Bobalopacus's Reviews

Fast Charlie (2023)

7/10

Good dialogue, action and acting raise this above average

27 March 2024

In many ways this is generic stuff with a baseline plot of old-timer mobster doing one last job before retirement, but Brosnan has a certain charm and screen presence, there's some genuine laugh out loud moments, decent action and pace and the chemistry between Brosnan's character, Charlie Swift and Morena Baccarin's Marcie is believable, especially in the witty back and forth.

Some have commented negatively on the obvious age gap, Brosnan is 26 years older than Baccarin, but they're both adults and it's clear that Marcie falls for Charlie's personality - his sense of honour, duty, bonds of friendship, generosity and humour, plus I suspect many female viewers would still rate Brosnan's looks. Plus, Marcie is portrayed as independent, strong and in control at all points.

It certainly wasn't 'creepy' as some have implied.

I should mention Brosnan's adoption of a American accent: it's a little disconcerting, but you get used to it. I can't comment on it's authenticity.

James Caan plays his final role...what a star.

All in all, this was surprisingly good. Let's hope Brosnan doesn't do a Neeson and start dropping his standards in too many of these type of roles.

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Irish Wish (2024)

4/10

As corny, predictable and kitsch as a leprechaun in a Dublin gift shop

24 March 2024

I should state that I am not the target audience for this movie, but I am not averse to the occasional well made rom-com.

This isn't either well-made or funny or particularly romantic, but it has a tepid charm to it if you're willing to set your expectations extremely low and may appeal to a younger audience. It certainly has little to say to adults, being essentially a preteen girls fantasy, yet not really appropriate for that audience either.

However, if you're looking for something undemanding with some pretty scenery it might pass the time.

I haven't seen Lindsay Lohan in anything since 2005's Herbie movie and I barely recognised her. It is well known that actresses in their late-thirties to fifties struggle to find decent leading roles, however Lohan isn't doing herself any favours by being cast in a role she seems too old for. Certainly people in their late thirties can struggle to find a suitable partner, but most of them have lived a little by that point.

Lohan's character, Maddie Kelly, is an unassertive editorial assistant who falls for a famous writer she works for and has just gathered the courage to declare her feelings to him when he falls for someone else.

It is never made clear what Maddie has being doing with her life up to this point.

She doesn't appear to have had any previous relationships, lacks the confidence to pursue her ambitions, is totally incapable of recognising that the object of her affection is a shallow, narcissistic, domineering a***hole and doesn't appear to have any friends of any substance. Despite all this, she seems perfectly content.

When confronted with a semi-nude man who she apparently has the hots for, she recoils as if having never been in that position before.

She still relys on her mother for advice and is easily pushed into situations she is uncomfortable with.

All this might be believable if she was in her late teens/early twenties and this was a coming-of-age tale, but without a backstory to account for her situation it just seems odd at nearly forty to be acting like this.

To add to this incrogruity, we are told Maddie is a talented author, but the only indication that she writes is a single scene in which she sits at a computer and we read on the screen 'Untitled Novel, Chapter One..' and then a blank screen as if she is struggling to come up with something...'Once upon a time' perhaps?

Similarly, when asked who her favourite author is she claims 'James Joyce', which makes you wonder why she is helping to write trashy romance novels and not astoundingly inventive and complex literary masterpieces - it is almost as if the screenwriters simply googled 'famous Irish author' and thought 'never heard of him but he'll do'.

It is at moments like these that Irish Wish is unintentionally amusing.

Putting that aside, Lohan does have screen presence so it's a shame that her character is poorly written, the dialogue so lacking in spark or wit and the plot entirely predictable and generic.

The introduction, fairly early on, of a low-fantasy element does allow the set designers to almost get away with some very corny scenes of Ireland with fake looking environments and almost insulting cliches about the irish, but the magical is merely a plot device here and is never played out to it's full potential.

The supporting cast do little to help matters. Whilst there is some miniscule chemistry between Maddie and James, played by Ed Speelers, they hardly set the screen alight and are let down again by weak dialogue. Meanwhile, the predictable spat between two of the main characters lacks either humour or believable motive.

Every now and then Maddie randomly trips over - maybe this was where the laughs were meant to be inserted?

Jane Seymour pops up as Maddie's mother, but is curiously underwritten and never appears on screen with Lohan suggesting her inclusion might have been a last minute one. Paul Kennedy plays the author mentioned above, but his character is too thinly sketched to be anything other than a prop for plot development, whilst Ayesha Curry has no discernible character at all - merely serving to add occasional exposition (and more cynically, perhaps, diversity).

I could tell, two minutes in, that Irish Wish wasn't going to be up to much, but saw it through to the end, so you don't have to.

Irish Wish shares a lot in common with Bridget Jones' Diary ( very mild spoiler alert: clumsy woman seeking career recognition falls for inappropriate domineering boss and is fought over by two men) but makes that film look like a cinematic masterpiece.

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The Creator (2023)

4/10

Let down by dumb writing, generic aspects and tedious 'message'

21 March 2024

Gareth Edwards' near future tale of AI/Humankind gone rogue feels like a missed opportunity, some stunning cinematography and beautiful set locations undermined by ham-fisted moralising of the Avatar variety and a hotchpotch of visual design that although occasionally inventive and inspired, more often feels like a job-lot of tech and costumes were bought in an auction or simply nicked from other films.

On top of this many of the plot developments and behaviour of characters not only make little sense but are often just laughably silly.

The tedious underlying message of 'West bad, East good' is the type of childish pseudo-activist mind-numbing politicising we've come to expect from big budget Hollywood's DEI departments - is Edward's pandering to this nonsense or does he actually believe these unsubtle allegories are original or inspiring? Perhaps he just wanted to push the film in the Asian marketplace, knowing most westerners are happy to swallow this junk or so indoctrinated they actually applaud it.

Following the current protocol, every non-white character was portrayed as heroic, empathetic or messianic whilst the white characters were corrupted, stupid, cowardly or downright evil. At some point, hopefully in the near future, this sort of blatant divisiveness and pathetic virtue signalling will be seen for what it is.

