memeweaver Reviews

The Change (2023– )

Is that jam?

[9/10 · 3 July 2023]

As a (slightly) pre-menopausal male, I may not be the natural constituency for this show, but I hands-down loved it.

I've heard bits and pieces of Bridget Christie's comedy over the years, mostly on the radio, generally enjoying it but accepting it mostly as comic entertainment. This is a real step up: the writing is on point, big hearted and the larger than life West Country characters shine in every episode. There are laugh out loud moments in every episode.

The rustic folk-tinged score is a great counterpoint to the full range of tender to angry moments throughout. The central character's quest was not so different to my own mother's struggle to establish an identity as she hit her forties.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Ad Astra Per Aspera (2023) Season 2, Episode 2

Disappointing courtroom melodrama

[6/10 · 22 June 2023]

While some of the noble sentiments concluding this episode cannot be argued, most of the dialogue and the courtroom interactions were of a silly banality I haven't really seen since the original Star Trek series in the 1970s.

I applaud the retro ethos of the show, but remain disappointed that the judicial jousting was barely at the level of a freshman moot court. (No I'm not a law student). What we got instead of properly argued legal opinion was a pantomime parody with requisite Objection! And Your Honour, please!

Battlestar Galactica gave us a perfect example of a 70s reboot with adult dialogue and convincing drama. This episode lacked wit and intelligence, and tried to paste over the holes with "heart". It felt empty and unconvincing.

Renfield (2023)

Missed opportunity

[5/10 · 24 May 2023]

The trailer for this film promises so much more than it delivers. I was so very much looking forward to a centre-stage contemporary comic-horror take on Renfield after Arte Johnson's version in Love at First Bite (1979).

I began feeling uneasy within a minute of the film's over-narrated, over-explained opening. Every comic possibility was flattened under what I can only assume were studio-notes to make the film immediately accessible to a dim-witted nine year old.

The potential for the co-dependency story to be explored in the group therapy session was completely watered down to a lifeless minute or two. Instead we got the equally lifeless and forgettable Awkwafina subplot that was probably stripped from a completely different buddy cop plot.

The other leads were squandered, some flailing uselessly like a pair of severed arms.

One day someone will take the germ of this story and make a memorable entertainment. Maybe there is a 20 minute recut of this film doing that, but this mess is a missed opportunity.

North Shore (2023– )

Pile of cliches in handsome setting

[5/10 · 23 May 2023]

North Shore feels like a airport novel, or perhaps the first draft for one where the plot intent of dialogue is written, but has never been fleshed out into anything sounding like real human speech. Moments that could have been lightened with humour are rushed through to get finish underlining whatever cliche the scene was putting up in neon lights.

Every plot point, every response is wooden or telegraphed; antagonisms between UK and Aussie police are set up so flatly and unreasonably that they seem unprofessional and childish.

The English leads deserve better but at least they got a paid working holiday down under.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

Wildly uneven in tone

[5/10 · 28 March 2023]

This is the worst film I've seen on the big screen in a long time. It appears to be pitched as a hybrid of cheesy Disney kids flick and gruesome revenge vehicle for an over-botoxed Helen Mirren.

There is no emotional core to the film, the SFX are barely TV-worthy and I can't understand what motivates any character from one scene to the next. Shazam is portrayed as more juvenile than Billy Batson, there's some wildly inappropriate MILF (GILF?) stuff going on and secondary characters are introduced for no other reason than to be dispatched cruelly by Lucy Liu (possibly the only character clutching onto her full one-dimensionality with any consistency).

The tokenism of Pedro's coming out is palpable, especially when it is nowhere reflected in Super Hot Super Pedro's barely-evident characterisation.

The denouement is cringeworthy lazy "there are no real stakes" writing.

Finally the sheer ridiculousness of every one of the Six wasting time to posture while people are dying around them is just maddening. I couldn't believe one long delay in saving lives because a character needed a hug and a speech from "real" Billy.

Bromans (2017)

Addictively entertaining chariot-wreck

[8/10 · 17 August 2022]

The detailed 1 star reviews here explain exactly why this show is so watchable. No one is going to confuse Bromans with I Claudius so don't judge them together except as entertainments.

5 years after viewing, Bromans is still our household's benchmark for trashy nonsense.

Old (2021)

Twilight Zone episode. not movie

[5/10 · 19 September 2021]

The story, such as it is, does not have the complexity for a nearly two-hour theatrical movie. For most of the running time, you're just watching people age, and there is little to surprise anyone familiar with the concept and consequences of aging!

The twist and wrap-up happen very quickly. There's no dramatic tension in that: you're given the background facts and that's that.

Breaking the Rules (III) (2017)

Well meaning but underwhelming

[5/10 · 20 April 2021]

The opening scene at a party to celebrate the lead characters' anniversary sets the scene for some cringeworthy acting, banal dialogue and characters ripped from a thousand other low budget gay films. After about twenty minutes, I fast forwarded through the first half and then ran out of interest.

Pennyworth (2019–2022)

Stupendous production values (updated)

[9/10 · 26 March 2021]

Above the brilliantly story-telling that straddles nuanced and spectacularly campy, the cinematography, design, costuming and music are also stellar. I enjoy this so much more than Gotham. Kudos to everyone involved.

