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purplepete
Reviews
Beyond Paradise (2023)
Beyond time to end this show
The main attractions for Death in Paradise are the beautiful setting, the labyrinthine murder plots and the interesting characters.
Beyond Paradise has none of these. Humphrey was by far the most annoying detective from Death in Paradise and in Beyond Paradise his worst characteristics have been accentuated and his IQ has been lowered by around 60 points.
The murder plots are so pedestrian that you can often work how who will be murdered and why within the first couple of minutes-there is none of the twisted logic of Death in Paradise.
As to the ultra-white setting - the only surprise is how come everyone seems to be able to drive around in open top cars bearing in mind the location would in reality see most of them flooded on most days.
The biggest surprise of all is why a second season was ever commissioned.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
Banal
It's as if someone watched the entirety of both Star Wars and Firefly and then chose to plagiarise the WORST elements of each in order to create this.
In the first 40 minutes we have nonsensical agricultural practises for a spacefaring people, an obvious copy of apartheid South Africa combined with the worse excesses of a US-like military whose actions immediately jeopardise the orders of their commander, an idiot local who ignores the obvious advice of everyone and then somehow becomes one of the main characters, and an exceptionally poorly choreographed fight scene with an obvious outcome.
Of course, it only gets better from there - nah, I mean worse.
If only they had spent 10% of the special effects budget in hiring a decent writer and acting (rather than overacting) lessons for most of the main cast...
Babylon 5: The Road Home (2023)
Infantile plot but good to relive B5 memories
The main Babylon 5 series is in my top 10 favourite shows ever.
As such it's good to revisit the characters from the show years later, and animation is the only form where this is really possible giving the years that have past and the actors that are no longer available.
That said, and apart from a sprinkling of decent jokes, including one breaking of the fourth wall, there is little to recommend this movie.
The plot is truly infantile using every poor sci-fi trope imaginable, and is a good example of why time travel should never be the core premise of a story.
As such unless you are a fellow B5 fan wanting to revisit the past I recommend steering clear.
Definitely do NOT make this your introduction to B5; watch the original series.
Now if only they would do an animated series of The Telepath War with Bester.
Hi no tori: Eden no sora (2023)
Simplistic
Not sure why the original is considered a masterpiece if this is any indication.
Whilst there are some themes that could have been interesting if properly tackled, they were not.
The entire series was very broad-brush with absolutely no depth, and with every idea treated in an exceptionally simplistic fashion.
It's hard to work out if the author had no emotional complexity themselves, or if they were trying to create a science fiction story that would be accessible to children, but in doing so were forced to remove so much of the original story that all that was left was a husk.
The graphics and sound was well done, but that's really the only thing to recommend.
You People (2023)
Cringeworthy main character
There are a lot of interesting issues covered in this movie and most of the cast are great, but there are 2 huge problems.
Ezra's character is such a horrible person that he destroys any chance of sympathy for him or the main plot lines. It is hard to describe just how bad he is without spoilers; maybe 'GFC level' will give one an idea and its meaning will become clearer if you decide to watch the film anyway.
Julia's character is also exceptionally cringeworthy but is played exactly as required to be the foil for Eddie's character, so that's OK; you can get away with that with a secondary character, but not with the main character who you're meant to empathise with.
The second huge problem is the ending - it looks like it was originally meant to finish about 15 minutes before it did, but some Hollywood executive decided that wouldn't be suitable and to add an extra section where everyone does a complete about-face, completely contradicting the messages of the rest of the movie.
This could be a decent movie with a director's cut, but it's a bit hard to do that when the main requirement is to ditch the central character.
National Treasure: Edge of History (2022)
Intelligent villains!
Finally, a series targeted at young adults where the villains not only have a decent backstory but are intelligent!
It's a relief to see something where the 'bad' people are a bit morally ambiguous, and don't act so stupid you know they could never have got to the position they hold in real life, unlike virtually everything else in a similar genre.
It's also good to see a few characters from the movies showing up and actually participating without being deus ex machina, in addition to the series doing a good job of capturing the 'feel' of the movies.
Another plus is the introduction to a number of other cultures without it being pushed down your throat.
All in all good so far and eagerly awaiting new episodes.
Crossing Lines (2013)
Downhill from a poorish start
It started off OK, then they killed off most of the female characters, and the ridiculous transition to season 3 where they just ignored a dozen plot lines from season 2 was unforgivable. We don't even know what happened to some of the characters, and the others just 'left', never to be seen again.
Not to mention that over 90% of the crimes would never have been looked at by the ICC even if they had such a team. The majority would have been Interpol, but several would have been handled by local police. Also most of the characters do stupid things and make life difficult for themselves.
Only reason I watched past the first few episodes was that my partner found it somewhat entertaining.
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (1988)
Game of Thrones in Space
Whilst the mentions of Babylon 5 aren't far off the mark, I'd say this is more akin to what Game of Thrones would want to be once it grew up - and was set mainly in space.
I recommend Failsafe to anyone with control of nuclear weapons, and this series to anyone who is in or intends to go into government-it covers timeless questions concerning power and how those in charge manipulate others, and themselves, and the justifications they use. A much more nuanced look than the 'evil vs good' plots dominating Western media - both fictional and in reality.
Resident Evil (2022)
Rooting for the zombies
The movies were a high bar to reach and this series fails miserably. The main character makes so many stupid decisions you end up rooting for the zombies. There was definitely enough material and basic ideas that this could have led to a good series but it is let down by poor writing.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
A dog of a movie
Nice cinematography and acting but the excruciating story plods along relentlessly; how it could be nominated for Best Picture is well beyond me.