Edwards, the director and storywriter, is obviously talented in the visuals department and has produced a superficially impressive (though narratively and spiritually hollow) movie on a mid-budget.

He either needs to find new writers to collaborate with or take more time on the script next time.

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The Patient (2022)

6/10

If you're seeking a thrilling trip into a serial killer's mind, this wasn't it.

19 March 2024

Despite a promising premise 'The Patient' never fully kicks into gear, the intermittent drama sitting side by side with repetitive scenes and slow development. The short episode length should have provided opportunity for several cliff-hangers, but often each episode blended rather limply into the next.

Although there is undeniable interest in the interplay between Carell's empathetic and likeable Dr Strauss and Gleeson's mundane overgrown teenager mummy's-boy psychopath, Sam, the latter never provides any genuine dread or tension nor is the ridiculousness of the situation played up enough for laughs.

Indeed, the mundane aspects are overemphasised - how many times do we need to hear Sam urinating, or slurping his Dunkin' Donuts drink or talking about take-away food to get the message?

The most moving emotional moments come from Dr Strauss's exploration - through flashback and imagined scenes - with his somewhat estranged son. The way this relationship is handled is well done, but how many viewers will come to this looking for a family drama?

Gleeson's performance isn't entirely convincing, but the problems are partially in the writing: his physical strength keeps getting mentioned but he looks like a strong gust of wind would knock him over, his blank stare often conveys a gormless ineptitude rather than calculated cruelty (although this is probably intentional it isn't very dramatic) and the central premise that he wants to overcome his maniacal urges is, despite the overlong run time, never adequately explored. Towards the end I was getting bored by Gleeson's rather one-dimensional character and erratic motivations.

The series is further hampered by it's setting, being restricted to a single room for many scenes - are less tense claustrophobia and more domestic drudgery and mean the odd trips out are a relief - even if it's to watch a murder.

I have no problem with slow-burning stories - I just felt this set-up was somewhat wasted.

Despite these faults, Carell does enough to make the series watchable, I just wish they had paired the analyst with a more interesting and deep opponent - in the absence, it's his own thoughts that provide his greatest obstacle to overcome.

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Nightmare Alley (2021)

6/10

Visually impeccable fable that left me cold

14 March 2024

Director del Toro continues his run of macabre modern fables for kidults and once again I find his work to be lacking in a core requirement of a great story - emotional investment. As interesting as these characters are, as imaginative as the plot is and as cleverly designed it's sets and lighting - it never moved me.

Why do I say 'kidults'?

This film features imagery unsuitable for children, yet the preoccupation with fairground monstrosities (dead babies preserved in jars, carnival freaks in cages), the familiar looming shadow of fascism and yet another scene where a man punches another man to death - these del Toro tropes seem like the fascinations of a pre-teenager.

The psychological depth here is mainly played out through a predictable downward spiral (I saw the end coming a mile off) and a mental duel between Bradley Cooper's character, Stanton - a talented, but essentially directionless man tormented and corrupted by his past and Dr Lillith, played by Cate Blanchett, a sophisticated ice maiden and top tier psychologist.

Undeniably stylish and well acted as this pairing is - I found it neither convincing nor dramatic in any real sense. Stanton is meant to be difficult to read, his moral underpinnings left unclear until the end, but this renders the movie's main protagonist one the viewer is neither supporting or wishing to see fall. Some may portray this as a sophisticated moral grey zone, but I think that's giving too much credit.

This is worth a watch for the cinematography, the visuals, the acting - all of which would contribute to a 'great movie', but the story is the heart. Imaginative as this tragic morality tale is (although not original as I believe there was a 1947 film which was itself an adaptation of a novel) - this viewer was left feeling unmoved.

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Thank You, I'm Sorry (2023)

7/10

A charming slice of life dramedy

13 March 2024

A family suffering from a marriage breakdown, unexpected death, family break-up and estrangement doesn't sound like material for a light-hearted and ultimately uplifting and occasionally humorous tale but that's exactly what this movie delivers. It's well acted and the characters are likeable.

The casting was a little odd, the younger sister, Sara, looks much older to me than Linda, the supposedly older sibling, but this is a minor point. It may even be intentional as Sara is meant to be weighed down by her woes and suffering from repressed anger, whilst Linda is somewhat innocent, almost child-like in her dress sense and inability to assert herself.

This is not a laugh out loud comedy (nor intended to be), the humour is lightly sprinkled, but Linda's boyfriend was amusing in his oblivious selfishness, Sara's son adds some light-hearted moments, the interfering mother-in-law was well sketched and there is a generally charming and affectionate oddness to the relationships on display here.

As long as you don't expect deep drama or laugh a minute humour, this well-made and well-meaning tale is worth a look at.

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Ladies in Black (2018)

7/10

Feelgood nostalgia

13 March 2024

Anyone seeking a palate cleanser from the latest degenerate streaming content or simply wanting to escape from modern life for a couple of hours could do worse than this light-hearted coming of age drama set in late 50s Australia.

Centring around a dress department in a thriving department store, the tale revolves around a studious young trainee awaiting their exam results and the various women she works with.

If the style of the 50s period appeals (especially it's more glamourous side), this is cinematic comfort food.

The drama is definitely of the lighter variety and the emphasis is on the good natured side of humanity. This is a film about sunny city life, white picket fences, romance, fashion, food, family and friendship.

There are a few pops at the mildly xenophobic attitudes amongst the established Aussies and their 'uncultured' ways, but this is largely free of any lecturing.

There is a slight Pollyanna-ish tone, for sure, but this is designed as escapism, only the most cold-hearted or those indoctrinated to rail against the 'heteronormative patriarchy of white suburbia' could possibly take offence at this uplifting and charming slice-of-life story.

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Spaceman (I) (2024)

7/10

A marriage counselling session in space...

10 March 2024

... the rest is potentially just window dressing. Distracting, intriguing and well-filmed window dressing, but if you don't fancy sitting through nearly two hours of Adam Sandler looking tired, depressed, pondering over his collapsing marriage and existential loneliness - then perhaps best avoid this one.

