Clipster12 Reviews

Mare of Easttown (2021)

What's not to like?

[9/10 · 6 June 2021]

Kate Winslet and the rest of the cast knock this one out of the park! What a ride, gritty realistic performances, people who know each other, finding out about their neighbours doing untold things. You always feel that you are on the inside of any new intel, in this small town where everyone knows everything about everyone else's business.

Very well written and acted police drama at the top of it's game.

ZeroZeroZero (2019–2020)

Looks great but.........

[3/10 · 12 March 2021]

.....the script is full of holes and stupid story lines. Looks like they spent a fortune on it too. Some really poor casting, the brother and sister come to mind, they looked scared as rabbits the whole show. I don't quite know where all the high marks have come from, maybe kids who watched it over the top of their phones!!

A Glitch in the Matrix (2021)

Way to many Geeks.

[3/10 · 9 February 2021]

This theory is a thing for me. I can grasp how we are living in this Sim, especially when you think about the alternatives. I'm mid 50's so have grown up with video games and CGI. I had a home Pong machine and Atari VCS. I also bought a Playstation 1 as soon as it was available. I now look at my son's PS5 games with the internet connections available in this day and age and conclude we are not far off realism. All it would take is an implanted chip/interface to make this happen. Elon Musk who appears in this film also sees this, although I'm sure he wouldn't want to be associated with it. A great shame, a little less geeks and a little more science would have made a far better film.

The Control (2018)

Makes Primer look like it makes perfect sense.

[2/10 · 28 May 2020]

This I would imagine is a low budget film, although the tech looked good enough. The plot/story/timeline kind of disappeared up it's own backside. Shame really, as someone obviously tried to do something!

Devs (2020)

A solid 8.

[8/10 · 7 May 2020]

Scifi is a bit weird. If you kind of agree with it's vision of the future then it makes more sense and a little easier to get along with. Let's call it in-tune scifi. This would appear for me to be just that. The only thing I could knock this entire series for would be the lead actress. She just didn't have enough scope in her arsenal to convince me that she fitted/cared. Maybe I just read her performance wrong but................. A great series all the same. :)

Paterson (2016)

You don't have to be a poet, to be a poet.

[9/10 · 17 May 2019]

Poetry, if you are 'artistic' or maybe have artistic parents or were big on English Lit then it probably means something to you. Us normal folk are way to busy for that kind of nonsense.

I always feel that given the right education ( probably involving money and different parents) I could have been artistic in whatever form. I like art, I enjoy what I would describe as 'good' films (easy on the narrative), usually in a foreign language but not what you would describe as mainstream, if you get my drift?

So here we have a guy (Adam Driver) who not only knows his poets, he also writes poetry. He's a regular 'Joe', drives a bus, has what you would describe as an artistic wife but otherwise leads a truly regular life. His poems are what I would describe as abstract, they only just rhyme and are very personal. They do however hit home. I hang on his every word when we hear him creating them.

What this film does so well is slow everything down. It's like you are in some sort of a time warp. This I think it does deliberately to allow you to see just what surrounds us all the time. The beauty of nature or just the people/relationships we interact with on a daily basis. This, the film does spectacularly well IMHO, the poetry is just a bonus to this. Some of the dialogue does come across as forced (mostly in the bar) but 90% of it is quite believable and natural. Even the dog comes across as quite a character within the 'plot'.

Paterson went down very well with me. I can tell this because when I get drunk I return to it on a regular basis, always the sign of a good film in my book!! Want to slow down your life for a couple of hours, give it a look/see. Many thanks to all involved in this project.

Greta (2018)

By the low numbers thriller.

[3/10 · 15 May 2019]

Isabelle Huppert must regret the day she learnt English with parts like this rearing their ugly head. Predictable would be an understatement with regards this effort, all involved must be feeling quite embarrassed by the whole project I would imagine. Kindly avoid if you value entertainment.

Paterson (2016)

Open yourself up.......

