daxsir Reviews

Alicja (1982)

A lovely surprise see it twice

[9/10 · 21 January 2024]

As a huge Alice in wonderland and musical fan I stumbled on this on prime. A film I have never heard of or read any reviews before watching. Now after watching it twice these are my thoughts. As a man who was a young man in the early 80s I felt the time period. The music really grows on you the more you hear it. The little nods to Lewis carol Alice are fun to spot each time you watch it. The acting is good all through. I fell in love with Alice myself so I can understand why the characters did. As for the plot which seems to be debated so much. You can take it as face value a simple love story between Alice and the mature French man who dies and she has a break down or as I think. I think she was depressed and already mentally fragile. She went to the park every day and took a liking to the mature jogger. One day for unknown reason she sees him killed and faints. I think from then on it's her dreams and mind that make rabbit and the rest in her subconscious whilst she recovers from her breakdown from her failed marriage and seeing the man shot. In the end after a spell in hospital I think she comes to except her marriage is over and that her dream relationship with rabbit wasn't real. She is alone at the end and knows only finding real love again is the answer to her future happiness.

The Ark (2023– )

It grows as it goes

[8/10 · 2 July 2023]

I thought at first some of the cast were too annoying but as you watch more they all grow on you. I found it entertains because it feels more like space sci-fi from the past. The special effects are acceptable in space and the outside of the ship. Sometimes the low budget shows inside of the ship. The acting is good enough for a sci-fi show. The story keeps you interested through the 12 episodes and you care how the crew end up. I believe there will be a season two and I am looking forward to it. The only thing that did fail for me was Ark 15 having old chairs and lamps in the corridors. That didn't help the sometimes lack of budget look.

Flash Gordon (2007–2008)

Why the hate?

[8/10 · 19 April 2023]

I don't understand why all the hate. Yes it is obvious it's not a high budget. The characters as you go along the 22 episodes become more and more likeable. It's entertaining and simple story lines are what Dr Who has missed for some years. Flash himself is done well as the clean cut hero. The three main female characters are all attractive in different ways. Zarkoff is a bit of the cliche coward at the start but as the rest he grows on you. Ming reminds me of the typical 1970s sc-fi baddie. He is a ruthless military dictator ruling by fear and military. With it not getting a second season unlike many other shows cut short it feels finished enough not to feel left in limbo. If you like old fashioned sc-if on a small budget watch it and stick with it I really enjoyed the journey.

Katie Says Goodbye (2016)

What a performance but hard to watch

[10/10 · 10 December 2018]

I found it one of the hardest films to watch that I have ever seen. Olivia Cooke as always was sensational. Her performance as the wounded bird doing her best to be nice and upbeat as she gets by in a poverty stricken Arizona town feels so real. With her dead beat mum doing nothing but drag her down it hits so many heart strings. Their drab live in their trailer home was so believable and you begin to care so much for Katie due to the performance of Olivia that when people treat her so badly it becomes more heart breaking as it goes. Yes it is harsh but its real not everyone lives a good life and this show how hard it is to be poor in any country not just the states and the things people do to get by in a broken life. I was an extra on The Limehouse Golem with Olivia so I know how small she is and that added to my discomfort and the urge to want to give her a hug.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Harley Quinn

[9/10 · 27 December 2016]

I have just watched the extended version on blue ray and really enjoyed it. I had heard all the poor reviews but now i can't understand why it got them. It spent more time on Character building then most of the Marvel films. It didn't rely just on special effects either though they were good. I wanted to watch it for Harley Quinn who was excellent. No special powers as such but her madness has made her quite athletic and good with weapons. In the extended version she shows a skill of being able to read people. She is also hot funny and very cool. I enjoyed Will Smith as dead shot, Croc man was good. The Joker was also very interesting to watch and the love link between him and Harley was believable and you started to root that they worked out. Like i have read here perhaps how powerful the baddies were was its main flaw against the lesser powers of the squad but its a fantasy film not a movie you expect to be to true to life. I would love to see a follow up or a spin off with Harley and the Joker. The trouble is now you want them to win.

