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MrTelly
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Samaritan (2022)
Enjoyable comic book yarn
I love Sylvester Stallone and Sly does a great job in this movie.
The story is Punit bad, and certainly Sly makes the most of his part. The bad guy could have been more imposing (although it's not as bad a mismatch as Commando.(1985)).
This movie is a worthwhile watch for Stallone fans and Superhero movie fans. It's a standalone Superhero movie too - and I think it's a joy not to have interwoven storylines of half a dozen other movies from a franchise/universe.
There's a twist. I guessed it pretty much straight away, but still enjoyed the reveal.
It's probably 6.5/10 with 10/10 for Sly. I push it to 7/10 to counterbalance the ridiculously low scores given by others.
Movie producers please give Stallone more roles! We will miss him when he's gone!!
Still Game (2002)
It's simply perfect. A hidden gem.
Netflix analytics was certain I'd like Still Game. I resisted for a while but eventually succumbed and I'm very pleased I did.
I've now watched all 9 seasons twice. The second viewing was made even more enjoyable with the knowledge that Boaby (which, on the face of it, is a Glaswegian pronunciation of Bobby) has a slang meaning ;-)
I recommend giving this series a chance. It just gets better and better. The cast are a delight.
Greg and Ford say that there will be no more episodes with the original cast. I've read talk of a prequel. To be honest, I will be watching whatever they produce next.
Belfast (2021)
An authentic story, great acting (new star Jude Hill)
This story has a ring of truth, it doesn't go overboard because the dawn of "The Troubles" brings enough drama.
I really enjoyed this movie, not least for the fantastic performances - especially Jude Hill, Lewis McAskie, Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench.
I predict that Jude Hill will be a big star. Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench may well win awards for their wonderful performances in supporting roles.
Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)
There's something not quite right about this film. Hopefully it funds new self-written projects for Bea and Delaney
The script just doesn't feel right. The audience certainly isn't rooting for Max (the new Kevin) or his parents for most of the movie. The whole goody vs baddies dynamic is lost and the movie is the worse for it.
Archie Yates lacks charisma, he's slightly wooden (his performance has "school play" vibes)... but maybe it was down to terrible direction and he's actually a future Alec Guinness...? Macaulay Culkin set the bar very high, who else is going to match that levels? Macaulay also had Chris Columbus directing and a John Hughes script - so maybe Archie is better than this performance...
Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney do all that can be done with a subpar script. I cannot say a bad thing about the fantastic Aisling Bea, she does her best too - hopefully the money from this will help fund her next self-written project.
Max's Dad, Uncle and Aunt are unmemorable and insipid.
The score is boosted to 4/10 because of a special guest appearance :) Although we could have seen more of that guest!
Oh well... I'm sure they'll try another remake!
Dune: Part One (2021)
Dimly lit, overblown, borefest
Too much time is wasted on overblown scenes, a decent edit would seriously help the pacing and reduce the boredom.
There is no humour, little colour, and (bang-for-buck, for such a long runtime) not that much action.
This is an example of why a Sci-Fi franchise needs a Han Solo... Viewers need to be rooting for someone, we need to care.
I can't overstate how tediously slow-paced this movie is... It's laboriously setting the scene for a sequel I can't imagine wanting to risk viewing.
The innumerous murky, dimly-lit, shades of brown, scenes made watching on the big-screen a waste of money too... Similarly the dialog isn't alway that clear either...
I big thumbs-down from me.
The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
So many great ingredients but it just doesn't work as a movie in its own right
I went to the movie theatre trying not to expect too much - as a massive Sopranos fan I've been looking forward to seeing it for months.
Let's start with the positives....
+ Michael Gandolfini plays Tony perfectly. He is a star and could be sensational in follow-up movies telling the story of Tony's life leading up to the Sopranos series.
+ It's a joy to be back in Satriale's Pork Store.
+ It's great to see the old characters again... especially Tony, Livia, Tony B, Junior, Sil, Paulie Walnuts and Janice.
+ David Chase has resurrected the Sopranos universe and got HBO to back it, I'm so happy... and want to encourage Mr Chase to do more... (and ideally include Terry Winter next time too).
Now some negatives...
- The Harold McBrayer story was too long a detour for me. If there is a follow-up movie that brings the McBrayer arc to a conclusion, then I can take it all back... but for now I resented the time taken with Harold (when I'd rather have seen more of Tony, Livia, Janice and Johnny Boy).
- How was Dickie such an influence on Tony? I didn't much evidence of Dickie shaping Tony... the gift of speakers and the justification of receiving stolen goods wasn't enough for me.
- I didn't care too much about Dickie... Unlike Tony in Sopranos, I wasn't rooting for Dickie.
- We are treated to many references to Sopranos... which starts off good but eventually feels like too many Easter eggs. In particular, the call-back to the "Soprano Home Movies" episode where Janice tells the story of how Johnny Boy shot a bullet through Lucia's beehive hairdo... we didn't need the exact same story to be depicted in this film (in a film dedicated to Johnny, Livia, Tony and his sisters it would make more sense). Maybe David Chase thought he wouldn't get another chance and wanted to treat the fans to visualisations of all the old stories?
I've given this movie 5/10... I feel bad for not giving more points. I desperately want HBO to finance further movies or better-still a series... the stories of Tony, Sil, Big Pussy, Paulie, Junior, Johnny, Janice, Barbara and Livia *not* Harold (other than to resolve the hanging thread of providing his comeuppance). Maybe I'll revisit the movie and give it more on a rewatch... but probably not.