If you haven't heard of this film, it is certainly not because it was bad. It was the number 1 film in cinemas in October 2001, but in a time of low attendance because the world was still reeling from 9/11. It's a near-perfect film. Fascinating, odd, funny, cool, poignant, sad. The two leads are perfect together. It's impossible to talk about any aspect of the film without giving spoilers, but I'll say that the film has both a satisfactory ending and an open-ended one. You are left with questions but are not bewildered, and I've found myself wanting to re-watch this film many, many times. Sometimes I'll hang off every word and take in all the amazing details, but the film is so beautifully shot with a chilled-out soundtrack and diffused lighting (that is part of the plot) that I can also enjoy it without overthinking. It has elements of sci-fi, but is a very human drama. If you have never seen it, your absolutely must rectify that.
Reviews
35 Reviews
The Regime
(2024)
Poorly written - who green-lit this?
13 March 2024
It's not highbrow, it's not clever, it's not indie or artsy - it's just bad. Badly written, badly acted - even by the great Kate Winslet. You know a script is bad when the opening lines rely on heavy swearing to try and get laughs (not a titter from me). There are lots of familiar faces from things that do make me laugh and yet every one gives such an awkward performance it made me cringe. It's still early days for Apple TV and it feels like they are green-lighting a lot of stuff they don't really understand but are hoping finds an audience. I don't know who this will land with but it certainly didn't with me.
Madame Web
(2024)
Madame Pleb
15 February 2024
There is nothing good in this film. It's badly written - not just full of clichés but full of dialogue that is meant to sound like cliché superhero idioms yet butchered until they make no sense. It is nothing but a costume parade with players that are dead behind the eyes. You can tell that everybody involved knows it's going to be a stinker but they'd already signed on and it was too late. It would be great if this was the flop that made Disney rethink their output (I know, this is actually an SSU movie not an MCU movie, but they are all heading down the same path) but I fear it will take a few more. The solution is really simple - they need to adjust their hiring policy to include persons of talent.
The Killing Kind
(2023)
Slow, dull, and cheap.
9 September 2023
Gave this a try because of the very high score... quickly realised that the score was based on a handful of fake reviews, and because this is buried on a streaming service nobody has, there probably won't be any real ones any time soon. It seems like a case of a book (that I haven't read) translating very badly to the screen. There isn't much character development. I was constantly asking questions as so much felt unlikely out unbelievable. It's also very cheaply made, with overuse of a mainly green colour palette to try and make it look 'cinematic'. If you've watched this and thought it was guff too then please do review it honestly and help others get a more balanced score.
65
(2023)
Perfectly enjoyable sci-fi survival film.
29 July 2023
I watched this despite the low scores and was pleasantly surprised. It's not going to win any awards for dialogue or originality, but it's far from a brainless action movie, either. The 'story' is a very quick setup for a survival film in which the hero and a young girl must stay alive while trying to reach their goal. There are all the usual tropes of plans that fail and plans that work, a surrogate father-daughter relationship, and a lot that is owed to Jurassic Park - as I said, it's not a completely original idea. But with no bad language to speak of and only relatively mild survival horror, this is a film you can watch with older kids who won't compare it to every other sci-fi that has gone before it. I'd probably rate it somewhere between a very solid 6 and 7, but I'm giving it 7 here because really, the low scores here are hugely unfair.
Wreck-It Ralph
(2012)
A perfect blend of pop-culture and comedy
20 April 2023
It's not often I would give a movie a perfect 10 rating, but after more than a decade of enjoying this film myself as an adult as well as seeing both of my kids fall absolutely in love with it I have come to realise that family films don't come more perfect than this. The 1980s arcade game nostalgia is a bonus for grown-ups but the story in no way relies on it and younger kids will have no problem relating to the characters. I could call it Toy Story with video games but that isn't doing it justice, because I think this film is so much more nuanced. Here, the video game characters have to "stick to the program" and serve the players by day, but when the arcade closes they have hopes and dreams of their own. There are themes of friendship, love, loneliness, and more - but what really makes this movie great is the comedy. It's a genuinely funny film, and when you're not laughing, you're smiling. As a dad to two strong, independent girls, it isn't surprising that Vanellope appealed to them so much. She's fun, determined, tough and principled, which for me makes her the ultimate Disney princess. I don't know why this film isn't appreciated as much as some on the Disney roster. If you haven't seen it - give yourself a treat.
