markphilo Reviews

Human Playground (2022– )

Not quite play

[4/10 · 17 February 2023]

Nice narration by Idris and some nice camera work.

Done in 10 min segments of each item making it easy to dip in/out of or spin through for some of the less appealing ones.

And I did spin on some. I question some of the items come under playground. There were some obvious elements of pier pressure under the guise of tradition. I would prefer to review items where participants were not forced or coerced into it or coping with what appeared substantial mental trauma.

To be clear, a playground is something you enter under your own free will to test your skill set perhaps to include risk to life and limb.

Andor (2022– )

Star Wars isn't slow burn

[5/10 · 25 November 2022]

Some spoilers here.

I really want to enjoy the show, but

They spent so long on the prison episodes, I felt I was actually wasting my life there. Was this some homage to THX1138?

They abandoned a planned raid with wing support and everything!

Loads of posturing and diplomacy with the senates.

Loads of posturing and diplomacy in the imperial management.

Then, the finale was a slow funeral march which ended in .... a scuffle.

Only 2 reasonable moments in the whole series : The heist and the break away from starship tractor beam.

Come on this is Star Wars! Pew! Pew! I prefer a straight fight than all this creeping around!

Morbius (2022)

Underwhelming

[4/10 · 31 May 2022]

Ok visually, but isn't this just the same old story now?

Guy takes a formula. Guy gets powers. Has to deal with rival with powers. Learns to live with it.

The final showdown was left wanting.

It just didn't enthuse.

Matt Smith looked like he has some fun at least.

2 x post credit scenes to try to encourage a sequal ... I can't see myself getting excited about that.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

On target

[9/10 · 29 May 2022]

Wow. A proper blockbuster with proper cinematography.

Great plot, great acting.

Please Hollywood, take note. Haven't been on a high after exiting the cinema for ages, but this was just right.

Action, just enough comedy, emotional, enough links to the original for us who saw it the first time to re-play the original soundtrack (which is the only thing better about the first time round).

Moonfall (2022)

Movie physics gone mad

[3/10 · 6 April 2022]

Rumour has it that Nasa mock the physics of Armageddon. God knows what they'd make of any possible scene in this movie.

Buy hey, what's even a tangible amount of realism got to do with a movie these days?

Knowing there were going to be some liberties I watched this (and I like a good old 'End of the World' film), I disengaged my brain to just enjoy the action, but even in dormant mode my inner voice was screaming "But, but, but ....." Nice to see John Bradley forging his movie career.

OK - I enjoyed it, but I doubt I'll rewatch it.

Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022)

Worth the wait

[8/10 · 4 March 2022]

I really did like this but such a long wait lost its momentum a bit.

Top marks for casting Clancy Brown. What a brilliant actor as a focus in the series!

Harrison was cast very well and carried the plot very well.

I think it all wrapped up very well and I can rest more easily after the last attempt to end the series.

Been a pleasure to watch all of Dexter and remains one of my favourite gruesome shows.

Please so leave it there now and don't be tempted to make a next generation or similar. Netflix ... leave it alone! Let it rest in neatly sealed plastic bags.

Dexter ... I salute you.

The King's Man (2021)

Fits in nicely as a sequal

[7/10 · 4 February 2022]

I was glad they didn't dilute it with a load of steampunk gadgets.

A decent plot and well acted throughout.

And a curveball in the plot was a brave and welcome move.

Nice injection of humour here and there

Ralph - you don't seem to age - how'd you do it?!

The Last of Us: Part II (2020 Video Game)

Great value for money

[9/10 · 19 December 2021]

Compelling story. Thought provoking.

A game with a plot! No wonder they want to make a live show of it.... Can't wait.

Some certainly off piste directions.

Playing as heroic girls takes me back to Tomb Raider days.

But it was so gritty. Nothing like other walkthrough games I've played before. A worthy sequel.

And,mit took me weeks to get through it. First game showed how many hours I spent on it and was hoping same for this. Perhaps just as well, but defo got my monies worth.

Looking forward to see what Naughty Dog come up with next to stretch the power of the PS 5.

Kate (I) (2021)

Actually a very nice shoot em up

[6/10 · 26 September 2021]

Had a nice plot line.

Nicely shot (pun intended) Loads of action and not some sulky old guy for once.

Woody Harlesden gets around a bit these days doesn't he?

Papillon (I) (2017)

McQueen & Hoffman I'm afraid

[6/10 · 11 May 2021]

Just to weigh in with all the other reviews. Don't get me wrong, this is a great watch, but the original Papillon is better. Poor old Steve McQueen looked ragged after his time at the French facility whereas Hunnam looked like a pretty boy with some makeup on.