All Hallows' Eve (2013)

Effective low budget horror

[8/10 · 31 October 2016]

Why all the bad reviews? For me it does all it sets out to be. A low budget horror film of short stories linked well together. Very much in the style of the hammer horror short story movies of the 70s. Its shot like an 80's video nasty which makes it look effective. Yes its gory but nothing not seen many times before. The clown is a very good monster and quite creepy. Acting is fine. Shot well without looking like a hand shot movie that are all the rage. So in summary an effective horror film. Creepy bad clown. Gore. Copies a lot of ideas from Hammer films and the series but to me that's not a bad thing. Its 80's look adds to the creepiness because i use to watch the old 80s horror films back in the 80s. The link up part of the film is very good especially the ending. Parts one and two are OK buts its story three that raps it up nice.

White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)

Better then people say

[8/10 · 25 July 2016]

First i will watch anything with Eva Green in. I enjoy this type of film a mystery movie. This one kept me interested to the surprise ending. Great goth late 80's sound track. I believe it was based on a book in which the ending has been changed. The acting is good and you really end up caring where the mother has gone. I can't really understand the poor reviews. Unless you were unhappy with the change to the ending. The actress who plays the daughter Kat is very attractive. It keeps the mystery going to the end through good acting and the story of Kat since her mothers disappearance is easy watching. My advice is watch it with an open mind you may enjoy it.

Jeruzalem (2015)

Much better then i expected

[7/10 · 24 July 2016]

I actually enjoyed this film. I am not a fan of missing film movies. They seem to have one made from everything Zombies, dinosaurs, aliens so on and so on. This film was good ideas. Quick camera moves onto things giving you just enough time to see the horror and then gone before you question the effects. On effects they didn't look cheap and were effective. The acting is OK. The normal tourist in trouble abroad. It moves along at a good pace and you do start to care about the characters. So if you like action horror the start of the end of the world try it. I wouldn't be surprised to see a second movie. Unknown cast make it more original.

Sword of Vengeance (2015)

Not sure how to watch this

[6/10 · 31 January 2016]

It feels a bit of a fish mash of a group of film fans that are trying to make a film together using ideas from films they like.

The sound track sounds 1980s sc-fi which goes well with the fallout, Max max back grounds.

It has a spaghetti western feel to it. At times the dialogue felt badly dubbed lines.

Plenty of sword and fight action. Filming looks clumsy but i think they move it around so much to make it look more of an epic battle then it is.

Again using the 300 or Sin City black and white with dashes of colour to make it look more stylish works at times but at times it looks far too post nuclear rather then England.

The acting is OK no real character growth. Very much the mysterious loner much copied from Sergio Leonie films of the 60's.

I nearly gave up on this because it felt dark and slow. I thought oh no its a sc-fi chanel cheap and nasty with digital special effects and poor acting type of film.

What made me stick with it was the FALLOUT game look. The FALLOUT series is my favourite console game.

They should have left history out of it and leave it to the audience to decide if it was the future or past or another world.

Plus points it is quite cool if slow. At times looks very good.I can see why it splits peoples scores so much. It feels very much like a movie for film technical and style lovers rather then the block buster type.

It would surprise me if it became a bit of an under ground cult film like Django the original.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Art

[10/10 · 21 January 2016]

This is my fav film. It is more like watching a piece of art. The look is fantastic. The director does a perfect job. The acting is wonderful. The story is not the strongest ever but it should be watched to experience it. If your a film lover you can't fail but admire this film.Charles Bronson is the perfect broody loner. Henry Fonda surprises everyone by giving a strong performance as a bad guy. The close up of his eyes is stunning. The camera work and close ups have never been done better. The music is as good as anything you will find in a movie. Throw in the scenes when you first see Henry Fonda. The scene at the railway station which the water dripping on the hat. The sound of the spinning water tower. To me the closet movie to ART i have ever seen and i have seen a lot of films.