hoggdoctor Reviews

Fallout (2024– )

A shining light

[10/10 · 19 April 2024]

I wanted to say this series far exceeded my expectations though this statement may not be fair.

When they announced this show I was annoyed as I could not picture a world where this show was anything but a terrible, low quality, poorly written cash grab. I loved the games, but gaming adaptations basically never work.

Then the reviews started coming and they were positive, "okay," I thought, "it's probably still average, just not the trash everyone feared it would be."

But dammit it's actually amazing. The writing and tone are just perfect, the sets and costumes are incredible, the cast is awesome and the acting is great! Ella Purnell is especially just so so good.

I'll say it, this is the best gaming adaptation, better than the last of us, whose cinematic game lent itself more easily to an adaptation. More than that it is the best show of the year so far.

Big fan.

Better Call Saul: Saul Gone (2022) Season 6, Episode 13

End of an era

[10/10 · 25 August 2022]

And I'm crying like a little baby. How good is Saul Goodman! What a beautiful character. Will probably never reach the celebrity heights of his drug making client but oh my he deserves it. Subtle where Walter was loud but in ways far more complex. Yes Bryan Cranston was amazing but WW took a more standard approach in his transformation. From very average chemistry teacher with a slight chip on his shoulder to hungry and ruthless kingpin. Jimmy didn't have this tragic hero story arc, well at least it wasn't as obvious. His motives and choices and actions required analysis from the viewer to work out the mystery of who is Jimmy McGill and who is Saul Goodman.

To add this show was really more emotional than BB. Was depressing and sad. Man and the equally subtle and grey Kim Wexler form my favourite on screen couple ever.

Everyone on this show was incredible and it really expanded upon the BB universe delving deeper into fan favourites, Gus, Mike and well obv Jimmy. Whilst introducing outstanding new characters in Lalo, Nacho and obv Kim.

I'm Here (2010)

Melancholic

[10/10 · 18 July 2022]

A beautiful adaptation and reimagining of the giving tree. My favourite book, a book which captures a feeling, some beautiful sadness, one I can only describe as grieving once the distress has left. This feeling sticks with you long after you've read it.

This short takes this feeling and latches onto it, interestingly through both the atmosphere/setting and the love story between the characters.

As a side note I think this was some ad for absolute vodka? Are they advertising towards depressed alcoholics? Maybe genius I guess.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

Proving kids can act

[9/10 · 3 July 2022]

Love the show a whole lot, everything about it: the style, the drama, the horror, the comedy and most importantly the characters. Hats off to the writers and actors as the way different characters are paired with each other to shake up the dynamics in ways you couldn't imagine.

The most remarkable thing however is that all these kids can act and have continually proven this each season. They are getting better with age rather than worse which I think is very uncommon for child stars.

The Social Network (2010)

My favourite film of all time

[10/10 · 22 June 2022]

Dark, tragic, emotionally raw, a necessary story for our time and one of the best character studies ever told, with the subtle yet perfectly suited cinematography and score making it a masterpiece of film. A story if not completely factual feels at least emotionally and thematically truthful to a man who has impacted a generation or more.

The brilliance is that the character of Zuckerberg embodies Facebook. They are inextricably linked. The anxieties, hopes, dreams and false beliefs of happiness and connection, the arrogance and image, insecurities and prestige that are perpetuated by the Facebook we all know and are impacted by, are fully embodied and personified through Zuckerberg in this film.

At its most basic is a man searching for acceptance and happiness, relatable for all but particularly poignant for anyone who uses the app. Its promise of a path to the fulfilment of connection, acceptance and thus happiness, is like a drug however, offering addictive glimpses of happiness yet only works to plague on and deepen the insecurity inside us all.

Better Call Saul: Hit and Run (2022) Season 6, Episode 4

Something really nice about this episode

[9/10 · 3 May 2022]

Obviously following the tense and brilliant episode before was always going to be tough and would always feel somewhat slow. But this episode just felt nice, like say when Jessie and Walt cooked meth in the houses in season 5 of breaking bad, nostalgic in a sense. Yes I am not super pumped on the idea of Kim and jimmy trying to destroy Howard. But it's a bit of mischief on an annoying character so can't complain too much. May just have fit better and been great a little earlier in the show, like after chucks death perhaps I dunno, think we have moved past the Howard aspects of the story.

