chrisforeman-01920 Reviews

Triangle (2009)

A little gem of a film.

[8/10 · 29 April 2024]

It is fairly impossible to describe Triangle without spoiling it. Needless to say its entertaining. A fairly dark premise. Not horror more psycological. It drops some very major hints about what its about throughout the first half of the movie.

Acting and direction are fine. Was never going to win any oscars. Its an open ended finish which sort o gives it some kind of resolution. See im struggling to describe it ! If you liked Momento you are going to like this. I have read a few of the critical reviews and really they are talking nonsense. Give it a go its well worth a couple of hours of your time.

Shōgun (2024–2026)

In retrospect

[10/10 · 25 April 2024]

I havent read the book and only have a vague recolection of the 1980's mini series. So really this is a relativly first time experience with the marvelous world of Shogun. I scored it initially a 10 after a few episodes. Although I have to admit some doubt started creeping in around episode 4.

I think if I had binge wached this I would have scored it a solid 9. I think the fist half of the series is superior to the latter half. The final episode, with a major character missing, was a little bit flat.

To be fair I was unsure what I was expecting. It did all seem to fade out rather than go out with a bang.

This may sound overly critical . As a whole its brilliantly acted , beautifully filmed and has an intrigueing story line. Also to . The western eye, it could well have been a total fantasy as the Japanese culture is such a mystery and seems so alien.

Not perfect but highly recommended.

Napoleon (2023)

Disappointing but not a disaster.

[6/10 · 2 March 2024]

I was advised by friends , who had seen the movie, not to bother and wait till appeared on Apple. So that's what I did. Well I suppose the positives are in parts it looks good. Vanessa Kirby is great as the expert survivalist Josephine. The sex scenes are strangely comedic. Which I think was the intention.

But really that's where the positives end. The major or should I say Emperor problem is Joaquin Phoenix. He just seems to wander through the film looking clueless at what is going off. He is way too old at the beginning of the film. The siege of Toulon Napoleon was 24 not 54.

You have to admire Ridley Scott's vision but trying to pack the Napoleonic period into a few hours is just impossible. So this just feels like the edited highlights of Napoleons career. The battle scenes needed some CGI to give them the gravitas they deserved. Waterloo. Compared to the magnificent 1970's film of the same name, looks like a local re-enactment society having a fight in a pub carpark after a Sunday afternoon over indulgent lunch.

So if you don't want to take it to seriously as a historical record it passes a couple of hours.

'Allo 'Allo! (1982–1992)

Genius

[9/10 · 21 January 2024]

I watched a few episodes again , sort of by accident , just bumped into them. I though it was going to be one of those fond nostalgic trips that leave you wishing you hadn't and left the memories alone.

Remembering this was aired at about 6pm on a Saturday I was very much surprised how much comedy has just become a bit unfunny over the years. The fear of offending some cliché meaning only white middle age males can be the butt of jokes.

No such issues with Allo Allo. I remember the Secret Army , which this was loosely based on , just leaves no stereotype unturned. From the pilot episode where Gordon Kayes is building a wall to hide the fallen Madonna with big boobies and turns to Vicky. Michelle , while mixing concrete , and says 'Quickly put it in its getting hard' looks at the camera with a, we are not going to get away with expression on his face sets the tone for many glorious years and characters.

A master class of British humour a worthy successor to the carry on films. Still very funny 40 years on .

Rubikon (2022)

Way too low score.

[8/10 · 26 December 2023]

A 5 is really harsh score for this film. Its got its problems but its positives far out way its negatives.

First of all its problems without spoilers.

Its long very very long. Cutting in at over 2 hours it needs a really good trim.

I'm not sure breaking into German and Russian was a great idea and maybe was a bit of a turn off for some of the English speaking viewers.

Some of the acting occasionally seemed a bit wooden. And of course the perennial complaint about some characters action being either irrational or a bit dumb. I saw some complaints about the ending but I though it was fine.

The positives. Its a good solid story the CGI and sets look the business. The three main leads keep your attention which is no small task when you think they are stuck on a space station.

To sum up worth watching don't believe the haters.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

The ending is the deal breaker for some

[8/10 · 18 December 2023]

First of all this is a good movie . I enjoyed it and its a shame people are trashing if for how it ended. If you like your endings to be the Death Star blowing up or a half destroyed statue of Liberty on a beach this isn't the film for you.

