ib011f9545i Reviews

Jack Ryan (2018–2023)

after 4 seasons a little disappointed

[6/10 · 17 May 2024]

No plot spoilers.

I give a general opinion after watching all 4 seasons.

I am a big fan of all the Ryan films,yes even the last one.

So when the tv series came along I was keen to watch it.

It was on one of these annoying overpriced trendy platforms so I had to buy the dvds.

I am British and I am not saying British tv is always great,but this is typical American tv,a bit bland and predictable.

It probably had a huge budget but it nearly always looks uninteresting.

A band from Norway called A-HA had a hit called the sun always shine on tv and that applies to this drama.

I like spy stuff so I did enjoy this but the earlier seasons were better than the final 2.

I was rarely moved or thrilled watching this.

Passage to Marseille (1944)

I like this but it is a crazy film.

[7/10 · 17 May 2024]

This review contains spoilers.

I saw this years ago on tv and I liked it.

I am a Bogart fan but he made some poor films.

This is a good film and finally available on beautiful looking blu ray.

This is a very unrealistic film about Bogart's character a French journalist sent to Devil's Island after being framed.

It is quite political,it shows corrupt pre WW2 France,Bogart is a crusading presumably left wing journalist although this is not spelled out.

Bogart and other inmates escape from Prison to fight for France in WW2.

The film will be of interest to lovers of tough old fashioned Warner brothers films,films with a message.

I think the cast is good and so is the script.

This is an old fashioned macho film,the convicts look like convicts and the fascists (French and German)are the bad guys.

Why do I say it is a crazy film? Because there are scenes in it that are so silly you will laugh out loud but other scenes are moving and emotional.

People are critical of the old studio system but it produced great looking films like this with big sets and proper soundtracks.

Puppet on a Chain (1970)

after a hunt found a dvd but not as good as I recall

[5/10 · 10 April 2024]

I am sure I read the book as a teenager.

The film used to be on tv back when British tv showed a lot of films.

I think this is the weakest film of a Mclean book.

I am surprised so many people here praise it so highly.

I can't see why people like it so much.

Set in Amsterdam this is a crime thriller involving drug smuggling.

The plot is less important than the action.

The film has one good boat chase on the canals.

Sure the makers of Bond saw this scene.

The lead is some Swedish guy who is not very good in the part.

Amsterdam looks ok I suppose.

I am not a huge fan of Amsterdam,full of dodgy people and always cold.

As I said the plot is weak,it is hardly a who dunnit.

I only paid 50 pence (half a pound Sterling) for this and I am glad to add to my Mclean film collection but I didn't enjoy the film much.

I do like The Satan Bug and When 8 bells toll which also obscure films based on Mclean books.

When Eight Bells Toll (1971)

forgotten by many but not by me,check it out.

[7/10 · 10 April 2024]

This film is I think unjustly forgotten and unjustly underrated by reviewers.

I saw this with my family on the big screen when I was 11/12.

I liked it at the time and still like to watch it again.

The film is set on the west coast of Scotland and it looks beautiful.

It is a spy/crime thriller based on an Alistair Mclean book.

Mclean is forgotten or disparaged nowadays but he sold millions of books some which are pretty good (South By Java Head is the best I think.) People say this is Bond on a budget but I think that is unfair.

A fairly young Anthony Hopkins is a Naval intelligence agent.

I think he is great in this and is handsome.

Corin Redgrave plays another agent and his performance makes me wonder why he was not in more films.

But he had outside interests and perhaps was happy with his career.

This an action filled film which is quite violent.

I understand it was a box office flop or at least a disappointment.

It is a much better film than people suggest and one day it might be discovered by the hipsters and come out on blu ray.

Napoleon (2023)

disappointed maybe blu ray will be better

[6/10 · 9 April 2024]

I was greatly looking forward to seeing this film.

I find after seeing it I am slightly disappointed.

You could say that it is impossible to make a bio pic of Napoleon that does not last 5 hours.

I understand Ridley Scott is planning an extended blu ray version of this like his Days Of Heaven blu ray.

Knowing where to start and finish the story must have been difficult.

Making a historical drama faces the dilemma of guessing how much history the audience know.

Unlike Abel Gance's famous film this film does not cover anything of Napoleon early life.

It covers several incidents of Napoleon's rise to power.

There are a couple of great battle scenes but the film fails to explain how Napoleon rose to supreme power.

Was he,as he always claimed always a supporter of the revolution or was he a opportunist who didn't believe in very much.