Yet this ep was a lot of fun. Jimmy up to his Saul fun with Kim's reserved and shadowy morality brooding over it. Their chemistry was really great this episode maybe hasn't been this good for a little while. And Jimmy is moving more into Saul and enjoying it, nice to see him having some success.

Great Ep, not huge plot wise but super enjoyable, fun with great character development!

Also was cool seeing Gus in a more private setting even if only temporary. That dude would be weird on his own for too long I feel.

Better Call Saul: Rock and Hard Place (2022) Season 6, Episode 3

Another perfect episode under the belt of Vince!

[10/10 · 26 April 2022]

This man can write a tragic character like no other - beautiful and heartbreaking episode. Adiós Amigo

Don't think I can write much else without completely spoiling.

The Batman (2022)

2nd best Batman film

[10/10 · 2 March 2022]

Think David Fincher directing a Batman Film, Gotham is like the world of Seven and Fight Club, filthy and dark and dangerous.

Yes this may not be as impactful as the dark knight was but I don't think any Batman film could be because they will all follow in it's footsteps. I felt it had a similar tone and feel to it, despite being more gritty than Nolany! Almost like this would make a much better prequel to the dark knight than Batman Begins?

Pattinson in my opinion is easily the best Batman. And it is maybe my favourite interpretation of the Dark Prince.

If I was an actor I would feel terrified being a Gotham Villain after Heath but Paul Dano was born for these sorts of roles and is great!

Cinematography is amazing with some of the fight scenes, the club one and the one in the dark with the guns flashing... So Cool, Makes me proud to be an Aussie.

Is almost like a slow burn yet the pacing is incredible! Did not feel like three hours at all!

Was scared about Catwoman as have never liked her in the previous films but Zoe was great and the character was finally interesting and important to the story.

The buddy cop aspect was great, something quite new to the cinematic story of Batman but really worked and Gordon was played brilliantly by Wright.

Finally I thought Falcone and the DA played by Scarsgards? Were really great, brilliantly acted and Falcone especially was surprisingly menacing maybe my favourite unexpected part of the film!

Lastly this was emotional for a Batman film which I liked, maybe the coming of age/ growing up aspect that this film brought as well as R Patts performance.

I would have loved to see a bit more gore and blood but that is just personal preference - is still gritty just not gory.

The Forgotten Battle (2020)

Are people just a little dumb?

[10/10 · 16 October 2021]

Loved this movie, really great and could stand toe to toe with many other war movies. Brilliant acting and an interesting story. Sad, depressing and anti-war in ways many American war films just can't seem to capture, the dehumanising and especially the disillusionment of war. Beautiful cinematography and great effects considering the low budget compared to many blockbuster films!

Do not understand the low scores and feel some may have watched a different film or maybe watched a dubbed version? How did people not follow the story, not hard at all and I thought the pacing was pretty good to be honest. I mean I saw one guy complaining that the Germans were fighting Russians in the opening when the film was based on the western front ? Yes but a characters story starts there duh -

Anyways a great film, not the best war film you'll ever see but still great. I gave this 10 stars to counter the poor reviews but probably 8.5/10.

The Leftovers (2014–2017)

Easily the Most moving piece of art I have experience

[10/10 · 19 August 2021]

Just wanted to briefly review. A few years after I have watched this. Although slow in parts and a little laggy in the first season, This is absolutely the best and most moving TV show and story I have ever watched or experienced. Please watch if you are considering. Don't want to spoil anything: but a masterful exploration of grief and the finale is easily the best of any TV show!

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Delivers what it wanted to

[8/10 · 20 March 2021]

A fun, campy action movie. Super violent, surprisingly hilarious, corny characterisation, brilliant action sequences. Stephen King had fun blowing stuff up. Brilliant killer truck film. You'll know if this is your type of film. Oh and the soundtrack!

Come and See (1985)

In my opinion the greatest film ever made!

