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Midnight Mass (2021)
Stephen King inspired throughout, well worth watching
A number if King inspirations throughout, not surprising when you see the director has been responsible for 2 King adaptations.
Very atmospheric & moody, some slight jump moments & brooding menace. A little over heavy with dialogue at times (ironically something King is guilty of himself at times)🤣
Even has a crazy, religious zealot to rival Mrs Carmody from The Mist.
Also has a very effective eerie soundtrack to add more tension.
Well worth a watch.
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
The Magic Recreated
It's always with a strong degree of wariness you approach a modern take on a genuine classic. So many times a great film is remade in to a dud or an unnecessary sequel is produced years after the original.
Nothing to worry about here, they got it spot on. Superb casting, especially Emily Blunt (as Mary Poppins) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (as Jack). In fact Blunt shows not only what a great actress she is but also what a remarkable signing voice.
The most surprising thing is it feels of the same time as Mary Poppins, no awful modern musical routines but the look, sound and overall feel are so close to the inspirational film which inspired it.
My only criticism would be a couple of the routines drag, particularly the "Light Fantastic" one with the chimney sweeps.
Incredible job by all concerned tho, particularly Blunt. An almost impossible act to follow in Julie Andrews but she comes as close to it as anyone could have.
Don't be put off by negative reviews, treat yourself to a very enjoyable couple of hours.
Fear (1996)
A little gem
Can't believe it's taken me 25 years to find this.
Superb early roles from Wahlberg and Witherspoon with an excellent supporting cast. Very simple but effective storyline with the tension building all the way through to its edge of your seat climax.
If you enjoy a good thriller you'll love this.
Excellent.
The Money Pit (1986)
Wow. A poor Tom Hanks film !!!
Worth watching just so you can say you've seen a bad Hanks film.
Pretty good idea but too often comes across as silly instead of funny. Pretty good slapstick scene as the house renovation really kicks in but otherwise just keeps underperforming.
Fortunately a one off as far as Hanks goes.
Christmas Inheritance (2017)
Feel good festive movie
If you're looking for a genuine feel good movie coupled with a Christmas theme this does the job. No oscar nominee for sure but highly enjoyable.
Well written, well acted and looks great too. Will be adding to my christmas movie list to return to again next year.
Enjoy
1922 (2017)
Could have been so much better
As per usual with his Novellas, King gave the makers plenty to work with. But with his shorter stories there's always room for embellishment without spoiling the feel of the story (Shawshank being the best example). Here. they just decide to stick with exactly what's in the book (I know, like most people, normally I don't personally like film-makers to mess with the original story too much) but there was a real chance to flesh out the Henry/Sharon story, it was like a mini Bonnie & Clyde.
Also, fantastic performance tho it was, I wish they'd just got Thomas Jane to tone down his accent a notch, although very true to the area, like most farmers accents it can be extremely difficult at times to take every word in.
Don't want to appear over critical, the film has a genuinely eerie feel, the slow pace works for great parts, just can't help thinking they missed an opportunity.
Going Straight (1978)
Excellent sequel, tragically early cancellation
Couldn't agree more with another review on here, if both shows we're called "Fletcher" no-one would have spotted the join between this and Porridge.
Ronnie Barker just as great as ever. And what a tragedy we lost Richard Beckinsale so early, truly talented young actor.
Along with a supporting cast of Fulton Mackay (even though only 1 episode) and Patricia Brake as Fletch's daughter. Even a very young Nicholas Lyndhurst as his son.
Maybe the support hasn't got as many purely comical characters as Porridge (Warren, Maclaren, Ives, Barrowclough etc) which probably just takes the slight edge off if you wanted to compare the series seperately.
Still worth a revisit, or getting acquainted with if you liked Porridge and didn't catch this. And a catchy theme tune just to add the finishing touch. Great memories
The Call (2013)
So very good for so long then.....
I'm really just reiterating what a lot of people seem to feel.
This was so good for 99% of the movie, the tension really held you with some great performances from the cast but the ending was so abrupt and ultimately disappointing. Until that last couple of minutes this would have been a 9/10.
However, even with the let down it's well worth a watch.
Wanted (2016)
A little gem
Bit of a rare thing this show, manages to stay strong throughout each series and actually has a genuine finish. No hanging on to see if there's another series.
If this is what Australia are capable of then I need to start searching out other series from over there.
Well paced, excellent acting (especially the leading ladies) and manages to combine violence with humour.
Seriously recommend for anyone looking for a great watch over a week or so.
Manhunt (2017)
Powerful & Sad
Amazing series, one of the best I've seen in any genre.
Draws you in and holds you. Nothing is rushed and tries to show you every angle. Great performances from so many actors.
At times seems to want you to over-sympathise with Kaczynski but balances this out in the courtroom with some transcripts from the victims.
