Film Reviews by PC

As with many M. Night Shyamalan movies, the concept is great but it does not make a great film. When he gets it right, such as the Sixth Sense or Split, it works throughout. Unfortunately, this concept is a really great idea but he then has to explain why it is happening and it really falls down.

I can understand taking a different approach to the Saw franchise, adding a more police procedural element could have been interesting but this is a bit of a slog. Both Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson seem to be in a different movie, although one equally as forgettable. The first Saw film was an original if nasty little horror, since then they have run out of ideas and traps, the ones is this film being particularly uninspiring.

This is really the kind of series that bingeing was made for, the central mystery may not be the most original but the characters are truly fleshed out. Kate Winslett is wonderful and is totally believable as the cop with the whole of world's woes on her shoulders. It is also quite funny in parts, particularly in her scenes with her Mother. It may stretch credibility by the end but you are totally absorbed by that time that you really don't mind.

I think this was a little bit of an improvement on the first film, easy to watch and nothing offensive. This is not clever or as imaginative as the Paddington films but fluffy entertainment nevertheless.

Kind of like a cross between The Truman Show and Ready Player One, this is just a big fun movie that will have you laughing throughout. Some of your enjoyment may depend on whether you like Ryan Reynolds but I thought it was extremely funny!

I wasn’t expecting high art, good dumb entertainment would have been fine but this is truly awful. The storyline (that there is) makes no sense, the script is terrible and the action scenes are badly choreographed. It is like Starship Troopers except that was clever, entertaining and well made, none of those apply to this film.

If you change cop for ex-soldier, you pretty much have Die Hard but with a smaller budget, no script and no memorable characters. Ruby Rose lacks any kind of charisma and considering the overblown plot, you would have thought the script could have had a few funny lines. You would struggle to remember anything from the film once the closing titles come.

I really enjoyed the first few episodes and the last couple during which the story really moved at some pace but the middle episodes didn't seem interested in the plot and it meandered a bit. When it worked at showing the racial injustices, especially the episode in Tulsa, it was really effective and the mix of monsters & magic really worked. Can't be too critical of a series trying something different and some of the transformation effects in later episodes were brilliantly done. Well worth a watch if you like your horrors with a bit more drama & heart behind them.

There are clearly some good ideas here, starting out as an underwater Alien wannabe and then morphing into something more interesting. I would only have liked a bit more character development before all hell breaks loose, they are pretty stock characters, the wisecracker, the rookie, the one with family and the heroine. You therefore find hard to care about the characters but the effects are good and it manages to catch the claustrophobic elements well.

This is a witty and warm look at pregnancy with a winning performance from comedian Rose Matafeo as a new mum who deals with her pregnancy very differently to her partner, wanting to complete a kind of bucket list for them both before the baby comes. It is consistently funny and offers a very non-Hollywood look at the subject, including some laugh out loud moments amongst the touching look at the subject.

This is the best 'superhero' series out there, involving a weird but wonderful group of characters who have to deal with their own powers, each other and odd characters. All the actors deserve credit for giving their characters depth, especially Diane Guerrero whose multi-layered performance as Jane who has multiple personalities. The series allows each of the characters to breath and they all have their own spotlight. This series allows for more emotional story arc and the inclusion of some great new characters.

The first two series were overblown but at least you got involved with the family dynamics, this series pretty much ignores what has happened and morphs into some sort of international thriller. It still looks nice and Julia Stiles is clearly trying her best. This is overblown and I really only finished the series because I felt obliged having watched the previous 2 series.

Although based on a true story, this interesting story lacks momentum and meanders a bit after a strong start. Some of this is due to the central performance from Garrett Hedlund whose mannerisms are hugely off-putting, but Andrea Riseborough and Forest Whitaker are quite superb. Their characters actually drive the film and when they are on screen it raises the drama above the ordinary. I would say that the film Skin with Jamie Bell and American History X cover similar territory with greater emotional impact.

I enjoyed the original films, especially Bogus Journey, but this lacks any of that freshness or a script with enough funny moments or lines. The cast try their best but the whole things seems to forget what made the characters funny, trying to shoe-horn their daughters into the film is achingly unfunny. I think I've given two stars because of my nostalgic feel for the originals.

A quirky and very enjoyable romantic comedy with likeable leads and a sharp & funny script. Even the supporting cast are given some great lines, especially the lead's friends. Well worth watching.