petemcphee2 Reviews

My Son (I) (2021)

Questions answered?

[6/10 · 22 May 2024]

Edmund's international company is Mi6 and his job is torture. His fear about not contacting the company and handing over his phone is well founded.

His cover legend is he works in the oil industry, in reality he travels to black sites to interrogate and torture people.

That is why the case was taken over by London police. His office front was raided to ensure nothing could be found should he go off reservation.

This explains Edmund's comfort level with torturing the first kidnapper with a blowtorch and hammer.

The movie should have fleshed out this plot a bit better... Instead I found myself staring at the epic Scottish scenary which was the 2nd best star of the movie.

Civil War (2024)

A road movie, with a couple of thought provoking scenes.

[7/10 · 19 April 2024]

The movie misses the mark for commercial reasons.

The fictional civil war is from what I remember between the Incumbent US government of the day, which is never reffered to as either Republican or Democrat and the WF Western Forces consisting of California and Texas.

There isn't even any reason given for the descent into War.

The acts of barbarism are fairly tame and whilst there is tension it really doesn't tap into the horrific nature of Civil War.

Anyone who has ever played Call of Duty will recognise the set pieces and will no doubt play them in the future.

Watching it it's clear the film makers chose to to do vanilla repeatedly. Which makes me wonder why make a civil war movie set in America in this time.

It's not a warning, it's not political, it's not even relevant.

The opportunity to make a truly horrifying and realistic movie to dissuade the USA from disending into a real civil war has been badly missed.

The Avengers Civil War was more realistic.

Jack Ryan (2018–2023)

Unrecognisable

[5/10 · 26 October 2023]

Tom Clancy once wrote a character called Dr Jack Ryan. He was an analyst who had once served in the Navy and was an exceptionally intelligent,moral and honest man.

A bit of a geek and when inthefield a bit of a liability.

Thankfully an ex Navy Seal and CIA black ops guy called John Clark saves his ass on numerous occasions and does all the action stuff for the Doctor.

Flash forward to today and we have Jack Ryan as special forces Commando in a skip cap who relies on his gung-ho actions to deal with any problem.

There are no great insights or putting together the pieces in this modern version of Ryan,he doesn't need a John Clarke, 8n fact as if todouble down on this young James bond version of Ryan Clarke we have invented a sidekick who should have been John Clarke but is called Mike November... a pseudonym? An in joke? We don't know, just roll with it..... This show is low on intelligence and nuance and big on location subtitles that appear bottom right along with type tones......Langley, Virginia...... Oh and a bunch of sloppy script writing and nonsense action scenes.

The depiction of European countries is completely laughable, which is bizarre as they appear to be shot on locations in Europe.

I love Johm Krasinsky but this is His Tom Cruise does Jack Reacher.

Justified: City Primeval (2023)

Justified becomes Bosch

[6/10 · 21 October 2023]

How the F did this get greenlit?

You took an excellent TV show and decided to remake Bosch in a cowboy hat. At the pitch meeting shouldnt someone have mentioned this?

Hardbitten cop goes after killers with annoying daughter in tow.

The best thing about Justified was the Western aspects, the fabulous baddies and the charisma and interactions between Raylan and Boyd Crowther. When Wayne Goggins wasn't available the discussions for a reboot should have ended right there.

The hardest problem trying to watch this show was the daughter... a 20yr old actress trying to play a 15yr old is especially painful when the actress can't act and makes a choice to play the daughter with the voice and mannerism of an 8yr old.

In episode 2 when Ryan pulls a gun on the baddie who has been pretending to be a police colleague of her Dad's the look on her face and her total non reaction had me wondering whose daughter this Nepo was?

SHOCK HORROR ...Vivian Oliphant, daughter of the main character and executive producer. No wonder Goggins didn't get involved.

The Equalizer 3 (2023)

fuqued up

[6/10 · 17 October 2023]

It is like they made a movie whilst on holiday in Italy. It feels so far removed from the previous two movies I had to check who directed, Antoine Fuqua must have been on Syrian synthetic meth to deliver this. It felt so low budget, like a spaghetti western about gangsters. I'm assuming the wriyers strike caused problems as that would explain why we had 2 action scenes where Robert McCall takes out the baddie villa twice in a movie. The first time its shot without action, just a long tracking shot of carnage through the villa where McCall is revealed to have killed almost everyone but then surrenders so the big boss comes into the room..... so he can then kill him.... cos timing it so the big boss is there was too difficult presumably?

Im really dissapointed. The worst part was that the supporting cast were so dreadful. It was nice to see Creasey and Pita back together even if they did shoehorn the big reveal of who her parents were, da da daaaaaa!

