denright-42277 Reviews

The Grand Tour: The Grand Tour: Sand Job (2022) Season 5, Episode 3

Hmmm you can tell the end is nigh

[7/10 · 17 February 2024]

I love all things, Clarkson, Hammond & May and was really looking forward to this penultimate adventure. However, there was just something awry. Not sure what, maybe it was the forced set pieces or the added length of the episode (normally 80mins, pushed to 120).

Just felt forced and a little too formulaic, which is a real shame, it would be a shame to let the comaraderie fizzle out and taint the strength of the previous tours.

I am actually sad that the lads are disappearing away into the dusty horizon after the last episode but maybe it is time to look back and remember the good times we had with them.

The Keep (1983)

Hmmm Revisiting after 40 years

[5/10 · 6 September 2023]

I have to start by saying that the source Novel "The Keep" by F Paul Wilson is one of my all time favourite books. The story gripped and was perfect in its main villains deception and use of the superstition and legends of Wallachia to coerce the Professor to his aid.

Right back to the film; where can I start, very simply I guess much as I understand Director Mann' artistic touch, the film is by and large all fluff and very little substance. Great actors (McKellen, Pochnow, Byrne) all wasted in hammy scripts and illegible dialogue. And the less I say about Tangerine Dreams soundtrack the better.

It was a brave attempt and despite much promise it does not hold a candle to the Novel.

Oh and why is a Romanian Scholar speaking in an American accent.....all a bit odd. And that in s nutshell sums up the film quite succinctly.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022)

Rose Tinted Biopic

[7/10 · 3 June 2023]

Whitney's life as we all know was a rocket ship ride to stardom and gloriously prolonged decline to death.

While the film does a good job with recounting the facts it does rose tint the controversial side of Ms Houston's sad decline. Bobby Brown is barely seen and we never really see the true turmoil of their relationship.

Naomi Ackie does an admirable job as the lead but I just didn't see her as the Whitney I grew up loving and fancying. Great actress but just not Whitney.

Overall it was an ok film but I think just falls short on delivering the true tragedy of Ms Houston's downfall and misses the true fall of a superstar.

Missed opportunity to make a great movie.

Teen Wolf: The Movie (2023)

A real wasted opportunity

[5/10 · 9 April 2023]

As a fan who came to watch Teen Wolf many years after it first aired I fell in love with the relationships and characters of the "Pack"

This belated re-visit misses the spot on so many levels. Lack of characterisation lack of creativity lack of drive. It all just feels thrush together and slapdash.

Dylan O'Brien and Arden Cho' absence is felt immensely and the return of Crystal Reed doesn't really work for me. Such a shame they just couldn't have just left us with the tv series original ending. This serves as a disservice and adds nothing to the shows history simple a poor epilogue of good memories long lost.

Funny Woman (2023– )

Gemma Gemma Gemma

[10/10 · 11 February 2023]

What an astounding tour de force - Gemma Arterton is simply astonishing and owns every second on screen.

A rags to riches tale of nostalgia and the golden era of tv. Funny touching and always endearing without becoming treacly.

I am hoping that the 6 episodes are not the only time we get to see the life of Sophie Straw/Barbara Parker & the crazy 60' world of showbiz and it's characters.

I seriously believe that Miss Arterton has announced to the world that she is here to stay and her stay is on the rise again after her performances in this excellent show. A huge success and a great adaptation of a Nick Hornsby novel.

The Last of Us (2023– )

Wow

[10/10 · 16 January 2023]

What a breathtaking start to a show. Like most geeks and gamers I have been waiting for thud adaptation for years. As a huge fan of Naughty Dog games (Uncharted and The Last of Us) I was also petrified at the fate of this show; We all know how awful so many game adaptations have been.

Saying that I absolutely loved the film version of uncharted unlike many. I need not have worried! This show knocked it totally out of the park.

It is a huge reminder of just how good tv should be.

Even none gamers will love this show; scary, emotional and amazing SFX, acting & writing make this the best thing I have seen either in the cinema or tv in very many years.

DO NOT MISS

If I could give it 11 out of 10 I would have.

Avatar (2009)

So excited for the sequel time to revisit the original

[10/10 · 4 December 2022]

In this day age of state of the art sfx we sometimes take for granted just how ground breaking and world changing Avatar was and still is. Having first seen it in the cinema and sat their open mouthed moved by the imagination of the director and professionals behind the movie. If it was a simple case of imagery over substance Avatar would just be a footnote in cinema history; But the emotional pull & resonance of the story has not waned in the 13 years since it first moved billions. For me this movie is the ultimate in storytelling and cinema craft. The fact it still resonates with so many after all these years tells all how great a movie this is.

