The film borrows heavily from "The Talented Mr Ripley", in itself a morally repulsive film. Where it differs is the audience will root for the "working class northerner" who suffers various indignities from the company of rich, spoiled, vacuous "upper class southerners" who have links to aristocracy and royalty. The problem of most films and soap operas is on show here. The wealthy, privileged ones are a parody of real human beings, who feel emotions and have worldly issues to deal with, unlike the self-centred family at the heart of this drama. Of course, if they were more rounded and savvy, the creepy drama would unravel too soon. Even half way through we still identify with the nerdy, emotionless but weirdly primal, erotic and sensual lead, brilliantly acted. Oliver intrajects all the crap and cliches given out surely to humiliate him but there is no reaction. Only the messed up Venetia susses him out in two highly erotic scenes where Oliver tells her he is a vampire and in the second scene where she tells him to go back to his doll factory. All too late... A dark, magnetic twisted tale indeed!
Reviews
5 Reviews
Escort Boys
(2023– )
What a hoot!
28 December 2023
First of all the environs are fabulous. At first glance it could be Australia or the USA but is actually set in France so the whole feel of the programme is different and all the better for it. I'm 2 episodes in and have already laughed a lot out loud but it also does pathos with one of the characters having a hard time with his life. Gorgeous actors also helps and again as it's not Hollywood, the faces of the actors take you to France. It's themes are not original but it is far more complex than the seminal movie shot in Sheffield. It will to interesting to see where this goes storywise and hopefully some of the female characters will have their stories expanded.
Person of Interest
(2011–2016)
Close to perfection
4 September 2023
Wow! Absolute chair glue, so strong it elevated my level of binge-watching off the scale. It's a sophisticated, thrilling morality tale, a prophecy and warning that contains at least six DNA strands from most of my favourite science-fiction films. The six leads play their roles superbly and have enough space to steal the screen. Amy Acker is magnetic and just pips Sarah Shahi. Both kick ass. The male leads are also very good as are the recurring guests who also steal their scenes, John Nolan for example. I have been sated more so than any other series and suggest this is the gold standard to judge everything else.
Wolf
(2023)
Gripping
3 August 2023
It's different and the plot twists and turns so works very well as a who-dunnit with quite a few red herrings. I missed the one reference to working out one of the killers in the 2nd episode I think and it took until the last episode to become clear. I found Ukweli Roach to be very watchable as well as the two perpetrators. Like marmite, you'll either love it or not. Especially fine performances from the family, Juliet Stevenson in particular. It's well made, though takes a leap of faith by injecting black humour in many places. I also enjoyed the visualisation of the old police files in the lead's head which brought the old evidence to the present. Go on, give it a go.
Blade Runner
(1982)
Lacking the subtleties of the book and missing its characters
23 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Just watched this again. It works as a film noir as others have said but compared to the book, the storytelling falls short. Where is Deckard's wife and the penfield mood organ? No electric sheep or the "chickenhead" stuck in the old apartment fixing electric animals. No religious aspect - climbing the hill. No alternate blade runner in an alternate police station. No Luba Luft. I could go on. All of the elements I have mentioned are integral to the story. And the ending! Roy did not save Deckard, nor did Rachel kill Leon and Roy had a "wife" not Pris.
There is so much in the book that could have been done well in the film. Minority Report, another Philip Dick story, a short one, was done well and is better than the book as the precogs see rather than a numerical output. So, it cab be done so take off the blinkers.
There is so much in the book that could have been done well in the film. Minority Report, another Philip Dick story, a short one, was done well and is better than the book as the precogs see rather than a numerical output. So, it cab be done so take off the blinkers.
Tell Your Friends