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The Perfect Couple (2024)
Bonfire on the beach....
You know this is one of those stellar casts that the streaming services dream up that will help to target the older and wealthier viewers. That's what we get, in what can be a very delicious bonfire of the vanities of a set of self-absorbed rich Americans living in their bubble, only to see their perfect idyll shattered when a dead body appears. So some schadenfreude.
We can all revel in seeing this lot of luvvies self-destruct, and we see what we already know that behind the façade is a pack of lies and dirty secrets. We already know all this, yet we all still come back to watch it.
Anyhow, the acting is very good, the settings beautiful and so on. Yet, it didn't really grab me. Not sure, if this was dramedy, thriller, mystery or just mish-mash not knowing what it wanted to be.
You can get absorbed into it in a six part-series, but in truth I think this could have been a better more concise show of fewer episodes which could have made it more taut. I often got bored, it's not truly aimed at me, and I wasn't convinced by everyone in this show.
Nicole Kidman is the lead matriarch in this story, and I'll mostly leave it out, but you can't avoid it and say what has she done to herself? She mostly does fax in her role in this series.
It's not for me, nor do I think it ever was. Some will still enjoy it.
Terminator Zero (2024)
Season 1 Review: Terminator reboot in manga styles, decent....
If you were despaired by the news of another Terminator show, then let me tell you that you can relax, this is a fine showing, which is saying something after the lucklustre run over the years after T2 (albeit I did like Terminator Salvation).
By coincidence this week I have watched/finished both reboots to the old Arnie Sci-fi classics that were Terminator Zero Anime series and this Predator:Prey movie, and personally I was happy & mildly surprised by both.
We have a manga/animated series, and Season 1 is an interesting but not necessarily revolutionary redoing of the Terminator story. Based in Tokyo, we have the same story of a Terminator and human sent back to the past to change history. We have our lead protagaonist, Malcolm Lee, who is under threat from the Terminator, whilst his family find out the truth of who he truly is as they come under threat too.
Now, this first season clearly owes a big debt to the seminal Ghost in the Shell, and unashamedly follows similar styles, in particular the existential monologues by certain characters. This adds some gravitas to the story and really keeps your interest.
In truth, the whole backbone to the Terminator narrative has now been flogged to death, and no reboot is going to resolve that. However, the ideas remain, and this series adds a new welcome development to the films.
I recommend it to all. It's got the basic concepts as well as new ones to make it of interest.
Prey (2022)
If it bleeds... we can watch it!
By coincidence this week I have finally watched/finished both reboots to the old Arnie Sci-fi classics that were Terminator Zero Anime series and this Predator:Prey movie, and personally I was happy & mildly surprised by both.
Concentrating on Prey, we have a left-field take as we are taken back to North America as it was at the turn of the history from when it was the home of the American Indian communities before the colonialists took over in time. We follow a young American Indian lady out to prove herself as a hunter, only to find that she is trying to discover a challenge greater than any of her patronising males realise is facing them. Using her intelligence and grace as against brawn, she proves herself to survive against the odds but watches the alien Predator rip apart the strongest of beasts and every male adversary he faces. This film clearly does owe some due to Apocalypto, albeit our actors all speak in English rather than old local dialects.
The budget for this is clearly a fraction of the past movies but what it lacks in special effects budgets it makes up with concentrating on character and setting, and overall it really does work. This isn't some cliched Mary Sue storyline (a term I admit to hate to use), but that's true. This narrative is closer to that of Sarah Connor or Ripley, and we are all the better for it. The lead actress, Amber Midthunder, is brilliant as we follow her journey of self-discovery to protect herself and her tribe, using her acumen first.
In truth, the overall story is not exactly hard to predict, but that is possibly why at the end you're left still surprised by how enjoyable the film & story is. You learn to empathise and identify with our lead, who is really a polar opposite to the other leads in the Predator movies. It's good to see this film finally return to its basic roots after the poor run over the years (most notably Predator v Aliens and Predators). Don't get me wrong I liked The Predator & even Predator 2 but they should have stuck to the themes of the first and build that up.
