Film Reviews by PV

I lasted just 30 minutes with this. Why?

Well, I have always disliked these docu-drama style movies - very old-fashioned really as many made in 1960s. Yawnsome.

It all seems so preachy pc - all about DEE ISHOOS. Well fine, but for that you want to make a documentary; for a feature film just TELL A STORY. This is poverty porn.

I dislike the main actress - she was good in Fargo. Did not deserve any Oscar after this.

It is SO over-rated and gets showered with awards because it ticks the boxes - like so many BLM blackcentric movies. Awards given for reasons other than talent.

1 star

OK so if you like scifi and fantasy you'll probably like this more than I ever will, but there are some serious dramatic flaws in this whole series.

Firstly, the characters - they are cartoon characters, two dimensional, and I care not about all but one (the Michael K Williams old drunk uncle/father). The sassy black woman is a stereotype of our age - how many times have we all seen that now? And the brave young black man ('Get Out' etc).

Secondly, one reason for this is the motivation of the film - as stated by the rather full of herself black female director on the last DVD extras. It is clear this was made to deliberately have a black only show promoting that (and no I shall not spell 'black' with a capital as on the subtitles). EVERY SINGLE WHITE person esp man in this film is shown as an idiot racist and a baddie. EVERY SINGL black person by contrast is good and angelic and if they are bad then that is because of white society.

This is racist. The only word for it. Can you imagine a TV drama series doing the equal and opposite? No. And words spouted such as 'whitey' and just plain racism. And this is NOT progress - it is very American race politics which is racist and not to be admired but condemned. I can only hope - perhaps vainly nin these BLM days - that we shall not get more of the same. Endless pity party TV dramas about racism (but only against black Americans eh? Imagine if someone made a film about a white suffering racism in the US or UK - which is common too: most racist bullying in London schools is now against white kids)

Apart from that, the whole thing is too silly for words. I am actually surprised members of the cast could keep a straight face at times when one listens to the dialogue they had to say. I was laughing out loud often!

Scary if you get scared by CGI monsters and thoughts of evil spirits etc. For me, often rather boring. Good music though.

Some good bits. Sad to hear Michael K Williams died of a drug overdose recently as he is by far the best thing in this.

2 stars. 1 for the CGI etc which has good featurettes on the final DVD.

I ad no idea what to expect with this film but was pleasantly surprised. It is a superb little horror movie, especially the first two acts, and genuinely scary - because it uses suggestion. Compare to unscary horrors which OD on CGI and reveals.

The suggestion is from pictures in a book - not CGI monsters. Lots of shadows and creaking doors opening. Great! And the horror is transferred to viewers via the characters and their reactions.

This film is a lesson in how to make an effective horror movie on a low budget. CGI fanatics, please watch. Though many teens these days seem to want in-you-face CGI monsters all through a horror film - pure gore-fests. Not scary at all.

Similar to some possession movies like The Exorcist or others, I suppose. And a book coming to life is an old idea, in the early 20th century short stories of MR James like the 'Mezzotint'. The image coming to life has been used more recently with TV and online monsters, as in The Ring.

It would be 5 stars but the third act and ending (NO SPOILERS) was not satisfying for me - though I know films have to end somewhere. I just didn't buy it, however.

Genuinely scary - and don't mention the lovely little dog!

4 stars

This is decent enough - just one series of 6 parts.

I preferred the HBO 'Rome' drama from 2007 which was on BBC2 - I think more classy with a higher budget. Sometimes this is a bit B-movie, and an Italian co-production.

But watchable and entertaining. Not 100% sure of historical accuracy which is totally different from 'Rome' the BBC2 series.

But anyway, so decent actors and fights - obviously taking a cue from blockbuster movie Gladiator.

4 stars. Just

As others have mentioned, this film is clearly influenced by Lord of the Flies (even a pig.,s head!) and Apocalypse Now (based on Conrad;'s novel Heart of Darkness). Nothing wrong in that. Everything is influenced by everything else and movies always steal.

