Travelenthusiast Reviews

Seeking the First Dinosaur Hunters (2022)

A fascinating insight into the origins of Dinosaur study.

[9/10 · 27 December 2022]

This was not a subject that I had any particular interest in before seeing this, but having seen some of the other films from these filmmakers I decided to watch.

It is a lovely introduction for someone new to the subject, but still provides a lot of information. Unlike most dinosaur based documentaries, this one focuses less on the creatures themselves and more on how people began to study them, and some of the mistakes made by people who first found the bones.

This is presented with the couple's usual friendly presentation, which shows a real enthusiasm for the subject, and which is infectious to the viewer.

Glass Onion (2022)

A wonderful return for Daniel Craig's Detective!

[7/10 · 27 December 2022]

I have read some of the negative or mediocre reviews on here, and I have to agree with parts of them which question the 'plot' of this story, however, I feel that this is to look at Glass Onion as something that it is not.

While Knives Out was a highly plot-driven film, with Craig's Benoit almost feeling slightly outside of the main action, in this follow up film (I won't use the word 'sequel' as it seems more like a separate entity sharing a character he in far more central, and the whole film is more a character piece, delighting in the characters, and especially in Benoit, rather than focusing on the plot over people.

Looked at in this way, is is an enjoyable film, and well worth a watch.

If they can pull together both the character piece of this film and the strong plot of Knives Out in a future film, they would be very close to perfection!

Slumberland (2022)

Wonderful Family Adventure With Depth

[9/10 · 19 November 2022]

This is an interesting film. When sitting down to watch it I thought it would be a light, fluffy, fun film, but is has so much depth hidden within.

Jason Momoa is wonderful at the larger than life 'Flip', but it is Chris O'Dowd, playing an estranged Uncle suddenly finding himself having to raise a 'tween' child, and doing his best despite struggling with no clue what he is doing, that makes this film so much more than it could have been, and really marks itself out as an outstanding family film.

Are a few of the ideas a little trite? Are many of the 'big reveals' obvious to an adult audience? Probably, but the cast, and O'Dowd in particular make it transcend these elements.

Those of us who best know O'Dowd for his comedy work in The IT Crowd have their eyes well and truly open to what an amazing actor he is!

1899 (2022)

Gripping Mystery Thriller

[9/10 · 18 November 2022]

One of the first wonderful techniques in this series is the lack of fear of subtitles. What this means is instead of being taken out of the reality where every character speaks English regardless of their nationality, we get English, German, French, Portugese, Polish and Danish (and, I'm sure, others I have missed) characters all speaking their own languages. I know some people have a problem with subtitles taking them out of a story, but I think this was a wonderful and very brave choice in the creation of this series, as it truly brings you in and adds an extra dynanic of realism to the series.

I must point out that I am writing this before finishing the series, so I am yet to discover how well they pull all the threads together, but the series sets up compelling mysteries, at once deep and complex without being confusing. I would absolutely recommend this series!

The Sandman (2022– )

Gaiman's Masterpiece Writ Large

[10/10 · 16 November 2022]

The task of adapting a comic book to a series was never going to be an easy task, even with the creator of the comic involved. However this is an example of the perfect way to adapt a comic book -respectful of the source material (down to some scenes being a perfect recreation of the images in the books), while still allowing the story to adapt and take on a life of their own. The choice of cast here is amazing - there is not a weak choice amongst them, and it is sad that some of the characters have too brief an appearance in the series, with Stephen Fry's 'Gilbert' being a prime example. Perhaps netflix will allow us to see more of some of these characters in spin-offs!

Seeking Cetaceans in Scotland (2021– )

What A Wonderful Charity!

[9/10 · 6 February 2022]

It was interesting to see a different type of documentary from this filmaking couple who I first watched in their Vlad the Impaler video.

The pair do a good job of allowing us to go with them on their adventure and the camera style feels very intimate.

What I was most impressed with, however, was their ability to take a step back and make sure that the Cetacean charity at the heart of this documentary takes the spotlight. It is a real insight into what Doctor Robinson's team are doing in the Moray Firth. It was particularly interesting to see how drones allow a chance to see what the dolphins are doing underwater, and there is some really beautiful footage of these playful creatures!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019)

Oddly Great!

[8/10 · 6 February 2022]

I really didn't know what to expect from this series. I knew of Rachel Bloom's work from a couple of her songs, but wasn't sure how (or if) her comedy would translate into the 'long form' of a television series.

