LW-08854 Reviews

Along Came a Spider (2001)

A let down.....

[5/10 · 12 May 2024]

Along Came A Spider is far from a good film I found. While it at least strives to be intriguing and engaging many poor plot elements and too many cliches mean you can't really get into it. After a silly opening in which a suspect apparently hasn't noticed the helicopter flying above his car. We next get introduced to a kidnapper with an apparently limitless supply of technology which must cost millions to get hold of, where did all this come from you wonder. We have the usual cliché of the damaged detective, though Morgan Freeman at least ends some weight to the movie through his acting. Some of the dialogue is a lot on the nose too "It's a game....." declares Freeman at one point. "He's like a spider....." Some other bits of the film just feel borrowed from other movies like running from phone box to phone box, overall Dirty Harry is by far the better movie in that it doesn't have this ridiculous twist thrown in which for me completely deflated any interest or believability the film still had by that point. The film doesn't go for huge explosions, or violent gore, or any other cheap tricks, it's also well edited, the music is fine, it's just the story itself which I didn't find all that interesting or realistic or original.

Decision to Leave (2022)

Convulted and over long

[6/10 · 13 April 2024]

A mixed film for me. It's nicely edited and has some interesting camera angles and a sense of humour to it too. It's also very much set in the here and now and doesn't shy away from bringing technology into the film. To me the film felt like a remake of Basic Instinct in which a police officer becomes obsessed with a woman he is also investigating for a possible murder of an ex-partner. Some the film falls into more conventional action cliches like rooftop chases and that Sherlock BBC style of him seeing key details appear in front of him visually. The film though is far too lengthy and it just goes on too long. At one point the story just stops really and nothing much happens for about half an hour, it's unforgivable. The plot also gets very convoluted and by the end I didn't really understand or care about the ending so muddled had it become. A shame because I did enjoy the first half of it much more.

The Eagle Has Landed (1976)

A huge misfire

[4/10 · 12 April 2024]

All in all not a great film if I'm honest. The accents for a lot of the characters are pretty dodgy, Donald Sutherland is okay though, though his casting as a sort of ladies man doesn't quite work. The film does quite a lot of exposition to it at the start, there's a pretty unfunny American character who's largely there for him bumbling and overconfidence. The film is strange mixture of action and comedy though the actual fighting is quite violent, though with the usual cliched heroics. The final third of the film though and the way it wraps up was really awful and sort of negates the whole movie as pointless. The location shooting was good, but overall I don't rate this film that highly. There's some really obvious cases of ADR but overall it's the script really and the way it's executed which just doesn't work for me. I can probably see why others like this movie as just a fun throwaway action movie but for me I wasn't really that into it at any point.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022)

Stylish, fast paced but too self aware.

[6/10 · 12 April 2024]

On the one hand then you have quite a stylish fast paced movie that explores quite an interesting subject. I have to say the film held my attention well while I was watching it. The film is also pretty well edited and is also fine in terms of production design, costumes and makeup, it manages to feel both modern and yet have a slightly retro feel to it too. The weakest aspect of the film is probably it's dialogue which is generally quite weak and forgettable, two characters in particular are awful and sound like a couple of 14 year olds not characters in their late 20s. The cast is quite big but that wasn't necessarily a problem. What did slightly take me out of the film though was the way each character needed to have this big dramatic origin story which it spends quite some time going back into. Reality isn't really like this and it felt a touch too superhero which is probably the demographic they are going for. At least though nothing too outlandish happens in the film itself, though one part in which the FBI are deceived felt a bit far fetched. All in all it's quite stylish again and well meant but there's also a few bits too which do make you groan. Also the music and overall look is starting to get a bit overdone now and the Stranger Things style is getting a bit samey.

