tenyearreunion Reviews

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Gripped, from the 1st Frame

[9/10 · 3 September 2023]

I literally don't know where to start.

The original 'Into' was heart wrenching, clever and totally out there. It was a blitz on the senses but one you attuned to that it was a film that really thought outside the box whilst making you care more about animated characters than a lot of live action stuff.

'Across' has notched the bar up even more. So clever and even more out there whilst still being...well...in a multi-verse you can believe in, so to speak. With all the zaniness happening on screen, at no point did I think 'well that doesn't make sense!' which is kinda crazy in itself but a mark of excellent well thought out screenwriting.

There is so many jokes thrown in I think I missed some and need to watch it again. All in keeping with the Spider-man comics I read and loved as a kid.

So many good characters, the villian, the friends, the parents. Loved them all.

The soundtrack was very good also but many not as memorable as the original. That is not meant as a negative criticism though.

I cannot wait for the next one. I can only hope it is as good as the first two and I see no reason why they cannot make one of the best, most original, super hero trilogy in recent times.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Thank you James Gunn!

[9/10 · 25 July 2023]

I've always thought throughout the phases of the Marvel Franchise that the GOTG offers something very different and, quite frankly, more enjoyable.

Throughout the three movies the characters are given time to develop, the plot lines don't solely revolve around the baddy wanting to destroy stuff, the cast are all equally hilarious and thoroughly entertaining. Can you have a favourite character from GOTG? They all have their moments and feed off each other so well.

We all know expectations were high for Vol 3 and after having many laughs, a few heartstrings pulled and my soul gently cuddled for a couple of hours, I let out a huge sigh of satisfaction when the credits rolled.

I then got immediately sad that this would the last time this ensemble cast will be on screen together.

I think James Gunn has directed one of the better trilogies around and he ended on a high. A rare and impressive feat.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

I wanted to love it so much....

[6/10 · 25 July 2023]

MI has offered us everything the Bond Franchise hasn't over the last decade. Jaw dropping stunts (IMHO), favourable characters, better plot lines and villians and most importantly more entertainment.

All but one MI (I'll let you guess which!) has bumped up the expectation of a Summer Hollywood Blockbuster but MI:DR pt1 has fallen over it's length and demand for action set pieces. I love this franchise and was SO looking forward to the next (and final?) installment spread over 2 parts.

However, characters you have grown to love over the last few films are cast aside when this was an opportunity to round them off and say Goodbye. Hayley Atwell is thrown into the mix with little to no backstory. She is no Ilsa whom I am trying to recollect having more than 10 lines.

The club scene looks to been lifted from John Wick, during the same scene the dialogue is similar to that of the Matrix 2 (as in "what the hell is going on?").

I can't get behind the concept of the villian or their henchman despite how many times it's explained. There is a moment someone explains how he has made himself indepensible to the villian by holding onto a secret, which he then tells the villian's henchman...

20-30 mins could have been shaved from this movie with little to no effect on it's outcome. If anything I think more may have gone to see it at the theatres who might have been put off by it's length. This was the same opinion of others in my group.

Should you still go to see it? Yes. The effort taken over these set pieces is phenomenal. Some are very memorable. There are comedic moments you will enjoy too but for me Ghost Protocol remains the best in the franchise.

A Man Called Otto (2022)

Hits the mark.

[7/10 · 29 April 2023]

I guess having good source material and a good original to base it upon helped a great deal. However, it still succeeds in hitting the mark where others may have over whipped the cream.

Some great performances, particularly from Mariana Treviño who absolutely steals the show.

Is it saccharine. Yes. Do they pull at all your heartstrings. Yes. Having said that, it is not done in a crass or bulldozer style way. I usually don't like flashbacks in a film but somehow the director sprinkled them in at the right moments and for the right amount of the time not to become overplayed.

For a middle aged man who has some experience with the subject matter, it had me bawling my eyes out for most of it.

Therefore, job done. Thumbs up. Makes me want to watch the original for comparison.

Reacher (2022– )

Amazon to the recue of Jack Reacher?

[8/10 · 5 February 2022]

I didn't loathe the movies but I guess as only a reader of a couple of the novels I was probably not as invested as others. The casting of Cruise was, as others say, ridiculous for obvious height differences. Being tall was probably the ONLY detail that Childs reiterates about Reacher and Hollywood threw it out the window.

