silverlight-91083 Reviews

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

good but over rated

[7/10 · 3 April 2023]

No spoilers, just to say that it is worth a watch for action fans. Plot is weak, the film is really just a sequence of very long drawn out and unrealistic fight setpieces....which nevertheless are well shot. Unrealistic because the skill with which every single fighter in the movie (and there are literally hundreds if not thousands of them) can dodge bullets is ridiculous. Suffice to say, the ratio of gunshots on target at close range (within 1-2 metres) is about 1 in 10. Either the fighters are impossibly good at dodging bullets or else they have become so adept at unarmed combat that their gun firing skills have become nonexistent.

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007 Video)

Great but for one huge omission

[8/10 · 6 July 2021]

Quality footage and interviews, a goldmine for fans. It is composed of several seperate segments covering topics related to the script, various aspects of the production, the actors and casting, etc. There definitely should have been a seperate segment on the music...it really is a gaping hole in this otherwise comprehensive documentary.

Gran Torino (2008)

Maybe Clint Eastwood's very best

[9/10 · 14 August 2019]

With so many great movies to his name already as an actor, writer, director, composer and producer, in 2008, after over 50 years making films, Mr Eastwood came up with i think his greatest movie, this one. This is as close to a perfect movie as i have seen. A story about life and death, friendship and sacrifice, it brings the mythical themes at the centre of so many Eastwood films to a kind of culmination in a working class suburban neighbourhood. And Eastwood's 'Walt Kowalski' is in many ways the culmination of all the great loner hero archetypal characters he has played. Everything in this movie is superb, the writing, the acting, the direction and the editing and pacing of the story. Not one scene is wasted. This movie will transport you with it's real life suspense, drama and comedy.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

season 3 - how to ruin a great show

[8/10 · 7 July 2019]

Very few series manage to maintain a high standard beyond the first season or two. For me, one that did (and is an exceptional tv series in a similar vein to stranger things) is The X-files. The X-files first 2 seasons are very good. But seasons 3-5 are generally considered the classic x-files seasons, and rightly so. Here was a show which went from very good to even better and maintained the highest standard right until the end of season 5. (and we are talking 24 episodes per season!) What's the difference? The show stayed on the track it started out on, maintaining the same winning ideas it introduced in the first season, expanding upon them without abandoning them. OTOH, Stranger Things abandoned most of what made it so good in the first 2 seasons and in season 3 for some reason tried to be a totally different show. There was no continuation of the original vision or even the characters in season 3. There were a few good threads - the backstory of Billy and his final redemption for me was the best thing in season 3. The character of Robin was also worthwhile. All in all i think they had about 3 episodes worth of material, the rest was just unnecessary padding out (and tedious at that) It would not surprise me if the whole 'evil russians' theme (which was so absurd) was paid for by outside political entities to be in the show to help push their own current anti-russian propaganda, ironically the US government secret services who were the villians of season 1 & 2, now become the 'cavalry' who show up at the aftermath. Virtually every single aspect of the show went downhill in season 3. Except one thing, the budget obviously went up big-time. The whole production budget multiplied by many times, including salaries - the result - a way-worse show. Interesting how that works.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

season 3 fail

[8/10 · 6 July 2019]

The magic they got in the first 2 seasons...they lost it in season 3. far too much dialogue, attempted humor in every (i mean every) scene takes all the tension and darkness out of it..the main characters from the first 2 seasons are no longer who they used to be....they have all turned into stupid morons who stand around arguing about inane irrelevancies at the height of the action in an attempt to inject humor (always in the wrong places) Overall, season 3 is badly written, lacks any real tension, tries far too hard to be funny, far too much dialogue and far too little story. Very disappointing, but not really surprising...season 1 = 9/10. season 2 = 8/10. season 3 = 6/10. i think the outlook for season 4 is more of the same....stranger things has now morphed (degenerated more like) into your typical ensemble cast drama/comedy/horror/comfort food entertainment series. Still satisfying in places, still has its moments but nothing special like S1 and S2 to an extent.

The November Man (2014)

Engaging Star Chemistry in one of the best spy action thrillers of recent years

[8/10 · 9 October 2018]

Roger Donaldson best directorial effort since 'No Way Out'. Pierce Brosnan has made some worthy political espionage intrigue movies over the years (apart from the Bond movies, The Foreigner and The Tailor Of Panama immediately come to mind) but this one stands up as high as any of them. Olga Kurylenko adds her personal magnetism in large degrees. A well fleshed out constantly twisting storyline with high suspense value, this movie successfully combines good formulaic qualities injected with originality, adding up to great entertainment in my opinion. This is a standout movie of the genre. Deserves a far higher rating then given on this site, which is always a good reason for me to write a review. Highly recommended.