Aftersun (II) (2022)

Captivating

[8/10 · 1 April 2024]

A superbly made film that deserves so much praise for the performances of it's two lead actors. The father daughter relationship is not one you really question for a second actually, it all just comes off as so natural. The picture is awash with lush vibrant colour and practically every frame you could print out and hang it on a wall. The story actually draws quite heavily on a sense of realism and the script and the execution of the movie actually avoids a lot obvious stuff. The distance at times we feel where things are only hinted at may annoy some but I think it works perfectly given the movie is largely based on the memories of an 11 year old girl. The different stages of life are well captured with a group of teenagers bridging the gap, their slightly more wild and risky behaviour was very well portrayed without ever feeling too laddish or offensive. The 1990s fashion is fairly well recreated without ever screaming at you it's the 1990s. The past is perhaps represented here as a bit of a golden age, everything seems to glow in warmth and light in contrast to the darker present. I was left perhaps wanting even more from the ending and perhaps hoping to get more from the present too over adult Sophie. Still though this film is just so enjoyable, moving and memorable.

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

A bit tiresome in the end.

[6/10 · 26 March 2024]

An okay film, but a bit dated in many ways. I liked the characters but there's just no story really and the ending just goes on and on with fight sequence after fight sequence. The music is also a bit cheesy now, this film came out the same year the exorcist did for instance. The villain was a bit tiresome after a while, I can't comment on how faithful it is to the source matieral, I think I definitely prefer Jason and the Argonauts a lot more. I would say the production design and effects remain good but I just forgot what they were after half way through, I didn't have this same problem with the 1958 film. Overall then it's okay but I would recommend the 1958 version much more.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

Fun fantasy adventure film

[7/10 · 26 March 2024]

A pretty solid and fun movie with quite a lot of entertainment packed in. The movie at times feels more influenced by tales of Greek mythology than Arab but there's still quite a bit to enjoy. The cinematography is nicely done, the ship is well done and there's a nice blend of fantasy and adventure. The story turns into a sort of quest to lift a curse and reclaim a lamp with special powers. I like the idea of mutiny too by the crew.

The film has a couple of moments when the modern American aspect comes through too much, the cabin boy who salutes for instance. All in all though it's a fun movie, actually more engaging I thought than say Helen of Troy.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Sad, slow and at times quite dull

[6/10 · 20 March 2024]

I wasn't too impressed with the opening of the movie with some of the quirky ways the camera is used and the story is told. The whole movie actually has a slightly pasty yellow look which I found off-putting, the roaming camera at times made it feel pretty modern and the old newsreel style clips looked wrong, the frame rate just wasn't right it seemed. The main problem with the movie is our main character just isn't that interesting, he's basically just a puppet, a tool for his uncle, and so naturally it's the uncle you want to get more of. It's hard to imagine this man actually being able to enjoy spending money even if he got it, he's a bit of a drag to follow. Robert De Niro really is the best thing about the film giving a great performances as a two faced gangster with a very dark soul. The film is slow and there's an awful lot of dialogue, I did find it hard to believe at times the characters were smart enough to get away with murder. The violence is done in a shocking way but without much emotion. The film somehow still manages to fall into it's share of tropes though it does improve slightly during the second half. You can't fault the art design, the costumes, it also tells an important story but overall it just could have been a little better, perhaps shorter. In the end you're mainly left just feeling quite sad.

Darkest Hour (2017)

More fiction than reality

[6/10 · 20 March 2024]

If you can get past the opening 5 minutes of the film then you may be able to deal with the whole thing. I was slightly annoyed when it opens with a spotlight on Churchill speaking in parliament while everyone else sits in gloom, I know lighting is very rarely realistic in movies but this just looked so ridiculous. We also get a slightly frenetic whiny Churchill, I just don't think the voice is quite right. Far from being a superman he's here portrayed as a little pampered, bad tempered, etc but the overall point of the film is that he is right. The film portrays very much Churchill as an underdog, unwanted by his cabinet colleagues, a man walking a lonely path and at times almost overcome with the difficulty of it all. I did like the production design, the recreation of the war room, some of the CGI just doesn't look great but the film mostly sticks to meeting rooms. My favourite scene actually was Churchill being briefed on the likely invasion of Britain, things really couldn't be more serious, also his pleading with Roosevelt for help was another great moment of a desperate man letting his guard down. Churchill's colleagues are largely portrayed as petty man scheming to remove him, even the King is very luke warm about him. It does also show Churchill a more cynical speechwriter, occasionally willing to put a lot of spin on things if he feels British moral cannot cope with the truth. You kind of know where the film is heading though, the title scrawls at the end must be for the very uneducated. The film also panders heavily to a modern audience with Churchill taking a magical trip on the underground to meet the real Londoners who are of course full of pluck and fight and know far more than all the MPs and Ministers sitting in parliament. Churchill the populist! I also found it irritating that the key female relationship portrayed in this film during his moment of crisis was all fictional given he had not even met this secretary yet until 1941. It really was an enormous slice of creative license. The performance isn't bad, it's not perfect either though I feel from Oldman, the story is moving though parts of it are clearly just a screenplay. All in all a mixed review therefore.