[9/10 · 20 April 2019]

If ever there was a film to get lost in, to commit yourself too then it is Paterson. All there is here is a mundane life slowed down and focused so we can appreciate and concentrate on what makes life worth living. The very essence of our existence, what makes us soldier on day after day and keep going. Paterson, is a poet, he looks at things differently. We, in turn also get to see through his eyes. He has a good soul, he has time for the people around him and the things he see's on a daily basis. This is enough for him and enough to make a glorious film about it.

November (2017)

The definition of a foreign film.

[10/10 · 21 March 2019]

I don't quite know where to start with this one. It all just felt so foreign, the folklore, the music, even the language and the era it was set in. As a west European male I should have felt at home with this scenario but no. This is at heart a love story, a one sided love story. It is uncomfortable to watch someone in love do whatever to even attract the other persons attention. You feel for them somehow, you know they deserve attention but..........unrequited love is just that, we are just there to view the proceedings. This movie could have been made for peanuts and maybe it was. It is shot beautifully in black and white and I couldn't imagine it done any other way. The music is sublime as is the setting. It just looks so grubby and peasant like it hurts! The actors not only look the part they also seem to fit naturally into their roles, this could have been filmed in the period it was set!! The magic/folklore element works well as does the us n them (lord and master scenario) along with the farming community. The element of the dead and their celebration also works well and also feels natural and believable. As you can probably gather, I highly recommend this film from every angle that films work at, on a human scale. In no way a waste of your time, on an entertainment basis.

Fleabag (2016–2019)

.............and you thought season 1 was funny.

[10/10 · 20 March 2019]

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, I don't quite know how you do it dear but keep it up. As a 50 year old bloke this should be well off the mark for me but instead I find it by far the funniest, well observed and at times poignant thing on TV at the moment. Season 2 has hit the ground running and I am hanging on for every episode. Do yourselves a favour and binge this. Thanks to all involved with the production of this series.

Under the Silver Lake (2018)

Mulholland Drive without Lynch?

[8/10 · 5 December 2018]

So just tried to watch and absorb this film. An enigma for sure. I didn't like Andrew Garfield up to this point but I am now willing to cut him some slack. When, after a couple more viewings I am ready to put my feelings in words I'll be back. Well worth the time, as for the mental hardship...................? The nudity is worth a mention. From a male point of view it is sexual for sure. What this brings to the film I haven't quite figured out yet. At least one more viewing and then some pondering I hope will rectify this issue. I also hope I haven't been duped here!

First Reformed (2017)

Jihad, with a Western twist.

[10/10 · 8 September 2018]

Have you ever wondered what it takes to blow yourself up , taking others with you? Forget the 72 virgins or whatever, what cause would lead you to commit such an atrocity? I personally envy having such faith in a subject that leads down this path.

This film explores that path from a Western point of view. A dark and brooding movie that builds to a great ending. Not for everyone but for those wanting a thought provoking title that leaves you thinking then maybe give it a look. To be watched with a friend who likes to talk film for best effect.

Euphoria (I) (2017)

Could be useful for some.

[6/10 · 23 July 2018]

This film takes the best 5 minutes from Soylent Green and spins it into a full blown movie. Poignant.

The Gateway (2018)

Oh dear :(

[2/10 · 11 April 2018]

Trust me, don't bother. A generic attempt if ever there was one.

England Is Mine (2017)

The negative of what could've been............

[7 January 2018]

A film/docudrama about the early days of The Smiths/Morrissey. When this is set, in the late 70's, if you took a photograph and had it developed you would have got a photo and a negative copy. This film is like the negative of the events. It's like the uninteresting part of something special...... and don't get me wrong . The Smiths were special, in every sense of the word. Shame, what could have been..........

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

This just gets better and better and.....................

[10/10 · 5 January 2018]

Don't know what it is about his films. Like Arrival, if you sit back, open all of your senses and every pore in your skin you still feel that there is more to be absorbed. Like there is another level, if you could just tune in. This was a masterpiece, in every sense of the word.

