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Fear and Loathing in Aspen (2021)
Low budget, bad writing and bad acting
So, this is a story from Hunter S Thompson's life, and bills itself as "the sequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"...it is not.
What could have been a great film and an interesting chapter out of the life and times of one of the most recognizable names in literature and journalism, just ends up being a boring mess, and is totally let down by the low budget, bad writing and horrible acting by people that are obviously trying their best but simply don't have the skill required to pull it off.
If you are a fan of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, then stay far far away from this movie, as you won't find any of the humour, wit and drug fueled chaos that made the original so entertaining. There is very little to like about this movie. It had a great premise but it just doesn't work. Nothing here feels coherent or entertaining in any way at all.
Line of Duty (2012)
10 out of 10 across the board!
This is, straight-up, some of the absolute best writing, direction, acting, cinematography, set design, scoring...you name it...that I have ever seen in my 44 years of watching films and television!
To the last, every single actor in this series just oozes with talent. The dialogue and scenes they pull off are just an incredible treat to watch. The chemistry between the actors in unparalleled in a television series, almost as if these people were born to play these specific roles and to work with each other. Then there's the two leads, Kate and Steve...there is something there that I've never seen before...they way they feed off of each other's energy, it's just really something else to behold, trust me on this, it is some of the best acting you will ever see, period. It is a master class and just an absolute pleasure to see these two in action, but the same could be said about literally 99% of the entire cast.
Seriously, the entire cast combined is something that should break the laws of reality when they are all placed together because the amount of sheer talent doesn't seem like it could ever be contained, yet somehow these actors all come together to provide one of the most suspenseful, well written, impeccably acted stories ever put to paper, and this is easily one of the best, if not THE best, series ever put to screen, and you would be an idiot to miss this! If you ever get the chance to see this, stop whatever else you're doing and watch it immediately! You will not be sorry you did!
Julie and the Phantoms (2020)
Caught this one by accident...and WOW! It's amazing!
So, I just happened to see this up on Netflix this morning, and I was bored and really had nothing else to watch, so I said "I'll give this one episode, it's rated G and is a musical, so I'm not expecting much".
.......
And, i just finished binging the whole damn thing! Let me just say that forget the fact that it's a 'kids' show for a minute, it doesn't really feel like it when you're watching it. The original music, dancing and acting were some of the best I've seen from Netflix (or anywhere else in recent memory if I'm being completely honest).
I'm 44 years old. And I LOVED this show. I've actually downloaded the soundtrack as well, and it's pretty freaking awesome!
If you're looking for something that the whole family can watch together and actually ENJOY together, you really ought to give this one a try. I think, like me, you'll be incredibly surprised.
I can't NOT give this one a 10/10. It truly deserves it.
Allan the Dog (2020)
Charming and funny
Ok so this isn't a high budget film, and there's no actors you'll recognize, but that's ok. This is a funny, touching film with a little something for everyone. Except for kids that is, do not let children watch this movie.
If you go into this not expecting a whole lot, you're likely going to leave happy. There's nothing too deep here, and nothing that we haven't seen before from Hollywood, but the execution is good and it's enjoyable throughout it's runtime.
I'm not too sure why this has a 3.6 when there are no reviews before mine. Something seems to be wrong with the ratings system.
In any case I rate this a decent 7/10
Endlings (2020)
Perfect family viewing that isn't afraid to touch upon tough subjects
Like the title says, this show is great family viewing, and it doesn't shy away from hard topics such as loss, extinction, loneliness and even death, and it is a great way to broach these topics with children in order to help them understand and process these difficult issues.
When taken for what it is: a family/kids show in the sci-fi genre, done on a moderate budget, it deserves WAY more than the current 3.7 overall rating it has on IMDB.
