shaughnpatrickrice-19191 Reviews

Sonic Prime: Unwelcome to the Jungle (2022) Season 1, Episode 4

This show keeps delivering!

[9/10 · 16 December 2022]

Is it just me or did this episode have multiple reference(s) to Nintendo with a a Mario Odyssey and and Mario galaxy 2 reference?

This show show keeps delivering as spot on family entertainment that touches on - in an organic way - more adult themes.

I've personally waited, since I was a child, for sonic to have as strong a year as as 2022. Between frontiers, the movie 2, and prime it's been the strongest time since the, 'can do anything' years of the end of x - generations! Sonic is finally becoming the character I knew he could all those years ago!

I hope other sonic fans relate, it's nice to have sonic back to his former glory!!!

Donnie Darko (2001)

Watching Donnie darko in 2022 - mild spoilers for general theme ahead

[9/10 · 2 September 2022]

Donnie darko is a film about films. In cinema, the audience are god's watching the predetermined path of time travelers stuck in an endless loop. We, as cinema goers, are cruel tryants. This omnipotence also provides us with the power of time travel. Getting to experience several life times in a few hours. You could say, we are no different from Frank. Or maybe, we are Frank. Maybe we are Donnie, hes acting out the vengeance we want to take on these fictional wrongdooers. Maybe Donnie is Frank, Frank is Donnie. Donnie, Frank and the audience are one.

That said, we are not the industrys darkest monsters. In the wake of the me too movement - specifically the Weinstein scandal - this is even more present. It makes the time travel theme even more potent. Certain films that don't use linear storytelling (see pulp fiction) would only lose so much if retold linearly. More and more we're seeing films like arrival, tenet, momento or donnie darko. These films intrinsically link the displacement of time to theme and text making them vital. Darko takes this one step further, using this to comment on the nature of film. I'm watching it for the first time now in 2022 and I can see it was ahead of its time. Or, rather, it required aging to be fully appreciated. Somehow, that's also worked into the text and subtext of this film.

Debates about predeterminism, free will and the range of human emotions are also layered. Again, worked into the text and subtext of the film through precise editting and dialogue. The script is very particular, using words and phrases that can be read both textually and meta textually.

That said, it's also a film about a bunny man who takes advantage of the mentally ill so maybe I'm reading too much into things.

9/10 because I don't 100% get all of the ending, amazing last shot though!

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (2022)

Fantastic, such a nice supprise!! 2022 continues to be a standout year for animation!

[9/10 · 12 August 2022]

A family friendly adventure involving:

Time travel,

Conanberg-esque monsters,

A heartfelt, emotional story,

Georgous, straight off the panel animation,

Impressive fight sequences,

Well done comedy,

Serious consequences, that may upset some younger viewers. Even me at 19 got a little emotional

This is well WELL worth your time!

Paper Girls (2022)

Fine enough TV show, frustrating adaptation of a brilliant comic series (that predates stranger things!!!!!)

[6/10 · 10 August 2022]

In short, disappointing. In long:

I have been telling my stranger things-loving friends to watch out for this. It was going to blow it out the water. Paper girls succeeds in that, the comic that is. The show, not so much. This is a perfectly serviceable sci-fi TV series, it is a naff adaptation of the source however. The changes to the order of things is one thing, I get what they happened. But there's 2 core things that change which really annoyed me.

Thing 1: certain characters being omitted makes the story less compelling. However, they also rush certain characters to a similar effect.

Things 2: twists from the comic are attempted to be elongated, turned into longer term storytelling. The reason those twists work is due to their shock nature, realising how things fit together. Theres one aspect I felt was especially tactless, a really neat reveal that's bashed over the audiences head and becomes far too obvious. I'm sure comic fans will know exactly what I mean.

I have no problem with changes. However, when those changes make the show a less enjoyable experience overall, when those changes feel a little insulting to the audiences intellegence, I'm less on board.

I hope others can get something out of it. I'm such a fan of the comic that I'm definitely biased. That I will not deny. However, I genuinely think a closer adaptation would have been stronger!

