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Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Peaky Blinders - Season 1 in TV
May 20, 2017
Cillian Murphy (2 more)
Humour in places
Great Tension and drama
Bleeding Brilliant
A great drama series about a famous gang of youths from Birmingham known as the Peaky Blinders. If you are not aware of the history, they were known as Peaky Blinders for the razors they had sewn into the peaks of their caps, which they used to slice the faces of rivals who dared to cross them.
This series a brilliantly written, with some great humour in places but more importantly, it has great Tension and drama between it's characters.
The Shelby family has a great on screen presence with a great cast to portray it. Alongside the other groups of criminals, policemen, businessmen and of course the strong female characters that put some of the men in line and create drama within the families.
There are so many characters within this show. Some you love, others you just want to punch in the face, but all are brilliantly portrayed. My problem however, is that the show seems to ignore some of the characters and simply focuses nearly all of our attention to only Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and Chester Campbell (Sam Neill). Now, don't get me wrong, I still love the show and love both of these characters, but there are other characters I would love to see more of, and know more about.
At the time of writing this I have just started season 2 so my season two review may change this opinion, but for season 1 that is what I have to say.
Overall though, great cast, brilliantly written and directed with beautiful cinematography and without a doubt the highlight will always be the incredible performance, as always, by Cillian Murphy.
This series a brilliantly written, with some great humour in places but more importantly, it has great Tension and drama between it's characters.
The Shelby family has a great on screen presence with a great cast to portray it. Alongside the other groups of criminals, policemen, businessmen and of course the strong female characters that put some of the men in line and create drama within the families.
There are so many characters within this show. Some you love, others you just want to punch in the face, but all are brilliantly portrayed. My problem however, is that the show seems to ignore some of the characters and simply focuses nearly all of our attention to only Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and Chester Campbell (Sam Neill). Now, don't get me wrong, I still love the show and love both of these characters, but there are other characters I would love to see more of, and know more about.
At the time of writing this I have just started season 2 so my season two review may change this opinion, but for season 1 that is what I have to say.
Overall though, great cast, brilliantly written and directed with beautiful cinematography and without a doubt the highlight will always be the incredible performance, as always, by Cillian Murphy.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Anna (2019) in Movies
Jun 29, 2019
Entertaining while watching, completely forgettable afterwards.
This is your standard Cold War spy movie with a non-linear time line. I know this film was supposed to be released last year, but Lionsgate pushed it back because of allegations against Luc Beeson. The cast did zero promotional appearances, and I maybe saw the trailer twice.
I went because a) I like seeing women kick some ass and 2) Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy. I did truly find it engaging while I was watching it, it definitely held my attention. But then, a day later, I almost completely forgot about it. Which, is not a good thing. I even had it rated higher right after the movie.
I went because a) I like seeing women kick some ass and 2) Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy. I did truly find it engaging while I was watching it, it definitely held my attention. But then, a day later, I almost completely forgot about it. Which, is not a good thing. I even had it rated higher right after the movie.
David McK (3162 KP) rated Inception (2010) in Movies
Nov 20, 2019
Remember Leonardo di Caprio from Titanic?
He's virtually unrecognizable here.
Mind-bending action/adventure by Christopher Nolan - who directed The Dark Knight trilogy - following a team of crooks who specialise in extracting information from their targets subconscious whilst said target is asleep.
When a job goes wrong, Cobb (di Caprio) is thrown a lifeline by his target (Ken Watanabe): rather than stealing information, he wants him to implant an idea in another persons subconscious i.e. Inception.
With a quite impressive cast list - Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, that-now-grown-up-kid-from-Third-Rock-From-The-Sun (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Cillian Murphy, this might take a while to get going but is undeniably visually impressive once it does!
(snap-poll: does the spinner stop spinning at the very end? Yea or Nay?)
He's virtually unrecognizable here.
Mind-bending action/adventure by Christopher Nolan - who directed The Dark Knight trilogy - following a team of crooks who specialise in extracting information from their targets subconscious whilst said target is asleep.
