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heronwatts
Reviews
Fargo (1996)
Oh yaaah
Not one of the members of the Cohen brothers fan club - it's the constant attempt at humour that grates, exaggerating personalities to the ridiculous. Similar to Tarantino, their films come from influences from other films and not from life nor experiences. I can imagine them watching old videos, then improving on them and that's the core, the base from where they come from. The films as a consequence become cartoons in human form.
I know I'm in the minority here and if film is about entertainment and escapism, then it certainly does succeed
The good is the cinematography, framing, the stark setting, and as always with the Cohen brothers, the script. Another convoluted story of the individual whose attempt at a simple crime escalates to murder and mayhem.
The bad: the unbelievable plot, the cartoon personalities, the constant "oh yaaah" in an attempt to unify and blend the people of a community - which I found patronising.
If film is about escapism and entertainment, then they constantly hit the right buttons - it's just not for me.
Sea Fever (2019)
Let's all do stupid things
One of those that got away. A good build up with a crew of various characters and a very young scientist (with the tightest of shirts) on a trawler heading out to sea
The filming was good with impressive expositional shots of the boat and the interactions between the characters and when they go (to where they were warned not to) and hit 'something' and stall and a parasite, of sorts envelopes the boat and begin to infect the crew and boat - the film appears to drag
When the tension should build and the horror should intensify, it does not. The crew do silly things - scientists put their fingers in the parasitic slime, and feel the texture and their reactions and motives are not believable, the deaths are not scary, more like a regular occurrence
Should have ranked up the tension - a missed opportunity. Performances were good, the actors did well and everything looks good - a script rewrite and a director who knows horror was required.
Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)
we'll, that wasn't very good
I think you'll agree on the film's completion it should have been a stage play. A lonely writer who seeks love eventually finds love with a genie
She goes to Turkey and buys a glass bottle and is not really surprised when a genie pops out with a big foot sticking out of the door frame - bit odd.
The genie tells his story of his past loves and entrapment in the bottle - all very talkative. Film is a visual medium, but they talk their emotions and explain a lot verbally, using beautiful music to create feelings with the characters doing nothing but standing around in posh clean bath robes.
I thought the film had finished about three different times, but kept going, finally ending with a big musical crescendo, but what had gone previously, the music should have been a circus la-di-da - watch the film and you'll see what I mean
They obviously spent a lot of money and it looked filmic and glossy - but it could have (should have been) a stage play. It might be entertaining on the stage, in the west end - but on the big screen, oh dear.
It could have, should have been so much better - one of those that got away - when it seemed easier to create an epic. .
Blame the filmmakers and producers, they messed up.
The Consultant (2023)
A show where nothing really happens
Or that should be nothing interesting really happens - it opens with a bang and you think this could be an exciting fast moving series - and then it turns into a drama on employees behaviour and their curiosity and suspicion about their new boss, who's a bit creepy and demanding
I watched the whole series whilst in bed - by episode three I was checking Google on my phone and reading the newspaper
The boss just wasn't nasty or threatening enough and there was no build up of any drama or any excitement - it then suddenly finished and I thought, ah was that it!?
The acting was good, production value was high, it was all glossy and finely polished - forgot the script didn't they? Unless there's a second series to explain all the loose end - Why the gold skeleton? Why couldn't he walk up the stairs? What was his girlfriend doing in the store room? All a bit strange really, you might enjoy it, I found it odd and rather dull.
Road Train (2010)
Well, that wasn't very good, was it?
What a ridiculous film. Four young people in the outback collide with a big lorry, they then take the lorry and drive to a dead end, where they all begin to hallucinate and go a bit crazy. The lorry appears to be possessed, maybe by wolves, or the three headed 'Cerberus' or something like that
Imagine being in the outback with a film crew, a huge lorry as a prop, great locations and a blank sheet of paper for a script - the world's your oyster. You'd write something exiting, possibly down the route of Spielberg's Duel, at least you'd keep the Road Train moving with a Mad Max vibe - or would you park the lorry and have the characters go a bit mad, hearing voices and arguing with each other with close ups of gory things in the back of the trailor?
The girls look good, with a lot of screaming and clawing as everyone turns against each other, the acting is generally fine, just a wasted opportunity. With the right script it could have been a lot of fun.
The Devil's Hour: 3.33 (2022)
Intriguing beginning
So much going on in the first episode, people with problems and issues they struggle with, all convoluted and mysterious. Jessica Raine is great, worried about her weird son, worried about the fact she wakes up at the same time every morning, worried she has visions of the future
Two detectives search for answers in a cold case - the mystery appears to solve itself too easily with signposted statements to highlight future clues - It's all bizarre and well made with great performances. Possibly an attempt to be the brilliant German series: 'The Dark' which would require more characters and a faster pace. I enjoyed the first series and will keep watching.
Three Pines (2022)
Rather Bland
This review is for the first two episodes, as it stands, Prime only has the first two - would I watch more? I would with the hope it improves. I would describe it as bland and slightly intriguing
The good is the settings - Quebec in the snow looks great, and you're just hoping there something juicy to sink your teeth into. Alfred Molina is a good actor and deserves a leading role
The bad: stereotypical characters, a feeble attempt at being 'twin peaks' quirky and a script by numbers which we've all seen so many times before. As yet, it resembles a TV detective drama, which needs an edge, more twists, characters to root for - it might yet improve and I hope it does, I'd give it a few more episodes
Its worth it for Molina and the photography - can he solve the 'crimes'? Why is the old woman carrying a duck? What is it with green bird that follows Molina? Will Donald Sutherland's son have something relevant to do? So many questions.
The Hippopotamus (2017)
Stephen Fry's musings
Stephen Fry's musings might be amusing to him but to others who want to be entertained, we're left wanting.
An Agatha Christie attempted story, a poet being the investigator, who's musings are vulgar and core with slapstick and other clumsy attempt at comedy.
He's clearly reaching to be Oscar Wilde and failing miserably - watch it, you'll see what I mean
I need to add more words to make 600, so therefore the positives: Roger Allum is good as always and wasted here - he deserves better roles, production is good, pleasing locations of English stately homes and the actors are the usual, which you'll recognise. The End.
Summer of Sam (1999)
Spike lost his way
Meaningless meandering scenes that go nowhere and then onto the next one - the camera follows the character like a sick puppy, then some sex scenes.
Add some stereotypical Italian Americans in vests driving muscle cars and shouting at each other and there you have it - end credits. A bizarre, boring movie with the Son of Sam merely in the background occasionally shooting people.
Watch the film as a curiosity with the sound down whilst playing with your phone. And ask yourself, why is Adrian Brody imitating an English punk, putting on a weird English accent, what is the relevance? And do all Italian families shout at each other? And why have the Son of Sam even in the film?
The Appearance (2018)
Careful, it's dark down here
Atmospheric and well filmed and it you're partial to people wandering dark corridors with a flaming torch, you've hit the jackpot
A medieval inquisitor (with a trendy haircut) investigates a monks murder and to quiz a suspected incarcerated witch, throw in some modern dialogue and the odd murder, you have a formulaic mystery
It's slow but entertaining, you can tell everyone tried hard and the music builds the tension. Set in a dark medieval fortress, but could have been in an Egyptian pyramid or an alien type spaceship - same principle, same script
With sharper writing with more horror it could have been an eight - as it stands, mid table mediocrity a 5.