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davebest2001
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Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Some jump scares but unsatisfying overall
Meeeaahh. I was looking forward to this based on the trailers that I saw. The reviews were more positive than the first Annabelle film, which I found so-so. I feel that Annabelle:Creation is more of the same. That tacky black demon with the big teeth, once again makes an appearance, as does Marilyn Manson dressed as a nun. It started well, but it slowly went downhill from there. Annabelle the doll didn't move a whole lot for starters. And as for the cast, the young girls were very good actors, but Anthony LaPaglia sleep walked his way through the film. The role was quite undemanding for him. The usual camera trickery meant that you were prepared for the jump scares when they came e.g. a terrified young girl is shown on the right of the screen, while the object is dark and blurred in the background. Of course the object is going to move...and sure enough, when anyone looks under the bed, the presence is going to be not under the bed, but directly behind them, when they turn back. Sadly I've seen this all before. It's not a patch on the The Conjuring first film. It's about on a par with the first Annabelle film. I don't think I'll be visiting the cinema if they decide to bring a fifth film to the franchise. I believe there is a new one about the Marilyn Manson nun. Yawn. I don't think I'll bother
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Good in theory. Poor in execution
All the ingredients of this film were right. Great actors and a suspenseful story. Dialogue was excellent in the early part of the film as well. But it all got very awkward and boring once the posse headed off to get the troglodytes. Did they really have to focus so much time on men travelling through the desert, with nothing much happening ? The scenes in the cave were gruesome enough, but the troglodytes didn't really seem scary...just bit extras dressed up in grey make-up. The film was definitely a half hour too long, and it never really got going. The ending was also a disappointment. Overall it was a waste of time. Could have been so much better, given the calibre of the actors involved
Breaking Bad: Ozymandias (2013)
Unbelievable
I watched this episode with my wife. She had never sat through an episode before and was only vaguely aware of the story. When she saw the word "Ozymandias" come up, she said "Ah yes that's Shelley. The decline of a great leader". Very insightful I thought. After that I paused the show and I explained to her briefly what had gone on before. By the end of the show, she was an emotional wreck like myself. To call it shocking is a huge understatement. This had to be the best 47 minutes of television drama I had ever seen. It eclipses everything. For Hank to be dead and buried by halfway through the episode was a shocker in itself. But for this to be followed up by the knife fight with Skyler and the confrontation with Walt Jnr, added so much tension as well. When the baby said "Momma", my wife shed a tear. It was just perfect. One thing that she noticed that I failed to, was when Walt rang Skyler and threatened her on the phone. This was to get Skyler off the hook by pretending that she had nothing to do with the drugs. Another scene that was so powerful was when Skyler was presented with the knives or the phone. This was her choice as to how she was going to deal with the pivotal situation. The chessboard was brilliance as well, with the King piece surrounded. This was Shakespeare. This was Hitchcock. This was just incredible. We were simply blown away. We can't wait for the next two episodes. I have become an advocate for this show. So many people that I know have not seen it. I'm going to annoy them all so much until they do
What Richard Did (2012)
Emperor's new clothes. Slower than lava
This is as slow moving and as unsatisfying as "Garage", the other Lenny Abrahamson film I have had the misfortune to see. The problem with his films is that there are long scenes with no dialogue, and the story barely moves along. Even the incident which changes the lives of the characters is very slight, when it happens. There has been a lot of praise given for Jack Reynor's performance. I didn't think much of it. He didn't come across that convincingly. He had a breakdown and he cried a lot. So what. If that's considered superb acting, then blow me down with a feather. He doesn't deliver his dialogue with much conviction. There's lots of hugging going on and the word "man" said a lot. The bulk of the cast are most unlikeable. The one actor in it that I thought was quite good was Lars Mikkelsen as the father. I don't think I will ever sit through this film again. It was 87 minutes long and felt like an eternity
The Rise & Fall of a White Collar Hooligan (2012)
Another poor effort
My God. Another year, and another sloppy gangster flick comes our way. You are given the impression that this is on a level with Rise Of The Footsoldier because it also stars Billy Murray, Ricci Harnett and Roland Manookian, but you'd be very much mistaken. This is a very insulting film. It's only 75 minutes long, and the plot and level of violence in it are very slight indeed. The plot revolves around a team of pass card skimmers making big money for a Mr Big. When the main protagonist gets arrested in France, it sets in motion a series of events that lead to him wanting to quit the gang. However, it's never that simple. By the end of this film when the credits are going up, you are left asking yourself "Is that it ?". It must have been filmed in one afternoon. It's just not good enough. Lord knows if it went straight to video or appeared in a cinema. I'd feel conned if I paid a tenner to see this rubbish
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010)
A celebration of life and the steps needed to live life to the full
What started out as an easy going documentary about a juice diet, ends up being something altogether more profound and life affirming. We meet Joe Cross, a very likable Aussie who travels to the States, the home of junk food, to start a juice only diet, with a juicer hooked up to his car battery and a vast array of fruit and veg. He decides to hang around outside some of the fast food places he used to frequent. He also interviews people he meets about their diets or lack of them and their anticipated life expectancies. Most of the results are shocking. Most of the overweight people don't think they have the willpower to change, and in some cases are accepting that they will die in their 50s. Joe sticks with his diet for 60 days, and he manages to lose a lot of weight. The film becomes more profound when he meets Phil Staples, a truck driver with even bigger weight issues than Joe. He reaches out and asks Joe for help. The results are staggering. Joe's weight loss is excellent, but Phil's eventual weight loss is even more spectacular. Phil becomes an advocate for the juice diet and turns his life around 360. Overall this film is life affirming and touching. It espouses the benefits of a simpler diet, and is a celebration of life rather than a sermon. It's worth watching. Not sure I would be brave enough to try that diet though. Maybe when I hit 400 pounds !