Nice performance from Rami Malek but think he could have done something else to further his career. Come on Rami, you're a great actor, don't rehash old material.

The Foreigner (I) (2017)

Standard revenge plot played out nicely

[7/10 · 16 February 2021]

This is actually a very watchable movie. The plot progresses well and the action isn't stupidly over the top. It's gritty and you have compassion for the characters (one of my bugbears in movies these days where actors seem to think their presence in enough for you to identify with them). Jackie Chan is a professional and takes anything he does uber-seriously. He has a great fighting style and although it is more gritty in this film, fans of his will detect some of his JC moves where is is obvious he has been involved in the fight choreography.

Great job JC - a great depart from your normal comedic characters.

Daredevil (2015–2018)

Order to watch : S1, S2, Defenders, S3

[8/10 · 5 February 2021]

In a binge watch of this I moved from series 2 to 3 (as you do), but whoaa! I seem to have missed a huge plot section. Turns out they sneak a series of Defenders in between so make sure you get that watched for the chronological order.

Defenders is so-so, but Daredevil is Uber Fabulous. The "one-shot" fight scenes are exemplary and a real feature of the show. Storyline is ace with the right amount of grit.

Curse Netflix for axing this series. What a bone-idle thing to do when it was so well received by the fans.

Once you finished with this, the natural progression is the Punisher series (again axed by NF!!).

Mmmm - maybe the Mr P and DD should pay the NF headquarters a visit.

Tenet (2020)

Would like to reverse time so I hadn't seen it

[2/10 · 24 January 2021]

Grrrr. I wanted to like this film. Time travel / manipulation films are one of my penchants. But this was all over the place. Poorly constructed plot was just used to move between what were good action sequences but with no real accomplishment to the next task. It's like they had some good ideas for 10 minutes of action but no idea how to string them together. I must however address the background score. I assume applied by a child. No consideration of the tone of the film and swamping the dialogue. An awful synthetic noise almost randomly distributed across throughout the film. It really put me off and will state it is the worse background score I have ever heard. Chris Nolan has a tendency to be a bit arty-farty in his work, but he misses the point here. They released this during the Covid pandemic to redraw people back to the cinema and keep the film industry alive. They should have chosen a more crowd drawing title me thinks. 2 stars for the action sequences but I shan't be watching is again I'm afraid.

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

Well worth the watch

[9/10 · 14 November 2020]

Well I didn't think I'd get sucked into this series over a game of chess, but wow, I was hooked. Nicely shot and acted throughout and somehow they made each of the chess playing scenes tense. Nice that they got Kasparov on board to sort the the chess technicalities out. A real gem among the many 2020 Covid lockdown boxsets. At only 7 episodes, it's well worth the watch.

Does it make me want to find the old chess board again? Mmmm - think I'll veg and watch another box set first.

Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws (2015)

Doesn't belong in the (insert adjective here) shark genre

[1/10 · 14 July 2020]

Well there may be even worse in the future, but for now as of 2020, this is it. And I should know as I've seen them ALL. Every conceivable variant of a shark put on the screen. Ghost Shark 1 was actually OK in the tacky kind of way these movies are set up. But this.. My God: the acting! I know it is tongue in cheek to be hammed up but it was just annoying. Storyline gets it the 1/10 star, maybe as they seemed to have a lose thread of a plot. Effects? Done by a bored child I think.

Basically, I can now cross it off my list of shark films with the knowledge I will not have to endure it in my life ever again. So you only need to see this if, like me, you want to add to your list of movies with the word "shark" in it.

On the plus side? It only comes in as the 2nd worst movie of all time for me. The 2015 Point Break remake will always hold that trophy.

The Raid 2 (2014)

A must see sequal

[7/10 · 18 February 2020]

Having seen The Raid, I didn't lose a moment to get stuck into this sequal.

Can only repeat as I thought for the first film. Great fight scenes, an actual plot, dubious over-dubbing in to English.

It really is a breath of fresh air to take away the pomp and lack of imagination of Hollywood to see a movie so well crafted with a progressive plot and amazing action and shooting style.

Must say (and not going to describe to avoid spoilers), there were some unique concepts in fight scenes in this 2nd film.

I you like all out action and well choreographed fight scenes, this is for you.

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Hollywood should take note

[7/10 · 18 February 2020]

Tell you what, a movie with an actual plot. Nicely shot. Well choreographed fight scenes. A unique style.