The premise: An alien 'collector', later affectionately named "Ling", roams the universe collecting 'endlings', which are creatures that are the very last of their kind and are about to become forever extinct, in order to preserve them for an as yet unrevealed purpose (we are clearly led to believe it is in the best interests of these creatures though). While on one of it's missions, to collect the last African Elephant on Earth, it encounters trouble with it's spaceship and crash lands on Earth, releasing all the collected Endlings in the crash. It, and the ship, are then found by several foster children, and Ling is rescued by them and through telepathy shows them what it is that he does, and why. The children then take it upon themselves to collect the lost Endlings while Ling heals. Through this process, the kids learn to deal with things like loss, death, trust, in themselves and in others, the merits of working together, and of family bonds, they also learn about empathy and appreciation for life itself in the many forms it can take.
This is a unique series, with a very unique premise, and throughout it contains such a POSITIVE feeling and message, and I truly believe it has the power to educate and bring families together through discussion about the topics it's story touches upon.
This is something that should be seen by all families, and even by any adult sci fi fans that aren't afraid of lower budgets and family friendly storylines. There's a little something to be found for pretty much everyone here.
9 out of 10 stars for me
Servant (2019)
Can't get past the first episode...
...the camera work in this is the worst I've ever seen. I guess it's supposed to be artistic or something, but it comes across as just plain weird and annoying and hard to watch. The camera at one point for instance, the man and his wife are at the table / counter and talking, and the camera is focused on a wine bottle and you can only see part of the actors and it's just WEIRD. The camera man also has a fetish for extreme close-ups apparently. There are MANY scenes where the camera is just so close up and tight on the actor it's ridiculous. Seriously, it's as if a first year film school student is filming this and has no idea how to work the camera, or what perspective is and it's either not focused where it should be (40% of the time), way too far away (25% of the time) or way too close up (the rest of the time). It's simply BAD camera work.
Then there's the music...it is TOO spooky, even when absolutely nothing is going on. It instills a sense of dread in the viewer and is not used correctly at all. Also it's not very good either, like they hired a low budget sound studio to do it or something.
Then there's the script itself, the dialog is terrible most of the time. The actors really aren't very good either.
I don't know, I simply cannot get past the first episode of this piece of crap. It has good reviews, which astounds me, so maybe it actually gets good at some point...but I'll never know because 25 minutes of this was already too much!
The Unlisted (2019)
Not as bad as a lot of people are saying
Okay, so the show obviously didn't have a huge budget, and the kids are not the world's greatest actors, but the STORY itself is actually really good.
I'm 43 years old, and am generally not into this kind of thing at all...but once I watched the first episode and discovered the premise of the series I was hooked.
It's actually QUITE intelligently written (even though it definitely has a few plot holes that need plugging), and it's a 'conspiracy thriller' in the vein of sort of a cross between Orwell's 1984 (with the aspect of being tracked and watched at all times and "thought controlled"), and something maybe a little more sci-fi and modern.
Even though I guess it would be classified as a family show, the plot is very dark, the feeling of tension and overwhelming dread while watching from episode to episode, is very palpable and omnipresent, and you can really sort of FEEL for the 'unlisted' kids and how truly dire their situation is. I'm currently on episode 9 (of 15) and I have to admit, I am addicted and really can't wait to see where the story goes.
In summary, if you can look past the somewhat less than perfect acting, and some of the major plot holes (like HOW is the general public just going along with all this and not questioning any of it--thats the biggest by far), and just enjoy it for what it is, a decently well written, sci-fi thriller, than I think you might actually find yourself enjoying the show, like I do.
It's a solid 6.5/10 for me, mainly due to the points I listed above, otherwise it would've been higher.
Unbelievable (2019)
An incredible story that needs to be seen by all
This is an outstanding piece of entertainment from beginning to end. It can be very hard to watch at times, especially if you're the kind of person who is empathetic towards others, but it is a story that needs to be seen by everyone, especially law enforcement, and men in general.
The series does an exceptional job at showing how society treats those women who come forward with claims of rape and assault, and how easy it can be to twist a statement to turn it back on the victim, ESPECIALLY for law enforcement.
There needs to be more light shed on "victim shaming" or "victim blaming", and how law enforcement routinely treat these victims as suspects, or as simply "unbelievable" in their statements.
The directing, acting, writing, and even the cinematography, is some of the best I have seen Netflix produce to date, and I cannot recommend this series highly enough. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE. I dare you to watch it, and keep your outrage in check.