Ps, Brian - please don't let the same happen to saga, no adaptation is better than a bad one!!!

Chivalry (2022)

Not for everyone, bit of an oddity

[7/10 · 27 April 2022]

This series made me feel every emotion under the sun. I loved it, I hated it. It made me laugh, it punched me in the gutt. It worked for me, it didn't work for me. It's good, it possibly all falls apart at the end. It's 'cleaver' but at the expense of a satisfying ending. Maybe, I'm not sure, part of me thinks the ending works and part of me really dislikes it. The show could have done with being longer, but also completely works as a 6 episode run. It will make you think, potentially at the expense of being entertaining. However, it's also both very funny and very very serious.

I hope this contradictory non review gets my point across. This is honestly the best way for me to describe my time with this show. My recommendation is to go in knowing little and come out taking something away. You may take away that you hate the show, but I would struggle to believe you'd not leave without a strong opinion. Even if that's a strongly indecisive one! It.

Eternals (2021)

Better than most are giving it credit

[7/10 · 5 November 2021]

Has a rough start, poor handling of exposition and some forced comedy but over all is really enjoyable. Refreshingly diverse in a very casual way that is going to get overlooked due to the mainly negative reaction. One of the best looking mcu features to date. It's not 'bad' it's just different!

Sex Education (2019–2023)

This show just became the best thing Netflix has ever made and a corner stone moment for tv

[9/10 · 17 September 2021]

2021 has, in my opinion, raised the bar for entertainment going forward. Music is having an especially good year, where films concerned the suicide squad showed what a blockbuster should be and now sex education shows us what TV should be. The show is a direct challenge to the status quo. The show is such an important, transgressive force. However, it really shouldn't be, these topics shouldn't be cloaked in tabboo however they are. The show knows this, an treats these topics with respect while challenging them.

An, on top of that, contains some of the most heartwrenching and heartwarming performances I've ever seen. The writing will pinball you from corpsing to needing a hug. In season 3 especially, I felt this was hightened. For some, this may cause tonal whiplash but I feel it's intentional because that's life. Life is unpredictable, like this show.

I think, atleast for me, this is the second ever time I've ever seen characters that I felt are real. The first is in Images Saga. The characters in sex are real: they're fleshed out, complex, flawed and above all else human.

Every single aspect of this show is carefully considered. In a way it's a contradiction, as something so perfect should feel so mechanical but I don't think I've ever seen something more human.

Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 (2021)

Eh, don't remember a single thing an it only finished a few minutes ago

[4/10 · 9 July 2021]

Atleast the first one had the gall to be bafflingly awful, this was just painfully forgetible.

Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021)

Gives me the fear that Netflix green lit 3 of these but canceled daybreak after season 1

[2/10 · 3 July 2021]

I can accept some confusion, this is meant to be the first (but chronologically last) of a trilogy. That's acceptable. What isn't acceptable is everything else.

The editting, specifically sound editting, is the worst I may have seen in any film. Songs will play out of no where, either as hamfisted nods to what will happen or for no actually reason other than to wake up anyone who may have fallen asleep. In one case, it's used in place of telling the audience what the characters are planning to do. Also, commits the sin of all modern horror, blurring strings = scary. Not that any of the other editting is noteworthy. It ranges from servicible to awful.

The script is poor, characters and relationships are awfully written. All characters make completely illogical decisions. Also, the story is beyond rushed.

The effects + kills are lacklustre, with one exception, which may be the only few seconds (barring the jarring, nonsensical inclusion of song snipits I liked) I enjoyed

As a first taste of what's to come, this is a bafflingly awful, dire attempt. Surely, it can't get worse... Right? RIGHT?

Invincible (2021– )

People need to calm down, a 8.9 average for a show with few new ideas?