Crimewatch Live (2021– )

Crimewatch lives on....

[7/10 · 12 March 2024]

Overall quite a well produced and presented show. Crimewatch Live/Roadshow is the successor to Crimewatch which was cancelled in 2017 following declining viewing figures and poor production values. The final season featured Jeremy Vine hosting it from a car park of all places, before then the show had already turned into a shadow of its former self with poor presenting and frenzied reconstructions often with thumping music and manic editing.

Crimewatch live is now presented in a well handled and measured way. Rav has got rid of his cheeky chappy wisecracking persona and Michelle Ackerley always comes off as kind and compassionate. The reconstructions are much more sensitively handled again with toned down music and colour, avoiding graphic details. The show still suffers from a few issues, too much padding, meeting police dogs and trainers, inspiring female leaders, community activists and so on, the studio also looks a bit too soft and plain but overall it's probably back on it'd feet again. The show evolved out of the crimewatch roadshow which I was never a huge fan of, featuring nationwide appeals for things like having your car scratched by keys. Crimewatch Live tends to feature rather more serious unsolved cases, though it will also delve into some past cases and how they were solved. One particular robbery which turned out to be an inside job was very interesting.

The Legend of Hercules (2014)

One of the worst movies of the 2010s

[2/10 · 21 February 2024]

Few movies I've watched have been so awfully bad as this one. The opening CGI battle really sets the bar low for the acting and special effects we're going to be getting. The fight choreography and cheesy effects are also horrendous. The actor playing Hercules looks nothing like how I imagine the character and he has the same one expression on his face the whole movie. Even the costumes look too clean and polished, the movie also tries to copy Gladiator without having any of the style or class which that movie had. There's just too much reliance on green screen too in this movie, where did all the budget go? Can't there be some actual sets too? The tone is silly, the story is utterly predicable, exiled prince must return and claim back his kingdom from his nasty male relatives. The ending also makes little to no sense. I really thought this movie set a low bar for what action/adventure movies have become now. It has none of the joy or wonder or strangeness of Greek mythology, the cast are all dreadful without exception and the whole thing just felt so mechanical and disposable. I really thought the Clash of the Titans remake was the worst thing I'd seen on Ancient Greece but this is now a rival for that.

Thunderball (1965)

Sean Connery at his finest

[8/10 · 20 February 2024]

A really dazzling dark and engaging Bond movie. In this film the stakes really rise further and the formula we've come to love is fully established but it's really Sean Connery at his very best in this movie, he's intense and really does the physical aspect of the role well. Domino is also probably my favourite Bond girl. Sexy, tough yet also brittle and human too, the scene of her in the black and white bikini with the cigarette looks gorgeous. We also have a suitably sinister villain and the shadow of Spectre threatening the world yet again. The film makes no apology for itself, its just a thrilling ride yet dark and rich too. As ever the costumes, music and cinematography are finely done.

Thunderball is a real delight for Bond fans and I would happily watch it many more times in the future.

Helen of Troy (1956)

Paris and Helen

[6/10 · 20 February 2024]

On the positive side this film features so truly amazing sets and the number of extras involved in the movie also give it the feel of having huge production values. Something about Hollywood in the 1950s and early 60s gave it the ability to produce these enormous epic movies that we just wouldn't see again during the 1970s and beyond. The film is not completely faithful to the source material though it roughly follows the story of the Trojan War as handed down. Despite the title it's actually Paris who feels like the main character, we follow him pretty much up to the last scene. Early on you notice that some of the music and cinematography hasn't aged that well, overall parts of it just lack a bit of energy, it's about an hour into the movie before Helen and Paris even leave together. Lots of other characters are just not developed at all, Hector, Achilles, Agamemnon. We also have some quite unnecessary narration. I don't think it completely gets Paris right either, he's just too heroic in this adaptation. I did like Helen though shown as a strong passionate young woman.

