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Simon Joseph (14 KP) rated Final Space in TV
May 1, 2019
The writing and plot are amazing (4 more)
Character development is incredible and you really get to know them in the short time you have with them
The relationahips between the characters is also diverse and emotive
The script is geat and funnier than you expect after the first 1 or 2 episodes
Can only be reviled in the adult animated category by Rick & Morty or maybe Archer
A hilarious animated action comedy series filled with drama and emotional scenes that get you right in that little soft spot you have!
I don't like giving too much away when giving a full review but I stumbled upon this show on Netflix and was intruiged straight after the first episode which, yes is a little slow but is just laying out the story so it doesn't waste lots of episodes doing this and you can dive right into the adventure.
It is about a character called Gary who is portrayed and seen as a bit of a Village Idiot in a futuristic version of Earth. Essentially the show follows his journey and you watch his character develop into a potential hero that you thought he could be but could always still screw it up. You meet a vast array of characters and have an emotional roller-coaster of a time following their journey.
I would highly recommend the show if you're a fan of well written humour and perfectly timed wit as well as the adult animation genre like Archer and Rick & Morty.
It is about a character called Gary who is portrayed and seen as a bit of a Village Idiot in a futuristic version of Earth. Essentially the show follows his journey and you watch his character develop into a potential hero that you thought he could be but could always still screw it up. You meet a vast array of characters and have an emotional roller-coaster of a time following their journey.
I would highly recommend the show if you're a fan of well written humour and perfectly timed wit as well as the adult animation genre like Archer and Rick & Morty.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Overlord (2018) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Overbored
#overlord is overlong, #boring, repetitive dross with no #soul of its own.
I was looking forward to this #film walking in, it looked like a throw back to 2002 #action horror films like #DogSoldiers, #Deathwatch & #28dayslater but it couldnt be any further from any of them if it tried. When Overlord is a #war film its passable enough (mainly because it outright steals all the best bits from #savingprivateryan & #bandofbrothers) but its when it tries its hand at horror it becomes down right #embarrassing. We know whats lurking in the basement going into the film but for some reason it keeps it a mystery for far to long instead feeding us this dull recycled generic plot we've seen a million times before we get to 'what we came to see'. Once the horror hits its done extremely poorly, lacking in suspense, quality & grittiness. I get they were going for a kid of #grindhouse sort of style but it takes itself far to seriously losing the fun of such a film. Acting is as painful as the dialog which is delivered by most of the cast as if you gave a script to someone on the street & asked them to read it. Not one character is likable & they all seem to be un phased by wounds or the horrors they witness. #Creature design is unimaginative, cgi is #poor & set pieces are dull however there are some great tracking shots at times & a bit of nice imagery but its to few & far between. Its nice to see an 18 certificate film like this for a change but I found Overlord to be a huge let down & a big wasted opportunity. Pitty. #odeon #odeonlimitless #horror #gore #scary #natzi #war #worldwar #thursdaythoughts #filmbuff #filmcritic #ww2 #nasty #zombies #halloween #callofduty
I was looking forward to this #film walking in, it looked like a throw back to 2002 #action horror films like #DogSoldiers, #Deathwatch & #28dayslater but it couldnt be any further from any of them if it tried. When Overlord is a #war film its passable enough (mainly because it outright steals all the best bits from #savingprivateryan & #bandofbrothers) but its when it tries its hand at horror it becomes down right #embarrassing. We know whats lurking in the basement going into the film but for some reason it keeps it a mystery for far to long instead feeding us this dull recycled generic plot we've seen a million times before we get to 'what we came to see'. Once the horror hits its done extremely poorly, lacking in suspense, quality & grittiness. I get they were going for a kid of #grindhouse sort of style but it takes itself far to seriously losing the fun of such a film. Acting is as painful as the dialog which is delivered by most of the cast as if you gave a script to someone on the street & asked them to read it. Not one character is likable & they all seem to be un phased by wounds or the horrors they witness. #Creature design is unimaginative, cgi is #poor & set pieces are dull however there are some great tracking shots at times & a bit of nice imagery but its to few & far between. Its nice to see an 18 certificate film like this for a change but I found Overlord to be a huge let down & a big wasted opportunity. Pitty. #odeon #odeonlimitless #horror #gore #scary #natzi #war #worldwar #thursdaythoughts #filmbuff #filmcritic #ww2 #nasty #zombies #halloween #callofduty
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Predators (2010) in Movies
May 14, 2019 (Updated Dec 4, 2019)
Another Predator movie, another misfire
Contains spoilers, click to show
In reality, the only truly decent Predator film is the original (although I do have a soft spot for Predator 2 but shhh).