W.E. (2011)
Confused and cack-handed
Stories about royal scandal are usually surefire hits. The stories are there to be told. With a decent screenplay, nice costumes and some good actors, you should be able to create a decent film...unless the direction and concept is as cack-handed as this. I am often annoyed by films that move forward and back in time without chronologically telling the story. It's often a cover for poor editing. This is very much the case with this film. My head was spinning from all of the location and date changes. Another problem I had with this film were the supposed parallels between the modern day Wallis and Wallis Simpson. The links were very weak indeed. I was waiting for the scene that tied up both women's stories and it never came along. James D'arcy was a ridiculous choice for the part of Prince Edward. He is about 6' 3". The real Edward was around 5' 8". They looked nothing alike. Archive footage of the real Edward VIII intercut with the actor made the whole film look ridiculous. It was like a spoof scene were the stuntman looks nothing like the actor being punched. Overall this film was only watchable really for the acting of Andrea Riseborough, who looked very like Wallis Simpson and was believable as well. Not a film for repeat viewing. Overlong, boring and nonsensical
Kill List (2011)
A complete mess
Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb are giving this film great reviews. Unfortunately it's complete tripe. It takes an eternity to get going for starters. Finally we get around to some assassinations. Bish bash bosh. Our two protagonists dispatch three men in quick succession, in ghastly ways. Before too long, it all gets very Wicker Man silly, with devil worship and sacrifice. Explanations are not supplied as to why this is going on. Why are recent British gangster films all such hard work ? The story doesn't flow. It plods too much. Unfortunately the British gangster genre is producing lots of turkeys. We're badly in need of a good one
Drive (2011)
Predictable and overrated
I had high hopes for "Drive". It had a similar feel to "Collateral". The cinematography was good. The graphics indulgent - not dissimilar to the Grand Theft Auto Vice City game ! When I saw the list of actors involved, in the opening credits, I was happy. However, most of their talents were wasted. Albert Brooks gives a serviceable enough portrayal as a gangster boss. Ron Perlman plays the usual bad guy. Carey Mulligan's character is very one dimensional, as is Ryan Gosling. I think his character was similar to a modern Steve McQueen in "Bullitt" or a Clint Eastwood 'Man With No Name' aura. Lots of menacing stares and very little dialogue. If you are watching this film, there's a tendency to want to give in after half an hour. Everything plods along. You're waiting for something to happen. When the robbery takes place, and the violent aftermath, it's rather disappointing. I am all for ultra violence in films, if the plot is clever. In this instance, I thought the plot was quite lazy and unsatisfying. Overall, I wasn't that impressed with this film. Could have been a lot better
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
Rubbish
I was so disappointed with this film. I thought that with Guillermo Del Toro and Guy Pearce's involvement, it was bound to be a decent horror with a good story. I was wrong. "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" is a mess. Katie Holmes is an amateurish actress. The goblin creatures don't look realistic. They look pure CGI. The story is poor to boot. The Stephen King short story compendium "Cat's Eye" did a better job with the goblin mini-story, than this. The child actress in this film is the only good thing about it. Her face was very expressive at conveying fear. Pity that her talents were wasted in this very unscary, plodding horror.
