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Reviews
Truelove (2024)
averagely entertaining, skin deep look at the issue
I have one episode still to watch, but I have been irked by several aspects of this drama. The rekindled love affair side of it I just can't believe, I don't see their chemistry. To me Phil appears as a selfish, big headed and unpleasant character who continues smoking despite her family's concern for her health, and treats her doting husband appallingly. She married him and stayed with him, but can't give him respect or any credit for how he's cared for her (and tolerated her!) Also, yet again they can't be bothered to give an accurate depiction of hospital. Phil is "not able to be seen" yet after her car crash, but she's only in bed with minimal monitoring, and does she have an IV infusion or not? In bed she doesn't, but when taken out for a fag in the wheelchair she suddenly does. I just wanted the killers to be caught as quickly as possible before they bump off any more people, now I'm really concerned that they might get away with it. The first killing is just horrible, and would have been discovered at autopsy as any of us who ever watched or read crime drama would know. The second, well why did nobody pick up on that husband's nasty comment near the beginning "you're ugly, but in that morning I'll be sober" to poor Marion. I suspected him straight off as a nasty piece of work. Also, fingerprints would be all over glasses etc in Marion's home. So much for Phil knowing how not to leave a trace etc. I can't but think that people are fawning over the series because of the older, and diverse cast and the topic of "assisted suicide" which is currently in the news again. As Marion's old friend I would have been asking what was being done to help her, nobody even asked!! Really insulting to just think "oh, she's old and has dementia, of course she wants out " And I suspect they're going to bump off the young PC who is my favourite character. I did find it a bit entertaining hence the 6 stars, but deeply flawed. And I'm 65... Getting towards the age of the cast.
Konferensen (2023)
every now and then...
I'm in the mood for a mad slasher film. Not that often at all. And only when there is humour mixed in. Both the humour (focussing on the supposedly good community minded Swedish workers, and the corruption lying not far beneath the surface for several of them) and the violence are ridiculous, as intended. I loved the older cast members and found them very humorous. I enjoyed the acting throughout. A couple of times I couldn't look at the violence happening, that's fairly normal for me, and I jumped a few times too. Overall an entertaining watch, and it didn't drag on too long. Unlike many documentaries these days...
Scrapper (2023)
well worth seeing if you like "slice of life" type films
Overall I really enjoyed this fairly short film. It seemed to fly by.
Acting from the 2 (almost 3 with the very loyal and lovable friend Ali?) leads was convincing throughout.
I didn't always enjoy the cinematography, but a few scenes I found jarring were quite short.
It has some very funny moments, thankfully, and I liked the ending a lot.
I wasn't totally convinced that some of Georgia's ways of finding her rent would have worked, even in the short term, or that she would have managed to hoodwink Social Services in that way, but I can see it might all have seemed the right way to proceed in the mind if a 12 year old.
Sound of Metal (2019)
Ruben took me with him, it was great
Something I like to do after watching a film I love, is reading the negative reviews to see if they change how I feel about it. So, some of the negative reviews come from hearing impaired people, and not being hearing impaired myself I want to take it on board that maybe there was a little inaccuracy or misleading info. However I met a friend of a friend who'd had cochlear implants, who said the sound was not at all like her previous hearing, that the implant is far from giving a return to hearing as it was before the loss. Some other negatives found it boring, or overlong. As my review title says, I was transfixed and really felt taken along with everything. The acting all round was superb, didn't feel like they were acting. I loved how the varying sounds were used. And the simplicity of the profound ending. Beautiful.
Outlander (2014)
managed one episode
The series was recommended to me by somebody I like and respect. She told me it's brilliant. Just goes to show, people's taste in entertainment can surprise you. I enjoyed the scenery and the music, and that's it. Even the first episode, which one would expect to be exciting or captivating, crawled along, and the protagonist managed to annoy me a lot of the time she's in the picture. (i.e. Most of the time) I get impatient with sex scenes that don't add anything to the story, and there were several of these in the first episode. I see from other reviews it gets much worse. Oh, the burly Scot is very attractive, but not enough to make me watch any more.
Calibre (2018)
very well done but grim
I found this film really well acted, and I enjoyed the barely existent soundtrack, very refreshing. Who couldn't appreciate the lovely Scottish scenery? I found it a totally believable scenario and I could only mark it down as entertainment because I struggle to say it was enjoyable, which I tend to think entertainment should be. I was so tense throughout most of it, I had to look away from the screen several times as the tension was unbearable to me. I was very tired when I watched it, but there was no way I could doze off (a frequent habit of mine). I don't think any of them deserved what happened!
Blindspot (2023)
awful
A couple of strange reviews bumped up the overall rating to one that is not deserved, so I'm here to help bring it back to somewhere nearer to accurate. Recommended to me by my parents, in itself very strange and I wonder if they dozed off and didn't really watch it... Horrible acting by most of the cast, especially the lead, who also has the most annoying personality. As others have said, you could well be rooting for the crazy killer once you've heard 10 minutes of her nastiness. The cute dog is possibly a Biewer terrier, shall we have a discussion on that as it would be more interesting than this nonsensical waste of money, space, and anybody's time.
Yellowjackets (2021)
very disappointing
1 star because I like a lot of the music. 1 star for Ricci and Lynskey. 1 star because there's one cute guy in it for a while. Took that away because it wasn't really deserved. There's only so long and so far I can suspend disbelief, and watch a show that mostly moves at a glacial pace. Plot holes abound. Puerile nonsense for the most part. Kept trying until halfway through episode 8 as my friend wanted to discuss the series with me, but I couldn't waste any more of my time. Oh I have to write more, but I don't want to include spoilers! So what I'll say is that I will watch Better Call Saul again a few more times rather than this tripe.