When a job goes wrong, Cobb (di Caprio) is thrown a lifeline by his target (Ken Watanabe): rather than stealing information, he wants him to implant an idea in another persons subconscious i.e. Inception.
With a quite impressive cast list - Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, that-now-grown-up-kid-from-Third-Rock-From-The-Sun (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Cillian Murphy, this might take a while to get going but is undeniably visually impressive once it does!
(snap-poll: does the spinner stop spinning at the very end? Yea or Nay?)
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Free Fire (2017) in Movies
Jan 12, 2019
Stretched a bit too much
Ever since watching Sightseers I’ve always been excited to see the next Ben Wheatley film, however recently they’ve been very hit and miss. And sadly Free Fire for me was no different.
It has a truly fantastic cast, you can’t really get much better than the likes of Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer and Michael Smiley. The cast themselves are faultless, and so is the direction. It’s brilliantly shot and does very well with such a limited set. The soundtrack is great too. My main issue is that it’s a simple plot that feels like it’s been stretched too thin. Whilst the run time of 90 minutes is very short, it still dragged and got a little boring and definitely feels too stretched. Don’t get me wrong, there are parts of this film that are hilarious and this did help, but for me it wasn’t enough. I could’ve done with a little more variety. Also the ending was a little predictable.
It has a truly fantastic cast, you can’t really get much better than the likes of Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer and Michael Smiley. The cast themselves are faultless, and so is the direction. It’s brilliantly shot and does very well with such a limited set. The soundtrack is great too. My main issue is that it’s a simple plot that feels like it’s been stretched too thin. Whilst the run time of 90 minutes is very short, it still dragged and got a little boring and definitely feels too stretched. Don’t get me wrong, there are parts of this film that are hilarious and this did help, but for me it wasn’t enough. I could’ve done with a little more variety. Also the ending was a little predictable.
David McK (3162 KP) rated A Quiet Place: Part II (2021) in Movies
Apr 10, 2023
Sequel to the 2018 original, which - despite being a commercial and critical darling - was a film that I couldn't really see what all the fuss was about.
Despite being a sequel, this actually starts back at 'Day One' with a protracted flash-back scene that I'm not quite sure the point of, before jumping ahead to pick up almost immediately (like, immediately immediately) after the ending of the first film, with the remnants of the same family now leaving their refuge and trekking cross-country to the hills where they know there are other survivors (Cillian Murphy), but now also armed with the knowledge of how to defeat the seemingly-invincible 'hunt by sound' creatures.
What follows is roughly an hour and a half, maybe three quarters or so, where they continue to make bad decision after bad decision, and where the tension is consistently racked up, almost to the the point where the jump scares lose most (but not all) of their impact ...
Despite being a sequel, this actually starts back at 'Day One' with a protracted flash-back scene that I'm not quite sure the point of, before jumping ahead to pick up almost immediately (like, immediately immediately) after the ending of the first film, with the remnants of the same family now leaving their refuge and trekking cross-country to the hills where they know there are other survivors (Cillian Murphy), but now also armed with the knowledge of how to defeat the seemingly-invincible 'hunt by sound' creatures.
What follows is roughly an hour and a half, maybe three quarters or so, where they continue to make bad decision after bad decision, and where the tension is consistently racked up, almost to the the point where the jump scares lose most (but not all) of their impact ...
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated 28 Days Later (2002) in Movies
Nov 27, 2017
Majority of performances are great (2 more)
Solid direction from Boyle
Decent SFX for its era
Scary Good
Re-watched this recently and it's just as visceral and as brilliant as it was fifteen years ago. Danny Boyle is one hell of a filmmaker and this is one of the best zombie movies ever made.
It's a unique take on a now tired genre, with just as much fleshed out characterisation as there is brutality and gore. There's a few edge of your seat moments towards the movie's climax and the movie feels like a journey with all of the ups and downs that you would expect in a zombie chase movie across England.
Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Naomi Harris and Christopher Eccleston are all great in the movie and the only weak link in the cast is the actress playing Hannah, but that can be forgiven as the rest of the cast around her are so good.
