collectspam Reviews

Reacher (2022– )

As true to the book as a show could be - and that's a good thing

[8/10 · 9 February 2022]

I've enjoyed the Reacher series of books over the last 10-12 years or so, coming slightly late into the franchise. They certainly don't set the literary world on fire, but they are well written and 100% enjoyable.

This is one of the best adaptations of a book I can recall seeing, as the 8 episode series format means virtually nothing was left out. That can be a bad thing, but in this case they have very successfully crossed that divide.

If you are after only the greatest ever crime and detective story, you will probably be disappointed. But, this show delivers exactly what it was trying to do, and it does it really well.

It's well cast, and those that say it's badly acted and scripted are really just trying to appear high brow I'm guessing - the acting and the script are pretty damn good.

Bottom line, if you love the book(s), you'll love this. If you love violent detective movies, you should enjoy this. If you are not an action / detective / crime fan, this won't be your cup of tea.

Or coffee. Black.

Menace II Society (1993)

For mine, the best movie of it's type from the '90's

[9/10 · 31 January 2021]

I don't know that another review of this movie is required from an old white guy nearly 30 years since it's release, but I've got to.

I saw this in the cinema when it came out, and I still remember the feeling I had when it ended, and the one word I associated it with, all these years later.

It was POWERFUL.

It's not a perfect movie, but damn, it's GOOD.

I don't have any experience with the real situation, as a relatively-privileged white guy in Australia, but this feels way more real than a lot of the movies of the same type from the era.

I rate this way higher than what many seem to consider the gold standard of the genre, Boyz n the Hood. That was good, but the ending of this movie was truly powerful.

It conveyed the lifestyle, the inevitability and the hopelessness of the situation better than anything I've seen before or since.

I can't recommend this movie highly enough. WATCH IT.

Les Norton (2019)

Les is finally here, and he's nowhere near as bad as he could have been...

[7/10 · 11 August 2019]

This was always going to be a tough character and series of books to bring to life on any screen, big or small.

Finding the right actor to play a character like Les was always going to be even tougher.

Have they hit the nail on the head? Well, maybe not quite, but I think he's probably going to be as close as we can realistically expect, and I can't nominate the perfect actor for the right price either. He does a pretty good job playing Les as a naive new import, his fight scenes aren't awful (although they need some work to match the books!), and between being a fish out of water and when he fires up, he shows that he's not a bad actor, so all in all not too bad. Not really Les, but he'll do.

The biggest name here is probably Rebel Wilson, in what might be silly casting for the Madam, but maybe there's more to come. David Wenham, though, is a surprising get, an inspired choice for Price, and a real feather in the cap to have.

The rest of the cast was somewhat surprising, none more so than Eddia Salita, but I think they are close enough to the books to stay true enough and still work for the show. Switching up Lozza (the roommate) to be a woman seems a little unnecessary, but I can see it getting a bit bloke-heavy otherwise, so I think that will work too. They are all pretty good actors though, with the possible exception of Billy, so no real complaints there.

The use of a narrator seems to annoy a lot of people, but I think it's another realistic choice that was necessary to help the story be understood overseas, and even for a lot here at home. The show's about as ocker as humanly possible - thank the stars that they didn't make Les a Yank or something! - and I think the Narrator does help propel the story and tie things together. It might be considered lazy, but it's probably necessary, and I think it works.

The production values are pretty high, certainly not the lowest the ABC has put out before. It's not what we've been spoiled with by the likes of some of the shows that are coming out these days, like Daredevil or Game of Thrones, but if you rein in your expectations to realistic levels you should be pleased enough. It does look good, and it does look like the Cross back in the day. The steel XXXX cans are my favourite touch.

I'm very happy with the choice to go with a tv series instead of a movie, as we get much more time to develop the characters and tell multiple stories, which will help a lot.

All in all, after 2 episodes I think this is shaping up to be a really good, fun series that should open up the world of the big red boofhead to even more readers.

I think they've done a really good job in an impossible situation, and I am enjoying it. I've gotta go dust off my copy of 'You wouldn't be dead for Quids' for another read now.

The Hard Way (2019)

What could have been...

[3/10 · 22 April 2019]

Three or four of the lead actors, the cinematography, and the majority of the fight choreography were positives. Michael Jai White and Madalina Anea were very good, and even George Remes over-the-top psycho was pretty well acted. Luke Goss, though, is a quality actor, who rose above the muck he was given to turn in a really good performance.

The biggest downfall of the film, besides Randy Couture's to-be-expected woeful acting, and the absolutely atrocious 'acting' performances of everyone else in the entire movie not mentioned already, was the script. It was beyond terrible.

One example - a completely unnecessary and ham-fisted attempt to divulge backstory, in an attempt to force the audience to care about a barmaid, delivered by a terrible actress, was so bad it, just, stayed bad. Not one piece of dialogue seemed to fit, and when you give bad dialogue to bad actors, it's not going to turn out well. One of the worst scripts I've seen filmed.

The setup for a sequel was obvious. White and Goss could definitely make a really good movie together, and these characters themselves would be fine. But a better director and an actual script would really help next time.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Harshly judged by unworthy prigs. Brilliantly handled.

[9/10 · 27 July 2013]

This movie is just short of an entertainment masterpiece in its genre. The masterful weaving of actual recorded history and vampire-laden storytelling to recount a seriously-told but thoroughly entertaining story is truly a sight to behold.

The cinematography is beautiful, seamlessly letting the viewer know when scenes are set in the relative past and present, and the action beautifully shot, well choreographed and entirely relevant to the story.

A rating of below 6 out of 10 is absurd. This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie, with fantastic performances from the entire cast, but especially so from Abraham himself, a (to me) completely unknown actor and thoroughly deserving leading man. While I suspect he won't become a huge Hollywood star, it is not for want of acting talent.

While played seriously, the film works all the better for it. Highly recommended.