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Reviews
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
I so wanted to enjoy this, but it is a terrible film in every way.
How can this have fallen so short of the successes of the previous Wonder Woman film despite the same director? This film suffers from:
- A nonsensical plot that is muddled, full of holes and has a poor conclusion.
- Unrelatable and 2 dimensional characters.
- Incredibly cringeworthy "comedy moments" that are painful to watch.
- Heavy-handed and clumsy scenes throughout.
- Such poor scriptwriting that the "emotional parting" was laughable.
- Lots of rushed/bad CGI.
- Poorly implemented & boring fight scenes.
- Performances that are mostly halfhearted.
It is such a shame when we know that the director and cast are all capable of much, much better than this trash. I don't know what aspects behind the production caused this turd to be rolled out but I hope that the third installment can get back on track and make me forget that I wasted some of my life watching Wonder Woman 1984.
The Sight (2000)
A promising pilot of a series that never was...
Although billed as a 'TV movie' this screams out that it was a pilot for a tv series. There are some reasonable 'make you jump' moments and some creepiness, but this is a supernatural drama rather than a horror show or even tense thriller. Whilst the plot 'twists' in the main story were obviously signposted, the final references to a whole new layer of plot showed promise. Shame that it doesn't seem to have been picked up as a series for that to be delved in to - with luck, there will be at least a second 'movie' to wrap up that 'ghosts of the ghosts', matrix type of thing that they seemed to be heading for...
Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion (2000)
Capable plot that would have benefitted from a bigger budget
This has all the hallmarks of a 'made for TV' production, complete with cheap actors, locations and other low production values. It would seem to be a first feature for a high percentage of the cast and this alone will always knock a film back. However, we found it to be more than just 'watchable'. The plot is full of double crosses, misdirections etc that kept it interesting without the need to cry out in frustration at the plot holes. In fact, if the plot had been given the hollywood big budget treatment, a script-massage and a recasting, it would have probably been a good performer in the cinema. Shame.
Breeders (1997)
The Isle of Man Tourist Board has lot to answer for!
Imagine the most cliche ridden b-movie horror plot you can. Add more plot holes than plot. Have it scripted by a 10 year old. Have the acting done by A-Level drama students faking really bad US accents (in the Isle of Man!) Add monster special effects that the lovers of B&W Dr Who shows will appreciate. Result: duff film. Throw in Samantha Janus taking her clothes off (make a point of this on the cover) and you'll probably sell enough copies to make a profit anyway!
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Not a film, an experience. But so is watching paint dry!
Baz Luhrmann has aimed high and attempted to produce a stunning cinematic experience that is larger than life. Sadly he fell short.
This film has a plot so shallow that were it a puddle, ants could wade through it. Some films succeed despite this, but Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! is so crammed with over-exuberance that you can't help feeling that he was aware of the weakness of the plot and was trying to distract viewers from it. A good script has often overcome poor plots, but almost half the script (it irritatingly seems like more) is lifted directly from the lyrics of various songs. What begins as mildly amusing with 'The Sound of Music' rapidly wears thin as you realise that there was very little originality or creativity put in to the script. Then it becomes downright annoying that Luhrmann and Pierce have claimed writing credit for outright plagiarism of the works of many artists. Proponents of the film have pointed out to me that this isn't the point, that the whole extravanganza outweighs these shortcomings. Certainly the many song and dance routines, complete with their eclectic and impressive staging and costumes, lift the film up, but much of the great choreography is ruined by some unfortunately heavy and jarring editing that consistantly detracts from some good performances. The cast does perform well (if you like the singing performances of the actors), but the roles do not settle down well, with the tone bouncing from romantic through to farce via many other genres. This does not seem to be the fault of the cast, rather from a directorial approach that failed to decide what it wanted. The end result of this to-ing and fro-ing is that I felt no emotional contact with the characters even by the latter stages of the film and was actually thankful when Satine died as it meant that we must be near the end!
That said, this film does have its good points. The visuals are stunning; the costumes and sets are divine (if you like over the top); there are many 'small touches' that are worth looking out for; and the soundtrack is an inspired collection of predominantly old pop and rock classics, but with a number of newer or new tracks as well - all are good. The concept is bold, even if the execution has produced a 'cinematic experience' that is ultimately tedious and gives the impression that the film's good points are purposely outlandish to stun you in to missing its shortcomings.
Is it worth seeing? Yes - I am glad that I saw it (even more glad when the final credits came up!). Is it worth buying? Only of you are undemanding of anything more than bright colours and good music in your taste of film or else it will wear thin very rapidly. Expect to see many copies of the DVD appear on the second hand market in due course.
Le pacte des loups (2001)
Stylish horror movie without teenagers!
My wife won't watch foreign language films. She hates horror movies. I managed to fool her in to seeing this at Leicester Square and she loved it! After such a spate of formulaic teen horrors to come from the US, it was a relief to see something refreshing from Europe. The only criticism I had was that the 'twist' in the story is obvious from the end of Act I - that is not to say that it wasn't a good journey to get to the finale. Well worth the ticket price and a great film to get people over their predjudices of foreign language films.