The film is worth seeing but for me there is too much of Napoleon's private life.

Bob Marley: One Love (2024)

too safe,too official,little passion for subject.

[6/10 · 19 February 2024]

This review contains spoilers in as much as the film is based on a true story that it does not fully tell.

Many people watching this film will be younger than me (I am 63) and will not be from Britain,so their experience of the film will differ from mine.

My late brother and I were great music fans,teenagers in the 1970s and by 1976 Bob Marley was become famous in Britain,his 1976 live album was a big hit,as was the single from it No Women No Cry.

After 1976 Marley became more and more popular.

The film shows how his dramatic personal story and the Exodus album made him a world superstar.

As I said my brother and I were music fans,Marley fans we saw him at one of the 1977 London shows featured in the film.

So I was looking forward to seeing this film but I was a bit disappointed.

The number of family members involved in producing this film means you hardly see Marley the flawed human.

Even when he was alive the music press hinted he a tough self belief which meant people close to him sometimes suffered.

The film does not address the way that Marley was happy to shape his sound to reach as big an audience as possible.

Marley was a man of the people but he was also a man and his love life seems to have been complicated.

The film does not show what a huge star Marley was by his death,nor does it show how the vast majority of his fans ignored his religious messaging.

Madame Web (2024)

the trend of popular opinion is not always correct

[7/10 · 19 February 2024]

The trend of popular opinion is not always correct.

Do I have to mention nazi Germany or Mr Tarantino or Oasis (British band)?

Ok I am overstating the comparisons but in January 1933 Hitler was a hip guy.

I am a habitual cinema goer.

I go at least one a week so I see a lot of films.

Among the films that are less worthwhile watching in the last 3 years would be Morbius,Thor love and Thunder,the first Wakanda film and Aquaman 2.

Although I am an old guy I like most of the Marvel type films especially the Batman ones.

I honestly think Madame Web is a good film and because I have a cinema season ticket I expect I will watch it twice.

Leaving aside the idea of being in step with the crowd I think I know why people might not like/appreciate this film.

For a film of its kind it actually has a plot which means people should stop playing with their phones and eating crap and actually watch the film.

If you like these sort of films especially if you are a Spiderman person I don't see how you can fail to enjoy this film.

But realistically popular opinion will probably take a while to give a fair opinion of this film,so we probably won't get a sequel.

Allied (2016)

I always liked this film ,hate is unjustified

[7/10 · 11 January 2024]

This is quite an old film now.

So I give spoilers since people have had a few chances to see it by now.

My review is prompted by it being on British tv during the Christmas holidays.

I am someone who has a great interest in WW2 and the SOE/OSS and the French occupation in particular.

Some of the negative reviews focus on the unrealistic nature of the character played by Brad Pitt.

He plays a French Canadian SOE hero.

There were such people,I easily find the names of 6 executed by nazi Germany.

Likewise somebody doubts there are French speakers in Ontario.

Well there are although they are more common in Quebec.

But to the film.

Of course the film is fiction and made by film makers and not historians so aspect of it are unrealistic I am sure.

There are a couple of modern aspects to the story that seem unlikely and a couple of expressions used wrongly.

As a drama/human story I find the film very watchable.

They shoot their Sten Guns correctly (not holding the magazine) a detail I always like to see.

On the blu ray extras someone says the film is a true story told to him by his grand father,but as much as I like the film I doubt it is a true story.

I find the acting fine and the production values high apart from the parachute scene at the start of the film.

Perhaps part of the negative views of the film were due to the publicity for the film being over the top.

Anyway to sum up if you like war films and/or period romances you will like this.

Ferrari (2023)

I was gripped without being a motor racing fan

[9/10 · 11 January 2024]

I compare this film to Priscilla which I also saw recently.

Many of the more negative reviews here and elsewhere must be from motor racing/Ferrari geeks I think.

Priscilla disappoints Elvis fans because they are Elvis fans,perhaps Ferrari disappoints motor racing fans for the same reason.

I found this to be a moving and very watchable film,I didn't know the real historical events at all.

It is also a film about place and time,Italy in the late 1950s.

I hope this film makes loads of money and Mr Mann can make more films.

This is a very well acted film,I am amazed anybody does not like the performances of the lead players.

People might be worried the film is all action but while there are great action sequences it is really about people and their obsessions.

Priscilla (2023)

I liked this and I am not an Elvis fanatic.

[8/10 · 11 January 2024]

I compare my experience watching this to watching Ferrari which I also saw recently.

