majortrojan_2000 Reviews

Knight Rider (2008–2009)

Annoyingly, this isn't actually that bad.......

[7/10 · 2 April 2016]

So having been a child of the 80's where Knight Rider, The A Team, and other such Glen Larson staples were a religion for me I sat down with the full DVD season 1 box set of this remake fully prepared to growl and hate my way through the entire thing.

Annoyingly, frustratingly, and hating myself when I admit it, this wasn't actually as bad as I was expecting.

Yes granted the best way to look positively at this rendition is to not actually compare it it the first run, and especially not the god awful other attempted reboots since the ending of the 4 season run of the original.

The first second you see B list movie staple Bruce Davison in the cast list you know you aren't dealing with the likes of shawshank or schindlers list.

That not withstanding, the series itself has some amusing moments, and Val Kilmer replacing Bill Daniels as KITT isn't as bad as many would expect either.

Yes its shameless lower primetime shenanigans and is completely filled with bare skin heavy pretty girls and leading man handsome men all giving pouty looks and eyelid heavy looks just off camera at every opportunity but when its such blatant americana like it is, this can be overlooked if not forgiven.

The car itself is well designed, the mustang being a very good choice. However the transforming abilities are just a step too far for the suspension of belief for me.

A welcome return was the appearance of KARR with the original voice talents as well.

When you watch this you'll need to be aware of the first series, but try not to cast an opinion based on the warm memories you may have of it as a child.

Justin Bruening is a valiant attempt to replicate the Michael Knight character and is fleshed out in terms of back character a little more than David Hasslehoff was but still, its a channel 5 type budget show so you aren't expecting george clooney levels of talent.

Speaking of the Hoff, his cameo makes a welcome addition to the pilot and is strangely subdued and serious which you wouldn't expect.

All in all, a fun show but not one you'd really expect to be renewed even tho a second season may be fun.

Watch it on a weekend afternoon when you have nothing better to do, its really not that bad and you'll enjoy it if you want a brainless few hours just to enjoy some typical man time with cars, explosions and the like.

The Terminal (2004)

Taken back to the basics, and it works.

[9/10 · 13 July 2015]

The very thought of taking a A lister film with the likes of Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta Jones and Stanley Tucci and not making it a block buster target was a strange choice.

Thankfully, it worked, this film was a home run.

Yes it has an absence of accepted explosions, thrills, spills and usual shenanigans but when you want a well intended and satisfying film without the roller coaster of other Hollywood juggernauts then you cant go wrong with The Terminal.

It has a warm and amusing premise and if you want to hate on the over riding message of positivity then maybe you should be going watching the human centipede instead.

You don't sit down to watch The Terminal because your after The Avengers. This is what you watch with the wife on a Friday night in with a takeaway and you want something easy to watch that you'll actually enjoy without needing to make an effort to follow.

The weakness of Tom Hanks frankly embarrassing eastern European accent, the fact that Victor (Hanks) seems to be the only person on his plane who was held up and the fact that Catherine Zeta-Jones character seems blissfully unaware of the oddities of dining out at an airport for a date means there are plot holes big enough to drive a train through.

However, all in all if you are able to sit and actually enjoy this overall very satisfying movie then you wont regret it.

There are genuinely touching moments where your heart will go out to Victor, none more so when he is attempting to use a pay phone in the airport and no one will help him. If that doesn't even slightly touch your heart at his sheer helplessness then your definitely watching the wrong movie.

All in all, while not ranking alongside the likes of Schindlers List and The Green Mile in terms of must see movies in a lifetime, this is definitely one that you wont regret taking the time to watch.

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Quite simply the best new TV series ever made.

[10/10 · 17 February 2015]

Game of Thrones is the best TV series ever devised. There can be no competitors for its sheer scale, rich tapestry of characters, story, and wealth of talent on display.

Its almost an amusing slice of irony that a show of this scale, in all its enormous budget, sets, that the absolute best character and actor is the smallest of them all in the superb Peter Dinklage.

Some of the scenes may seem shocking in their graphic nature, indeed some may even seem gratuitous in their almost gleeful portrayal but this just lends to increasing the unerring fascination that series has generated in its fanbase.

The only drawback, if you could really call it that is the seeming penchant that the author George RR Martin has for killing off some of the best and most beloved characters before you really have a chance to explore what could happen with their development.

A sure sign of a excellent series with absolutely spot on casting is the ability to create characters that can genuinely stir up deep dislike, almost loathing in their total evil natures.

King Joffrey, portrayed by the excellent Jack Gleeson has generated such hatred that he has publicly stated his occasional run ins with fans who seem to struggle with detaching the character from the actor.

Following on from Joffrey are other equally despicable characters such as Cercei Lannister (Lena Headey) and Melisandre The Scarlet Witch (Carice Van Houten) that also deliciously bestow their characters with seemingly limitless cruelty and all round nastiness.

To counterbalance however have been such brilliant characters portrayed by established stars such as Sean Bean, Iain Glen, Charles Dance and Aiden Gillian.