Anyhow, a very enjoyable popcorn film, and fine return to form.
Gary (2024)
What is this documentary talking about?
There's something very uncomfortable about this documentary on the turbulent life of the precocious talent that was Gary Coleman. For a generation he was loved wherever his flagship show "Different Strokes" was shown, and broke down various barriers without even needing to try but just be himself.
The reality was that behind the curtains, it was all another story and this documentary is meant to be trying to reveal the reality. However, as Gary Coleman has passed away, we are left to rely on a series of contributors whom we are wholly left mostly unconvinced by their sincerity or honesty in their recalling of the young man.
It makes the entire documentary difficult watch, as we know that he was a maturing male stuck in the body of young boy.
Like many others, I was charmed by Gary Coleman in his heyday and loved his exuberance & humour. Sad to see how life transpired for him and certain of his peers.
This documentary probably on what they had on hand, should have been buried. If it's meant to reveal the truth, I'm not sure any judge would be able to give a final judgement on what was presented.
Give this a miss I think, and really maybe now let's leave Gary Coleman to rest in peace.
Cobra Kai: Best of the Best (2024)
Season 6 Part 1 of 3: Cobra Kai - into the last lap... Still loving it...
Cobra Kai is now starting it's last lap after a marathon run but has annoyingly been split it up into three parts. I was surprised by this final run as I genuinely thought the last season was it all wrapped up, but the producers clearly feel they can squeeze more out of it. So how was this part one of three of this extended final season? Unlike many other self styled online media commentators, I very much loved it and very much looking forward to the forthcoming installments.
This is clearly a show that is tying up all the loose ends, with friendships, relationships, work and post-school thoughts at the forefront. Then there is the hidden menace of Kreese! There's still much to ponder as well as a new mystery, and yes some characters go back to being at each others throats despite old hatchets being buried.
The show retains its humour with the long suffering Amanda Larusso as bewildered as ever on being stuck in this 'Twilight Zone'. This has been a slow burn of a season, and is the better for it. Johnny Lawrence is to be a dad but remains immature whilst Danny Larusso is still not as balanced as he thinks he is. Yet we all still love the emotional ride.
The stunning thing is that this show has retained it's quality in writing and humour. There aren't many series in the past generation or two which have maintained as high a standard as this. Give or take some ropey moments, the show managed to just get back on track and keep us hooked.
Supacell (2024)
South London superheroes on the estates, a fine series...
Supacell is a welcome surprise, which busts apart a few very cliched genres. For a start this is a South London ('Sarf Landin') young bois gangsta meets the superheroes film. This might sound ridiculous, but somehow the writers & directors have incredibly pieced this so well together to make it watchable & compulsive.
We have a diversive set of young black adults with their own personal personal problems, finding themselves to have some unique superpowers which is as much a curse as a blessing as they struggle to know how to handle their strengths with without tearing themselves apart. To complicate things, there's some pseudo-establishment group out to get them to take advantage of their powers for their own gain.
Okay, so there's some things already well trodden here but the ensemble actors did such a fine job to make you empathise with them, and you are really interested in them as much as their powers. If anything, the superpowers are really just a sideshow. It's a surprising take.
The settings are quite well known to me personally, so I kind of laughed when I saw them, but the director does well to blend all in, and very maturely done too. It all fits in so well for something done on a relative frugal budget.
The only problems are that there are issues which are a bit too cliched around the black London community that made me groan, and even find a bit contrived, but I'll leave that for the viewer to agree or not. It won't ruin things in my opinion.
Overall, a very fine series and I recommend this to all, and if anything, I'm looking forward to the next season already.
House of the Dragon: The Queen Who Ever Was (2024)
House of the Dragons seems to be drifting away....
House of the Dragon (HOTD) season 2 has been one that has left me very ambivalent about the whole show. After what was a very fine restart for Game of Thrones with season 1 of HOTD, this season has had so many ups and downs, and I'll avoid any clear spoilers.
We have very fine acting in general, but I feel that the jumping around characters gave often little room for proper detail. Matt Smith's character in particular seemed to be trapped somewhere with little challenge, and really was a wasted chance. Alyse Rivers was an excellent character and intriguing but we got to see little development.