Ang-ma-reul bo-at-da (2010)
An outstanding piece of work
This film is one of the best I have seen in years. The violence is unsettling but necessary. The message of the film seems to be that violence can never justify violence. The film opens with a horrific murder. The husband of the murdered girl swears to exact revenge. He eventually catches up with the killer, only to let him go on purpose so he can catch him again and again and torture him, but this sets in motion events that spiral out of control. The killer gets more sadistic, the more he is pursued. The avenger keeps catching up with him, eventually at great personal cost to himself. The standard of acting of the two leads is amazing. One of the lead actors was the main star of another excellent Korean film called "Oldboy"
Insidious (2010)
Another over-hyped non-scary horror
I could tell from the opening credits that James Wan was copying the style of 'The Evil Dead' here. In certain places he also seemed to be copying Kubrick's eerie style as used in 'The Shining'. I saw one scene reminiscent of the climax to Nick Roeg's 'Don't Look Now'. The first half of the film was pretty good. It built up nicely as the threats to the family increased. The baby monitor with the threatening noises on it was one of the few frightening scenes. The intruder in the bedroom was just daft, as was the dwarf running around the house. The demon character was like a Mexican wrestler or Darth Maul from Star Wars. The bit where the dad goes into The Further and back into the house was plain daft. The ending was poor as well. Overall the material was there to deliver a really good horror. However, it just came across as confused. I don't think that it's a good sign when horror films are PG-13. Takes a very skilled director to create scares within those confines.
The Rite (2011)
Horror hokum
What a letdown. Unfortunately I think when you have an actor of the calibre of Anthony Hopkins involved, there'll always be a tendency to let him act the bits that should really have special effects. The only real sound effects here are a kind of bronchial wheeze that you hear prior to the possessed person talking. This seems to have been borrowed from The Exorcist. The big difference though is that The Exorcist won hands down for scares, special effects and creepy vocalisations. The Rite seems to think that the actors should act scary to convey possession, but it doesn't work. It's a bit like the film The Exorcism Of Emily Rose in that regard. I'll say one thing in The Rite's favour. It's not the worst exorcism film I've seen in recent years. That would have to go to The Last Exorcism. Regarding the actors, Hopkins delivers the best performance here. Colin O'Donoghue doesn't do anything too exceptional, except exhibit moody good looks. Alice Braga provides the eye candy. Ciaran Hinds is an actor with great presence, but he is only a bit part player in this film.Overall, this was not overly scary, and not overly enjoyable either. It has the feel more of Exorcism Of Emily Rose than The Exorcist. I wouldn't bother if you haven't seen it
Bonded by Blood (2010)
Very poor indeed
Rise Of The Footsoldier was such an accomplished film that you would be mistaken for thinking that a prequel would be of as equally high a calibre. Disappointly this is a stinker. The narrative behind Rise Of The Footsoldier gave it a clarity of purpose. The script was rather witty. This film is glum. The dialogue doesn't sparkle. Plenty of "c" and "f" curse words but not used in an amusing way at all. The biggest shocker for me here was that Pat Tate was played by Tamer Hassan instead of Craig Fairbrass, Terry Stone reprises his role as Tony Tucker but Craig Rolfe here is portrayed by Neil Maskell instead of Ronald Manookian. I couldn't believe it when the film portrayed the Rettendon murders yet again. Eh, I thought this was a prequel, and not an inferior sister film ? Ricci Harnett's presence as Carlton Leech is sadly missed. He was quite a presence in Rise Of The Footsoldier. I can't help feeling that Julian Gilbey would have done a better job as director here, but of course he probably had the good sense not to get involved in this. It's obviously a cash-in and quite a poor one at that.
