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Poirot: Taken at the Flood (2006)
May not suit the 'purists' BUT a great episode full of tension
Yes if history was always portrayed accurately (if people could decide what was the actual truth) and every book or story was filmed verbatim; life would be almost perfect?! NOT. Sometimes I crave for the original story to be honoured but like some song the cover version is better than the original. As is this, not better but as good. In this case the acting and staging carries the revised version along admirably. The pedants (which is a mental health condition) and the purists will whine and belly ache and point out the flaws. Anyway they don't matter.. Very enjoyable episode, tension, mystery, jokes, baddies and goodies wonderfully produced and acted.
Masters of the Air (2024)
It's OK but none of the depth or poignancy of its predecessors
It's probably too long between Band of Brothers and Pacific for this to hold itself as part of the trilogy. It suffers from the modern steaming virus of being to fleeting with tension and those important moments. There's some difficult and uncomfortable blunders as well. Racism toward the English and American Graffiti language both didn't happen. In the first episode it is clear which characters are going where and stereotyping of personalities. It comes over as a bit glib and shallow at times in its story telling which undermines the painfully horror of what those guys faced everyday. It's early day but already it's skating through events in a matter of fact way. We don't feel attached or care about anyone, unlinke those that went before. The audience was able to bond with their fear. Shame, much lauded and anticipate. Perhaps that was the problem as well?
Slow Horses: Cleaning Up (2023)
Nose diving faster than a speeding bullet or Duffy's acting
The first series was fun and interesting but clearer they had no where to go after it. Just repeating River's gullibility, Lamb's farting etc the writers seem to think everyone will be happy and they can pad a story out around that. Series two was painful but this is worse, the violent version of cheap laughs and no story at all! The 'Dogs' or as I call them the football supporters is really a low point. The most ludicrous imagination less story angle for ages. The last writers were probably patting themselves hard on the back for the extreme depths they dared to plunge. Please end it now before they embarrass the UK any further.
Reacher (2022)
Conan channels Miss Marple to save Cabot Cove
Not total sure why this has so many high reviews. Yes some of the dialogue is entertaining but it's still the same corrupt far right small town America repeat scenario story. Rich baron in league with mafia hoods, of any description, controls Cabot Cove. Relative/friend of hero gets killed investigating. Hero teams up with incorruptible law officers. Falls for one of them. Resulting in a trail of bodies of coconspirators and kind helpful friends. Super hero reaps revenge on most of them in cruel and barbaric ways. It could have been done as a TV movies in 1/3 of the time and cost. I suppose it feeds the mid west incel market.
Napoleon (2023)
One star for showing up!! Ridley's Carry On Napoleon.
After the Braveheart, Mary & Elizabeth and Battle of the Bulge debacles, how on earth can a Director and a production company produce a film that is so historically inacurate? Surely the companies involved would be wary of international embarrassment alone, let alone credibility? The errors, are quite frankly stupidity, the fictitious events in this case are so glaring that they're laughable. Napoleon was in Elba when Josephine died, Napoleon didn't meet Wellington. Firing canons at the pyramids. Half the events in the Battle of Austerlitz didn't happen. Slapping Josephine during the divorce proceedings. Attending Marie Antonnette's execution. His horse being hit be a canon ball. To name but a few. Napoleon's life and career doesn't need silly embellishments. It was spectacular enough. The music is also clumsily applied. If they hadn't been so inaccurate the battle sequences would have been amazing. Ridley and Phoenix angrily & arrogantly defending and dismissing the criticism doesn't help. They should have just got it right first time. Apple just wasted $300M. And what a waste.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Literally a boring walk in the park - give it a miss.
They'd been better off not bothering. Despite La Boeuf, at least the Crystal Skull had good action sequences, bright colourful shots and a fab campy villain (Blanchet). Revisiting Indie's love and John Hurt's looney lifted the film. This has nothing. Pedestrian, dark, matter of fact action and a dull as ditch water villain. The premise was good 'time travelling' Greek device and bitter looser Nazis out to change history. But what a waste of everything. Including my time and money. Rehashing the child side kick idea didn't work neither. Ironically, the only good bits were actually the CGI'd younger Indies and Toby Jones scenes.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Terrible, probably the worst Bond
How on earth do people rate this above five. I mean five is for humour value? Everything about this is tackier & cheaper than the Moore Bonds! There's nothing even remotely believable. From Connery's Whig & tinted eyebrows to totally obvious body doubles used for the action sequences! And dont get me started on Charles Grey's 'mini sub"! Not even room for engines and the surface wobbled when it was hoisted! It's like an Acorn Antiques versions of Bond. Also the use of stand comedians, country and western singers and musicians as supporting cast. Total embarrassment. The horrible screechy Basie number sets the tone.
