Loops2112 Reviews

Great Expectations (2023)

Farcical....

[2/10 · 19 April 2023]

...not the book, but this TV series. I'm very fond of this book and was looking forward to watching this, but it's just depressingly bad. They've taken a wonderful story and made a complete flop out of it; messed around with the plot and characters and none of it for the better. Why do screenwriters think they can do better than the original author?

Where do I start - well first, his name - he was called Philip Pirrip, not Gargery....and it goes downhill from there really. Dominatrix sister (where was that in the book?) and Miss Havisham's house, was a creepy, dusty, run-down mansion and she lived in pepetual darkness with mainly spiders, cobwebs and filth keeping Estella and herself company. She wasn't given to swanning around clean, well-lit rooms and inviting prostitutes and musicians around for an afternoon dance and a quick toke on the opium pipe.

I got part-way through the 3rd episode and ditched it. For those who've never read the book, maybe they will enjoy it, but for me, I'd rather watch the much more enjoyable 1946 movie with John Mills instead.

Help! We Bought a Village (2022–2023)

Makes me feel like doing DIY.....

[8/10 · 29 August 2022]

.....but I'm too busy watching this to do any!

This is an interesting series to watch for anyone who's ever considered doing up an old house. Although saying that, for some on this show, it's more like major construction than DIY.

The series is a bit repetative - they give a lot of info after each ad-break that we've had 5 minutes ago, as if they think their audience is a tad forgetful, but if you record it, you can skip though all of that fluff and get to the interesting stuff.

I enjoy following the people who have got a big renovation project going on. I'm not really interested in those who've already done theirs (which they do tend to show when they're a bit short of content). It's inspiring to see people who are such go-getters and not afraid of hard work. I always wish them the best in their ventures.

I'm a tad envious of the lives they are creating for themselves, but also too lazy to go and do it myself unfortuantely, so will be content to wait for the next series to see how they are all getting on.

Bosch (2014–2021)

Bish Bosch

[9/10 · 22 May 2022]

This is such a good show - I've just finished watching the final episode and while I did think the last couple of seasons were a bit weaker than the earlier ones, I still enjoyed it and was sad to see it finish, but there is a new spin-off season which I only just found out about so I'm looking forward to that.

There are a few bits that always make me smile - like how do people who only seem to survive on take-aways stay so slim........and why don't Bosch or Maddie ever seem to lock the door of the house?

But for anyone thinking of watching this - go for it - it's a show which has some excellent characters - Crate & Barrel, Billets, Jimmy, Shaz, Bennet, Chandler...........so many of them.

1922 (2017)

Slow Burn

[7/10 · 27 March 2022]

This gets a low score on IMDB and I wasn't sure whether to watch it because of that, but Stephen King adaptations are usually pretty good, so gave it a go. TBH I'm surprised at the low score - figured that it was probably from people who'd read the book (or novella, to be precise!) and felt it didn't hit the mark, but reading reviews, not many people mentioned that, so maybe they just found it a little slow.

It was a bit slow TBH, but I thought it was a good story, lovely cinematography and the characters, especially Thomas Jane's character, were excellent in the most part.

I'm not going to go into detail about the plot. The only thing I did feel that could have been expanded on was the wife's character - they could have built it up a bit more and given us more reason to see why he did what he did, but I liked the film - thought it was probably about a 7.5, but can't give a half score.

Make Up (2019)

Needed more depth

[4/10 · 6 March 2021]

I don't know much at all about the writer/director of this film, but got the impression that this was one of her earlier films.

The setting was interesting - I like seaside places off season, but the character building was lacking and I found the dialogue to be mumbled, especially during the first 20 minutes or so.

It's one of those voyage of discovery films that might appeal to those in their late teens /early 20s, but I found it a bit disappointing. Having said that though, I don't review a lot of films on IMDB these days, so it must have had something for me to have got to this stage. At only about 1hr & 20 mins long, not too much of a commitment to have a watch and see what you think.