Dominion (2018)
Know where your meat comes from
The people who give this a low rating say things like "they want you to think all farming is like this". I don't think they say anywhere that these shameful practices are the norm. However, the footage is big proof that it happens, and that's enough for me. I haven't managed to watch it all through yet, there is such cruelty and partly I feel it's wrong to watch it. For me, the message is, be sure you know where your food comes from. I would rather eat very little, or no meat, than perpetuate these torture farms and practices. That's what I do. I'd like to know if any of the sadists were brought to justice after this.
His House (2020)
A mixed bag, well done but not fun
For about the first half of the film I was very impressed with this film, the acting was all convincing and the story interesting, and the refugees' history distressing but essential to the story. If it had stayed with giving the impression that the 'ghosts' in the house were actually due to the occupants' PTSD, exacerbated by the fact that they grew up in a culture that believe in the supernatural, I could have continued to enjoy the film. Especially once you discovered the guilt they carried for stealing the daughter from another mother (that scene was heart wrenching), it was making sense that, in their own way, both woman and man would fall apart.
Then the film takes the step in the direction that I can't believe. Yes, the night witch is actually a living thing that can come out of the floor etc etc. Totally lost me then, and didn't watch the end. Then I was left with the feeling that I watched something that was unhappy and harrowing but also ultimately unsatisfying.
The Fall (2013)
a bone to pick with my friend ..
He told me to stick with this series, as he thought from memory it didn't go the way you'd think and that it's good. I'm writing this review while episode 5 series 3 is boring me silly. I hate the ridiculous whispering stiletto heel wearing detective just as much as I hate the killer at this point. Seriously, are there any detectives who wear heels like that wherever they go? I was shouting at the tv (I'm good fun to watch shows with) when stupid killer-face leads them to Rose and the ludicrous detective wanders off into the woods in heels. What's Wallander doing, he's better than this drivel. (I realise that's not the actors name but I'm out of patience by this point) That's it, no more. I googled Anderson's voice in case she had throat cancer and I was being a meanie, but no. It's her trademark sultry whisper apparently...
Grenseland (2017)
Pretty but slooooow
I suppose I liked the actors. They don't talk much but well, they are Nordic cops, taciturn burly (stereo)types. After falling asleep to this show multiple times, I realised that so little happens, so little dialogue, that the soporific soundtrack is as good as a sleeping pill. May as well watch the last 5 minutes where there's always a bit of a cliffhanger, and the Recap. Anniken and Lars my favourites, oh and the bairns. Can I stay for the last 2 episodes? Not decided yet.
The Dig (2021)
Good start but lost the feel halfway through
I enjoyed Ralph Fiennes' Basil, and Carey's Edith, despite the age discrepancies. When the plot started to stray from Basil and Edith, soon followed by Johnny Flynn's character appearing, for me the film went downhill. Even had Johnny's Rory been a genuine character from history it was obvious that he was going to portray a) a hero and b) a love interest. I never believed the connection between him and the ill-married woman and it just seemed put in to give Johnny a role. (I like Johnny Flynn's music and really wanted to like him as an actor too). Another major gripe for me was the soundtrack. I started gritting my teeth at the predictable and interminable 2-note keyboard with chords behind, so cheesy.
La vita davanti a sé (2020)
A gem, just a note on dialogue and subtitles
Just to note that I watched this on Netflix, and didn't have the issue with dubbing as it was subtitled with Italian dialogue. I don't know why some people thought American dubbing was the only option?
Thoroughly enjoyed it all.
Black Mirror: Striking Vipers (2019)
mind boggling as ever
Human relations altered or enhanced by VR. Babies must be made somehow, what future for reproduction when virtual life saps the life from reality. What's real anyway? How much do you love your friend and in what way? How much can technology alter the mind? Why addiction? Why tell the truth if there's no physical evidence? Did they need tissues??? Lots of food for thought, great acting, I was properly entertained.
Wild Wild Country (2018)
Interesting but drags at times and maybe biased
I was in my twenties when the depicted events were happening, and not being a regular news follower, living in England, I had never heard of this shocking story. I am very open minded and verge towards hippiedom in a still "respectable" way, so it could have been easy to side with the cult.... but right from the start there were things happening that didn't feel good. Where was any democracy in this large cult? Why the top-down hierarchy? Where did all the money come from? Sheela was evidently a completely egotistical person from the start, and it develops almost unsurprisingly when she doesn't get her own way. I did get the feeling I was supposed to sympathise with the cult, and I did, with the followers, but not the totalitarian non- elected leaders. As for the poor homeless people, that was the proverbial straw for me as far as the cult went. The humble residents of Antelope and Rosco County got short shrift in my opinion - all they wanted to do was live a modest, quiet life, and well you see what deceptions and intrusions happened, but I'm not sure the film gave them enough respect. I loved the big man who found the documents at the dump - what a character! Anyway... to sum up, intriguing story, beautiful scenery, but took too long, too much of Sheela and the annoyingly smug lawyer, too little of Bhagwan, the soundtrack though interesting was too constant, so a mixed bag. Worth watching for sure .
Bird Box (2018)
nonsensical and unoriginal
The 2 stars are for the river which is pretty. Sandra looks like Michael Jackson (distracting) and delivered no emotion at all. The only character I liked was Charlie, and he was one of the first to (totally predictably) die. I was not surprised or scared at any point, and did well to stay awake. Ugh