[8/10 · 4 May 2021]

Its a very good show. I'm not saying its not good, its very good. The voice acting and the voice cast is outstanding. The animation is brilliant. The story however, while it shows heaps of promise as it stands right now, it did retread a lot of ground already covered by other things. That's the problem with adapting anything predating the super hero boom following Iron Man - what was subversive in 2003 isn't very subversive in 2021. I'm very excited to see how things happen going forward, in future I'd like to see them stick a little less strictly to the source material and embody more of the spirit of invincible, be subversive. If, as i'm hoping, they're playing the long can and will turn things on their head as it goes on I will MORE than happily eat my words. Until then, I'm sticking with my 7 out of 10 - a score I would LOVE to improve in the future.

Bank Balance (2021)

DON'T TAKE IT SO SERIOUSLY

[8/10 · 15 March 2021]

I stand by my 8/10. This show is great brain mush. It's not designed to be anything else. If watching Gordon Ramsay get more passive aggressive with the general public doesn't sound like your idea of fun this show isn't for you.

Now, I'll be fair and give some propper 'review.' As a fan of quiz shows, I enjoy getting to see more personality out of the contentents. The premise is solid, set up so that you can't have too set of a plan, but theres a degree of strategy.

I'm enjoying it, if you didn't I can understand why. There's not much too the show, it's just nice brain-mush

WandaVision (2021)

Strong start, ending fell flat

[5/10 · 5 March 2021]

Time to actually review the whole show instead of... What most anyone else who's posted a review yet has done

The series was clearly more concerned with messing with the audience than telling a compelling story. This may be distract from the fact it's a story everyone saw coming after episode 2. I have no issues with the self contained nature, I have no issue that it doesn't 'flesh out the mcus story.' I take issue with things like how, In retrospect, the big reveals of the series take some big leaps in logic to make work.

The overall story, at the heart of it, is good and develops Wandas character. The performances are brilliant. What it doesn't do, is keep the momentum it builds at the start going.

The Jellies! (2017–2019)

Please don't renew for season 3

[4/10 · 15 November 2020]

A show so agressivly awful that part way through season 2 not enough people have bothered to review the episodes to produce averages. I'd really hoped for better from Tyler than this. Credit where it's due however, I could appreciate the ambition in season 1. But season 2 didn't even have that going for it. To call this show lazy is overselling it. It's truly not worth your time. At the shows best, it's stupid. At shows worst, it's offensively poor (mainly any episode where k-y is the central character)

Give it a miss, watch Rick and Morty, Samurai Jack or listen to Tyler's music instead

Victoria (II) (2015)

Very nearly great

[7/10 · 11 November 2020]

I think it's fair to say this film is split into 2 stretches. The second of which, is arguably outstanding. The film manages to be very tense without a grandure to the action sequences. The performances are brilliant. The constantly long shot and close up camera work adds to the intense nature.

That can be said for the 2nd half, HOWEVER, the first hour of this film I found intensly dull. I understand what it was going for, that said, I don't feel it needed to go on as long as it did. It could have done what it needed to in half the time.

One of the biggest draws to this film is it's unique 1-long-take approach. This, at points as I've said earlier benefits the film and adds to the atmosphere. However, it can also detract from the film. Theres a reason we don't often see the 'scenes-between-scenes' an it's because they wouldn't be interesting to watch. This films highlights this, I can't help but feel if an amount of the transitions between places were done with editing rather than tracking shots the film would have worked better.

Overall, I can't say that the film is impressive or bad. It's definitely worth a watch, it is interesting both in its engaging story and unique approach to construction. However, said unique approach has its share of flaws as well as it's impressive moments. 7/10

Ready Player One (2018)

Not very good, but not awful either

[3/10 · 10 October 2020]

While visually very impressive the writing is full of jokes that don't land and an over reliance on cheap pop-culture references. I don't hate this film as much as some people, but I don't think it's particularly great either

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

Tarzan is a Disney animated classic, the legend of Tarzan is none of those things

[5/10 · 18 July 2020]

Dull with poor cgi. Theres an exchange near the end which should have been left on the cutting room floor. Go watch the original Disney animated classic instead