Nick Cope's Popcast
(2020)
The perfect kids show
15 April 2023
Nick Cope's Popcast has everything you want in a kid's show. It's a simple but charming premise - Nick has to write a new song each episode from his caravan and finds inspiration from his ever-changing surroundings. Nick is brilliantly quirky and fantastic with the kids that 'call in' to the show. The show doesn't just give kids a collection of funny and sweet songs for them to sing along with - it shows them that you can find joy in the everyday things around you and turn them into art. Positive messages abound, but no agendas other than being positive. As a parent, shows like this are exactly what I want my kids to enjoy and my little one immediately fell in love with this.
Bank of Dave
(2023)
Very enjoyable, well worth your time
19 January 2023
British films have, historically, tended to stick to certain formulas. They are usually set in the 'grim' north and are about underdogs winning against the odds. But while 'Bank of Dave' does fit that synopsis, it manages to be fresh, funny, and relevant. It doesn't dwell on grime for grittiness - it actually shows how beautiful the north of England is, how friendly the people are, and it's a joy to watch the central character of a London lawyer fall for the northern charm. But that's just a side show to the main story which is an incredible true story I wasn't previously aware of, and one that needs to be told. My Netflix subscription is currently balancing on a knife's edge, but this film managed to save it from being cancelled this month. More like this, please!
That '90s Show
(2023– )
Tired, formulaic, and painfully unfunny.
19 January 2023
I'll admit from the start that I never watched 'That 70s Show', so some might say that this spin-off/sequel isn't for me. But as a paying Netflix subscriber I consider any content they make with my hard-earned cash to be for me, and this is an absolutely dreadful waste. The tired old formulaic US sitcom format where the jokes are corny, where characters behaving to type is supposed to be funny in itself, and where the audience whoop for 5 minutes whenever a familiar face enters the set, should have been put to rest decades ago. This would probably seem anachronistic if it were on Nickelodeon and aimed at pre-teens, but this bizarre blend of childish cheese but with the occasional joke about booze or sex clearly trying to appeal to an older audience has no place anywhere. I'd been toying with cancelling my Netflix subscription for a while, but I think this could be the final nail in the coffin. If only I could put this show in the coffin with it.
Class
(I) (2016)
Unwatchably bad sci-fi by any standard.
10 January 2023
You don't get to make a Dr Who spin-off and demand that nobody compares it to the original show. If this show was good enough to stand as an original sci-fi horror in its own right then it wouldn't need the Dr Who association and could have been set in any school, not necessarily Coal Hill. But it isn't that good, and if it weren't for die-hard Whovians giving higher scoring reviews out of pity and misplaced loyalty this would have a much, much lower ranking and rightly be avoided. Everything is wrong, from the cast of sixth-formers who look about 25 and have clearly not been selected for their acting talent (you decide which boxes they must have ticked) to the rubbish scripts with hackneyed sci-fi tropes that take ages to get going and then never go anywhere, this is teen sci-fi horror by numbers. The wrong numbers. The briefest of brief appearances by Peter Capaldi as The Doctor in episode 1 is just about worth seeing but it stands apart from the rest of the series so dramatically it only serves to show what a missed opportunity the show is. No, it didn't need to be more of the same, but the morality of Doctor Who, the attempt to understand the motivations of invading aliens rather than just fighting them is missing entirely here. As a result it's nothing more than just a poor teen drama with scary monsters thrown in.
Glass Onion
(2022)
Poirot for the TikTok generation
5 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The promise of this film is that it's a really clever murder mystery in the classic, theatrical style. I was highly sceptical because I still haven't forgiven Rian Johnson for his Star Wars debacle. BUT I'd heard some positive reviews so I approached it with an open mind. It begins in the overly theatrical and goofy manner I expected, but after the lengthy setup it does suddenly get interesting. It has some really clever stuff carefully set up, layered, and then revealed with twists and turns that would make any mystery exciting and a cut above the rest. I even stopped caring how camp it was. But then comes the ending, and it all falls down. Plot threads are not tied up satisfactorily - and to be clear, I don't just mean the way I wanted or expected them to. The villain of the piece seemingly gets away with 2 murders. His 'comeuppance', served by his first victim's sister, is just the loss of his financial empire. Perhaps Johnson expected us to imagine that, with the financial hold he had on all the other suspects gone and police boats on the horizon in the final scene, they would all just drop their lies and testify against him. But that completely ignores the threat he already made that they'd be guilty of perjury having already lied for him once in court. And I'm just left thinking about that plot hole instead of the twisty-turny good stuff.
Our Flag Means Death
(2022–2023)
One joke that wears thin very quickly.