Amazon to the rescue? Maybe. This Reacher casting is possibly a bit too much in the other direction though. Too beefy. I believed Reacher to be 'knawly', rugged and deceptively strong. Not straight out of a LA gym and whom most would never dream of picking a fight with.

However, after shaking that off, I settled down and found Ritchson to be rather likeable and watchable and, very much to the credit of the writers, it proved that less can be so much more when it comes to dialogue. I did, on more than one occasion found myself laughing which is always entertaining. We can all agree, there was, indeed, a lot of cattle feed. :)

I liked the two other supporting roles a lot. Again, no need to try to over complicate the relationships between them when Reacher is a man of few words. That would be too difficult to do on screen, so don't bother and judge that fact fairly. I think some expected complicated and intimate dialogue between the 3 like other Crime Dramas. Nope. That should not happen and would break character.

I binged happily over two days. The best thing about it, no need to skip a recap every episode and short credits! Amazon know most people will binge this!

I very much look forward to Season 2. Don't can it Amazon. I still haven't forgiven you for Swamp thing.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

the law of deminishing reviews is real

[2/10 · 29 December 2021]

Just when I thought they couldn't make a worse sequel than part 3.

The Matrix was a movie based on that feeling 'is this all real? Am I just a lab rat in puzzle somewhere?' A Truly a brilliant idea, superb plot excellently excuted with groundbreaking visual effects. You walked out of the Theatre simply going..."wow".

The following two sequels were, well, basically a confusing mess...much like the dialogue by the architect. Most were left disappointed and wondered if they could be redone. Too late now.

Part 4 was an opportunity of a sort of reboot, which, they utterly failed to take. Reboots can work. Ask your friendly neighbourhood Spider-man. However, there must be around 20% of old footage used in this film, why? Is anyone going to see this without seeing the previous 3 films? Must they ram down your throats what happened in the previous movies so much? It started to get really, really annoying after a while.

The plot, to it's credit, is much simpler to understand but is just trash. They should have taken this to a completely new direction. Instead, they just shoehorned in as many repeats of original ideas as possible.

But hey..it worked...it made me pay £ for a ticket and waste 2 hours of my life. This will not be bought on blu ray/uhd by this fan of the original. It doesn't add anything to anything and I have no desire to repeat watch at all.

2 stars as some of the effects and some good casting were well executed BUT nothing you hadn't really seen in the originals.

The Colony (2021)

I felt cold and wet for 2 hours and loved it!

[8/10 · 7 November 2021]

My word, just how cold and sodden must all this cast have been during the filming of this! My kingdom for a raincoat!

Joking aside. This sci fi flick deserves more than the average 5 star IMDB review on here. I don't know what the nay sayers were expecting. I for one, expected nothing. I didn't know more than was indicated from the trailer.

The production is superb, the locations, cinematography and attention to detail such as costume design, all very good.

The acting from all is spot on, the lead especially so. A real heroine. Never seen Nora before but I'll look out for her again for sure.

There has been criticism of the plot and the explanation of the infertility but I believe it is explained well enough and let's not go the normal modern sci fi flick of having to explain everything in minute detail which leaves most films a good 20 minutes longer than they need to be.

It was well paced, rarely a moment where there wasn't tension or something to move the plot along. No wasted 'shoe leather' as I like to say.

Thoroughly enjoyable. Don't expect Star Wars. Expect a less ridiculous Waterworld and you'll be fine.

Monster Hunter (2020)

I've never stopped watching a movie, this did it!

[1/10 · 19 September 2021]

45 minutes I lasted. I looked at how much time was left and thought I'd rather go clean my bathroom. Much more fun.

I can't remember the last film I saw where Milla Jovovich actually acted. People say Liam Neeson has got himself pigeon holed as a man with 'a certain set of skills' but by God, at least he has a script to learn and makes some of them entertaining.

The effects are great, the sound was banging coming out of my Atmos system but sorry, after so many bangs, crashes, smashes, grunts, moans without any constructive dialogue between action scenes I was mind numbingly bored. If the script hit 500 words I'd be surprised. I want to be a scriptwrite for one of PSWA films...what a cake walk!

