LovingGoodShows Reviews

Eternals (2021)

Slow, predictable and wooden acting

[5/10 · 6 November 2021]

Sorry.

Such a disappointment.

Nothing like the caliber of the other Marvel movies. Mot even in the same league.

Slow, predictable plot with some seriously questionable casting.

Special effects were, of course, great and the locations were awesome.

Just didn't make up for the long, boring dialogues and lack of excitement.

No Time to Die (2021)

Great Production, lots of Astons but ... oh so predictable

[6/10 · 9 October 2021]

I have been looking forward to this for some time, particularly as a big Aston martin fan.

The production is awesome, with great locations, special effects, action and CGI.

However, I found the plot to be so predictable, oh SO predictable. In fact, the plot seemed to be little more than a montage of previous Bond scripts.

SAS: Red Notice (2021)

Didn't know the SAS did comedy

[4/10 · 1 September 2021]

Such a bad movie, it is entertaining to watch.

Model railway grade special effects, overly clean and new sets, unrealistic, super-modern SAS, tacky 'romantic', predictable plot, a hero that saves the world against impossible odds, awful dialogue and terrible acting make for a great mix.

The best thing about this movie was I could multi-task and still managed to follow the plot.

Jolt (2021)

Funny, violent and decent plot

[8/10 · 24 July 2021]

All the negative reviewers a perspective ... wrong.

This is very John Wickish dark and violent comedy. The plot is interesting, with twists and decent acting.

It's not meant to be realistic, it's meant to be entertaining ... and it is.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Underwhelming. Predictable plot, great CGI.

[5/10 · 4 July 2021]

Predictable plot and weak acting as far as I was concerned. COVID means we're all going to watch it but there's no need to get lazy.

Disappointing from both Chris and Yvonne, both great actors.

The action scenes and CGI were impressive but, yet again, predictable.

I was entertained for much of the 2hr 20 mins but also bored at times.

The Great Wall (I) (2016)

Good story, great filming & (mostly) respectful of China

[8/10 · 27 June 2021]

Unlike some other movies containing token Chinese characters to pander to the Chinese Government, this movie is well filmed, with Chinese historical relevance, beautiful scenery and with Chinese actors of substance.

The plot is predictable but the well done special effects and pageantry make up for it.

Clarkson's Farm (2021– )

Hilarious AND educational

[9/10 · 13 June 2021]

Typical Clarkson hilarious bumbling and ridiculous attempts at short cuts

However, it is also incredibly educational about just how hard work it is to be a farmer.

NIce job Jezza.

The Ruthless (2019)

Stylish mafia story

[7/10 · 2 May 2021]

Good storyline, well filmed and acted.

Slightly predictable but enjoyable nevertheless.

Nobody (I) (2021)

So much more than I thought it would be

[9/10 · 17 April 2021]

This was a big and pleasant surprise.

Who thought Bob Odenkirk had this in him?

This movie has everything I like in it

Wolf in Sheep's clothing, revenge, car chases, gratuitous violence, humour and great music from greats such as Nina Simone, Pat Benatar and many more.

John Wick - watch out!

Thunder Force (2021)

Predictable but entertaining

[7/10 · 10 April 2021]

A good, fun, nothing-complex-here movie.

Plot is super predictable, with a few genuinely funny scenes.

Melissa McCarthy being ... Melissa McCarthy - funny, self-deprecating.

I enjoyed it. Ignore the haters here.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Full of cliches. Not worth the over 2 hours investment.

[4/10 · 4 April 2021]

From a motivating story of a strong woman fighting battles of truth and honor, with rousing music, in the last one to this sequel of a series of poorly linked magical cliches, caricature characters, overdone CGI and irritating plot inconsistencies.

The awful, lazy, lack of imagination "Rom Com" ending recovers slightly with a little imagination in the last 15 seconds. Otherwise, lower your expectations.

Coming 2 America (2021)

Insulting to anyone in or from Africa

[5/10 · 6 March 2021]

Very predictable plot, albeit entertaining and funny at times with MANY very well known actors.

Lots of very obvious product placements can be quite distracting at times.

Finally, a poor attempt to highlight cultural differences by being very insulting to anyone from Africa. The story is cluttered with clumsy caricatures of what Hollywood believe African traditions and personalities must be like and how easily they become subservient to American rap, alcohol and movie family values.

