Change Your Image
mpatry-94591
Reviews
Invasion (2021)
Thank goodness for fast-forward button
After giving 2 episodes a chance, waiting for a plot to establish itself, I started using the fast forward button in episodes 3, 4 and 5, moving through the endless nothings of plot development thinking that at one point... the show would get to the point!
But alas, no luck. I gave up after episode 5.
Good grief - who's making movies these days? This one was like watching paint dry. I could only take so much of watching teens in a "Lord of the Flies" style remake, but instead of stuck on an island, they are stuck in a deep stone quarry, somehow all having survived a 70 meter vertical drop in their bus.
Five hours of my life I can never get back. How can a review have spoilers when there is no plot?
Three Pines (2022)
Fine enough for casual viewing
Watched the 1st 2 episodes. Overall we enjoyed it and are compelled to continue. Acting is highly variable, from very good, to amateur. The whole "electric chair in the snow" scenario is a bit over the top - but I guess that's in the book. Didn't know it went beyond 2 episodes and wondered about the missing indigenous woman side-story - but now we learn it's a thread for further episodes. OK.
Those buildings (situation room) where the cops spend a lot of time don't look to be insulated... in winter? Directors should know better - undermines the credibility of the production.
Otherwise, it's a good tale.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Harmless fun, some good laughs, well done, Ja Ja Ding Dong!
Always hard to find a good Netflix film without planning ahead. After giving up on "Funny Girl" 30 minutes into that show, we landed on Eurovision. We had just been joking about Will Ferrell's "Old School" movie earlier that day, so we decided to give this one a go (had not heard about it before).
We enjoyed it. Some sentimality, outrageous comedy, and OK, some scenes that I think were failures - but all in all, a pleasant 1.5 hours after a long day outside.
We plan on performing Ja Ja Ding Dong in front of our friends now.
Under the Skin (2013)
90% waiting around for something to happen
Scarlett Johansen must have agreed to do this for a friend. Otherwise, I hope she fired her agent.
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)
Intriguing and very well done portrayal of what has become a local legend
I lived in Galapagos for 4 years (1999-2002) and now run an expedition cruise ship agency focusing on that destination (CNH Tours). One of the people interviewed in the film was a good friend while we were there (Daniel Fitter), and I knowTui de Roy and her late mother Jacqueline, who feature prominently. I also know the family members of several other folks in the film (siblings, descendants). It was wonderful to have all the diverse material brought together to provide a coherent story about what happened on Floreana island. I was very impressed by the quantity of film footage from the 1930's, along with the high quality pictures of the film's protagonists. Perhaps some with little or no connection to the islands will find the film a bit long - but I did not. There was a significant part that focused on the lives of other European settles who had arrived in the islands around the same time, if not a little later than the main characters - this was interesting, but did not contribute to the actual story very effectively. A new edition of the film could remove some of that in an effort to reduce the film's overall length, without compromising the story (though I liked it all!).