mjplysaght Reviews

Andor (2022– )

A diamond in the rough

[9/10 · 29 May 2023]

Disney's track record with Star Wars hasn't been great, let's be honest.

The amount of key jangling included in the sequel trilogy, the Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett and Kenobi, on top of abysmal writing left a bad taste in my mouth.

So when Andor was announced, I predicted it would follow the same pattern. Good god, I was wrong.

This show was so refreshing. Taking a back seat from Jedi vs Sith, lightsabers and the Force and focusing on the journey of a disillusioned man with everything around him influencing him to join the Rebellion. The dialogue is intelligently written, the character arcs are engaging and there are many standout performances from the ensemble cast.

I really hope Season 2 keeps the momentum going. Keep Tony Gilroy around, Kathleen!!! He knows what he's doing!

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

Vandalisation of beloved characters: brought to you by Disney!

[1/10 · 16 September 2021]

Had high hopes for this show, based on the performances of Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan from previous Marvel shows. Oh, how naive I was.

The handover of the Captain America shield to Falcon at the end of Endgame was a touching moment, which has been utterly eviscerated and recontextualised in this series. Social and political commentary in movies and TV shows can work when done correctly with some nuance. However, following on with the current trend in modern Hollywood, the overt nature in which the talking points are inserted into the show; it brings the story to a grinding halt.

Add to that heaps of plot contrivances, character assassinations and mind boggling motivations (*cough cough*, Karli), the writing was a mess. The problem with this being a Cinematic Universe is that there are established story beats that came before, which is completely glossed over by the team of writers tackling the work now.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Damage Control - The Movie

[4/10 · 27 December 2019]

After Rian Johnson 'subverted our expectations' with The Last Jedi, in comes JJ Abrams again to hastily bring the ship that is the sequel trilogy back on track. What we're presented is glorified fan fiction that may as well have been written by a teenager.

The over-reliance on nostalgia is pain-stakingly evident, with Palpatine and Lando Calrissian roped in once again, along with re-used story beats from Empire Strikes Back and Return of The Jedi.

This film is also cluttered with sub-plots that could easily be their own self contained movies. The frantic pacing of the film is off-putting at times. There's a clear sense of desperation, trying to tie up the loose ends of the story.

Even the resolution is very rushed, in my opinion. There's no room to breathe, as the movie throws so much at you. The visuals are nice, though.

Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

A decent film; Holland is a worthy candidate of the friendly neighbourhood Spiderman

[7/10 · 9 July 2019]

Tom Holland's second solo outing as Spiderman. A big undertaking, considering that this is directly following the conclusion of the Avengers Infinity Saga. Now, for starters, there's no way in hell that this film would match the larger than life standards and stakes of Endgame.

That being said, what we're presented with is an entertaining and occasionally compelling character story, where Spiderman is trying to balance his two lives, as schoolkid and superhero respectively. Nothing we haven't seen before, but there's the different spin thrown in of Peter Parker trying to come to terms with Tony Stark's death from the previous film. There are obvious parallels to Uncle Ben here but I feel this deviation works just as well.

The film is more or less a glorified publicity video for European tourism with added superheroes, as Parker and his class go on a Eurotrip through Venice, Prague, Berlin and London. Jake Gyllenhaal is introduced as Mysterio, a mysterious character, as the name would suggest, and Nick Fury returns, attempting to give Parker some tough love when it comes to his struggles between his two lives.

For the most part, the film serves as an adequate extension of the MCU, post-Endgame. Tom Holland's performance as Peter Parker is fairly stellar and has great onscreen chemistry with his co-stars such as Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Gyllenhaal and Samuel L Jackson.

The stereotypical millennial tropes such as the constant livestreaming from Flash the bully was kinda grating though. It's a given that Marvel would need to update the teenage lifestyles of the younger characters to the current year, but I still find some of the aspects cringy.

The mid credits scene caught me by surprise, with the return of JK Simmons, but the end credits scene felt completely unnecessary.

In conclusion, this was a fun film with a lot of action and good performances from the cast members. Not exactly award-worthy but it's decent nonetheless.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

A spectacle

[8/10 · 25 April 2019]

A worthy follow-up to Infinity War with a lot of action, humour and drama. Couple of plot contrivances, but you can easily overlook them.

Captain Marvel (2019)

Not terrible, not amazing; just very underwhelming.

[4/10 · 12 March 2019]

Marvel's first female-led superhero film in the MCU, which media pundits never fail missing an opportunity to bring up. (Despite the fact that there have been numerous previous examples of female led superhero/action films, but of course they're willing to look the other way to suit their narrative)

The media firestorm that culminated in a fanbase civil war, if you will, was overblown to hell. Divisive comments made by Brie Larson about gender and race disparities in film criticism served as ammunition for sceptics to kick up a fuss about the film prior to its release. It got to the point where Rotten Tomatoes had to redesign its website, removing the interest poll, as they believed that people were 'review-bombing' the film. This is not true, as they were not reviewing the film; they were simply expressing their interest prior to release, but again, whatever suits their narrative.