If, however, you are in the mood for a slow paced, imaginative and somewhat uplifting 'sci-fi' this is quite enjoyable. It has some oddness, not least the fact it's partially set in Czechoslovakia with American and English leads, but that adds to the interest.

Personally, I feel my take on the 'marriage problems' was different to the movie creators, but we all bring our own baggage to a viewing.

Due to the setting and some spiritual overtones in the plot development it's entirely possible to get a deeper reading of this movie or equally to perceive it as pretentious tosh.

I admit I'm somewhat conflicted, overall I enjoyed it, but it dragged in places and the chemistry/connection between Sandler and Mulligan wasn't established well enough for me (yes, I know they were disconnected by distance and 'issues' but in order for the ending to fully work the viewer needs more invested in this pair).

I would say more about the 'counsellor', but I'll avoid spoilers.

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Captive State (2019)

3/10

Some of the worst screenwriting I have ever witnessed

9 March 2024

This is one of the worst films I have ever watched in terms of writing. I wondered whether perhaps there was a writers strike on at the time it was made and the director thought they could put something together regardless.

No substantial characters to speak of, no character development, no dialogue of interest, poor establishment of plot, environment, motivation, and totally bland almost non-existent emotional interaction between 'characters'.

With this sort of incredibly weak foundation, the actors can only do so much. John Goodman spends the entire film with one dour facial expression. Someone will no doubt say that his acting here is meant to be inscrutable. Fair enough, but in that case the film needed a balance with some other characters who expressed something deeper, more relatable and more entertaining. The other two main characters, the Drummond brothers, were poorly sketched at best.

One hour in, I didn't care at all whether the protagonists succeeded or not.

I carried on watching, partly in the hope something of interest was going to develop and partly because I wanted my review to be complete.

The final five to ten minutes attempt to construct a big emotional pay-off/twist, suddenly we get some grand sweeping orchestral music, but without any characters to care about beforehand this felt like an empty gesture (almost an insult) and certainly didn't justify the proceeding 1hr40m.

If the creators were aiming for dark, brooding and atmospheric they largely failed too. The mood was not clearly established with much of the population seemingly carrying on with life as normal despite living under occupation in what was effectively a walled ghetto whilst others were supposedly paralysed by fear. The basic set-up could and should have been established far more effectively.

On top of that the sfx were boring, predictably weightless bland cgi and totally ineffective. I am utterly bemused by the positive reviews I have read on this site.

This is a shame because the actual basic premise, a world held tightly in the grip of authoritarian, allegedly benign overlords was promising.

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Deadwater Fell (2020)

6/10

David Tennant does his thing..

7 March 2024

Deadwater Fell falls into the 'just above average' category of TV melodrama, mostly through some decent acting and some fairly distracting 'whodunnit'/ 'why did they do it?' bunkum.

If I were being more critical though, it doesn't really succeed as a crime drama (not enough twists and turns), the family drama aspects become too stretched and the psychological character study too implausible to be genuinely dramatic.

I would also add, depending on how sensitive you are, that the general tone isn't exactly uplifting, to put it mildly, although none of it is believable enough to be upsetting. There's not a little schadenfreude going on here too: are we meant to derive some pleasure from seeing this rather idyllic family set-up fall apart?

Many reviews have pointed out some obvious plot problems, particularly involving police procedure, but if you set your expectations suitably low, it's an entertaining enough mini series.

I do begin to wonder, however, how many more of these type of roles David Tennant can get away with. He's very good at switching his mood and mannerisms to fit the moral shades of light and dark (I'm trying hard to avoid spoilers) but I was struck quite early on by the feeling, 'oh, he's doing that role again...'.

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Desperate Measures (2022)

6/10

Entertaining nonsense

7 March 2024

When a plot requires unbelievable coincidences to drive it forward it risks breaking the viewers immersion, 'what's the chances of that happening!??', we wonder. Desperate Measures does this again and again, in fact I counted five consecutive major plot points all occurring in a single day within the story that included massively unlikely coincidences.

The plot then, is utter nonsense.

'So what?' some reviewers react...'it's not a documentary!'. No, it's not, but isn't a central reason we watch drama the desire to immerse ourselves in a fiction? If the writing pulls us out of this immersion, it's not working is it?

As for the acting, it's a mixed bag, the lead character, Rowan, is played by Abigail Abbington and she does a decent job, managing to just about keep a straight face and make the most of some pretty flat and uninspired dialogue. Sunetra Sarker is okay too, as Rowan's best friend and work colleague. The main 'baddy' looked like an emaciated Mr Bean and was about as intimidating, whilst the detective, played by Jonathan Nyati, might have been aiming for a 'strong, silent type' but was simply wooden and dull.

On the plus side, the whole thing rattles along at a reasonable pace and is entertaining. Whilst the lack of believability means an almost total lack of tension, I did still want to know how the story would resolve itself.

One of the reasons I write reviews is to keep track of what I watch and remind myself how I reacted to it. I have a suspicion that Desperate Measures is one of those mini-series that, in six months time, I will struggle to remember a single thing about. Maybe that's a reflection of my ailing memory but more likely this is symptomatic of a genre partially designed like fast food - don't think about it too much, just consume and enjoy in the moment.

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Northern Comfort (2023)

4/10

Heart-cooling anticomedy

27 February 2024

Some films are heart-warming and life-affirming, Northern Comfort isn't either, nor is it a comedy, in the sense that I didn't laugh at all whilst watching it.

I can sense what the creators were aiming at, an offbeat stab at the anxieties, atomisation and general perversity and shallowness of modern life, centred around fear of flying but attempting to tackle some deeper issues. It may have worked better as a straight up drama, or with the insertion of some actual jokes - an effective satire.

Timothy Spall is usually decent and he isn't bad here, just underused. The cinematography is fine and the central performance of Lydia Leonard is rather good.

None of the characters really connect with one another (which might be intentional) and there is a sense of loneliness pervading the whole thing, enhanced by the cold and harsh Icelandic environment. The plot takes some turns into weird territory, but not really weird enough to make a real statement. There were opportunities for some physical comedy, but these were overlooked (perhaps, the makers felt actual humour would be too crass?).

