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RobAKehoe
Reviews
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Dull pointless movie
Proof that Hollywood has no new ideas. It has been evident for a long time so why did I bother with this over long boring non story that in no way adds anything new to the brilliance of the 1982 film. Characters are all non relatable. Story is thin and unclear for the most part. By the time any of it became clear I no longer cared. Visually it works but with no plot to carry you through scene after scene everything turns stale. Gimics and old pop culture references do not make it any better. Acting was placid but the roles required little emotion anyhow. Very disappointing because it could have been an interesting extension or continuation of the old film. But yet again we are served up some half baked story over sprinkled with glittery CGI. They should not have bothered.
Thanks for the FF button. Had to make much use of it.
Source Code (2011)
Who wrote this code and why does it work?
The only way I was able to enjoy this film was by completely disregarding the technology dreamed up by a writer who didn't have a clue how to facilitate, outside of wizardry, the transference of a dead man's consciousness into the memories of another dead man just before a train exploded. I decided not to challenge myself by asking "but how?" and simply accepted that the "source code" could do this.
It was easy because this move is so slick and fast paced that you are not allowed the time to ponder how it was possible. So, if you are able to push aside your critical thinking you will enjoy the movie.
Humans (2015)
Humans 0 Synths 1
Five stars because I thought some storylines were interesting and emotional (synth attached to previous owner) but these were negated by other storylines that were ridiculous and boring (18+ sex robots). On the whole the first series is quite dull due to the dullness of the human characters. The second series gets better but has more issues regarding the technicalities of what the writers are proposing. If a supposed teenage wizkid writes some code that makes the synths have consciousness then what is the logic in this code? The characters just tell us that the code works and gives consciousness. Also, if one computer scientist uploads her dead daughter's consciousness into a server and interacts with it, then how is she doing this. I accept it is science fiction but some indication of the part of computer science responsible needs to be at least hinted at. But we the viewers are insulted by the writers thinking we accept it all on hearing the word "code".
It is a shame. This series had potential but it was lost in a very dull execution with insipid human characters - the central family is so dull they would be instantly killed off in any daytime soap opera. I suppose making the human characters dull would force the viewers to focus on the synths but this is a lazy way of enhancing one set of characters over the other. Not only are the human characters dull but they are not very credible either. I didn't believe the daughter and her computing abilities. The detective guy looked more like he should be driving a cab. And the mother/father from the family did nothing to convince me they cared about what they were doing, whether that was eating toast or representing in a ground breaking court case. Not bothering with season Zzzzzzz....
If you are considering this series I would recommend watching the movie AI - Artificial Intelligence - it does everything this serious tries to do and more and is less dull.
Bodyguard (2018)
Action, suspense, explosions,...and the plot dies in the end
I have to agree with the negative reviews. This was gripping and tense and watchable for the first three episodes but then the plot unravelled into something that resembled an average episode of The Bill. The writer took the easy way out and had the characters confess all at the last minute. And yes, the confessions in the final episode were unnecessary and unbelievable and made no sense at all. And they came after one of the most over the top bomb scenarios where the police behaved like complete fools with their petty squabbling and indecisions over what they should do. Aside from the final episode being hard to swallow and a huge disappointment, most of the final half of this six hour thriller was really just red herrings meant to throw the viewers off track. Why bother making the chief of police look suspect when she wasn't? Why make it look like the Intelligence Service was guilty when they weren't? A lot of time was wasted and this series could have been trimmed to just four episodes at the most. Positives? Well, the acting was ok and it was well presented and compelling for the most part, but if the plot doesn't hold together then none of it does.
This TV drama deserves spoiling because I spent five pounds and six hours of my life on it. So, let me get this straight. A girl of about 20 years of age masterminds the assassination of the home secretary from her prison cell and, with the help of a dodgy police woman, gets a major crime lord to do the dirty work for her. She also makes all the bombs that were needed, including the one she failed to blow herself up in during episode one. Then she confesses all for no particular reason after playing the victim for the previous five episodes.
The only way her confession would have credibility is if she was covering for someone else, but even that falls flat because her DNA was discovered on the bombs (according to police) and why did she bother playing miss innocent in the first place. But whatever way you look at this it falls flat. If she was the mastermind and bomb maker why was she going to blow herself up on the train? The writer failed miserably and insulted the audience. And I can't believe the actors agreed to that final episode; surely they must have seen the holes after reading the script. It was a damn shame to be so disappointed in the end.
Boyhood (2014)
Cliche and myth ridden boringly scripted film project
I empathise with the 1 star reviewers because this was a non eventful 2.75 hours.
Twelve long years of filming produced a very sedate offering. Imagine a soap opera centred around a woman and her two kids, failed marriages, and career focused cliché narrative. Then imagine 12 years of this soap opera trimmed down to just under 3 hours but with all the whys and hows removed so you are just left with one great big what.
The critics who celebrate this movie seem unable to get over the long term nature of the movie project and think that 12 years of filming can make up for no plot and a boring story.
