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keoghjeff
Reviews
The Last of Us: Long, Long Time (2023)
Ignore the haters
Disclaimer: I've never played the game so I can't comment on how close it is to the game.
When I saw a gun-wielding Nick Offerman in the trailer, my expectations were obviously high, and the episode delivered. It was a complete curve ball but it was a brilliantly crafted love story.
I only left this review because I noticed the measly 8 star average. What is an easy 9 or 10 star is being dragged down by super low ratings left by a bunch of dudes who live in their parents basements.
If you want action, this episode isn't the best. If you want a great story, acting and character development, episode 3 is for you.
Bill and Frank made me feel more in one episode than Joel and Ellie have managed in 5 episodes (as of 12/02/23)
The Mandalorian (2019)
Definitely the way
I write this having watched the first three episodes three times.
Favreau has nailed what I personally love about Star Wars; the space western vibe that it seemed to have lost along the franchise.
It's about bounty hunters so that Western feel works really well with the characters and the subject matter.
If this is what we can expect from the Cassian and Kenobi (and possibly Maul) projects, the future is very promising.
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Eddie's back, you dig?
I'm an old school Eddie Murphy fan who had gone off of him in recent years. I nearly avoided it.
He just wasn't the level of funny from my youth in the late-eighties, early nineties and beyond.
Seeing the supporting cast (Craig Robinson, Wesley Snipes, Snoop, Mike Epps, Chris Rock....) and the subject matter, I had to check it out.
I love Blaxploitation and Blaxploitation Parody and this was a solid performance of both.
The nuanced, likeable characters were played perfectly and hilariously by the talented cast.
I'd recommend this to anyone interested in that era, or if they're a fan of any of the main actors.
Oh, and if you like funk music, get on it. I'd watch it again purely for the soundtrack.
In the Tall Grass (2019)
No spoilers here, nothing happened to spoil.
This is King's genre and it had it written all over every scene, but it was so aimless. It looked beautiful but it was style over substance.
Patrick Wilson was reliable as were the rest of the cast, I just think they needed more to chew on.
Thankfully my wife fell asleep ten minutes in so I can enjoy the rest of the evening without her complaining about the time she wont get back.
I'd hoped for more after the previous above-average Netflix/King productions.
Peaky Blinders: Mr. Jones (2019)
A necessary evil.
First thing's first:
This review won't dwell on the strange obsession most reviewers have with the historical inaccuracies of this show!
Peaky Blinders is no more a documentary than Inglorious Basterds, Vikings or Spartacus. Its just entertainment that happens to contain historical characters and elements.
This season was like a close FA Cup match that ended in a draw and we have to wait a long time for the replay.
The entire season was spent putting various plotlines into place and some drawn-out character development. (We already know Michael has ambition, Arthur is unstable and Thomas is....Thomas.)
I suppose it had to be done to set up whatever season 6 has in store, but it was a whole load of nothing to sit through and I'm glad it's over.
I had the same feeling with Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead at times. Tommy Shelby shares Walter White and Rick Grimes' grating propensity to spend 5 episodes planning unnecessarily complex schemes that get other people killed.
I'll watch Season 6 when it airs, no doubt, but I wont be waiting for it as eagerly as I waited for this bore
The Good Neighbor (2016)
Passed the time
Watched this because James Caan was in it. Reviews suggested it would have a Don't Breathe/Paranormal Activity vibe about it and I'd agree.
Two kids surveil and "haunt" Caan as a an alleged social experiment and document it all in a found footage style.
Caan plays the miserable old guy perfectly and still has great presence, pretty good for a "150 year old"!
It moves at a steady pace and rewards you at the end with a solid twist.