Benediction (2021)
A brave & laudable attempt to swim against the populist tide
Any film that has the slightest gay content is going to bring the bigots out of the wood work, whether the psycho intellectuals or the simply thugs. Hence the courage of Netflix and any actor who subsequently takes on the job has to be admired. Especially with the reach of social media these days. This is also a gritty and sometime uncomfortable watch and so it should be. Soldiers challenging the status quo, especially in English elites who conspired to start he war and then managed it so badly. The elites & sub aristocrats were also rewarded for the slaughter and agony they caused, and for accelerating the British Empires decline in the process. A parody of the last ten years on that island, which has at last finished it off. Of course they were proved right but now their words are used in far right 'nationalistic' rants and the anti-war anti-fascist meanings have been patriot washed.
Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (2022)
Self conscience, trying to be clever..
Sadly Laurie thinks he knows drama... Typically smug pretentious Fry & Laurie and Black Adderesque dialogue detracts from Christie's sense of tension, intrigue, suspense and the dramatic. He turns the lead characters into limp one dimensional soap opera characters. The direction of the supporting actors is equally lacking. They all seem to have cloned personalities. Makes it hard to keep track or maintain concentration on, dare I mention, a storyline.. Each interaction is short and somehow meaningless. There's no attempt to invite you or draw you in to take an interest in what you're watching? TV producers need to keep rich entitled comedy actors away from drama.
Star Trek: Voyager: The Thaw (1996)
Awful
Primitive throwback the the tacky original Star Trek and TNG without the charm. It's like a 60s Avengers or Monkees dream sequence. You wouldn't think this was a 90s production? Cheap design less poor sets, no acting & make up. Nothing saves this idiotic mess. Someone should have been sacked for subjecting viewers to the dreadful awfulness. Voyager doesn't really warm up until Seven joins. The early episodes are hit and miss in quality, some of the alien planet sets are cringeworthy. It almost makes you nostalgic for the Kazon with their cardboard hair. The best bit was the music as per usual.
Liaison (2023)
Ok apart from the clumsy script!
Everything's there, good actors, good story, good locations etc but the script & dialogue is awful!!! Bland meaningless lines are delivered with out emotion. Presumably because the actors are stunned by the content! The translation/dubbing/subtitling does at help. You cant get it with English subtitles for the French original without them continuing when English in spoken. This unfortunately enhances the poor script. So it's bad dubbing or subtitles that don't match what's spoke with a bad script. Aaargh. What a missed opportunity. There's some crap political stuff going on as well, like one "British" official call the EU the enemy. Nice, that helps, not.
Road to Perdition (2002)
Shame the style takes over from the substance
It is a good film, beautifully filmed & styled, and compelling but....
Why do Hollywood movies go bonkers half way through? Is it because the money men get impatient or the director gets bored or the producers decide to be directors?
When Sullivan and his son leave home it all goes tits up! The story becomes formulaic and the dialogue dives.....
Michael Jnr is the star. The critics keep on about it being a film about fathers and sons. It's not, it's a film about consequences and how you can't control everything. The more you try the more you'll fail.
Even at the end... when the kids says "I couldn't do it" Hank's says "I know" rather then "that's alright..." Fail.
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Awful
Worst choice of Director to start with. All the action is like a poor versions of B list Chinese fight themed movies. Dialogue is forced and predictable. Dougray Scott Is one of the worst actors anyway. And evidently a predatory kind of guy, which comes over in the movie. The last fight sequence is so poor & boring it's not even funny! Then there's the 'emotional' ending & the 'bit dead yet' bit... aaaargh. Shabby & unimaginative. Did Woo actually get paid for this? The end is so protracted you'll want to end yourself. I'm surprised the franchised survived. Thankfully things got better. A little bit.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
More cliches than Starshiptroopers
Most people who watched the first movie could have at least guessed the storyline of the second, 20 years ago. The dialogue is probably dated three years before the first movie, and makes 1950s movies sound contemporary. The only thing that saves the movie is the music. Why make something so predictable? There isnt one surprise or twist or intriguing detail or thread. Even the visuals aren't new? Yet another film where everyone is a secret super hero, flying planes, sailing boats, riding bikes, cars etc. Hollywood hasn't any ideas anymore.....it gave up on new ideas 40 years ago. This film is the pinnacle of the final drop.... Hollywood is dead.
Hawaii Five-0: Ka 'i'o (2019)
Even by 5O standards this is bad. Keep the 'stars' away from the Directors chair!!!
Grief this was the dumbest most self conscience episode. When Stevie boy plays rogue 007 things always get silly. It would have been better if they'd brought Mummy home to bake biscuits and settle down with a nice old Admiral or General and play with the grandkids. This must hold the record for pensive, lingering & poorly executed pauses with clumsy dialogue of any drama, beating even NCIS. Although it can't top NCIS for blatant sugar coated nationalism. Can't believe the producers let this through. I suppose they felt that the franchise was ending & rating were dropping anyway so "what the hell".
