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Reviews
The Contractor (2022)
Solid film
As a spec ops type film, nothing wrong with it, think somewhere between seal team (TV) and hints of Taken series of films. Easy watching.
The plot, once you find out is quite topical in a Snopes way and current.
I enjoyed it. Chris Pine played the part well, better than Kirk and I liked him in that role.
Buckley's Chance (2021)
Good easy watch
Always liked Bill but the dingo is beautiful.
It is incorrectly credited on the titles as being called Sunny, which is sad as it does shortly after filming.
It isn't even credited at all on IMDb which is poor, but it was called Sonny.
RIP Sonny, forever enshrined on the silver screen now.
SPF-18 (2017)
Not a great movie, but a great soundtrack
The soundtrack is so far removed from the era of the film, 80s awesomeness.
Message from the King (2016)
Not bad and good ending.
Certainly shows the gritty underbelly of LA. Not the South Central gang-centric scenes we are normally given but how other nations have infiltrated and made it their crime bed too.
Some of the content piqued my interest so know I know a bit more about South African prison gang culture, interesting knowledge is never bad.
The story is fairly sound, person missing, person looks for person, a bit of blackmail and violence, but the end (in my opinion) was a surprise and good.
Miami Vice (1984)
Wide eyed weekly watching
It is actually hard to convey the true excitement felt in the day or two leading up to the weekly airing of this show. I was a 2nd year in high school in the UK back then - making me 12/13 - not sure what that equates to now is school years.
What others have said regarding the filming, angles, moodiness and both cinematic and soundtrack experience are all true, I was a little young to understand that then though.
What was the UK equivalent? The Bill, maybe the professionals? Both good shows in their own right (which UK TV personality hasn't had a part in the Bill or Casualty?) but NOTHING like the jaw dropping scenery, cars, hotels, night clubs, clothing and weather of Miami Vice.
The buzz of talking about the episode the day after at school (any kids reading this, imagine the chat about GoT and multiply it by a gazillion as you are now numb to good TV through over saturation) it filled the day and the day after as you spoke to different classmates within your timetable.
Jan Hammer was instantly lifted to god-like status, Don Johnson was old enough to be female classmates grandfathers (almost) and
I still get chills for crockets theme and still see the white testarossa - always preferred that to the Daytona spyder.
Only people in our watchers club can smile when someone uses the words "smugglers blues", and nod knowingly at the guy with Elvis the crocodile on his boat.
I'm not sure that in the UK the proceeds of crime act allowing police to use seized assets for undercover work ever stretched to the retained use that Crockett had of his luxury yacht and Ferrari - but that was part of the allure - it gave people in a very grey UK with boxy underpowered small vehicles and terraced housing with 14" TVs (yes kids, the TV in the bedroom {if you were lucky} may only have been a little larger than a ruler and may have only been black and white) drinking Tab clear an insight into how the glamorous world of America worked.
As much a part of it as the cheesy acting was, and it was quite cringey at times, it was a part of the show as much as the two lovely bikini ladies in the opening credits (you only really saw bikinis on the tv or in the littlewoods catalogue unless you were lucky enough to get to go on foreign holidays to cor-fu or torremolenos), the flamingos and that incredible sport Jai Alai! (Look it up).
Watching it again now results in no less pleasure, I've probably seen each episode three times or more, you don't even notice they haven't got mobile phones or iPads, though there is the occasional sighting of a briefcase sized cellular phone or actual car phone - remember them, an actual full size phone handset and curly wire in a car - superb.
If you haven't watched this show - do so.
Also watch Hill Street Blues, Chicago Hope and the early George Clooney days of ER.
Peace and Love.
Investigation 13 (2019)
Standard tortured person to ghost idea but I don't mind that.
What I don't like is the manga cartoon backstory - really odd and probably no cheaper than filming it with lower standard actors.
And I really do not understand (or like) the fact that they are filming with a handycam (Sony I think) that states HD on its fold out screen but when that footage is shown it is in monochrome and REALLY grainy. That makes no sense at all - it isn't archive/vintage footage.
Then the manga cartoons are injected again and again in the various clips of backstory. All the drawn characters are "Asian" but the language is American English as is any writing shown within them. Just odd.