Poldark (2015–2019)

Downhill faster than a Cornish miner on a skateboard

[2/10 · 12 September 2019]

Does this review contain spoilers? Not really, because this season was actually spoilt by the writers long before it was aired on TV.

The books, as many know, jump forward about 10-15 years at this point. For some reason, the team behind Poldark decided not to put a bit of grey into the hair of Demelza and Ross and go for it, and instead decided to try and back-fill on the years that Winston Graham skipped. Perhaps there's a reason he skipped them - maybe he had a premonition of how boring season 5 would be when it aired on BBC1.

In this season we're introduced to Despard (who was a real person, although I don't remember him appearing in any of the Poldark novels). We also spend far too much time in London and far too little time in Cornwall.

Demelza has turned into a bit of wimp, people in Cornwall have mastered the ability to cross the county in about 5 seconds and there's some militant serving girl running around causing trouble in Cornwall - the only believable thing about Tess as far as I can see is her accent.

So no - no spoilers. Just a hint of sadness that such a good adaptation has been ruined by a bad attempt at sensationalism.

Pandorum (2009)

Looked OK, sounded terrible

[5/10 · 10 January 2016]

This movie showed promise, but went downhill fairly quickly. The sets were good, the picture was good, special effects/CGI good, but the mumbling dialogue really let the whole thing down. How does that happen? When they test screen movies like this, doesn't anyone come out of there admitting that they couldn't work out what the hell they were saying? I watched it with the family (varying ages, no hearing problems!) and all of us said we thought they mumbled. It's such a simple thing to get right in a film and yet they often mess it up.

The details of what happened back on Earth, what the illness was, what happened to the crew and passengers.....it could all have done with being explained a bit more clearly.

Lastly, and I know it's fantasy, but if you did send a bunch of people off to settle on a new planet, wouldn't you at least ensure that they understood a common language? If I was in charge, I think I would!

Thunderstruck (2004)

Rock and Roll Road Trip

[8/10 · 14 April 2012]

I dug this out of my husband's DVD collection to watch when I was in on my own one night (he's the AC/DC fan in the house, not me). I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised.

I've always quite liked road-trip movies, especially ones with a bit of comedy and this one didn't disappoint - there were a few laugh out load scenes in there. Loved the hairstyles in the beginning and didn't realise it was Sam Worthington from Avatar fame until I looked up the cast on IMDb afterwards, so that was cool seeing an early film of his without knowing it.

There were some good characters in this film, some genuinely funny moments and some 'lightly' touching moments.

I don't think you have to be an AC/DC fan to enjoy this film.

Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

Timeless

[8/10 · 20 October 2010]

I first watched this film when I was about 15 years old and had just read the book for my English O'Level. I remember being quite disappointed at some of the casting which marred the film for me somewhat at the time.

Roll on another 25 years and I happened to see it being shown on TV this weekend and sat down to watch it again and low and behold I enjoyed it much more than the first time. The countryside was lovely, the rural atmosphere perfect and the characters were, in the main, very believable from how I remember them in the book.

I loved all the farming scenes, the houses - how dark and dingy Bathsheba's aunt's house looked (very realistic!) and just how well the whole period in history had been captured. It is a beautifully shot film.

There were a couple of scenes missing though that I thought should have been in this film; One was the scene with the mirror at the beginning of the book and the other was the scene where Bathsheba saves Oak from becoming overcome with fumes in his shepherd's hut - key early scenes for both characters I think and it's a shame they weren't there.

I still think that Bathsheba should have had darker hair (and worn less make-up!), but apart from that, Julie Christie was excellent in the role and Alan Bates did seem a bit old to play Gabriel (and it was a long time ago that I last read it, but didn't he have much lighter hair in the book?). However, all that aside, it is a fine film which anyone who has read the book would no doubt enjoy watching - it really does bring the book to life.