The Darkest Hour (2011)

Way better than average Alien Invasion Story

[7/10 · 2 September 2018]

The rating of below 5 is way off. This movie has a lot going for it. Highly recommended adventure, action drama

Damascus Cover (2017)

Two Very Believable Leads Make This Movie

[8/10 · 2 September 2018]

This movie is far better than it's rating suggests. Not a perfect spy thriller but a very good one, in the old school style. Suspense achieved with characters with complex motivations, great acting and story. Some other reviewer said it was a failed Bond movie. It's not in the same class as a bond movie. More like John Le Carre style.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

Destined to become a modern classic

[8/10 · 31 October 2017]

Stranger Things season 2 surpassed the first season. I have to write something after reading several reviewers who said that the story is predictable and clichéd. What they don't understand is that is not important. The creators of Stranger Things know how to tell a good story, they recognise that it comes from strong characters and that what gives a story richness is the strength of the characters in the first place and from there, their interaction, the story and plot is driven by the characters acting true to themselves. In a great story the plot may be predictable but that is for the very reason that as you come to know who the characters are you can see how they will act. Situations then become of great interest as you feel almost as if you are a part of the story, because in your mind you feel the characters are real and you place yourself alongside with them and 'live' the story with them. To call this cliché betrays a lack of empathy with the characters. This can come about if the characters are undeveloped and remote. But in a story such as Stranger Things the characters are consistently strong and believable and earn your empathy. This gives you faith to invest more of your attention to the drama, draws you into the story. It is clichéd because every great story has always done this. This is the essence of great story telling. What is important is whether or not a movie, book, TV series, piece of music has soul. If it comes from the right place then it can take you on a journey, a real journey of discovery into yourself just as the creator went on a journey into themselves to create it. Too much modern art and culture is calculated, from the intellect, it is empty. No matter how good the execution is it is still empty in the end and cannot leave a lasting impression. Stranger Things is destined to become a modern classic of the TV series genre. Needless to say it is also very well executed in all departments too, from the acting to the music, the cinematography, the direction. It has no pretensions, it is what it is and it is very very good! I want more entertainment like this and less like the last film i reviewed which was Blade Runner 2049 which i think is symptomatic of what is wrong with Hollywood. Over calculated and pretentious instead of just real and heartfelt. Stranger Things gets my highest rating a 9/10.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

Vince Vaughn is great as the straight talking tough guy forced into an impossible position

[8/10 · 16 October 2017]

Vince Vaughn does a great job of portraying a no-nonsense tough guy who doesn't mince his words in this prison drama. I was surprised how much i enjoyed this movie. His character brings to mind characters similar to what Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood and the like have played. There is a real intensity about this movie and his performance that is lacking in many action films these days. The supporting cast were good also but i thought Vince Vaughn totally carried this movie, which could have been way worse but for what he brought to it. Highly recommended for fans of old school movies of this genre.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

A mediocre and soulless 'blockbuster'. Expensively bad movie making.

[4/10 · 7 October 2017]

This review does contain a very minor spoiler.

The original Bladerunner is one of my favourite movies of all time, very atmospheric, great story and plot with interesting characters, great soundtrack, visually stunning. a true classic. i saw it at the cinema when it first came out and have watched it many times since. this sequel does not hold a candle to the original movie, in fact i would call it an abomination. Nonsensical plot and script to begin with, overlong and dead boring in most scenes, soundtrack consists of painfully loud synthesizer ugliness as opposed to the sublime beauty and atmosphere of Vangelis's soundtrack which really elevated the original movie by capturing, conveying every intended mood - tenderness, loneliness, menace, vastness, sentimentality and more. The people still involved from the original movie must have been squirming inside during the making and promotion of this film. the only pass this movie gets from me is the cinematography which was OK. Overall, hopelessly inferior to the original movie in every aspect and I'm sure it cost many times the original to make. To me, it follows the general trend of Hollywood so-called 'blockbusters', totally over-hyped and generally poor movies. i do see good movies out of Hollywood occasionally but they are usually the ones which go under the radar, as did the original Bladerunner when it came out.

How to describe what this movie is missing? the best scene in the movie was where Deckard feeds his dog whiskey! the only scene with an ounce of 'realness' in it, something to connect to, otherwise its all overly pretentious and ponderous, lacking inspiration, going through the motions. Visually stylish but no depth or substance behind the appearance. Like the old saying 'The Emperor has no clothes on'