I LOVE a good action movie as well as the next person, but I've given PSWA far too many chances. He almost had me walking out of the cinema for one of his Resident Evil movies. And I don't walk out of movies....or stop watching them...until now..

PWSA. You make my blacklist.

It has only one name on it.

No Sudden Move (2021)

Sudden Moves to the STOP button were ignored.

[2/10 · 22 August 2021]

Such a promising start, great sound track, great cars! The fish eye lens I could have done without but I guess it adds a little artistic flair to the cinematography.

However, within an hour I was bored. There is only so much plot twisting and double crosses anyone can handle before you throw your hands up in the air and give up.

Even the wedging in of almost every star that Soderbergh has in his black book into the plot lost its effect.

The crawl of text at the end explaining the crux of the story had me almost bursting into laugher.

"Oh THAT was what you were trying to tell the story of during the last 2 hours!" :D

I am not qualified to give advice to such creators. But if I could, I would say that if the viewer needs a wall sized flow chart to work out the plot to the movie. Then maybe you have over thought the plot somewhat.

Like Nolan out Nolan'ed himself in Tenet. Soderbergh has out Soderbergh'd himself on this one.

2 of out 10 as you wasted this cast.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Tomorrows war we needed last year

[7/10 · 4 July 2021]

Brew a cup of tea, make your popcorn, turn the lights down and mobile phones off. Oh....and give your brains a couple of hours off too, they won't be needed but that is not a bad thing.

This is exactly what I could have done with during the Lockdowns last year. I whipped through all my favourite sci fi movies in Lockdown 1 (UK) and pretty quickly starting watching some low budget random stuff. On occasion I found a hidden gem, but too often a rushed, unfinished load of twaddle with a fag packet script.

TWT production quality is excellent and had be craving to see this in the Cinema with belly wobbling sound. This is my one regret watching it as I did on my home system.

A Sci fi film asks you to suspend belief and creates a new world to tell you a story, whether that be action, thriller, horror etc. A good sci fi movie then entertains you whilst not breaking all it's own rules, this didn't.

Christ Pratt is well, Chris Pratt, I didn't expect oscar winning performance but if you like him, you like him. Supporting cast was more than adequate. The visual effects though, top notch, near faultless. The script didn't have any cringe moments, which again is quite a feat in an action sci fi movie.

I could go on, but I'll end with this. If you enjoyed Live, Die, Repeat. Edge of Tomorrow then I will bet my bottom dollar you will enjoy this (almost) as much (sorry...I mean. Emily Blunt, right?)

The Kid Detective (2020)

A melting pot of...well...who knows?

[5/10 · 4 July 2021]

This isn't a bad movie. This isn't, in my opinion, a good movie. It is just, well, a bit of everything and nothing. I would love to sit the director down and ask a few questions as I have no idea who they made this movie for or what was intended. I need enlightenment.

It is a drama, thriller, comedy, mystery? I'm watching the movie and wondering what am I supposed to be enjoying. I was neither finding it funny, enthralling, creepy or anything. Unfortunately I had literally no emotional connection to this story at all and it was sheer hope that kept me going.

One could argue to create a movie that you couldn't 'pigeon hole' is a gift but surely, at least, I should be happy I spent the running time watching it?

I've seen reviews that have praised this as being full of dark humour in appropriate places. Well, they must have completely gone over my head, however truth be told, this is entirely possible.

If you are reading this, do not let it stop you watching it. Many on here have rated it favourably and it obviously hit the mark with some people. For me, nothing. Nothing at all. Maybe I should be a bit jealous of those that did enjoy it. Instead I simply shrug my shoulders and move onto the next one.

The Assistant (III) (2019)

I get it...but was I entertained?

[4/10 · 22 May 2021]

In a word. No.

The cast are brilliant. Julia Garner is absolutely brilliant and I thought she was the best character in Ozark by a long shot and she excels in low key emotion here.

I understand what this is depicting. A snapshot in the life of a downtrodden lowly assistant with a hurrendous 'producer' boss.

But. Sorry. I need more. A plot rather than just a good script. Some sort of conclusion. I don't expect her to bring her boss down or fight for women's rights here but maybe...something more as a statement. Maybe she quits and is instantly replaced or similar.