I don't want to be over negative but really there were too many moments where I just cringed, the final episode was dreadfully written, and I groaned quite a number of times. Sharako Lohar in particular was possibly the worst & most ridiculous character I have yet seen in the entire Game of Thrones world. I just am not confident for the next season.
There's some modern world nonsense slapped into the show too, which I won't go into as I'll avoid spoilers but it's so sign-posted, and one-sided, I gave up. Whatever happened to the Tyrion Lannister type witticisms, the games of the whisperers, the mediaeval gamesmanship and the fantasy warfare? If anything this show seemed to be like a corporate meeting that was about organising corporate meetings (that's a real thing), as in this was the starting block of the beginning of a war to come which I'm losing interest to follow.
I thought the season 2 started fine, but really have lost a lot of interest. I'll likely keep up with season 3, but really this has lost its way. Can't even empathise with the characters. Each to their own, but I hope the writers can turn this all around.
Blow Out (1981)
Travolta's film noir... Dated but still very intriguing...
Blow Out was one of those now long forgotten films from the 1980s that still has some cult following, especially following some very good words on it from fans like Quentin Tarantino.
We have John Travolta in one of his last great films until he hit the trough in the 1980s (and then resurged back in the 1990s with Pulp Fiction). He plays a sound engineer/recordist who finds himself in some suspenseful murder mystery case. It's late 1980s contemporary film noir, so no one is as they seem, no one should be trusted, and clearly nothing will work out as it should.
Personally, I found it very intriguing. The story is so strange, it actually keeps you hooked with curiosity. Travolta is very believable as the innocent man out to find the truth, but Nancy Allen is wonderful too in her support role. They keep the film very interesting.
The problem is though that the film does now look very dated, and you can see the low budget aspects (which actually can help give it character) but also the loopholes in the storyline. It's not worth questioning every motive, just go with the flow, and the very ending really will catch you out brilliantly.
It's suspenseful and interesting, but very dated. Still a decent watch. If anything, it does kind of make you think after such a decent performance why did Hollywood decide to discard Travolta like they did for so many years later. He was a great screen presence. As for Nancy Allen, well she continued well and became a heroine for her role to come in Robocop.
Civil War (2024)
Civil War - Don't wave the white flag for this one...
Civil War is a movie that very much surprised me. Upfront, I am NOT going to go through the politics and will be fully neutral, even though this film (despite what the director/writer has said) is clearly very topical currently.
We have a film that takes it that the White House is overrun by some fascist president into his third term, and some Californian/Texas alliance has started a Civil War to oust him. What we as viewers actually follow is a small crew of photo journalists out to capture the violence and havoc of the war.
This film was actually very good, but sadly way too underrated by some, maybe in fear of political backlash. The film is clearly influenced by some war classics such as Apocalypse Now as well as the second half of Full Metal Jacket. The film clearly takes no prisoners, and it's a very tough watch and unforgiving. That's why certain people who want safe viewing won't handle it. The lady beside me watching it in the cinema was gasping so often in this film, but that's what war is like.
The actors are excellent, especially Kirsten Dunst as the lead protagonist, but Jesse Plemons stole the film with his incredibly frightening cameo role as a militia men. That scene was tense.
As a story, it's about the impact of what's going on, the tension and reality of conflict. The direction & setting are often beautiful, capturing the duality of civil war which is frightening in your own back yard. That's what it's trying to say.
I really recommend this. It's an intelligent and thought provoking movie, which is another great addition to cinema this year, a year so far that I've been very highly impressed with.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Anya Taylor-Joy is perfect in this high-octane Mad Max prequel.... Brilliant!
I'll be straight up from the start, I genuinely had some reservations going into this movie when I read that Anya Taylor-Joy was the lead for this film, because as much as I respect her acting ability and talent, I just couldn't see how she would fit this role. She was excellent, and so I'm eating plenty of humble pie here. It has to be just put out there from the start.