There is not going to be much of an audience for films that only appeal to a small devoted audience.

Some of the people at the showing of Priscilla I was at obviously were big Elvis fans and discussed details they didn't approve of.

Just shut up and watch the film would be my advice.

But to the review.

The film is set from 1957 to the mid 1970s.

Of course the film cannot use actual Elvis songs but despite or because of this fact the songs used are well chosen and the soundtrack is great.

I won't go into plot details but I felt the acting was good by everyone involved.

The period look was well done.

I am not a huge Elvis fan and don't know his career in detail but I recommend this film to anyone who is interested in a human story inside the pop culture background.

I am surprised how critical many of the reviews of this film have been.

I didn't find it slow and I did find it moving.

Cobra (2020–2023)

not very good but keep watching it

[6/10 · 9 November 2023]

This review contains spoilers.

We are on the 3rd series of this drama.

It concerns British governments who dealing with crises.

COBRA is the name of the crisis room where governments meet in time of crisis.

UK viewers probably know that already.

This is the 3rd series and I think that each series becomes less realistic and less worth watching.

There are some good actors in this,I don't think Robert Carlyle is very good in this although usually I like his work.

David Haigh is great in this,he plays a right wing loon who sadly reminds me of our current government.

I know governments are made up of people and are therefore flawed but the performance of the characters is even worse than our real governments.

In a previous series we had a senior civil servant from Northern Ireland.

Carlyle plays a Scot who is a tory prime minister.

These appointments are possible but in the real world the top people are more likely to be public school boys or geeks.

So if you are stuck for something to watch you might enjoy this but it is not a great production,watch an ancient Spooks dvd or Utopia or Edge Of Darkness.

Broken Journey (1948)

an early disaster film,I don't get the very negative reviews.

[6/10 · 2 November 2023]

I assume it is not a spoiler to say this film is about a plane crash in the alps.

If you are a fan of 1940s british films you will recognise most of the cast and perhaps the writer ,the director and the writer of the music.

I am a big fan of old British films,and films featuring forms of transport so I like seeing this one.

I am not saying it is an undiscovered classic but I think it is watchable.

Some of the comments on here are rather harsh.

I watch a lot of old films and this easier to enjoy in 2023 than many made at this time.

The script writer was Robert Westerby whose work I have come to like and look out for.

This was made in 1948 and characters are still going on about the war.

As in most later disaster film the characters are mixed bunch,I can't say they a believeable mix but we must remember that at this time foreign travel was not common for ordinary people.

IMDB is full of people who know a lot about cinema history,can anyone think of any older disaster films than this one?

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

this is a great film but lacks pace and drama

[8/10 · 24 July 2023]

When I was at school in Scotland in the 1970s there was a textbook called physics is fun,I never agreed with this book.

Nolan is not the first person to tackle this story,the BBC did a 6 part series in 1980 called Oppenheimer,in 1989 Paul Newman made a film called fat man and little boy.

These productions are obscure and I don't mind Nolan covering the story.

This is a great film but it lacks pace and drama.

It is a 3 hour film divided between 1 part Oppeheimer's life before the Manhattan project,1 part about the Manhattan project and the final part Oppenheimer's fall from grace.

This is a complex and detailed story but I can't say Nolan handles it well.

I have see the previous versions of this story and wrote an essay about the decision to bomb Hiroshima when studying history at university.

I also have a good grasp of the events of WW2 and the Cold War.

So the issues covered in this film are not new to me but the level of detail is sometimes numbing.

The final third of the film covers Oppenheimer's post war problems and this section drags.

The film is very well made but it lacks enough memorable scenes.

The sound and music are exceptional.

This is a biopic and what are we to make of the character of Oppenheimer?

He seems to have been an arrogant genius who was a womaniser who had several public faces displayed at different times.

The film has a large cast and it is hard to work out who is who at times.

But all in all I say is that this is a great film despite it's flaws.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

I like it but not great and not a 10.

[7/10 · 11 July 2023]

I recently saw and reviewed Indiana Jones and the Dial of destiny.

A lot of people felt that film was a disappointment but I liked it and it was more enjoyable than this film.

I like this MI film but feel it was the second poorest in the series.

The worst in the series being MI 2,I assume everybody agrees with that view?

I give no plot spoilers but I found the plot in this a bit unoriginal and unclear.

If you like the Mission Impossible films you will like this one.

The film will be much as you expect.

I do wish the film had been shorter or at least better plotted.

Everyone is getting older and the cast in this film are no exception.