'Jokes' revolve around random men showing pics of their genitals as a seduction attempt; a random hook-up between two men which might be a desperate career move, a coming out revelation or both; a social media 'influencer' who describes her career as 'travelling the world and taking pictures of my bum' and a taxi driver driving whilst drunk. Oh, and one of the characters has a silly haircut.

If any of that sounds promising to you then maybe this will appeal.

As a final side note, I wonder whether this is the type of slightly disturbing and dissatisfying product that AI, raised entirely on a diet of social media and the internet, will create in the future?

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One Day (2024)

8/10

It grew on me

22 February 2024

As someone who turned 18 around the same time as the characters in One Day and whose 'soundtrack' at the time was remarkably similar (some great tracks feature throughout the series including New Order, The Fall, Pixies, Nick Drake, VU) and, on top of that, broadly sharing in some of the notable plot points (no major spoilers ahead) - you would think this series was made for me.

Strange then, that I felt an initial disconnect. Perhaps, it didn't help that I found both lead characters unlikeable and irritating, at least to begin with, that I found the depiction of late 80s Britain, although superficially okay, missed the feel of the era, but most of all I just didn't empathise much with this couple.

Following a couple immersed in self-doubt and self absorption for a long period, is occasionally testing.

But perhaps this is the main point of One Day - this is not just a love story, it's a coming of age story too - we all go through that period of immaturity, often vainly thinking we will have some major impact on the world, only for life to batter us into some more grounded sense of 'getting over ourselves'.

Leo Woodall's character, Dexter, is, at times, supremely arrogant, whilst at others disarmingly innocent, self-deprecating and capable of genuine selflessness. His initial swagger and self confidence, together with a seeming ability to glide through life aided by class privilege, mask a deeper sense of displacement, lack of direction and desire for meaning. For me, his character and depiction were the stand out elements.

Meanwhile, Emma, played by Ambika Mod, has an off-putting abrasive 'humour' (too unkind to be banter) which thinly veils her insecurity. She is intellectually superior to Dexter, but life seems to initially favour Dexter, which she obviously resents. Mod's performance isn't quite up to Woodall's, but there is a certain chemistry between the pair.

Sticking with it, these people did grow on me, and by the end I did care what happened to them.

Plus, it's not just about those two people. We also get occasional insight into supporting characters. There's an amusing scene involving one of Dexter's later love interests playing a bizarre family game, for example, and a main plotline involving one of Emmas admirers, Ian (played adeptly by Jonny Weldon) that is as interesting as it is sometimes painful to watch.

One additional problem that does need mentioning is the ageing process. We are following two people from age 18 to sometime in their 30s, yet neither age significantly resulting in a lack of immersion, for example a late scene where Emma comments how she has 'lost her youthful looks', but still looks about 14.

Putting all this criticism aside, I did, ultimately, enjoy the series. It's considerably better than the forgettable movie.

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A Haunting in Venice (2023)

5/10

Feels quite low budget and 'Sunday afternoon TV movie'.

26 December 2023

The worst entry, by far, in the recent Agatha Christie revival featuring Kenneth Branagh and that mustache, 'A Haunting In Venice' is packed full of cliched camera angles, cheesy jump scares and quite a bit of overacting and underacting - neither of which are fun to watch.

I seem to recall Branagh being quite good in the other films, but he feels somewhat deflated here and lacking the necessary charisma.

He's a complete star though in comparison to Tina Fey who looks like someone who has won a competition to visit on set, she appears in far too many scenes contributing nothing but a rather smug grin and looking totally out of place.

Michelle Yeoh overplays an equally annoying character whilst Jamie Dornan struggles to convey torment. Riccardo Scarmaccio looks born to feature in this film, with that haunting face, but is rather underused.

These films aren't intended to be realistic - more glossy, tongue-in-cheek fun, but the laughs were all unintended here.

I can't say how closely this follows the source material, but the central plot is a bit lacking. Poirot's back story doesn't develop much either.

Younger audience members might find it a bit scary (and original), but the older ones may be rolling their eyes or stifling a yawn and many will 'solve the case' way before Poirot does.

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The Killer (2023)

7/10

Moody, tense, stylish, but somewhat lacking

30 November 2023

'The Killer' isn't particularly deep, unless you feel it is.

For example, despite an almost constant voiceover by the unnamed hitman of the title, we never really discover what is motivating Fassbender's 'Killer.' I didn't feel I knew him much more by the end of the film than what I had gathered from the first scene.

He is obsessed with precision, detail, forensic planning and patience and has a music playlist on tap that appears to consist of entirely Smiths songs. But we learn all this within the first opening minutes.

There is, admittedly, an underlying theme regarding empathy that plays throughout - so maybe I'm being too harsh.

On the soundtrack topic, I respect Fincher's choice of artist here, he was definitely risking alienating a huge chunk of the audience using such a 'marmite' band.

I am a massive fan of the Smiths - so you might think I was happy to have multiple tracks included in the film. Actually I found it very distracting - we only hear snippets that drop in and out - to allow for that, frankly quite annoying and invasive voiceover. If you're going to play the tracks - play the tracks.

That set-up scene would, for me, have been far more powerful if our killer had been silent - 'show don't tell.' Perhaps, it would have come across like a high cost music video - but, heck, it would have been a cool video.

As for general impressions of the movie - it was enjoyable, though far from perfect. I would've liked less repetitive voiceover (some of it reduced to explaining what is happening on screen) and, actually - more of the style.

Much of it takes place at night with scenes drenched in that typical Fincher sickly yellow-green lighting - on an amusing note, in the opening scene the assassin, who should surely be sat waiting in the dark, has a large yellow-green portable light shining in his face - a small but comical 'mistake' that detracted from any potential 'atmosphere'.

Fassbender and Swinton are undeniably visually striking and the general pacing maintains a slow-burning tension, but I couldn't help feeling this was something of a missed opportunity - given the actors involved and the set-up. Even the Swinton/Fassbender pair up feels lacklustre - the dialogue feeling a bit throwaway.