The acting is very good. The CGI ok. The story is a slow burner and in a good way. It did have a very fait hint of The Leftovers. The rather excellent series from a few years ago.

It also felt very much like a pilot. So many questions are left unanswered or maybe waiting for a sequel.

Without wanting to give any spoilers its set around a catastrophic event that seems both technical and mystical.

Well worth a watch.

Sandylands (2020–2021)

Very Very Very Good

[9/10 · 29 September 2023]

I really don't get why this has such a low score. There must be some real misery guts out there.

Its an absolute gem of a show. Take a dash of league of gentlemen add a sprinkle of little Britain. Add a liberal dose of some of the countries best and funniest actors and hey presto you have the weird town of Sandylands.

The story of an odd ball dad faking his own death in a pedalo incident to claim insurance and move to Peru (now where have i heard that before). Bring in his long suffering daughter played by the very talented Natalie Dew, add some really oddball neighbours., David Walliams and Sophie Thompson as the Diana Princess of Wales fetishist , the Swallows , 'don't make fun of my name' and Bob the budgie smuggling taxi driver. You end with a charming hilarious laugh out loud 30 minutes of goodness.

Alone (XXI) (2020)

Not sure why the low score.

[7/10 · 28 September 2023]

Not seen the Korean version that this is based on so can't compare it but this is a good solid zombie movie. The acting is good, the zombies have a great little twist to them. The surprise cameo from Donald Sutherland is well a bit of a surprise.

The movie cracks on at a fair pace and to be honest is more entertaining in an hour and a half than the last 3 series of walking dead. In fact it does feel a bit like a pilot for a series. It probably would make a good series.

On the down side there is nothing new here. Its old ground. There are no scares so and the blood and gore are liberally used. All in all worth a watch.

Henpocalypse! (2023– )

3 Questions

[1/10 · 17 August 2023]

I have 3 simple questions about this program. First why did the Guardian give it such a glowing revue? This prompted me to give it a viewing. Second, how did this ever get commisioned? And finally when they saw the final result how did it ever get aired?

As you may have guessed I wansn't a fan. As a comegy it has 1 lite chuckle at a push. The fake Brummie accents mean half the dialogue is just a noise. The characters are instantly forgettable. The acting is at best amature dramatics taking on Macbeth. The whole thing is a unfunny unlikable unwatchable and any other word i can think of putting un in front of. Terrible !

Die Wannseekonferenz (1984 TV Movie)

Very rare I rate a 10

[10/10 · 25 April 2023]

Every bit as horrific as the shining, every bit as a mundane meeting for anyone who has been to a SMT meeting.

This really is a group of men discussing the fate of millions like you would talk about trying to figure out how to get rid of your a mould problem. This really should be compulsive viewing for schools. Branagh remade this in the early 2000's and it was very good but the original , in German , has much more punch.

Its shocking on fairly much every level.

Not trying to set any spoilers, if you haven't heard of the Holocaust, then tis may not be the film for you. Great acting , great theatre, stunning television.

From (2022– )

From Lost

[8/10 · 18 March 2023]

So the mega corps execs have been searching a long time to find the next Lost. All have failed , some came close and others just sank . So it is with great pleasure that I came across From quite probably the nearest and best thing since lost.

So why you may well ask. Well it has Harold Perrineau for a start . Still not quite forgiven for his murder spree but none the less an older more wise and a character that gives the show some gravitas. The actors , even the kids , give excellent performances . The general feeling of malevolence through each episode is palpable. All the characters are well fleshed out with back stories , like Lost , available in flashbacks. Even the incidental music is a homage to Lost.

The horror is horrific but done in a more Buffy style than Texas chain saw massacre.

The mystery is both mysterioso and yet strangely familiar.

If you haven's seen it , then its strap line should be , cross Lost , Wayward Pines and Buffy, Sprinkle a little bit of From Dusk till dawn and hey presto you have a very enjoyable experience.

La Brea (2021–2024)

Lost it aint

[5/10 · 2 March 2023]

So someone had the great idea of mixing a Lost with The fantastic voyage and hey presto a sure fire winner.

Unfortunately what you ended up with was the The land the time forgot. So what's wrong with it.?