Predators is just a bit of a mess from the get go. We're very swiftly introduced to a cast of bland, cliched, "badass" characters, none of whom are particularly likable, and I can only find myself blaming the script for the most part. This cast includes true talents, including Adrian Brody, Laurence Fishburne, and Mahershala Ali, and none them succeed in making positive impact.
It also stars Topher Grace, who's character goes through some absolute-nonsense-sudden-shift-to-evil-douche plot twist near the end, by which point, you just struggle to care.
As for the actual Predator side of things - it's pretty underwhelming. The trailer promised a big number of the alien hunters, where in reality we get 4, who hardly get any screen time (which wouldn't be a problem if the human characters were actually interesting).
The opportunity to explore an alien world, rather than the usual setting of Earth is a nice idea, but mostly wasted bar a couple of nice looking landscape shots.
The whole thing comes down to a showdown between a lone Predator, and a shirtless Adrian Brody covered in mud, in what I Imagine was supposed to be an ode and call back to the original, but in reality, it just reminds you that you could be spending your time watching that instead.
Final thought - after the lengths that Arnie went through in the original to take down the Predator, I absolutely refuse to accept that one dude with a katana can cut one down with relative ease.
Predators is just a bit of a mess from the get go. We're very swiftly introduced to a cast of bland, cliched, "badass" characters, none of whom are particularly likable, and I can only find myself blaming the script for the most part. This cast includes true talents, including Adrian Brody, Laurence Fishburne, and Mahershala Ali, and none them succeed in making positive impact.
It also stars Topher Grace, who's character goes through some absolute-nonsense-sudden-shift-to-evil-douche plot twist near the end, by which point, you just struggle to care.
As for the actual Predator side of things - it's pretty underwhelming. The trailer promised a big number of the alien hunters, where in reality we get 4, who hardly get any screen time (which wouldn't be a problem if the human characters were actually interesting).
The opportunity to explore an alien world, rather than the usual setting of Earth is a nice idea, but mostly wasted bar a couple of nice looking landscape shots.
The whole thing comes down to a showdown between a lone Predator, and a shirtless Adrian Brody covered in mud, in what I Imagine was supposed to be an ode and call back to the original, but in reality, it just reminds you that you could be spending your time watching that instead.
Final thought - after the lengths that Arnie went through in the original to take down the Predator, I absolutely refuse to accept that one dude with a katana can cut one down with relative ease.
Lee (2222 KP) rated X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) in Movies
Jun 7, 2019
Awful dialogue (1 more)
Pointless villain
Disappointing
Dark Phoenix marks the end of an era for the X-Men franchise, being the last of their movies to go into production before the recent acquisition of Fox by Disney. It's a series of movies which unfortunately has had more misfires than hits. But for me, the hits have been right up there with the biggest of the MCU movies in terms of storytelling and entertainment. It's therefore a real shame that Dark Phoenix turns out to be yet another misfire.
Dark Phoenix start off well though. It's 1992, and the X-Men are currently riding high on popularity, with Charles Xavier even having his own hotline to the president. A trip up into space to save some astronauts in peril is impressive, with the X-Men working effectively as a team under pressure. In fact, these team moments are the best thing about the movie - all working together, with every character getting a chance to utilise their specific set of skills.
The worst thing about Dark Phoenix is the script - awkward, cheesy or just plain boring. Moments that are supposed to be emotional, intense or poignant just come across as dull and frustrating, making the heavy handed soundtrack all the more noticeable. Many of the cast do their best with what they've been given, but it rarely works. Add to that a completely pointless villain (Jessica Chastain) without any clearly defined motivation that you can get behind, and the negative elements far outweigh the positive for me. Who knows what form the X-Men may eventually take within the MCU, but hopefully they'll be utilised to their full potential once more.
Dark Phoenix start off well though. It's 1992, and the X-Men are currently riding high on popularity, with Charles Xavier even having his own hotline to the president. A trip up into space to save some astronauts in peril is impressive, with the X-Men working effectively as a team under pressure. In fact, these team moments are the best thing about the movie - all working together, with every character getting a chance to utilise their specific set of skills.