Brilliant direction, really good SFX for its time and definitely worth a watch if you have never seen it.
It's a unique take on a now tired genre, with just as much fleshed out characterisation as there is brutality and gore. There's a few edge of your seat moments towards the movie's climax and the movie feels like a journey with all of the ups and downs that you would expect in a zombie chase movie across England.
Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Naomi Harris and Christopher Eccleston are all great in the movie and the only weak link in the cast is the actress playing Hannah, but that can be forgiven as the rest of the cast around her are so good.
Brilliant direction, really good SFX for its time and definitely worth a watch if you have never seen it.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Peaky Blinders - Season 2 in TV
Sep 7, 2019
A blinding second series
It’s not often that second series can quite meet up to the first, but Peaky Blinders manages to pull it off. It’s as violent, dark and gritty as the first series with a plot that actually surpasses the original. There are some wonderful performances yet again from Cillian Murphy and Helen McCrory especially, plus some great newcomers in Finn Cole and Tom Hardy. I found Hardy’s role to be potentially a little OTT, but he was hilarious in comparison with the serious Peaky Blinders and I wish he’d been on screen in this series more. The entire series was just hugely enjoyable from start to finish, and I liked how the series jumped on 2 years from the original as it really helped to move it on the story.
My only criticisms would be the cliff hanger from the end of series 1 is briefed over a little too quickly, and that Noah Taylor’s “bad guy” isn’t as threatening as he first appears and is a little lacklustre, it’s just fortunate he isn’t needed much to bolster the plot.
My only criticisms would be the cliff hanger from the end of series 1 is briefed over a little too quickly, and that Noah Taylor’s “bad guy” isn’t as threatening as he first appears and is a little lacklustre, it’s just fortunate he isn’t needed much to bolster the plot.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Peaky Blinders - Season 1 in TV
Aug 26, 2019
Brutally brilliant
I've so far managed to avoid the hype around Peaky Blinders over the past few years, but now the 5th series has just started, I've finally decided to give in to curiosity and give it a go. And I'm really glad I did.
This is such a wonderful show, and is mainly thanks to the brilliant performances from a rather impressive cast. Most notably of course is Cillian Murphy, who puts in a truly stellar performance as Tommy Shelby. He's charming and threatening all in one go and it works well that the series focuses mainly on him.
The plot itself is thrilling, brutal, in parts funny and paced very well - it switches from action to dialogue to tense or heartwarming moments very deftly, and the episodes and entire series are just the right length. I was never bored, and the cliffhanger ending made me want to watch more straight away. My only issue is that I struggled with some of the accents, and I'm still not a fan of Annabelle Wallis. And the passage of time throughout the series seems a little inconsistent.
This is such a wonderful show, and is mainly thanks to the brilliant performances from a rather impressive cast. Most notably of course is Cillian Murphy, who puts in a truly stellar performance as Tommy Shelby. He's charming and threatening all in one go and it works well that the series focuses mainly on him.
The plot itself is thrilling, brutal, in parts funny and paced very well - it switches from action to dialogue to tense or heartwarming moments very deftly, and the episodes and entire series are just the right length. I was never bored, and the cliffhanger ending made me want to watch more straight away. My only issue is that I struggled with some of the accents, and I'm still not a fan of Annabelle Wallis. And the passage of time throughout the series seems a little inconsistent.
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated A Quiet Place: Part II (2021) in Movies
Oct 6, 2021
Less contained than the first film - we get to see more of the outside world. (2 more)
More monsters.
Cillian Murphy's performance.
Uses jump scares as a crutch (1 more)
Marcus is a bit of a unbearable turd in the film.
Long Time, No Hear
A Quiet Place Part II begins with a flashback chronicling the first day the creatures arrived. It’s also an excuse to allow John Krasinski’s Lee Abbott character to show up again despite dying in the previous film. Day 1 is mostly the scene in the trailer where the creatures are destroying the town and everyone is learning that they attack based on sound. And yes, this scene would have been and is far more effective if you haven’t seen the trailer several times beforehand.