I was left thoroughly unfulfilled for my 87 minutes. Most of which was spent watching a brilliant actor tidying up after other people.

I cannot wait to see JG land a meaty movie role. I have no doubt she will knock it out of the park.

I neither recommend or ask you to avoid this movie. Just know what you are getting into.

Breach (IV) (2020)

Utter disbelief! Am I dying?

[1/10 · 23 April 2021]

I mean....just....what have I just experienced? I had my covid vaccine today and I feel I have just hallucinated the last hour and a half.

Bruce Willis, Thomas Jane, Callan Mulvey, Rachel Nicols.

How on earth are you in his movie that looked like it had a budget of £2.50?

I was hoping to discover this movie was made for charity (I've checked, it's not). I can only assume the producers lined up the cast and then realised they had spent the last penny in the cookie jar and it was more expensive to pull the project, so some mates knocked something up in their back garden.

I am just stunned. In this day and age a movie of this (lack of) plot, effects, production, script was even given the green light, let alone lure in a cast of this potential.

Netflix...this is the sole reason your stock has dropped recently...haven't you figured this out yet.

Please, for the love of all things Holy, DON'T waste your time watching this even for curiousity. It's stinks, it will make your eyes and brain hurt.

I will probably read an article from the DIrector stating they were trying to re-envisage a B movie from the 1970s. If he did, they still failed as they were 10x more entertaining.

2020 was most defintely a year to forget. Now, for more reasons than one.

Truth Seekers (2020)

Funny, clever and cancelled!

[9/10 · 28 February 2021]

Pegg and Frost (and co writers) come up with a smart 8 part comedy series about Broadband engineers and part time paranormal truth seekers. Each part piecing together a well thought out plot that builds up to a satisfying conclusion.

One thing I did notice is the sudden abundance of swearing from episode four onwards which I found a bit unnecessary. I am not a prude but I think if used sparingly the odd swear word becomes far more funny. A minor negative point.

Binged watched in a 24 hour period. Looked it up for season 2 details and uncovered the disappointing discovery that it won't be returning to Amazon Prime for a 2nd season.

I have to say, considering the utter drivel with far higher budgets I have seen continue for several seasons past their expiry date, I do wonder what goes on in the heads of these executives.

Maybe we could crowd fund enough pressure to get them to do a 2nd season. I mean, I can't imagine it was that expensive to create this series, after all, it is the cast and script that make it. Not the spooky props and special effects!

The Boys (2019– )

Sup'd up quality!

[9/10 · 21 October 2020]

Having literally closed my browser on the final episode of season 2 I am so happy that this series is holding up the high standard set in Season 1.

It's gory, funny, full of in fighting and I am not sure there is a weak character in it, some are superflous (get it?) sure, but the key cast all do exemplory jobs.

The script is tight, the action is short, sharp and hard hitting in more ways than one.

Overall though, it is the plotline that has surprised me. I really did wonder where they could take this 'sup universe' but so far, so (insert Billy Butcher explitive) good.

Not for kids and unashamedly so! Keep up the good work!

Away (2020)

I was bizarrely gripped

[7/10 · 7 September 2020]

In recent months (lockdown) I have rarely found something on Prime or Netlix that was bingeworthy. Something that when one episode ended, despite the late hour, I watched another. 'Away' succeeded in achieving this and it was quite unexpected.

This is a story 50/50 split between inter crew and family relationships and sci fi drama. And most should agree, that's a pretty good split.

When I first saw the cast, alarms bells rang, oh no, here we go, a picture perfect multicultural cast, this is going to be bland with a PC message in each episode. I also don't like flashbacks in any story, I find it lazy scriptwriting. I was nervous when they were first used.

However, the cast, are, well, very good. Emotions are awash in many episodes but none of them end up chewing the scenery for lack of script or occasion. There is the right amount of sci fi drama to keep you interested, there are not extended flashbacks filling out the plotlines. In fact, this is probably the best use of a quick flashback to give weight to current events I have seen for ages.

Is the CGI a bit iffy in places, yes, but sci fi is a journey of the imagination. I personally forgive a bit of ropey effects if the story allows. And with 'Away' there was enough for me to forgive the occasional obvious green screen moment. I would rather better plot, less effects than the other way around.

