Change Your Image
celph-33003
Reviews
Arnold (2023)
One-sided but massively entertaining
I watched this over the weekend in one sitting, and had one of those moments where you feel like you found the perfect show to watch at the time you saw it.
Without going into details, I've got some stuff going on in my life right now. I've no idea what made me decide to watch this doc when I did, but it really was exactly what I needed to provide me with some much needed clarity in regards to my own life at the moment.
I'm under no illusion that a lot of the grimier aspects of Mr Schwarzenegger's life are glossed over. I'm also acutely aware that it's very one-sided due to how much of a hand he had in its production. What i appreciated the most was the insight into his personal drive, and his ability to make his dreams become reality. To sum it up, it's very much a self-curated highlight reel, featuring a lot of entertaining anecdotes from the man himself and a lot of other people who have been part of his life. If you can view it objectively with that in mind, it's a very entertaining and inspiring way to spend a few hours.
Point Break (1991)
As close to perfect escapism as it's possible to get
Perfection in cinema is always a tricky concept to grapple with, as it will always come down to individual preference.
This movie, when it comes to my own personal preferences, is as close an example of perfection as it's possible to get.
The movie that made an entire generation want to take up surfing. Every single aspect of this movie speaks to me. The cast, the performances, the dialogue (yeah, even the few slices of fromagé so fragrant they may have been cave-aged), the action sequences, the soundtrack, the ridiculously on-the-nose visual of bank robbers in president masks, Gary Busey literally taking bites out of the scenary like it was made out of meatball sandwiches ... all absolutely perfect.
One of the reasons it works so well is that aesthetically and conceptually, it's very much a product of its time. Hence why the absolutely unnecessary remake was so ridiculously bad.
Chopper (2000)
One of the most quotable movies ever made
Along with Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, and Angelo Papus in Point Break, Chopper Read is among the most quotable characters ever committed to film.
I've lost count of how many times i've seen this film. It's gritty, comical, over-the-top, nasty, brash, annd massively entertaining. I absolutely love it.
I actually had tickets to see the real Chopper do a stage show along with some punk bands at a venue local to me just before his passing. Apparently he was going to 'spin a few yarns', introduce the bands, and hold on-stage drinking contests. From what I heard at the time, his visa was revoked at the last minute, and he unfortunately passed away before the situation could be resolved.
The scene at the end when he's watching himself on the tv has one of my favourite lines in cinema history...
'See me?, I'm semi-bloody literate, and I've got the number one selling book in the country.'
Tulsa King (2022)
Will likely do this whole show in one binge-session
I'm late to the party on this one. In honesty, it's not the kind of show I would normally dip my toes into. My mum has been singing it's praises for a while, and after watching both 'Arnold' and 'Sly' on Netflix the past weekend, I thought I'd finally give this show it's day in court.
I'm currently only two episodes in, but I must say, I'm already completely invested in this and really enjoying it. I find myself completely agreeing with the handful of other reviews I've read in here saying how perfect a role this is for Stallone. Thinking on it I'm actually quite taken aback that he's never played a Don or a Capo previously. Although I'd also say that is a blessing in disguise as 'elder statesman' Stallone is most definitely a better fit for this type of role than his younger self.
The cast and performances are great right across the board, although Dominik Lombardozi's wig is almost as distracting as Nic Cage's notoriously bad top-rug in Ghostrider.
There is, however, a disclaimer I'd like to add in regards to the amount of suspension of disbelief required here. I've never personally had an issue with this. I'm a fan of entertainment, and as long as a show hits that mark, then I can run with it. Whilst my all time favourite show is The Wire, I can also appreciate The Shield. If however you have trouble when a show ventures out of absolute realism, you may find yourself taken out of this show on occasion.
X-Men '97 (2024)
Basically perfect
I could go on forever about how well they nailed this series, but I wouldn't be saying anything that hasn't been said already. It's virtually perfect.
I really hope they don't drop the ball with season two. The fact that the show runner left / was replaced does worry me slightly in that regard. I wouldn't put it past the big wigs at Disney to completely misunderstand what makes this work so well and force things into S2 that don't need to be there.
