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lucydady
Reviews
Inside No. 9: The Curse of the Ninth (2024)
Loved the setting of this one
They've really spoiled us with this one. I am not usually a fan of the horror based episodes and most of them seem to hang about at the bottom of my list but this one had a totally different feel to it. I loved the edwardian setting and the mix of daft humour and stately backdrop was just perfect and a bit different for one of their more paranormal offerings.
As usual the acting was 10 out of 10 in this episode and both leads are captivating and entertaining.
The only part I was slightly let down by was the ending but that's because I'm not usually drawn to the horror episodes.
Overall, a solid episode which I will rewatch.
Inside No. 9: Wuthering Heist (2021)
Just didn't land for me.
Any anthology show will have episodes that resonate with us as individuals and episodes that fall flat and this was one of the latter for me.
First off, the pros:
Loved gemma whelan in this one. Perfect delivery and a really good fit for her character.
Some of the shots in this were very visually clever fir instance, the slomo shots and colour pallette.
The cons:
Cheesy panto style humour mixed with shakespeare-esque style delivery just felt odd to me especially when you throw in the heist theme.
Felt like I was watching an episode of 'the goes wrong show'.
Inside number 9 seems to work best with an efficient script and subtleties rather than over the top,ham acting.
Overall its just my opinion but I really didn't like this one.
Inside No. 9: Boo To A Goose (2024)
Wonderfully quirky
Fantastic start to the new series. In my opinion episodes like this one are where inside number 9 works best: a good mix of on the nose social commentary and realism thrown in with a sense that anything can happen all set in a microcosm of society which happens to be a train carriage. Quits reminiscent of 'la couchette' for reasons that will become obvious, Boo to a goose throws a rabdom set of characters into an odd situation and runs with it. The episode holds up well to subsequent viewings because the foreshadowing and Easter eggs are spot on.
It won't be everyone's cup of tea but it's definitely mine and with 55 episodes to choose from there really is something for everyone.
Black Mirror: Demon 79 (2023)
Brilliant episode but not black mirror
I have seen some of the negative reviews for this episode but I have to say, I loved it. Story is kind of weak but the style,cinematography, interesting concept and the two leads draw you in. I loved the choice to set it in 1979, a period in history which is usually underrepresented in TV probably because its not colourful or attention grabbing enough. This episode worked with that really well showing the mix of browns and beiges that were popular at the time and using them to embody the main protagonist's humdrum life. I can see why others found this one a disappointment due to the complete lack of tech involved but personally I liked the change.
Asteroid City (2023)
Brilliant piece of art but no story
I struggled to rate this film because if everyone rates it very low we will just keep getting marvel movies and awful romcoms so I've been generous with a 5. This film is stunning visually but that's about all I can say as it left literally no impression on me beyond that. I feel that it pushed the art aspect to the point of being pretentious and had nothing at all for the viewer to take away from the experience after leaving the cinema. I literally couldn't name one significant scene.
Every shot was arranged to be a work of art but it led nowhere so as a coffee table book this would work but a whole movie? Unfortunately not.
The Fabelmans (2022)
I couldn't connect with this film
I honestly believe that like all forms of art, not all cinema goers will 'get' all films. They all find their audience and some pass me by completely while others I'm left thinking about long after the end credits. This film did not connect with me at all and left me feeling bored,depressed and uninspired which, I'm sure, was not the intention. It was way too long at 3 hours and had very odd pacing. It couldn't even hold my attention in a dark cinema where the film is presented in the best way possible and i felt that there were no lighter parts to balance the maudlin tone of the film. I know there are lots if good reviews for this film which is great because others obviously saw what I couldn't but this one was definitely a miss for me.
The Wonder (2022)
Wanted to like it,unfortunately didn't
I went into this film hopeful as I'm very interested in this time period but I felt like it set itself up for more than it ended up delivering. Florence pugh is,of course, brilliant in this and the rest of the cast deliver equally skilled performances but the opening scene seems completely nonsensical and I'm confused as to why it was there at all. It led me to expect some 4th wall break ending which never came and to be honest it's a pity didn't take that route because this was a pretty boring film. 5 stars due to some solid acting and camerawork but just not enough going on to make it interesting.
Passengers (2008)
Surprisingly good
I started watching this film expecting to turn it off 10 minutes in because of the ratings for it. Im pleased I gave it a chance as it was actually pretty good. Granted, it's no masterpiece but I found it engaging and interesting and I didn't see the twist coming. I thought Anne Hathaways performance was great and definitely carried the film at times.
Overall, a pretty easy watch with a good twist ending.
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Tasteless and offensive
I'm not sure that likening the Hitler youth to beatles mania is the best way to introduce this tragic and unfortunate period in our history. Obviously film is subjective and everyone sees something different in it but I don't think comedy is the right medium to use to tell this story.
Your Garden Made Perfect (2021)
Pointless and boring
I don't know who this slightly odd show us aimed at. Certainly most people with a flat,rectangular space and a lot if money would be able to do something to improve it themselves while the transformations are ugly,difficult to maintain and expensive.add to that a slightly condescending tone and you seem to have an odd mash up of grand designs and changing rooms. Time better spent watching gardeners world.
Paranoid (2016)
Absolutely awful
I usually really enjoy police procedural dramas but this was the TV show equivalent of being smacked in the face repeatedly with a rusty spade. Plot holes galore, deeply unconvincing characters with no development and a script that should have been binned at the very start.
The only saving grace for me was Christiane Paul as Linda Ferber who was just the right mix of smart and quirky.
Overall, this is an embarrassment of a series and I can understand the numerous negative comments.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Fantastic biopic
This film was amazing. I have seen it twice now and enjoyed it just as much the second time round. Brilliant casting and evenly paced action made for an entertaining peek into the life of a fantastic showman. Equal parts funny and heartbreaking.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
A real mess of a movie
Oh dear,this is definitely the worst Disney movie I have ever seen. Bland and boring yet still managing to be confusing in places,the movie just seems to go on and on meandering through a whole lot of product placement and memes that are already dated at the movies release. This will not age well despite it being quite visually attractive because of the heavy leaning on current politics and advertising. The main characters are unlikeable and annoying and the relationship between them ambiguous at times.likening Ralph breaks the internet to the emoji movie is pretty accurate. Overall a real mess and not Disney's finest hour.