Alien Hunter (2003)

Liked the last 5 minutes

[3/10 · 12 October 2010]

Ho hum, where do I start - not a particularly good film and I was surprised to see James Spader in it at that stage in his career (if he'd made it in 1982 it would have been understandable!).

The sound was bad, mumbled dialogue and the music was too loud compared to the speaking so it was hard to work out what they were saying half the time but as I'm not sure if that was the film's fault or the TV station's, I can't really blame that on the film.

I won't go into detail about the plot as I've ticked 'spoilers' so assuming that mainly people who've already seen it will read this, however, the story could have been better - the whole 'women throwing themselves at James Spader' scenario was fairly unbelievable (even if they had been out there for 6 months already or were a fan of Boston Legal!) - if they'd skipped all of that it wouldn't have been missed by me.

The Russian sub's role was another unbelievable storyline - would they really do that......I don't think so......they'd quarantine them all and study the illness and what better place to do it than in Antarctica!

So to sum up - it could have been much better, it was an interesting plot, the acting was a bit dubious at times but I liked the little surprise at the end. I've seen worse but I've seen better (much better!).

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Could have been better

[6/10 · 13 April 2010]

I'm probably repeating what many others have said, but here goes - it was a bit of a let down, I felt as though we didn't get time to get to know any of the characters and that includes Perseus himself. The only gods who got much screen time were Zeus and Hades (I think Apollo and Poseidon were the only others who spoke or got close-ups!). The plot didn't need to be changed, they should have stuck to the old one and just updated it a bit - fans are always going to be put out when they change much loved stories like that.

The 3D wasn't so great either, for those who haven't seen it yet, you might as well save your money and go and see the non-3D version because if you're expecting something as good, visually, as Avatar, you will be sadly disappointed.

In fact, the only thing that improved it for me was the CGI - if the original could have had the special effects that this version had then there would have been no need to remake it at all!

Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride (2006) Season 3, Episode 0

Good Episode

[7/10 · 12 October 2008]

I really enjoyed this episode, despite the technical TARDIS errors such as detailed by a few other people who've commented. I think we have to accept that this kind of programme is never going to be completely flawless and get on with it otherwise we just ruin our enjoyment - there's just too much history over the decades for it to be absolutely perfect.

This episode saw the end of Rose and a brief interlude with Donna, the dippy yet feisty bride, picked up in error by the Doctor. Personally I found her to be quite good fun. I always found Rose to be a bit drippy and Donna certainly wasn't that. I know I'm in a minority here, but that's tough, I quite liked Donna - this could be because I haven't been living in the UK for a few years and as such haven't been subjected to a Catherine Tate overload like the rest of the population!

The only problem I had with this episode was that it was supposed to be Christmas and was quite clearly shot in the middle of summer! But there you go, like I say, you can't have everything.

10,000 BC (2008)

10,000 to 1,000 BC

[5/10 · 21 September 2008]

SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILER

This had the potential to be a good film, but unfortunately there were just too many strange inaccuracies for most to enjoy it.

I can get over the speaking in English part - they had to communicate for the sake of the audience and would definitely have had some kind of language around then so we might as well use a modern language (not just grunts as many prehistoric films would have used), but why call it 10,000 BC when the whole Egypt and pyramid thing came along much later? Was it just so they could use the extinct animals? I'm sure we could have coped with rampaging elephants and lions instead. If they'd called it 3,000 BC and left it at that, I'm sure people would have been happier with it.

The change in landscape was bizarre too - they lived on some kind of mountain range and walked through the snow to the tropics in the space of a couple of nights..........no temperate climate, no woods, no grassy slopes, just snow then palm trees - very odd.

I liked the idea, I liked the epic mission part and the little love story, I liked the scenery, the different tribes, the freeing of slaves, the bringing down the bad guy, the visions of Ancient Egypt in the making and I even liked the CGI beasts .............just not all at the same time!