The issue is this film seems to think it is profound and deep. It isn't. All the guff about a mystery 'Organisation'; is pointless as South America has a great many extremist groups and hostages often taken and ransomed.

Watch NARCOS the great TV series. That shows it all better than this. And it had wonderful plots unlike this one. Great shots of the rainforest in that too.

Or watch Green Inferno for horror down South America way or the great Apocalypto. Or Jungle, starring Harry Potter.

The usual arty critics have fawned over it. That is a warning sign.

It is not BAD - it is just not that good. The plot of wafer thin. I felt no real sense of horror or menace either.

It's all a bit MEH really. 3 stars

I loved this. One of those small,. low-budget films which is way better than most high-budget Hollywood movies.

Full of suspense and genuinely scary. A neat little plot which I fully expect Hollywood to steal soon.

Sure there's the usual supernatural guff but the psychology is what makes it - the edge of seat stuff, and a few jumps out of the seat.

4.5 stars rounded up. One of the best horror films I have seen in ages (together with The Bay and Burning Bright, also on Horror TV channels)

I loved this. I first thought it may be a bit twee - and yes, the way the film deliberately makes it a 'strong woman' story is rather against the truth as shown in the documentary film DARK HORSE 2015 - watch that first).

However, it was not smeared on with a trowel and the film developed nicely in all ways - plot, character and some laugh-out-loud lines too.

Yes, the Welsh stereotypes are there (there is more to South Wales than poverty in the Valleys) but I shall let it pass.

Loved the Welsh national anthem bit and the great cast of actors. Including the wonderful Darren Evans as Goose - every film he is in is worth watching,

I also loved the singing of Tom Jones song Delilah - esp as the local MP has tried to ban it (claims it causes domestic violence....hmmm... it's a SONG!)

I am utterly uninterested in horses and racing - but I loved it.

Watch till the end for a great little musical sequence. That shows the actors next to the real-life people.

GREAT FUN!

OK so this is a remarkable true story. That is true and it is based on an autobiography.

However, as a film it is clearly riding the SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE coat tails. It is also too slushy as if it feels it must have the love story. You could cut those girlfriend bits and make it run more smoothly - the craving for heart is constant in Hollywood though, but it is layered on with a trowel too much for me. The street dancing bit - YEUCK!

Fascinating story, though romanticising non-white cultures - or ethnophilia - is an issue maybe. As bad as demonising them really, and patronising.

Some cartoon character baddies in here and one wonders if it is ALL actually 100% true - most autobiographies are not. Great performance from the child actor.

Lovely Tasmanian scenery too and interesting contrast with the brother.

Nice to see overpopulation mentioned by the mother character: THE reason why there are so many teeming millions and homeless kids in the first place.

3 stars

I loved this. Fargo series 2 got a bit silly - still a good watch but not a great one. THIS is a great one.

I do not usually like Ewan Macgregor - his smugness overwhelms. Here however he plays two brothers with aplomb - ONLY to have the show stolen from him by fellow Brit David Thewlis, with the most memorable grotesque portrayal of a character on screen for years. LOVED IT!

The plot twists wonderfully and some episodes are so original in production that it's breath-taking. One or two bits miss - I dislike any references to other Coen Bros movies, bowling alleys etc. BUT these are small gripes.

Also the ending suggests a series 4 - and who knows of the Thewlis Varga character will appear again. The East German hinterland beckons maybe?

All in all for me, this 3rd is the best FARGO series., Second is series 1. The plot, writing, characters, setting, acting - ALL superb ALL spot on.

5 stars. BRILLIANT!

Gosh - reading the 5 star reviews I feel as if I have watched a different movie.

I lasted 40 minutes of this dross. I rarely fail to finish a film but just could not stand it any more!

Special effects are the usual CGE but the story is ludicrous.

I suspect it is strictly for fantasy movie buffs and steal punk fans (though I do not mind BRAZIL).

Not my teacup.

No idea why this is getting 4 star reviews. For the first film, yes. Not for this Jaws 2 level sequel.

