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Reviews
The Power of the Dog (2021)
The not-so-quick and the dead bored
The quality of the acting in The Power of the Dog was sound - beyond sound, in fact - but the pace of this film... DAMN! It could have been finished in half the time.
All the actors do a solid job, hence the 4 stars, but the story just isn't compelling enough to warrant such a long run time.
The overall aftertaste is entirely bland, and that's being generous.
Skyscraper (2018)
Does what it says on the box
Yeah, you kinda know what you're getting even before you start watching. It's one of those movies. But if you disengage from reality for the duration, it's actually pretty enjoyable.
A predictable but safe storyline, good CGI and decent acting. I actually thought Dwayne did a solid job, and I'm not generally a huge fan.
It's popcorn fare, but a bit of fun and adventure so long as you ignore all the cliches.
6/10.
Scorpion (2014)
A-Team with nerds.
Oh, this show wasn't all that bad. If you enjoy TV shows from the 1980s (A-Team, Magnum PI, Night Rider, etc) then this will probably appeal to you.
It's decent family entertainment, and something to watch with kids of about 10 years old or so. There is a smattering of very mild cursing, no unpleasant blood and guts violence, and a few vague storylines connect it all together. Standard fare.
However...
We made it to episode 1 of season 3 before deciding enough was enough. Perpetual disasters and implausible escape scenarios in every episode are all good and well for entertainment value, but sliding down a couple hundred feet of cables in an elevator shaft because you have a blob of silly-putty in your hands... I mean, seriously?! Just because the characters are mostly geniuses doesn't mean that, conversely, most of the audience are morons.
All in all the series provided a few light-hearted adventures that didn't offend, but it got a bit much after a while.
Oh, and what was Walter's IQ again? I think they neglected to mention it in, oo, maybe one episode.
The Intern (2015)
I expected to hate this...
I expected to hate this, but De Niro is my favourite actor so I figured I'd give it a go.
I can't stand schmaltz. Can't stand jazz, soppy stories with light comedy moments, anything about New York, anything involving trendy hipsters or precocious but cute kids... and I've always thought Anne Hathaway was overrated.
Yet here I am, admitting I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Ms Hathaway was wonderfully convincing in the role. The story was wholesome (albeit with some unnecessary swearing in one instance, which soured it slightly), poignant and entertaining. And believable. The story reflects the reality of our age, and the roles we're assigned by society. It deals really well with the image of women as powerful figures, and with age-related perceptions.
The biggest let-down (only in my opinion, obviously) was from Mr De Niro. His acting in The Mission remains one of the best performances I have watched to date, but I think maybe he should choose his comedy roles more carefully.
Majo no takkyûbin (1989)
Not Ghibli's finest
3 stars for the animation which, as always, was magnificent. But the story was just so DULL. Studio Ghibli usually has interesting characters and stories, but this one fell utterly flat.
365 dni (2020)
The ending is the best part of the film.
Scores:
Acting - 2
Directing - 2
Screenplay - Uh... what's a screenplay?
Narcissism factor - 400
Idiocy factor - 300
Total - 2.75
Make sense? No. And nor does this film.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Meeh...
3 stars awarded for the costumes, cinematography and CGI, which made Victorian London look mostly authentic and mostly believable.
Points deducted for RD Jr. as the lead character. An American actor known for his rapid-fire mumbling - who's idea was that? Seriously, just off the bat I can think of three big name English actors who could have done a better job.
With all the endless takes on this character, I was hoping for something very different this time. I was of course left disappointed.
Don't bother with this. Far better to watch the BBC series with Engelbert and Wossname.
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Seriously, uh..?
What an utterly senseless pile of crap. I can only think Anthony Hopkins must have a coke habit that needs financing. I was confused and, actually, a bit bored by this shambolic mess, as were my wife and two kids aged twelve and fourteen. Michael Bay, if you'd spent the budget from this rubbish on feeding starving kids in some of the countries used as locations, the world may think better of you. As it is... well...
Death Note (2017)
Why all the hate for this film?
I've been around a fair few dacades and watched a lot of movies - among them horror, dark fantasy, and so on. Not sure why this one has so many negative reviews - possibly based on the original anime (which I admittedly have never watched).
Even so, I went in with an open mind and zero expectations and I really enjoyed it. The acting was sound, as was the the story, effects, continuity and so on. Yes there were a few times when I spotted a minor error but so what? It was entertaining and enjoyable, without too much gratuitous gore.
If you have nothing else to watch and need something to do with an hour and a bit, I'd recommend Death Note.
Power Rangers (2017)
Worth a shot
This was surprisingly not crap. I fully expected it to be, and was pleasantly surprised. Decent story aside from the villain's dumb name, well directed, and well acted (for the most part).
Watched with my 9 and 13 year old kids who also enjoyed it (although the youngest missed a few of the more adult references).
The Vanishing (1993)
This is not the trailer you are looking for...
Seems the trailer featured is the Gerard Butler version.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
A huge disappointment.
After the brilliant original film I was seriously left thinking they were trying way, way too hard to replicate it in this second effort. Lame humour, convoluted storyline, and far too much gratuitous and unnecessary bad language. I guess that's what you get for setting your expectations too high.
Peter's Friends (1992)
Third time unlucky
I watched this when it first came out, when I was an art student. I watched it again about a decade later. Both times, I found the movie entertaining and well acted. This time, however (2018) it was trite and irritating, with all the actors - usually excellent in their own right - utterly tedious. Overacting, annoying and unloveable characters, and with a very dated soundtrack (not terribly good even at the time), it just failed for me third time round.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Eeeeh... reality check...
I hate musicals. Can't stand the damn things. I switched off La La Land when the second song began and never went back to it. A pox on A-list actors trying to sing, I recall saying at the time. So it came as a bit of a shock, then, when I not only sat through The Greatest Showman (because my kids wanted to watch it), but tolerated it in decent humour and even, when it finished, found that I'd actually enjoyed it.
The cinematography is simply outstanding. Every scene is a little work of art, clearly very well thought through and meticulously planned and co-ordinated. The story - while probably slightly shy of the actual historical events - is entertaining and keeps the viewer interested throughout. Even the songs (bane of my life when musicals are mentioned, let it end, let it ennnnnnnnnd!!) were rather good.
All in all, the film didn't suck. I wanted it to, but it didn't. Certainly worth a watch for any old cynics like myself who enjoy occasionally being pleasantly surprised.