If a person watched this film with a totally open mind, knowing that it wasn't supposed to be even slightly historically correct, then I think they might enjoy it - also if they'd set it on a different planet or fantasy world with beasts we never had here and monuments that we weren't familiar with, then I think we could have coped, unfortunately I think that attempting to set it somewhere in Earth's history was a big mistake

Screen Two: Will You Love Me Tomorrow (1987) Season 3, Episode 3

Never Forgotten

[7/10 · 9 September 2007]

I watched this film so long ago and yet I still remember it. I suppose, like the other people who have commented before me, it must have really made an impression otherwise I wouldn't be here now, adding my opinion on a film made 20 years ago and shown, apparently, only once! Joanne Whalley was a great choice for the part of Jackie because she always had such an innocent appearance - the big eyes, the trusting gaze; you really could believe she hadn't been out in the big wide world since she was a child. Likewise with Tilly Vosburgh - she's always had such a 'hard' look about her, she fitted the part of Jackie's tough and worldly-wise friend really well.

I remember at the time, a friend commenting that she thought the character of Jackie had been based on Mary Bell (who had also been in prison for murder since she was a child). Whether this is true or not I don't know but it certainly did seem possible.

A very compelling film that I'd very much like to see again.

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

A truly awful film

[15 August 2004]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

I couldn't believe how terrible this film was. It started off well, I liked the lonely road, bodies wrapped in sheets and creepy trenchcoated guy in the distance scenario, but then the whole thing went pear shaped!

What could have been a good suspense/horror film, turned into a naff monster movie. I suggest the writers go and watch a few Hitchcocks followed by a dose of Hellraiser, Shining and Texas Chainsaw Massacre before embarking on their next attempt.

I give this film 4/10 (and the 4 is mainly only for the nice countryside at the beginning!)

Matilda (1996)

Quite enjoyable, for the right age group!

[24 April 2004]

I watched this film with my friends' son once before I had kids, and didn't think too much of it, but today, watching it with my own, I realised how disturbing they were finding it - especially at the beginning. My youngest is 4 (almost 5) and I think that maybe she was a bit young for it. I explained to them that it was a good way of showing that not all adults are good, but I still think she was too young. They did go on to enjoy the second half of it more because it got less abusive and more revengeful and fun.

As for similarities to the book - well I have read the book, but it was so long ago that I couldn't remember any of it. We're having a bit of a Roald Dahl session in our house at the moment, so maybe we'll read it next.

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)

Big Improvement

[14 April 2004]

I took my kids to see this film last week and I laughed like an idiot through most of it (the kids moved seats in the end because I was embarassing them so much!!). I thought it was so much better than the first one (a comment which is echoed by just about everyone I know who has seen it). Matthew Lillard was fantastic as Shaggy and in my opinion, it is him who makes the whole film - the rest of the cast, although they're OK, just plod along behind Shaggy (apart from Scooby of course, but I didn't count him as he's animation).

Scooby Doo 2 is better because it's just so much more like the cartoon series, which is what the fans want afterall. I think the first film made the mistake of trying to do it a bit differently and obviously this doesn't go down too well with the cinemagoers who want pure Scooby Doo from their childhoods.

I won't bother running through what the film was about, as I'm sure you've heard it all before - so just finish off by saying that when it comes out on DVD, one of my long suffering kids will be getting a copy for Christmas!

Happy Families (1985)

I remember it too!

[2 November 2003]

I remember watching this series in the 80s too and found it really funny. The episode I remember best was the one with Madelaine, the dippy, romantic sister who lived in France, believing herself to be an artist, or an artist's model and who actually turned out to be a nude model for the slimey French guy. I also remember Rik Mayall was in that episode as the priest. I enjoyed the series, but have never seen any re-runs of it, sadly. Oh yeah, didn't Dawn French as 'cook', turn blue in the last episode?!!!