Anya Taylor-Joy is the crux of the film as the lead protagonist Furiosa, whose back-story we are discovering after being introduced in the last movie. The film is just incredible. The run-time just flies by and you just love it all. The storyline, the humour, the dialogue and the action just flows perfectly along throughout the entire run-time, and you will be engrossed.
It's filmed almost perfectly, and everything fits in spectacularly This is a film made for cinema too, and the sound with the big screen action just goes together so well.
I can't speak highly enough of this. A wonderful and surprise addition to the Max Max story.
Really give it a try. Highly recommended.
Baby Reindeer (2024)
Tough viewing about stalking, abuse and fear...
Has there been a more compelling story that revolves around such a dark take on stalking? Not that I can think of, and before anyone tells you otherwise, I'm going to take this as mostly a fictional story (where the line is drawn on reality & fiction is impossible for us to say, and I don't want to get into that here). The truth is that we only have part of the story from one angle here.
Anyhow, Richard Gadd has written this brilliantly. A disturbing story that centres around a man stalked by a disturbed woman, and our expectations are subverted as we see his backstory to see that he has his problems too, with abuse creating a vicious circle. An incredible aspect to the writing is that the characters are not villains or evil. We'll never know the full true story here, we just have to sit back and understand, which is very important.
We have here humour (dark), violence, sex, insights and confusion. We also have some difficult situations. Richard Gadd is simply a hard up, and struggling comedian, sacrificing much to realise a dream of making it in the media world (one of millions who dream of it). This brings up frightening experiences which he tries to bury for many reasons which he discusses.
It's a difficult watch, but I can't think of much that I've seen that has been as frighteningly compelling and engrossing as this. It brings to light the crimes in our world we shouldn't ignore.
Really highly recommended.
The Pale Blue Eye (2022)
Edgar Allan Poe plays detective....
On the surface of it, this film had so much going for it. A host of fine actors very well known to the UK public at least and to the Harry Potter fandom, as well as a well received novel. Overall though I was a little underwhlemed by the film.
The story revolves around the early 19th Century with murder mystery set in around baracks with the a young Edgar Allan Poe as a cadet roped in to help. It's a faction film (more fiction), and we see some gothic tales and shenanigans inevitably as this is Edgar Allan Poe we are talking about. The real lead of the film is played by Christian Bale who takes on Edgar Allan Poe to find the killers.
Sounds intriguing, and it actually is but I was expecting so much more. I don't deny that the settings & direction were wonderful, whilst the acting is very convincing, but I just found it difficult to invest in the storyline. If anything, I kind of got lost in it all and was very little convinced by it.
It's a decent enough film, but with its cast & likely generous budget, I feel it could have been so much more than it was.
The Good Fight Club (2023)
This series packs a good strong punch...
I found this heartwarming and fascinating series to stream, and I'm so happy that I did. This series follows a blue-collar group of trainees led by an affable coach building up their core fighting skills for MMA tournaments. It's a reality fly on the wall documentary series thankfully without any histrionics, as we see the young set of fighters show us their mettle and growing confidence and friendship found within this environment.
One of the key stories is the surprising and fascinating story of Thomas, a deaf fighter who is working his way up to make it as a professional. Being in the ring is tough enough without that condition, but to him it's just an inconvenience, and it's wonderful to watch the ups & downs he goes through with his mentor.
It's a fascinating and engrossing trip, and I admit that despite NOT being into MMA whatsover but admit this series has really made me reassess that view and respect it all a lot more.
I'd really recommend this series. After all the cod-reality documentaries that seem to pollute the streaming services (especially on Netflix) it's great to watch this down to earth series, which I feel deserves more praise and attention.
Dune (1984)
Bury it deep down in the sand dunes...
After having watched the second film in this updated Dune triology that has taken cinema by storm, I decided to watch the original Dune by David Lynch from 1984 in a retro showing at a local cinema. It was packed out, so clearly there was quite an interest to watch this for a similar curiosity as mine.
