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Reviews
The White Tiger (2021)
Darker version to Slumdog that dragged
I fell for the hype and gave this a watch.
It looks good. The acting is brilliant, especially that of the lead. The premise was really good too.
I felt it dragged though and had major flaws.
The protagonist is writing an email to a VIP whom he ends up seeing just to say a poor line of dialogue to.
It ended and the feeling was that of being underwhelmed.
I hate to make the comparison (there is a reference in the movie itself) to Slumdog Millionaire, which was on another level to this for its story telling and ending.
Worth a watch but don't go in believing it will live up to the hype.
Ready or Not (2019)
Not bad, ignore the low rating reviews
This is a decent horror film which at times is quite gory that it feels humorous!
A great film where you're searching for what to watch, you won't feel like you've watched a poor film but it's no classic either.
The Good Doctor: I Love You (2020)
Tearjerker
I won't spoil but they killed off a major character. I would rather they didn't but it made the episode that much more emotional which I guess was what they were after. The scenes with the trapped boy as well were just as emotional. This is not a 10/10 episode technically but I'm voting based on how emotive it was. Here's to Claire and Shaun at some point, not a fan of Lea!
21 Bridges (2019)
Predictable
Like the title says, predictable. A decent watch but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it.
The Irishman (2019)
Too long
I can't comment too much on how good or bad it is, I felt it was okay.
This was mainly due to its length. Maybe I should have broke it down into two viewings.
On that note, I'll leave me review short ;-)
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Brilliant for all, Bale was phenomenal
Even though this is a movie about motor racing, specifically Le Mans, I found that even non-enthusiasts would enjoy it. It's about the journey Shelby and Miles go on. The 2 hours 30 minutes don't feel like a drag which is a testament to the flow of the movie.
Matt Damon was really good as Carroll Shelby, I mean really good. Christian Bale as Ken Miles on the other hand, phenomenal. Oscar worthy performance as he completely throws himself fully in the role.
The sound mixing and editing just felt on point and could well be award winning too.
Go out to watch it, it's worth the hype and lives up to the trailer.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Better than The Shining!?!
Controversial title?! I watched The Shining a week before Doctor Sleep. A movie ahead of its time with weird but great storytelling let down by its ending (I'm with Stephen King on this). I gave it 7/10 on IMDb, 7.5/10 is more accurate.
Fast forward to this. It benefits from not being stuck in The Overlook hotel which gets purposely claustrophobic. The premise is we pick up on Danny Torrance's journey after the events of The Shining.
When I saw that this was nearly 2 hours 30 minutes long, I felt like it might be a struggle to watch, I was wrong. The cat and mouse main story of the child and Rebecca Ferguson's villainous character keeps you on the edge of the seat.
Credit to the actors because Rebecca Ferguson was brilliant, the new kid too! Jacob Tremblay's performance I can't really describe without spoiling but once again proving what a great talent he is. Ewan McGregor does a good job too.
If you're a fan of The Shining then I don't think you'll be disappointed. I do recommend that you do what I did if you've not seen The Shining and watch that first, it'll make Doctor Sleep make more sense.
Gemini Man (2019)
Decent movie, not as bad as the reviews - 6.5/10
The concept is brilliant, the execution is meh. I don't know why Will Smith is on a run of poor/average movies?! I think some of the reviews are overly harsh. I think a 6 is harsh but a 7 which I've rated it generous, 6.5/10 is fair.
The Resident: If Not Now, When? (2019)
Such a sad episode with an important message
I tend not to review single episodes and only do when I'm really moved by it. I was in tears by the end of this one. The low scoring reviews are people who just cannot fathom that racial bias does exist.
The Boys (2019)
Brilliant take on how superheroes would really behave
With the level of popularity the MCU has gained, superheroes are everywhere on the big and small screen now more than ever.
The Boys looks at superheroes (Supes) in a different light, you could say a more realistic light. I mean if you could turn invisible, you'd use that in whatever way you want.
Supes are presented as selfish, narcissistic, corporation tied and money motivated individuals.
The story is one of revenge against Supes by ordinary individuals who have been affected by the Supes actions.
It's hard to review without a spoiler but this is the first Amazon show that I've watched and really enjoyed. It's right up there with Daredevil and Punisher. About time Amazon!
13 Reasons Why: Let the Dead Bury the Dead (2019)
This is my review for S3 as a whole
S1 was brilliant, 9/10.
S2 not as good but vital for S3, 7/10.
S3 8/10.
I didn't like the way the flashbacks were done, at time it made it difficult to follow.
The new character who narrates was overall good although I can understand some of the criticisms.
Some character arcs such as Tyler and Jessica were done really well, especially Tyler.
Bryce's arc will always be controversial but overall I enjoyed the way they did it despite the obvious inherent flaws in his character still being there.
Overall, especially Tyler's arc and Jessica's speech were tearful moments.
Lastly, I recently watched Euphoria and my main complaint was the lack of character development and attachment to the characters as extreme graphical nature was the preferred mode of delivery. In 13RW, there are many characters and all well explored.
Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (2018)
Brilliant blend of comedy and news
As per the title, I think for the most part, the blend is perfect.
All of the negative reviews are from people, probably paid for by the PACs/lobbyists, who don't like the issues this series tackles.
When the show is presenting you factual information but you're used to the fake Fox News-esque media, you're of course gonna believe this is propaganda.
The show deals with the likes of Saudi Arabia head on, giving zero f's about repercussions. It deals with immigration in the USA at the moment, Amazon the company, affirmative action, drug prices, student loans, Indian elections, Internet issues, fentanyl and the degradation of the public transport system. Most of these issues are US issues but it does touch on global topics too. Brazil and the Amazon rainforest which at the time of writing is on fire, this show talked about these issues months before it became an international news event.
My advice, switch off the mainstream media and watch something like this, far more educational to real issues and delivered in a funny way. Other topics have been Supreme, hip hop and streaming and the bad side of the cruise industry.
Euphoria (2019)
What is the message/purpose?
I gave it a 7, should really be 7.5, Zendaya's performance wanted me to give it an 8 but for the points I'm going to mention.
Zendaya is the obvious star, she plays the role of Rue fantastically taking the viewers on a brilliant ride through her emotions and issues. If the series focused mainly on her and not some of the stuff I'll mention, this is easily an 8+/10.
I also thought Jules was a good character for most of the episodes, again her journey is shown well and she is a likeable character.
Personally, I really liked Fez. He felt like a protective brother to Rue and would have preferred to see more development here. This could still happen with season 2.
So on to what's wrong with the series. I found it quite hard to watch despite binging the last 3 episodes just to get it over with. This I felt was mainly due to the side characters just not being relatable/likeable enough and adding anything to the main story. This is in comparison to say 13 reasons why.
I felt being a HBO show it focused too much on depicting drugs/sex graphically that I often wondered what the purpose of this was? Is the show glorifying the use of drugs and sex amongst teenagers? For this reason, I can't score it more than 7.5/10. There needs to be depth in the characters and not just x is sleeping (sleeping feels like I'm diluting what they're actually doing) with y despite dating z.
To give an example, the character Kat. With what happens to her, is the show saying that this is okay? I know people will defend this by saying that this kind of stuff happens. My issue is, is HBO merely making this acceptable by glorifying it rather than showing the effects that it can have on people, topics like suicide from cyber bullying etc which again is why I felt 13 reasons why deals with these kind of issues in a better light. This feels far too artsy to ever depict real life but then again, maybe the whole artistic style is a metaphor for drugs/sex and the "euphoria" you get from them?!
Jessica Jones (2015)
Good before it progressively got worse 7/10
This is just a general review of what I felt overall having just finished the finale.
The first season was brilliant, 8/10. If you haven't watched JJ then just watch S1.
The second season was rubbish and so was the third, 5-6/10. Hence I downgraded my overall rating from 8/10 to 7/10.
Trish Walker was such a lame character and the fact that she features more prominently in the plot for S2 and S3 probably explains part of why the show went downhill.
S3 was the end for the show just in the same way as Daredevil which itself was a brilliant show and didn't really dip the way JJ did (blame Netflix/Disney).
JJ for the average viewer can feel like a bit of a drag so bare that in mind, but again it's worth it in S1 as the whole premise is she's a private investigator dealing with a bad guy/girl over the series.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Not great (last half) but not bad (first half) either
Given my title, it's surprising that I gave this a 6/10 or 3/5, which for me means below average but not bad either. A lot of reviews are either 8-9/10 or really low which emphasise the love it or hate it nature, I've tried to be fair.
I was really excited to watch this after hearing of the initial response it got and high rating of 9.5+/10. I made the mistake of forgetting that just because critics love a movie, regular folk may not.
I want to start by saying I have no criticism to the acting of this film. Di Caprio brilliantly plays an actor who I can only describe as knowing his best days are over and the drink he needs to cope with this. Pitt is his stunt double and chauffeur who comes to his own in the latter half. Margot, well she really doesn't do much, again that's not her fault.
The problem with OUATIH is mainly the plot and slow pace. All of this would have been forgiven had the main scene the film builds up to been more accurate. Instead you get the feeling of being underwhelmed by it despite this being a fictionalised version of events.
To my final point, the critics seem to love Tarantino and this kind of movie, I just feel the average movie goer will not. If this was on TV, I would have changed the channel after around half an hour. Which then makes me think that QT has employed Di Caprio and Pitt to draw people in to watch the film. I went into this as a fan of Leo who if someone else was cast in his place, I probably would not have been interested. Having said that, if Christopher Nolan was directing, it could have had a load of nobodies in and I would still watch it.
If you got this far, I'm a huge Leonardo Di Caprio fan and his acting was really good. Not brilliant or award winning mind you. Despite that, I feel like I'm doing an injustice by giving this 6/10. I can't think of another movie of his that I've watched and thought of as this low.
Superstar (2019)
Good film but no more - don't over believe the hype
Not many reviews at the time of writing, most are 10/10. This is most definitely not a 10/10 movie, I gave it 7/10 to say slightly above average but no more. It's not a memorable movie but typical Pak/Bollywood with loads of songs and story and a good enough watch for its Eid release.