Tom Cruise still looks fit and healthy but he knows he can't keep doing such films.

The film features 2 epic but too long action sequences.

One sequence is in Rome,which looks fantastic,another sequence is set on a train.

Both sequences went on too long I think.

To be clear this film is worth seeing if you are an MI fan but I wish the film makers had made a better film.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

better than Cystal,give it a shot

[7/10 · 29 June 2023]

The first thing to say is that this film is better than Crystal Skull.

It is worth seeing if like many people you were disappointed with Crystal Skull.

Harrison Ford is too old and there is too much cgi but I enjoyed the film and will see it on the big screen more than once.

There is almost too much going on in the film,the plot charges ahead at great speed.

It is a great looking film,no surprise that it cost millions to make.

I felt that one weak point was the character played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge,I didn't warm to the character and remain insure of her motivation.

The film's plot is a bit confusing and of course unrealistic but we expect unrealistic content in these films.

I liked the film,I will see it twice on the big screen,as I said it it looks great,it is an epic of big set piece action.

Blue Lights (2023– )

I loved this watchable but not dumb

[8/10 · 1 May 2023]

No spoilers,this is a 6 part drama about rookie police officers in Belfast,Northern Ireland,UK.

I did not know what to expect from this thing.

It has no actors I recognised and I was not sure if it would require background knowledge to enjoy it.

It is well acted and well scripted.

I think most people will come to love the characters and the setting.

Someone on here says it is the best N I set police series,I can't recall any others except The Fall.

I liked The Fall but to a large extent it could have been set somewhere else but Blue Lights could only work if set in Belfast.

I am surprised by there being so many negative reviews on here.

Perhaps insiders to the police in Northern Ireland find the series unrealistic but as a seasoned viewer of cop shows I look forward to series 2.

I have to say I am bored with every cop show being compared to Line Of Duty.

I like Line Of Duty but I think The Gold and now Blue Lights are just as good.

How about a cop show set in Scotland but not Glasgow?

All Over the Town (1949)

fun but slight period piece,but not really a comedy.

[6/10 · 14 April 2023]

I have this on dvd and decided to watch it today.

I don't often watch it but it is worth watching.

This is an obscure British film from what I believe was the golden age of British cinema.

The film is about a man returning to the war to his old job at a small seaside town's newspaper.

It annoys me a little that people describe this as a comedy and compare it to an Ealing comedy.

There is humour in this film but it is not really a comedy.

The plot involves the local paper campaigning against local government corruption and the old way of doing things that WW2 had discredited.

Everyone writing about this film says it is well acted but does not have any stars in it.

I agree with both statements.

I recognise some of the actors but I think only Bryan Forbes would be recognised by viewers who are British film nuts like me.

But I like the film for what it is as a whole.

Much of it is shot on location in an attractive seaside town.

The sets are great,it all looks real.

I need to seek out the films made by the director and producer.

99-1 (1994– )

I missed this back then and didn't miss much

[6/10 · 25 March 2023]

If anybody actually reads my reviews they will know I am a shift worker so missed a lot of stuff on tv over the years.

I am catching up on dvd.

So I remember this being heavily trailed on ITV back in the day.

I bought the dvd and am working my way through it.

I am not greatly impressed but on the other hand I have seen worse versions of this sort of thing.

Leslie grantham plays a cop who goes undercover.

It has the wonderful Frances Tomelty in it.

The ideas in the drama are strong,it could be remade today,but the execution of the plots are too often routine.

Grantham's character uses his police skills for a secret department,we can believe this angle of the plot but it is hard to believe so many women find him so attractive.

This was made by the same company (Carlton)that made Thief Takers.

Thief Takers was much better than this,hope it comes out on dvd.

Gideon C.I.D. (1964–1966)

mostly forgotten quality police drama.

[8/10 · 25 March 2023]

Like so many series this has become known again due to repeats on tv.

I saw some of the repeats and recently bought the dvd boxed set.

This was made on film (I think) so it looks good and the sound is pretty good.

It is black and white which probably explains why it was not endlessly repeated like the colour ITC series of similar vintage.

I was born in 1960 so never saw this when it was on tv first time round.

It is quite tough and realistic for its time,a time capsule of the then present day captured forever.

The production values are quite high and the cast is usually good in each episode.

The star is John Gregson,he plays inspector Gideon a ww2 veteran with a wife and children,he is totally dedicated to the job.