To go through a thorough review of all the characters that are so incredibly portrayed would take far too long to cover with any kind of depth.

What has been an extremely smart move by the producers has been the casting of young and previously unknowns such as Kit Harrington and Maisie Williams who clearly have impressive careers ahead of them, almost solely due to Game of thrones being a springboard for their careers.

As is always the case there is a fear that Thrones may not last long enough, seemingly Hollywood has an unhealthy fetish for all good series to last no more than 7 seasons. This is one of those shows that could genuinely be a far longer running story that would continue to enthrall an enormous fan base that would only ever grow with each subsequent episode.

I am an extremely harsh reviewer and don't pull any punches when I feel a movie or TV show has ballsed up or not followed anything near to what the fans want or expect, however in this rare circumstance I cant find a single fault with this superb TV show. If you watch it in a Blu Ray boxset (I recommend you do, this show is worth investing in the tech to watch in good quality High Definition) then make sure you set aside a full weekend because once you start, you'll be hooked before you know it.

Seriously, Game Of Thrones is just that good.

Man of Steel (2013)

Right film, wrong director.

[7/10 · 16 February 2015]

As a general film in and of itself, Man of Steel just about delivers but not by much.

From the outset the setting of Krypton is just bizarre. The film sets itself out in a an extremely space odyssey esque version of sci fi that if not for a extremely strange S logo on jor els outfit is utterly unrecognisable as a Superman film.

Indeed, the strange setting is more similar to the lizard running scene featuring Ewan Mcgregors Obi Wan Kenobi, or Avatar than any semblance of a recognisable DC superhero.

Onto the main thrust of the movie itself, you can see what Zac Snyder has tried to do in moving so drastically away from the Richard Donner stylisation of Superman and the subsequent utterly awful and boring Superman Returns,

Unfortunately in doing so it has moved the character and setting just too far away from any expectations or previous character base to be able to establish any suspension of belief and thus emotional attachment to the characters.

Obviously the agenda from Snyder was to make such drastic changes and to create a universe through his own process that no one else would be able to mould the upcoming justice league series other than him.

The castings were, well, erratic. Some choices were clearly made just because they could. Im not going to base my amusement of Lawrence Fishbourne being cast as Perry White on a racial viewpoint because as an actor fishbourne performs admirably but it does raise the question was he cast in order to simply raise the clear message that this is not going to be anywhere close to your dads superman?

Cavill as superman is an interesting choice and he has plainly made a superhuman effort to present a far more muscular superman than has ever been shown on the big screen before. However, as an avid superman fan I found it hard not to notice the fact that the guy has curly, almost afro esque hair that is deeply out of place on superman.

As for the new suit, it is terrible. Nowhere near any kind of recognisable material from anywhere in the DC universe. And further in the film it turns out to actually be 'super underwear' that raises all kinds of questions that are probably best left alone.......

Amy Adams as Lois Lane was probably the equal best Lois alongside Teri Hatcher from the 90's series Lois and Clark.

I have never been a fan of the casting of Margot Kidder in the original movies, and Kate Bosworth was a terrible casting choice in Superman Returns.

The sad fact however you look at it is Adams may well end up with the dubious title of best of a bad bunch.

All in all the film ends up being a special effect bonanza which rather than improving the film, actually winds up with too much debris and destruction to be able to follow the plot (such as it is) it feels as though the director has thrown everything and the kitchen sink in so as to make most use of technology available.

Michael Shannon as Zod was good, but this is to be expected as he rarely fails to deliver a believable performance.

Hopefully the development of the Justice league series will improve as sadly Man of Steel was only an adequate springboard that could have been so much better.

It seems apparent that the choice of director here was the wrong one and this may well prove to be a deciding factor in the upcoming struggle between marvels Avengers series and the Justice League.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Avoid like the std you'll inevitably get after watching this

[1/10 · 16 February 2015]

This has to be plain and simple the worst film I've ever been dragged to by the mrs.

Even she changed her mind about 30 minutes and wanted to leave but after witnessing two other couples returning to the screen having been refused refunds we remained and suffered the rest of the film.

Quite simply, awful casting, wooden performances, secondary cast phoning in performances on the safe knowledge that hysterical middle age housewives who should know better will secure their pay days.

other than the film, the worst thing about this film is the pathetic immature tittering of gaggles of certain age groups of women at the sight of a mans bare bottom on the screen. for gods sake, grow up.

This has to be a shoo in for multiple razzies but simply having a successful PR campaign behind it means we will be subjected to two more installments of this utter and absolute drivel.

I would rather watch Steve Buscemi have his ingrown toenails treated than suffer through any more of this 'mummy porn' and no, I'm really not kidding.

If you have to waste your money and time by watching this, then expect nothing less than a boring and thoroughly unenjoyable 2+ hours.

When I say a prostate exam with a iron glove would be more enjoyable, its a fact.

I cant say this enough, AVOID!!!