It does.

While by the end of series one there have only been a couple of songs to compete with Bloom's separate musical comedy, most of the other songs in the series have still been good.

It is, however, the supporting cast who really make this show work. Bloom's character is almost cartoonish in her level of 'crazy' in some of her antics, and if it weren't for the quality of the remaining cast who keep it grounded then I think it would quickly have gone off the rails, but with them the whole thing pulls together into a highly entertaining series!

Grace and Frankie (2015–2022)

An Easy, Enjoyable Watch

[8/10 · 4 February 2022]

This review is being written while I wait for the final episodes of Grace and Frankie to come out, and so at the moment I don't know whether they will successfully tie up all of the loose ends into a satisfying conclusion to the series.

I really hope so, because the series has been a wonderful journey with the characters. All of the characters are well written and performed, and well rounded enough that none of the characters are pefect, and at times I have felt fond of and frustrated with each of the characters.

If you like to get involved in a series, this is a great one to watch.

Michael Palin: Travels of a Lifetime (2020–2021)

A Wonderful Retrospective

[10/10 · 4 February 2022]

Having grown up on Palin's travels, it was really nice to see him look back on some of his past journeys and reflect on them. It is good to gain new bits of insight from him about certain moments.

I could personally have done without so many random people popping up to comment, who just seemed to be taking time away from Palin himself, who was the person that we were all there to see, but I would struggle to knock a star off for that because there is so much great content in these shows.

Long Way Up (2020)

Not Ready For Electric Yet!

[9/10 · 4 February 2022]

When I saw that Ewan and Charlie had decided to use electric bikes for this series, and when some of their support vehicles were also electric, I feared we may be in for a propaganda piece about how great they are (not that I am anti electric vehicles, I just don't want a travel series to turn into an extended advert).

The fact that very quickly it becomes clear that without diesel generators and a diesel support vehicle the boys would still be stuck in their first country showed that this was to be a fair attempt to see what could be done on electric bikes in 2019, and what couldn't.

Another great series! Hopefully not their last adventure together.

Long Way Round (2004–2010)

Join The Boys On An Adventure

[10/10 · 2 February 2022]

There are really two series filmed together as one in this series, criss-crossing each other as they go.

The first is the story of two old friends, and a new friend, cameraman Claudio, off on their bikes heading east round the world. This story is grittily shot mostly on handheld cameras, and feels very intimate.

The second is a the story of their support crew - the people we don't usually see in documentaries like this, and how they also have to get 4x4 vehicles and a lot of equipment round the world and through various borders.

It was great to see the friendship between Ewan and Charlie, and their adventure, but really nice for a change to see the support crew acknowledged and involved!

Romania: Seeking Dracula's Castle (2020)

Simply Shot, Well Presented

[8/10 · 2 February 2022]

Simply shot on handheld cameras and drones, and no outside crew, this show resembles Ewan Mcgregor's travel shows more than something like Palin's travels with a full crew.

I found that this added to the experience. The presenters really bring you along with you, and confide their thoughts and confusion about Dracula and his role as hero or villain in history.

There are times when the sound could be improved, but it didn't detract for me. Hopefully they can improve it for their next video, which I'll keep an eye out for.

Around the World in 80 Days (II) (1989)

The Ultimate Travel Series

[10/10 · 2 February 2022]

Having grown up on Micheal Palin's travel series and enjoyed them all, I still return to watch this one again and again.

Although there is an attempt to build tension with the 'will he/won't he' of the 80 day limit in order to echo the fictional journey of Fogg, this really isn't what this series is about. To paraphrase Palin himself, it is about going around the world as fast as you can while still allowing you to see things on the way round.

What makes the series are the friendships Palin forms with people around the world, and the genuine sense of adventure which he brings to the series!

Yes, the film may look a little dated now, and doubtless places have changed since this was made, but it is still a wonderful series to excite the traveller in us all!

American Gods (2017–2021)

Difficult Task, Beautifully Executed!

[9/10 · 2 February 2022]

It must have been a very daunting task to work out how to adapt such an epic book as American Gods into a TV series - what to include, what to leave out, where to deviate from the source novel.

Yet this series handles it wonderfully. The heart of the novel is there, and you can feel Neil Gaiman's spirit behind every scene, and yet it is different enough to keep a fan of the novel engaged and waiting for the next part!

Hopefully series 4 will get resurrected by the Gods of Streaming somewhere down the line!