goatboy-43868 Reviews

Fantastic Planet (1973)

Truly a one off.

[10/10 · 11 May 2023]

I first saw this film in the early seventies as the support film for some self- indulgent surfing film whose score was written by Pink Floyd. The Floyd film was really boring, but this film - well no one could have warned me about this. It's truly beyond words, which is why I am not even going to attempt to delve into it.

There are very few films that actually change your life, but this one did that for me. It took me to a world so different from any world I could ever conceive of and opened my mind to the full potential of the imagination.

Of course, it's beautiful, sometimes scary, and always totally captivating. I had never seen a film like this before, and doubt I will ever see anything like it again.

I kept returning to the cinema every night to see it again, then left before the Pink Floyd film came on.

So glad it's on the BFI player. Guess what I'll be watching tonight? Probably at least twice over, maybe more. OCD? Maybe, but my mind is now peopled by the strangest creatures who could never be imagined by anyone else. The word genius is used to often, but the makers of this film had some weird chemistry going on which took them way beyond The Twilight zone and into a realm no one had been before.

It's a good job I was only 13 when I first saw this and had not discovered acid!

Royal Bastards: Rise of the Tudors (2021)

Best history show I have seen in ages.

[10/10 · 26 November 2021]

This series follows the story of the rise of the Tudors and the twists and turns and bloody battles of the war of the roses.

The narrators were well chosen and the re-enactments were spot on. It's a complicated story, but is presented in a way which is easy to follow.

Some might be put off by the frequent use of bad language and gore during the dramatised scenes, but for me this just made it more gripping and realistic.

Well worth watching if you have any interest in history, or even if you just like a riveting drama.

Where Is She? (II) (2019)

Not much substance here.

[2/10 · 8 June 2021]

I can see what the makers were going for here, a sort of deep and arty film. But it fails miserably. I'll give it two stars for the atmosphere and the nice stage set, but it lacks a decent story and most of the time it makes no sense. This was probably deliberate to make it more enigmatic. But it's mostly a lot of not much going on, and even what does go on is shot so darkly that it's makes even harder to make sense of. I think it has some Kafkaesque meaning about creating our own private hell or something, but it didn't hold my interest enough for me to want to think too deeply about it.

ReVisitant (2019)

Falls a bit flat.

[4/10 · 8 June 2021]

Comedy horror isn't the easiest genre to get right. You have to get the balance right between the comedy and the horror, and you have to have actors who have the skill to pull it off. This has neither, so the film comes across as a bit schizophrenic. The comedy takes away the impact of the scary parts and horror makes some of the comedy seem distasteful. It's an entertaining enough romp, but has more than it's fair share of cringey moments and is unlikely to scare anyone. Ok to watch if there really is nothing else to see, but wouldn't recommend it. It's all a bit lightweight and muddled.

Mindhunter (2017–2019)

Simply brilliant!

[10/10 · 2 August 2020]

Don't often review stuff on here. Either because people have already said everything that needs to be said about it, or it is so bad that there is nothing to say apart from don't bother, or because I think something has been unfairly criticised and I am in a very small minority who sees some merit in it. With this though, I just have to add my voice to those who say how wonderful this series is. This ticks all the boxes for me, it's original, great acting, great direction, gripping stories and totally addictive. A must watch, and one I want to watch all over again from the beginning.

What/If (2019)

Don't get why so many people don't like this.

[7/10 · 2 August 2020]

I found this series pretty gripping with lots of twists and turns. People are complaining that there are three plots going on, why is that such a problem? All the plots and characters intertwine and form part of the whole. I usually prefer horror and science fiction, but this kept me interested until the end. I noticed that people who are criticising this say they kept fast forwarding through the bits they didn't like. Maybe people don't have the patience to watch complex plots anymore. Ok, some of it is a bit unbelievable at times, but aren't most things on tv nowadays. I enjoyed it anyway, not saying it's the best thing on tv or anything, but it certainly kept me wanting to watch the next episode. I fail to see why some people disliked it so much. For me, it was a pretty decent thriller.

How Not to Work & Claim Benefits: (and Other Useful Information for Wasters) (2016)

Better than you might think.

[7/10 · 28 December 2019]

Don't expect amazing acting or great special effects from this movie. It's just a good story, well told with a few surprises and is often very funny. I loved it and could identify with the characters. And it was made for no money ( there's a documentary that explains all) It just shows if you have a good script you can make a decent movie , and this is a more than decent movie.

Carrie (2013)

Not a patch on the original.

[3/10 · 28 December 2019]

If you came to this not knowing the 70's Brian de Palma film you might enjoy it a a reasonable teenage horror flick. I started watching it and then stopped half way through and watched the original again, then watched the rest of it. True the script stays fairly close to the original film, but what I hated was how the character Carrie was portrayed. In the original she was the shy naive and innocent victim, which Sissy Spacec played perfectly, and her mom was the real monster. In this version, Carrie just comes across as a vindictive witch who just wanted revenge on all those who crossed her. which kind of reverses the whole meaning of the film. It's not a bad film, but totally subverts the meaning of the original. Some films should not be remade. I say this not as a film snob, but some films are perfect as they are and any attempt to remake them is never going to work. Watch it if you haven't seen the original, but if you remember the source material for this, you are bound to be disappointed.

Replace (2017)

Jesus, what a horror show...

[5/10 · 27 February 2019]

....as the heroine says at one point. There is a really good story lurking in this film somewhere, but it's too stylised to really pull you in. It's a sexy and sometimes gory film, but it is too heavy on the style and sound to continually keep your interest. Reminded me a bit of the film The Hunger, more pop video than coherent narrative. An enjoyable watch, but some scenes were just dragged out to long. The editing was annoying and detracted from the flow a bit. Still, not a bad film, but could have been executed better.

Bacchanalia (I) (2017)

Bizarre but strangely entertaining.

[7/10 · 25 November 2018]

A previous reviewer dismissed this as an exercise in how not to make a film. I thought it was well made. Ok, the editing is a bit choppy and the actors are not great, but it certainly held my attention. It's hard to pin it down to a specific genre, but I would class it as an art film, with elements of horror and certainly some dark humour. It reminded me of a Peter Greenaway film. I won't go into the plot, it's more fun trying to figure that out as you go along. I doubt this will find a mainstream audience, but for fans of the bizarre and strange, it is well worth a watch.