But anyway, onto my actual review. We meet Brie Larson as Vers, serving as a bounty hunter for an alien alliance. Her team's objective is to eliminate a race of alien shapeshifters called Skrulls. In the midst of an ambush, she is abducted by a team of Skrulls who attempt to extract her memories. Vers has no recollection of these memories, but it would seem she lived a life as Carol Danvers, an Air Force pilot on Earth. In her attempt to escape, Danvers crash lands on Earth where she comes across Nick Fury and the early formation of SHIELD. The year is 1995, so there are a number of 'nostalgic' 90s references and songs. The story becomes a sort of buddy cop movie with Danvers and Fury as they encounter more alien interferences and a strange ginger cat. Without spoiling anything, good triumphs over evil, Danvers becomes Captain Marvel and Fury comes to view Danvers as a vital asset for his future Avengers Initiative.

Now, let me be clear, the movie isn't god-awful but it is incredibly mediocre and forgettable. The script is chock full of pacing issues and plot contrivances, as well as the character development of Carol Danvers being frustratingly paper-thin. Larson is a competent actress but she is criminally miscast in this film. The story of Captain Marvel feels painfully shoehorned in simply to justify her appearance in Avengers Endgame. Apart from some rushed exposition and disjointed flashbacks, there's just not enough material to establish Danvers as a relatable character. Larson's delivery and performance feels very phoned in and it just seems like a cheap move to crowbar her into the MCU as a deus ex machina to take on Thanos in the upcoming Avengers film. There are also elements in this film that ruin the continuity of the film universe, having been fleshed out for over a decade. Also, the revelation of how Fury lost his eye is shown here and it's such a disservice to his character. I wouldn't have minded this film too much if only it weren't for the relentless media propaganda, politicising Captain Marvel with the feminist narrative. Nothing is groundbreaking about this film. If anything, Marvel Studios are far too late to the game. They had every opportunity to commission a solo Black Widow film, which in my opinion, would've been far more compelling, given how fleshed out her character has become over the better part of a decade.

A large number of the original Avengers are due to step down after Endgame, as their Marvel contracts are due to expire. The plan is to have Larson as Captain Marvel become the new leader, which I view as something akin to a novice new recruit taking control as CEO of a business after a short period. Nothing against Larson, but she does not have the gravitas to accurately capture a conflicted superhero.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Oversaturation of a once beloved franchise. Thank you, Disney!

[4/10 · 5 June 2018]

Even from this film's inception, the overarching opinion was that it was unnecessary. Why would you try to recast the iconic Han Solo portrayed by Harrison Ford? To Alden Ehrenreich's credit, he did OK. From the get-go, this film seemed to be set up for failure. With the disaster stories in the news about the film's production behind the scenes, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller being sacked to make way for Ron Howard directing, having to reshoot 70% of the film, according to reports, I think it's fair to say that audiences didn't exactly have high hopes for this film.

Let me start by saying it's not god-awful. It's decently put together and some of the action scenes are fun to watch. The downside, however, lies with the characterisation of almost all of the ensemble.

Ehrenreich's Solo attempts to flee from the slums of Corellia with his girlfriend, Qi'ra. The Empire has total control of the galaxy. Solo bribes an Imperial officer to give him safe passage through the 'spaceport'? Qi'ra gets captured leaving Han with his own goal of becoming a pilot so that he can return and rescue her. He signs up for the Imperial Navy and three years pass. He crosses paths with a crime gang led by Woody Harrelson's character and from there, Solo is introduced to Lando Calrissian, Chewie, and a couple of other morally ambiguous figures.

If I'm being honest, the film is just bland. It plays the nostalgia card too often and there's very little originality to it. Young Solo is far too naïve, considering he grows up to be the roguish character we saw in the original series. Sure, he pulls off scams and heists but he's lacking a particular element.

Qi'ra as a character, is compelling in theory, but the execution is another story. Emilia Clarke never stood out to me as a phenomenal actress but she did OK as well. Her character arc was pretty predictable though. Donald Glover's portrayal of Lando was decent enough although it seemed at times that he was trying too hard to do his best Billy Dee Williams impression.

Woody Harrelson's character was again, predictable. Morally ambiguous smuggler who is apparently a mentor to Han? Yeah, I ain't buying it. The majority of the characters are tolerable, but good god, whose idea was it to put an adamant equal rights activist droid into the mix? L3-37 was insufferable. Jar Jar Binks levels of terrible. It's no mystery that Kathleen Kennedy has shoehorned constant feminist SJW messages into the Disney Star Wars films, but this was too on the nose and in-your-face. I cheered when her character died. (spoiler)

The plot is a bit paint-by-numbers. Hyperspace fuel is the McGuffin of the film and everyone is going mad for it. That's essentially the story. It doesn't really add anything to the overall lore apart from forced identity politics and some really corny moments, to the point of cringe induction. Also, they shoehorn in the golden dice from The Last Jedi (not shown or referenced from the original series so this is a pointless Disney addition).

Again, it's not disastrous but at best, it's mediocre. This is the fourth Star Wars film churned out in two and a half years. Star Wars fatigue is definitely kicking in for some people. If the box office numbers are anything to go from, it seems likely that the future of Disney's Star Wars doesn't seem too bright.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Decent, but not worth the overwhelming amount of hype

[7/10 · 4 May 2018]

10 years and 18 previous Marvel films have led up to this moment. Some of the preceding films were better than others but the ensemble of characters have been established for us nonetheless.

Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) is the villain of the piece, and against my expectations, he's actually fleshed out really well as a character. From the fleeting glimpses of him we saw in some of the earlier films, he didn't really leave much of an impression, which caused me to fear that he would be bland and one-note like a selection of some of the other Marvel villains. But, no, he's given depth, motivation and they make him somewhat understandable.