It's a shame the Equalizer trilogy ends on such a weakened movie.

Wakefield (2016)

Couldn't stop watching it...

[8/10 · 11 October 2023]

Disturbing, unsettling and impossible not to watch till the end.

Cranston is at his best here as a successful lawyer whose marriage and life is boring him. His journey to creepy voyeur is unsettling to watch and yet oddly relatable.

"would my family miss me if I was gone?" It's the ultimate story of a guy who can't be happy with what he's got. A man whose selfishness drives him to extremes of cruelty and self imposed neglect.

Everyman should watch this as a " why not to be a dick".

The end is left open to the audience. I hope he is back only to apologise and offer her a divorce and financial reparation.

Mission to Mars (2000)

Did the Director realise he'd made a scifi B movie?

[1/10 · 27 September 2023]

From its dreadful casting, awful , truly awful dialogue to it's piss poor special effects.. this movie stinks.

Even the movie score is awful.

As an illustration of just how bad the movie is... in one scene Tim Robbins is hurting to his death after over shooting a spacecraft. His crew which includes his wife watches as he is headed into the p,anets atmosphere where he will burn up..... but look his wife uses her jet pack to chase after him... travels to the "point of no return" which is handily displayed on her flight suit wristband for the audience before then shooting out a rescue line which falls short by a few feet... then she decides to head back because the script doesn't explain why her husvands suit doesn't work it's little manoeuvre jets or why she couldn't just continue closer to rescue her man.... its dreadful.

White House Down (2013)

Republican Porn Movie

[2/10 · 17 July 2023]

Sometimes a movie is so bad it's good.

This is not the case with this stinker.

What is now a Genre in itself the "Terrorists/Aliens attack the President" movies are a rich staple of the US movie going public. Unfortunately this enters at a very low positionand is unlikely to become a cult classic. Given that it's cast included several A listers it's worrying that it did less well than the other TAATP movie out that summer... What it is significant for is the worst ever Maggie Gylenhaal performance. It may have sent her into Directing.

James Wood gives one of his best, but they say its not acting when the actor believes it.

Thankfully most of the actors went onto bigger and better. Poor Woods spun off into a fevered alternate reality where he continues to MAGA Advice? Watch the other TAATP... The one where a Scot plays the All American bodyguard... Its less unbelievable.

Payback (I) (2021)

Unwatchable

[2/10 · 1 July 2023]

I really tried to enjoy this movie but the very poor performance of the lead actor and the dreadful Direction proved too much. The Story is OK, but the fact they skip the lead characters six years in jail and by way of explanation show he now has a scar on his back is so ridiculous.

It's a shame as its clear a lot of the cast were decent and have been in many better things than this movie.

For anyone that is looking for a movie featuring East European crime I can heartily recommend EASTERN PROMISE and A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE. Both star Viggo Mortensen and are far superior than this poor effort.

Cry Macho (2021)

You can only go to the well so many times...

[1/10 · 9 June 2023]

I love Clint Eastwood movies. I loved John Wayne movies, but I wouldn't watch John Wayne at 90 trying to act 60.

There is so many things wrong with this movie.

The recurring Hollywood view of "Mexico BAD".

The plot whereby a 90 Yr old man is recruited to travel over a thousand miles by a former colleague to bring back his Son from a drunken mom.

It's not just flimsy, daft and illogical... Its barely interesting.

Then there's the appearance of Clint. It's sad when an actor doesn't know when to stop. We've had to watch Clint get old and it's been sad, but sadder yet is he continues to play the same part... Tough old Curmudgeon.

I can't imagine any actress would be afforded such an extended career onscreen.

Machete (2010)

The problem with Hollywood...

[2/10 · 4 June 2023]

The Problem with Hollywood is it doesn't do film noir or arthouse movies. Instead it does a thing called a B movie. This B movie has high production, famous stars and a script you'd expect from a 12yr old going thru puberty.

It's dreadful. It's supposed to be so dreadful it's brilliant. It's not, it's just dreadful.

It's like the actors were drawn to the quirkiness of being involved with a movie whose script was screaming out for a terrible performance.

The movie is living proof that not everything that has Quentin Tarantino attached to it is good. What is really rubbish is the direction is so basic it's painful. It looks like you are watching cheap spoof movie.

CAN you tell I'm not a fan of it?