Whilst Mahira Khan was clearly the best in the movie, her role almost personifies her current status as the top if not one of the top Pakistani leading ladies. She has the swagger to pull off her role. Bilal Ashraf was good too although not on MK's level.
The songs I won't comment on too much as they're not my forte, Anjaana by Atif Aslam and Noori were probably my favourites. My issue with the songs were they felt like too many and at times made the movie feel like a long music video.
TLDR: good enough movie to watch over Eid.
PS 1/10 reviews are likely due to some political scenes between Pak/India and should be disregarded.
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Spider-Man goes on school euro trip!
The title sums it up really. I'm a big fan of Tom Holland as Spider-Man, he genuinely looks like a kid so that helps. The film picks up from the events after Endgame. Fun to watch and enjoyable though I felt afterwards that some things were plain silly/plot holey. The initial pre scrolling credits scene ends with a "whaaaaat" but there's also another one at the end of the actual credits which I guess sets the scene for the next phase of the MCU. PS I missed not seeing Stan Lee cameo.
The Lion King (2019)
Good but not as good as the original animation
Disney have done a good job with the live action CGI remake. However, this film struggles to capture some of the feelings and emotions of the original cartoon animation. In particular, the facial expressions of the animals suffer. In their defence though, animation will always have more creative freedom than a live action film, a brilliant example of this is Spider-Man Into the Spiderverse. Elsewhere, the score was good not really much different to the original, perhaps lacking courage to try something different for fear of the fans of the original complaining.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
They've done it again
After Toy Story 3, you'd think the series was wrapped up yet somehow they've done it again. The story is satisfying enough and feels like this time it will indeed be the last. You do have to marvel at the CG animation and the crazy leaps and bounds it has made since the first Toy Story 24 years prior, the scene where the cat "stretches", you think is an actual cat and the light shining off the faces of Bo or Woody was something they just could not do back in 1995. I don't think anyone will feel let down as the tried and tested formula delivers once again.
When They See Us (2019)
This is a must watch limited series
Harrowing is the only word I can think of to review this.
A Star Is Born (2018)
Slow but good once it picks up the pace
I would say 7.5 as my rating. The movie is slow at the start but then as the movie progresses in the second half, it definitely picks up and the story gets more interesting.
On Gaga, she was brilliant. Her acting was really good and of course her singing we already know how great a performer she is.
However, I think the real star is Bradley Cooper who plays a drunk for most of the film and really well. I assumed he already had an Oscar but was surprised when I looked after watching the film he hasn't. He's no Leo but I see him getting one at some point.
Knock Down the House (2019)
UK based review not considering politics (until the end)
There's a lot of 1 star reviews and 10 star reviews which indicate political bias, I gave 8 stars for which I'll explain. Being based in the UK I have no party preferences in the US, I don't have any in the UK as I don't believe in the vote.
This documentary looks at the grassroots movement that took place in 2018 to get ordinary working class people (women of colour) into power against those taking money from big pharma/lobbies etc who are supposedly not really in it for the people.
It mainly follows 4 women who are trying to get into Congress. We hear personal stories such as that of Amy Vilela, Cori Bush and Paula Jean Swearingen.
However, unless you've been living in a cave without internet, you've heard of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The newbie who is challenging Joe Crowley, unchallenged for 14 years and no one is expecting to be beaten.
It's the fact that AOC takes most of the screen time that those who oppose her views are giving 1 star reviews. Personally, I would say if you are after the journey it takes these women, in AOC's case a David v Goliath battle, you will enjoy this like I did.
To end politically, the reason why I don't vote is I don't believe that people are listened to, you have Brexit here in the UK and look at how the people were deceived by politicians to leave, now 2 years down the line, it's clear the Brexit we may well get is not the one we wanted. This is what happens when politicians stop serving for the people. In the USA, all sorts of money is donated to politicians for their campaigns, of course there is going to be reciprocal support when it comes to making laws, these will not favour the people but the corporations, the sooner this becomes more apparent, the better. No one should have to die because of the complexity of insurance and the profit driven motives of those corporations.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Average, I recommend watching "13th" instead
The main purpose of this movie seems to be to show how crazy the American criminal legal system is, it is shown from the perspective of a normal African American family, however I feel like it doesn't do that great a job and feels abit of a drag in the end. That's not to say it's bad. What I would do is recommend you watch the documentary 13th if you haven't, now that is a real eye opener.
Dumbo (2019)
Decent but no more than that
I'm gonna keep this short, it felt like it lacked something but I'm not sure what. I didn't walk out the cinema feeling it was a bad movie, just not that it was a great one either. Kids will enjoy watching it but adults may be slightly underwhelmed.
Fam (2019)
A good laugh, nothing less nothing more
I've found the show to be funny and a good laugh. Is it trying to be more? I don't think so. Is it something I'd recommend someone to watch, probably not. Do I hate it? No.
As the episodes progress, you do begin to like the characters more but that's about it, there's nothing here that's special.