Movie fanatic, Book enthusiast, TV viewer
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Newcastle, United Kingdom
19. December

Joined: Nov 24, 2019

Full time carer, husband and father of two amazing boys. I've always liked to write reviews and this is a great opportunity to do so. I literally have a love of all things, Cinema, TV, Music, Books, etc.

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Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated The Irishman (2019) in Movies

Jan 26, 2020 (Updated Jan 26, 2020)  
The Irishman (2019)
The Irishman (2019)
2019 | Biography, Crime, Drama
De Niro is the best he has been in a long time...
First off any movie that has Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Martin Scorsese connected to it has me from the get go.

De Niro is the best he has been in a long time as mob hitman Frank Sheeran, Joe Pesci is excellent in a much more reserved role as Russell Bufalino and Al Pacino is superb as the loud and brash Jimmy Hoffa. All the buzz is around the three lead actors, as all have been nominated for Oscars. Although for me Stephen Graham more than holds his own alongside these legends, as the cocky and destructive 'Tony Pro'. Some of the best scenes are with him and Pacino not seeing eye to eye on various occasions.

Personally I felt it wasn't as Scorsese as I expected, it didn't have the same narrative or feel as say Goodfellas or Casino, I'm not saying that is a bad thing as it's still a very good movie, it's just not on their level in my opinion.

There has been a lot of talk about the 3 hour 29 minutes running time. I personally don't understand all the fuss, as there have been many classic, award winning movies even longer than this. Gone with the Wind took home the Oscar in 1940 and ran a whopping 3h 58m. Ben Hur won best picture in 1960 at 3h 32m and more recently Titanic in 1998 was slightly less at 3h 14m.

I also feel the need to mention a couple of scenes that felt very reminiscent of one of my favourite movies Pulp Fiction. The opening sequence when the words 'I heard you paint houses' flash on the screen felt very Tarantino and the whole car scene with Jesse Plemons & Louis Cancelmi talking about the fish, was very Jule's & Vincent like. I'm not sure if that is just me or whether other people agree.

Overall I get that it is a long movie and people have very busy lives but if you get the chance you really should watch it, just to see these big screen legends at work and doing what they do best.
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated The Witcher - Season 1 in TV

Jan 25, 2020 (Updated Jan 25, 2020)  
The Witcher - Season 1
The Witcher - Season 1
2019 | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A massive hit for Netflix...
I received The Witcher 3 videogame a few years back for my birthday, so when I first heard they were making a TV series I was pretty excited.

Henry Cavill does a decent enough job as The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia (Even if he does do his best Christian Bale Batman impression for the whole season). Joey Batey is annoying at times but does bring some much needed charm and humour as Jaskier. I didn't really buy in to Freya Allen's character Ciri, although it is pretty obvious she is going to be a much bigger part of future seasons. The standout of season one has to be Anya Charlotta as Yennefer. As Geralt's vocabulary seems to be limited to the words hmmm & fuck, these side characters are incredibly important to the shows structure and hers was by far the best and most intriguing story.

The one major negative that everyone is talking about is the shows very confusing timeline. Although it does make sense later in the season, I don't think they executed it properly and the viewer shouldn't be left to guess what is happening. One other slight gripe I had was how poor the CGI looked on the dragon in one particular scene.

Overall I thought it was just an average start to The Witcher series but as there is so much source material from both the books and videogames. I can only see this getting better and going on to become a massive hit for Netflix.
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) earned a new badge

Jan 14, 2020  
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) earned a new badge

Jan 14, 2020  
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated Mindhunter - Season 1 in TV

Jan 14, 2020 (Updated Jan 14, 2020)  
Mindhunter - Season 1
Mindhunter - Season 1
2017 | Crime
Cameron Britton steals every scene...
I went in to Mindhunter with high expectations and ended up with a mixed bag of emotions by the end.

The scene's in which they interview the 'Serial Killers' are fascinating and make up the best parts of Mindhunter by far. They were intense, creepy and completely captivating. Cameron Britton's portrayal of Ed Kemper in particular, is absolutely superb and he steals every scene.

A few people have mentioned the slow pace of the show as a problem, I personally didn't mind this. For me the main problem lies with the lead character Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) who is very unlikable to say the least, he is arrogant, manipulative and very selfish. However his partnership with FBI agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) is another highlight, as they do have a good on screen chemistry.

Without adding any spoilers, I would say that for me the ending to season 1 is a bit of an anticlimax.

After all is said and done Mindhunter is still a good watch and I am looking forward to seeing where they take it in season 2.
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated Stan & Ollie (2018) in Movies

Jan 12, 2020 (Updated Jan 13, 2020)  
Stan & Ollie (2018)
Stan & Ollie (2018)
2018 | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A must see for Laurel & Hardy fans...
This movie is a funny, moving and heartfelt biopic of the great Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy.

Director Jon S. Baird and writer Jeff Pope clearly have a great love for Laurel & Hardy and this shines through in Stan & Ollie. You can definitely see this film has been made with love and respect for the legendary comedy duo, which makes it a must see for Laurel & Hardy fans.

Steve Coogan & John C. Reilly are absolutely faultless with their performances. I have read a few reviews that don't really give Steve Coogan the credit he deserves for this role. For me he proves he is so much more than his Alan Partridge character that a lot of people can't seem to see past. Like the real thing it takes near on perfect comedy timing from both men to perform the routines and they do the original performances a huge justice.

To wrap things up whether you are a Laurel & Hardy fan or not this is still a very well made movie, with two exceptional performances from the lead actors. This should definitely be one to add to your watch list.
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated Green Book (2018) in Movies

Jan 10, 2020 (Updated Jan 10, 2020)  
Green Book (2018)
Green Book (2018)
2018 | Drama
Worthy best picture winner...
Green Book is the incredible true story of an Italian American bouncer Tony 'Lip', who is paid to drive and protect an African American pianist Dr. Donald Shirley, through the American deep south in 1962 when racial tension was very high.

Let's start off by saying this was definitely a worthy best picture winner at the 2019 Oscars ceremony. You can follow that up with an excellent Oscar nominated performance from Viggo Mortensen and an absolutely superb Oscar winning turn from the brilliant Mahershala Ali.

The beautiful thing about this movie is the chemistry between the two lead actors. Mortensen and Ali bounce off each other for the whole two hours, they will make you laugh, cry and generally their performances just make you feel good inside.

To wrap things up, superb acting, a beautiful story and very good directing from Peter Farrelly who is better known for his controversial comedies, really make this a must see movie for any true film fan.
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Nick Beaty (70 KP) rated The Vanishing (2018) in Movies

Jan 8, 2020 (Updated Jan 8, 2020)  
The Vanishing (2018)
The Vanishing (2018)
2018 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Peter Mullan is brilliant again...
Based on the true story of three lighthouse keepers who mysteriously disappeared in 1900. This is the writers interpretation of the events that occurred, as nobody knows the truth to what actually happened to the three men on the Flannan Isles.

The movie is really slow paced and quiet, so some people may find it a bit boring. For me though the acting is top notch, which is enough to keep you interested in the story.

The ever reliable Peter Mullan is brilliant again and Gerard Butler is actually really good in this one and proves he does have range as an actor.

One negative for me was that some of the more violent scenes in the movie didn't really match the tempo of the film and felt a little bit out of place. I understand that these things had to happen but I just felt they could have been done a little better.

To sum up The Vanishing is a decent enough movie but I can't help but feel it could have been much much more.
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