He certainly carried out some heinous crimes and was rightly punished but so sad to see how such an intelligent human being can become so misdirected. Such a waste.
Will take some beating but look forward to watching any further series they do on a similar vein.
It (2017)
What a tragic mess
Really didn't want to have to compare it to the original TV mini series but ultimately it's inevitable.
I think most fans of the book thought the original adaptation was generally very good but had it's faults, not violent enough for one thing and a poor ending, although to be fair Stephen King doesn't write endings which are all that easy for film-makers to replicate.
One thing the TV version did do though is capture the magic surrounding the kids and their almost complete togetherness as a collection of "losers". No disrespect to the young actors here but they simply are not on the same level as those of 30 years ago. Also, Beverley looks 5 years older than the boys for one thing !!!
And why rip up so much of the book's important story lines and then have different characters saying things which originally belonged to another. I know this was done by Peter Jackson in the LOTR trilogy but it was done in a very logical way which helped the films continuity.
And the comparisons to Tim Curry's Pennywise aren't even worth starting !
Such a let down after all this time.
Worst thing is I've now got to pick myself up and watch the 2nd part.
After that, it's gonna be another re-read and then re-watch the mini series just to make me feel better.
Such a let down after all this time waiting.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Pure enjoyment
Nice twist on a tried and tested formula. Not really for those who just want to be scared - it's got as many laughs as jumps - but still a very well thought out horror film.
Fairly common premise at the start - group of youngsters go to a creepy cabin - but then it's like Quentin Tarantino turned up on set to add his opinion.
Very enjoyable, lots of fun. Well worth a look
Unforgotten (2015)
Just brilliant
Missed this first time round on ITV so we've only managed to see the first 2 series on Netflix so far. I'll avoid the all too easy and reactionary "best thing I've ever seen" but I really can't remember watching a better crime drama. It's right up there with Silent Witness and Line of Duty.
Gritty, believable story lines that never feel rushed. You know in the first 20 minutes or so who the main suspects are gonna be but it doesn't lessen the suspense in any way.
A showcase of some of the best and well loved British actors of the past 30 or 40 years and the chemistry between the two lead actors (Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar) is excellent.
Can't wait to find the third series. Just brilliant.
Christmas in the Wild (2019)
Feel good movie to rival any
No it's not taxing and no amazing plot twists but if you simply wan to feel good watching a movie you wont do better than this.
Beautifully shot, engaging lead characters and cute elephants, what more could you want.
My only criticism is that it could have been at least 30 minutes longer, characters could have been developed a bit more and at times it feels like the film-makers were in a rush to get us to the end but it's a small complaint.
No-one likes intrigue, plot twists and drama more than me but if you just want 90mins of genuine feel good this will do it.
Like Father (2018)
Surprisingly good - ignore the bad reviews
Can't believe the negative reviews and the overblown fuss about product placement. Nowhere near the same scale as that shown in the Back to the Future franchise - and what a great series that was !!!
Yes we see a lot of the ship, but the ship and it's surroundings are the scenery in this film so why not use it.
Great to see the much under used Kelsey Grammar, would be so easy for him just to recreate his Frasier character but once again he produces a performance of great emotion and humour.
As Rom-coms go it's not up there with the best but still a very enjoyable film with the same roller coaster ride of emotions displayed in the best ones.
Please don't let the negative reviews put you off, if you're in any way tempted go fir it. Like me, I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised
Stardust (2007)
A fairy tale for adults
An excellent book adapted in to an excellent film. Magical, enchanting, funny.
A top cast with a relative unknown, although superb, lead actor.
Fantastic adaptation of another magical Neil Gaiman story. Yes, there are differences, most notably, the ending, but it was a fairly quiet finish to the boo, in a movie it needs to be bigger. A few things are missing, the little hairy man who helps Tristran, the fight between the Unicorn and the Lion, but these weren't necessary and at the end of the day they're still in the book for you to revisit.
If you love fantasy and magic it's a must watch. Superb
Escape Room (2019)
Poor man's Saw
Awful film. A poor man's Saw (Very poor). We've always had horror films where the characters make bad decisions, most of the time the film wouldn't work without it, but I can't remember one where every decision from the first moment is brain dead.
If only they'd killed Anderson off in the first minute it may have been some help (and worth another star). Avoid completely!!!
The Evil Dead (1981)
pure class
How this film doesn't appear in the top 250 is beyond me. Silence of the Lambs at number 2 - give me a break! Evil Dead put the H back in Horror films, it shocked people, it scared people and just below the surface was the humour - used much more in the sequels. It also contained one of THE great performances from, at the time, an unknown Bruce Campbell who went on to show how good he is in Evil Dead 2. Yes it was low budget, but the makers never tried to do too much with their limited resources, simply concentrating on scaring the living daylights out of the viewer. The last great horror film before Wes Craven decided horror was only for kids (Scream,Wishmaster etc).