Out (1978)

good but not as good as it's reputation

[7/10 · 25 March 2023]

I was 18 in 1978 so was old enough to watch this but I don't recall watching it.

I do remember lots of trailers on ITV about it.

This gangster/cop thing set in London.

I bought the dvd recently because it is the sort of thing I like and because my late brother used to go on about how much he loved this drama.

It is interesting from a historical point of view.

The acting and casting are good.

I think it would have been big budget for its time.

But I was slightly disappointed after 6 episodes.

Considering the legendary status of this drama I felt The BBC's Gangsters from the same era is much more ground breaking and watchable.

If you like The Sweeney or The Professionals you will like this.

I find that The Professionals stands up better over time than The Sweeney or this programme.

Fortunes of War (1987)

amazed that there are so few reviews and so mixed

[8/10 · 11 February 2023]

This has been being repeated on one of the BBC channels at the moment.

I have the dvd but watched some of it live the other day.

Watching it made me feel old. I would have been 26 when I saw this first on tv,all my family loved it.

I was surprised to see some of the reviews being so negative about this.

Of course if you expect an action packed story you will be disappointed.

I know a lot more about World War 2 now than I did in 1987 but that fact makes no difference to the viewers enjoyment of the series.

Giving no spoilers the series involves the experiences of a group of people in Eastern Europe in the early part of World War 2.

It seems crazy to me that some one on here complains that it was not filmed in the actual locations in the original book,talk about nit picking.

This drama does not require much prior knowledge of the historical period.

This series is a classic of is kind and should be watched by history fans and fans of good acting.

Pool of London (1951)

I love this film,beautiful on blu ray

[8/10 · 12 January 2023]

I kid myself that I will stop buying the same much loved films again and again on dvd or blu ray but here I am buying this film again.

I think the director of this ,Basil Dearden ,is underrated compared to some other British directors,indeed I think British films,especially of the 1940s and 1950s are underrated in Britain and especially abroad.

For once I give plot spoilers,this film is mainly a heist drama,it is also a time machine visit to a long gone London and also a romance.

The title refers to the fact that London's dockland used to be, unusually I think close, to the centre of the city.

A merchant ship docks in London for a weekend.

The crew are shown drinking and chasing girls but one of the crew is tempted into a life of crime.

The film is nearly all location work and this is fascinating given the huge changes in London since the film was made.

I find the script funny and moving.

The cast is excellent.

Susan Shaw is the female lead and she is beautiful and charming.

I find this film feels less dated and more satisfying than the same director's better known Blue Lamp.

Court Martial (1954)

spent ages hunting for this,a bit dissapointed.

[5/10 · 12 January 2023]

I am a big fan of the director's work and Margaret Leighton as an actress.

So while I must have seen this on tv many years ago I was glad to find the dvd recently.

I just watched it and wish I had enjoyed it more.

I give no plot spoilers but it is a (British) army set legal drama.

The peacetime army setting reminds me a lot of Paths Of Glory but that is a much more satisfying film in my opinion.

One of the pleasures for me of these old British films is spotting the same actors again and again.

Film fans will recognise many of the actors in this,eg Geoffrey Keene.

I can't say this is an awful film but I am surprised how much it is praised by people on here.

No plot spoilers but I didn't find the plot easy to follow,it did not grip me.

Jack Irish: Bad Debts (2012 TV Movie)

great watch glad I traced it.

[7/10 · 12 January 2023]

I saw a bit of this years ago.

I stumbled over the dvd set and pounced upon it.

It is sort of detective series set in Australia.

The lead is an ex lawyer who is now a private eye.

I am not Australian and I am sure I miss a lot of the references but despite this I really rate this drama.

Guy Pearce is the lead actor but the rest of the cast is good if unknown to non Australians.

I am praising the 3 tv films starring Pearce,I understand that there was later a tv series with a different lead.

The series might be great but I have not seen it.

I give no plot spoilers but the stories give a compelling view of the underside of Australian society.

Christmas Carole (2022 TV Movie)

vanity vehicle not very good.

[6/10 · 26 December 2022]

This was a one off Christmas comedy/drama made and shown on SKY tv.

It is based on Dicken's Christmas Carol.

Women boss from modest background realizes life is not always about money.

I have watched the career of the lead Suranne Jones since she was in Coronation Street.

She is now a star and in lots of things.

I was worried when I saw she was a co producer of this because that is often a bad sign.

She was in Dr Foster where I think she was also a producer and the second series of that was poor.

But to this production.

The plot was obvious,there were no great performances and I slightly regret watching this.