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gburrows711
Reviews
Good Witch: Daddy's Home (2018)
Thought-provoking
....and not just because of the awkward relationship Abigail has with her father. I'm a bit of a latecomer to Good Witch. I watch one episode each Sunday. I have liked it a lot so far for several reasons - the gentle humour, the writing, the soft but persistent morality and the, to a European, total Canadian-ness of it! I'm gradually, however, being persuaded by the quality of the acting. In this episode, Sarah Power absolutely nails it with slightly understated anger against her long-absent father. It's absolutely her show and, between Sarah and the writers, we have an explanation of why she has always been rather brittle. An outstanding piece of acting, ably supported by the excellent cast. I'm sticking to my Sunday routine, despite wanting to binge the rest of it. I can't imagine what I will replace it with!
Immortal (2019)
Why the negative reviews?
This might be a relatively low-budget production but is well written, well made and well acted. I don't think it's a spoiler to write that the four stories concern people who seem to be immune to death. The implications of this are explored with some imagination (and are sometimes rather grisly) but make the viewer wonder how they might react in similar situations. Entertaining, thoughtful and well photographed, the four films are quite disturbing but also engaging and amusing and the central characters are well drawn and well directed. Dylan Baker in the first story is particularly good as a teacher.
The English (2022)
Looks lovely, but....
Quite a lot of the time, I wasn't sure what was going on. There are lots of well-known names among the cast and I think some were wasted. It might have been the recording, the actors muttering rather than speaking or a combination of those things but several scenes were lost on me. There were also quite a few people in it who took quite a long time to make enough impression on me for me to remember who they were, especially as two or three of the men looked similar.. Each time a new character was introduced, I thought, well that's another face I have to remember. The story of the two main characters was good and the photography excellent, but it was just too long and was hard work.
Plan lekcji (2022)
A good Saturday night revenge thriller
I enjoyed this. The main character, Damian, is believable and sympathetic, plus we feel sorry for him because his wife was murdered by some really serious bad guys. The baddies in this film are suitably loathsome, the love interest is cute and we are encouraged to root for the good guys from the word go. The high school setting is convincing, the locations are dark and threatening and everything generally goes the way we want. Not cinematic history but a good thriller with a different setting from most. I can see where the comparisons with Reacher come from but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Watchable and satisfying, once you've had a drink or two.
The Virtuoso (2021)
Why the poor reviews?
I was surprised to see the dismissive reviews. I found this engaging, suspenseful, a bit quirky and it kept me guessing until the last ten minutes. Very well acted - can't go wrong with a cast like that! I wasn't that familiar with Anson Mount but he has definite presence and the running commentary his character provided made for a film which was simultaneously easy to follow but tense. Yes, there were a few clichés - the emotionless hitman who developed a conscience, for example - but generally, this is very watchable. My rule of thumb still holds - if Eddie Marsan's in it, it's going to be good.
Inside Man (2022)
I really enjoyed it, BUT....
There were HUGE holes in the plot. Never mind driving a truck through them, these holes could be measured in parsecs! Mr Tennant, Ms Marshall and the always wonderful Ms Wells did an outstanding job of making this work, but there were just so many points where the viewer had to suspend their disbelief that I ended up shouting at the TV even more than I usually do. Spoiler alerts: a vicar, especially a young-ish and socially aware vicar, would not try to hide some porn on a memory stick - he would either call the police once he knew what it was, or simply smash the stick with a stone. The business of Janice in the cellar trying to convince the son to call the police - well, that was a joke. The very second he saw that she was handcuffed, he would have dialed 999. Nobody is that stupid or credulous. I watched it because I wanted to know what happened, and that's a tribute to some fine actors, but the writing needed some urgent attention!
Bienvenidos a Edén (2022)
Well, I like it!
Some poor reviews here. I don't know why. The story is interesting and mysterious, the characters are attractive, the acting is good. I'm up to episode 6 and keen to find out what happens, so the production team have clearly got a few things right!
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Looks great, but....
It's absurdly long, I didn't really care much about the people in it after what seemed like a week and Ryan Gosling has only got one expression. It might have been more exciting if it were 60 minutes shorter but by the two hour mark I was looking at my watch, hoping it would finish soon. This fell a long way short of the original.
