastly superior acting than the predecessor . Guess it's time Sam Crow migrated South

The Wolf's Call (2019)

Well worth watching

[7/10 · 17 July 2019]

Great start , great middle but the ending , although not exactly bad , didn't live up to the rest . Definitely a good watch however and I enjoyed it . Easily on a par with The Hunt for Red October despite some of the negative reviews on IMDB by disgruntled people who I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't actually watched the movie . I give it a solid 7 .

Sorry! (1981–1988)

Hilarious sitcom

[9/10 · 2 May 2019]

Comic gem by the saddly missed Ronnie Corbett. Sharply observed situation comedy based on the adult son Timothy still living at home with the overbearing mother and hen pecked father who frequently retreats to the garden shed . We all know these characters or if we don't , we know someone who does lol .

Gunned Down (2017)

Underated Brit Crime Movie

[6/10 · 17 April 2019]

Not a big fan of the factory that churns out a succession of mostly " low budget " Gangster movies but Craig Fairbrass has been in a few pretty damn good ones and it's surprising to see that lesser " Brit " talents have made it bigger in the USA , or in some notable cases , sheer crap , while the two main protagonists are very good and compatible with much bigger budget Hollywood , or indeed , established " Brit Studios " . Having said that , some of the casting was rather " suspect " shall we say ( given the family connections to the makers and a certain cliche or loyalty to local actors ) . LENNY the rival gangster did a reasonable impersonation of the more deranged Kray brother and managed a certain amount of menace as opposed to his so called " gang " who looked more like a boy band , but the worst MISCASTING AS OPPOSED TO WORST ACTING , was the two main police officers , who looked more like a pimp and a virgin . The pimp claimed to have been chasing the firm for FIFTEEN YEARS and assuming it took him 5 years service to even get into CID then at least a further five years to be in charge of MAJOR CRIME = and he still manages to be completely unconvincing and too young for the character he is playing . The reviewer who mentioned that this is a rip off , is either very young or hasn't watched many movies ..

Triple Frontier (2019)

Another Ben AFFLICTION

[5/10 · 19 March 2019]

An over long story which appeared not to know if it was a " heist " movie , war movie , survival movie or a morality tale and fails on all fronts and not helped by the fact that TWO of the stars cannot act for peanuts but are rescued by Oscar Issac's and the excellent Pedro Pascal . The ending where the survivors sign over their money to Afflecks children , presumably to ruin their lives and ensure that they end up spoilt , coke heads who never had to work a day in their lives , is just ridiculous , but my main worry is that , in the final scene , there is a hint of a sequel !!!!!!!

True Detective: The Big Never (2019) Season 3, Episode 3

Obviously some viewer

[8/10 · 28 January 2019]

Obviously some viewers don't get the nuances involved in this series . Yes it can , at times , be slow and even slightly repetitive in places but it is beautifully written and great to see Stephen Dorf back on our screens in a decent role . His partner , however , is the scene stealer so far but great feeling and interaction between the two leads . I suggest the viewer who gave this 1/10 finds something to watch , more to his or her taste , like The Dukes of Hazard

Mama's Angel: Episode #1.10 (2016) Season 1, Episode 10

Disappointing

[6/10 · 21 August 2018]

Binge watched on Netflix and enjoyed trying to guess who the murderer was . Unfortunately I am STILL left guessing and no sign of a second season .