The Hole (2009)
Absolute rubbish
I'm getting tired of having my hopes built up with the arrival of a new horror film, only to be let down again by poor plot, script, acting and lack of scares. This is the second time I've watched a "horror" film called "The Hole" and completely disliked it, the first was the Thora Birch scare-free zone in 2001. What's even more disappointing about this Hole film is that it is directed by Joe Dante of "Gremlins" fame, yet it reeks of shoddiness and amateurish directing. The main problem with this film is that it is all over the place in terms of plot - it lurches from Sixth Sense zombies to ghostly children. The film is cliché ridden. How many times have you seen a toilet scene where the light goes out and a silhouetted ghost appears? I've seen at least five horror films in the last ten years that feature such a scene. The acting is poor. The actors are just not convincing. Bruce Dern's cameo is a complete waste of time. Did Christopher Lloyd of Back To The Future turn it down ? By the end of the film, all we know is that the Hole reflects your deepest fears. Duh. Seen that before in Event Horizon etc etc. The ending is so predictable as well. How many times has the film finished and you are left with a final scene that shows that the original problem hasn't gone away? Another complete cliché. I will give up watching horror films if this is the best that they can come up with.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
A wonderful opportunity wasted
When I heard that Stone was filming a sequel to Wall Street, and that the subject matter would be based around the collapse of Lehmans and Bear Stearns, I was very excited indeed. What an excellent opportunity for a tense, clever financial melodrama, just like the original. Unfortunately, Stone sold out. He instead decided to provide a back story around the daughter that Gekko left behind, and that a human interest tale would be sufficient. I was shocked when Gekko wept for his past crimes. He came across as a wimp. This was not the way it should have been. Gekko should instead have come out of jail all guns blazing, behaving the same way that he did before he went in, and then come a cropper as a result of the financial collapse. I am also appalled at the casting of Shia LaBeouf as a top stockbroker. He doesn't act convincingly at all. Josh Brolin has great screen presence but he is cast in the role of a villain, with no decent lines or material to get his teeth into. We don't get to see any shadowy business dealings that would give flesh to the premise that he is one of the bad guys. Instead a very weak plot line has Frank Langella play a mentor of the LaBeouf character, who is betrayed by Brolin and commits suicide. This becomes the basis for LaBeouf's revenge. The revenge when it happens is not great. LaBeouf rats Brolin out to the authorities for insider trading. Hardly The Sting. Also when Gekko finally betrays his daughter, it doesn't convince either.The ending was disappointing, with it's Waltons sucrose sentimentality. This shoddy sequel makes it hard to watch the original Wall Street now without a bad taste in the mouth. One of the most objectionable scenes was the appearance of Charlie Sheen as Bud Fox, the playboy, with a model on either arm, boasting about how much money he made when he sold Bluestar airlines, and completely betraying the important life lessons he had discovered by the end of the original film. Thanks for taking a wrecking ball to my memories of your original Oscar winning film, Oliver. Please don't do any more sequels, or further destroy your CV.
The Last Exorcism (2010)
Rubbish. Must try harder
The trailers for this film are highly misleading. There is a suggestion of levitation from the main title photo. In fact, when I think of it, ALL of the scary bits more or less are shown in the trailers. This film had a tremendous opportunity to scare the life out of us, but it failed on that. I mean, I read before I went of several scary situations in the film, especially an appearance of the girl at the pastor's motel. It ended up not being shown on screen, only the aftermath. It would have been far creepier to have her arrive at the door of his motel in the dark, covered in the blood of a mutilated animal. It would have been a lot scarier. Also, I expected some levitation, or the girl to climb the walls, and none of these things happened. I was hoping that the smug pastor would be treated to some seriously hardcore scares that would shake the skepticism out of him, but this didn't happen at all. Opportunities were missed all over the place. A small bit of CGI is a good thing used in the right way. The Rosemary's baby denouement and the satanic ritual ending were a cop-out of the highest order. Nobody is asking for a rewrite of The Exorcist, but there is plenty of scope for subtlety and scares. This film was a slow burner that never picked up apace. I am hugely disappointed
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Another stinker from pain in the ass Quentin
No words can describe how dreadful this movie is. Brad Pitt can't really act. That's evident from watching this. He thinks that he needs to pull a lip like Benjamin Buford Blue from Forrest Gump for the whole film. There are no real characters, just caricatures. The rewriting of history is the most objectionable bit. If the real Nazis were as oafish as portrayed here, the war would have lasted a week. The part that I cannot stand is the way that Quentin makes no apologies for setting up scenes of inordinate length, with no editing, and leaden dialogue. Every director has their own style, but Quentin does this kind of stuff in every film. He's no master like Scorcese. No thanks to Quentin for his ridiculous take on history. I think I will watch 'Downfall' a few times in a row now to get the taste of this stinker out of my mouth.
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
A bit disappointed. Not the classic I was given to believe
I just came out of the cinema after seeing "Drag Me To Hell". I feel a bit cheated. I was given to believe that this was a return to horror form for Raimi. Well I am afraid that my opinion of it is that it is by no means a classic. Unfortunately Mr Raimi has been watching too much Buffy and Charmed. When Raimi made the original "Evil Dead", there was no comedy in it. This all changed with "Evil Dead 2" and "Army Of Darkness". Although a lot of people liked the sequels, I thought that the comedy ruined them. With "Drag Me To Hell", Raimi has combined the comedy of the Evil Dead 2 and 3 with the glamorous teens of Buffy and Charmed. What you end up with is something that is not quite right for true horror aficionados. I'm sorry but Mr Raimi needs to get a lot nastier for me to consider him back to his best. Mrs Ganush the gypsy is scary to look at but her image is used far too much in the film. The film could have used more demons/monsters. Whilst this film will be a hit, I don't consider Raimi to have created his new horror masterpiece yet.