The worst thing about Dark Phoenix is the script - awkward, cheesy or just plain boring. Moments that are supposed to be emotional, intense or poignant just come across as dull and frustrating, making the heavy handed soundtrack all the more noticeable. Many of the cast do their best with what they've been given, but it rarely works. Add to that a completely pointless villain (Jessica Chastain) without any clearly defined motivation that you can get behind, and the negative elements far outweigh the positive for me. Who knows what form the X-Men may eventually take within the MCU, but hopefully they'll be utilised to their full potential once more.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Bright (2017) in Movies
Feb 8, 2018 (Updated Feb 8, 2018)
Orcz in da Hood
Fantasy-cop movie mash-up which probably sounded cool at the pitch meeting but doesn't really work as a full movie. Will Smith plays a careworn LA street cop saddled with an Orc (Joel Edgerton) as his partner, as this is a world where humans and fantasy creatures co-exist. The two of them end up contending with the anti-Orc racism of the LAPD and a cult of evil Elves seeking to use a magic wand to bring about the end of the world (Noomi Rapace and her cheekbones are well-cast as the baddie).
David Ayer seems much more comfortable handling the cop movie angle than the fantasy, but then at least this bit of the script actually makes a degree of sense. The movie no offers no clues as to how a world with Dark Lords and dragons and near-omnipotent magic wands ended up so closely resembling our own, with roughly the same history, countries, and cities (they even have Uber, for God's sake). And you have to wonder what kind of social commentary writer Max Landis is intent on when he implicitly draws parallels between Orcs (strong, dim, violent) and real-world ethnic groups.
Looking on the (wait for it) bright side, there is some snappy dialogue and good performances from Smith and (particularly) Edgerton, and most of the action is well-staged. One of those movies that works better if you just don't think about it, but let it wash over you; apparently a sequel is in the works and maybe they will address some of these issues there. David Ayer should definitely stick to writing his own scripts in future, though.
David Ayer seems much more comfortable handling the cop movie angle than the fantasy, but then at least this bit of the script actually makes a degree of sense. The movie no offers no clues as to how a world with Dark Lords and dragons and near-omnipotent magic wands ended up so closely resembling our own, with roughly the same history, countries, and cities (they even have Uber, for God's sake). And you have to wonder what kind of social commentary writer Max Landis is intent on when he implicitly draws parallels between Orcs (strong, dim, violent) and real-world ethnic groups.
Looking on the (wait for it) bright side, there is some snappy dialogue and good performances from Smith and (particularly) Edgerton, and most of the action is well-staged. One of those movies that works better if you just don't think about it, but let it wash over you; apparently a sequel is in the works and maybe they will address some of these issues there. David Ayer should definitely stick to writing his own scripts in future, though.
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated Apollo 13 (1995) in Movies
Feb 7, 2018
On a scale of 1 - 5 this film is an easy 6
No matter how many times I see this film (and I have seen it quite a few times by now) I never fail to be moved by the amazing story being told and the excellence of Ron Howard's film-making.
The staggeringly good cast centres about Hanks, Bacon, Sinise, Paxton and Harris. Never once do any of these disappoint in their performance.
Their spot-on delivery of such simple yet evocative lines as: 'We just lost the moon' and 'I prefer to think of this as our finest hour' presenta wealth of emotions, whilst underscoring the strength and resilience of the human character; at the same time and with equal simplicity 'Christopher Columbus, Charles Lindberg and Alan Armstrong!' expresses one ordinary man's amazement at his friend's new-found place in the history books. The simple efficiency of the writing in this script has resulted in one of the best screenplays Hollywood has ever produced. The first-class direction and acting have ensured a powerful and convincing transfer from paper to celluloid.
Although this is not a 'Special Effects' film, there are a considerable number of effects in the film. Downplayed and used as such effects truly should be (as a technical enhancement to, rather than the object of the film) they convincingly and chillingly impart the sense of isolation felt by the Astronauts.
This 'aloneness'; their captivity in a the tiny LEM; the lack of action available to them is succinctly counter-balanced by the numerous ground crew, unfettered in thier movements as they rush round NASA desperatly, and with unending ingenuity, trying to solve one problem after another before time, power and oxygen run out for the three men in space.
The staggeringly good cast centres about Hanks, Bacon, Sinise, Paxton and Harris. Never once do any of these disappoint in their performance.
Their spot-on delivery of such simple yet evocative lines as: 'We just lost the moon' and 'I prefer to think of this as our finest hour' presenta wealth of emotions, whilst underscoring the strength and resilience of the human character; at the same time and with equal simplicity 'Christopher Columbus, Charles Lindberg and Alan Armstrong!' expresses one ordinary man's amazement at his friend's new-found place in the history books. The simple efficiency of the writing in this script has resulted in one of the best screenplays Hollywood has ever produced. The first-class direction and acting have ensured a powerful and convincing transfer from paper to celluloid.
Although this is not a 'Special Effects' film, there are a considerable number of effects in the film. Downplayed and used as such effects truly should be (as a technical enhancement to, rather than the object of the film) they convincingly and chillingly impart the sense of isolation felt by the Astronauts.