I did find myself questioning the science in many parts, but again, I forgave it because the pacing throught the series is very good so you end up at the next scene in such time you don't dwell on the possible scientific plot hole.

If you go with it. I really don't think there is an opportunity to be bored, in any episode, and none are fillers. In fact, I believe I found the more emotional ones, the better episodes.

I think you can give it two episodes to give yourself a feel of the series, you either like it by then or not. Unlike other series I've thrown myself into, I find myself getting bored or tired of the characters or plot by mid season.

It gets a solid 7, it's no west wing but exceeded my expectations.

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Not perfect but my word, a worthy watch.

[8/10 · 11 June 2020]

I knew very little about this film going in apart from memory of my favourite podcast giving it a thumbs up.

I was first surprised by it's concise running time when I started, something I am usually a fan of, the film really sets off at a pace, giving you little backstory. A good thing? After the conclusion of this very enjoyable piece, I actually wish it had given me a tad more.

You get to know Zak's characteristics throughout the movie, he's a smart cookie for sure. Shia, my word, he is either terrible or very watchable, he most certainly sets camp in the latter in TPBF. Again you are provided glimpses of his past which makes him who is is today.

Between them, my word, what an unexpected laugh out loud buddy movie you are served up. Dakota Johnson and the supporting cast are far more than adequate and there are other lesser characters you again wish you had a bit more time with.

I found myself, apart from laughs, wanting to be moved a little bit more by this movie, I am a sucker for a bleary eye now and then, this sadly missed that mark which I felt would have been attained with a few carefully selected scenes being extended or even some more poignant moments between the two leads and the supporting cast.

However, I also completely get it if the writer/director didn't want to pull those hearstrings deliberately and risk straying into 'sympathy tears', so, considering I am really quite stingy with my ratings, as the cast is absolutely spot on, the mood of the film is perfectly pitched and I found myself glued to the screen every second, it deserves an 8/10 from me, maybe more of a 7.5 if I could.

Enjoy.

Chernobyl (2019)

HBO do it again

[9/10 · 10 June 2019]

Considering some of the contributors on here, some of whom originate from the Pripyat area, I feel I am not anywhere near qualified enough to comment on the authenticity of this series.

All I will say is the directing, acting, script and production is second to none. I was gripped from the first 10 minutes leading me to watch all 5 episodes in a day.

What a cast, absolutely all of the leads were pitch perfect in their performances. Occasionally the accents were so varied it jarred a bit but it is almost a statement to say, this matter is so serious, who cares that they are not speaking Russian, let alone in a variety of accents.

I have watched HBO's Band of Brothers more times than I can remember, I wish I could say I'll be doing the same for Chernobyl but it is such a bleack, terrifying story, once is enough, but everyone should watch this once.

Star Trek: Discovery: Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 (2019) Season 2, Episode 14

A spore drive leap ahead of Season 1

[7/10 · 9 June 2019]

I slated season 1, I gave up watching it after about episode 3 and only finished it as I heard Season 2 had been given the green light.

Season 2, is a huge improvement. A true trekkie storyline, more or less without gaping plot holes, excellent effects, a better supporting cast.

Don't get me wrong. I still think Michael is actually one of the weaker characters, Tilly is so annoying and some sub plots were laboured but other elements were introduced that took some of the limelight away from these characters I feel the writers knew they had to give some substance to.

I feel they overdid the sentimentality on numberous occasions but overall, I had the ever so important thought of 'okay, just another episode'.

I do miss Jason Isaacs though (Hello to him).

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

**SPOILERS** Am I the only fan who didn't rate this final part? It is only average with the MCU Movies.

[5/10 · 27 April 2019]

Infinity war I loved. The pacing, the introduction of the many characters and the jaw dropping ending. I went back to see it three times.

Endgame wholeheartedly disappointed. Why?

**SPOILERS**

Okay, let's get the plot holes/weak links out of the way:-

1) The original glove had to be forged by a dying star. Somehow Stark created one on Earth...no explanation. 2) The slight of hand to steal the stones from Thanos...really? 3) How does Iron Man's gloves survive having all Infinity stones on it. 4) Tilda Swinton gave up the Time Stone far too easily. 5) I could be wrong but I didn't think the Tesseract could be handled by a human? 6) Several avengers could barely keep Thanos using the glove before. In fact, they failed. It seemed much easier this time round! 7) DId no one want to tip off Hawkeye and Black Widow as to how they had to unlock the Soul Stone? 8) All of a sudden Captain America seems to be able to use Thor's Hammer at will when it moved only a little before. What makes him more worthy now? 9) Captain Marvel WOEFULLY underused. Shows up to run through a few ships and land a few punches. What a waste. 10) Did Nick Fury, the instigator of the Avengers, not get an invite to the finale? Rude.

