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anthony-burton
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Dune (2021)
Perfect Cinema
Frank Herbert's Dune is the god-father of modern Science Fiction, without it, there would be no Star Wars, no Matrix, possibly no Game of Thrones.
The books are extraordinary tales of biblical proportions, and this is as close as I could ever have hoped to see that story visualised.
Lavish attention to details abounds everywhere you look, from the sets, to the costumes, from the ships to the vast Shai-Hulud (sand worms).
I was transfixed for every second and like Paul Atreides and his family, transported to another world. I can only hope that they not only make Dune Part 2, but also that Denis Villeneuve tries his hand at the second book 'Dune: Messiah' to really bring this story to life.
Westworld: Parce Domine (2020)
Great return to form
After a patchy second season the 2yr wait definitely seems to have been worth it and Aaron Paul's casting as Cal feels like a master stroke right now, time will tell if the season finishes as strongly as it has started. Every second of the episode is dripping in visual beauty and the focus on Dolores and Bernard is exactly what I wanted to see more of. Fingers cross for more of this quality tv
The Mandalorian (2019)
Old fashioned, watchable popcorn TV
The Mandalorian is a decent TV show, but it's not mind blowing and I struggle to think how they are going to make it more appealing. Outside of the Mandalorian and baby Yoda, there are no recurring characters in the show. Which means there's no one to root for, no one to root against, it's very old fashioned in fact, with each episode being rather self contained and very little carrying over. So whilst the universe it's set in remains as fascinating as ever, the show itself is rather shallow and unsatisfying. Still, leave your brain at the door, keep your expectations low, and there's enough here to pass a few hours of time and be reasonably entertained in the process.
See (2019)
Beautiful cinematic visuals paper over some massive cracks. Not sure how long it will last
See is stunningly beautiful, but once you look beyond the sheen of the incredible scenery there's not a lot else that it appears to offer. With the unique pitch of the show being that the surviving humans on earth are now all blind, I was hopeful that the it would be a show that embraced the use of sound in new and clever ways to guide both the audience and the cast. But it largely appears to be a gimmick; one character guides some others with some nice wind chimes, but apart from that, the only other times it drives the story are when numberous characters point out they can hear things that are happening very far away.
The characters also wear beautiful elaborate clothing, decorated with colourful jewelry, and many sport tattoos, and I just found myself asking why? It doesn't make any sense that they could even fashion such items, let alone have them serve a single purpose in their world of darkness.
By far the most damning of all faults however, is the complete and utter lack of any meaningful dialogue in the entire episode. All spoken words for the entire duration of the episode are either monologues, speeches, voice overs, or exposition. This leaves absolutely no room for developing any meaningful characters what-so-ever. We have a war lord and his clan, one of whom is pregnant. One of the clan is a traitor, one is a nursemaid. I found myself thinking back to the pilot for Game of Thrones, with the first scene in Winterfell showing us in a mere minute that we have a family of very different children; the strong eldest brother guiding his siblings, the cheeky tomboy, the princess in waiting, the adventurous climber and the outcast. It was a character building master class. See spent an hour telling us people were blind and that some bad guys are coming for 'reasons'. So we have a premise, a stage, and some one dimensional characters. There's chance for things to improve, but I won't hold my breath.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Classic Trek? No, much darker....
I wasn't sure what to expect from this new Star Trek, another prequel story suggested that perhaps they were afraid of telling new stories, with new technology and more importantly, new ideas. I'm delighted to say that although this is not like any Trek before, that it's thoroughly enjoyable, it's darker, characters will die (not just random red-shirts) and in the first four episodes aired so far we've had betrayal, loss, conflict (both inter-species in the form of the Human/Klingon war) and of the personal kind. This is not a Trek series set in Roddenberry's idealistic fantasy world were everyone on the crew of the Discovery are best friends, far from it...
The characters here are complex, and within these conflicts the show still finds time for humour, as well as some great scenes were characters go head to head. I'm already fully invested in the show, there are some really great ideas here and I genuinely can't wait to see where they take us on this ride, because on the USS Discovery, it could literally be anywhere ;)
Defiance (2013)
Terrible, juvenile writing, awful direction, poor animation
I was looking forward to Defiance, especially after seeing the cast list. Grant Bowler, Julie Benz and Jamie Murray have all excelled in Dexter and Outrageous Fortune, but the script they've been handed doesn't give them one solitary chance to exhibit their talents. The writing is on a par with a third rate computer game cut scene, choking on its own clichés, dialogue is non-existent, characters tell other people who they are, or what they are doing, but no one actually has a real conversation with someone else.