2 hours of world class actors subjecting themselves to a parody of exaggeration.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

Funny but formulaic

[4/10 · 25 October 2020]

I was expecting more this time around. However, the movie disappointed me, as it was very similar to previous movies, relying on shocking and misleading 'participants' for comedy, with a weak plot holding it together.

On the positive side, while continuing to expose prejudices, he also showed the warm side of Americans such as older Jewish women and right wing men.

The famous Giuliani scene was not as damning as expected. While he was lecherous, he was mostly charming and supportive.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Good action but awful special effects

[5/10 · 15 October 2020]

Angelina, Daniel Craig, Jon Voight, Ian Glen and the team do a semi-decent but average job of acting and the story is good, with plenty of action.

The special effects are what really let the movie down for me. Whether rope assisted jumps or "CGI" springs, they are almost laughably amateurish, even for 2001 and distract from the story.

Mirror Mirror (I) (2012)

Pantomime style acting

[5/10 · 30 August 2020]

Not a bad adaptation with good scenery and good, albeit very 'pantomimey' over-acting - clearly meant to appeal to children.

The dwarfs are the best - adding colour and character to otherwise bland characters.

The Queen (Julia Roberts) is good and effectively evil. Snow White (Lily Colins) is suitably beautiful but the Prince (Armie Hammer) is awful, somehow combining a weak character with over-acting.

The movie becomes very confusing at the end, with the very Indian wedding style singing and dancing.

Ted Lasso (2020–2023)

Astonishingly good

[9/10 · 24 August 2020]

I started this with low expectations: An American series, written by Americans about football (soccer).

However, I have to apologise: it is hilarious AND heartening - mixing American and English humour perfectly.

I laughed out loud in every episode and my eyes leaked in a few as well.

Brilliant

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020)

Evil, narcissistic, sociopath and his buddies

[8/10 · 29 May 2020]

Amazing documentary which is just as frightening about the cabal of other rich and powerful men who protected and enabled his behaviour.

The details in the documentary on how he used his power and wealth to act out his perversions are well documented and deeply shocking.

To hear of the roles of people like Alan Dershowitz, Prince Andrew, Alex Acosta, Clinton and Trump in enabling him is eye-opening.

Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations (2015–2021)

Green screen travelling?

[5/10 · 19 May 2020]

Good idea and it is interesting to learn about these top foods.

However, it looks very much like Andrew never actually travels to these locations but shoots a couple of green screen scenes in front of famous eateries & his crew then interview people about their experiences.

Cheap production but still worth watching to learn about the food.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

If you love cars, a decent plot and good acting ...

[9/10 · 19 January 2020]

Loved this move.

More or less historically aligned, if not entirely accurate.

However, great acting, some humour and lots of cars ... from start to finish.

Prank Encounters (2019–2021)

Not so much pranking as bullying

[3/10 · 19 January 2020]

I have watched a few episodes and, while the production is very sophisticated, the stories are frankly more about taking advantage of unknowing and gullible strangers to terrify them.

Not funny at all.

FBI (2018– )

Unimaginative US cliches

[3/10 · 16 January 2020]

Really?

Only seen the first 2 episodes, admittedly.

However, 1st episode is about MS-13, 2nd episode about Muslim terrorists?

What next? Russian spies? Chinese hackers? Climate change activists?

The Last Ship (2014–2018)

Awful "C" acting and cheap sets

[4/10 · 31 December 2019]

Full of C rated actors, over-acting as if they were on a day-time soap, with incredibly cheap sets complimented with stock video, the only thing making this watchable is the interesting plot.

Men in Black: International (2019)

Wooden acting, lazy writing and over dependence on fancy CGI

[3/10 · 28 June 2019]

This movie is a huge disappointment, given the prior movies and the expectations of the star cast.

Chris H essentially re-runs his Thor character personality in this movie.

The plot is obvious, the acting wooden, with none of the on screen chemistry we saw in the previous movies.

The movie re-runs most of the plot points from the previous movies, with little new.

The CGI effects are awesome though.

After Life (2019–2022)

Wonderful

[10/10 · 9 March 2019]

Both sad and hilarious at the same time.

Superbly observant.

Simply brilliant. I wanted to stop watching, to save some for later but couldn't.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Great visuals, lovely beats but no idea what was going on

[4/10 · 16 November 2018]

No need for spoilers here because I simply had no idea what was going on half the time.

A super complex plot with confusing story lines combined with the obligatory Chinese commercial elements just left me un-engaged with the characters and confused.

The first one was great. Maybe the next one will explain what was happening in this one.