So, as the title and premise suggests, Thanos is on an intergalactic conquest to acquire all six Infinity Stones to power his gauntlet so that he can decimate the universe, for the sake of 'balance.' Makes sense in a very twisted way, but he's still a madman.

Meanwhile, the Avengers slowly but surely get made aware of the threat and band together, albeit in different groups, relative to their locations and circumstances. Each group have either the possession or the knowledge of at least one Infinity Stone, so Thanos dispatches his minions of the Black Order to retrieve them for him.

Also, side note: Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw (Squidward), good god, he is brilliant!! Perhaps I'm biased because I'm also Irish and I loved him in Love/Hate, but he is such an underrated actor.

But getting back to the topic of how the story is laid out, and this is one major gripe I had with the film: it is cluttered as hell!! Don't get me wrong, I know how difficult it is to incorporate 20+ main heroes into one film, but the constant jumping back and forth between subplots makes you constantly have to remind yourself what happened to the previous group.

The characters work well off one another and there are a couple of funny lines, but some of our heroes were either underdeveloped or out of character. For instance, Star-Lord. I know that he's been shown to be juvenile and immature in a funny way in previous films, but he comes across as an insecure, impulsive joke here. There's a pivotal moment in the film where he single-handedly ruins a plan in motion, that could've ended the threat for our heroes.

The action scenes are fairly decent. The Wakandan battle scene was very well captured, in my opinion. I've probably become desensitized to these superhero action films, merely because of the sheer frequency I've looked at similar looking battles, but for the first time, we're shown a Marvel film with ACTUAL STAKES! No spoilers, but for the last five minutes of the film, my facial expression was frozen to one of absolute shock, which is a first for me. They've given us a decent cliffhanger for the next film, at least.

So yeah, generally, it's a competently produced film. The Russo Brothers continue to do a good job in the MCU. The drawback for me was the pacing and the jumping between the different groups. (Also, mild spoiler: What the hell was Peter Dinklage doing?! I full-on laughed at every one of his scenes. His accent as that character was ridiculous and kinda ruined my suspension of disbelief)

Not the best Marvel film for me, but it's in my top 10, at least.

The Brothers Grimsby (2016)

Shocking

[3/10 · 1 February 2018]

Sacha Baron Cohen's shtick has always been pushing the envelope and shock humour. He got everyone's attention with Borat. However, his successive attempts to do the same with Bruno and The Dictator showed that the gimmick was quickly wearing out. It could not be made any clearer with this film.

So, the story. Nobby (Cohen) and Sebastian (Mark Strong) are estranged brothers having been separated after Sebastian gets adopted by an upper-middle class family, leaving Nobby to be brought up in the rough, working class environment of Grimsby.

Twenty-eight years pass, and Sebastian has become a top-ranking MI6 assassin, while Nobby has raised a family with his girlfriend (Rebel Wilson). He's a gormless football hooligan, and a good friend of everyone in his chavvy neighbourhood. Nobby longs to be reunited with his brother, when he gets tipped off that Sebastian is in London trying to prevent an assassination attempt. Penelope Cruz is a humanitarian advocate hosting a philanthropic event in aid of a Middle Eastern boy with AIDS. Sebastian tries to complete his mission, but is distracted by Nobby, who finds him and embraces him, causing him to lose his aim, ruining the mission.

Sebastian is then forced to go on the run as MI6 now believe him to be a traitor. Nobby agrees to help him fulfil his mission in clearing his name, and from there, it's really a below-the-belt juvenile spy film, with crude humour throughout.

The jokes are fairly predictable, between Nobby's dysfunctional family to some of the grossest scenes Cohen has brought to the screen, and that's saying a lot. Let me put it this way, I'll never look at an elephant the same way again.

The 'odd couple' dynamic has been done to death and there's no real surprises in this film. Some of the CGI is utterly atrocious. There's a scene that contains Donald Trump (well, actually, the photoshopped head of Donald Trump, and that's kind of my point) It was the tackiest bit of editing I've ever seen in a studio produced film.

Cohen has tired out this shock humour technique in his work, and Grimsby is an uninspired spy comedy that shows us that he is in dire need of a new direction in his career.

Power Rangers (2017)

Has pacing issues, but overall a good take on the cheesy 90s show

[7/10 · 5 January 2018]

Fun fact: the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers TV series first aired the day after I was born, according to Wikipedia (This was August 1993, although they probably started airing it in Ireland a good bit after). Nonetheless, I saw bits and pieces of Power Rangers throughout my childhood. The original series was very much of its time: incredibly cheesy and definitely appealed to kids.

Obviously I grew out of it as time went on, with the numerous iterations of the series that followed. They were obviously doing something right because after nearly 25 years, the franchise seems to still be going strong.

And then it was announced a few years ago that they were doing a film reboot with a more serious edge. I initially batted it off but then I learnt Bryan Cranston was going to play Zordon. When I saw the trailer, I laughed so hard when I saw Cranston's CG face as the character.

I didn't go out of my way to see this film. In all honesty, I caught it on Netflix on an idle day during the Christmas break. My initial expectations would be that they were going for a run-of-the-mill Michael Bay style action movie. While there are elements of this, there were other parts of the film that actually caught my attention.