Well the acting is fairly terrible, the story about a large sink hole is an excellent metaphor for the show itself. The dialogue horrible and the CGI the best the 90's could offer. The characters , 'Dad used to be a Navy seal before he became a surgeon', well he would have to be wouldn't he. ' I saw an ambulance fall into the hole' of course you did. No cliché is left unturned, dragged out , tortured in front of you then cast aside. I think what made it worse was watching this after seeing the Last of Us that was probably a mistake!

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Tricky one to review.

[6/10 · 22 February 2023]

I kind of had high hopes for this as I settled into an evening viewing. Wine ,check , G&T for the wife ,check , ample crisps and snacks , check , award winning film waiting for a check , well not so much.

First of all I'm not sure what I was expecting . Maybe an , In Bruges , on steroids. If that what you are expecting then disappointment is honestly just a few screen credits away.

Ok the good points . The acting is really good and there is some funny yet subtle one liners. There are some interesting secondary characters the scenery is magnificent bleakness. The animals are great, you know when you use the animals are great line you are searching for something to really like about this film.

Alas, the whole films concept is fairly flawed at its genesis. Its just not well written. If you are one of those people who can look at this and say its a metaphor for depression , maybe even madness a groundhog day with no happy ending or redemption , then maybe , just maybe you will finish this and say, yes I get its deeper meaning what a great film. Sadly, as a mere mortal you finish it thinking this is very over hyped and nowhere near as good as it is touted.

Hidden (I) (2015)

Entertaining

[7/10 · 27 January 2023]

A bit of a surprise movie. Very low on the radar and really no publicity at the time it came out. No spoilers here because that would really spoil it. But its interesting and the writers , stranger things on their CV, I thought had done a really good job.

Now I said no spoilers this is going to be tricky, The act is really good and for a small ensemble cast perform nicely as a Nuclear family under difficult circumstances.

Its quite difficult to describe it all without giving away the plot and twists. But its worth watching, an interesting script and if you don't see the twist then you will be very surprised. A decent nighs entertainment.

Bank of Dave (2023)

Try watching without a smile.

[9/10 · 18 January 2023]

This is a true gem of a film. A sort of feel good comedy with a bit of romance and some social comedy thrown in . With the banking sector being the bad guys , what's not to like.

The acting is great all the way through . There are a couple of laugh out load moments a background romance.

I thought Joel Fry played his part magnificently as the slightly confused southerner thrown into the north of England.

The story of Dave Fishwick is described at the beginning as True(ish) as there is clearly a lot of artistic licensing going off. But at its heart is a man who just wants to give something back to his community.

Joyful film cant recommend enough.

Alice in Borderland (2020– )

Surprised by the high rating

[6/10 · 14 January 2023]

First of all I am clearly not the demograph this is aimed at, so my sceptical view of the score is probably not surprising. Ok so its not terrible but its not that good either.

The problem start with the acting, which isn't great, add onto that the dubbing and you get that weird double whammy which instantly turns it into a parody of itself.

The first 3 episodes are actually fun to watch its pacey, mysterious and the scenes of an empty Tokyo are great. The we get to the Beach and from there the whole thing quickly unravels into a bit of a mess.

Some of the survival games have rather large holes in them and some characters just react in utterly unconvincing manner.

This is certainly no Squid Games which produced an awful lot of cult scenes and iconography. AiB has none of these. So its watchable nonsense a bit long at 8 episodes, if you go in with a low benchmark you wont be disappointed.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Utterly Bonkers

[9/10 · 12 January 2023]

You could just leave it as the title says. I'm not doing any spoilers as I think it would spoil the fun when you watch it. First of all the acting is great. Michelle Yeoh deserves a clutch of awards for putting in a stellar performance. The supporting cast are great. The film itself is split into 3 parts. Everything , Everywhere and All at once.

Everything (Part 1) was the best of the three, the last part is only about 10 minutes long. If part 1 had ended the film, which it appeared to do , I think this would have been worthy of a 10 but part 2 kicked in and it was a bit long. You know when you start looking at the clock wondering when this is all going to get wrapped up. Don't get me wrong its still very good and the fight scenes are something to behold. Especially the one involving a butt plug (yes you need to watch this)/. So excellent film if it got a snip in part 2 it would have been a 10,

The Rig (2023– )

Falls Flat

[6/10 · 8 January 2023]

First of all its not as bad as some reviewers are making out. The acting is ok although the characters all seem paper thin with little or no progression. The sad thing about all of this is it could have been so good.

