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willx-robinson
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APB (2017)
It's a TV show!
I genuinely enjoyed this enough to seek it out again in 2024, and I have no regrets.
While it still deals with the age-old franchise of cops vs robbers it took a fresh new twist at the time, and I don't understand the haters...
It's a TV show, meant for entertainment purposes, and if you're going to say stuff like "it's just cops and robbers with a twist" then you're missing the point - all the base premises of films and series has already been covered, it's the twists that keep things fresh...
If you're going to complain about twists in the C&R premise then maybe stop watching C&R shows as that's literally all that's there to keep them going - or you can watch your C&R modern shows, which are exactly the same thing without the twist - so you're saying we should just stop making C&R shows altogether?
What other bases for series should we stop making?
That aside, it's genuinely a fun watch, with engaging characters and very short down-time between the engaging stuff.
It's sad that shows like this and 'Almost Human' get cancelled so soon as they obviously made a mark on so many people; probably more so on those higher up when they point out the flaws of those with more money/greed than sense...
I think this hit the mark in episode one where the line (paraphrasing), "So, it takes something happening to you to finally get involved to do something..." makes an impact, because we're all aware the millionaires don't give a monkeys about the menials and that won't change anytime soon.
Edit: I'm aware that this show has many flaws (more so since release - although a lot have come to fruition) and many loop holes but can't we just accept it for what it is - entertainment?
In closing, it's a fun watch - turn your brain off and enjoy it...
The only truly unbelievable part is that a millionaire did something to help the general public.
Bodies (2023)
A time travel tale that's hard to fault
The late Si Spencer has written for so many well known media, including Judge Dredd Megazine, EastEnders, The Bill, Grange Hill, Torchwood, and so many more...
His 8 issue comic, 'Bodies' is an astounding piece of work and it's amazing how well Paul (Tomalin) and Danusia (Samal) have brought this to the small screen, adding just enough to make it work yet taking nothing away. The writing is impeccable, which means so much more when you consider there's four timelines running concurrently, and it's hard to find fault.
The nature of the writing is such that just when you think you've solved it, there's more behind the curtains and I struggled to find any faults on my first viewing - yes, even when you thought you had it sorted out, episode seven turn it on it's head!
While there are some issues that I'd consider highly unlikely, like a young girl falling for someone 23 years senior, I'm willing to let it slide (although it still irks me somewhat).
The art direction is spot on, with each timeline reflecting the period perfectly - the set design, the clothing, the mannerisms, the music, delightful in every way.
The only real issue I had is that the ending was far more convoluted than it had to be - it could have ended so much sooner and still made sense but they pushed it and pushed it for no reason.
Still, that's just my opinion; I can only recommend you watch it yourself and form your own.
Still, it's a fantastically well written show, and it's up there with other such media like Primer and Predestination, although it far more straight-forward than either of those.
Definitely worth your time if you like a bit of time travel to whet your appetite.
Los cronocrímenes (2007)
Don't over-analyse it.
This is an incredibly well written film if you leave your brain on minimal. Everything ties together in the long run and makes it a genuine buzz when you see both past and present events match up.
Its only failing is that it suffers from the opposite of the Bootstrap Paradox - where, if you go back in time and murder your grandfather, you'll not exist...
I say it's the opposite because events here already exist despite having nothing to trigger them - there's no catalyst!
It's essentially a loop of events that has always occurred, but that's not possible - something would need to trigger the event, but the event is in motion regardless, making the whole thing a paradox.
There's obviously a lot of thought put into the time-travel aspects to make everything match up, but it falls short on explaining why Hector is doing what he's doing most of the time...
Why someone would see something from their past and feel the need to repeat it for no reason at all is beyond me - it's just plot contrivance and doesn't make any rational sense.
Again, it's a thoroughly enjoyable film if you accept it for what it is; once you start looking beyond that it doesn't make much sense.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Witty, action packed, and impressive.
One of the most well-written, witty, and action-packed films I've had the pleasure of watching. I'd even go so far as to take the hit and say it's better than Die Hard; there, I said it.
Pitt plays the stoic John, the attention deficit, all-action guy perfectly; Jolie similarly, plays Jane with the clinical, precision-centric hit-girl vibe.
Both play their roles effortlessly, with subtle mannerisms and facial expressions so unbelievably on point that even with the sound off you'd know exactly what's on their minds at any given time.
Kinberg's writing is spectacular, Liman's directing is equally on par. Both combine to create an amazingly fluid watch with no wasted time - every second is there for a reason, and it all fits perfectly.
I honestly can't fault any of it, barring some in-film tactical inaccuracies that are there purely for cinematography, but I'm happy to let it slide because the end result is a spectacle and a half.
This is quite possibly one of the most watchable films of all time, and there's no limit to when or where, you can just put it on and enjoy the ride whenever!
Love and Monsters (2020)
Awesome feel-good film where the lead is never more than a normal guy
A rare gem, inline with my all-time favourite 'Stardust' - both of which follow a general nobody on a Fool's Errand for true love, although through very differing circumstances...
