asharples Reviews

Cat Person (I) (2023)

Mixed bag

[6/10 · 24 October 2023]

I saw this as part of an Odeon Screen unseen showing so was completely and literally in the dark about what I was going to see. Well I was pleasantly surprised. It's a tale about 20 year old Margot and her bouncing around the excitement and misunderstandings of relationships and how communication, expectation and reality can all blow things up.

There were times whenn I expected the story to go down a sinister route but then was I being manipulated by the opening quote?

Worth your time. This is just a privileged view into a 20 year Old's life which reverberated with me on many levels. If you approach this as just that then you won't be disappointed.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Pointless fan-service tripe

[4/10 · 3 July 2023]

After spending a lot of cash to watch this in a Dolby Cinema. I can only come to the conclusion that I should have waited for this to leak onto Disney +. Interesting story but it felt like some contrived fan service trope, which had been manufactured to feel like an Indiana Jones movie, but some how wasn't. There is something off here from the get go and I started to understand what it was about two thirds of the way through. Just about the same amount of time it took for me to give up and wish the ending to happen.

The whole film just doesn't fit into anything, it's tired, full of nods to previous films to make fans warm and happy. It has bad cgi, bad green screen. The Dolby vision is crap, the atmos mix is terrible, over loud and non involving and it's just.......bad.

I liked Crystal Skull. Yeah it was corny in bits. But it felt like an Indy movie. From the Paramount opening, blending in with the first scene, to the rousing credits score. This doesn't have the paramount logo. It has a Disney one and a Lucasfilm one, which melts into a lock. Just bad...bad..bad.

Again, Disney have soiled a perfectly good lineage of movies. They did it with Starwars, They did it with MCU and now this....abomination.

Save your money and wait till Disney+.

The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

Missing so much from the book.

[5/10 · 5 March 2023]

I loved the book. The mystery, the work between Landor and Poe and the weird dynamics in the Marquis family.

However, here we have the screen adaptation which is lacking some of the best scenes in the book, together with transforming two key scenes altogether and scrubbing what I can only describe as a great ending.

Yes, it has the essence of the story, but is missing the work Landor and Poe had together. The ransacking of Artemis's room was just alluded to in the movie, in the book it's a wonderful scene between poe and Landor. Lea's suicide attempt, the searching of the Ice house...all different.

It's not a bad bit of entertainment. But after reading the source material it's pretty slim.

Another Life (2019–2021)

Emptier than space itself

[1/10 · 2 August 2019]

I lasted two episodes before I removed this from my watch list. Shallow and annoying 20 somethings that just all deserve to die. A ships computer in the guise of a holographic Londoner and an annoying husband attempting to do a "close encounters" musical number with an artifact. Oh and a plot that must have been scratched into tired looking door of the studio's smelliest toilet cubical door. That sums it up. After two episodes I felt emptier than space itself, and couldn't give a toss if earth was doomed or this season.

Netflix. Please end this project of commissionong rubbish and cancelling good shows.

Black Spot (2017–2019)

What have I just watched?

[4/10 · 2 June 2019]

Never have I felt so empty since the ending of Lost, than I did when I finally came to the end of Season 1 of Black Spot. A French version of Twin Peaks, without the dwarf, which adds so much more incoherence and mystery to what it's actually about than Lynch could ever muster. Lovely cinematography but lousy colour grading which makes the whole thing appear washed out. Bizarre.

Gentleman Jack (2019–2022)

Enjoyable and absorbing

[8/10 · 31 May 2019]

Brilliantly filmed with an engaging script and great characters. Thanks to the large number of "old" buildings still in existence in and around Calderdale, the exterior and interior scenes really added to the period aspect. The 4th Wall is broken now and again, which reinforces your connection with the protagonist. I almost felt as if I was part of her life and just hovering around witnessing her diary entries come to life.

This is an Interesting story about someone I knew nothing about, in a town I've worked for a number of years and look forward to watching the rest of the season. Recommended.

The Big Picture (2000)

Moving movie with interesting ending.

[7/10 · 3 July 2010]

This movie was one of the extras on the Blu ray disc of Daybreakers. Usually most short films that are by the same directors/producers are pretty dire. But this one kept me watching and was just as interesting as the main feature. At first you think that Wendy's neighbour is a bit "unhinged" or, if you have just watched Daybreakers, is a vampire. However as this little gem unfolds you are drawn into a nice little story.

Then ending is almost comical and I guessed what would happen just as the nice piano and strings played.

Great little movie.

The Mist (2007)

There IS something in the mist... a great Adaptation

[7/10 · 29 May 2008]

I read about this movie release a while ago back in early 2007 and anticipated the UK cinema release. Now, either I missed it, was asleep or got taken to another planet, I don't ever recall seeing this released at the local multiplex. In fact I don't remember seeing it released anywhere at all. So, time passes by and a friend of mine lets me know that "The Mist" is available on Region 1 DVD. So, being a Darabont fan I jumped at the chance to buy it.