Only recommended for people who think Joyce's Ulysses was a fun light read.
Spencer (2021)
Avoid like the plague
I can not understand why so many people are rating this highly. It's as if someone on the palace staff commissioned a film to make Diana out to be as mentally unstable as humanly possible, and that the score of Psycho would be a good starting point.
Definitely not a movie to watch alone or if you are depressed.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
Beautiful scenery and SFX, better plot required
The scenery is lovely. The acting is very good. The special FX are fantastic. But the plot seems a bit vague - it starts out strong, but then tails off towards the end leaving you feeling as if there should have been another 10 minutes, or perhaps that the script for the last 10 minutes should have been rewritten. Definitely worth seeing, but don't be surprised if you end up wondering if you missed something - the directors did.
The Iron Giant (1999)
A great animation for children of all ages
I fondly remember the short book this movie was based on - "Iron Man", which I got from the school book club when I was about 10. Even coming back to it as an adult it is a great book that engages you emotionally and spiritually. The movie starts the same but becomes completely different about half-way through, which is usually a recipe for disaster. However, in this case they have updated the story for our times and, if possible, maybe even made it better. Get this out for your children and watch it with them.
Shrek (2001)
The Best animated comedy to date
The best animated comedy yet made, for not only adults but children as well (or vice versa). Admittedly it would be difficult to bomb out with the cast of talent playing the voices of the lead characters, but the animators have ensured a perfect match between fantasy and reality here that will be hard to beat. If you think Toy Story or Toy Story 2 is the best in the genre - watch this and be prepared to change your mind.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
I hate it, but I can't help from loving it as well
This is the sort of story I hate - violence, and the main characters deserve to be tied to concrete & dropped in the ocean. Despite this, the movie is extremely well written and highly enjoyable. It might suffer a bit from deux ex machina, but then the series of coincidences is woven together in such a way that you can't help but be impressed. One of the few times I've said "I know I'll hate this type of movie" and had to eat my words.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The first SFX to be indistinguishable from reality
I consider myself a good judge of what is real and what is a special effect. Terminator 2 was the first movie - and still remains 1 of only a handful - where they two were blended so seamlessly together I could not tell the difference. Add that to a great sci-fi story and you end up with one of the few sequels that improves upon a great original in nearly every way. What's more, the technology discussed doesn't even insult the intelligence of someone with a good knowledge in the field of AI, which makes it a true hollywood rarity.
Brazil (1985)
Classic Black Comedy from a Monty Python man
If you ever wondered where the weirdest of humour of Monty Python came from, then this and Time Bandits would have to convince you that Terry Gilliam was the origin. Get the DVD Collector's Edition for 3 different versions of the movie - the Hollywood version with happy ending; the truly black Terry Gilliam, and another version that sits kind of in-between. You may not understand it - especially not in the first viewing - but it's a powerful movie, and a cutting view of british society.
Blade Runner (1982)
The Ultimate SF view of the future
This is probably *the* best adaption of a SF book into a movie ever made. The movie that led to an entire genre; watch and you will find yourself transported into a most believable future - stark and compelling at the same time. Make sure you get the Director's Cut - or watch both versions - a few minor differences make them nearly completely different movies. A classic.
Time Bandits (1981)
Another great Terry Gilliam movie
Yes, another great from the ex-member of Monty Python, and despite the look of the video/DVD case it's not a comedy for kids; this is a black comedy for adults. A great fantasy with many interesting mind-bending concepts, that unfortunately dies out a bit with a "Holy Grail" type non-ending, otherwise it would be a definite 10.
Life of Brian (1979)
*The* Monty Python classic comedy
Yes, this is the number one comedy from Monty Python, and arguably the #1 comedy of all time. Unfortunately due to its religious overtones it has not achieved the rating it deserves - I'm sure that hard-core Christians would have been so offended by it that they would have given it low scores. Even so, it's probably a more accurate representation of the period around the time of Christ than most documentaries on the era.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The quintessential dark ages comedy
IMHO the #2 Monty Python comedy. Through most of the movie it's a toss up between whether it is funnier than "The life of Brian", but the ending is a bit of a let-down - yes, it's funny in a way, but you end up with the impression that they ran out of time and/or money and had to end it in a different fashion from what they would have liked. Still, watch them both.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
A great classic SF, but not as good as most think
Yes, we have HAL, we have aliens, we have interplanetary travel and interesting philosophy on what it is to be human. But the tunnel sequence with lots of colours is just played out *waaaaaay* too long. The only way you could enjoy it is to be stoned; it just raises the irritation level way too much. Although we got the theme for the computer game Elite out of the space docking sequence, that's about the only thing that had going for it too. To be a truly great movie they should have slashed these sequences by about 2/3rds, and then they could have added some of the better parts of the book they ended up leaving out. Read the book instead.
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
*The* Spaghetti Western
The western to see even if you hate westerns. Great scenery, great characters, and the classic 3 way showdown - never has such a small scene been stretched over so much time without becoming irritating. Even you would vote Clint Eastwood for Mayor after seeing his commanding performance here :-)
Fail Safe (1964)
Required viewing for all world leaders
This is the movie that deserves to be in the top 10 vs Dr. Strangelove. Unfortunately politics relegated it to secondary screening when it came out when it was found the two had very similar plots. Should be required viewing for all world leaders as to what can happen with nuclear weapons, and why we should never rely entirely on technology. A very powerful movie.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
An excellent movie - but not as good as Fail Safe
A great movie, but not as good as Fail Safe which came out at the same time with a similar theme. Politics resulted in the latter being relegated to secondary screens and as such it has not received the attention it deserves. See them both, and make your own judgement.