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Laura_Elizabeth21
Reviews
Welcome to Flatch (2022)
It's not quite "This Country" but better than most UK to US remakes...
I wasn't expecting much from this series, after binge-watching the absolute gem, "This Country", but in fairness, it's actually quite good.
It's clear that Daisy-May, & Charlie Cooper are involved, as the writing is excellent. I also like that new characters are introduced, so it's not a straight rip-off of the original, that could have felt too try-hard, or not translated well, into an Americanised comedy.
The actors are all well-suited to their parts, & I especially love Seann William Scott, playing Father Joe, in a complete 180° of what we've come to expect from him, & it turns out he has range!
All in all, a good little show, that has some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
The perfect revenge movie...
This film literally took my expectations, decided they weren't high enough, & still managed to top them. Carey Mulligan absolutely shines in this, & I cannot fault her acting ability one bit. The whole cast is stellar, in fact.
With superb direction, it has an unusual twist on the typical female revenge trope, & everything from the lighting, the wardrobe, & the sets, create an atmosphere of tension, that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It takes you on a rollercoaster of emotional turmoil, never revealing more than it needs to, until it needs to.
Then just when you think it's over, the final act is just a masterpiece to watch unfold, & you feel the vindication for her.
10/10 would watch again & again.
Jurassic Shark (2012)
I was warned, now I warn you....
I have only myself to blame for the 75 minutes of my life I wasted watching this 'movie'. Upon first opening the DVD case I found that ominously, a previous person to have watched this, had felt compelled to handwrite a review & leave it inside as a warning to any potential future viewers. This synopsis advised of the film's poor content but against my better judgement, I decided to watch it anyway.
First off, the positives; *some* of the actors do try to make themselves believable as human beings. That's where the positives end.
I guess you can only work with what you've got though, and what they have is a tedious and far-fetched script (even for a film of this genre), a flimsy plot & a cheap set (one scene is set in an actual stairwell). Add to that the shark 'effects' & the whole thing just makes you feel sorry for anyone who has their name attached to it.
It is laugh-out-loud funny at times although this is obviously not their intention. Watch at your own peril!
w Delta z (2007)
Strong cast, but sorry to say, weak overall
I had high hopes for this film just looking at the cast which includes Stellan Skarsgard, Melissa George, Tom Hardy & Selma Blair among others. Add to this to the fact that I love movies in this genre & how could this possibly fail? Well, I'm afraid it did. The premise was interesting enough, the police try to find someone who is killing people, carving weird formula's into their skin & then dumping the bodies. There were a few twists along the way as our protagonist (Skarsgard) & his partner (George) attempted to discover the identity of the perpetrator, however, the progression of the story went at such a sluggish pace that the revelation seemed to come too late for me to care, it didn't feel suspenseful, it just felt slow. I also felt that the whole thing might have been more plausible if Jean had had an accomplice. As it stood, it was completely unbelievable that this tiny woman would have had the skills or strength to overcome several well-built men, (who were likely armed) drug them & transport them from one location to another. Not only this but she has to carry or drag them to her killing room, get them in the chairs & strap them down, just would not happen without drawing some attention to yourself. Yes, towards the end, we see her dupe a passerby into helping her but even if she did this every time, she still has to get them out of the van. It just seemed ridiculous that a viewer would buy this! The next discoveries regarding the cover up & evidence destruction were not a huge surprise, maybe I've seen too many films in this vein to be easily shocked but it became pretty obvious to me where it was going. The final big reveal, Skarsgard's relationship with his informant, again wasn't earth shattering. He obviously wasn't his son so you start asking yourself, why is he so attached to this guy? and from there, it's not so hard to work it out. On a positive note, George is believable as the young detective & Hardy takes up the role of tough gangster with conviction. Selma Blair is criminally underused however. Not awful but I'm glad I didn't pay to see it.
Primal Fear (1996)
Edward Norton shines
I finally got around to watching Primal Fear last night & it is one of best films I've ever seen in this genre. Although it is a little predictable, this should probably be said with hindsight as there have been many films since which exploit its basic premise, so I can't mark it down for that. In 1996, I think it would have been a fresh & new concept Edward Norton in his very first major screen role is absolutely convincing as the accused altar boy, Aaron & it is little wonder that this film became a springboard for his successful future career. He's a superb actor & easily outshines Gere! Great story, excellent acting & is well cast, with Linney & McDormand among others, delivering the goods. Superb film all round.
Leslie, My Name Is Evil (2009)
Possibly the worst Manson movie ever made...
As a true crime fan, I was very disappointed by the many, many inaccuracies in this film. I'm aware it's only 'loosely based' on the Manson murders but I don't think there's any reason to omit the truth & embellish the lies.
Obviously the second storyline featuring Perry, the juror, is fiction but this aside, the real back story is shocking enough without twisting round the facts. Little things annoyed me, for instance, the complete absence of Tex who was obviously a key player in events at the time, the numerous missing explanations from Charlie about his apocalyptic prophecy & as if him saying 'it's all coming down' every 5 minutes is supposed to offer some clue to the uninitiated. Someone who does not know the story would be even more confused at this point as suddenly there's a complete & utter lack of comprehensive story progression from Bobby being jailed, to the murders taking place & then into the trial. The chain of events that led to it literally 'all coming down' is absent altogether & in actuality it was almost a year before the trial even began.
On a positive note, the acting of both Gregory Smith & Kristen Hager was well thought out but sadly not enough to save this flop. Most of the characters were unconvincing & the whole thing just seemed cheesy & contrived. Not recommended if you want the facts.
For the best portrayal of Charles Manson I have ever seen watch Jeremy Davies's performance in Helter Skelter (2004).