Waco: American Apocalypse (2023)

Dreadful pack of lies

[3/10 · 14 April 2023]

Anyone who remembers the details of Waco will recognise this nonsense for what it is. A piece of Government propaganda. During this show there is no mention of the fact that the attack on the compound was to boost ATF profile as it fought for more funding. There is also no mention of the fact that the "element of surprise" was lost because the ATF deliberately fed the raid to the press and brought along news teams to cover their raid. There is also no mention that the ATF had undercover officers in the compound at caramel and that they had reported the situation fully and that they felt no raid was necessary. The ensuing battle was the result of bungled and complacent police officers trying to get TV headlines. The escalation involving tanks, psychological warfare, helicopters and gas attacks ended in the annihilation of 82 civilians, including 28 children who all burned to death when the CS gas the police and Army pumped into the building ignited.

This was a war crime committed by the federal government on its citizens.

This show is nothing but utter nonsense. A key component of which is the repeated use of images of an armoury filled with machine guns, belts of ammunition and grenades that is entirely fictional but made to look like the ATF were about to seize thousands of weapons and "millions of rounds of ammunition".

All alleged weapons were conveniently burned beyond recovery.....

The Eagle (2011)

Whose decision to dress Celts as Iroquis?

[6/10 · 23 March 2023]

Hollywood tends to throw up two very similiar movies at the same time... The Eagle was preceded by Centurion.

Centurion was a far better film. Both were Roman legion stories set in Northern Britain. But only one of these movies decided to boldly go with Native American looking Iroquis instead of Pictish/Celtic natives.

It might have been a fevered dreamor a misguided moment of inspiration by the writer or director, maybe the costume designer misread the script? We will never know. But what is sure is that it makes this daft film look even more stupid than it already was. Guys... If its historical... Stick to the facts.

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

Dissapointing and poorly executed.

[5/10 · 1 March 2023]

I'd hear a lot of talk about how good this movie was.

I watched it in peace and quiet on my own but nodded off during boyfriend no. 1 and awake for boyfriend no. 2 to appear. I honestly struggled to tell them apart until no. 1 returned.

The themes of prejudice and isolation are never really explored in any way that hits the mark.

There was a real feeling that this was a made for TV movie, but not nowadays where the quality is excellent, no this felt more like from the bad old days. I half expected David Duchovny to take over narrating this like a Red Shoes Diary episode.

The Courtroom scenes, where these things take on heat were really bland and had no big moments.

The end Scene with the *big reveal was so poorly delivered I wished they'd played "Dan,Dan, Dan,..... Daaaaaaaaa!

I'm guessing there was a really good book behind this, shame they failed to bring that book to life.

Joe Kidd (1972)

One of Eastwood worst westerns

[5/10 · 14 February 2023]

It's hard to pinpoint where the problem is with this movie. The editing is a main culprit but both the Director and editor are accomplished. Then there's the story... A bit simple and nonsensical. Then there's the blood... Seldom has fake blood seemed quite so fake. People are shot and instantly 8 inches of bright red paint appears on their clothes.

The plus points are few and far between... Cast is amazing and some cinematography is very memorable. The movie is now remembered more for its eye-catching poster than the movie itself.

Its a pity someone failed to put all these ingredients together to deliver a great movie.

The Addams Family (1991)

Cinematic perfection

[10/10 · 4 December 2022]

Rarely does a movie treatment of a beloved TV show succeed. This exceeds. Fans of the TV show and first comers were delighted by the adaptation. The fact we are only now 30yrs later adapting the story to a Netflix miniseries shows just how successful the Movies were.

Inspired casting actually surpassed the original cast. The introduction of Christopher Lloyd as Uncle fesster is inspired, Angelica Houston IS Morticia... The late great Raul Julia WAS Gomez.. His early passing stopped the Inevitable 3 movie Trilogy that the Addams family should have been.

Christine Ricci was introduced to the World as Wednesday Addams... A role that has spawned various, incarnations including "Matilda".

The Batman (2022)

Visuals over plot

[5/10 · 3 December 2022]

A waste of a reboot. There was a lot to admire in the visuals and special effects. The cast looked terrific too, casting brilliant, but what it was lacking was a story that folk could enjoy and be engrossed in.

Its, a big act to follow Nolan's trilogy. Sadly this, falls short by being let down by a story that is dull, bland and a bit confused.

Ideas all over the place that smacks oof rewrites and lack of direction... I think they were so busy setting up the trilogy they forgot to write a movie here.

Lots to like, little to love.

Took me 3 attempts to watch it.... Not a gripper.

Better luck next time.

Death on the Nile (2022)

Dreadful.

[2/10 · 6 June 2022]

Dreadfully miscast the actors are a hotch potch of comedians and D list celebs. Their rubbish acting is only matched by their rubbish accents.