They actually did a very nice job on this movie. Only let down for us Westerners is the over-dubbing into English. Must say I was straight on YouTube afterwards to see the making of scenes. And they certainly worked hard at it. I always love when the guy who has worked so hard arranging all the fight scenes is then the baddie. Totally taking one for the team

And I was keen to see the sequal too.

6 Underground (2019)

Mindless action

[4/10 · 8 January 2020]

I managed to watch all of it as the action sequences were very will done. Well it looked expensive, anyway. Some good one-liners in the Ryan Reynolds way but I think they were milking him for it. But, it didn't flow and the characters were shallow. I just didn't care. I was basically happy for it to move onto the next action bit (which didn't take long) and see the sequence play out. Some nice ideas, poorly strung together.

Gemini Man (2019)

In a word - Meh

[4/10 · 2 December 2019]

Maybe a rainy Sunday afternoon film.

It was OK. But only OK. I think they are trying to hang the whole "look at us doing a young Will Smith" thing as the selling point of this movie.

Action was OK and story line predictable. Fight scenes over extend the rules of physics rendering them unbelievable such that you don't really care how things turn out.

So it all wraps up nicely and you think you won't bother watching that one again.

Meh

Inception (2010)

Maybe they can get into my dreams and tell me it's good

[4/10 · 22 October 2019]

I dunno. I really want to like this movie. But a recent re-watch and I just can't! But I have figured out why. OK, the premise and story line is a great idea to work with and I can see how it is supposed to grip you.

But the characters are boring. I just didn't care about them or their motives. They didn't really seem care either is the thing. So I didn't want them to succeed or fail. So I lose interest.

I hear the Leonardo is supposed to be a great actor. Again, I'm a little either way on this talent, but this wasn't his greatest moment .

Visuals and ideas = great (for the 4 stars) Characters and acting = 0

Waterworld (1995)

Should have sank to Davey Jones's locker

[2/10 · 17 October 2019]

Terrible acting, plot, sound track, visuals, idea.

It was bad when it came out and had stood the test of time. Yep it's still bad.

Made on an era of action and heroes. It tried to ride that wave and fell off the board. Kerploosh!

Apparently a waste of a lot of money.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Writers should be eaten by Godzilla

[3/10 · 6 September 2019]

Summary first : It's utter rubbish!!

If I were 5 years old, I reckon I would love it. There is a remnant of a plot which is bad, confusing, doesn't go anywhere. And then you get monsters fighting - in a city! Cool!

But the plot ... my God. Really? You have all this input to make a movie and you string any old thing together?

Can't believe Charles Dance signed up for this.

One to avoid I'm afraid. 3 stars just for the monster fights.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Doesn't really work

[4/10 · 1 September 2019]

I dunno. Have I seen it all before? Nothing really grabbed me in the plot. Yeah it had action and a meagre story line but I didn't find myself rooting for the heroes. They were never in real trouble and once Miss Super Duper powers gets her mind sorted you know it's all gonna get sorted out.

All a bit meh really. Sorry guys. Love the x- men franchise but not this time.

Glass (2019)

Left a little bit wanting

[6/10 · 11 April 2019]

It's difficult to review any of MNS without giving away any of his plot twists and turns but here goes.

You should have really watched Unbreakable and Split before watching this or your will be lost from the start. I really did enjoy both of those movies so was eagerly anticipating this one.

But you kind of know good and bad are going to mix it up at some point and it's going to be orchestrated by Mr Glass somehow. So that all falls into place and stuff (no reveal here!) happens.

Build up was a little slow and moody but I could live with that since it's the style of the plot. But MNS deals out his plot twists and then it just goes on a bit while he rests on his laurels. And goes on a bit more.... and more. In fact around 15-20 mins of it. So I was left just waiting for it to end.

Not keen on those almost selfie-stick Go-Pro shots either.

Brucie was a little quiet and short on screen time throughout. James was fabulous and maybe they are using that talent to float this movie.

Aquaman (2018)

Wanted - decent script writers.

[4/10 · 11 March 2019]

Blimey, I thought it was just me.

But Hollywood just can't seem to get the DC superhero thing right can they?

OK - the Bale Batmans were great so at least they did achieve something.

But Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Justice League, recent Superman.

They are all a bit ... meh.

I mean they look pretty and there's action. But I found myself fiddling with my phone when there was a big fight scene and I had no compassion for any of the characters. All DC heros just pose around with the 'I'm too cool' attitude and you know they'll win the day with no real problems.

Any they forever seem to steal ideas from Marvel.

Thankfully I didn't go to the cinema for this movie.