Prey (2021)
Tense and enjoyable
Not cinematic history, but it held my attention from the start. Reviewers who claim that there isn't a plot or that the story is unrealistic might be asking too much - five men in a forest, a lethal force makes its presence felt very quickly and we watch them deal with it until one of them finds out what's behind it. That's 90 minutes filled very effectively. No need for sub-plots, red herrings or other complications. The young men all appear to work together and once things get serious it becomes apparent that there is some tension between them. This is well acted and the viewer soon takes an interest in their relationships. When the sniper starts shooting, those tensions intensify and the final half-hour of the film is very exciting. The way the men act is realistic and the decisions they make reflect their characters. I liked the forest setting - this was filmed in the 'Saxon Switzerland' area, a few miles east of Dresden and it's nice to see that North America doesn't have a monopoly on endless wooded hills!
Spencer (2021)
Sympathetic and sensitive
Firstly, Kristen Stewart is astonishing as Diana - the accent, the look, the complete mess she was in. Then there's the vast gulf between her and the Royal Establishment. Timothy Spall does a wonderful job of representing them, stiff and traditional even though he knows it's all a front and just goes along with the presence. To anybody like me, who thinks the Royals have had their day, this is an effective illustration of how far out of touch they are/were. If you are of the opinion that Diana was a victim of absurdly outdated conventions which have no place in the modern world, this film is right up your street. She and her sons are the main characters in the film - Charles, Queen Elizabeth and the rest are just cardboard cut-outs. I watched this because my family wanted to watch it but was completely drawn in and found it outstanding.
Inventing Anna (2022)
Inconsequential nonsense
I liked Julia Garner in 'Ozark' but although she is clearly a good actress, this appears to be a story about people who have too much money and about whom I do not care. Have I really got to sit through another seven episodes? No, I think this is one of the many things for which life is too short.
No Time to Die (2021)
A box-ticking exercise
The later Bond films are so overloaded with self-reference that there hasn't been much room for a proper story. Maybe that's why this one is 45 minutes too long - once they've added all the Bond icons such as the Aston Martins, vodka martini, Bond-James-Bond, the ridiculous Q and the ever more unlikely action sequences, it had to be stretched to accommodate some form of narrative. No, the Bond 'franchise' has become so creaky that I was quite relieved at the ending. If it's going to be rebooted yet again, let's leave out all the hangovers from the films of the 1960s and get back to the books. They were great stories and were of their time, too. A film of one of the books, set in the 1950s with no gadgets and no ridiculous impregnable lair for the villain would be very refreshing.
Nomadland (2020)
I gritted my teeth for 40 minutes
Nothing really happened. No particular story. Generally depressing. Don't waste your time or money.
Rebecca (2020)
An excellent update
I was brought up on the "original" Rebecca with Olivier and Joan Fontaine. This is quite a sensitive and imaginative version for the 2020s. Lily James might be a little too beautiful to play the second Mrs de Winter but she manages the gaucheness and inexperience with aplomb. The male players are all competent and well cast but the real star is Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers, who conveys perfectly a mixture of obsession, love, grief and total lunacy. Most enjoyable, particularly as the proper Mediterranean locations are used in the early sections. Lovely period detail, especially the cars. Jack Favell's 1939 Lagonda can park on my driveway any time!
A Shoe Addict's Christmas (2018)
I am definitely confused!
I thought I was supposed to like Shakespeare, opera and monochrome French films but am wondering whether Hallmark Christmas movies are the peak of cultural achievement. The photography, lighting and sound are utterly perfect, the characters are nicely drawn, the movies make me happy and everybody is gorgeous (especially Candace). This one is filmed in Winnipeg and I'm already looking at houses on real estate agents' websites and planning to do my shopping at the store in the movie. If there's a world which is really like Hallmark Christmas movies, I would like to go and live there now (even though I like my life). Maybe that's the point. Anyway, I'm on my 5th Hallmark Christmas movie in ten days and there's plenty of time to fit in a few more!
Retribution (2016)
Dark and uncomfortable, but interesting
Definitely worth staying with. Although there isn't much character development in the conventional sense, Dan gradually shows himself to be driven by complex motives and I was at least satisfied with the outcome. Most of the characters are lowlifes who we are quite happy to see dispatched. The hit man, however, is very scary, although put in the shade by the usually civilised Guy Henry as.... well, you'll have to watch it. Very dark, very violent although not graphic. The sort of film which makes the viewer thankful for a humdrum existence. Quite disturbing, stays with you. Full marks to the team for pulling this off on a low budget. Outstanding photography.