The opening scene establishes that Earth is visited by aliens, then we see their decimated fleet floating in orbit, now earth is a wasteland and different species of aliens are everywhere. I was still getting comfy in my seat and I had no idea how we'd gone from earth invasion to Mad Max meets Babylon 5 in about one minute. It doesn't get any better.
We're introduced to a young couple and told they're in love, their families don't approve, but we don't get to see them being in love, which is how you convince people your story is real. The girl's father at one point says he's going to kill her lover and storms off, next scene he's in a brothel where lo and behold, the boy is playing cards. How did the father know the boy would be there? Does this family man frequent the brothel enough to know they hold card games and that her lover will be there at that moment? It's lazy, derivative garbage.
Now for the director, time after time, tension building opportunities are squandered. The 'lovable rogue' character is running through some woods carrying a wounded girl. It soon becomes apparent they are being hunted by animals moving so fast we can barely see them, they surround our plucky hero in a flash and then proceed to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING whilst he shoots them one by one, and they clumsily fall over in an animation that looks like it was ripped from a video game circa 1990. Then our hero runs out of ammo - oh the tension - only for a Deus Ex Machina to arrive (in the middle of a forest remember) just in time to save them.
Then there's the props, how do you show your audience you're in the future? You make everything glow blue, from guns, to drinks, to surgical equipment, to knives, to alien artifacts, just make 'em glow blue and voila, the future.
From the one dimensional characters to the woeful sets and props, shocking script and inept direction this show is a mess. Honestly, I don't think I've seen a pilot this poor before. This is a catastrophic failure of epic proportions.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
The Day I Loved a Film Everyone Else Hated
Reading other reviews for this film you could be forgiven for thinking it's an absolute stinker created solely to make money off 'green propaganda'. I disagree; it gripped me from the opening scene with Tyler Bates' haunting score complementing the snowy Indian mountains perfectly, right up to a fine and original ending which seems to have passed many by, such is its brevity.
I've lost count of the number of reviews that claim the script to be simplistic and one dimensional, swiftly followed by statements complaining about the vague ending, which it isn't in the least. The last minute explains both the title of the film and what happens next in absolute terms.
The special effects seem to have garnered criticism and maybe it didn't look as good on the big screen but it looks phenomenal on mine (47" HD). Am i watching the same film as everyone else? I feel it's worth mentioning the photography because it's a beautiful film, the aliens and their ships are unique, ethereal and are always basked in mist or snow to great effect.
It's such a visual film that the script is fairly minimal, but what there was satisfied me enough. Despite reading about 'preachy' moments, there aren't any, it's the general theme that i believe people object to, which is the real tragedy and almost proves the films entire point - people don't change unless they absolutely have to.
Keanu was the perfect casting for Klaatu - however you look at it - and i loved the sinister undertones that he carried whilst never coming across as self righteous. The only missed opportunity i felt was the meeting of Klaatu and John Cleese's genius professor which didn't advance the plot and slowed the pace.
I was enthralled from the start, liked the updated theme from the original and enjoyed it throughout. 9/10
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
I cried with laughter
This has to be one of the best - if not the best - stand up performance i've ever seen. i honestly cried with laughter from start to finish. I had salt all down the side of my face afterwards. Whether he's talking about going hunting with his father in the woods, snorting cocaine off his mother's dining table or pondering the female orgasm, it's nothing short of spectacular.
He really was the Godfather of modern comedy and i can't believe i got to the age of 30 before i found this on late night TV. This is comedy gold and if you haven't seen it yet go and find it, buy it, watch it, and learn how the master won over the hearts of millions with his rude, sometimes crude, always intelligent and masterful art.
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Very disappointing
The warning signs were ringing just minutes into this 'homage' film from Michel Gondry. The opening credits did little to endear me to the film, being neither funny nor enlightening. The first few jokes produced nothing more than a strange and barely audible grunt from my throat. Unusual accents emanate from familiar faces and I begin to wonder if they are trying to disguise their voices hoping they won't be recognised.
The concept is sweet enough, videos at an old store get wiped when Jack Black returns from a botched sabotage attempt at the local power station, finding that he himself has been sabotaged and is now magnetised. The store has lost its entire stock and they guys decide to remake all the famous movies requested for rental and much hilarity ensues, or so you would think.