The expression 'style over substance' is almost always used pejoratively - the assumption being anything that is primarily concerned with surface or visual details (and perhaps, sound) is less valid than anything obsessed with 'depth of meaning'.

When it comes to visual media this is somewhat misleading. 'The Killer' certainly wasn't an emotional roller coaster of a film, but it never set out to be. There is an inherent coldness and inpenetrability to it's subject.

'...I am the son and the heir....of nothing in particular...'

Films don't require a reducible 'message' to be valid, or entertaining, but I suppose you could sum this one up as 'Is this killer human? And what does that mean?'

'.... I am human and I need to be loved....just like everybody else does..'

6.5/10.

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All the Light We Cannot See (2023)

5/10

Misses the target

23 November 2023

There were multiple problems with this for me: poor casting, bad dialogue, constant bloopers, pantomime baddies, but most of all it failed to achieve any genuine dramatic resonance.

Louis Hoffman is perhaps the best thing in it, although even he looks out of place cast as a young teen in shorts - looking far too old.

Mark Ruffalo attempts an english accent - to play a frenchman (no, it doesn't make much sense ) - and it undermines his performance.

Hugh Laurie wisely sticks to his own accent but his acting isn't much better.

It's not completely terrible, there's some decent production values and judging by other reviews it's working for some.

As just one example of a blooper, in the first scene we have a blind girl living alone in a large house who for some reason feels the need to light the room she is sitting in with multiple lamps - to add to the obvious silliness of this there is a night-time bombing raid going on...

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What's Love Got to Do with It? (2022)

6/10

A generic romcom story gets an alternative spin

2 August 2023

Billed as a romcom, 'What's Love...' is an interesting little movie, from a social commentary point of view. It may, hopefully, represent a turning point in the zeitgeist - as it gently mocks, rather than indulges many woke attitudes and, consciously or inadvertently reintroduces some rather conservative and old-fashioned liberal ideas and presents a reasonably balanced, if highly glamourised, view of multi-cultural Britain.

As for the entertainment value, it's bright, colourful, features a decent cast, has some splatterings of gentle humour and ticks most of the boxes for a romcom. I don't think it's a classic. In many ways it's obsession with self-identity undermines the central pretext of a romcom - we never quite escape the feeling these are all atomised individuals with the romance simply papering over the cracks - but romcoms have a tendency to heavily reflect the age they are made in. Whether this one ages well remains to be seen.

The basic story arc is entirely predictable, but this is a genre known for that.

Lily James, plays Zoe a successful filmmaker and 'independent young woman' but with definite emotional insecurities. Feeling constant pressure from her, somewhat overbearing mother, played by Emma Thompson, and also the sense of a biological clock ticking down - she begins to question her dating methods and search for the 'ideal man'.

Meanwhile, Zoe's neighbours, a Muslim family of Pakistani heritage, include her childhood friend Kazim, who suddenly announces he is going to pursue an arranged marriage, with the assistance of his family.

This is an interesting subject for a romcom, allowing exploration of the broad differences between contemporary dating in the liberalised West and a more traditional religious approach. This is neatly sewn into the narrative as Zoe suggests filming the proceedings for an investigative documentary.

I didn't find the comedy aspect convincing, Emma Thompson is possibly the worst thing in the movie - despite being a capable actress, she just isn't great in this type of role and comes across as a patronising caricature for much of the film.

I think she was intended to be the light relief, but I found her performance a bit toe-curling.

Shazid Latif was very good and likeable for the most part (bar a cringey diatribe about feeling 'Brit-ish' - which sounded straight out of the Critical Social Justice playbook and was out of character - Zoe and Kazim have been friends all their lives, yet this topic has never previously been raised?).

The film is not afraid to portray the ethnocentric smallmindedness of some of the older generation of British Pakistanis - here Kazim's mother and father stipulate that a potential bride must be of a certain lightness of skin colour and of the 'correct ethnic origin', and Kazim's grandmother comments on the skin colour of a mixed-race baby.

Meanwhile, Zoe's employers a couple of young entrepreneur types are gently mocked for their blatant hypocrisy and virtue signalling with the 'diversity' message.

A significant scene revolves around freezing eggs for women who aren't ready for motherhood. Here Zoe's rather naive presumptions come into contact with the reality. It seems the filmakers are questioning some of the potentially misleading messages that young women may have received ('you can 'have it all' to order').

The film also features a running 'joke' where Zoe reads traditional fairy stories to a couple of younger girls - she changes and adapts them to fit a 'feminist' spin - they are strikingly close to what Disney has been producing in recent years (see their forthcoming deconstruction of the Snow White story) - but the narrative unwinds to reveal the potential problems inherent in such a worldview.

'The princess doesn't need a prince, she's perfectly happy without one...' Or is she?

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Faraway (2023)

8/10

Predictable but enjoyable romcom with some refreshing elements

29 July 2023

'Faraway' is formulaic - I could rattle off a whole string of cliches from the genre - but is well acted, has likeable characters, some stunning scenery, good-natured humour sprinkled throughout and sufficient chemistry between the leads.

It's probably best described as a gentle comedy - the characters have to deal with some life challenges (death of close family, infidelity, stroppy kids etc.) but there aren't any real tense dramatic moments.

It may depend on your mood - some may find the 'hero's journey' here a little too easy and convenient but this was intended, I believe, as light escapism and it ticks that box.

Many reviewers have commented on the age of the main protagonist, Zeynep, and the film even rifts on this a bit.

There have been more romantic comedies emerging in recent years featuring elderly actors, but the middle-aged bracket is often overlooked.

This is the point in many people's lives when children are reaching adulthood, parents are passing away and marriages/relationships and one's own 'journey' often need reassessment. Faraway centres on this theme and should appeal to a broad audience.

Naomi Krauss fills the role of the central character with ease and a lack of pretension - convincing as both the somewhat dowdy and downhearted wife and the transition to spirited freewheeler attracting the attention of several (younger and older) men.

The dubbed version should be avoided if at all possible - although the 'English' version begins with characters speaking a mixture of German and Turkish, English is spoken by most for the majority of the film.