None of that has any impact on just how good this is though. It's exactly how I hoped it would be, a great continuation, that both picks up perfectly, while also expanding the scope of it. I'm also a huge fan of how Morph has been handled, he's the perfect character to utilise in order to add inclusivity without it feeling forced, while also making total sense in regards to the character and the story.
The Dry (2020)
Expect a slow burn, and go in blind
Went into this one totally blind, I'd literally never heard of it until I saw it come up on Sky Cinema, and watched it straight away on the strength of the synopsis, and because Eric Bana is always great.
Loved the atmosphere of this, the cinematography is spot on, with the main character's investigations and the dead trees evoking the digging up of old bones. The mystery aspect is really well done and not obvious.
It's not going to be for everyone, it's a very slow burn. This does work in its favour as it's one of the great atmospheric devices used by the film makers that really sells the fantastic drought / outback setting. If a character based murder mystery is your thing, I would definitely recommend this.
The Sandman (2022)
Great adaptation
It took me a while, but I finally found myself in the right mood to watch this, and I'm glad I waited until I was, as opposed to just diving into it just because it was new.
I'm a huge fan of the books, but when the first season of this dropped I knew I needed to be able to give it the time it deserved. To watch it one episode per day or every few days, while not watching any other show aside from 'comfort' background stuff I have on while scrolling or reading a book. So I waited until that moment came, and it was absolutely worth it.
Only reason I'm giving it 8 is because of a few things that irked me. The main one being, as good as the actress is, I would have liked to have seen the John Constantine character show up.
Regardless of a few minor flaws, this adaptation is as good as one could hope for.
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)
Remember fun?, Pepperage Farm remembers.
Ok, first I'll review the movie. It's a Snyder film, you should know what to expect. It's gonna look great, be action packed, contain slow-mo, and veer towards style over substance. It delivers on all counts. These are the components he uses every time, it ain't gonna change. If you expect anything else you should know better, that's YOUR fail, not Snyder's (unless he came over to your gaff and made you watch the film at gun point). It's a solid, entertaining two hours and a decent way to relax your way through an evening. 7.5 outta 10 rounded up to 8 for IMDB
Now let's discuss the one star reviewers and 'worst film of all time, burn him at the stake, cut off his manhood, ban him from ever using a camera again' clowns who need to get a grip. I'm no Snyder fanboy. I will say that visually I do think he's a cut above the pack, but also think in other aspects he's definitely lacking. What I am a fan of though, is entertainment. Not every piece of film or TV has to make complete logical sense, or be grounded in absolute realism. Breaking down and critiquing the logic in an ACTION sci-fi film makes no sense. We are not talking about hard sci-fi here. This is no 'Arrival' or 'Interstellar' and neither does it claim to be. Stop being a killjoy and remember what it was like to have fun watching a film again. If you can't do that, then at least remember that if you see Snyder's name attached to something that you should know what to expect and if you don't want that, to give it a miss.
Lastly, let's stop pretending like Star Wars has more than two great movies (one of these is a prequel, which I'll leave unnamed just to annoy the worst breed of fanboy), and two great seasons of TV. Everything else is literally the same quality as the two parts of Rebel Moon, or considerably worse. I would watch this over ANY of the sequel trilogy any day.
Masters of the Universe: Revolution (2024)
Redeemed
I enjoyed Revelations, despite agreeing with most of the criticisms. The bait & switch was a misstep, and the arcs and events would have been better served as a season 2. Regardless, there is still a lot to enjoy in that series.
Revolution is a huge improvement in almost every aspect. If I'm going to nitpick, I wasn't fussed on Battle Cat's voice, or Lyn's nursery rhyme. I really am hard pressed to complain about anything else. Everything else I thought was a great mix of lore from every iteration of Masters. This really does deserve a few more seasons.
Only reason I've not given this a 9 or a 10 is because it does feel a bit compressed. Likely because it's designed to work as either a definitive end, or open enough to continue if it's well received.