It is yet another weak sequel milking it for all its worth. Silly non-plot, all the usual #metoo pc woke box-ticking casting. Goes nowhere - predictable cartoon character nonsense. I like Cillian Murphy loads, but this is just a pay cheque film.

The fist film was genuinely original - though many sci-fi stories had already covered the ground. Not movies though and the sound design was brilliant.

If you like computer games, CGI and have the attention span of a 12 year old, this may well be for you. It is forgettable drivel.

I actually laughed at some of the scenes - the creatures swimming? Or being unable to? Could never work it out.

If you want a real class monster movie, watch Jurassic Park, which has REAL animals which did once exist (though a fictionaised version) not fake monsters in an absurd alien plot and trite, lazy, by-numbers plot, sub-plot and character arcs. No doubt there'll be a 3 and a 4 if it keeps coining it, and then it will continue to eat itself - that started when they made a meal of this sequel.

For me, 1 star with half added for the couple of scare scenes and the song LA MER, then rounded up to 2.

The only thing that amazed me about this film is how all the actors in it manage to keep a straight face while speaking their absurd lines.

The wonderful Mads Mikkelsen phones it in no doubt thinking of the pay cheque. Tom Holland is clear eye candy for the expected teen audience, no doubt - used as much as any starlet of old Hollywood was. Apparently, that hypocrisy is just fine in the new woke world of metoo.

This is based on highly acclaimed YA books by Patrick Ness - a massively over-rated author and darling of the pc publishing scene. But the whole concept of the plot is sexist - against men. Pure misandry - claiming what this story claims. No spoilers. But if you could not read someone's thoughts, is it realistic to expect you would murder them all? All the fault or the book not the film - as are the 'Spackle'. What a limp name for an 'alien' species. Sounds Spangles, the kids; sweets. Maybe Patrick Ness was eating one and his genius imagination came up with it. No wonder the book won awards eh?

This film is confusing, silly, illogical and ticks all the pc boxes - if #MeToo had made a sci-fi movie, it'd look like this mess.

It cost $100 million to make and made $25 million only, so a massive flop. It had a script from 2011 rewritten multiple times with poor test screenings leading to more rewrites and shoots. Just so people know what a mess to expect.

I am only giving this 2 stars not 1 because the special effects of the 'noise' are done well, and the soundtrack music is decent so 1.5 stars rounded up. Not good.

What makes this film special is the towering performance of Anthony Hopkins who is always a joy to watch. I can watch him in anything.

By contrast, I find Olivia Coleman (stage name) annoying and irritating, so just tolerate her.

The script comes from a stage play, and the director stated he wanted to adapt it to be cinematic and not stagey - nevertheless, it is a bit stagey. And it is very French - it feels French, somehow. Bourgeois Paris transplanted to London maybe? The original play was set in Paris.

I know the script is meant to reflect the confusion of dementia; however, it is still confusing and not all is resolved in the end. I watched this alone but would have liked to watch it to others maybe so they could explain it to me. The whole issue of France and Paul... (no spoilers). Baffling. I may watch it again one day and see if I get that bit.

Also irritating - as in so many films - is the idea ordinary British people like in such houses and apartments (posh ones are not called flats apparently). This is Maida Vale London W( where a 2 bed flat in a mansion block costs £1.2 million minimum - the flat here is larger, so 1.5 or 1.8 million maybe. And then the daughter has a similar flat too. So this is \a seriously rich family, Nor ordinary middle class British people at all.

This is annoying and wrong - no wonder Americans all seem to think we live in Downtown Abbey! Most Brits like in small flats in London and normal suburban semis and terraced houses otherwise. Not this millionaire luxury. This may be that Paris Bourgeois effect again. But it is what I call the PADDINGTON EFFECT as the Browns in that film live in a mansion which would cost at least 3 million quid ad maybe five. In the Paddington books, the Browns live in an ordinary semi. Film-makers deliberately posh up movie adaptations to appeal to American and world audiences. The Downtown effect again. JUST STOP IT!