What we have is one dreadfully bad movie. Even for the time it likely looked dated and out of touch, especially as it came 15 years after 2001, 8 years after Star Wars and a couple of years after Blade Runner. If anything, this film has more in common with TV show standards for special effects like the old BBC Doctor Who series. In some ways, the film owes a debt to Flash Gordon which is curious as that film was a box office flop, and its 'succcess' owes more to video & TV re-runs for kids. Whatever the case, Dune (1984) is simply a dud and it's hard to believe that the brilliant David Lynch was behind it.
The only positive note I have to state on this film is that the exposition is far better and easier to follow than the modern trilogy in progress. I finally got to understand the point of much that was going on and why.
Back to the negative notes, the dialogue is cringey, there are jumps in the story that makes no sense, it's rushed at points especially in the last third, and the villains are so unconvincing they are laughable. Got to add that the villains look like they were stepped out of Monty Python movie.
Then there is Sting the singer. What was he thinking, and his cameo is embarrassing to watch. Very camp, very strange and an unconvincing bad-ass!
Despite saying all that, the truth is that it's so bad yet still watchable! You can still sit & watch it, in a kind of Tommy Wiseau style. I'd say it's worth a viewing for curiosity.
Untold: Johnny Football (2023)
A story of a frat boy who just never grew up...
I'm coming from the outside on this one, having very little (if not practicaly no) knowledge of the general culture and stories around American Football, especially not the college ball scene. To all of us outside of the US, the strength of the college football scene is incredible.
As for this guy, Johnny 'Football' Manziel, it's not exactly a new story in sport. Across every major sport, there's 1000 of these stories, and we can all highlight some major similarities from Europe, for example Freddy Adu, Islam Feruz, Delle Alli and so on. Great talents who never reached the great heights once forecast for them. We all even know a guy from our school days who we grew up who could fit in this category too.
This is an interesting documentary, although I acknowledge having read up further after watching this documentary, that there is a lot of different ways to tell the story and that also much is missing. However, it doesn't paint the guy out to be any angel, and there's no real Road to Damscus moments either. He is just at heart a record breaking college frat boy who just couldn't grow out of that trance.
The documentary gives enough talking heads to give some opinion and colour, and despite any negative comments, he does manage to reach the NFL when so many others don't even come close. We see though his lack of maturity and responsibility, so no one is surprised on how it all pans out.
I found it very interesting. Happy to see that the documentary doesn't try to pin the blame on others, and all the player himself to take the flak at the end. A fine documentary in what has been a fine series on Netflix.
Late Night with the Devil (2023)
This TV talkshow host cum horror deserves its ratings...
Wow! Having heard a review of this, I was intrigued to watch this film, and I can say that it was a great watch.
We have a film that centres around a talkshow host who is constantly playing catch up to reach the top of the food chain in the 1970s TV talkshow world, and has long past his peak. Now we find him resorting desperately to performing some horror excorcism and seance on his show to boost ratings, and as you can guess already, things get out of control.
First of all, this is a retro horror film and it works perfectly well, and has a wonderful feel like an old Video nasty. However, it's not by any means the most scary film out there, and actually uses a lot of dark humour to mellow the atmosphere, which allows this film to be more accessible to a larger audience. The film feels like a theatre play on screen, and works perfectly for it here with a very claustrophobic atmosphere. You're in but you can't get out.
The film is clearly derivative and pays homage to others like obviously 'The Exorcist' but also found footage movies too, but it's the acting that is the real crux, and I can't think of a single bad performance in this film.
David Dastmalchian plays our TV talkshow host without needing to pander to being smarmy or evil, but really like an welcoming uncle. The benefit then of that is that he sucks you in. The real star turns out to be the possessed young girl (Lilly) who is incredibly performed by Ingrid Torelli, who creates one of the most genuinely disturbing and frightening character portrayals I've seen in years. The young lady broke the mould after what has been decades now of cliched portrayals of young women in horror.
As we follow the happenings, the tension is ratcheted up, but humour provides some respite, and it is quite funny at times without in any way undermining the horror. The twists and turns ensure we are wholly engrossed, and I myself was hooked.
I'd really recommend you catch this when you can in the cinema, this host very much deserves an audience. Just please don't ruin this fine film with unnecessary sequels.