[10/10 · 18 January 2021]

This film will certainly leave you feeling empty of emotion once the final frame has finished but you will never forget this film afterwards. It is a seriously harrowing experience of emotion and sensory overload but that does not diminish the excellence of this film. This is not your typical war film, not from the American/British type of film you may be used to. This film has no real heroes. No one bad guy. It is a cesspit of humanity at it's utmost worst, best, most real, most helpless and most terrifying all at once. I could see comparisons be made between this and Schindler's list, for both the topic and the harrowing type of film it is. Yet unlike Shindlers list this film has no 'badguy' ala Ralph Fiennes, or no 'in your face celebration of humanity' ala the ending of shindlers list. Though I feel like I must say I do think Schindler's list is an amazing film. For the first time watching this, and I would say it may be the same for many viewers, the first 10-20 minutes may feel jarring due to a few things but I would say it is the style of filmmaking. This style of filmmaking is however what catapults this film into the greatest of all time for me though. The corruption of sound, harrowing close-ups, Surreal dialogue all make this film a little jarring at first, yet once this film pulls you in it won't let go until it is over.

A psychedelic, yet realistic, war film is the best way I could describe it and the most harrowing film at that. It is definitely a tough one to start, and for some maybe a tough one to stay with but for me once I was in I couldn't stop watching as much as I maybe would have liked.

A huge shoutout also needs to go to both the child actors who play Flyora and Glasha for probably the two best child performances I have ever seen in film, especially Flyora.

This review is very much stream of consciousness and not in a good sense but I just had to write something about this movie.

It is the magical realism. The hallucinogenic sounds and visuals and surreal story prompts and actions that somehow bring you into the moral decay of war like I have never seen or experienced before. There are no heroes and no explicit bad guy except for hitler, fascism, but most importantly war itself. It is a journey of a child from innocence to old age in a matter of a few days and it pulls at your insides as if you are experiencing this sudden jolt in age.

Having had no experience of war ever, I still somehow feel this films psychological, horror/ surrealist approach gets audiences the closest to what it could be like. It's depressing, muddy, violent and horrific, terrifying yet at times beautiful and clinching on to humanity which for most of the time seems to be completely lost.

Could talk about this film forever but should probably stop because I know I am just repeating myself.

10/10 everyone should see this and just stick through the opening few scenes because my god!

The Midnight Gospel (2020)

Something special

[10/10 · 12 June 2020]

This show is definitely different. If you've heard anything about it you'd know it's like a beautifully animated podcast. The brilliance of it is it's written like a freestyle esc podcast however the fact that it's scripted, means there's no lag in the story (if you can call it a story). It's an interesting escape about nothing however it has a large heart and makes you feel something, unlike many free flow podcasts.

Now the animation... all I can say is it is awesome, brilliant , beautiful and a trip.

Definitely not a normal show but amazing for a late night for something to just enjoy

Midsommar (2019)

Don't listen to the 1stars

[10/10 · 25 May 2020]

If you are a cinefile and have enjoyed movies like hereditary or the witch. You will love this. Beautiful, weird, intense, allegorical and original. Definitely a movie that goes for experience over deep characterisation but Florence is amazing and her character does get descent characterisation. Would say definitely not for everyone though and I get that but why review a movie so badly if you know it's not something you tend to like

Atypical (2017–2021)

Beautiful character moments

[10/10 · 6 November 2019]

This show will make you cry in the best way possible - happy tears. It's depiction of love and friendship makes it extremely enjoyable !

The King (I) (2019)

Best Netflix film since beasts of no nation

[10/10 · 6 November 2019]

Chamalant gives a very cool performance as Henry V. Shoutout to my aussies great film

Joker (I) (2019)

Outstanding performance for this one man show!

[9/10 · 6 November 2019]

Despite being very similar to movies such as taxi driver, the film wears its influences on its sleeve, providing a more fantastical approach to this style of character study. This is a type of film which I haven't seen at the cinemas in a long time and a breath of fresh air from the constant cycle of sequels, reboots and super hero flicks 😉. My only grudge with this film is its need to place Bruce Wayne's origins in it, an origin we have seen countless times and I felt was extremely unnecessary ! Great performance by Joaquin though