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Way Upstream (1987)
Poundland Mike Leigh
I saw this on Netflix recently and it hasn't aged well at all. Charmless, humourless and falls flat at every turn.
Unlikeable characters, who you don't care about or what happens to them. Like an amateur dramatics Troup trying to do a Mike Leigh production. Poor casting doesn't help it's cause. The villain is like a poundland Oliver Reed. That said, it is the strongest performance in the film. Such a shame as the set up had so much potential to deliver a great dark comedy. The pointless and cheap titalation scene at the film's climax added nothing to the film. Clearly there to get people talking about the film, back in the day.
This Time with Alan Partridge (2019)
A shadow of his former self
The curse of the BBC on comedy. Woke, diversity nonsense. Slight glimmers of classic Alan, but it feels like they have him on a tight leash. First series is a mixed bag, but is mostly lacking in good comedy content. This series so far is generally moribund and woeful. Mid Morning Matters, this aint. COOK PASS BABTRIDGE.
Irréversible (2002)
Okay shocker
Mostly a boring and an empty film overall. A few very shocking, gratuitous scenes, but not a lot else.
The Good Son: The Life of Ray Boom Boom Mancini (2013)
Knock out
Great documentary, giving a fascinating insight into the lives and the journeys of two boxers who meet finally in a fateful encounter in the ring. Very emotionally charged and life affirming. Loved the connection between the families involved. So human and beautiful. Great input from boxing legends.
Gisaengchung (2019)
Gripping
Many layered, brilliantly directed and acted. This has it all. Poverty, wealth, deception, comedy, horror, greed, humility, twists, double-crossing, life lessons.... Keeps you guessing throughout. The film's strongest attribute, is the interaction of the characters and how there lives intertwined and impacted on each other.
Stallone: Frank, That Is (2021)
To be Frank
Interesting documentary. Showed the pros and cons of having a mega star of a brother. Admired, how he plugged on, regardless of the setbacks. Shows the brutality and reality of the fame game in Hollywood and the music business. A great exposé, with some great input from other celebs.
Adrian Street Story: You May Be Pretty, But I Am Beautiful (2019)
Half Nelson of a documentary
Admire the man and his extraordinary journey. Not a terrible documentary. My biggest critism, is there is not enough content or wrestling action. Too much repetition in the footage shown and about his feminised, camp persona. We got it the first time, didn't need to constantly repeat it, and the same info given by numerous other Wrestlers in the documentary. Not enough depth and too much padding out with the repetition.
Free Solo (2018)
Gripping
One of the best documentaries, that I have seen in a whi!e. What an amazing feat of human ability. Loved the structure of the documentary, the editing, the journey, the action footage, the prep, the training, the inner struggles.
Fantastic action footage. Absorbing, emotional, and inspiring. A must watch.
Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King (2020)
Highly entertaining
Really enjoyed this. The journey of a great career, and the struggle with depression and weight, made for an absorbing and inspirational watch. Beating all comers and great odds to achieve the amazing feat of becoming the lineal Heavyweight Champion of the World. Loved the journey, the relationship with his Dad, family and the other boxers. Fantastic fight footage. Great insights into his heritage too. A must watch.
Mr Calzaghe (2015)
Undisputed Champion of a documentary
One of the best documentaries, that I have seen in a whi!e. The journey from child to man, from amateur pro. Beating all comers and great odds to achieve the amazing feat of retiring as an undefeated Champion of the World. Loved the structure of the documentary, the editing, the journey, the relationship with his Dad, family and the other boxers. Great insights from his opponents. Fantastic fight footage. What a humble guy. Absorbing, emotional, and inspiring. A must watch.
Black Narcissus (1947)
Stunning
What a classic and a stunning production. The acting, atmosphere and tension is incredible. Amazing cast and performances. A visual feast for the eyes.
Black Narcissus (2020)
Please God, forgive them
The original film is a classic and a stunning production. The acting, atmosphere and tension is incredible. This adaptation is the poor relation. The set up in episode 1 is promising and well delivered. Unfortunately, it goes nowhere from there and becomes a bore-fest. The final 10 minutes are enthralling, but it is too little, too late to save this. Such a shame, as this could have been fantastic.
Angst (1983)
Too much filler, not enough killer.
A mixed bag of a film. Great POV filming and angles. Brutal and well portrayed killings. Great character story. Clumsy and boring at times. Too much filler, not enough killer.
C'est arrivé près de chez vous (1992)
A shot to the heart
Brutal, funny and uncompromising. Sits somewhere between A Serbian Film and This Is Spinal Tap, in a freakily good sandwich.
Un chien andalou (1929)
It hurt my eyes
A controversial marvel in it's day, it may be, but I see it as a childish attempt at Avant-garde cinema. Started strong and then imploded. Did Bunuel let a 14 year old asylum patient take over? Not even Dali could save this car crash.
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
Ahead of it's time
An incredible visual dreamscape. Feels more modern, than when it was made. Beautifully edited and directed. Nods to Bunuel and Dali. Lynch & Warhol must have taken some of their vision from this. Truly mesmerising.
Targets (1968)
Drive in feature
A stripped down film, following cold empty characters and their mechanical interactions. Bobby, the lead is a gun obsessed, damaged young man, who lives in a regimented family.household. Guns are prevalent in the family home and have been a feature of Bobby's whole life. The American gun dream and he is living it.
Bobby is possibly modeled after Texas sniper, Charles Whitman, and seems to come from a similar background. Bobby is married, but has absolutely no communication with his wife. They still live with his parents. Bobby needs to break out of his moribund existence and make a grand statement. Three excellent scenes demonstrate this.
A great character study of a film. Bobby's journey is brilliantly juxtaposed with Byron Orlok's story (played iconically by Boris Karloff), which concludes with the two meeting face to face in the end.
A slow burner that has a brilliant ending.
Vikings (2013)
What a journey - Skol to the makers.
Obviously, the show contains myth, artistic licence on how the characters are out of their historical documented timelines and some bending of their actual story arcs. That said, most of the events happened and the added content added the stardust to the production. The sets, cast, production, etc are A1. I love each characters journey and the inner turmoil between the juxtaposition of religion and faith. The double-crossing, fighting battles with and against each other, keeps you guessing and enthralled. The thirst for absolute power and the curse it can bring was perfectly demonstrated. I loved the story arc of Lagertha and Floki. Loved every season and even though the last season weakened towards the end, Ubba and Floki kept it strong to the end. A real tour-de-force of a TV experience. Actually, my rating is 9.5. To Valhalla my Brothers and Sisters. We shall ride on the shoulders of the Golden Valkyries.
This Is Us (2016)
Season 5 - Crash and burn
Seasons 1-3 rank as one of my favourite TV experiences (10/10). An emotional roller coaster, immersive and brilliantly written and casted. Season 4 was good. What happened with season 5 (1/10)? I cannot believe how bad it is. Feel so let down. Like the last 12 months, a big pile of steaming....