Furies: Namaste connard (2024)
Season 1 Review: Sassy, offbeat and exciting. Cool watch...
This French series is quite an anecdote to the often much maligned series that Netflix in particular churns out. We have a young lady who is led by what is a surrogate mother. The catch is that the young lady is the daughter of a murdered money launderer working for the big gangsters in Paris, whilst the surrogate mother is actually the 'Fury', the one who keeps the gangsters in Paris in check with ruthless abandon.
The series is clearly quite a homage to Nikita and Leon, but also feels like 'Wanted' too! This entire mix gives us an interesting mix, and I was quite hooked. The show does try to keep off the well-trodden path, and was unafraid to upset expectations. The two leads were exceptionally good, and many other series/films with lead action roles with women could definitely learn a thing or two from this one.
I found it fun, exciting, crazy and cool. Must add a word for the two side-kicks who stole the show whenever they were on screen (Simon & Le Boueux) who I wished had more screentime.
What did dent the show was some of the ancillary characters, especially other gangsters, were often too ridiculous to take seriously (even though the show was really mostly tongue in cheek). I just lost interest when they were on-screen. That doesn't take away from the rest of the series I found.
Overall, this is fun and exciting, and I really loved the lead two women working off of each other. Worth a watch.
10x10 (2018)
Abduction thriller where more than meets the eye...
I'm a little surprised by the low rating this film has achieved. I think this is a surprising little film which I enjoyed and a far greater successful risk taker than has been the case with even films with budgets far in excess of this one.
We have a storyline that begins with the abduction of a lady (Cathy) by (to her) an anonymous man (Lewis), and as it turns out, they are far more connected that at first she wants to believe. There's twists and turns, and some very dark moments too.
This feels like a theatre play on screen, as we see Lewis reveal why he has abducted her, and we find the secret behind Cathy. It's the acting & the taut nature of the thriller that keeps you on edge. I thought it was very smart, and kept you on your toes. Both Kelly Reilly and Luke Evans are excellent in the lead roles and deserve a lot of praise for what they brought to the roles. Very impressive.
If you want a dark thriller and intelligent watch, I'd recommend this. Deserves more attention that it's got.
Huset (2023)
Worth getting locked up with this series...
"Prisoner" as this has been renamed for the showing in the UK, is a dark & difficult but thoroughly engrossing viewing. There's been plenty enough prison series over the years, but this one takes a different take, mostly concentrating on the dramas of the four key prison wardens rather than the prisoners themselves.
As this follows in the tradition of prision dramas, you know some of the obvious events that will occur, but the truth is that its emphasis on the prison wardens is an interesting departure that makes a big difference in what we encounter. From the mother with the drug addicted son, the new warden who finds his friend behind bars and so on. This all leads to a major collision, as sins & crimes are covered-up with more sins & crimes, and it all gets out of hand. Hanging over the heads of the wardens, is the threat of the possible closure of the prison with the the head warden under pressure from the inspectors.
This series is for me one of the best Scandi Noir series. Generally, I've not been as impressed as others with Scandi Noir but this is an exception. A dark, nasty and very intelligent bit of drama that makes you question morality in these worlds.
I don't want to give anything away, although some things are well sign-posted from early on but that doesn't devalue the series in any way.
I'd recommend this very highly to everyone.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Dune 2 - Desert Rats v The Empire
Dune Part Two is one that I feel will divide more people that some will admit. I thoroughly enjoyed the first part, and rewatched it a week ago before watching this sequel, and it was a great film that pushed the boundaries in what Cinema can do best on a big screen. Part Two follows that same pattern, and is mostly on part with it.
We have a continuation of sing our lead protagonist Paul out to fulfill his destiny is this Tatooine linke planet against the evil empire out to exploit the indigenous groups (like the unsubtly named Freman). He seeks revenge and to find himself, and clearly ther are Star Wars parallels as any fanboy of the sci-fi genre will bore about (Star Wars having been heavily influenced by the original Dune book).
It's incredible to look at, with the setting and effects brilliant. The action scenes keep you going without the need to just keep going on forever trying to outdo each scene each time.