Gossip (2000)
Compelling thriller ultimately fails
An intriguing thriller about how a rumour can spread and quickly turn more than a little nasty. This was very compelling and had the potential to be a classic thriller BUT the totally unbelievable twist at the end was a major dissapointment. To enjoy the film I would watch again and press the stop button a few minutes before credits role.
The Boys Next Door (1985)
Raw and harsh
Another raw, on the edge, 80's movie that I remember seeing back in 1987 on home video. After another recent viewing I see how raw it still feels, especially after 30+ years of glossed over horror and crime movies that hollywood likes. This would be controversial if released today and accusations of glamourising murder and violence and "toxic masculinity" would fly around the panic rooms of twitter. Yeah, it's brutal. It's also kind of meaningless in that their motives are unclear. Roy is clearly mentally deranged and Bo just tags along for the ride. The ending delivers ultimate irony for them both. Worth the watch.
The Hitcher (1986)
My mother told me never to do this...
I saw this back in the 80's when home video was the done thing and thought it great. I remember others spoke highly of it too so I don't know why Wikipedia only mentions the bad reviews it got back in the day. Anyhow, I saw for a second time recently and I think it stands up pretty well over the past 35 years. Very good performances, especially by C Thomas Howell who was only young back then. The atmosphere is creepy from start to finish and although some events seem unbelievable, well hell so what? That's why we watch movies - to see things that seem unbelievable.
The Facility (2012)
Drug trial becomes zombie hell
This was presented as though based on fact but it's not long into the film you realize it is too far from possible to be true. A drug trial where subjects are injected with an experimental substance turns violent when unexpected side effects hit them one by one. Although compelling and acted well enough there is no great plot other than paranoia about who out of the eight volunteers is going to lose control next.
The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
True Will Hunting
The true story of Srinivasa Ramanujan and his journey to proving the mathematical theorums he instinctively knew. This is a warm story of genius learning to be humble in order to get published and accepted into the Royal Society back in the 1910's. Ramanujan devoted his short life to mathematics and left a legacy of knowledge behind. Like Einstien and Newton he should be household name.
Tenet (2020)
Backwards and Forwards, Forwards and Backwards
I've watched this three times and concluded that Mr Nolan himself doesn't know what its about or how it should be viewed. Clever visuals and a bizarre idea come together to make a dazzling movie with a cliche "save the world" type plot told in a Pulp Fiction kind of way with the rewind button on half the time. Expect to be visually impressed, while being intellectually confused.
A Ghost Story (2017)
Slow thought provoking experiment
If, before viewing, you know this film is about a dead man walking around with a white sheet over his head then you're likely to give it a fair review. I knew this and so watched with an open mind and was drawn in, albeit at a snails pace. The slow pace plays its part well, as does the white sheet, in making you consider a range of concepts about life and death and eternity. Just don't expect a run of the mill horror/ghost movie with false scares and ghoulish antagonists. Instead expect to be given food for thought.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor The Third!
A great third film for Thor and coming after the second dismal Thor film this one stands out as even better than the first. I'd say it gives the Avengers films a run for their money. Great performances give an over the top ridiculous plot a thoroughly enjoyable viewing.
Hereditary (2018)
Great build up to an anti climax
My five stars go to Toni Collette for her brilliant peformance and to the hellish atomosphere and tense build up. However, the last part of the movie seemed to dump all the build up in favour of something that comes out of leftfield. I felt let down, especially because Toni Collette's character seemed to be dumped at the last minute.
The Rocketeer (1991)
Highly Entertaining
From the opening scene the plot is on the go and momentum runs well throughout. The action and fighting and threats come at our hero from all sides in an uncontrived way that keeps the viewer invested in him and his gal. I'd recommend for its high entertainment value.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
It left an impression that has never faded...
I saw this film when it first came out in 1989 and always remembered it being a good film. Over the years I forgot the story but always remembered it as a film worth seeing. I recently watched it for a second time and was given a certain reminder as to why it's a film worth seeing. It's hard to say what it is that makes it such a good film - most people focus on Robin William's performance as the main ingredient. I have to disagree. There are many aspects of this film that make it worth seeing and all play their part just enough and without blatancy. If any performance had to be singled out for praise I would put Robert Sean Leonard's portrayal of Neil at the front. Neil is clearly the focus for the audience and the one boy in the class who is affected most by their new teacher. He carries the viewer through the events of the film and becomes the reason for its climax. I suppose Williams was the only known actor in the movie at time of its release and so his performance is highlighted. But I'd say his character was only a focal point for the boys in the school, not the viewer. It was Neil who had the main storyline and Robert Sean Leonard carried off perfectly.
School's Out Forever (2021)
Survival at Boarding School
Good action/horror survival movie with decent characters and acting. The ending was the only let down for me and I felt it tried to preach to the audience with it being a bit unrealistic how things turned out. But throughout the movie I was gripped.