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Living (2022)

8/10

Moving, occasionally maudlin, parable on 'a life well lived'

15 June 2023

Some roles seem tailor-made for certain actors, Bill Nighy provides a, perhaps, career defining performance here, as the pent-up gentleman, bedecked in suit and bowler hat, forced to face his own mortality and threatening to reveal deep wells of repressed emotion.

Nighy fits so neatly into the setting and premise here, that it's difficult to acknowledge he was, in reality, a young child in the period the film is set.

'Living' should come with a health warning, for viewers of a certain age and demographic, for generating potentially toxic levels of nostalgia. Set in a very English 1950s London, we have scenes of low traffic density, children playing in the street, bobbies on the beat, cohesive communities looking after one another...I could go on.

Far from being a simplistic monoculture, the plot throws the viewer into numerous subcultures - the predominant one here being the office bound clerical establishment of a London council department, but we also visit scenes of a more bohemian nature, as well as visiting the, still war-torn, suburbs.

In case potential viewers think this might be a case of rose-tinted spectacles, we certainly get the arguable downsides associated with those times too.

The plot and character development revolve around the stultifying atmosphere of conformity, unbending deference to authority, ridiculous bureaucracy, a rigid hierarchy of class and the ever-present restrictions of 'neighbourly', and family, enforcement of moral codes as well as the aforementioned relative poverty, for many communities, of the post-war years .

Will Nighy's character, Williams, affectionally nicknamed Mr Zombie, manage to break-free of these boundaries to find his 'true calling'?

The supporting roles are well handled too, Aimee Lou Wood exudes a natural charisma, bringing a little life to the office where much of the 'action' occurs. Alex Sharp is good too, as the new employee, whose initial enthusiasm clashes with the claustrophobic reality of clerical life.

On the downside, the final act didn't quite provide the full impact it promised, partly due to an unconvincing scene set in a particular outdoor environment (viewers will know what I mean), which seemed to clash with Williams' character (was it considerate to others to choose this path?) and wandered into overly sentimental territory.

Much more could be said about the theme here, including an exploration of the value of a hedonistic lifestyle as opposed to one devoted to helping others. There is also, I believe, contemporary relevance to the restrictions of free thought and expression - while we seemed to have escaped the puritanical and authoritarian aspects of the 1950s in some respects, there are worrying signs of their resurgence all around us.

Overall, this was a timely and welcome moral tale, with its exploration of mortality and morality. What constitutes a life well-lived is a perennial problem we all face and the movie also serves as a fitting tribute to the talents of Bill Nighy - the stand-out line being, 'I always dreamt of being a gentlemen'.

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Driven (I) (2018)

7/10

Entertaining tale of egos, ambition and corruption.

4 June 2023

'Driven' is a solid 7/10. It's not a comedy, but there are elements of the plot and performances that are lightly amusing. I was aware of the famous car (as much from Back To The Future as anything else) but didn't know anything about the central story, which made it more interesting to follow.

There's plenty of 70s style decor and fashion keeping the film visually interesting and the performances are decent too. The courtroom scenes that tie the story together lack tension, but this is partially down to the source material - it's difficult to care much about this collection of entitled people even though it's entertaining to step into their world for a brief period.

Jason Sudeikis seemed well-cast as the somewhat aimless and irreverent FBI informant. His combination of gormless smile, almost pathological optimism and need to please coupled with a tendency to dig himself deeper into trouble made for an interestingly conflicted character, although not a particularly strong protaganist.

The plot partially revolves around a battle of egos/budding friendship between Hoffman (Sudeikis) and DeLorean, with the car manufacturer and entrepreneur dominating to begin with, but events shifting the balance to a much more even keel.

It is not clear until the end whether genuine respect and friendship, ego 'driven' power dynamics/ambition or self-serving survival instincts will decide the outcome.

Lee Pace is good as DeLorean - exuding Alpha Male bravado but hinting at a less stable core.

Not much else to say here, it's no masterpiece but it's a colourful and engaging watch about a slightly bizarre slice of history.

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The Tape (2021)

3/10

Somethings smells fishy here.

3 June 2023

Warning: Spoilers

'The Tape' was written, directed, produced and stars Martha Tilston. It also revolves around the music of Martha Tilston. I don't know anything about Martha Tilston other than what I have learnt from this film but I think it's fair to say that she doesn't lack self-confidence, self-promotion skills, drive to succeed, or access to money (movies are notoriously expensive things to make).

None of this is problematic.

If I was being less charitable I might suggest it hints at a certain level of narcissism, but I highly rate similar projects, that revolve around actual singer-songwriters playing characters singing their own songs, such as 'Once'.

One potential problem lies in the characterisation of Tally Green, played by Tilston, who is meant to embody the virtual opposite of the above.

Tally is meant to be a happy-go-lucky 'free spirit' who doesn't seek financial success, in fact actively opposes it, and just makes music for the love of it. She hates 'the system' and her/Tilston's songs revolve around the notion of 'authenticity' vs. Being a 'robot'. It would be fair to say that 'honesty' is a major theme - which is why I am discussing this aspect.

She doesn't play her music to an audience anymore and is meant to be scarred by previous involvement with the music industry.

Again, I don't have a problem with those aims and qualities - it is just that the two don't sit together and the viewer is being asked to forget about Martha Tilston and 'believe' the world of, and empathise with Tally Green.

As the movie is really a way of marketing the music of Tilston there seems to be a central dishonesty in portraying herself as an anti-capitalist 'pure' artist, whatever that is.

Martha Tilston wants to be successful, Tally apparently doesn't - or maybe she is conflicted (none of this is properly investigated). You could argue that Tilston/Tally are both aiming for 'success' on their own terms - not tarred by compromise - perhaps, but this is not the only problem with the characterisation here.

Tally doesn't look or seem scarred - and this is another problem. She just seems to breeze through life entirely absent of that little thing called responsibility. She'd rather not be cleaning houses and would rather sit in a wood reading poetry, paddle in the sea, or sing her songs at a (perfectly tuned) piano (that she didn't have to buy herself).