The issue was though that most of the time, I'll admit I didn't have a clue what was going on! The exposition was difficult to understand if ever done, and the conversations were often hard to follow. I wasn't convinced by Timothee Chalamet as a revolutionary leader, but he is a fine actor. I thought Rebecca Ferguson stole the show for me, and I loved the cameo roles by Charlotte Rampling and Dave Bautista.
This is definitely one for sci-fi devotees. For me? Well, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it but I get the feeling there will be many others who won't feel invested in it, but it's worth giving it a try.
Kin: Episode #2.8 (2023)
Season 1 & 2 Review: Irish gangsters....
Here we go again another tv series based around the machinations of a Gangster family. Netflix is chok-a-blok full of these series, with off the top of my head varieties such as Australian, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Canadian, Latin American and so on. So much so that they seem to almost ape each other.
This one little differs from the others yet I'll admit I still enjoyed it. Maybe the only difference is that this is not about first/second generation immigrants who are finding their feet and end up choosing the dark side, but rather is really wholly based on the Irish, albeit a couple of non-Irish descent characters too.
What we have is a dysfunctional family of Irish Gangsters who end up in existential crisis which threaten the livelihoods of everyone in contact with them. Just to remind you that that this is all set in Dublin, they repeatedly showed shots of the Aviva stadium (the national football stadium) over and over again!
You have the usual gangster dramas, but what helps to elevate this show is some great actors & performances. With all due respect, the surprise is Clare Dunne as the wife of the weak link in the family, and without any genuine attempt or agenda, ends up making herself the focal-point and de facto head of the family. This is despite the rest of the family having greater experience and strength, and so on.
Anyhow, it's a watchable gangster series, and in some ways goes its own way. There are a lot of nonsense too, and the friendly professional gangster trope really did grate a little, with the family portrayed as moral and really doing it all to support their family and children, with no really attention given by the series writers to show the negative impact on the rest of society (as The Sopranos was willing to do).
It's a decent thriller drama series. I enjoyed the first two series, which only came out recently here, and I watched them back to back. I look forward to the next upcoming seasons in time.
Oppenheimer (2023)
A biopic of a difficult life...
I finally sat down to watch this lauded movie which supposedly was half of the reason that saved cinema in 2024. Personally, I wasn't blown away like most others, but there's no denying this is an exceptionally well put together movie as you would expect from Christopher Nolan.
We have a biopic covering the turbulent life of Robert Oppenheimer who helped develop the atomic bomb, and we watch him having to juggle the political battles with his personal ones at a complex junction in history due to World War Two and then the Cold War. In some ways, the biggest battles for him were those in his personal life rather than on any battle-field.
There's no getting around the brilliance of the direction and performances, with many (especially Cillian Murphy) deserving of all the praise that has come their way. Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt are brilliant in their roles, and may do little better in their careers (which is a high bar taking in what they have been previously involved in).
My problem is that as much as I was engrossed, but at three hours I thought the run-time was excessive. I was left very uncomfortable with some of the scenes covering his mistress which were lurid & mostly unnecessary. I think the film was also a little hagiography, but you do see his negative side as much as the positive.
This film deserves credit, taking a chance on a storyline of someone whom few if any will praise (even if only reluctantly) for what he achieved. In a cinema scene devoid of any genuine quality at present, it's a nice change.
Did it help to save cinema? Personally, I think it's a stop-gap in the recent decline. Far more is needed done to save film & cinema, but this is a welcome addition. I found it of interest, but not one that I will likely revisit again.
The Many Saints of Newark (2021)
Well, with all due respect....
...this film is one of those rarities, in which I'm astounded to say I was left so incredibly underwhelmed as against my initial expectations. I got into the Sopranos very late, but once i started watching it and it finally does hit the mark, I was left speechless at times. Incredibly, for a show that lasted for so many seasons, it managed to maintain high standards throughout and up to the end (albeit with some setbacks along the way). So that's why this film is a surprise disappointment to rank it as a mis-step.