9/10 stars
Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)
Decent addition to the franchise
I completely disagree with one of the other reviewers who said this was a bad movie...if you liked the first two films, then you'll most likely enjoy this one as well. Nothing new here, but it's solid entertainment for fans of the franchise. And sly is actually GREAT in these films, regardless of what others think.
Five Feet Apart (2019)
Been done before...literally
If you've seen Zac and Mia, then you've seen this film. They are basically almost identical. Same everything. Just different actors and a very slightly different script.
For what it is, it's not horrible, it is a decent story...but it's FAR from original, and has already been done RECENTLY, and in my opinion, BETTER, by the show Zac and Mia.
Chernobyl (2019)
An absolute MATERPIECE, in every sense
Okay, so I've read every one of the 299 reviews on here, and I have seen the series, and I can say, with absolute certainty, that this is THE single, most disturbing, terrifying, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, very foundation SHAKING, piece of cinema that I have been witness to in my 43 years on this Earth!
This is quality, from top to bottom, in every possible sense. eg: writing, cinematography, acting (oh boy the acting), accuracy (sure a few liberties were taken for dramatic effect but a LOT less than you'd think), and just sheer profound IMPACT that it brings with it. I know it has been "made-for-tv" (cable tv anyway), but it is, in my humble opinion, actually Oscar calibre, and I believe its time to create a tv category for the Oscars, JUST FOR THIS SERIES.
That's how good this is.
Now, you may wonder: "why doesn't this have a perfect 10 across the board then? Like I said at the beginning, I have read every single one of the 299 other reviews for this on IMDB, and you know what? Even the people that gave low scores, their almost universal, one and only gripe? British accents instead of Russian ones. That's it.
And of those 299, there were less than 10 other negative reviews that gave other reasons, such as them thinking it wasn't accurate enough, ONE person had a problem with the technical details (and I mean science details, things 99% of us wouldn't notice anyway), and one other person had a problem with the wind direction mentioned in one episode...that's it. ONE person said they couldn't feel anything at all for the story or the characters (OK you're obviously a pure sociopath then), and ONE person had a problem that they added 1 fictional female scientist into the story, for dramatic effect.
Those are the ONLY reasons for negative reviews, and in fact, this series, on IMDB, has received more 10/10 than anything else EVER has on here. (yes, including Game Of Thrones).
Think about that for a second. That means, with the literal exception of a few nit-pickers, THIS IS UNIVERSALLY believed to be one of the greatest works of cinematic history!!
Watch it. It's perfect. Enough said. 10/10++++
Zac and Mia (2017)
This one is NOT to be missed!
When I saw the trailer for this I was skeptical. A story along the lines of The Fault In Our Stars, but done in 12 minute increments? How could that possibly be any good?
Well, I can tell you right now, the descriptions and trailers for this don't do it justice...this is one of the best, most touching, and best of all REAL things that I have seen in a long time. It is incredible. Heartwarming, sweet, at times vicious in its honesty, and it can be hard to watch because it pulls no punches and doesn't sugar-coat the realities of dealing with cancer, and at such a young age too.
This series is truly beautiful and, I believe, is something that needs to be seen by as many people as possible. I can't recommend this enough! Give it a try, I promise you'll be glad you did (just make sure to have some tissues handy when you do)
9/10
Weird City (2019)
Meaningless nonsense
This 'show' is just garbage. I watched all 6 episodes continuing to hope, fruitlessly, that it would get good at some point, but it just never does.
I get what they're going for, as others have stated, a sort of Black Mirror anthology thing, but it's a fail.
None of the characters (with the exception of the 2 women in the final episode-the tv show within a tv show) have any redeeming qualities, the stories are vapid and uninteresting (again with the exception being episode 6), and weird is nowhere near a strong enough word to describe this trash.
Unless you REALLY have nothing better to do (like watch paint dry on the walls), I strongly recommend not wasting your time on this.
Zero stars from me, even the few good actors couldn't save this mess
Assassination Nation (2018)
Shocking, and sadly realistic
Just finished a screening of this and wow...just...wow.