Dylan O'Brien is amazing as the lead who's lost everything and gained next-to nothing. He's loved by his colony despite being a nobody since he makes great minestrone.
It's refreshing that he's never made out to be more than he is - just a guy trying to survive - and even when he's called upon to be the hero he's still the same guy, just using what he's learned on the journey.
It's always great seeing Michael Rooker playing a good guy, and he does it flawlessly - the old mentor teaching the new guy what he knows, it's just a shame we don't see more of him as he's incredibly likeable.
Ariana Greenblatt is awesome as Minnow, the child who's lost everyone she knows and partners along with Rooker, first thinking O'Brien is useless but growing to respect and care about him.
Boy (the dog who's lost his owner) is on par with O'Brien, not stealing the show, but playing the faithful companion with utmost diligence (mostly).
All in all, the writing is top notch, the effects are mostly impeccable (only failing in the odd scene where CGI meets close-ups), it's well worth the watch, and I highly recommend it as an awesome feel-good film!
Hellsing Ultimate (2006)
Solid adult anime hampered by occasional childish cartoons
I haven't read the original manga or seen the OVA but I had been led to believe the abridged version was hilarious, so I watched it...
I did find it was above board on the humour but the voice acting was terrible, which mad me want to see what the main fuss was about, and it led me to this.
The story, dialogue, voice acting, overall design and artwork is exceptional and really sucks you in (no pun intended), at least it does until you get some random chibi childish overhyped cartoon clip thrown into the mix and you're cast out of the immersion completely.
I can't recommend this enough to people wanting an alternative, and somewhat more violent* take on the Dracula tale and then some. If you can get past the chibi (Who thought that would be a good idea?!) madness then it's a keeper.
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*That doesn't sound like much regarding the traditional take on Vlad III's iconic history but this goes well beyond that.
Mortal Kombat (2021)
A shadow of its former selves...
Eye-candy and adult content do not alone the film make...
Seems like they tried to adult-up the original (Mortal Kombat - 1995) but took the dismal writing style of the follow-up (Mortal Kombat: Annihilation - 1997) and made a mixture that's doubly hard to swallow.
The effects were great, but coupled with terrible writing and plot, mainly due to the introduction of Cole and a lack of staple/long-time characters from the franchise, it largely leaves a bad taste in the mouth it as it eventually dawns on you that it's not really going to progress anywhere story-wise - at this point, it tries to pull the wool over your eyes with laboured gore and swearing instead...
All in all, a terrible waste of time. Even the 2011-2013 mini-series had a better idea of what was involved to make it worthwhile to the franchise and fans, but this is nowhere near that level of creativity or style.
All in all, it comes across like they've found a load of basic character profiles from teenage fan-fiction writers and came up with their own idea of what ties everyone together...
It's not terrible, but it's not what I'd consider Mortal Kombat either.
Body Snatchers (1993)
It's a fun romp if you've nothing better to hand...
It's always nice to see a different take on something that's been done before - something new brought to the table, even if it is just the same plot in a different location - but this is pretty much all it's got going for it.
Maybe the film would have been different if the male lead had the ability to project more emotion than the titular beings themselves rather than retaining the same steely-eyed, expressionless gaze throughout. Maybe if there were some involvement in the plot other than "We have to escape!"
It comes across more like an extended episode of The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone than a movie in it's own right and there's no shame in that, but as a fully fledged film in its own right it's just a bit of a fun, albeit shallow, romp on a military base.
I'll stick to the '78 version for now since it actually tries to delve a bit further into what's actually going on rather than just having an event everyone's just trying to get away from...
I can't give it more than 5/10 since it doesn't have any real character progression or go anywhere.
The Host (2013)
Not at all what I was expecting...
I'll be up front and say that I've not read the book and I knew there'd be a 'lovey-dovey' element to it but the plot intrigued me no end.
It's been nagging away at my mind since it came out but I'd put off watching it because I'd foolishly pre-decided I'd hate it based on the fact that I expected it to be more of a (go easy now) 'chick-flick'.
Now I'm more than happy to admit when I'm wrong and I'm equally happy to say that I was very, very wrong about this.
Admittedly the pace is a little slow-going but I have a media player that let's me watch stuff at 2x the normal speed so it seemed perfectly adequate for me and I loved it immensely.
So, I highly recommend it if you're able to speed it up if you find the going a bit slow.
Yes, there's love interests involved but it's so well written and filmed that it doesn't detract from the overall theme and it would be a shallow film without.
Days of the Bagnold Summer (2019)
I think they mistitled the genre as 'Comedy'...
As the header says, I was lulled into thinking this was a comedy - filled with the kind of humour only a mismatched bland mother and metalhead teen could render, but I was completely unprepared for this drawn out bore-fest that even an avid bingo gran would consider uninspired.
I even tolerated the whole thing with the expectation of some grand awakening or something remotely equivalent, what I got was a feel-good movie that scored about +2% if you rated any feel-good film on how well you felt when you started compared to much better you felt at the end (and the positive is likely because I nipped to the loo before the credits).