My rough analysis is that it's basically if they mixed The Breakfast Club with a superhero movie. A lot of time is dedicated to the character development of the five heroes. Each of them is from their respective 'social stereotype' but they've added a few twists to be more progressive. Jason (Red Ranger) is the star football player put under house arrest after a prank went horribly wrong, Kimberly (Pink Ranger) is a popular girl, haunted by her actions of cyberbullying, Zack (Black Ranger) is an outlandish teen of Asian descent who secretly cares for his sick mother, Trini (Yellow Ranger) is a Latina closet lesbian struggling to come to terms with her identity, dealing with her overbearing family, and my absolute favourite of them all, Billy (Blue Ranger) an African-American autistic boy who is loyal to his friends.

Rita Repulsa (played very hammily by Elizabeth Banks) is the villain of the piece, hoping to restore her power from the prehistoric war fought on Earth in the prologue. A former Power Ranger, she goes rogue and vows complete domination.

It's then a pretty formulaic sequence of events where the Rangers need to put aside their differences and team up against Rita.

It takes a while for the action to finally kick off but the character development is done very well. As I mentioned earlier, Billy is my favourite character because the mannerisms of autism are portrayed spot-on. As a lifelong advocate for awareness on autism and Aspergers, I have deep respect for RJ Cyler who portrayed Billy.

The flow of the movie is fairly predictable but I appreciated what they brought to the table, being as inclusive as they could, with a multi-ethnic ensemble of Rangers, with social issues such as autism and LGBT stigma.

This film was overlooked by a lot of people but I'm quite fond of it.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Polarising

[6/10 · 18 December 2017]

I was very intrigued walking in to the cinema to see this film. I had avoided spoilers like the plague. I felt that now that we removed the 'training wheels' that was The Force Awakens, we would be opened up to something new and original.

Let me put it this way, in some senses, they do something new, but on the other hand, there is a tonne of wasted potential. I really feel for Rian Johnson because he is caught in the middle between praise and hatred, aptly symbolizing the dark side and the light.

The story beats of The Empire Strikes Back are here but they really try to bring things up a notch alluding to the First Order gaining the upper hand and showing that the Jedi are now redundant. Luke Skywalker has become disillusioned by the Jedi code and we watch him and Rey argue for the first half of the film, Rey trying to empathise with Kylo Ren, Finn has his own sideplot with newcomer Rose Tico, and the Resistance trying to escape the clutches of the First Order........very............slowly.......

I will admit that a lot of the film is a bit of a slog to get through and while some of the shots are captured beautifully, there is a tonne of wasted potential.



*******************SPOILER TIME*********************

No, seriously, turn away, if you haven't seen it yet.





***********************************************************





OK? Shall I begin? Cool.

WTF was the deal with Snoke? Why the hell would you build him up so much only to kill him, with us being none the wiser on who he is beyond leader of the First Order, where he came from, how did he influence Kylo Ren, how did Luke and Leia know him and how does he fit in to the story other than being the generic big baddie. Very weak as a villain in the long run and I felt very cheated by this.

While we're on the topic, good God, Captain Phasma. What the hell?!! Yet again, she is built up hugely only for her to be brought down by Finn at a moment's notice.

There was a moment where I was convinced Leia would be killed off to justify her absence in later films due to Carrie Fisher's passing, but she saves herself in the cheesiest way possible. I genuinely had a look of disbelief and confusion on my face during a number of scenes. Leia is incapacitated for the majority of the film, causing a new Admiral played by Laura Dern to assume command, who is really miscast here. Her incompetence causes a mutiny led by Poe, which is thrilling for a while, added to the continued chase, running from the First Order.

The whole reveal of Rey's parents may seem like a copout but I'm glad in a way that they're at least trying something new with her, rather than connecting her to the Skywalkers. The shot of her in the cave with the infinite reflections was pretty cool.

Finn and Rose's sideplot seemed like unnecessary padding but they had their moments together, kinda putting a dampener on the whole Rey/Finn romance dynamic.

Also, this whole tease they have in the trailers, teasing that Rey or Kylo will switch sides, it amounts to nothing. They ultimately return to their respective sides and carry on.

I felt that Mark Hamill did well as an older Luke and of course the shots of Skellig Michael (I refuse to call it Ahch-To) were great. I had mixed feelings about the Porgs though.

*****************************************************************************

I admire the film for the visuals and some of the acting, but some of the story threads really irked me and made me almost apprehensive as to what to expect in Episode IX.

Mixed bag. All I can say.

The Disaster Artist (2017)

A fascinating memoir

[8/10 · 11 December 2017]

Greg Sestero published his book, "The Disaster Artist" about three or four years ago, recounting his experience meeting and working with the human enigma that is Tommy Wiseau. What follows is the trainwreck of a production that later became 'The Room', known as the Citizen Kane of bad movies.

In this adaptation of Sestero's memoir, with Dave Franco playing Sestero and his brother James playing Wiseau, it follows the bizarre journey Sestero takes after moving to Los Angeles in pursuit of becoming an actor. With producers and agents telling the duo that they have no future in Hollywood, they decide to make their own movie, prompting Wiseau to write The Room.

The actual production is pretty chaotic and self-explanatory if you've either read the book or have seen The Room. But even if you haven't seen the movie, you kinda get the gist of it anyway.

James Franco completely embodies the character of Tommy Wiseau; his impersonation and portrayal being pitch-perfect. Dave Franco's portrayal of Greg Sestero is also good, although he does come across as overly naïve. Seth Rogen is very funny as the script supervisor and the other supporting cast members and cameos are great also.