All understandable, but not exactly 'hero of the story' material.

Tally reeks of entitlement - she feels entitled to just wander into another person's house and rifle through their possessions, she feels entitled to play their piano and invite her musician friends to kip on the couch, she feels entitled to record some music at the house - and this will somehow be welcomed as a gift by the owner - who actually just asked for the house to be cleaned.

Where are the obstacles to her 'arc'? Everything seems effortless to her. 'Inspiration' turns up and the songs pour out. She isn't technically minded but can somehow perfectly set-up a vintage four-track tape recorder, resulting in a perfect recording first time.

Such characters don't make for the best stories.

We are told she is 'scarred', but not shown it.

There are other problems here. Tally has some 'humorous' interactions with a vacuum cleaner and is portrayed as 'Cornwall's worst cleaner'. She's just no good at this 'work' thing, you see. She's really just a 'free-spirit' (presumably living entirely off of other people's good-will).

She is meant to be living 'rough' in a van on the beach, but turns up to her cleaning job dressed in an array of carefully curated floral dresses and high heels. At best, she looks like she's spent a week glamping at a posh festival, not someone struggling to survive.

This could be promising material if we were meant to view Tally as somewhat ridiculous, childish and self-centred - yet, I suspect we are not meant to feel this - and the absence of any character arc further reinforce this impression - Tally is just perfect as she is and the world has to adapt around her to make the story progress.

Okay - so it's a light fantasy romance, not a gritty rags to riches story.

What about the romance element? It's lightly sketched and highly cliched (including a half-hearted race to a train station to catch the departing love interest), but not without some promise. There is some mild conflict between her and her romantic interest, but it's too lightly sketched to be very effective.

Tally somehow lands a dream job 'housesitting' a gorgeous property in which she discovers poetry written by the owner, Ardo. Tally falls for Ardo through his writing. This scenario is complicated by the arrival of a London based lawyer, Leo, who is recovering from career burn-out and stumbles upon Tally and falls for her through her music.

Will Tally pick Ardo or Leo? She debates this conundrum with her close friend, and fellow free spirit, Goo, pointing out it's a bit weird to be obsessed with someone she hasn't met (Ardo).

She never seems to stop to think Ardo might not be interested in her. It is presumably a given that she's just so adorable he will inevitably fall for her. There's that narcissism again.

The other crucial problem I had with 'The Tape' is the music itself. I simply didn't like it. It's not the genre - folk oriented and traditional instruments - that's fine.

Tilston is technically skilled at piano and singing, but, for me, her songs lack something, the lyrics are rather aimless and prone to cliche and the melodies a bit bland. The lyrical themes on display here ironically feel artificial: contrived attempts at conveying honesty rather than actual honesty.

Potential viewers might be best served by listening to one of the songs first - if they like it - then they might enjoy the film more than I did.

For any fans of Tilston, I don't apologise for this review - I'm just giving my honest reaction - I wanted to like the film and music, but didn't.

It has some nice scenes of Cornwall.

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The Whale (2022)

8/10

Powerful, dark and occasionally painful to watch, yet full of hope and humanity.

1 June 2023

The central theme is twofold: 'human beings can't help caring' and despite trying our best, 'maybe we can't actually save anyone'. Hope and hopelessness playing out in a single setting.

It's also about 'truth' or raw honesty. Fraser's character, Charlie, an English teacher, has an obsession about revealing truth and meaning in writing, yet hides his true appearance from his online students.

All of the characters seem bound to tragedy in some way, yet amidst the dark, hope emerges, often from the least promising sources. If you are avoiding watching it because you're afraid it will be too dark or depressing - bear in mind, there is redemption to be found here too.

The performances are all excellent. I don't know how much of Brendan Fraser's appearance was real and what was prosthetics, but it was convincing.

More importantly, the relationship between Charlie and his daughter, Ellie, played by Sadie Sink (in full-on ferocious mode) is believable and absorbing. The same can be said for all the relationships on show here.

Samantha Morton appears briefly but is as powerful as ever, setting a potentially simplistic yet thoroughly three-dimensional counterpoint to Charlie's faith and optimism in Ellie.

The side story revolving around a young fundamentalist preacher is nicely handled too.

'The Whale' is ultimately a spiritual tale, but one utterly grounded in physicality - the sense of goodness, love and hope being crushed by materiality has perhaps never been better expressed.

It's often a difficult watch and could easily have descended into sentimentality or exploitation - it was neither. The aspect ratio and single setting both contribute to a sense of confinement - in that sense the ending is almost a relief - getting up and walking away from the screen somehow embodying and reflecting the final lines and visual images of the movie.

And, you'll probably never think about takeaway junk food in same way.

I base my review scores on two main factors: did the movie achieve what I believe it set out to achieve and did I enjoy it. 'Enjoy' is perhaps not the best word for a film like 'The Whale'. But I'm glad I watched it.

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FUBAR (2023– )

3/10

Time to retire, Arnie.

31 May 2023

DISCLAIMER: review based on first episode only.

Arnold 'screw your freedom' Schwarzeneggar's most iconic role was a monosyllabic robot, so the concept of moving into TV series territory in order to display the full panoply of his talents didn't bode well. Sure enough, this is pretty embarrassing stuff.

There is zero attempt at generating any sense of immersion, the humour is cringeworthy, the characters spew out exposition or childish inanity nonstop and the whole thing looks cheap.

Unlike Arnie's earlier iconic films there is no overarching theme or distinct metaphor to carry this along - it's just a generic plot. Nor are there any ground-breaking special effects or big action sequences to carry the weight.

No one expected Arnie to have suddenly developed his skill at communicating deep emotion, or even completing a whole sentence without it appearing to be a herculean effort, but I wasn't fully prepared for the laziness of the writing here.

The relationship between father and daughter is utterly unconvincing. The whole, (predictable) 'here's a woman doing everything a man can do, but better' might develop into an interesting premise given Arnie's (tired and tiring) pretence at being the apex Alpha Male, but frankly life's too short to continue with this trash.

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The Mother (2023)

7/10

Solid if unspectacular action flick with a mix of symbolism.