Slow Horses: Last Stop (2022)
Slow start, writers block...
Character definition and dialogues already slipping at the start of season two. Constant sniping and bitching replacing interesting dialogue. Theyre straight in with a more obvious story this time the viewer can almost guess what's happening next. A bit like Mozart, but with less class and finesse. Oldman's character has become less interesting almost boring, relying more on gutter language and even more crass behaviour. THe trouble is, they should have left it at one season or completely changed the premis. There's really nothing more to say, because nothing's really happened and probably won't.
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (2021)
It's put me off Stanley & almost Italy!!
The first couple of episodes were good, ten I realised that the rest was exactly the same just different locations. Every cook, farmer, olive grower would say how special, important unique they were. Stanley would blow smoke up them coooing & oooing over their produce or food. Repeat endlessly wow, how incredible, amazing, gorgeous, etc even history in a mouthful half a dozen times. There was little social history other than another repetition of how peasant sustenance food has become fashionable and expensive. Every area had the best or world beating olives.... But all seemed to use dried spaghetti made in the Netherlands. I longed for it to end. Sad as there was some beautiful scenery but in the end everyone was the same.....
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Even worse than the last one, they really made the effort here
OK Chris can't act, his great to look at and a really nice gut but... Don't put him in situations where the story &script are awful and the supporting cast dont know why they're there. The las 8 or so MCU films have slid fats. Probable starting around the time of GotG II. Lack of creativity, comfortable position that everyone;'s going to lap it up etc, whatever. This really is the lowest of low point so far. Cringeworthy lines form the outset. Everyone just going through the motions. Even the visuals are uninspired and formulaic. Why, why, why... didnt it just bomb at the box office and send a message?
Eternals (2021)
Compared to the last Thor movies this is an improvement for the MCU!!
I actually was relieved they made a movie that had a new cast and back story. It was fine. The acting was better than the last 8 or so Marvel movies, especially those with Spider-Man. I actually liked some of the characters. All the other have become pastiches of themselves. The story had a predictable MCU twist but we all expect that. If they've learnt by this a follow up could be better. Quiet frankly I hope they never make a Thor movie again. The super hero & 'gods' movies genre has been burnt out over the last ten years so this was never going to be received well by 'fans'. The whole market for this type of movie needs a break or a radical re think.
Hawaii Five-0: A'ohe Kahi e Pe'e Ai (2014)
Even by H5O standards this is awful!
Cast & writers stray even further from the boundryless reality of their minds! Marvelesque drone with impossible power to weight ratio carrying limitless amounts of weaponry attacks innocent humans. While the USAF & the Naval base on Hawaii is powerless to intervene & the 5O superhero's have save the day. Inc failing to track & intercept a poorly CGI'd private jet landing on a very short road in downtown Honolulu! The series popularity speaks volumes of the gullibility of the public.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Dismal, just another Spiderboy movie
Marvel are trapped in the origins of Spider-Man. Rerunning the story over and over. The appearance of Toby McGuire & Andrew Garfield showed up how immature the Tom Holland character has been portrayed. Spider-Man moved on in the comics far beyond the boyish image but these Groundhog Day films are now tedious and transparent.
Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (2015)
Same format as all the others
Selleck & co have boiled the books down to a bland repetitive format which dulls the senses. Drink, dog, simply wise but tortured lines from the main character, worthy side story, main story about murderer who got away with it initially, drink, unrequited love interest, Quips about phone & car, sex with very younger more sophisticated powerful woman, drink, show no affection to dog, meet gang boss for information, resolve local social aware case, set trap for killer, drink, kill perb' with one shot, drink, fading sunset scene with dog, repeat again and again. YAWN.
Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001)
High standards till the end
Almost the swan song for Jessica. Heart wrenching penultimate Murder She Wrote outing. Angela Lansbury brings out the best in the usual suspect cast. Wonderful time travel episode exposing more of the evil and lies of the South.
Jesse Stone: No Remorse (2010)
Series going down hill now
Stone sacked hits the bottle, yawn. Asked by colleagues who also should be working, to investigate a murder, boring. Another. Young girl wants sex with him, boring. They should have stuck to the books frosource material not allow the star to write the screen play. It was bound to end up like this... But America likes this stuff, it's identical to every other cop drama out there.
Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Worst lead characters & cliche stories
Gobsmacking that this appears so popular & went for so many series. Gallons of ham acting, toxic masculinity & tired stories & dialogue. The 60s series had far more charm. The support cast aren't bad but total flounced by the leading bozos.