Film Reviews by RP

The idea behind Dirty Games is that wanna be empty headed pretty people are invited onto an on line show where they have  the chance of winning lots of money by showing off and doing outrageous things. The sort of stuff sadly reality shows actually do now. Problem is they are asked to do more and more outrageous things until.........On paper this  was a good idea. It could have been an insightful look at how debased reality shows have become. Plenty of pretty people having sex, topless shots of lovely girls and the undercurrent of danger.

Except nobody has the charisma for us to care about them.  Not Sure if the film wanted to go for a very soft porn vibe  with awful porn music to announce the carry on type scenes. Or the awful acting from day one of how to suck any life out of a scene. Or the bland writing that the characters have to  deliver. But hey we have the growing undercurrent of growing dread. Except we don't. It never delivers and despite the possibility that the pretty parcel of a film will live up to its promise. It never delivers. Even the ending seems to have failed to deliver the meaningful nod of disproval. Great shame because this should have been so much better. 

A young woman wants to make it in the Adult film World. Her ambition sometimes overshadows what she is comfortable doing. That really is all the plot there is. Whenever a new technology comes along for entertainment. Cine Film, Video, Laser Disc, DVDS, Computer streaming. The Adult Industry are the first responders. Yet as time has gone on it is still an industry that has an almost one man band feel to it. Agents push the best and most popular stars but there are so many waiting in the wings waiting for a call. You have to want to be successful. 

In the end we are left with an industry few talk about, few make big money out of and few remain untouched by.  'Pleasure' has some nice acting beyond the Adult Stars and is worth seeing for the final scene in the film. Bob Hoskins in the final scene of The Long Good Friday played out all the emotions  while sitting in the back of a car. This may not have been quite in that league but the final line of the film says it all. Sometimes you know when you have had enough. 

The viewer knows exactly what will happen in the film. Old faces are reunited and a wicked greedy organisation is going to destroy the World. Oh and we have dinosaurs that are either bad or cute. The plot doesn't really matter as any feeling that may have been extended into suspense is soon cut short. Oh look the heroes all meet up suddenly by accident and having introduced themselves. Off they go again.

But this is all fine. The film is comfort food. We need to sit down when the World around us is ghastly in real life and enjoy watching people running around that we know will be safe unless they are bad and deserve a horrible end.

By the numbers comfort food for the brain. Fun but leaves no after thought.  

This last season of WestWorld manages to be both confusing and awkward and exciting and well realised. What happens when the lunatics take over the asylum? What happens when those that were once slaves become the enslavers. What is real and what isn't. All these questions are welcome and there are some interesting revisits to earlier set behaviours in different Worlds. How much you enjoy it very much depends in how willing you are to retread old arguments and believe in the idea that anyone or thing would not already realise the hole in the system. Whoever is running the show. 

Still it does make for an interesting counter argument on the society we actually do live in and allow to control us. With all its obvious flaws and unfair systems that allow the few with and power the wealth to govern the  rest. As a bit of entertainment the seasons of WestWorld have been diminishing as they went on. But this last season is a decent conclusion and if you don't like the series you can have endless discussions on the meaning of live and control. 

I remember watching this when it was first aired on tv. Later I had a video machine and taped it. I came to this again wondering if it still packed the same punch it once had. Now the secrets that the System manipulates us with today are not the same as simply lying about Wars. However they are probably more likely to blow themselves up and us along with them through stupidity than any need to show off to another superpower. 

With a stunning cast and some fine acting the film does have that punch for me. The extras on the DVD about the making of the film are genuinely interesting for once and I learned a lot that I had known about. But the frustration and hope by the Burt Lancaster character is still the one that hurts the most. People still believe that they can force change by threatening honest people in a dishonest system.

Still love the film and glad to see it again. Glad it still brings out the emotion.  

If you put the plot of the film down in detail. It still wouldn't take up more than a few sentences. There are no manufactured moments to make an audience react in a certain way. There is no great shock or surprise. But the acting, atmosphere and wonderful pacing make the film a classic. The relationships are true and unsentimental. Based on a Graphic Novel. A film I just couldn't  imagine being made in the West. A film that leaves you genuinely moved and happy to spend time with these people. A film that just shines. 