As The Sopranos was very famous for its misdirections, the storyline carries on that tradition, with the main protagonist being the father of Christopher Montasanti (Dickie Montasanti). We follow his story until his untimely demise which was already known from the show. Johnny Soprano turns out to be a sideshow character which was quite a surprise for this story, whilst Tony Soprano turns out to be in his youth little different to Anthony Jr years later.
The storyline ebbs and flows with some dark turns, as we watch the moral livelihoods of the mostly unpleasant characters. However, we also see a surrogate father son relationship between our lead and the young Tony Soprano which adds some uncomfortable background to one of the main arcs in the TV series.
The acting is great, and you can't fault anyone. Vera Farmiga as Livia was frighteningly superb in a role that could easily have gone wrong, but I did feel sorry for Jon Bernthal who probably expected to be the centre of the story as Johnny Soparano, only to surprisingly find himself as a bit-part character!
However, I was just felt underwhelmed by the film. Too much was skated over and I feel maybe a film was too little for what was needed here but rather a series. If this was a 2 part TV show, maybe I'd have been more accepting of it. Also they already did the same actor playing twins in the original, and that quite kind of pushing it with Ray Liotta's character, albeit he still did brilliantly in his roles.
Maybe it's actually a lot better than what I have stated above, as it's going against a classic of the onscreen media. Yet I can't shake off this feeling this was a partially lost opportunity. I still enjoyed it but.... There's will always be a "but" with this film when speaking about it...
Sidenote: As The Sopranos at heart was always a paen to Goodfellas above any other movie, it will likely have been a huge personal achievement for David Chase (the creator of The Sopranos) to finally get Ray Liotta ("Henry Hill") into The Sopranos world. Reports claim he had previously failed to bring him in before. Sadly, following Ray Liotta's untimely death, we will not see his like again onscreen. RIP.
Big Shark (2023)
Coming right up at you... Fun & silly....
Just watched this back to back with The Room, and the only question that needs answered is whether this is as much fun as The Room. My answer is No, but it's still a lot of ridiculous fun in the cinema.
The Room is a one-off, loved & admired by film aficiancdos as much as b-movie lovers for its unintentional ridiculous direction & writing, and when you watch it in the cinema the effect is multiplied. It's so much fun to watch in a fun-loving crowd.
Big Shark makes it way up along to The Room, and Tommy Wiseau is still Tommy Wiseau. This is really just a Sci-Fi channel movie with the expected nonsense. It's daft, it's corny and funny.
It isn't anywhere near as much fun as The Room, but don't fret, as in the cinema with a jolly crowd, you'll have a fun time.
Enjoy!
Yankee (2019)
Best leave this one buried out in the desert...
Yankee is a very strange one to really review on. I think it is a series with an initial curious idea that loses steam badly early on but is still entertaining viewing.
The story centres around the central character "Yankee" who is forced into exile to Mexico following a shooting of a cop.
However, the premise develops into become a little annoying if not offensive, with the American (mixed white Latin/American) outsmarting all the Latino locals who really are all supposedly dubious. His wife & family is stranded north of the border, whilst with little really skill he is able to rise rapidly to the top of the food chain in the drugs world.
The truth is that they had an initial germ that could have developed into something, but seemed to have taken a lazy root. Maybe the series was too long, and they could have simply had a better story if it was much shorter. The lead playing Yankee to me was very unconvincing. Never convinced me he was some streetwise capo in the brutal drug world in Mexico. If anything, he was weak to me, and counter to his mirror psychopath in the show, it made little sense he survived.
The lady who played Yankee's wife in particular was terrible, and in some ways her character on-screen was treated in an almost creepy & leery way for just the sex scenes etc. She was also a bad actress, the way her story played out was really total nonsense. If anything, it made little sense.
However, the one character who really does stand out for me was the undercover Laura Wolf who was a brilliant interesting character and was very well played by Ana Layevska who I will keep an eye out for in the future. If anything, her story was the main crux of the show for me, and I'd argue the only thing that will keep you watching.
Sadly, overall the show was poor. It's clear why there's no follow up season. Sad note, that one of the lead actors died prematurely not long after the show aired, Sebastian Ferrat. He was actually decent albeit over-the-top. RIP.