Eightiesboy Reviews

Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance (2023)

Fairbrass and Nevern thrill us yet again

[7/10 · 21 December 2023]

For anyone that's watched all the previous films in this series, this is obviously one to watch.

Craig Fairbrass is totally watchable as Pat Tate, running around the streets of Essex and London like some coke fuelled deranged lunatic beating the crap out of anyone who crosses his path. I mean, this is why we watch anyway, exactly for that.

My only small gripe was the choice of 80s music throughout the film. I thought it was slightly overdone, too many tracks being played, but maybe that's just me. Saying that, the opening scene sets you up and gets you very excited for what lies ahead.

Loved seeing the 80s cars and specifically the Range Rover of course.

As always, you can expect some ultra violence, which I had to turn away once or twice. I left my imagination to it instead.

I absolutely love the Footsoldier franchise and I do hope they can pump one more out in the not too distant future.

Cutting Edge: The Kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart (2005) Season Unknown, Episode Unknown

Incredible story

[9/10 · 3 August 2023]

I went into this not knowing anything about the story (believe it or not), so found it even more intriguing, as the story went on. It was very well told, not too long and not too short.

The interviews with the family were clear and concise and the way they were put together really kept you hooked in to the timeline.

There are no spoilers and the outcome is only made clear right at the end of the documentary.

A fascinating story, however over the years I've read about some really awful and intriguing cases come out of Utah. What is it about Utah, that seems to attract these types of cases?

I can see the director has released a highly rated film as well, which adds to the quality of this documentary.

Definitely worth a watch.

Vacation (1983)

38 years later, this still hasn't aged

[9/10 · 19 December 2021]

Just managed to watch this again after watching the first time around when I was 13/14 years old. Coincidentally, I watched this with my twin boys who are now approaching 14 too!

Brilliant. Chevy Chase's facial and bodily expressions are still as funny as they were back in the 80's.

My boys and I were cracking up through most of the film. A wonderful feel good road trip movie.

Beverley D'Angelo and Chevy Chase are simply sublime together.

I am very fortunate to have watched this again and especially with my twin boys.

Thank you Chevy!

Betrayed (2020)

Harrowing work of art

[10/10 · 1 September 2021]

Whether this is based on true facts or not, this is a wonderful piece of film work.

The attention to detail in all of the scenes is absolutely first class, with some stunning shots of the town and home, that the family lived in.

A brilliantly portrayed, albeit utterly bleak story, about being Jewish in occupied Norway during WW2, this is mandatory viewing for any history buff.

Have some tissues ready, for the ending.

Rocky (1976)

1976 was a good year

[10/10 · 16 January 2021]

Just managed to grab this for the third time in my life (with my 12 year old twin boys this time) and its now 2021. For me, this is an absolute masterpiece and has matured like a fine wine!

Yes, it can be a bit slow at times, especially for the younger audience, but not for me. As an older, finer vintage myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the build up to the climax of the film.

All the characters are endearing, even the rogues.

I can't wait to watch Rocky II now.

'Yo, Adrian......!!',

The Lighthouse (I) (2019)

Perverse

[5/10 · 12 January 2021]

I love a good psychological horror, so I jumped into this with anticipation.

If this was meant to shock, I don't think it worked. It's a 100 minute blur of almost Coen like strong accents, (which occasionally I had to double tap back to try and make out what they were saying - actually Dafoe was much more coherent than Pattinson), drunkenness, fighting and stormy weather. Shot almost entirely in the dark, I had to turn the brightness up as much as possible to try and make out what was going on.

Acting was spot on.

Storyline was appalling. I've come away from it, none the wiser, not shocked and quite disgusted really.

Shame.

American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)

Seen it all before

[5/10 · 3 October 2020]

There must have been quite a few people that were watching back in 2018, when the police cam footage and interrogation videos were being released almost on a daily basis. If you were one of those people, there is nothing new here. In fact, this documentary comes across as rushed. There's masses of footage available online, if you want to take this story further.

Saying that, Watts is a sick individual and never deserves to be released.

I don't think there's a day goes by when this case doesn't come in to my head.

Horrific, to say the absolute least.

Running with the Devil (2019)

Bearable, just about

[5/10 · 15 February 2020]

Caught this whilst browsing through Netflix.

I can never resist a Nic Cage flick.

Watchable, but pretty dire. The only interesting thing about it, is seeing how cocaine gets to the west from source and to be honest, that was a total mish-mash of clips and scenes and you don't really learn much from it.

The ending will leave you totally underwhelmed.

Love Nic Cage though!

Grease (1978)

An absolute gem

[10/10 · 30 November 2019]

One of my favourite childhood memories was queuing up outside the cinema to see Grease. We were queuing for which seemed an eternity all the way around the cinema and up the road. It was THE film to see. I was 8.

To do this day, I still watch it and I've watched it with my kids (who are now 11) 3 or 4 times already.