While the general consensus would be that Wiseau is an overall grotesque individual, there is a great attempt of humanizing him through Franco's portrayal. You really see the development of an unlikely friendship between the pair and an idea behind how their production of infamy is still popular nearly 15 years later.

Fans of The Room are going to love this and even the uninformed will enjoy it. Definitely has my recommendation.

Saturday Night Live: Saoirse Ronan/U2 (2017) Season 43, Episode 7

Aer Lingus sketch - the death of comedy

[6 December 2017]

OK, so as an Irishman, I don't have NBC across the Atlantic, so my only exposure to SNL is through their YouTube clips. The sketches are fairly hit and miss overall. Some work, some don't, you know how it is.

However, the Aer Lingus sketch in this particular episode was the laziest, most desperate attempt at a 'sketch' ever. Featuring the guest host, our very own Saoirse Ronan, paired with Cecily Strong as two Aer Lingus flight attendants, they proceed to deliver the most clichéd Irish stereotypical performance I've ever seen. I've never cringed so hard in my life.

Oh yeah, potatoes, good one, haven't heard that a million times. Damn, what a side-splitter bringing up that Aer Lingus sounds like 'cunnilingus'. And the SNL cast putting on Irish accents? Good God, give me strength. They were worse than Tom Cruise in Far and Away, or even that pathetic attempt in 2 Broke Girls. I keep asking myself "Why did Saoirse agree to this?" Also, what was the deal with all the dogs? Is there something I'm missing, having lived in Ireland for 24 years, grown up here and am more Irish than these clueless American writers, presumably priding themselves on their 1/64th Irish heritage, that apparently a hilarious Irish stereotype is that we have packs of dogs everywhere? That didn't make any sense in the slightest. Did the writers just come to Ireland for a few days, meet a lot of dogs and just presume that was a stereotype?

Extremely lazy writing, terrible jokes, not necessarily as offensive as some people are making it out to be; just painfully unfunny. The one piece of advice I would give is if you're making a satire of another nationality, maybe do a bit of f**king research, or maybe get some feedback or improvement from Saoirse? There was controversy a year or two ago about a British newsreader claiming Saoirse Ronan as 'one of our own' during her Oscar campaign, and after this abomination of a sketch and frankly sickening overexposure of her these days, playing up the gimmick that Irish names are difficult to pronounce (they're not), that I reached the point where the Brits can bloody have her at this point.

I'm done.

Iron Man Three (2013)

Nice character development for Stark

[7/10 · 4 December 2017]

So after the critically panned Iron Man 2 (I didn't hate it), and the hugely successful Avengers, Robert Downey Jr returns in his third solo outing as Tony Stark AKA Iron Man.

Having developed anxiety and PTSD from the events of the Avengers (which kinda comes out of nowhere), Stark becomes an obsessed fanatic building model after model of his Iron Man suit, fearing he will lose his loved ones.

The demons of his past come back to haunt him when a mad scientist called Aldrich Killian (played by Guy Pearce, whom he humiliated in the past, vows to get revenge after he has successfully climbed the corporate ladder, working for a company called AIM, experimenting in cell regeneration only to result in disaster. Also, a terror threat is ongoing with videos in the style of Osama Bin Laden being distributed by The Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, or so we think.

AIM prove to be a formidable threat, nearly devastating Tony's life, as he goes through his own journey of self-discovery hoping to get redemption and retribution. He bonds with a young boy in Tennessee and prepares to deal with the Mandarin and AIM.

This film presents a lot of twists and turns, some of which annoyed comic book fans severely. Me personally, I didn't mind. It's a solid film overall. It gives Stark a bit more depth, as opposed to always being the swaggering smart-ass genius. You feel the stakes a bit more as opposed to the previous Iron Man film, where there weren't any.

It was more of a character story as opposed to your run-of-the-mill superhero films. It has the same story beats as The Incredibles but it's always fun seeing Downey playing Stark.

An alright film.

Mock the Week (2005–2022)

Suffered a major fall from grace

[5/10 · 4 December 2017]

I loved Mock the Week as a teenager. The humour was fairly consistent and the farcical and absurdist comedy from the panelists gave the show its charm, I think.

However, as time went on, the charm started to fade, starting with Rory Bremner's departure, then Frankie Boyle, then Russell Howard, then Andy Parsons, leaving Hugh Dennis and Dara Ó Briain as the remaining regulars.

Don't get me wrong, the show always had its ups and downs even when the old panelists were on the show. Some episodes had lineups where certain comedians were particularly one-note and unfunny (*cough cough* Gina Yashere), but for the most part, the show was saved by Frankie's outlandish statements, Hugh's impressions, Dara's sarcasm or Russell's childish jokes.

Nowadays, the only thing I pray for is a guest appearance by Ed Byrne, because his chemistry and comradery with Dara, in my opinion, is the only saving grace of the show these days. Half the comedians they have on are mediocre at best and good god, some of them have the most obnoxious laughs. (*cough* Josh Widdecombe) Also, in the earlier episodes, they had a bit more variety with the games. Now, the format is so static and unchanging that it has kinda gotten stale.

Occasionally you'd get a good joke in Scenes We'd Like To See, but for the most part, this show has gone past its sell-by.

Deadpool (2016)

A humbling apology for X-Men Origins

[7/10 · 4 December 2017]

After Ryan Reynold's appearance as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Reynolds seemed determined to do the character of Deadpool justice and was gunning to have this film greenlit by Fox for ages, until the test footage was leaked, resulting in a mass reaction from fans.