First let me say, this film is NOT for everybody. It is satirical but very poignant given the current social and political climate everywhere these days, but ESPECIALLY in the United States. Everything in this film is over the top and surrealistic, and yet somehow captures "Trump's America" perfectly. I wish it were not the case, but I can honestly see almost this exact thing happening for real one of these days in the not too distant future.
The trailer and marketing campaign make it pretty clear what you're getting yourself into by seeing this, and if that's what you're looking for then you definitely won't be disappointed. This is a very graphic film in both the language and violence, but every bit of it is necessary in order to portray this story the way it needs to be told. I'll be honest, the first hour actually drags a little and you may find yourself feeling uncomfortable and even bored once or twice, and it takes a while for things get going, but when they do finally take off, they reach heights you'll have to see to believe.
I highly recommend this film to anybody who can stomach it, but be warned, it may just turn the mirror back on YOU.
Good watching
Brute Sanity (2017)
Decent stoer, let down by bad acting
Title says it all:
This is actually a decent, fairly well written story, that is let down completely by some of the worst acting imaginable.
Not a single one of the actors in this film has any redeeming qualities whatsoever. Every one of them are stiff and wooden and obviously no one involved had any kind of formal training at all.
Which is a huge shame because as I said, the story is actually quite decent. If an experienced director, crew and cast got their hands on this script it really could've been something special, but sadly that's not the case here.
I can't in good conscience recommend this movie to anyone...unless bad acting and low budget is your thing, in which case you're in for a treat lol.
The First Date (2017)
don't waste your time
I completely agree with both the reviewers that gave this 1 star, and I'm sure, like me, they ONLY gave this 1 star because we can't give zero.
This had to be shot on a budget of maybe 100 bucks...and it was NOT 100 bucks well spent.
This "film", if it can even be called that, is an absolute waste of your time, has some of the worst acting I've ever seen in my 42 years on this earth, no writing to speak of, no sense of cinematography or awareness of HOW to actually structure a film (like seriously I've seen 5th grade school projects better than this--made by 10 yr olds), and I promise you, if you somehow talk yourself into watching this, you WILL be wishing you hadn't and wanting back that time you wasted.
Rig 45 (2018)
One of the best damn suspense thrillers in recent years
Ok, so first of all, I have absolutely ZERO idea what teglundsamuel was talking about when he said this had bad acting, writing, etc and gave it only one star. Only thing I can figure is that he stopped watching it about 5 minutes into episode 1.
The reviewer that gave it 5 stars specifically says they stopped watching in episode 3 (which is when the 100% English stops and the subs are required more often), and because someone they thought was hot got killed, so they really have no basis to even write a review.
And the person who gave it 6 stars was upset with the ending, and actually DID like basically everything about it until that point. I get that some people may not be happy with the ending, but it certainly doesn't warrant a reduction 4 stars for that alone. (also that review spoils the end and says who the killer is so I HIGHLY suggest you DO NOT read that review if you plan to watch this).
The writing is very reminiscent of David Lynch ala Twin Peaks or Mulholland Drive. This is a whodunit through and through, and should keep you guessing until about 15 minutes before the end of the final episode.
The acting is really top-notch as well. I have never heard of any of these actors (being Canadian and English myself, I don't watch a lot of foreign productions), but I'm absolutely blown away by at least 2 of the stars. Namely the guy who played Halvar and the woman who played Petra. These 2 are on fire in this mini-series.
To address what the last reviewer said about a good suspense is supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time, and have many twists and turns, etc.....this show has all that and then some! In fact there were so many twists and turns in the plot that at times it was actually hard to keep up (but in a good way, a REALLY good way).
In any case, I'm not a reviewer, as I'm sure you can tell, but after reading the last comment and seeing that this somehow only had a 5.4 rating, I simply HAD to write something so that other people will know that they should really give this a shot, and not rely on one person's obviously delusional opinion.
Trust me, if you're into a GREAT story, a murder mystery that will literally keep you guessing until the very end, exceptional acting and outstanding writing, then look no further. Give this a watch and I promise you'll be glad you did.
(just be prepared for subtitles if you're an English speaker--about 65% of this IS in English but the rest is in 3 other languages)
SOLID 9/10