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ryan-eden-1994
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Reviews
Lost Treasures of the Maya (2018)
Repetitive & Anticlimactic.
If I had £1 for every time we're shown a map and told about the most amazing lidar map technology, then I would be a very wealthy man.
Over 4 episodes they find next to nothing and the same footage is repeatedly used. This mini series is a total waste of time and I'm giving this a very fair 5 star rating.
Don't watch this and expect a great reveal or to learn much at all. With every episode I found myself getting more annoyed by the consistently re-used footage and constant mentioning of lidar.
I don't usually write reviews but I've got to warn people about this series. It's a total waste of time.
Elle (2016)
Brilliantly Gripping
Elle is a French psychological thriller that explores the life of a businesswoman who is involved in the production of a video game, however; the film also involves the establishment of a rapist. In amongst these main topics are a number of different subsidiary story lines involving family members of the businesswoman.
If there is one thing that I will take from this film, it's the use of convoluted plot that so brilliantly grips an audience. Elle also managed to apply humour to serious topics.
In short, Philippe Djian created a gripping story that has been excellently portrayed by Paul Verhoeven on the big screen. A great effort.
Being AP (2015)
Informative but a little bit lacklustre
Being AP takes you through the journey of Sir AP McCoy's final year as a jump jockey and it also takes a minimal look back at some of his previous moments in horse racing. The overriding message that the documentary provides is that competitive horse riding is a highly dangerous sport and Sir AP is presented as a heroic figure through the reciting of old and new injuries throughout the documentary, and rightly so.
Being AP has a rather flat mood until the end when it becomes a bit more emotional. Archive footage was well worked into the documentary along with footage that would have been intentionally filmed. I feel that I managed to sit through the documentary because of how I am a big fan of horse racing, however; I feel that due to the rather stagnant mood of the documentary some people may find it a little bit boring.
Overall, I think the cinematography was good, I think archive footage was used well, however; I would have liked to have felt more emotion from the documentary and seen a few more of Sir AP's greatest moments such as his 2010 Grand National win. The documentary was good, however; it could have been made better through more reflection and it didn't completely capture the true emotion of horse racing.
Ronaldo (2015)
Insightful but heavily choreographed
Cristiano Ronaldo is an outstanding athlete and one of my few sporting idols so when I discovered there was going to be a Documentary Film released about his life up until 2015 I was very eager for its release.
However, since watching the film I have mixed thoughts. Whilst I found the film insightful and inspiring, I did find that the film came across as heavily choreographed and it focused heavily on making Cristiano appear to be squeaky clean. I also found that archive footage is used far too often within the film and it got to the point where I felt that the archive footage was being used more as a film filler than it was being used as a necessity.
Cristiano is someone who demands respect as he is an individual who came from nothing and sacrificed a lot in order to be the superstar he is today however, I was expecting a little bit more from this Documentary Film. A more natural feel to the film and less emphasis on the archive footage would have inspired me to rate Ronaldo higher than 7/10. Also, in addition to that more interesting camera shots such as close up shots of training or on the pitch action would have been the icing on the cake.
Creed (2015)
Everything I wanted it to be
To begin with I found the storyline weak and as such it made me think that Creed was made purely to be a money spinner under the Rocky franchise but I am happy to say that the plot thickened after the opening scenes and from then on the film was gripping, heartfelt, funny and tremendously reminiscent of all the Rocky films.
There will be some critics that state that Creed has in places; a similar storyline to other Rocky films however, I don't count that as a bad thing as it enabled Creed to have the typical Rocky feel that I desperately wanted to unveil in front of me.
Ryan Coogler deserves a pat on the back for his efforts and I advise that you give the film time to begin with and after a few opening scenes the film will develop into everything you wanted it to be if you're a die hard Rocky fan.
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
Visually Impressive and Eye Opening
In the Heart of the Sea is a visually impressive and eye opening account of the story that inspired Moby Dick. The film revolves around Tom Nickerson (played by Bredan Gleeson) offering his description of the never previously spoken about events that took place 30 years earlier. In the Heart of the Sea is as much of a survival film as it is a hunting film and the bodily changes that Chris Hemsworth and other crew members display throughout the film is truly remarkable and it is hard to believe that hardly any CGI is used to alter their appearance. The film has impressive visuals and an increasing emotional feel as the sailors grow increasingly desperate throughout the film and do unspeakable things as a result of their desperation. Overall ITHOTS is a solid film by Ron Howard.