Timewatch: Shadow of the Ripper (1988) Season 7, Episode 8

Jack the ripper and the press

[9/10 · 17 February 2024]

A really excellent Jack the Ripper documentary. While faithfully retelling the 5 murders what the series is really interested in is exploring how the case revealed a stark divide between the east and west end. It was in the west it's argued where the story was transformed into a larger than life media storm. The various kinds of suspects put forward, the foreigner, the doctor, the mad aristocratic tell is more its argued about the current fears and anxieties of the time than anything so much to do with the real culprit. The documentary gives a satisfactory account of why the mystery continues to haunt us and also why it keeps being reproduced in film and other dramas. The documentary offers no solution to the crimes themself, that it seems may forever remain unknown.

Vic Reeves Investigates... Jack the Ripper (2007 TV Movie)

Decent investigation

[6/10 · 16 February 2024]

Not the most rigorous Jack the Ripper documentary but by no means the worse either. Vic plays it largely straight this time, in fact his dry deadpan personality suits such a maccarbe subject. The documentary decides to focus on 5 suspects then eliminate them one by one as it goes along. Where it doesn't do so well is in not really taking on board the right expertise, and also missing some rather obvious points too. It is still though a good overview of the case, I wish more documentaries and books would take a broader view of the mystery and not just focus in on one suspect to the exclusion of all others.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

A giant of the atomic age.

[8/10 · 16 February 2024]

A very fast dazzling movie with great music, terrific casting and some stellar performances. I also have to give high praise for the costumes and cinematography. The film is also very well paced I thought, and though nearly three ours long it manages to really pack a lot into it. The film is also a real celebration of how the allies were able to successfully put their best brains into winning the war. I enjoyed the early scenes of Oppenheimer studying physics throughout Europe and the way intellectual life and politics is portrayed in 1930s Campus Life. The film has some terrific moments and the build up to the Trinity test for me really felt like the climax of the movie. The last 30 minutes I wasn't quite so keen on, the screeching music and rapid editing and bombardment of exposition just become a bit too much. I also found it slightly distracting how the aspect ratio kept changing, also why is Truman portrayed so horribly? The man who gave the world the Berlin Airlift, the Truman Doctrine, The Marshal Plan. Overall though I thought it made Oppenheimer out to be a complex, sympathetic and fascinating man.

Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster (2024 TV Special)

Fascinating

[8/10 · 15 February 2024]

A superb piece of television from the BBC. At 97 Attenborough is still in fine form showing the discovering of a new sea monster fossil. The program was filmed in the UK and really celebrates our history of fossil finds. In an age where BBC broadcasting seems to be inclined and obsessed with identity politics this is an example of what it can still do. The program is accessible to the layperson but is still packed with content and information. Experts are brought on from various universities to tells us more. The program remains very focused too unlike some other bigger budget BBC nature series which seem to be more out to awe you than educate you. All in all very impressive.

How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears (2014)

Fascinating history wonderfully retold.

[8/10 · 15 February 2024]

A really fantastic story retelling how the pioneers of America adapted to travelling and living in mountains, Plains and desserts. Throughout the program Ray Mears meets enthusiastic people keen to explain various survival skills adopted. The cinematography is really nice actually, America has some gorgeous wilderness. Ray Mears is a superb host actually and I found the section on the gold rush fascinating. The final episode on the old West with its heroes and outlaws will be of particular attraction no doubt. For anyone interested in this period of US history I really highly recommend this program. The program does not shy away from the difficulty and hardship of life at the time but it also has great respect for the grit and resolve of the people of the time.