The film is an absolute pisstake and completely self-aware, with fourth wall breaks throughout, faithful to the character of Deadpool. Reynolds is having the time of his life as Wade Wilson, wise-cracking the entire time and taking swipes at himself, the X-Men series and Hugh Jackman.

The story follows Wilson, hellbent on revenge after inheriting mutant abilities by the sadistic Francis, played by Ed Skrein. Deadpool goes on a manhunt to take out Francis and save his partner, having been kidnapped by the former. Acquainted with Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who are dubious about Deadpool's actions, they face Francis and it's fairly self-explanatory from there.

Despite technically being part of the X-Men series, this film is much more crass, vulgar and humorous, and that's part of the charm. It's Reynold's redemption as Deadpool and it's certainly not the end.

A by-the-numbers but enjoyable flick.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Fanservice brought to you by J.J. Abrams

[6/10 · 4 December 2017]

So when Disney bought Lucasfilms and announced a new trilogy of Star Wars films, I was initially skeptical. We had just gotten over the disappointment that were the prequels and it seemed like the originals were going to be tarnished.

However, as time went on, the trailers came out and they seemed fairly promising. They announced the new cast and of course there was backlash from bigots over John Boyega's ethnicity. Any excuse for keyboard warriors to kick up a fuss.

Then the actual film came out. At the time, I really enjoyed it, but as time passed, I came to accept that for the most part, it's more or less a complete 'copy and paste' of Episode IV.

The First Order, under the command of Kylo Ren is desperate to retrieve secret plans hidden inside an astro droid discovered by a young Force-sensitive girl who teams up with a rag-tag team of heroes, determined to return the plans to the Resistance, to fight against a planet-destroying superweapon and track down the location of a wise self-exiled mentor. Hmmm, I wonder if that sounds familiar? OK, apart from the fact that this is a complete retelling of the original story, it has its charm. The new cast are a fine addition to the roster of characters. Daisy Ridley as Rey is compelling, and I'm probably biased because I have a massive celebrity crush on her (pretty sure I'm not the only one) but that's besides the point. John Boyega is an enjoyable character as Finn, whose comradery with Oscar Isaac's Poe is fun to watch. Old favourites, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2 return, handing over the baton to the newcomers.

Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver is the new "Dark Lord", heavily conflicted in his position on the dark side, inspired by his late grandfather Darth Vader. A former disciple of Luke Skywalker, he became seduced by the dark side by Palpatine 2.0, oh sorry, I mean Snoke, and is more unhinged than previous Sith Lords.

As a movie, it's produced very well and is an enjoyable popcorn flick, putting aside the fact that it's mainly just on repeat for the entirety. Many people laid into the character of Rey, calling her a 'Mary-Sue', calling her too overpowered and simply labelled this film as feminist propaganda. Once again, keyboard warriors with nothing better to do.

It's enjoyable for the most part, and is merely a love letter to the original series. I will say that I'm worried now that Abrams is directing Episode IX, just because it's just gonna be another 'copy and paste'.

Another thing I'm worried about is, as I said earlier, tarnishing the original story, with Disney having plans to release multiple Star Wars films for the next 5-10 years at least. The oversaturation is going to ruin the series in my opinion, but let's just see what happens in the meantime.

The Room (2003)

Fascinating

[4 December 2017]

It's not often I review a title without a star rating, but The Room gets this special treatment, because by all rights, this is a terrible film.

That being said, it is one of those films that is unintentionally hilarious simply down to its ineptitude. The one-man powerhouse behind this production, Tommy Wiseau, is an enigma of an individual. The details of his background and how he got into making this film are a complete mystery, some of which is uncovered in Greg Sestero's memoir, The Disaster Artist, now adapted into a feature film.

The Room is filled with red herrings, aborted plot lines and is one of those films that has to be seen to be believed. Wiseau plays Johnny, a well-meaning "American" banker. He loves his "future wife", Lisa who is revealed to be a manipulative golddigger who starts an affair with Johnny's "best friend" Mark. From there, it's just a flurry of unexplored plot threads that are forgotten just as quickly as they're brought up. (breast cancer, drug money, family problems, etc.) The tonal inconsistencies are ongoing and it only adds to this trainwreck of a movie.

All of that aside, the whole thing is incredibly intriguing and only makes you want to know more about the bizarre individual that is Wiseau. Having read The Disaster Artist, the production of this film is the definition of "dysfunctional." However, there's a strange passion that shines through that really shows Wiseau's commitment to the project.

A cult classic, heavily quotable and has garnered huge popularity over the years, The Room continues to be one of the "best worst movies ever made." I'm getting tired of having to correct people when they assume I'm talking about the Oscar-nominated "Room", though.

The Punisher (2017–2019)

Brutal realism and social commentary on military life

[8/10 · 20 November 2017]

After seeing Jon Bernthal's gripping performance as the Punisher in Daredevil Season 2, I was really looking forward to this series and seeing more of Frank Castle. While this show is still part of the Marvel Netflix Universe, it isn't dependent on the tie-in references and tries to do its own thing. (With the exception of Karen Page cropping up from time to time)

Castle has taken out the gangs he was hunting in Daredevil Season 2, seemingly putting an end to his personal vendetta, or so he thinks... The ghosts of his past have come back to haunt him when the circumstances of a past military mission in Kandahar become an issue, with former adversaries wanting Castle dead.

