roshanin-81205 Reviews

The Capture (2019– )

A laughable plot but entertaining nonetheless

[5/10 · 14 October 2019]

By the time you hit episode 5 you would be forgiven for thinking the entire series was intended as a terrible joke. The plot is one of the most extreme exercises in paranoia I have ever scene and unless you're a true conspiracy nut it will either leave you laughing or wondering why you bothered turning on the TV.

Having said that, it does have some decent acting, well Built tension and even when you suspect the plot is going nowhere good there's enough emotional investment in the characters to motivate you to find out what happens.

It's worth a watch just don't expect anything clever.

The History of Time Travel (2014)

Thoughtful, elegant and uplifting

[9/10 · 14 October 2019]

Initially presented as a documentary filmed in the near present day in a world where time travel had been successfully attempted, 'The History of Time Travel' takes an intelligent look on whether to possible to truly observe and assess such a situation.

It's difficult to say much more without giving spoilers. If you are interested in the aspect of time travel films that deal with its potential problems but have grown bored of the standard paradoxes that have been done to death, this film goes a little further with extreme care in its writing and attention to detail.

If you're looking for an action based film, don't bother with this but if you want a film that will make you think and still leave you smiling, this is a rare gem.

The Humanity Bureau (2017)

A good story, a shame about the lead casting

[6/10 · 22 July 2019]

In short: if you can overlook terrible acting by the lead actor, this is a good story with some depth and some excellent scripting.

This story is set in the near future after a cataclysmic war. A medium ranking official, Noah Kross (Nick Cage), works as an assessor of how productive people are. Those who aren't deemed productive enough are evicted from their homes and relocated to a place called New Eden for a chance for a fresh start. Noah has doubts about the process when he meets a young mother and her son.

The story has some depth and some patches of really good scripting. The writer has captured a very believable dynamic between the boy, his mother and a sudden new male role model.

Jakob Davies as the young boy delivers a very convincing performance as an initially sheltered kid suddenly exposed to immediate danger and responsibility.

Sadly the entire film is let down by the majority of the adult cast. It's not surprising to see Nicholas Cage deliver a wooden performance but here he is properly laughable.

So try to ignore Cage's atrocious delivery plus some bad moments from his co 'star' Hugh Dillon and you'll probably enjoy this.

The Silence (II) (2019)

A mess of a plot with no intelligent thought

[1/10 · 22 July 2019]

I can forgive plot holes if the rest of the film is distinctly good but there's nothing to elevate The Silence from its poorly thought out plot.

The premise is that a flock of weird bat-like creatures are released upon the world (well, the USA at least) that are blind but hunt through their incredible sense of hearing and nothing else. They're hungry and relentless.

Through all this the family of a deaf teenage girl think they have an advantage because they can sign and therefore know how to live in silence. Yes, it's questionable already and it gets worse.

A few moments of well built tension aren't enough to rescue this film from the nonsense of the plot.

A brief summary of plot holes: Creatures that have an enormous appetite live for millennia in a sealed cave with no food source and emerge in thousands when some explorers break through a wall. These noise sensitive creatures couldn't catch anything through sound alone. They are so noisy themselves they couldn't tell their prey from each other. And echo location, like bats in real life, isn't hampered by their prey moving silently. The father of the protagonist finds a potential solution to the problem and then promptly abandons it.

To add insult to injury the film closes on a line about evolution that suggests the writers have thought about what evolution entails. They can't possibly have a clue if they think this plot is viable.

Secret Obsession (2019)

Full of plot holes and unbelievable ble behaviour

[2/10 · 21 July 2019]

Usually psychological thrillers manage to stay vaguely believable. Not this one.

The setup is unfeasible, the script is dreadful and the things the characters do are plain stupid. For example, one character, after being wheelchair bound, decides she's just going to get on her feet and hobble down some stairs.

Two stars just for the actors who at least did their best with no proper material to work with.

The Fountain (2006)

Beautiful visuals, great acting and great direction

[7/10 · 17 July 2019]

There's a lot going for this film. The CGI is exceptional as are the performances. There's beauty in every part from the actors' performances, direction and CGI/visuals.