The DVD comes with a half hour zoon interview with him and the director and Olivia Coleman which is illuminating.

All in all, not the masterpiece people claim, but good enough. Up to now though, I suspect TV drama has dealt better with issues of dementia and mental health generally.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I enjoyed this. Like many biopics, it fits a well-worn mould of overcoming adversity to succeed, with flashbacks, emphasis on bad experiences in the past, and ending in victory and redemption. I do wonder how much of it was true though - esp the WWII 'event'. No mention of that in the Wiki page. I suspect it is pure fiction, intended to make visual possible guilt and trauma of the war. Trautman did serve with his unit on the Eastern Front where most were killed and must have seen horrors.

What is true is that he broke his neck while goalie for Man City in the FA cup final they won. Trautman was also VERY lucky to be caught by the British after the war and not the Russians (90% Germans they took prisoner died) or the Germans (who would have shot him as a deserter). One senses he knew that which is why he stayed here after the war.. Not a football fan really and most sports films are awful but this is a good watch (as is the distinctly weird Escape to Victory of 1982). I believe there is a statue of Trautman in Manchester? One hopes the usual suspects do not want to tear it down for whatever reason they choose to make up (well he was married 3 times). The sad story of the son is true too - though there is no mention of his other children who came later or a pre-existing daughter or 2 later wives, not even at the end. That does not fit with fairytale romance eh?

Sport and movies do not mix - quite simply because of what Bert says in the film about football being in 'the moment', in 'the now'. SPOT ON. So if you're making a film with a sporting context, you have to decide on the genre - and here and in many other sport films (like the awful 'Wimbledon') that is romance. A love story (no mention this marriage ended in divorce in real life of course though the end credits do reveal she died 1989 while Bert died 2013 aged nearly 90). Or a thriller/war story (Escape to Victory). Sport is not a genre in itself - it is always in 'the now' while a football match is happening. After that it is over. I mean, who watched football matches from the 1970s as we do with films? Sport is immediate. So this film is romance. Fairytale too.

Anyway, I very much enjoyed most of it. This is set in the 1940s/50s some some things jarred - people did NOT whoop back then. In fact not until the 1990s! And some slang used was too modern too. Most people won't notice or care. But I do. It matters.

One also wonders if working class women of the time would have behaved as the two young women featured behave. That is a very common issue in so many films set in the past - whether earlier 20th century of 19th or earlier. Thee are modern 21st century women transplanted into the past so are not authentic for their times. Not most costume drama for this - where women as standard now are 'strong and independent' and say stuff no 16th C court lady would have done. It is pure fiction, fantasy and metoo wishful thinking. Most of all, it is tiresome and predictable and pc - though we can thank the gods that there was at least no colourblind casting at least.

A decent good old-fashioned biopic which succeeds at being that rare thing: a film about sport that works. 4 stars.

Perhaps the biggest rule on all story-telling is ensuring the reader/viewer/listener knows what is going on - not everything and certainly not all at once. Reveals are needed later. BUT some clarity is called for, not the confused and confusing third act of this.

I mean, I read the review which said look the ending up online, so I did - and I have to say it did not OCCUR to me that that was the plot and 'reveal'. Not good.

Prior to that this is well done - creepy, creaking haunted house plot basically - a horror film with added #metoo perhaps.

I liked the dementia carer theme which was original. The other so-called twists etc were definitely not.

Made me jump at one point and that gets a star. First act and second worth watching. The ending? Oh dear...

And I do get so sick and tired of any film with child abuse plots - that palled after the first 3000 of em. And these plots always portray older white men as the abusers which is not only racist and sexist, but ageist. Most of all though it is tiresome and lazy.

A great shame it all goes wrong in the third act. I'd have rewritten the script, to be honest, all that part. Forgotten the supposed big reveal surprise which I did not get anyway, and...but...well. The writer/director comes from a background of Waterloo Road, so maybe that is why it is how it is. No good male character in this film at all. Like most UK TV drama these days then eh, esp on the BBC...

2 stars, one for the jump.