The reality is that an interesting concept hasn't been expanded into a full film. Whilst Gondry's visuals are at the very least attractive and at times hold the same spell binding beauty of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, they can't paint over the gaping holes in the script. Sub plots aren't so much left open, they're just left. Even the main plot requires plenty of assumption on the audience's part upon conclusion.
The strongest moments are reserved for the remakes of films themselves, but even here, glaringly obvious gags seem to be missing and as each one gets less and less screen time, you begin to realise this is a case of a great opportunity missed. Towards the end of the film, even these brief moments of life in the film are reduced to a mere list to show the audience what they've made. It was at this point that i felt the most cheated and glancing across to my significant other to judge her reaction; a picture paints a thousand words they say, and the image of her sleeping says it all.
Whilst i have the utmost respect for Gondry as a director, he's no screen writer and this film does nothing more than allow him to exercise his creativity with a few disjointed but attractive montages. It amounts to the weakest film i've seen for some time.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Good but not great
I've got to say, i rather like Daniel Craig as Bond, with his dry wit, strong resolve and he certainly looks good on screen. The last two films have gotten back to basics and tried to build on his character, explaining exactly why Bond behaves the way he does, and full credit must go to Craig for delivering impressive performances in both.
There's much to like about Solice, sadly, there's plenty to dislike as well. Parallels drawn to the Bourne series are inaccurate and more to the point a little insulting to the Bourne films. The hand held camera work in Bourne provides a gritty realistic edge. But in Solice, all of the action scenes are not only hand held, but less than a second per cut. I'm all for judicious use of quick cuts to get the heart racing, but when you're forced to sit through 10 minutes of it, you get disorientated and are left wondering what the hell happened.
I'd have given both the director and editor a hefty dose of Temazepam to chill them out, or (preferably) the sack. Same goes for the theme tune, which let's face it is terrible.
There are too many locations and the links joining them are weak. Often, time seems to be the only force driving the film to its conclusion as the script gets a little lost from time to time.
However, Craig, Dench and Giannini all turn in good performances. Some of the scenery is spectacular, i enjoyed the expansion of Bond's character and given the franchise, i found the ending surprisingly poignant.
6/10, not the worst Bond film by a long shot but fails to keep up the standard set by the impressive Casine Royale.
Firefly (2002)
A short, bright flash and a wonderful 'verse is gone
Considering its short run, Firefly manages to create a rich and textured universe for its nomadic cast with consummate ease and makes its cancellation all the more baffling. If you turned on half way through an episode you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a western, until the cowboys riding horseback are passed by a hovering train. Or coral shootouts with bolt action rifles pitted against lasers which only the rich can afford.
As fabulous as Firefly's backdrop remains, it's not the secret of its success, nor is it the content of the episodes either, but the remarkable characters within them. The crew and passengers aboard Serenity arrived there for many different reasons; loyalty, escape, money or freedom to name a few. But they fit together like nine pieces of a jig-saw where the whole is infinitely better than you imagined when viewing the individual pieces. And as the series continues, you appreciate just how well it all fits together.
There are many things to love about Firefly though. Great sets - Serenity in particular is exactly as you'd imagine an ageing transport ship would look, functional yet at the same time beautiful - balletic space scenes, laugh out loud humour, the whole cast shines and their natural chemistry is obvious for all to see. Lets not forget the aesthetic pleasure of simply watching the women, because you won't find a more beautiful bunch in any TV show i can recollect... Ever.
Firefly isn't without it's shortcoming though. Sometimes the low budget shows, sometimes the episodes seem formulaic and predictable and sometimes it's a bit too cheesy for it's own good, but you simply won't care. You'll just keep watching until the end. Then you'll go and buy the film Serenity, then you'll wonder why they didn't make more of this fantastic show. And you'll yearn for more.
300 (2006)
Great if you like CGI gore. Pants if you wanted to see a film
This is a really awful movie. For a start, Persians were not/are not black, and the Persian empire never extended to Africa, yet the 'villains' of this movie look strikingly similar to the orcs from Lord of the Rings.
