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Reviews
The Covenant (2023)
Whatever happened to Guy Richie?
Guy Richie must have some incriminating video some higher ups in Hollywood because it is impossible to comprehend how he gets the green light for projects these days. He has not made a good movie since snatch.
This one is an absolute stinker. More plot holes in Swiss cheese, wooden acting and a storyline which beggars belief.
I love Jake Gyllenhaal, but unfortunately he put in a shocker, but in essence, he had an absolutely shocking script to work with.
Once the American soldiers found Gyllenhaal's character, why didn't they just facilitate Ahmed's safe travel to the United States? It was obvious he had saved his life.
Why didn't he have a gps tracker in his weaponry? Surely he could have been found when they were on the run?
I can't even be bothered critiquing this rubbish any further.
The Outlaws (2021)
Nope
I usually love Steve Merchant's work but this adventurous effort missed. Not comedy nor drama and filled with annoying characters save for Diane who was a hybrid of Gareth Jeenan and Savid Brent. Pacing was poor, storyline disjointed and uninteresting and laughs were few and far between. Kept me interested enough for me to be disappointed.
The Outlaws: Episode #1.5 (2021)
Mildly amusing but not quite top notch
Interesting concept but missed the mark. Sanctimonious tone overshadowed the production and the story line lost me. Unfortunately the last scene of every episode reeled me in again.
Most of the characters were irritating beyond belief but a couple were interesting, particularly Diane who was a hybrid Gareth Keenan / David Brent.
Worth a watch but be prepared to fast forward through a lot of it.
The Motive (2020)
Trying to cash in on Israeli productions?
This could have been told in 20min. Instead it was a drawn out hodge podge of rehashed images and unclear recreations. I live Israeli tv and movies but could not advise anyone to watch this garbage.
Unbelievable (2019)
Unbelievable alright.
Dragged out into 8 boring episodes. Unlikeable characters. Long drawn out conversations about nothing. Plot holes galore but kept sucking me in. Avoid this at all costs. Watch Nurse Jackie if you want to see Merritt at her best.
A Confession (2019)
Push past the shaky camera
I'm not sure why the director of photography opted to use the handheld shaky camera gonzo style and I understand many viewers would have been put off by this but the quality of the acting and the script made up for it.
My wife gave up after 10 minutes because she thought it was a parody mockumentary and that's what It looked like but once you got used to it which you do, the story hit's hard delivered by a brilliant cast. Imelda Staunton is next level.
This series is right up there with Broadchurch, Line of duty, Happy Valley, and Luther etc ...definitely worth watching.
Sh'at Neila (2020)
Ken ve lo
That's "Yes and No" in Hebrew.
I wanted to love it and though Im only up to Ep4 now and will push on, I must admit there have been plenty of scenes whch needed to be fast forwarded.
I feel that the story is a movie but the producers wanted a series so there is plenty of padding which doesnt serve to either propel the story or add to character development.
If anything, it adds to the frustration of two very, very annoying characters getting more screen time than they should.
I'll see how it develops from here.
Penguin Bloom (2020)
A pleasant surprise
Just took the fam to see this nice little film, the kids loved it and so did we. Beautifully crafted, well paced, superb cinematography and a lovely story. Extra points because a Magpie is the hero!!!
The Dry (2020)
Dry and very boring
This movie had me looking at my watch a few times which is never a good sign. I didn't give a toss about any of the characters, for all I cared they could all be guilty or innocent or all die in a head on collision with a semi trailer.
Each character was a cliche beyond belief and Eric Bana gave his usual stiff performance. The idea of a Federal police officer investigating a case with a ninkenpoop "State" police sergeant as his sidekick was laughable. As for capturing the essence of "the dry", drone shots showing barren expanses of land was the extent of it. Opportunity missed. The only significance of the dry was to tie in with the closing scenes and the threat of fire, which was ridiculous.
The reveal was predictable a long way out with the superfluous character the obvious choice. Australian cinema made a lot of ground last decade but has failed miserably sense.
HHhH (2017)
Amateur Hour
Casting an Australian in the lead role was fine but an Australian accent wasn't. Meanwhile all the other actors had to put on quasi European accents. I couldn't get past this.
Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles (2020)
Yuck
Absolute garbage. Thrown together for a cash grab and nothing else padded out with crap interviews. I'd like to say it was a Netflix standard but that is being kind. Would have been a half ok Instagram story at best. Do not see this.
The Crown (2016)
Outstanding
One of the finest examples of acting, storytelling and production I have have ever had the pleasure of seeing.
Luther (2010)
3 stars for the first 3 seasons.
This was once a brilliant show. Season 4 was passable. Just. Season 5 is a complete joke. Of course I wanted it to be good but it was absolute garbage. Cookie cutter characters, awful writing and so many plot holes it was almost comical.
Watch s1-3 again and don't waste time on 4 and definitely not 5.
1917 (2019)
Brilliant technique but so slow and boring
I found myself more interested in how they choreographed the shots rather than what was happening in the film. None of the characters meant anything to me and there's were too many cliches. Bomb explodes in their faces and not a scratch. Germans missing from point blank. You get the drift...
The Crown: Olding (2019)
Completely mis-cast
I like Olivia Coleman. Her performance in Broadchurch was outstanding. Unfortunately casting her as The Queen was so far off the mark it has ruined the show. Apart from zero resemblance (brown eyes?) she completely over acts the role. Pouting and side glances aren't in the Queen's repertoire and she is on the portly side to be convincing. Claire Foy and Matt Smith had the perfect chemistry so there was no need to recast either of them. I understand Foy gave birth but we waited long enough for Season 3 so a little longer wouldn't have hurt. Why the need to recast Phillip or Margaret for that matter? Helena Bonham Carter is so wrong it beggars belief. I might watch the first 2 Series' again...
Mr Inbetween (2018)
I'd give it 11 if I could
Sharp writing and brilliant acting make for an outstanding production. If you liked Chopper or Two Hands then this is for you! Try and get your eyes on The Magician if you can.
Mindhunter (2017)
Is this ever going to go somewhere?
I am struggling to get through ep1... the lead guy is so un-engaging and I hate avoidable simple production errors such as Don McLean's cover of crying playing on the radio. It was released in 1980. This is set in 1977. Duhhh.
Bleed for This (2016)
Not another boxing underdog story
Drawn out and predictable even if you didn't know the original story. I had no empathy for any of the cast especially the lead played by Miles Teller who did his best with a poor script. Just another brooding piece of film making without any redeeming values.
The Innocent Man (2018)
Slow.
I felt like I was doing time just watching this drawn out snoozefest. So many things were repeated in order to pad out a one hour documentary into 6 episodes. Zzzzz.
Bnei Aruba (2013)
Draws you In then fails miserably
I feel guilty writing a bad review of an Israeli production as I have a strong connection with the country and wanted this to be good. Unfortunately it took me 14 Episodes to pull the pin on it in exasperation.
Season 1 consisting of 10 Episodes was OK. Just. Despite the far fetched premise it was buoyed by a couple of interesting characters namely the female lead which offset the labouring idea that was dragged out over the duration. The finale was completely inexplicable with the Surgeon announcing the patient dead on the operating table, in front of her colleagues, then somehow he mysteriously appears alive in the next series. The pesky head of security who always looked like he was sucking on a sour lemon was an absolute moron and don't get me started on the Soldier boyfriend. The plot holes and ridiculous scenarios were there but I was happy to let them slide in order to see where the next series would take me.
Well... Series 2. I could not believe the gaping plot holes and far fetched storyline. It made Israeli intelligence agencies look like bumbling idiots and the negotiator who had to explain every thing to advance the story was infuriating. The cool calm and collected Doogie Howser lookalike, Mr Fix it was so stiff and forced, I could not wait til his scenes finished. Plant a gun to make it look like suicide??? Really? Israeli Crime Scene analysis would not have worked that one out!! How about the report that shots were fired despite a silencer being used. Someone used a hair pin to get out of handcuffs... On and on. One annoying thing after another, you get the picture.
In fact the more I think about it, the less I want to write about this utter waste of time. 4 episodes in I gave up, hoping the wife would die already.
Do yourself a favour and give this crap a wide berth. If you want your faith restored in Israeli drama, try Mossad 101. That was excellent!