Arrival (II) (2016)

Humanity looking forwards.

[8/10 · 11 February 2017]

When I watched this the first time I sought the original story. It was part of a short story collection by Ted Chiang called 'Stories of Your Life and Others'. It was the third story and as I write this I have just started it. The first story involves the building of the 'tower of Babylon' and how in ancient times man built a tower that reached Heaven so they could meet Yahweh (God). The second is about people being given an experimental drug that repairs damaged brains, the more damaged the better the outcome, leading to someone becoming 'superintelligent' and what he does with this. The stories lead to positive outcomes for humanity, as does this film. It is a 'soft' sci-fi film that deals with a first contact scenario. As usual the military are heavily involved from the start with their blinkered outlook and paranoid conclusions. It is up to linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) to bring understanding and humanity to the fore. I am looking forward to the end of the original story as I am sure you will enjoy this version.

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

How would you deal with it?

[9/10 · 31 January 2017]

The story of a guy who could live next door to any of us. He parties with his mates, much to the annoyance of his wife but always puts his family first. He loves his family but likes to let his hair down. When tragedy occurs it is sharp and painful. Blame is easy to apportion, from everybody's point of view but it is not clear cut. He takes it all upon himself, moves to a new place with a shitty job and retreats to a life of solitude. When his brother dies and he is called back to the scene to look after his nephew, questions are asked as to whether he can put the past behind him for his brother/nephew's sake. People remember him and the tragedy that befell his family. He meets with his ex-wife, a couple of times (I cried at the second meeting) but again he carries the can. Will he pull through for his nephew? Can he put the past behind him?

A strange film. It builds on what seems nothing but is ultimately engrossing. The lives of real people and the different ways we react to events in our lives. All of it believable. Each character could be real and you could know from your own life.

I haven't mentioned direction, lighting, acting.... this is because when things feel this close to home all these factors become secondary. It is all about story and realism, which this film has in Spades.

Bridgend (2015)

How do you escape?

[9/10 · 22 August 2016]

If you live in the back of beyond, where all your parents and grandparents knew each other how do you escape? What is there to live for when there are no jobs or future to look forward to? How do you portray this scenario in a film? Welcome to Bridgend. A dark and melancholic film that does just that. Everything is dark, the scenery, soundtrack and outlook give no hope. The teenagers are falling by the wayside, one by one and still no one has any answers. You feel their angst and inevitable demise but it all seems natural. The sign of a good film in my eyes and ears. Not for everyone, a bleak tale if ever there was one but well portrayed non the less.

Knight of Cups (2015)

What is cinema to you, a visual story or something more?

[10/10 · 10 May 2016]

I can't put into words what Malick does for me, I just seem to understand what he is aiming at, what he wants me to see and feel. Knight of Cups portrays a man who has lost his way. We are drip fed his background that leads us to this point in his life. He seems popular in his peer group, women to die for are attracted to him but we are not shown the reason why. In this film his next conquest is seen whilst he is with the current squeeze. Is he always looking to the future, is something better always around the corner? All the women seen here are beautiful, not only from a purely physical point of view, they all have their quirks that make them unique, attractive, even addictive and yet it would seem not enough for him. We get to hear from his brother, father, mother and ex-wife which builds a picture of who/where/what Rick is. We are told ancient stories from the past which give us a basic narrative/story. We never see him work although we are lead to believe he is successful in his job (screen writer). The music/score and cinematography whilst we ride this roller-coaster is second to none. The subtle dialogue feeds us just enough to progress. The rest you fill in yourself. Forget narrative and obvious, if Malick wants you to feel empty and alone (between relationships) you get a shot of Rick alone in the wilderness. It's a feeling, induced by a scene. Not explained by a narrator. If ever there was a film to let yourself get lost in and wash over you then this is it. It won't be for everyone but those who are willing/able to tune in will find plenty to entertain here. I can only hope this review draws in those looking for an experience. Thanks TM, I get it and your efforts are appreciated, long may you continue. X