This 'aloneness'; their captivity in a the tiny LEM; the lack of action available to them is succinctly counter-balanced by the numerous ground crew, unfettered in thier movements as they rush round NASA desperatly, and with unending ingenuity, trying to solve one problem after another before time, power and oxygen run out for the three men in space.
Awix (3310 KP) rated King Kong Lives (1986) in Movies
Jun 15, 2018
Ape Sh*t
Inexplicably boring and frankly quite weird attempt to cash in on the Kong name: having survived being machine gunned off the top of the Twin Towers and falling five hundred metres onto concrete (and thus proving that some gorillas just can't take a hint), Kong is in a coma being looked after by Linda Hamilton, who should have read the script before signing on. A no-mark leading man is able to hunt up a female giant gorilla to help out with a blood transfusion, but when the two apes get it on and escape, there's panic all round.
History has seen many overly optimistic monster movies, but few quite as out-of-touch with reality as King Kong Lives. It's not just that the story is preposterous (it is), or that the special effects are terrible (they are), but that one of main emotional relationships at the heart of the story is realised through the medium of two stuntmen in not-great gorilla suits nuzzling up to each other in simulation of simian romance. Your mind rebels when it is exposed to this stuff. 'No,' comes the interior monologue, 'no. Even the big bird in The Giant Claw was more convincing than this. I object. I am on strike from this point on.' With your suspension of disbelief in full revolt, you are forced to watch the rest of the movie simply in 'how much worse can this possibly get?' mode. And the answer is: considerably. To be honest it's only the sheer badness of the movie that keeps it interesting; anything remotely competent is also rather dull. I don't think the 1976 version of King Kong is nearly as bad as most people say; it certainly looks like a classic compared to this.
History has seen many overly optimistic monster movies, but few quite as out-of-touch with reality as King Kong Lives. It's not just that the story is preposterous (it is), or that the special effects are terrible (they are), but that one of main emotional relationships at the heart of the story is realised through the medium of two stuntmen in not-great gorilla suits nuzzling up to each other in simulation of simian romance. Your mind rebels when it is exposed to this stuff. 'No,' comes the interior monologue, 'no. Even the big bird in The Giant Claw was more convincing than this. I object. I am on strike from this point on.' With your suspension of disbelief in full revolt, you are forced to watch the rest of the movie simply in 'how much worse can this possibly get?' mode. And the answer is: considerably. To be honest it's only the sheer badness of the movie that keeps it interesting; anything remotely competent is also rather dull. I don't think the 1976 version of King Kong is nearly as bad as most people say; it certainly looks like a classic compared to this.
Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated Horrible Bosses (2011) in Movies
May 30, 2018
Easily my favourite comedy of 2011
Contains spoilers, click to show
Easily my favourite comedy of 2011, with Crazy, Stupid, Love. coming a close second. The film is about three guys whose jobs are made hell by their bosses. They decide to kill them in a "Strangers on a train" style, where one kills another's boss so it can't be traced back to the employee. I wasn't sure what to expect from the cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Jason Bateman, Colin Farrell, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Aniston. Each fine actors but how would they fair in this film? Amazingly is how. Colin Farrell is almost unrecognizable as one of the bosses and Kevin Spacey is great as usual. However the stand out performance of the film is Jennifer Aniston. She plays a dentist, the boss of Dale (Charlie Day) and she is sexually harassing him. She really takes the role and plays it to perfection. Dale is her shy assistant who is engaged to Stacy (Lindsay Sloane). He is faithful to her and resists all advances from his over sexed boss. It is not a role we are used to seeing her play but it is a perfect performance. Another great performance was Jamie Foxx the murder consultant they hire. Horrible Bosses is a great comedy, almost a perfect comedy. The only flaw for me was it was all tied up a little too neatly. I saw the ending coming before it happened and it would have been nice to have an ending a little more surprising. Having said that I can't imagine how it could have been ended differently. The film doesn't have to resort to crude gags and just lets the script and performances of the cast tell the story. This works so well and full credit to the writers for a great comedy.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated A Discovery of Witches - Season 1 in TV
Nov 11, 2018
Dull and cringeworthy
I knew after the first couple of episodes that this series wasn’t for me, but I persevered in the hope it might get better as it went along. Sadly it doesn’t.
The main problem is that witches, vampires etc have all been done before. And most have been done better than this. The vampires are all moody and gloomy looking dressed in black, and all of the different creatures show no potential whatsoever. The witches exhibit some powers but nothing particularly impressive, the vampires don’t do much either and the demons do absolutely nothing and don’t show any powers or supernatural abilities whatsoever. For the most part, this is just a romance with a supernatural backdrop thrown in. And even the romance aspect isn’t very good - this stinks of a slightly more adult version of Twilight. It’s cheesy, cringey and moves so quickly it beggars belief.