If you are a fan of Marvel Avengers then you know what to expect. The difference is that the characters here actually have some substance to them. I actually cared about them a little more than if they were dressed up in tights and masks and had shields and magic hammers. Yes this is still pure fantasy with monsters and dragons and a baddie who is just misguided and sad but still bad. As much as I love the original arc in the Avengers films. I do lose track of what I have seen and where we are at. So with this new film franchise at least if it continues, as long as they don't overdo the number of characters. We are in for a fun rollercoaster of nonsense.

The series premise is very good. Three people with different viewpoints and varying expertise . Encounter possible pure evil or just humans with problems. That part of the series works well. As the series goes on we start to encounter the private lives and family lives and that tends to drag the plots a bit. In the last few episodes we change tack again and we are not sure if we want to be involved in various film parodies. Or is it comedy or is it just a clumsy set up for the next series. All in all a bit uneven but there is enough to enjoy in the good bits.

If you have seen films like The Cube and you have seen the first Escape Room. Then there isn't much doubt you know what you are going to see in this follow up. It stands or falls on the characters and if they are different enough from each other for you to care what happens to them. With this in mind Escape Room Two works very well. We have two characters we know from the first film. The unoriginal nightmare scene, the introduction to the new characters and we are away. No great shocks but a few twists is enough to make you feel sorry for them as they meet their inevitable conclusion. Enjoyed the first film then this is more of the same. ,

Old Woman goes missing. Comes back. Behaves oddly and erratically. The old house she lives in looks remarkably well kept. Until the second half of the film when we discover there is more to the house. Or is there? Or is it just a metaphor for the confused old lady being reflected onto her child and grand child? Or is it just an attempt to draw out a few scares? As films go it would have been nice to have some idea of the layout of the house at the start. Or maybe that was the point. To make it confused and big and rambling. Like the old lady. Nicely acted, a little confusing and an ending that will puzzle many. Or will it? Or is it just a metaphor?

Here is the thing. The film title and the synopsis gives you a pretty good idea what you are going to be watching. This isn't a deep meaningful film full of subtle nuances about the meaning of existence. It is a thriller. A late night violent film to make you want the baddie not to win and then go to sleep mindful of how you treat fellow drivers the next day. With that in mind it ticks the boxes. We have a baddie who is going through an upsetting time and hates everybody because of it. We have a stressed victim who frankly does what most people do and only thinks about themselves. Then we have a chase and violence and victims and more violence. With that in mind it works very well and is enjoyable. A guilty pleasure of a film.

One of those films with multiple and complex ideas all surrounded by a science fiction world and wrapped up in a simple love story. But don't let the last bit put you off because even the love story is very heavy with complexity. So much so that a quick repeat showing of the film may be worth the effort. On the surface the film is simply about struggle. A World, its people and the mystery that we need answers to. Even in the World of Science nothing is what it seems. If we can dream then why can't planets dream? Complex enough for most people. A fascinating film with plenty of ideas. Or just a good yarn about identity and loneliness. Well worth checking out.

One of the great films. Ace In The Hole is as relevant today as it was when it was made. The cynicism of a press to manufacture a story out of peoples trauma at their most venerable. A public happy to appear to be supportive while enjoying the carnival atmosphere of a tragedy. Like cars slowing down at an accident hoping to gawp at the twisted metal and worse. A few close relatives only happy to find a way to exploit the situation and escape their dull lives. Brilliantly acted and directed, Ace In The Hole is the type of film that would be hard to make nowadays. There is simply no redeeming features of the lead characters. Everybody is out to get what they can from a tragic situation. Kirk Douglas was rarely better in a role. There a victims and there are those out to exploit them. Nothing changes. A film that everybody should see at least once in their life.

Sunday afternoon on tv in the old days used to have a war film showing. As kids we used to happily sit down and watch the film and let the often silly plot lines pass us by for the excitement of the adventure on view. This is just such a film. Admittedly with a bit more swearing and the odd exploding head. The fact it is based on a true story just makes it even more Boys Own Adventure fare. It may not engage the adult audience that much but it has its moments.

After the highs of the first three series. This fourth season felt a bit bitty. Only the last episode had a hurried explanation for what happened at the end of the last season. Plus one other episode that felt meaningful. Otherwise it all felt a bit like filling the hole with dirt dug up from another hole nearby. Too much naval gazing without ever finding a continuity. Oddly the only season that has so far felt dated.