Assisted with a former NSA analyst turned hacker laying low from the authorities, Castle tries to lay waste to those trying to wrong him.

The supporting cast includes Dinah Madani, played by Amber Rose Revah, a high-ranking Homeland Security agent hoping to uncover the ambiguity of the Kandahar case and Ben Barnes as Billy Russo, a former marine and friend of Castle's, running his own independent military outfit. As well as that, there's a subplot involving a young war veteran riddled with PTSD, conflicted with his inner battle after being reacquainted with society. The narratives interleave in their own respective ways, giving the show extra layers.

With the subject matter of this show being slightly controversial in relation to its display of excessive violence and gun use, resulting in a promotional panel being cancelled because of the Las Vegas shootings, there's no doubt that this show may trigger some people. Aside from that, this show paints a gritty portrait of a trauma-stricken war vet, stigmatized by his actions as a vigilante.

Jon Bernthal is fantastic as the Punisher, showing us numerous layers to the character, en par with his performance in Daredevil. Ultimately I'm not sure how they're going to expand on Frank Castle's journey in future series but from what we're shown here, the Punisher is a worthy addition to the Marvel Netflix collection.

With the overtones of political unrest and gun control, the Punisher adds a level of realism to it, as opposed to the other Marvel Netflix shows. As an Irishman, I don't exactly have a deep knowledge of military history but I'm interested to see the reaction of actual war veterans; whether they find this show accurate or insulting.

The one drawback is the length of the series. Much like some of the other Marvel shows, it has a tendency to drag. For me personally, the PTSD soldier subplot felt a lot like the Sgt. Simpson subplot in Jessica Jones: unnecessary filler. Apart from that, the Punisher is a great character study of Frank Castle. If only we didn't have to see the same flashbacks over and over again...

Justice League (2017)

Entertaining but flawed

[6/10 · 16 November 2017]

So after seeing Batman vs Superman, I didn't exactly have high hopes for this film. The trailer, particularly, with it's sacrilegious abomination cover of the Beatles' Come Together, gave me mixed feelings about it.

DC have been playing catch-up with Marvel for ages, and it really shows. Half of the Justice League have already been introduced from previous films. The others (Aquaman, the Flash, and Cyborg) are given their proper debut here (no, I'm not counting their brief cameos in the other films) and the film does its best to integrate them into the story.

The film is your standard 'evil overlord tries to take over the world' plot, with Batfleck trying to assemble the Justice League. The team have some funny lines occasionally, which I feel is thanks to Joss Whedon being one of the screenwriters, but once again, the Zack Snyder tropes come to the surface with numerous sped up/slo-mo action scenes. There were also a few lines of dialogue that made me cringe.

The film overall is enjoyable but there are pacing issues. The villain of the piece is particularly forgettable. They try to build this sense of scale that looks grand and epic but ultimately it doesn't quite live up to the hype, in my opinion.

If we're talking about wasted potential, how about JK Simmons as Commissioner Gordon? I really hope he has more time to shine in future films because he had no reason to be in this film other than establishing his presence in the DC Universe. Also, speaking of wasted talent/useless characters, Amy Adams as Lois Lane... I swear to God, her character development is halted in its tracks beyond simply 'I love Superman'. It's ridiculous.

That aside, the main heroes perform well here. I particularly enjoyed Ezra Miller's interpretation of the Flash. Jason Momoa is just awesome in everything. Gal Gadot is great as Wonder Woman, yet again, Ray Fisher makes a good Cyborg (I found it ironic that his Dad was the actor who played Miles Dyson in Terminator 2) and Ben Affleck continues to be great as Bruce Wayne.

Not terrible, not fantastic, but it's in the healthy middle ground for me.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Weak attempt at fanservice

[4/10 · 13 November 2017]

This film is a perfect example of what happens when you're more focused on cramming in references and lead-ups to future films rather than having a cohesive narrative.

The Avengers return to take on one of Tony Stark's mistakes: a defence technology gone rogue, taking control of his Iron Man suits and becoming sentient. That's essentially the plot. Also shoehorned in is foreshadowing and allusions to future films such as Civil War, Black Panther, Infinity War and Thor: Ragnarok. Our heroes are caricatures of themselves here as very little character development is given for the majority of the film, save for a 'shock reveal' about Hawkeye.

We are also shown the most 'out-of-nowhere' romance between Black Widow and the Hulk, which really only exists for people to make fanfiction.

Ultron is shown less as an intimidating villain and more as a wise-cracking ass. Barely memorable and his evil plot was completely forgettable.

Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson make their debuts as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver respectively, but since Quicksilver was already done by Fox's X-Men, Taylor-Johnson's multi-movie contract was made kinda redundant.

The movie attempts to have character bonding scenes at the halfway point, but ultimately, it's just more foreshadowing. This film may have about as much depth as a kid's swimming pool but the visuals are certainly stunning. I think it was around this point where many people were succumbing to 'superhero fatigue', but it's definitely debatable.

A lackluster sequel to the first Avengers, and the resulting cause of Joss Whedon's departure from involvement in the MCU.

Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

One of the most engaging television shows I've ever seen.

[10/10 · 13 November 2017]

I started watching Breaking Bad quite late (around the time of my first year in college, so we're talking 2012-2013, right before the final season aired) Everybody was praising the show to death, so eventually I gave in and decided to see for myself what all the fuss was about.

Wow. Just wow.