After 3y I feel this show has not only proved its worth but had a clear direction built on great writing, performances and an indefatigably brilliant production team. So sad to say goodbye to a prematurely-cancelled batty crazy-beautiful show that not only built on DC but paid incredible homage to the Avengers, Jason King and other cult classics.

PS still keeping the theme music as my ringtone.

Star Trek: Discovery: Terra Firma, Part 1 (2020) Season 3, Episode 9

Too many gods in the machine

[2/10 · 25 December 2020]

Apart from the execrable dialogue and acting throughout this episode, the whole question of Carl is how does he fit in with the Q? Or is the STU overrun with omnipotent beings (with human-level understanding)?

Hollywood (2020)

I cried from episode 5 onwards

[9/10 · 23 May 2020]

Real Hollyood has deceived itself for a century. This is a beautiful dream.

Avenue 5 (2020–2022)

Aniara - Iannucci style

[7/10 · 21 January 2020]

I didn't realise this was an Armando Iannucci project until the end credits - it certainly didn't reveal his style till the last third of the first episode.

Up to that point I was thinking, how did Hugh Laurie and Rebecca Front end up in this? But /minor spoiler alert when Laurie's character sheds his American accent, then you start to see where this is all going.

For those who want a real grounder into the dramatic antecedent for this, watch the really depressing Swedish movie Aniara (2018) where "A spaceship carrying settlers to Mars is knocked off course, causing the consumption-obsessed passengers to consider their place in the universe". Turn this on its head and I think the comic potential is vast.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Quite implausible in parts

[6/10 · 19 January 2020]

Never got closure on Jar Jar's story, or the point of why they had that Burning Man in the middle.

Mostly tired of movies ending with two characters using magic/telekinesis/Force to zap each other with bursts of energy.

The War of the Worlds (2019)

Intelligent period drama

[8/10 · 24 October 2019]

Well-crafted adaptation of the 1895 novel with some character updates reflecting some aspects and events of Wells' own life.

Not sure why people are criticizing the emphasis of themes present in the book (imperialism etc) and Wells' noted views on social matters. If you've ever read any of his highly engaging non-fiction works you'll recognise much in this TV adaptation.

American Princess (2019)

Approach to the material is completely appropriate

[8/10 · 10 June 2019]

The premise for this show was so "out there" that I felt that I had to take a look.

There's obviously a simple girl-meets-boy premise in there that could have been bundled off into a by-the-numbers time-travel fantasy ... but in the first three episodes there is a surprising depth of supporting characters and a willingness to attack the material with the same combination of witty allusion and earthy prat-falling that you find in Shakespeare, that I hope this series finds legs for an extended run.

Overall a strong debut, with a cast of (to me) unknowns who are obviously quite invested in their roles. The writer is pacing the material well, and there is plenty of opportunity for the lead's family to interfere - there are certainly hints of the other characters' pre-Faire back-stories potential to work their way into the storyline.

Cavendish (2019– )

Gently surreal Canadian comedy

[7/10 · 12 January 2019]

Sitting in a gentle Canadian space somewhere between The Strange Calls, Hunderby and The League of Gentlemen, Cavendish had a decent opener which paved the way in terms of characters and plotlines for subsequent episodes.

I notice some people taking offence to a lack of research on the real Cavendish location which quite misses the point of surreal comedy.

My only niggle was that Kevin Eldon, a stalwart of British comedy shows, is nibbling the furniture a little too much and could afford to rein it in a little.

Kept Boy (2017)

Far better than title and poster would suggest

[7/10 · 18 August 2018]

I think we've all seen the classic love triangle poster on books and movies a million times, and when the material is gay, it's usually pretty dire.

Kept Boy was a pleasant surprise. First thing you key to is that the acting standard is uniformly high, and the production standards are good. The plot is a trifle melodramatic but that's the nature of the beast. The reviews of Robert Rodi's 1996 book suggest it was a written as a comedy of manners, but the film takes a less light-hearted reading than the rom-com poster implies.

Overall, I'm both intrigued enough by the source material to seek out the book, and found the film to be rewarding enough to deserve future re-watching. A keeper.

A.P. Bio (2018–2021)

Rich black comedy

[8/10 · 3 February 2018]

I'd say if you are a fan of Bernard Black in Black Books, then you will enjoy this. It wastes no time setting up the show, and then - without losing any energy - drops us into some lovely backdrop material such as the colourful home of the protagonist's deceased mother.

One reviewer here wrote "The pilot was totally unclear on the plot or the theme of the show." To them I say, how many times must the main character write out what he is doing on the blackboard and teachersplain it to the audience?

Great News (2017–2018)

Disappointing ghost of 30 Rock and Newsradio

[5/10 · 16 May 2017]

This show is not awful, but there is zero chemistry between most of the cast members. I recently started re-watching 30 Rock, and it was a winner out of the starting gate. With 30 Rock you usually had zero idea where a plot-line was going to take you, and the script was so dense that you could miss lines simply because you were still laughing out loud at the last one.

We got through four episodes, trying to find something to clutch onto, as there's not much in the way of intelligent LOLworthy sitcoms around now outside of Sharon Horgan's short seasons of Catastrophe, Divorce etc.