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gavinpwebb
Reviews
On the Line (2022)
Plot holes throughout explained by disappointing ending.
First, the acting wasn't that bad. Having Mel Gibson play a narcissistic shock jock wasn't that great a stretch though.
The initial premise was sound, with echoes of the Fisher King backstory.
What followed was a relatively good thriller, though punctuated with things that don't make sense. Character reactions, strategic decisions etc. After shouting at the screen for a while, eventually the viewer is given a plot twist that explains everything.
This plot twist is so bad that "it was all a dream" would have been better.
Then another twist, which was very obvious and left me wanting everyone to die and cursing the decision to even bother watching in the first place.
Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
Beautifully made portrayal of a often misunderstood subject
I never would have picked this to watch, but I'm very glad my partner did. This film shows schizophrenia in a way I've never seen portrayed before. It felt quirky and lighthearted, but has a sense of underlying dread that builds. I was carried along with the character, beautifully played by Charlie Plummer. In fact, the whole cast were great and everyone's journey was relatable.
I don't know how realistic or accurate it was, but it seemed like the account of schizophrenia I once heard from someone with the illness. It really captured the dread and fear "it feels like a nightmare, but I'm awake" that is there along with the more benign hallucinations.
Koma (2019)
Visually stunning, artistical, beautiful.
Usually, when a movie has too much cgi, it can make for a boring experience. In this case though, it is so creative and beautiful that it is almost the whole story itself.
The concept of the story is a good one, the script is adequate to move the story along and the acting is neither great nor terrible. It is the world building and attention to detail that makes this a joy to watch, from beginning to end.
The Aliens (2016)
Great show, with subtlety lost on some.
I started watching this after 'Humans', which was excellent. Aliens has a themic connection in that it is sci fi that deals with 'others' who are different to us and shows how we deal with them. The humour is fairly simple, sometimes almost slapstick, sometimes making one cringe. I found the characters quite quickly became likeable, or in the case of Fabien, fun to hate. I think it is a tragedy the series was not continued, because there were so many clues to what I think would have been a massive reveal, changing the premise of the program. The 'aliens' had no recollection of life before they 'landed'. They were identical to humans apart from two chemical differences, their hair and the affect cleaning tablets had on them. I think they weren't alien at all, but instead a population subjected to some kind of chemical accident which the government covered up. Just my guess, but it would change the show from the simple aliens on earth concept that it appears to be.
3 Musketeers (2011)
Struggling to find a positive note
I have never been so motivated to write a negative film review before. This movie has, as far as I can see, no redeeming features whatsoever.
The plot is mediocre and unoriginal. The script is clichéd, unrealistic and uninspiring. It seems to be a low budget movie, but has a story with action sequences that need far better special effects, or less ambition. The acting seems terrible, but with that script and the low production values, anyone would have looked bad and I can't fault the actors for anything other than bad judgment for accepting the job.
One thing that stood out above all else for me was the poor quality of some of the action sequences. The (mercifully) short sword fight between two of the leading ladies was probably the worst fight I have ever seen on screen. For a director who has made a career as a stuntman and a fight choreographer, this is really puzzling. What happened? In one of the final scenes two supposedly expert fencers have a fight where they hack at each other with foils as if they're holding machetes. For a film that takes it's name from such a classic story of sword fighting excellence, this failure is an insult, and unforgivable.
I was warned before watching this that it was bad, so I had exceedingly low expectations. Even so, they were not met.