Please watch again before the sequel revel in its splendour.

The Walking Dead: Rest in Peace (2022) Season 11, Episode 24

Well it's done

[8/10 · 21 November 2022]

It was better then it has been but to be honest it was more like a mercy killing in the end. To be honest it left me feeling a little hollow and cheated out of how good this series should and could have been. Instead it lost its way and never came back to the greatness of its first few great years. Every week if was a real hardship to wait to see what happened next. But those years are so far in the distant past that a great legacy was low due to poor writing and lazy production.

Thank goodness for the memories but this schmaltzy piece of nostalgia just could not do justice to what could & should have been.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Whose Show Is This? (2022) Season 1, Episode 9

Oh dear

[2/10 · 13 October 2022]

Can I just leave it there? Eh no? Ok then it really was a mess and sums up the first season only bright spots were as follows: Ginger Gonzago Tatiana Maslany Matt Murdock

And that is out of 9 episodes, seriously if there is a second season then lessons need to be learnt. This has been a pretty poor first season and had so much potent so to be so much more. I am rooting for it and hope they read the critiques and take them as coming from fans who care. There is a little talent associated with the project that would be a shame if it ends up being a one season oddity. Time will tell I suppose overall season rating 5 / 10 but heavily pushed up by the eventual introduction of Matt Murdock.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: The Retreat (2022) Season 1, Episode 7

Why Marvel? Why?

[2/10 · 29 September 2022]

I am a major Marvel nerd and i watch everything and try my best to enjoy it.

I struggled with Ms Marvel but stuck with it but She Hulk is just poor television.

Where to start? Poor stories, bad characterisation poor acting poor cgi the list is endless.

Tatiana Maslany does her best to act with the tribe of a script she is handed. The whole illusion that this is Daredevil' big reintroduction to the MCU is extremely poorly handled. It is a sneaky tool to keep hardened fans from watching just to see a decent Marvel character.

I shall carry on watching but at this rate I think season 2 will be skipped.

Missed opportunity Marvel.

Welcome to Wrexham: Welcome Home (2022) Season 1, Episode 9

Love this show

[10/10 · 22 September 2022]

I am a West Ham fan so had no affinity with Wrexham before watching this show. But they are very much a second team for me now. The history and pride of this little Welsh town pulls you in and makes you a member of the extended Wrexham family. Rob & Ryan are just doing lovable and really do themselves huge justice by their commitment to this team thousands of miles from home. You can relive how we all felt as football fans falling in love with this beautiful, frustrating, amazing, rollercoaster ride with so many ups and downs. You literally want to kick every ball with the whole town of Wrexham.

Cannot wait for the rest of the journey.

Stranger Things: Chapter Nine: The Piggyback (2022) Season 4, Episode 9

Good but bloated

[8/10 · 3 July 2022]

I am a huge ST fan however, i feel that the finale of season 4 was amazing but over long and bloated. A lot of filler and some stereotypical plot lines. Saying that, I thoroughly enjoyed it and intrigued about season 5.

Men (2022)

All frill & no knickers

[1/10 · 5 June 2022]

Well just sat through this film and much as I admire the cinematography and sfx it was "The Emperors New Clothes" - all substance and no story worth talking about. It was probably the weirdest 90 minutes I have spent in my life.

Not for the faint hearted.

Pistol: Track 1: The Cloak of Invisibility (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

Thomas Brodie Sangster steals the limelight

[9/10 · 2 June 2022]

What a great opener really captures the era perfectly and the true star turn is Thomas Brodie Sangster whose turn as Malcolm McLaren is truly astounding. The mannerisms, speech patterns everything. Superb start.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Wow better than expected

[9/10 · 28 April 2022]

As a youngster I watched the Shining and admired the cinematography but struggled with the film' status as a classic.

I have put off watching Doctor Sleep until I rewatched The Shining and I am very glad I did. Not only did it give me a much better appreciation of the earlier film, but it introduced me to a great sequel and a film with real heart.

One of the things I would say about the original would be it's lack of humanity and heart. I found Doctor Sleep to have this in spades. Some great acting by all the ensemble but special mention to Ewan and Rebecca who really brought their combatants to life and embued them with a touch of class.

A true 9/10 for me and I film I feel I could watch again without needing to rewatch the 1980 classic.