Philadelphia (1993)

Tom Hanks Legal drama

[7/10 · 3 February 2024]

Have mixed feelings about this film. While the music is great I found the cinematography to be rather ugly. It also has a kind of manic energy to it at times which I found off-putting, the way some earlier Spielberg films often do, every line is so overly dramatic. The premise of the film is interesting and the way it touches on discrimination and prejudice should get you thinking. The script has it's share of cliches though, the lawyer who won't take the case, oh yes he will. The two lead performances are pretty well done though I have to say, the legal drama and court room scenes are probably the best, but the film is more interested I think in the journey our lead character is on and the medical aspect of what is happening to him. In the end I found this a solid rather than spectacular movie but it is worth watching.

Hurricane (1979)

Lifeless disaster love story.

[4/10 · 3 February 2024]

A peetty awful movie if I'm honest. Mia Farrow in her 30s by this point is still playing the much much younger character, it's a disaster movie but bogged down in a slow and predicable love story, the dialogue is horribly cliched, the music is also dated and so are the miniatures. The pacing is awful in this movie too, it's so unbearably slow and the politics is not interesting. I got so fed up with the drum music and the sheer amount of melodrama was very cheesy. Everything about this just felt so farfetched. This is one film you don't want to watch. In teems of the production design and costumes all of that side was okay, but the film just never came alive for me.

Quest for Fire (1981)

A unquie experience

[6/10 · 3 February 2024]

A very weird movie with a brave concept. The film is as you would expect incredibly visual, yet you somehow more or less manage to know what's happening and why which is important in any film. This is the kind of film where it's one thing after another, our three heroes set off on a journey across the plains of Africa encountering every kind of danger or difficulty. The makeup and hair and so on is really well done, so is the use of animals in the movie. The film has a slight mad max planet of the apes feel to it, it's also very violent and some of behaviour makes you feel at times it's more of a zoology film than about people as we understand them now. The special effects are varied from the very good to not so convincing.

Soccer Dog: The Movie (1999)

Inept and terrible

[3/10 · 3 February 2024]

I have to say that I found this movie utterly bizarre, I don't know what I was expecting but so much of this movie is just unforgivable, largely down to the script. The film's tone is all over the place, it's packed with lazy cliches and stereotypes, at times the movie is confusing, at other times it's just pure nonsense. The main father character is just not interesting, nor is it any fun watching him at his work. The jokes are badly delivered and the plot is just impossible to follow as we have little to no idea what it's about. I really was baffled by this. The narration is also a sign that the film is struggling to tell its story visually.

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

British scifi movie

[6/10 · 3 February 2024]

I'm afraid I wasn't that impressed with this movie, perhaps the hype was a bit much. The film is incredible slow and stale at times, largely people in empty sterile rooms, delivering exposition in a rather dry awkward 1950s manner with black and white cinematography. The film is quite cheap looking and it doesn't really have any sense of fun or excitement to it. It's just not well written enough to be a really good sci-fi thriller. The music is not memorable either and it doesn't have a big hitter like Christopher Lee. I even thinking the editing of the movie adds to it's sense of slowness. The concept of the story is quite good and in a way the film The Blob owes quite a bit too this one maybe. None of the acting is bad either and the effects are quite good for the 1950s.

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

Nice premise but underwhelming

[6/10 · 19 January 2024]

A pretty solid film that doesn't ever quite live up to its potential. The film for me didn't really contain enough humour to be a good comedy but you do feel for the main character and her problems. Her emotional confusion though doesn't translate well into a character who is easy to follow and much of her choices in the film seem a bit random. I will say the production design, editing, music and costumes were all very well done. I think the story though could have been a little tighter and I was still a bit confused about what really happened. The film touchez on some big themes like the regrets we have in life and whether to follow our dreams or be a realist but it's not really as deep as I think it wants to be. All in all not a bad movie but pretty underwhelming too.

Captain America (1990)

Horribly dated.

[3/10 · 5 January 2024]

This movie is probably a contender for the worst superhero movie ever made, though Elektra or Catwoman would beat it to that dubious honour, or even Supergirl. The costumes in this movie are disappointing, the action scenes are not well filmed at all, the plot of the film is also extremely disappointing and low budget. The movie was released after great movies like Superman and Batman had come out, how this hoped to compete with them I really don't know. The film was surely dated when it came out and looks even more so now. I'm glad we'd had the recent movies so we can now forget about this one.