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walkercory
Reviews
House of the Dragon (2022)
18 hours of.....what exactly?
18 episodes so far. That's 18 hours of television. And what's happened in that time? If I was to summarise, two people fall out over a misunderstanding and declare war as a result. Umm.. that's it. We don't even get to the war - at the end of every episode (the second 'series' particularly), the viewer is relentlessly teased that it's coming...and then nothing.
And then there's the CGI. Evidently there's a much smaller budget this time around (probably a reason why we're denied battle scenes), but whilst the dragons themselves are impressive, the close-up scenes of the riders in flight are a bit chitty chitty bang bang.
No wonder Matt Smith has a constant smirk on his face - he can barely believe his luck, being paid a huge fee to do very little except lope.
Red Eye (2024)
Dear oh dear
In summary, I can understand why ITV commissioned this and not the BBC. This is amateur hour and it's painful to watch. Where's the tension? Wheres the semblance of reality? And what was that CGI of the 'turbulence'? I laughed out loud at that point. Not only is the script terrible, the acting is as bad. Compare the writing & acting in something like Peaky Blinders, & how you felt whilst you watched that, now compare your experience having watching this. The same? If it is, you probably think hollyoaks is gritty.
Why do ITV dramas fall so short whilst BBC dramas are so much better made? Even apple's Hijack trumps this.
Peppermint (2018)
Jennifer should've said No Thanks, not #metoo.
Oh dear this is quite terrible. It reminded me of the cheap straight to VHS action movies by Cannon in the 80s, where the plot was always an anti-hero wreaking revenge on an entire drug cartel, after they'd killed their partner/wife/kid/budgie. Back then, you could substitute van damme, seagal, dudikoff or chuck Norris into the lead role. It's all here: zero budget, big guns, naff fight choreography, CGI explosions, dumb cops & plot holes the size of the moon. The only thing that is missing is Cynthia Rothrock high-kicking in heels. Proof if anything that we haven't gotten very far in action cinema.
Meet the Richardsons (2020)
Used to be funny
I enjoyed the first two series - they were funny! But there's been a definite drop in the quality of writing for series 3 & 4. The scenarios now feel far more contrived than 1 & 2, so the humour feels forced. I assume that's because the format is running out of ideas? Also, I think what made the initial series more enjoyable were the sofa moments ( because occasionally there would be a genuine ad-lib resulting in a genuine laugh), but there's less sofa moments as the series has progressed & more emphasis on ridiculous plots. I've stopped watching series 4, but I'd still go & watch Jon's stand-up!!
The Cleaner (2021)
Why isn't anything funny anymore?
The first series had some great laugh out loud moments, (Xmas special excepted), but for this series it seems the writers have tried to introduce more pathos and navel-gazing. No more physical comedy moments from Greg's buffoonery, now more 'positivity' & reflection. Instead of laughing at a character's predicament, we must now 'feel' for them. Was this supposed to bring more 'depth' to the show? It certainly didn't bring comedy. Whatever the reason - they failed. So now we just get bizarre lonely characters in strange situations, & someone forgot to also make it funny. Stick to the physical comedy, Greg.
The Tax Collector (2020)
Trite
One violent murdering gangster who's nice (cos he believes in God & has a family and that) has to seek revenge on another violent murdering gangster (who's nasty cos he cuts chickens up for blood sacrifices and that). The end. Zzzz.
The Mandalorian (2019)
Biddi biddi biddi
I don't know, maybe I'm not the correct demographic but the entirely episodic nature of the first series just reminded me of Buck Rogers. Remembering that show probably answers my own question! There's no tension or drama because we know Mando isn't going to die, his surly nature lacks humour, & with storm troopers who couldn't hit a barn door from 10 yards away, & mando brilliantly accurate in response, the show became tiresome for me.
Trackers (2019)
Dreadful
This is terrible. It's days were numbered as far as I was concerned when the Police were able to insert a camera into the suspect's home at just the perfect location, obtaining a pin-sharp picture & record perfectly every conversation which the bad guys just happened to conduct directly in front of the camera. Then in ep 2, there was the laughable standoff where our unarmed hero manages to outwit & fend off about 8 diamond smugglers armed with AK47s. Add to this some poor acting and clumsy exposition, and I gave up before ep 2 ended. I assume the high ratings are from people connected to the production.