Secondly, the battles - which are abundant in this film - have no sense of scale, there don't appear to be any formations or tactics. They consist of lots of black orcs running around a battle field never attacking anyone, waiting for, what looks like about a dozen Spartans wearing thongs to spear them. As if this wasn't torture enough, most of the battles are filmed in slow motion, to make sure you catch all of the dismembered limbs, heads and intestines spilling all over the place.
Last of all, there's no plot, the story goes like this; evil Persians attack Sparta and they have a fight. Blood is spilt. The end. It's vacuous, brainless, visual tripe which probably took ten minutes to write, a week to film, and a year in post production adding all the effects. Atrocious
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Brilliant but flawed. The stunning tension peters out before the end
Whilst watching NCFOM, James Cameron's 'The Terminator' kept popping into my mind. On the surface, they have little in common, but the underlying themes are the same. Kyle Reese's character is replaced with Josh Brolin's; an out-gunned, but gritty and resilient fighter, resourceful but always on the back foot. Sarah Connor is played by a briefcase full of drug money; to be protected at all costs and Javier Bardem is the Terminator; the unstoppable juggernaut, a killing machine which can't be stopped or reasoned with; as we are often reminded by auxiliary characters in NCFOM.
Both films play out in much the same way, as the killer slowly closes in, the suspense mounts. And it's here that the Coen brothers excel themselves in creating an unfathomable amount of tension, delivering a master-class in direction and helped by superb performances from their two leads.
Two thirds of the way in, my heart was racing every time Bardem stepped onto screen, i was hanging on his every word and hoping that somehow - against all the obvious odds - our hero would prevail. And then it happens, the reason so many people voted this film a 1/10. Not because it's worth 1/10, but because they were totally unprepared for what happened next, and can't shake the bitter taste of such unconventional story telling from their mouths: We see Brolin's character dead, on the floor of a motel room, the Coen brothers take their lunch break and (i suspect) draft in David Lynch to finish the film off. It ambles its way to an underwhelming climax with abstract scenes and dialogue which you won't take in, because you'll be wondering what happened and when you get to see it. The answer is never.
I've heard the film is loyal to the book, but with a book, you imagine everything anyway, so it's a better medium to find your lead character already dead. Not so in films, i've paid my money, show me your vision, paint the story on the screen for my lazy brain. Had The Terminator ended with Sarah and Kyle dying off-screen and the terminator walking off into the distance i don't think we'd be talking about it nearly 25 years on. And we won't be talking about NCFOM in 25 years either. But it's worth a viewing if only to witness the greatest enactment of a psychopath since Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lector. 8/10
The 11th Hour (2007)
This documentary should be compulsory viewing
I honestly believe this film should be compulsory viewing for everyone. It eloquently collects mankind's misdeeds with the use of stunning visuals, frank interviews with scientific, political and economic experts to offer a very sobering thought. It's not the world we're fighting to save, it's our species.
Those who advocate doing nothing, and dismiss this as hippie-propaganda (of which there are many) would do well to read Darwin's theory of evolution and learn to understand natural selection. If you don't adapt, you don't survive.
I have never understood people's utter disregard for our planet's wellbeing. I have studied science my whole life, always recycled and conserved energy. Because i've understood the earth's resources are finite, and our dependency on oil and gas which this planet has taken millions of years to accumulate and 'process' are going to run out very soon. I felt this film did an excellent job of explaining this in particular.
Dispute our effect on the temperature of our planet all you like, but the way we live is going to change massively over the next 100 years. And the way we are going, we'd do well to survive at all at this rate. I hope this film affects people as much as it did me. I hope it makes a difference before it's too late.
Mankinds model of endless consumption is fatally flawed, but changing this economic-centric system is possibly the greatest challenge we will ever face as a species.
If this film doesn't make people sit up and pay attention, we deserve all we get.
The Black Dahlia (2006)
Film noir? Film bore more like
Right, I'll start with the good bits; the sets are alright, Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson look pretty.
The bad: One of only two films that i've never finished watching, (the other being Nixon, but let's not talk about that, it will bring me down even more).
I tried, i really really tried, but this film is so dull it should come with a warning. I've never seen a film with a more complex story in which absolutely nothing happens. On paper the cast is strong but the script is so flat, lifeless, confused and unsure of direction that none of them puts in anything approaching a decent performance.
I got to within 10 minutes of the end, but even that knowledge - i was so close - wasn't motivation enough to watch this utterly banal monstrosity. So i spent the time writing this instead, in the vain hope that someone would read it and save those precious minutes that i lost forever.