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ben_tos
Reviews
Doctor Who: The Zygon Invasion (2015)
Worst episode ever
It started good, nice reference to sleeper terrorists and then came the church scene ... Trained soldiers who disobey a direct order, and fall for a very obvious ploy by the aliens. The soldiers are thousands of miles from home and suddenly the aliens come forward, shapeshifted as the family members of the soldiers. And the soldiers fall for it, even after the alien, shapeshifted as a mother, could not mention one personal detail of the soldier ... Totally unbelievable and very annoying to watch. And then the soldiers go into the church ... together to be killed by the aliens .... Bad writing to make the viewer feel antipathetic towards the aliens but all it makes me feel is being insulted. No soldier would ever behave like that, it is lazy writing, instead of thinking of a clever ploy, the writer goes for a stupid storyline. The same in the cave with the stolen humans, a platoon being ambushed by the aliens and not one of them raises his gun to defend himself.... What kind of training do these soldiers get?
Mortdecai (2015)
Great movie
This is a great movie, with running gags, multiple plot twists and over the top acting. It is a spoof on those all to serious action movies. The relation between Mortdecai and his manservant Jock was reminiscent of Jeeves and Wooster. Mortdecai, just like Wooster, gets in these terrible situations and every time Jock, like Jeeves, steps in and saves the day. It also made me think of those 40's merry melody cartoons and Marx Brothers movies, a lot of running around, the same jokes repeated ad nauseam, impossible the follow plot twists and quick witted banter. The lines uttered by J.D. are absolutely hilarious but sometimes to fast to follow.
A must see movie.
We Are Klang (2009)
Silly, childish and of course funny
I recently found this series on youtube an must say, i loved it. There are references to the Goodies, but since i never saw the Goodies i cannot comment on that. This show is an excuse for silly one-liners, bad puns and TV-violence like we've seen in Bottom.
The story line is just an excuse as a set up for short sketches, or skits, as they were called on Monty Python. The actors take up several recurring roles and in true British comedy tradition dress up as women.
Not the intelligent banter from Blackadder or a bit of Fry and Laurie but more in the line of the young ones, Bottom. It will appeal more to the younger generation but as an adult I did laugh several times while watching,
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Great movie, to bad about the ending
It is always a pleasure to watch Colin Firth, Michael Caine and Samuel Jackson. Even if it is in a adaptation of a not so good comic. Never been a Millar fan, to little story,to much need to shock and awe. But as a parody of the James Bond movies, this movie works.
The idea of an initiate saving the world is not new, Men in black springs to mind, and Kingsman is more of the same. Over the top violence, the kind we have come to expect from a Millar comic, corny one liners, and the trust no-one philosophy from b-moves.
The fight scenes are great, stylized and fun to watch, no blood and minimal screaming, so you can enjoy the popcorn without gagging .... Until the whole suspension of disbelief is broken by the anal reference. It does not fit in the movie and it pulls you out of the flow of watching a mediocre but agreeable action movie. Re-release the movie with this bit edited out and you have a good movie, now it's watching 100 min. and 30 min of wondering what the director was thinking .... Shame.
Blandings (2013)
A splendid way to spend half an hour
Is watching this series better than reading the original novels ? Maybe. Since TV is another medium than books, the experiences cannot be compared. So I will not compare.
Is this a series worth watching ? Absolutely ! The dialogues are sharp and funny, esp. the way lady constance describing the different ways of torturing lord Emsworth if he fails to do her bidding. Jennifer Saunders delivers those lines with a subdued ferocity of a Lady who is also a much plagued sister.
The stories themselves are loosely based on the P.G. Wodehouse stories, adapted for the small screen and for a modern audience. Blandings is more in line with other British series like "you rang mylord", "are you being served" than "Jeeves and Wooster". More slapstick and sitcom but still extremely fun to watch.
And of course you should read the books, but you lose nothing by watching these series, au contraire.
Going Overboard (1989)
Funny movie
I do not understand all those negative reviews, i just watched it and laughed several times. It's like an early Woody Allen movie, a schlemiel talking to the camera, being an underdog during the movie, and eventually winning. Even the joke about the old woman being mugged by two hoodlums could have been told by Woody Allen.
With a guest appearance of Milton Berne.
The continuously breaking of the fourth wall, the commenting on the badness of the movie, pointing out the plot holes, .... This movie was years ahead of it's time.
A nice 80's movie with some great music and extremely stupid dancing. And also nicely politically incorrect.