There are some talented actors in this, but sadly the script and the plot really lets them down. Matthew Goode’s attempts at making his vampire snarling, bloodthirsty and terrifying are laughable. The only person who really pulls off any menace is Trevor Eve but he’s sidelined in favour of more irritating characters. Even Teresa Palmer doesn’t come across well, playing so much like Bella from Twilight it’s disturbing.
The show itself is very scenic and beautifully shot, unsurprising considering some of the locations like Oxford and Venice. It’s just a shame that i found it very dull and laughable (not in a good way). I also found the cliffhanger ending disappointing, as the likelihood of me ever bothering to watch another series is slim. I only just made it through these 8 episodes.
The main problem is that witches, vampires etc have all been done before. And most have been done better than this. The vampires are all moody and gloomy looking dressed in black, and all of the different creatures show no potential whatsoever. The witches exhibit some powers but nothing particularly impressive, the vampires don’t do much either and the demons do absolutely nothing and don’t show any powers or supernatural abilities whatsoever. For the most part, this is just a romance with a supernatural backdrop thrown in. And even the romance aspect isn’t very good - this stinks of a slightly more adult version of Twilight. It’s cheesy, cringey and moves so quickly it beggars belief.
There are some talented actors in this, but sadly the script and the plot really lets them down. Matthew Goode’s attempts at making his vampire snarling, bloodthirsty and terrifying are laughable. The only person who really pulls off any menace is Trevor Eve but he’s sidelined in favour of more irritating characters. Even Teresa Palmer doesn’t come across well, playing so much like Bella from Twilight it’s disturbing.
The show itself is very scenic and beautifully shot, unsurprising considering some of the locations like Oxford and Venice. It’s just a shame that i found it very dull and laughable (not in a good way). I also found the cliffhanger ending disappointing, as the likelihood of me ever bothering to watch another series is slim. I only just made it through these 8 episodes.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) in Movies
Nov 16, 2018 (Updated Nov 17, 2018)
I think it’s fair to say that if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter movies, and even the last Fantastic Beasts movie, then you’re going to love this one too. And you’re going to completely disagree with me when I say that this one is just unbelievably dull.
I really did want to enjoy The Crimes of Grindelwald though. I’ve never really been into the Harry Potter movies, and found the last Fantastic Beasts movie a bit disappointing. With the promise of even more movies in this series, and following what I actually thought was a very exciting and interesting trailer, I was really hoping to finally enjoy the wizarding world, along with so many millions of others. While I’ve always enjoyed many aspects of the Potter movies, the imagination behind it all and the vast, intricate world building, I’ve just never really enjoyed them as much as everyone else. This one though, I found to be the worst one yet.
Once again, we’re following the awkward Newt Scamander. On orders from a young Albus Dumbledore to track down a lost young man called Credence before evil wizard Grindelwald gets his hands on him. Lots of other characters are introduced, and subsequently lost in among all the plot changes, so we never really find out much about them or what motivates them. And Johnny Depp is incredibly bland as Grindelwald.
Harry Potter fans will rejoice in the fact that we get to revisit Hogwarts along with a young Dumbledore. And there are a couple of other cameos and nods to those movies to keep them excited. But overall this is just yet another case of all style and no substance. Slow paced, very little action and a script that is an absolute mess.
I really did want to enjoy The Crimes of Grindelwald though. I’ve never really been into the Harry Potter movies, and found the last Fantastic Beasts movie a bit disappointing. With the promise of even more movies in this series, and following what I actually thought was a very exciting and interesting trailer, I was really hoping to finally enjoy the wizarding world, along with so many millions of others. While I’ve always enjoyed many aspects of the Potter movies, the imagination behind it all and the vast, intricate world building, I’ve just never really enjoyed them as much as everyone else. This one though, I found to be the worst one yet.
Once again, we’re following the awkward Newt Scamander. On orders from a young Albus Dumbledore to track down a lost young man called Credence before evil wizard Grindelwald gets his hands on him. Lots of other characters are introduced, and subsequently lost in among all the plot changes, so we never really find out much about them or what motivates them. And Johnny Depp is incredibly bland as Grindelwald.
Harry Potter fans will rejoice in the fact that we get to revisit Hogwarts along with a young Dumbledore. And there are a couple of other cameos and nods to those movies to keep them excited. But overall this is just yet another case of all style and no substance. Slow paced, very little action and a script that is an absolute mess.