29 May 2023

One of the key lines goes something like: 'everything that keeps us alive is born out of pain and violence' - I might be misquoting it, but that's the gist.

That's a pretty harsh theme for a 'glossy vanity project for Lopez to show off her looks' as some reviewers are pitching this.

Browsing through the reviews, there seems to be a lot of hate for this movie, mostly directed at Jennifer Lopez. I'll be clear, I have zero interest in Lopez. I'm not sure if I've seen her in anything before and I know nothing about her life or beliefs. Maybe my opinion would change if I knew more, but as it is, I think I'm fairly neutral on that point.

I thought this was a fairly solid action drama with decent performances all-round.

The action sequences are nothing spectacular but at least have a bit of physical weight to them and the emotional scenes, especially towards the end, had a degree of heft too.

Some negative reviews complain that Lopez isn't convincing as a hardened war veteran and sniper. Fair enough, but you have to suspend disbelief for most action movies. Personally, based on her performance here, I'd rather watch Lopez in this sort of role than a lot of other actresses/actors.

Lopez and Lucy Paez, playing her daughter, Zoe, made a good pairing. Zoe is sometimes clever and insightful, at other times childishly naive - which seemed believable given her age, upbringing and biological parents. The dialogue is sparse but quite well written and there's some decent 'show don't tell' moments.

The emotional connection between mother and daughter is the key ingredient to the movie and is developed slowly over the course of the film - those wishing for a 'Nobody' style violence fest/parody or a hard-bitten thriller will be disappointed.

The action is okay, but it's the relationship between mother and daughter that lifts this above a 5/10 average.

On the less positive side, the script is predictable and the action sequences generic.

Some of the visual metaphors are arguably a bit on-the-nose: the mother wolf and her cubs, for example, but in an age where comic book movies reign it's fine.

'The Mother' is not subtle then, but it's not intended to be an entirely realistic drama - it's a contemporary parable told through simple means. Yes, it's also probably a 'vanity project', but so what? If you only want to watch actors who lack vanity, you might have a short watchlist.

The film also continues a trend of casting virtually all the 'bad guys' or expendable fodder in line with certain characteristics and then glorifying their demise - there's nothing progressive about this - it's born out of spite and divisiveness. It also contributes to the predictability of a plot. If you don't understand what I mean then you're possibly better off in your ignorance because once you notice this trend it's hard to un-notice it.

Beneath the superficiality of an action movie, the symbolism is interesting, but I will spare IMDb readers from my full interpretation, let's just say the relationship between absent 'no good' fathers, career oriented mothers (in male dominated spheres) and the 'best' family set-up are key themes.

That the resolution for these issues is often brutal violence is an interesting take, given the movie also purports to be about motherly love.

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Inside Man (II) (2022)

5/10

Irritating, poorly paced, poorly written but 'entertaining' pulp.

28 May 2023

'Inside Man' isn't a full-on satire, but it is frequently absurd.

The set-up is based around a claim made by one of the main characters, Grieff, played by Stanley Tucci, who is a sort of very poor man's combination of Hanibal Lecter and Sherlock (albeit an anti-hero version), and who states: 'Everyone is a murderer, given a good enough reason'.

This is a good example of the sort of vacuous nonsense that Grieff espouses throughout the mini-series. Given a 'good enough reason' a human being will do anything humanly possible. The question, in this case, is whether the writer can produce a 'good enough reason' for his characters.

The series then proceeds to 'prove' this hypothesis by rapidly inserting its set of characters into a slew of predicaments. The result is an often unconvincing mess, not helped by some pacing issues, bizarre tonal shifts (for example, discussing child abuse intertwined with what to have for a take-away meal) and a niggling sense of nihilism. I struggled to get past the first episode.

If you can get past the collection of highly implausible plot points, the queue of irritating or banal characters and the questionable decision to try to tie two separate stories together (the only real reason being to appeal to a transatlantic audience -as far as I can see) - then 'Inside Man' is fairly entertaining pulp fiction. Once I gave in to the absurdity and the often unlikeable characters, I did want to know how it was all going to pan out.

I would have preferred for it to completely drop the 'American' story in favour of the 'British' one.

Tucci is poorly cast as Grieff. He lacks menace, is frequently quite boring to watch and his 'genius' solving of cryptic crime puzzles is mostly a con: once the hidden piece of information is revealed the answer is often obvious - a good piece of crime writing will present the viewer with all the necessary information at the start and then cleverly mislead them, bad writing, as is the case here, presents a seemingly unsolvable conundrum by withholding the crucial piece of information.

His sidekick, Dillon Kempton, played by Atkins Estimond, is meant to be a psychotic mass murderer, but is so unconvincing I wondered if at some point he was going to be revealed as a figment of Grieff's imagination. The interplay between Grieff and Kempton is, presumably, intended to be sparky and intriguing but is, unforgivably, rather dull.

Tying this US based story to the UK one is the character of Beth Davenport, played by Lydia West. Davenport is meant to be a investigative journalist obsessed with violent crime. She apparently has the drive and determination to travel halfway across the globe to interview Grieff, but arrives with no prior consideration of what to ask Grieff, how to conduct a successful interview, or how to deal with any sort of human interaction without simply repeating what the other person has just uttered but with a question mark at the end and accompanied by the scowl of a contemptuous teenager. In short, she is an irritating character to watch - most of the time being far too passive but then, inexplicably becoming assertive when the plot demands it.

On the UK side we have somewhat more reliable performances by David Tennant and Lyndsey Marshal - who do in fact make a decent duo and make the most of the ridiculous material.

Whereas Grieff and Kempton are reduced to sitting in rooms discussing things, Tennant and Marshal's characters, a vicar and his wife, are thrown into dynamic situations requiring on the spot decisions - a far more entertaining premise which results in some undeniably distracting lunacy.

In my opinion, the series would have been more successful were it to concentrate on the pacing and plot of this part of the story making it more believable and hence more dramatic.

Without spoilers - the ending threatens a sequel (of even more ramped up ridiculousness), but I don't have high hopes that the writer/producers have learnt the right lessons from this first outing.

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