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Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country (2020)
Entertaining, without patriarchal issues.
I don't care if they're a bit posh, I don't care that their lifestyle is somewhat unobtainable, I don't care that the family is mainly men; they seem like nice people.
One reviewer seems to have a problem with the family not being a regular 'normal' family...who watches a show like this to see that? Then the reviewer comments on' the patriarchy' inside the house; clearly this person has an axe to grind against wealthy people and against male people. I think anyone who sees a patriarchal nightmarish dystopia in this tv program is being disingenuous or is a pure ideologue.
The show is good. It shows the journey of successful and famous property developer Sarah Beeny, her artist husband, and their four boys as they sell up other properties and build a classic style mansion in the country. I like the family, it's nice to see such a friendly, playful and funny bunch of people doing things in interesting and different ways.
Sliding Doors (1998)
Perfectly adequate
Shakespeare it ain't.
The premise is an interesting one; often I've pondered how seemingly meaningless events have resulted in major changes to the course of my life. This interesting idea is essentially the basis to this film.
Is it any good? Hmmm, well, it's a bit like junk food; it's not complicated, it's not particularly satisfying, and you just know it's not providing you with anything to help you live longer...but it's kinda enjoyable once in a while if you don't think about it too much.
The characters, especially the two main male ones, are quite annoying, but not entirely without charm. The various side characters are ok, not complex but they help the story along. Gwyneth Paltrow is likeable enough, her accent seems pretty good to be honest, she's good as this kind of character.
If you're interested in watching something that you don't have to pay much attention to, that has a nostalgic late 90s look, something with a feel of Four Weddings or Notting hill, then you'll probably find this to be perfectly adequate, albeit not quite as good.
No Escape (2015)
Don't take it too seriously, yeah, it's a bit obvious...but it's nail biting fun.
As you can tell by my title, I bite my nails, it's disgusting I know, but I do try not to. This movie ruined all that.
It's set in a place in Asia...probably a place thought up by someone who has never been to Asia, I mean, it kinda looks like it could be Cambodia or Thailand or Bali....but I've never been to any of those places so I can't really say how authentic it truly is. But I don't care about how authentically Asian it is...it's just a movie after all.
The plot is this: American family moves to Asia for work. A big military coup occurs and all westerners, but especially Americans, are targeted for immediate execution. American family must flee in a dangerous and unfamiliar city whilst coming so close to death that they'll clearly need therapy for decades.
The acting. Nothing special really. I generally like Brosnon, I find Wilson generally likable...but really the acting seems secondary to the backdrop. Character development isn't really necessary in a movie like this...because it's an action thriller....and it has action thrills in spades.
Is it good?
Well, depends. If you want something with as much grit as the best Robert De Niro movies have, you won't find it here. In fact, if you're looking for something that'll change how you think or challenge your ideas or tell you something you didn't already know you'll be rather saddened to hear that this movie isn't for you...
...but, if you want to not really think about authenticity, are happy to ignore some fairly 2 dimensional baddies and some pretty regular thriller twists, and don't mind a movie being a bit obvious, you might find this movie to be a good bit of fun.
I've seen other reviewers talk about the racism in this movie, saying how all the "brown people" want to kill all the "white people", this seems an odd thing to complain about in my opinion, after all, it's set in Southeast Asia, you'd expect most people in the movie to be from Southeast Asia, you'd expect a military coup to be carried out by southeast Asians, but some people have trouble looking past fictional bubblegum movies.
In summery, this film won't win any awards, it won't really challenge you, but it will let you sit back with a beer and enjoy a few minutes of edge of your seat madness in an nondescript hellhole that wants to kill all Americans....and Brosnon too....and a number of southeast Asians.
Basically, it's alright but it's not fantastic.
Joy (2015)
Not mind blowing, but good never the less
Joy is a dramatisation of the true story about a woman called 'Joy' and her journey from rags to riches.
THE BASICS- Without giving too much away, Joy is a thirty-something year old woman who has a very hectic life; young kids, difficult parents, failed marriage and stressful job...but she's very intelligent and has a certain drive to better herself.
This story documents how Joy developed a new product, from inspiration through design, development and completion, it shows the many struggles along the way, both personal and professional. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Bradley cooper to name a few, it is one of several movies staring these actors that's been directed by David O'Russell.
MY OPINION- My thoughts on this movie are that it hit all the points the director wanted to touch upon, Joy is a strong woman who has to deal with all manner of crap, is beset on all sides by difficulties made worse by selfish people in her life. I rather enjoyed Jennifer Lawrence in this, she's got a certain quality that the director can bring out...she's sort of strong yet vulnerable.
There were times in this that made me think Joy would not succeed, times in which I'm sure the average person would crumble, I was, quite honestly, on the edge of my seat really sympathetically rooting for her to do well.
All the actors, even the children, did a superb job in this movie, Robert De Niros character and his girlfriend were good antagonists who really made me feel rather sorry for Joy and bewildered as to why she'd put up with them in the way she did.
IN A NUTSHELL- A very decent, feel good drama, well directed, well acted, totally watchable...perhaps it will lack in a certain type of excitement for some, and others may think it 'over eggs' how hectic Joys' life seems to be, but if one can overlook this minor criticism I'm sure most would rather like this excellent piece of work.