So why not a higher score? The message of the film isn't ludicrous but it has been explored before many times. Is death a necessary part of life? Can we conquer it? Should we even be trying? It's not a bad set of questions to ask. But as the film develops you're repeatedly pounded on the head by a weak analogy with a tree of life. When you get to the last twenty minutes of the film the analogy becomes actively irritating.

It's definitely worth a watch. Just don't expect anything hugely thought provoking.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

An important story everyone should hear about. Shame about the Direction.

[7/10 · 10 July 2019]

The true story on which this film is based is remarkable. We're used to being made aware of horrific racism and violence in the world. This story highlights some of the violence but mostly the sheer absurdity of the beliefs of the 'Klan'.

I certainly recommend this film but you'll need to persist past the first 10 minutes and try and switch off from the dreadful direction.

The reason to choose this film over a written account is the actors. It's just annoying that the cheap tricks in the direction distract you from their performances.

Seriously, do we need an upside down USA flag to point out everything's very messed up? It's insulting to the audience's intelligence.

Genesis (II) (2018)

Garbled string of contradictions that drags on and on

[2/10 · 8 July 2019]

It's a shame for the actors. There are some people cast in this who are very capable of delivering outstanding performances. The cast make this film partially watchable in places, hence the two stars.

But, cutting to the chase, the basic plot could be the basis of a run of the mill, vaguely entertaining sci fi film but the whole thing seems to be trying to put together a moral message without knowing what it is. It contradicts itself about once every five minutes. In a film this long, that's a lot of contradictions.

I suppose some may say it does have some parallels with the book of Genesis There are long spells of time where nothing interesting happens and for a while people seem to live far, far longer than they should.

If you wanted an entertaining story about AI it's not here. If you were looking for intelligent insight, you'd be better off having a two hour conversation with a brick wall.

Mirage (2018)

Excellently written crime mystery story utilising a time travel edge to make it even more engrossing

[9/10 · 6 July 2019]

I was looking for an intelligent film with a principally science fiction driven plot when I stumbled across this gem. But you don't have to be a sci fi obsessive to enjoy this.

The good: Intelligent and gripping plot Well paced Decent acting One of the better and more consistent time travel plots

The bad: Some parts are drawn out. Might have been better as a two/three part mini series Personally I can think of endings I'd prefer...Less cutesy, more realistic.

The premise is the the main character, a lady who is a mother and neurosurgeon, has accidentally found a way to communicate to a boy in the past to prevent a tragedy he is involved in. When the consequences catch up with her, she is is confused. As she tries to put herself back in her original life she finds everyone she knew has a different memory to hers. Worst of all, her daughter seems to have never existed.

As someone who has only a schoolchild's grasp of Spanish I can say the subtitled version of the film was enough to keep me hooked on every plot detail, relate to and question the characters and wonder what I might feel in the main character's shoes.

If you want a thought provoking, fairly intelligent thriller then this is a very good one.

Errementari (2017)

A visually stunning story told well.

[8/10 · 6 July 2019]

If you're expecting a gory horror movie then this isn't going to be what you want to watch.

This tale is based on Spanish folk stories about deals with the devil and a man who tries to escape his fate. It's principally a well told story with fantastic cinematography and well designed creatures (and some horrifically hilarious ones).

In short it's a fairly tale with attention to detail in its mythology, captured beautifully on film. Not a horror film but something that might say your prayers at night if you were that way inclined.

Life (I) (2017)

Have we seen this before?

[5/10 · 5 July 2019]

I remember now. Yes. It was called 'Alien' and a lot of people think that, when it was released, it was groundbreaking and genre defining.

Despite 40 years separating them, Life is very, very similar to Alien. There are a few design improvements but that's it.

In short, 'Life' is watchable, particularly if you haven't watched much sci-fi of the "scary thing on a remote ship" category. If you want an intricate plot that has you hooked for the whole film, this isn't for you. If you want a bit of plot setup then a scary monster chasing people, you've got it here. Interesting characters... not massively but you could find yourself liking them. Acting performances... nothing to write home about but passable given the material.

Seriously, Life is the same as Alien. In 1979 Alien was considered groundbreaking. Why did someone feel the need to make the same film in 2017?

There are a few differences. The crew is a bit more likeable and the fact that they study the life form in the vicinity of Earth in a structure a bit like the ISS makes you care a bit more about what happens. The artwork isn't H R Giger's, in fact I'm surprised to say I prefer the design of the creature in 'Life'.

