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daveparkinsonuk
Reviews
Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)
A nasty film that lacks depth or development
Big Luther fan, great TV show and the characters development on the show.
Idris himself dons the jacket and plays the part as well as he did on the show.
But the rest is an absolute mess. My guess is it was a TV show that ended up being green-lit as a film and as such an absolute ton of character explanation and development was removed to hit the running time.
Motivations are left out, loyalties to other people are unexplained and emotional links too short, or non existent. There are no twists just bizarre left turns. Many things happen on screen, especially in the third act that make literally no sense.
There is no connection between the second act and the third, apart from the daughter and the whole motivations behind all the earlier acts goes unexplained.
Final nail for me is the content and the crimes are just nasty and in the first and second act seemingly pointless. As in we are on our way to Hostel type nasty. And for no reason other than schlock value.
Whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. To compare this nasty wretch of a film to Bond as some reviews have is laughable.
The White Lotus (2021)
Hyper over everything else
Well, what to say about season 1. Best I can manage in a nutshell is that is 6 hours of your life that will never be recovered. Taken out of your time bank and never to be seen again.
I continued past episode 3, up until which NOTHING HAD HAPPENED, with the promise is it gets better. Only to find nothing continues to happen very slowly. Very. Very. Slowly.
This show truly is emperors new clothes with pious reviews of "black comedy" and "slow burn" code for "it's twaddle but everyone else is saying it is great so let me say the same". The burn was so slow I thought it had stopped. Many times.
It truly is a beautiful advertising campaign for Hawaii though, showing the islands and their indigenous peoples as stunning and respectful in equal measures. Likely the best show to happen to the island for tourism since LOST.
Willow (2022)
More like 5 Teenagers go a whinging
Hmmm. Managed three episodes. Was hard to work out if it was actually Willow or was it more channeling The Princess Bride.
What's right?
Wales. Just stunning.
There is a thread of a good story in here. Once or twice and episode it jumps out, to then to be hidden again.
Hidden by?
Whinging teenagers.
Endless wisecracking.
Over explanation.
Under explanation.
Shaky acting.
Over acting.
Monologue roulette.
Did I mention the endless whinging teenagers?
At points it felt a little like a school play where people were being chased around the countryside being filmed on a 4K iPhone.
Shame. Could have been more.
The English (2022)
Beautifully dull?
Amazing cinematography, slow bursts of violence and endlessly tiresome monologues. Endless. Long. Nonsensical monologues. Down to the very last scene and the very last endless monologue.
The "wild west" is depicted as the most harrowing experience for anyone there. Like a real time episode of Red Dead Redemption.
After the rave reviews I so wanted to enjoy this. But it really just wasn't for me.
In the end the most harrowing thing was getting through 6 episodes.
Would have been better suited as a film. Some films should be 6 episode mini-series. Some should not. This is definitely the latter.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Dull as a dull thing that is quite dull.
S1 - Great start.
S2 - Astounding look into the Mirror universe
S3 - Ok but started to verge into the silly towards the end
S4 - O. M. G.
From the off we are treated to hand wringing whining, psychobabble and an entire episode of Tilly being nervous.
I got two episodes in before deciding this season had gone to far into the bore-verse.
They always say that ST mirrors the times we live in - from TOS gung ho to Next Gen boardroom battles and not to Discovery writers getting to the heart of their characters through emotional hand wringing.
To be clear - diverse casting and people are not the issue. Bring on more. But turning the show into a Millennial soul searching session does us and them a disservice.
Shame.
Forever (2018)
Takes forever to make a point
We don't hate it and we get the slow burn, easy ride, let's explore concept. But it's for sure one of those things where you get 4 in, realise it's 8, have to watch the other 4 but wish you didn't.
Some judicious editing and just getting to the damn point earlier would help. We get it. She's bored. Why take 2.5 hours to tell us that over and over again before something happens.
Episode 6 is standout. And can be watched without seeing another episode, while arguably making the same point the previous 2.5 hours tried to make in 35 minutes.
I get why S2 was canned. Glad we watched it. Wish we hadnt.
Invasion (2021)
Slow TV and better for it
Lots of reviews here complaining about it being slow and meandering. They sort of miss the point. It's meant to be slow and meandering. It's about human connection and what that actually means.
Sit down. Slow down. Connect.
Around the World in 80 Days (2021)
Ignore the sniffy reviews
We rather enjoyed it.
I'm sure the book is better.
Doesn't mean this isn't any good.
A slow burner and a lot of fun.
Give it time and sit back and enjoy.
Stay Close (2021)
Became increasingly silly and unbelievable as it rolled on
Started off, as all his stories do, quite promising.
And by episode 2 became increasingly silly with more coincidences than a coincidency thing spilling coincidences.
From the silly hit couple to the random things just not making sense causing much yelling at the TV at stupid characterisations.
By the time they (Barbie & Ken, lolz) killed the first person for no reason other than to show they were "nasty" we were out.
That said we wanted to know "who did it" and watched to the end.
Like "The Stranger", that too was a disappointment.
Foundation (2021)
Mass Effect x Bridgerton
A solid 7/10 for Asimov and Scifi fans. Weighty. Plotty. Worthy.
Apart from the shoehorned in Bridgerton meets Darcy bits. Those bits can go take a running jump out of an ashamed writers room pandering to the wrong crowd, the crowd that wont even bother to press play.
Volition (2019)
Enjoyable 90 Minutes
As a scifi fan with a penchant for time travel shenanigans this film was right up my street and for 90 minutes we were suitably entertained.
Is it Inception? No. So while the sniffy reviews are not completely wrong neither are they right. 5.4 is a silly low average score for a film this well made.
For a low budget small film that drops in at the required 90 minutes for easy Covid viewing it was just the ticket.
Yes, the characters are not massively deep enough, especially the "love interest". Yes, there are a plot few holes here and there with continuity bloopers.
Yes, the "science bit" was a little low rent in its believability.
But put these aside and you'll find a fun Looper knock off to while away the time and a fun "time travel conundrum" with some great pay off's later in the film.