It's a comedy and love story and musical all rolled into one.

Ignore the haters (there aren't many anyway).

Get the popcorn out, turn the speakers up and enjoy a fun filled musical extravaganza from start to end, that you can watch over and over again.

Grease is the word....!

Avengement (I) (2019)

Brilliant

[9/10 · 8 October 2019]

If you enjoy a violent revenge flick, you're in for an absolute treat! Even better, it's a British gangster flick too!

Ever since I was a kid watching the Bronson Death Wish movies, I've been hooked to this genre and Avengement didn't let me down one bit.

It has it all and more. The choreography is excellent, acting B movie style but brilliant. Adkins really shines, and Fairbrass isn't bad either, but you're not here for that. You're here to see Adkins go round kicking the crap out of everyone in his path! The fight scenes are so well done - mesmerising in fact.

Utterly watchable, if you're into this type of thing.

Bravo to the director as well (never realised he did Starship Troopers too).

Love it!!

More, more....!!!

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2019)

More voyeuristic than informative

[5/10 · 18 March 2019]

I watched all 8 episodes. If you have a strong interest in the case, then you are more than likely going to watch it regardless. Typical Netflix documentary. Slick titles, quite nicely shot, albeit a lot of repetitive scenes and drone footage of the beach and town.

However, I'm afraid to say that you are not going to learn a lot from it, if you have already followed the story from the outset.

A fairly good watch though, if it's a week before payday and you're skint and you have absolutely nothing else to do.

This Time with Alan Partridge (2019–2021)

Cook Pass Partridge

[9/10 · 26 February 2019]

If you love AP, then you are in for a treat.

It's not the AP from KMKY, but a more mature, eloquent AP, now in his 50"s and still wanting to be that big BBC star.

Every single minute is packed full of cringeworthy text and facial expressions.

Steve Coogan in his element.

Polar (I) (2019)

A must see for Mads Mikkelsen fans

[8/10 · 18 February 2019]

If you love anything with Mads Mikkelsen, get the popcorn out!

I delved into this flick with no research, so was unsure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. Not an oscar winning performance by Mikkelsen by any means, but utterly watchable and thoroughly enjoyable throughout.

Splendid directorship by Åkerlund, who is really best known for directing music videos. Some of the scenes were very well shot.

Wasn't sure about Matt Lucas really, but he faired well I guess. Ruby O Fee was utterly delicious to ogle over and a fairly strong performance by Vanessa Hudgens keeps the anticipation throughout.

If you love a revenge flick, you're in for a small treat.

Calibre (2018)

Shallow Grave-esque

[8/10 · 20 July 2018]

Wow, this was a surprise. This was featured on my Netflix homepage. Thank you Netflix!

Loved every moment. I was on the edge of my seat throughout. I do love a Brit flick and this had everything and more. Takes you back to the days of Trainspotting and Shallow Grave.

Brilliant Scottish thriller. I will be looking out for more of Matt Palmer in the future.

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)

Riveting documentary on a now infamous serial killer

[10/10 · 13 February 2018]

If you like documentaries on serial killers or murderers, this is obviously one for your collection. Nick Broomfield has you captivated from the outset.

My only gripe is that I felt that Broomfield laid a bit too much pressure on Wournos. He kept repeating the same question over and over to her and you can sense it is tiring her out, even aggravating her. The repeated questioning also has you believe that Broomfield is doing this for his own agenda and not for getting the points that Wournos wanted to get across to the viewers.

I personally felt she was remorseful for her actions. She was doing her time and she knew where her fate lied. She didn't want to be judged anymore, she was exhausted and just wanted everything to be finalised.

A shocking start to her life, you can empathise with Wournos. There's no getting away from the fact that what she did, deserved a life sentence, but death? In my opinion, definitely not. As Broomfield points out, she was clearly insane and even more so towards the end of her sentence, as I guess almost anyone would be in that situation.

A tragic tale of a human life that was definitely drawn the proverbial 'short straw'.

Don't forget the tissues, for the ending.

Vendetta (I) (2013)

Don't get too excited Dyer fans...

[5/10 · 22 December 2013]

I managed to catch Vendetta at the premier showing at the Genesis cinema in East London. The atmosphere was great and everyone was in good spirits, it was a Friday night and the cinema was packed with Danny Dyer fans. But even with the generous atmosphere it really failed to deliver. I wasn't expecting a Brando performance and I enjoyed watching Dyer in the likes of The Business and The Football Factory, but playing Jimmy Vickers felt like it was a lot out of his depth. Maybe if Danny would have taken this role in his latter years, it would have suited him much more. Saying that, if you enjoy a revenge plot and you love Brit flicks, well then this is possibly for you. Some splendid shots of Canary Wharf and East London make up for a very lack-lustre performance all round. The likes of the brilliant, late Mr Winner needn't worry one iota. Death Wish, it ain't.