7/10
Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian (2013)
It's a thoughtful movie, not an exciting one.
Firstly, I'm not a movie buff nor am I an expert on the director or anyone else involved in making this movie, I just watch movies based on whether or not I fancy watching them.
The acting left me with a feeling of warmth towards the characters, sure it's not a short film, and some of the scenes could probably have been shorter, but I feel that would've taken away from the tonality. The movie seems well written and likable, but the pacing and content won't be everyone's 'cup of tea'.
In short, the movie is good, it's not an action movie, there's almost no excitement, but who would read the synopsis and think there would be any? There's really nothing left to say about this film as far as I can see, I'd recommend it, but not to everyone, and can't see a group of lads sitting round with cans of lager enjoying it, it's more of a 'sit and watch alone' type of thing.
Anonymous (2011)
An enjoyable fiction
OK, perhaps there's a few glaring errors in the historical accounts here, which I won't go into. Personally I find that to be OK. If this entire film is a fabrication then I also don't mind.
I certainly found this movie to be enjoyable, the story was well written, the visuals seemed authentic, albeit somewhat theatrical, the acting was also good, I found Rafe Spall as Shakespeare to be quite a fun character, he truly is good at playing the fool. Also, Mr Ifans was very watchable as usual.
What I took from this movie, aside from the enjoyment of it all, was the question 'what if?' and that is probably the best thing for me. It's prompted me to look into possibilities, to start discussions with friends. Perhaps I'll garner nothing from these questions, but it was interesting none the less.
21 (2008)
It's just a bit pants, a shame really, it could've been good.
Entertaining, a bit slick, some good performances, overall though, it's just not very good.
The lead actor seems pretty decent, but it feels a little like the director wasn't on the same page, this leaves it feeling a bit of an underwhelmingly flat character. From what I gather this film is based upon a book written from true experiences. It would've been better if it was more....... I don't really know. It was just lacking something which might've salvaged it.
I didn't connect with the characters, I felt indifferent when anything happened at all. It was quite interesting and fairly entertaining overall, but I'd have trouble recommending it to anyone, but I'd not slag it off to them either, I'd simply say say "yeah, it's not bad, not much concentration required, wouldn't win any awards or critical acclaim or anything, but it's not bad".
I Am a Sex Addict (2005)
It's simply awful.
Please be aware that I may use some bad language in this description.
To put it plainly, I didn't like this film. I thought the main guy was an absolute dick about things. He was selfish and held others accountable for things which he demanded to have exemption from.
I'm aware that this was documenting/reenacting much of the main chaps life and general issue with sex addiction and is dealt with via humour, but, perhaps due to me being British and having a different sense of humour, I found the film to be without redemption. the payoff wasn't worthwhile when considering the buildup to it, I just ended up massively disliking the main guy's words, actions and general justifications. I don't really care that he got over it, mainly because I didn't find anything to like about him through the duration, if there'd been a moment where I could see the fundamental emotional/moral changes with any kind of passion I could've forgiven his prior actions and been happy for him, alas this is not the case.
OK, perhaps elements of the filming style are a but quirky and slightly interesting to see, but I think it's the type of pretentious shite that a certain type of film student would like rather than someone like myself, don't get me wrong, I love documentaries and film in general, but everyone has opinions and mine, for what it's worth, is that this piece of film is terrible, even despite the awards it's won or the praise it seems to have from other reviewers (I can't believe we watched the same film).
A real thumbs down from me.
Jarhead (2005)
An excellent movie, well executed.
The first time I sat watching this movie, I expected a typical war movie. I'm a fairly enthusiastic fan of war movies, action flicks, thrillers, you name it (Not to say I like mindless action and shallow plot). But this movie wasn't what I expected.
This movie is based on a book written by real life marine sniper Anthony Swafford, and chronicles his time spent in the marine corps. Without giving too much away, the gulf war wasn't a particularly bloody war for western forces. Rather than showing physical battles this movie shows the emotional battles going on inside the main character and how he deals with the stresses of war. It chronicles from Swaffords reluctancy as a recruit, through the agonising boredom of waiting for action, his paranoia regarding his girlfriend miles away, his eventual experience of action, to the end of his service and how his time in the corp affected him.
The cast in this film is great, Jake Gyllenhaal puts forward an excellent performance which would easily have carried poor performances from lesser actors, however, in this case the supporting actors were terrific. Jamie Foxx is great as staff sergeant and his comedy shines through, as is Peter Sarsgaard, not to mention the many other good performances from the smaller roles.
The sound and music is extremely well done in this movie, the use of quiet adds to the general texture of isolation. The 'bleached' effect is interesting, putting a sepia and nostalgic look on things. Generally the cinematography is a pleasure to experience.
In summary, the film is great, the acting is great, the sound and music is great, the cinematography is great.
All said and done, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is purely after an action flick. It's not Saving Private Ryan or Platoon, and the action is slim, although I'd argue it at the least rivals those films in quality of experience. This movie is one you could put on your shelf and watch every couple of years.