What’s great about this sequel is that it is no longer so contained. The Abbott family is forced to leave their farm and their home and go out into the outside world. But the scariest aspect of all is that the monsters aren’t the most inhuman thing to exist in whatever remains of this desolate world – it’s the human survivors.
The sequel seems to feature far more of the creatures than the original film. It’s not that they weren’t around in the original film, but A Quiet Place Part II gives them a more prominent presence. There seems to be more of them. The film does utilize jump scares a bit more often than it should. They’re cheap tactics to begin with, but become more and more annoying after the first one or two times they’re used in a film.
Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) is nearly unbearable until the last ten or so minutes of the film, but it’s also a sensible form of irritation. Marcus lost his little brother and his father in the previous film and, without spoiling too much, doesn’t have a great time in the sequel. He doesn’t want to lose anyone else close to him and is now incredibly attached to the family members he has left. This results in Marcus being too clingy when someone needs to go on a supply run or has an idea that could potentially save everyone.
Cillian Murphy inherits the male lead since Lee Abbott’s exit. Murphy plays a character named Emmett and is actually a friend of the Abbott family. Emmett has lost everyone and everything and has remained relatively close to the Abbott’s farm even after the creatures arrived, but he never came for them. He has shelter and some supplies, but has spent so much time being on his own that he’s forgotten how to sympathize with anyone who isn’t himself. Murphy delivers this gloriously conflicted performance where he seems to be constantly struggling. Emmett often knows the right thing that should be done, but wants to remain hidden. He basically wants to survive over being a compassionate human being.
The formula for A Quiet Place II is intriguing because it plays out like an episodic arc of The Walking Dead. The zombie element is replaced with the creatures as the human characters go on supply runs, look for other survivors, and search for a sanctuary that may or may not exist. Since both A Quiet Place films are PG-13, there’s not much in the gore department. You’re attacked by these creatures and you’re basically just gone. The way the creature’s heads open up like a flower whenever they’re around audio feedback is visually similar to The Last of Us or even Resident Evil.
A Quiet Place Part II ditches the tension and the stealth the first film was known for and introduces more monsters, more action, more characters, and more of a world that’s barely hanging on by a thread. Lee’s oldest kids become they key players here while Emily Blunt takes a backseat. Cillian Murphy proves why he’s one of the most underrated actors working today. Overall, A Quiet Place Part II is an exceptionally entertaining sequel with quality performances and a primary focus on monster mayhem which, as horror and suspense fans, we should all get behind.
What’s great about this sequel is that it is no longer so contained. The Abbott family is forced to leave their farm and their home and go out into the outside world. But the scariest aspect of all is that the monsters aren’t the most inhuman thing to exist in whatever remains of this desolate world – it’s the human survivors.
The sequel seems to feature far more of the creatures than the original film. It’s not that they weren’t around in the original film, but A Quiet Place Part II gives them a more prominent presence. There seems to be more of them. The film does utilize jump scares a bit more often than it should. They’re cheap tactics to begin with, but become more and more annoying after the first one or two times they’re used in a film.
Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) is nearly unbearable until the last ten or so minutes of the film, but it’s also a sensible form of irritation. Marcus lost his little brother and his father in the previous film and, without spoiling too much, doesn’t have a great time in the sequel. He doesn’t want to lose anyone else close to him and is now incredibly attached to the family members he has left. This results in Marcus being too clingy when someone needs to go on a supply run or has an idea that could potentially save everyone.
Cillian Murphy inherits the male lead since Lee Abbott’s exit. Murphy plays a character named Emmett and is actually a friend of the Abbott family. Emmett has lost everyone and everything and has remained relatively close to the Abbott’s farm even after the creatures arrived, but he never came for them. He has shelter and some supplies, but has spent so much time being on his own that he’s forgotten how to sympathize with anyone who isn’t himself. Murphy delivers this gloriously conflicted performance where he seems to be constantly struggling. Emmett often knows the right thing that should be done, but wants to remain hidden. He basically wants to survive over being a compassionate human being.