These are off the top of my head as I write this. I am sure I could think of more.

Fair play to Marvel for wanting to make this a more human story...I think. But sadly they failed to create a emotional finale and and succumbed to the inevitable fighting.

I didn't get the 'feeling' of the 5 years they skipped over, Black Widow holding things together, Hawkeye going rogue. The quantum timeline plot line is weak in my opinion and slightly predictable.

The loss of BW and Iron Man should have been major heart breaking sequences but I saw the BW scene coming a mile off and I was too bewildered as to how Stark got the stones to give a damn about his death scene.

I wanted more of a surprise, more originality, this is a comic universe where they've spent years devising a story arch. Is this the best ending they could have come up with? One that ends in another fight, a slight of hand and a click of fingers? Nope sorry, I felt little jeapordy and zero tension compared to Infinity War where I ended up almost falling of my chair.

I'm no writer but I've seen enough Sci Fi and read enough comics to know they could have done so much more. Why not split dimensions? Make half the team sacrifice themselves for others? Or something radicallike that. Not a timeline do-over with another big fight with only a couple of fatalities!

I could rant for a long time. It's not a terrible film, The Last Jedi it isn't. It's just utterly average, hence my 5/10. With 3 Hours they could have done so much more and my expectations after the superb Infinity War were high. I am mortified to be as disappointed as I am.

I want to return and give it another chance...but 3.5 hours in a movie theatre. I don't want to..which is the biggest tear jerking result of the movie.....

Bumblebee (I) (2018)

If only this was the Movie to kick off the Franchise back in 2007

[7/10 · 21 April 2019]

Mr Bay, THIS is the Transformers movie that people wanted to see! Not your soft porn metal fests.

I literally gave up on the Franchise after Revenge of the Fallen. I stopped wasting my money on a Cinema ticket after that. I watched them at home and...generally got bored and starting to wish they would end. It was the effects that wow'd people. Not the plots.

Bumblebee was recommended by The good Doctor at Wittertainment and boy, he was right.

It's a fun simple plot, contains the right amount of action with a bit of sentimentality thrown in. Ms Stanfield is excellent, really getting me to believe she cares for this Autobot!

When everyone is used to crystal clear CGI, it is time to spend some time and money on the acting and the plot.

So no skantily clad bimbo running around to give teenage boys a thrill here. No fight scenes with so much CGI you haven't a clue what you are supposed to be doing.

A definite movie for all ages. The adults will enjoy the awesome nostalgic 80s soundtrack too!

Well done to the Writers and Directors and the Studio for giving this a shot. Someone woke up and realised the franchise was in the pan and needed to change direction.

Will it win Oscars, no. Maybe it won't even surpass some of the original's box office takings. However, it offers far superior entertainment and I look forward to a sequel in this FAMILY genre.

Upgrade (2018)

Well, that was a surprise! Low budget quality sci fi!

[8/10 · 26 December 2018]

So I had a quick check on here before watching this movie, avoiding all reviews. However when I saw it had such a high rating I gave it a go. And boy, I am glad I did.

The best low budget sci fi I've seen in ages, probably since Ex Machina. I love that it went straight in and didn't let up. I am fast losing faith in movies over 2 hours for the simple sake of being over 2 hours, thinking they are giving you value or entertaining you throughout. I don't mind a long movie if it isn't padded for the sake of it.

Upgrade delivers on many fronts. Good acting, good yet simple effects, not CGI tastic, and a plot that made sense with a brilliant ending. I gave it a solid 8 only as it isn't exactly ground breaking nor thought provoking.

I want to write more, but I think this short review should say it all. For any sci fi fan, it is a must, for others, if you want an action thriller, give it a go. A slight warning though...some scenes aren't for the faint hearted!

I kept thinking the lead actor looked a lot like Tom Hardy...anyone else?