And of course, the biggest difference is that there's no ship's cat. Really, that's one of the biggest differences.

Anon (I) (2018)

A nice idea but poorly executed

[4/10 · 4 July 2019]

The ideas in this film are good, the plot is interesting enough (barring a few relatively minor plot holes) and the cinematography is also decent. The script, however, is truly terrible. So much so that it is hard to tell whether the acting is wooden because of the actors themselves or because they have to follow such artificial dialogue.

It's a shame, the setting and concept of the city and technology could be the basis for some really good material. The premise did remind me of some of Phillip K Dick's stories. Sadly the writer took his idea and tied it together with a long string of cliche. There's a gritty cop with a troubled past, a corrupt governing system, an ineffective senior cop and a poorly thought through overexplained plan to catch the villain. No subtlety at all, no development of character.

If you are able to switch off from the poor dialogue and just enjoy the story for the setting and concept, it's not unwatchable. I'm afraid that's all the praise I can give it.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Vacuous Waste of Time

[2/10 · 26 June 2019]

Nocturnal animals may grab your attention for it's reported tension, mystery and depth. I'm not at all sure what this is actually based on.

The premise is that the protagonist is contacted by her ex-husband who has written a novel dedicated to her titled 'Nocturnal Animals' supposedly a name he used to describe her. As she reads its sad and violent story, details of her own life are revealed and the story of how her relationship with her former husband played out. So we have a story within a story that's presented as a film within a film with another short side film detailing the protagonist's past.

The problem is the arch story is virtually non existent. The story within the text of the novel is, although violent and saddening, simple and shallow. The side story of the protagonists relationship with her ex-husband is also dull.

We have three mundane half finished stories woven together that simultaneously fade away into nothing. If there's an artistic point to this, and I doubt there's a valid one, I don't think it's worth anyone's time.

I'm on the verge of suspecting the writer here is, like his main character, parading his art and telling us 'It's garbage. It's all garbage.' It really felt that way to me. No worthwhile plot. No exceptional cinematography. Nothing clever.

The cast were strong. The only reason it wasn't the lowest possible rating.

The Age of Adaline (2015)

Visually Pretty, Emotionally Vapid, Intellectually Void

[2/10 · 9 November 2017]

I was curious about this film because of its premise: a woman, Adaline, who seems to be immortal.

I shall state the good parts first. Most of the visual direction is quite pretty and the soundtrack is rather lovely in places. The cast are very good too given the material they have to work with.

However the script and story fall flat on their faces with astounding force. Adaline initially is put across as a bright but not exceptional woman leading a happy life. The rest of the film swings between portraying her as being a genius then to being a hugely irrational doe- eyed fool.

STRONGER SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Apparently she speaks a good handful of languages fluently but struggles to make the most basic steps researching the cause of her condition. Then she runs away from the governmental agency that want to research her condition. Then she can't figure out that maybe disguising her looks might Improve her choices of not being found.

After all this she ends up with a man who's stalkerish behaviour would likely land him in prison. Then her daughter encourages her to get together with him. It's all a bit horrible.

I can't say I saw anything romantic in this film. I couldn't see anything of substance whatsoever.

ONE PARTICULARLY STRONG SPOILER

I have no idea why the writers used this idea but.... I'd feel a lot better pointing this out...if a man follows you into a lift, tries to get in your taxi and then blackmails you by saying he'll give your workplace a huge donation if you go on a date with him, that's not romantic. That's a reason to call the police. And definitely, definitely don't go for a date with him in a dark cave.

AfterDeath (2015)

A logician's view on the afterlife

[8/10 · 14 September 2017]

This has plenty of brain fodder if that's what you like.

This is not a run of the mill horror film. It's more of a psychological thriller set in what might be purgatory. Five young people are trapped in an inescapable desolate location and are forced to reflect on their lives.

They all try to work out why they've arrived in this horrible situation. Interesting character developments take place. The film challenges the viewer to consider whether he/she would end up in the same situation.

The last scene is particularly interesting because it takes a hard line logical treatment of what the afterlife should be. I imagine the conclusion might be annoying for those of some faiths.

I'd give the script a 10/10. Some slightly iffy acting and unnecessary poor special effects made me think 8/10 was appropriate.