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RobGraddage
Reviews
The Last of Us: When You're Lost in the Darkness (2023)
Almost perfect start
The episode itself was superb. Similar enough to the game to keep fans happy, and different enough to keep it fresh and give us something new. Also I'd imagine a lot of it was hard to transfer to screen in a way that made sense for people unfamiliar with the story. The feel of the show is spot on, the settings, obviously the music. The casting is excellent. I'll admit I had my doubts but everyone has knocked it out of the park. Nico Parker was probably my highlight who nailed Sarah. Bella has Ellie's character quirks to a T. It's a shame it was such a small role, unless she comes back in flashbacks later on. My only qualms with the episode, and they're little things really, was that a couple of moments felt rushed. Sarah's exit, Robert's comeuppance and Ellie's revelation all needed a bit more time spent on them to really land. Otherwise I loved it, and can't wait for the rest of the series.
Halloween Ends (2022)
A decent ending to a not so great trilogy
I thought this film was a decent conclusion to the new trilogy, and one that made a bit of sense in, let's be honest, quite an absurd overall story. Michael is old and weakened after the last film, so to have him running around butchering everyone again would just be a stale ending. To focus more on this new guys descent into madness was a cool way to offer a fresh look at how a normal kid can turn bad. I did have some reservations about his story being a route into a new spin off franchise, but thankfully that was put to bed.
Don't get me wrong, there are obviously a lot of flaws, and clearly plenty aren't happy with it, but I thought it was enjoyable, and left no doubt that it really is the end.
While I'm here, Season of the Witch was a good film.
Chef's Table: Pizza (2022)
About so much more than food
I've loved the Chefs Table series. Each chefs ability and craft are unquestionable, but the personal stories of each elevate the series to another level. The food is merely a sub plot.
They're all well made, telling the story of the chef as well as their families and the communities they come from. It's been fascinating to learn about different cultures an the affect it has on the chefs. They're shot beautifully with a great soundtrack to match. I'm one episode in and it looks to be an excellent continuation from the BBQ series.
Hopefully there'll be more beyond this. In such a frenetic world, with so much division, worry, anxiety, it's a perfect antidote to life to throw on an episode of Chefs Table and lose yourself for an hour.
Billions: Rock of Eye (2022)
Like watching a shopping channel
In general this series has been bang average. Like a lot of American shows it's gone on too long, even before Damien Lewis left, and series 6 has been a continuation of the gradual slide. The last couple of episodes though, have been bizarre to say the least. The previous episode with the expenditure popups throughout with no real explanation of why they were there other than to show us how eyewateringly rich they all are, then this episode that was like watching a shopping channel. The product placement was so blatant and even woven into the plot, that it took you out of any semblance of immersion. Chuck has lost his bite, Prince is a bit lacklustre to be a decent "bad guy" and there seems to be a shedding of a lot of the smaller characters that all makes it a bit linear. I'll stick with this series but it'll have to dramatically stop the rot to make me want to come back for any more. As an aside, it'd be good to see some negative reviewers come up with something original other than anything they don't like being a "woke fest". Grow up.
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
Nowhere near as bad as made out
The character flaws from the last few episodes, and the rushed nature have destroyed the legacy of this show. But the finale wasn't anywhere near as bad as the current score (4.5/10) suggests, and wrapped most things up as best they could I thought. The 7 kingdoms are ruled by Starks, Dany got her justice, Sansa is where she wanted to be, Arya free to do what she wants, Sam ended up where he wanted to be. Tyrion serving his "punishment" as kings hand. My main problem was Jon's ending. All of the build up, all of his principles, dying, being brought back, reluctant king of the north. All to be Dany's cuck and sent back to the nights watch.
It wasn't the ideal finale we all wanted but I don't think it was terrible.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Well we love it
This film is always on our "Horroctober" film list. Yes the acting is hammy, and the ending is farcical, but we love it. I genuinely think it's a decent plot idea for a horror film, again, apart from the silly ending, and there's a good amount of gore. It's not going to win any awards but it's definitely better than it's rating. I also definitely think the main thing bringing it down is that it is part of the Halloween franchise. As a standalone film I think it holds its own against other 80s horrors.
The Proposal (2009)
Generic, boring, predictable...
The Proposal has absolutely nothing new to offer. It's just another generic rom com a la What Happens in Vegas and a MILLION others. There's a couple of laughs, as you'd expect, there's the overly familiar 'hating each other at the start but come to love each other in the end' plot line. There's the twist at the end where they part but then, WOW, they meet up again in some unbelievably cheese ridden scene complete with soft music in the background and crowd applause when she mutters the inevitable tired lines, and they all live happily ever after. And we all go 'awww'. Give me a break!
RIGHT, positives....umm....Sandra Bullock looks great for her age? Women will cream over Ryan Reynolds with his shirt off?
Tedious,overdone, money spinner.
Quarantine (2008)
Identical remake...or is it?
I'll be honest, I didn't know what this film was about until around a month ago when I was telling a friend how much i enjoyed rec, and he said 'that sounds like Quarantine'. So I rented it to compare the two. As lots have said, its almost identical, bar the language of course...
But for me the original had way more going for it. On the surface, you can't tell them apart, but the hidden tension and more genuine fear of the characters in rec makes for a more unnerving and ultimately enjoyable experience. Perhaps its because I knew what was coming, I just didn't feel it as much with Quarantine.
It's definitely a decent film worth watching, with plenty of jumps and hair raising moments, but if you haven't already, watch rec instead, it's better...
Pathology (2008)
Sex and violence, nothing more
I didn't see this at the cinema, but instead just stumbled upon it on Sky, so decided to give it a go. I quite like gory films, so Pathology sounded like it might be worth a look. It doesn't disappoint on the gore, there's plenty of squeamish moments to keep you sucking through gritted teeth. As well as this, there is a fair amount of gratuitous sex. But then, it's an expectation in a film of the horror/thriller genre.
What lets this film down, however, is the lack of back story, or story altogether! I mean, you get what's going on, but not WHY it's going on. Milo Ventimiglia's character gets roped into the 'game' far too easily by a bunch of half wit students, for someone who's supposed to be an expert in his field. There's no reason as to why they are doing this, other than for a thrill. And the ending, well...judge for yourselves.
It's definitely worth a look if you like blood and guts, just don't expect Oscar winning performances.