Colossal (2016)

Similar to Godzilla, who are you kidding?

[7/10 · 27 August 2018]

Always after watching an interesting movie I look it up on this site. I was amazed to see (in the trivia) it was hit by a lawsuit as it was claimed to be too similar to Godzilla. What were those lawyers smoking!

I mean..watch the trailer....read the synopsis..apart from using a big monster..no similarity at all! I guess they ripped the robot off Transformers did they??

Anyway, a great bit of Sci Fi this. Whoever thought this up deserves a pat on the back for a truly original bit of science fiction and hats off to Anne Hathaway (during pregnancy no less) in getting involved in a $15M little indie project. It really is a underrated movie.

It reminded me of 'Another Earth' another sci fi gem of taking a simple story and sprinkling a little sci fi on it.

How they squeezed in some dark humour into this without turning it into a farce impressed me quite a bit. It didn't ruin it at all but added to the enjoyment of the story. Anne Hathaway can give you a little comic turn without losing the dramatic theme. There was a danger of taking itself too seriously as a Sci Fi film but avoided that well too. The Sci Fi element is just a way of expressing a good little emotional drama.

Really well casted in the key roles. I won't look at Jason Sudeikis in the same light again. And Anne Hathaway did her filmography some good with accepting this role. I thought the boyfriend a bit weak but he is supplementary to the plot.

I credit any film under 2 hours, so many movies nowadays pad for pad's sake thinking they need to give running time for value. Nope, tell a story well at it can be 90 mins or 300, I don't care. This succeeded in keeping my attention all the way through.

With 5 being an average film, I gave this a solid 7, nudging an 8 but in fairness I doubt it will benefit from repeat viewing an 8 film would requre. It exceeded expectations and keep yours to not expecting Godzilla versus Anne Hathaway smash up and it'll probably exceed yours.

Rampage (2018)

Does what it says on the tin.

[7/10 · 24 August 2018]

I never understand criticism of a film that clearly was set out to be a utterly ludicrous romp of action from the get go.

Character development? It a film about a massive ape fighting other massive creatures!

I love the Rock, he has the very definition of A list quality. Some go to a movie just because he is in it. At least, I do! Very few names carry this weight on box office anymore.

The effects are very good, the story simple enough to string the action pieces together without you going 'hang on, but that....', you just don't care, you go with it, enjoy the quips and get behind the big white ape and his little co-star. :)

I went to see it twice at the cinema and thoroughly enjoyed leaving my brain in the foyer on both occasions.

Far better than JW Fallen Kingdom (got so bored towards the end) and though I didn't mind Godzilla a while back, this is simply more fun. It just not serious in any way and that is exactly what I believe this film set out to be.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

Faultless.

[10/10 · 24 August 2018]

I write this moments after the credits have rolled on this movie, though pausing after some dust got in my eye......honest guv.

What a simply wonderful, delightful, well casted, acted, directed, scored piece of film making.

I honestly kick myself for not seeing this at the cinema so I could soak in the scenery and fully engross myself in the tale of Lilly James peeling (pardon the pun) back the layers of the GLAPPS story. Though again, this film fell victim of a very short run time at my local cinema and I missed it.

Every cast member is spot on with who their roles and the part they play in the story. Lily James, a favourite of mine since Cinderella, really excels in this character. Though I wish she would expand her repertoire a little, she does this type of young english lady so superbly well, why not play it again as the leading lady?

The film plays out like a murder mystery, only better. I was enthralled and captivated by a well scripted and edited story. I saw no padding, felt no unnecessary pause, it was perfectly paced and even the slightly predictable ending was concise. I don't fault the ending, it could only end one way!

I credit the Mayo and Kermode church for yet again drawing attention to this gem that more people need to seek out on streaming, blu ray or dvd. I was very tired and was going to watch a Harry Potter film for the umpteenth time but I am very glad I didn't.

I don't give 10/10 to any film without thought. I can't recall the last I gave on this site. However, in this instance, I sit trying to think how I would change this film to make the last 2 hours be more enjoyable and I cannot think of any. So surely that is a 10?

If you are after a rom com, musical, action blockbuster or comedy, forget it, don't go elsewhere, switch your brain to drama mode, make yourself a nice hot cup of tea and give this a go instead.