The best way to describe it would be , imagine The Thing without the Thing or Alien without the Alien and you kind of get the Rig, Some series are very much guilty of doing this . Remember the remake of the rather excellent Survivors, by Terry Nation, back in the 70's which focussed on the re emergence of civilisation after a massive plague emanating from China, rather prophetic one might say. The remake tried to do Walking dead without the zombies. Anyway not to over labour the point its watchable but forgettable.

Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor (2022) Season Unknown, Episode Unknown

End of an era

[5/10 · 26 October 2022]

So its been a long time coming but its the end. So Jodie is not a bad doctor but she has nothing to work with. The whole enterprise needs to take a good look at itself. Chibnall has clearly been a disaster for the franchise but his supporting writers have varied from bad to appalling. Canon got ripped up and preplaced with nonsense. The TikTok idea of episodes that just dive about and are nothing more than blipverts just seems not to work. This may sound highly critical and it probably is. Realistically we need clever, writing good stories less historical preaching There is a lot of things going off in the world that could be well written into a sci-fi doctor who scenario but this seems to pass the writers by. So its been a disaster lost so many viewers. Appearance of DT however and there is some hope.

Prey (I) (2022)

If it bleeds

[8/10 · 30 September 2022]

Had high expectations for this and wasn't disappointed.. Certainly the best predator movie since predator 2, honestly the bar isn't high. Good solid lead, CGI was a bit up and down, Predator looked fantastic., lots of iconic moments and nods to the previous films. I have to say the dog was also great, a kind of co lead. I have read some reviews complaining about a young girl defeating a Predator was not very realistic. Just read that sentence again and have a think about it. So its a bit long , maybe could have shaved a bit of time off. But I think the franchise is back on track. Take a movie , Commando , Lethal Weapon etc and then chuck a Predator in and see what happens. Recommend.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: A Quality of Mercy (2022) Season 1, Episode 10

So good I watched it twice

[10/10 · 12 August 2022]

At last after 50 years of waiting Star Trek has returned. Everything about this episode was off the chart, apart from one thing, the elephant in the room , the casting of James T. Kirk. I could see him as a Bones maybe but Kirk, no way. Where was the daring do, the handsome roguish good looks the oh just punch him aptitude. Admittedly the writers are somewhat to blame but and understated Kirk is not what we need.

Fawlty Towers (1975–1979)

An ant discussing NASA moon landings.

[10/10 · 9 August 2022]

So watched this again after many years, clearly this is genius work. So after 50 years some of the cultural references may not be in step with the modern norm but this was mid 70's. So as a critique (realistically I'm not worthy to do this) . Some of season 2 are not as good as season 1. Waldorf Salad is probably the low point, but then gets redeemed with The Kipper and the Corpse. But when you are saying the low point is scoring 8.5 on IMDB well you get the idea. Realistically the funniest 12 episodes of TV that has ever been aired.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Elysian Kingdom (2022) Season 1, Episode 8

Marmite

[6/10 · 30 July 2022]

This was always going to be a high risk episode. With more than a nod to some of the original , probably drug fuelled, scripts of the late 60's original series or the filler Holo deck episodes that TNG spent many a filler episode on. Lets be honest you would shut the thing down and not let anybody near it as it was clearly dangerous. So it really didn't work as a comedy and it didn't really work as Syfy. Clearly the weakest episode yet. The cast did seem to be having a good time making it though,

For All Mankind: Bring It Down (2022) Season 3, Episode 7

Filler

[7/10 · 25 July 2022]

Felt like one of those mid season fillers. That occurred in season one and two. Its not unwatchable but apart from the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes you could skip the middle bit. I agree with most of the other commentators that the Danny arc just doesn't really work. Seems a bit predictable. Everything else is ok and we are clearly being set up for a rip roaring finale .

Resident Evil (2022)

3.5 is harsh

[4/10 · 17 July 2022]

Ok so its rating is bad but 3.5 is harsh, Its a 4 maybe if it picks up a bit maybe it will get to 5 , maybe. So lets look at the GOOD.............. so not really many of those, the BAD , CGI is a bit naff but not awful. The setting looks ok. The story is familiar. Ok so the UGLY then . The acting is bad and i mean really bad. The main characters have poor acting skills and the extras well, which parish amateur dramatics society did they get recruited from god only knows. The script is terrible, and i mean terrible. The flash forward and back is poorly executed. Direction is shoddy So all in all not great I will carry on watching because of my sadomasochistic tendencies but generally avoid.