The formula for A Quiet Place II is intriguing because it plays out like an episodic arc of The Walking Dead. The zombie element is replaced with the creatures as the human characters go on supply runs, look for other survivors, and search for a sanctuary that may or may not exist. Since both A Quiet Place films are PG-13, there’s not much in the gore department. You’re attacked by these creatures and you’re basically just gone. The way the creature’s heads open up like a flower whenever they’re around audio feedback is visually similar to The Last of Us or even Resident Evil.
A Quiet Place Part II ditches the tension and the stealth the first film was known for and introduces more monsters, more action, more characters, and more of a world that’s barely hanging on by a thread. Lee’s oldest kids become they key players here while Emily Blunt takes a backseat. Cillian Murphy proves why he’s one of the most underrated actors working today. Overall, A Quiet Place Part II is an exceptionally entertaining sequel with quality performances and a primary focus on monster mayhem which, as horror and suspense fans, we should all get behind.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated A Quiet Place: Part II (2021) in Movies
Jun 16, 2021
Shh!
Initially, when I saw A Quiet Place 2 for review, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I did because of how disappointing I found the first movie. However, sometimes I am very glad to be proven wrong and this is one of those times.
A Quiet Place 2 does what all good sequels should do, in that it builds upon the foundation laid down by the first movie, whilst upping the stakes and increasing the intensity felt by the audience when watching the film. A parallel that I can't help but draw a comparison to is the change in tone between Alien and its more action-based sequel Aliens.
If the first Quiet Place movie strives to capture the suspense and slow burn slasher-inspired horror of Ridley Scott's Alien, then A Quiet Place 2 nails the faster, more ferocious tone of James Cameron's Alien's. Whether this was intentional or not, I do not know, but the difference in tone is evident from very early on in John Krasinski's sequel.
While the film does star John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as their characters from the first film, Cillian Murphy's Emmett and Millicent Simmonds' Regan are arguably the main characters of the sequel. Whilst Krasinski appears as Lee via flashback, (SPOILER, because he died pretty unceremoniously in the first movie,) and Blunt features as Evelyn in what is pretty much a glorified side-quest, they definitely aren't the main characters in part 2.
The choice to focus on two different characters in the sequel is a welcome one as it help the film feel more fresh and when you have stellar performances from Murphy and Simmonds to wrap your movie around, that also helps. I really felt that Millicent Simmonds upped her game greatly from the first movie and although CIllian Murphy's character was added for the sequel, he is a good enough actor to fit naturally into the plot without feeling shoehorned in.
You can read the rest of my review right here:
https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/review-a-quiet-place-2/
A Quiet Place 2 does what all good sequels should do, in that it builds upon the foundation laid down by the first movie, whilst upping the stakes and increasing the intensity felt by the audience when watching the film. A parallel that I can't help but draw a comparison to is the change in tone between Alien and its more action-based sequel Aliens.
If the first Quiet Place movie strives to capture the suspense and slow burn slasher-inspired horror of Ridley Scott's Alien, then A Quiet Place 2 nails the faster, more ferocious tone of James Cameron's Alien's. Whether this was intentional or not, I do not know, but the difference in tone is evident from very early on in John Krasinski's sequel.
While the film does star John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as their characters from the first film, Cillian Murphy's Emmett and Millicent Simmonds' Regan are arguably the main characters of the sequel. Whilst Krasinski appears as Lee via flashback, (SPOILER, because he died pretty unceremoniously in the first movie,) and Blunt features as Evelyn in what is pretty much a glorified side-quest, they definitely aren't the main characters in part 2.
The choice to focus on two different characters in the sequel is a welcome one as it help the film feel more fresh and when you have stellar performances from Murphy and Simmonds to wrap your movie around, that also helps. I really felt that Millicent Simmonds upped her game greatly from the first movie and although CIllian Murphy's character was added for the sequel, he is a good enough actor to fit naturally into the plot without feeling shoehorned in.
You can read the rest of my review right here:
https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/review-a-quiet-place-2/
Bird (1700 KP) May 20, 2017