The sets are as fake as the CGI backgrounds.

Branagh is deeply flawed as a director. The introduction depicted Poirot's war experience including horrific facial scarring which is given as the reason why he chose to grow a moustache. Yet not a single blemish is seen on him throughout the rest of the movie.

Very disappointing.

Reacher (2022– )

I've never read the books....

[4/10 · 9 February 2022]

... but I'd be pissed off that my fave character is being portrayed as a Autistic psychopath.

If this TV depiction is a truer version than the Tom Cruise movies then I mightily gladi didn't read the books.

Last Train to Christmas (2021)

Quite enjoyable mix of 90s kitsh and Great expectations on a Train

[7/10 · 3 January 2022]

Having actually lived through the 90s this show took me back.

Spot on in every detail except one.

In 1995 the chances of seeing two fat girls on a train were virtually zero.

Back in 1995 most people were a healthy weight and within healthy BMI.

Seeing fat people was actually quite rate and they stood out.

Since 1996 the child hood obesity of 3.4 %has risen to over 22% If anyone watches old TV show The Professionals you will see how 28 inch waists on men were the norm in the 70s.

Boss Level (2020)

Great cast, dreadful film

[3/10 · 31 December 2021]

At one point near the end the lead actress says to Frank Grillo... "I don't know how this ends, its all just cobbled together" I nearly wet myself laughing at the irony... She could have been talking about this movie.

The thing is the whole "violent groundhog day" has been done to death... Its actually a genre now.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Cruise, Chris Pratt have all done the time travel actioner shtick and with varying success.

The worst part of this movie was the dreadful CGI helicopter scenes... If this wasn't a time travel movie its inclusion may have gone unremarked but having to see it repeatedly makes it really noticeable.

There seems to have been a clamour to get new movies up and running post lockdown, possibly actors were desperate for work... Someone should be looking into why this project was chosen by the studio.

Churchill (2017)

Great film

[9/10 · 21 November 2021]

Sad to see this movie did not get as much attention or plaudits as the other Churchill movie.

Perhaps more to do with the publics perceptions of Churchill.

All movies depicting real people or real events are merely movies and should be viewed as such.

I actually enjoyed this Churchill better than Tim Roth's version as I wasn't focusing on the makeup and prosthetics.

The New Mutants (2020)

Stinker

[1/10 · 10 June 2021]

I thought this was actually a new TV series.

Its so underdeveloped with so much missing it had to be a TV series right?

Wrong.

As I watched I kept thinking maybe it's a slow start to the show, then biff, bang, wallop! The movie is finished and I realise its not the start of a series but the end of a really bad film.

As for the actors.... Badly written, charachatiures with 2 dimensional back stories.

Their powers are never really explained or utilised.

The female lead was a really bad actor. Maisie from Game of Thrones was testing out her Scottish or Irish accent.... No one was ever really sure.

Dont bother.

Man on Fire (2004)

How it should have ended....

[8/10 · 12 May 2021]

It's fairly obvious that the end of the movie was changed.

Whilst interrogating Fuentes the crooked police chief Creasey explains that the devices components on the car bonnet are identical to the assembled device that Creasey has put inside Fuentes.

There is no need for two devices unless...... At the end of the movie Creasey dies gently in his sleep thus cheating his kidnappers and "the Voice" from torturing and killing him.

The ending where Creasey is brought to the bad guys lair and tells the bady guys to call a number or in some way trigger the device was cut as having our hero explode by anal bomb was thought not suitable.

I'd prefer that to him falling asleep in a car and a clumsily tacked on black and white scene where the good cop kills "the Voice".....

As Christopher Walkden said... "Creasey is, about to create his masterpiece of death"... By ass bomb lol.

Tenet (2020)

Chris Nolan ends his career....

[3/10 · 9 May 2021]

There is no doubting that Nolan has been the most innovative and creative movie director/screenwriters of the decade.... But Tenet is without doubt the worst movie he's ever made.

Its like he took the complexity of Inception, the Time jumping of Dunkirk and remade "The Night Manager"... Everything was reused.

Christ you've been got Batman's butler making a Cameo albeit thru badly fitting false teeth. Maybe Michael was doing a homage to recently departed friend Sean Connery?

Again we are "treated" to Ken Brannaghs Russian oligarch, Pattinson appears to be doing a Tom Hardy impression from Inception and the whole thing is shot like its sponsored by a yacht club.

I love Chris Nolan.

I hope he has spent lockdown writing something new and dare I say it... More linear in storytelling?