Firstly I have to say that this is probably one of the better screenplay adaptations of a Stephen King story. The Characters are nicely developed and even though you are not party to the background of each one, you still feel like you know them. Perhaps because they resemble people you already know or have met. The strength of "The mist" comes from the way things are revealed. Bit by bit. You almost feel as if you are a third person, trapped with all of them in the convenience store. You want to know more about the mist and when you do you just end up salivating for the next morsel.

Secondly Frank's interpretation of the short story is very well done. The camera-work is awesome, using a hand-held technique similar to 24. All in all this was a good 2 hours spent in-front of the TV.

Like most of the comments on here I have to say that the ending left me with a horrid empty feeling. I felt there was no real closure to the story and part of me wanted to see what was going to happen next. Alas this will never be.

Good movie. Now I wonder if the Dark Tower will ever get made? :D

Zombie Diaries (2006)

Great Idea. Poor execution.

[2/10 · 31 August 2007]

I had high hopes for this. The trailer shows us what appears to be a very good movie. Tense and exciting. Upon sticking this in my DVD drive I found that the trailer in fact appeared to show a very different movie.

Whilst I found the idea of this movie interesting I found it very very very hard to watch all of it. I liked the idea of trying to show this genre in a more realistic light and I expected more from the Documentary segment but alas no.

Poorly scripted, poorly acted, poorly filmed. The special effects are good. But I feel most of the budget was wasted on them.

Disappointing.

Them (2006)

Interesting

[6/10 · 28 August 2007]

I rented this from the local Blockbuster based on the various reviews I had read. I must say that the movie is pretty good at keeping your attention, all the way to the end. However when then end does come, I felt empty and unmoved. The shocks in this film are psychological. The main characters are introduced well and you instantly feel like a voyeur, peeking through the curtains in their remote and idyllic house. This is what captivates you for the entire 70 minutes.

However, like most characters in horror movies, they are thick and the cliché's come thick and fast. There were many moments when I just shouted at the screen "Don't open that door dummy!".

Good movie.

Wolf Creek (2005)

Oh no we are all up (wolf) creek

[7/10 · 6 February 2006]

I've seen loads of horror movies. Most claiming that "You will get the scare of your life" and most of which end up being more like 2 hours of boredom.

Wolf creek opens like a typical teen movie and for the first 30 minutes plays out with the usual cliché's you get in these types of movies. However at 31 minutes the movie takes a turn for the better, or in the case of the cast, the worse.

This movie is very very well done. It generates a usual audience-character relationship and then destroys it. I really did feel on edge watching this. John Jarret plays Mick to a tee. The scene around the campfire where Mick drops his signature line "There ain't nothing like rain water from the top end" just makes your skin crawl. A great performance.

The pace of the violence when it gets going is perfect, only once does the suspense trail off but this only helps explain Micks horrendous past as he devours the smörgåsbord of tourists that come his way.

Low budget but big on thrills. Wolf creek stays with you for days after.

Well done

Lost (2004–2010)

Gripping Stuff

[21 January 2005]

After a lengthy download process I sat down to watch LOST. After hearing all of the blurbs saying that this was a great show I was really looking forward to it. So, sitting down and pressing play I quickly came to the conclusion that they were not lying.

This has to be one of the best TV shows out there at the moment. The depth of writing and construction of each episode is perfect. Telling the story of a group of survivors from a doomed plane that broke up somewhere between Austrailia and Fiji, Lost sets a great Pace from the start. Building up your understanding of each character and allowing you to form mental relationships with them.

After three episodes I felt an empathic relationship with the characters and following a gripping story, I just couldn't stop watching. 5 Episodes in a single sitting is usually a chore, but because this is so good you just lose yourself in it and before you know it 2-3 hours have passed.

Simply put, this show is great. Its entertaining and enjoyable and after each episode you feel you just have to watch the next episode. The Island holds many secrets and dangers and you are hooked from the beginning.

FANTASTIC

Trauma (I) (2004)

Should really turn off the life support on this one!

[19 September 2004]

One description of Trauma is "An event or situation that causes great distress and disruption". Thats exactly what this film did to me because I was distressed from having to pay £10 to see it (two tickets) and disrupted from having to spend a VERY long hour and a half watching it.

As soon as I saw the BBC films logo I knew I was in for something rubbish. Don't get me wrong, some BBC funded films are good but this is just dire. A lot of the set pieces have smacks of Jacobs Ladder about them and about half way through the film I thought thats exactly just what this film was about.

Performances by Colin Firth et al are not bad although being a British film it suffers from the grime and depression that most films from our island seem to conform to.

Disjointed, hard to follow and with an ending that leaves you with a horrid taste in your mouth, Trauma is definitely one to wait either for DVD rental or TV.