While the show has quite an unusual premise, it takes you along for the ride in every sense of the word. Bryan Cranston as Walter White has to be one of the best character portrayals I've ever seen. A major transition from Hal in Malcolm in the Middle. He succeeds in capturing every nuance of White, from overworked square to calculating crime lord.

Aaron Paul's performance as Jesse Pinkman is fantastic also, displaying the utter tragedy of a wannabe meth peddler who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. His dynamic with Cranston's White is brilliant and their chemistry (pardon the pun) is tough to beat.

The cinematography throughout the show is beautiful. As a film graduate, I have the utmost respect for the production team for some of the shots and scenes they have captured over the duration of the show's airing. The editing as well should be heavily praised as well.

As I said, for an unlikely setup; an overworked high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with lung cancer teaming up with a former pupil to cook methamphetamine to finance his family after he dies, it draws you into the drama.

The supporting cast add so much to the story also. The likes of Gus Fring, Mike Ehrmantraut, Saul Goodman and Hank Schrader are instrumental to the development of the story and are excellently portrayed by the respective actors.

People give Skyler a hard time for always being on Walt's back but let's take it from her perspective: her husband has become involved in a business that could potentially bring about the deaths of everyone in her family? Seems like a reasonable excuse to oppose him.

In a sense, Walter Jr. is kinda the weak link. I mean, yeah fair enough, the actor and character has cerebral palsy, and RJ Mitte does a good job as the character, but he really doesn't go beyond eating breakfast in terms of character development, which is a shame. I would have loved to have seen a scene where he meets Jesse and confronts him. Ah well, too late now.

Aside from this, Breaking Bad remains a masterpiece of television.

Stranger Things: Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister (2017) Season 2, Episode 7

Very weak episode out of an overall great series

[2/10 · 31 October 2017]

While the rest of Stranger Things 2 succeeds in moving the story along, this episode is the weak link.

Eleven tracks down her surrogate sister from Hawkins Lab, after getting the info from her biological mother. She is part of this crime gang that is obviously ripping off 'The Warriors'.

You'd think that the discovery of Eleven's surrogate sister would have more of an impact on the story, but, no. It's your classic 'never meet your heroes' plot line, as Eleven discovers that Kali is only using her abilities to commit crimes and Eleven ultimately decides she needs to return to Hawkins.

I wanted to like this episode. Millie Bobby Brown is excellent as Eleven. However, lumping her in with a gang of punk wannabes kinda ruined things. Kali's gang are so forgettable that I can't even remember any of their names. It's the first standalone episode focusing on a single character, as opposed to interchanging between story lines, and boy, does it suffer because of it...

Disappointing....

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

80s nostalgia-fest; captivating and charming

[9/10 · 31 October 2017]

When this series was first released last year, people couldn't get enough of it. The 80s setting, with loads of nostalgic hints to films to that decade such as The Goonies and IT. The Duffer Brothers clearly went to great lengths to make the verisimilitude of the 80s aesthetic credible.

While the story is hardly original, it's shown to us in a way that makes it stand out. The acting is incredible, particularly from the child actors (which is a rare statement from me) Millie Bobby Brown's portrayal as Eleven is phenomenal and while her whole fish-out-of-water story is a bit by the numbers, her chemistry with the younger characters is great and they work off one another really well.

The high school romance tropes come forth with the teenage characters, with elements of grief, survivor's guilt and uncertainty. A love triangle of sorts takes place, while the main story of searching for the missing boy goes underway.

Winona Ryder and David Harbour are on top form as the adult leads, with the determination and strength of their characters carrying through.

The first series wowed the majority of us, and rightly so, and the second series does more or less the same thing, with the various aspects of the show being delved into deeper and the majority of the characters get more development. The 'Upside Down' proves to be a bigger threat than the characters first thought, and the expanded mystery and intrigue succeeds in sucking the viewer in even more.

In conclusion, the series is a fond appreciation of the style of the 80s and the horror/thriller genre. The characters are very charming and it brings you in for the ride, for lack of a better expression.

Definitely worth a watch.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Now THAT'S how you make a Thor film!!

[9/10 · 25 October 2017]

Out of the MCU films, I felt that the first two Thor films were among the weaker installments. They took them a little too seriously and they were a tad grandiose, full of Shakespearean overtones.

This film goes in a whole new direction though. The humour throughout is pitch perfect and there is much-needed levity over the course of the motion picture. The lack of Natalie Portman and her scientist friends is a massive bonus and allows the story to flow rather than being bogged down with Thor's forced fish-out-of-water/romance story from the previous two films.

Cate Blanchett comes to the forefront as Hela, the villain of the piece, hell bent on conquering Asgard. Blanchett is having the time of her life portraying the malevolent Goddess of Death. Thor and Loki must put aside their differences and try to stop her. Hemsworth and Hiddleston are on top form as ever and the added humour makes their dynamic more enjoyable.

They end up getting sidetracked and captured by Jeff Goldblum, playing the Grandmaster (but really it's Goldblum playing himself) who forces Thor into fighting Hulk/Banner in a Colosseum-like arena. Thor gains the trust of Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and from there, it's your classic good fights evil scenario.

Taika Waititi pulls out all the stops here, as director, adding a lot of charm and fun to the film. The set design and overall aesthetic is also great as well, a real '80s neon feel. And the music...the music was brilliant! Who would've thought that the composer for Rugrats would deliver such an awesome soundtrack!

I left the cinema with a big grin on my face. Great return to form for the God of Thunder!!!