4 January 2023
I can just imagine the pitch for this show. "It's 'Pirates of the Caribbean' meets 'The Office'!" Yes, it's a show about a well-meaning but inept leader and his attempts to implement modern HR good-practice in his place of work, only he's not the low-level manager of a paper company, he's Captain of a pirate ship during the golden age of piracy. And if that sounds a funny concept to you, then you've already laughed at its only joke. And it's not that I don't get weird, wacky, zany humour. It's that those adjectives by themselves do not make something funny. Offbeat or surreal comedy is funny because, even when it's so far from reality, you can relate to it because there's a seed of truth and reality in it. None of that exists here. It's just wacky for the sake of it. In fact I once had a fever dream that was more coherent than this.
The Recruit
(2022– )
Garbage that will ultimately be Netflix's downfall
24 December 2022
I like some comedy dramas, but they have to be strong in at least one area (or both, ideally) and this is neither. It's not funny enough to be comedy, not serious enough to be drama. It just exists. It's 'content'. I couldn't relate to any characters, there is nothing engaging here at all. This sort of stuff is going to kill Netflix sooner or later, because it's just a misuse of the subscription fee. It's exactly the sort of thing that you find on Freevee, for free, and possibly even better. O don't know because a show has to be a LOT better than this, not just a bit better, to warrant investing my time in it.
Here We Go
(2020– )
Very, very funny, even if it feels familiar
9 December 2022
I've seen a few reviews saying this series just rips off other shows. Ok so it's got elements that seem to have been borrowed from Gavin and Stacey, like the family banter, and there's the camera's view which could be compared to the concept of Peep Show. There's probably homage to just about every other family sitcom as well, but it doesn't matter when the show is so very good in its own right. A stellar cast from just about every great sitcom of recent years just adds to the great writing. The characters are relatable but also recognisable. You'll see yourself but also other people. Here's hoping for more series.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
(2022)
Disappointing
4 November 2022
I really really love Weird Al. He has fans that actually list him alongside 'real' musicians, which I don't understand, personally. His musicianship is as real as it is incredible, but comedy music is comedy, not music. I love him as a comedian. And that's just the problem - this movie isn't very funny. It's literally one joke repeated over and over for 100+ minutes, and the joke is this: that movie Weird Al is a jerk while the real Weird Al is the nicest guy ever. And it's exactly the same joke that was made over 10 years ago when the exact concept of this movie was the basis of a 3-minute comedy sketch. What is fresh about the movie is brand new recordings of several classic Weird Al songs to accompany various 'live' performances that take place early in the movie, and that will please fans. It isn't a terrible film, but it's disappointing because Al's last film 'UHF' is a work of genius and this movie could have been so much more.
Inside Man
(II) (2022)
You can write this, but you can't say it.
8 October 2022
Harrison Ford famously said to George Lucas something along the lines of "you can write this, but you sure can't say it". But corny dialogue didn't harm Star Wars; it may have even added to its off-world charm. Likewise, Steven Moffat's wisecracking characters with grandiose speeches worked brilliantly during his tenure as showrunner of the equally unearthly Doctor Who as well as in his well-observed sitcom Coupling. But dramas set in the real world have become grittier and more true-to-life during the last couple of decades, and Inside Man sticks out like an unrealistic fake sore thumb with its unrelatably unusual characters spouting bizarre dialogue in even weirder situations. I'd compare it to the slightly otherworldly feel of the TV adaptations of Harlen Coben's novels, which have the same issue of dialogue that sounds perfectly fine in your head when you read the novel but sounds a bit ridiculous when you hear it coming out of someone's mouth. Inside Man has some brilliant acting talent on screen, but even they can't make the script sound like anything any real person might say. Even suspending belief and allowing yourself to be entertained will leave you with questions about the characters' motivations which also make no sense. That said, if you persevere though the first episode, you will want to finish it. The oddness does make it oddly compelling. I feel bad saying all this as I remain a huge fan of Moffat's writing; I just think he's strayed into an area that doesn't suit him. The only reason his Sherlock worked in a 'real-world' setting was by making the character an autistic savant who could speak like no neurotypical person would and still come off as believable. Inside Man is worth a go, but there's lessons to be learned from it.
I Used to Be Famous
(2022)
A gentle but enjoyable feel-good movie
16 September 2022
If you're cynical you could criticise this film for being cliché and predictable, but if you're looking for a film with a bit of heart, hope, and a happy ending, you can't go wrong with this. It's a very simple story that relies on you simply enjoying the ride. A huge chunk of the film is original music; one sequence has 3 songs in a row which was a brave choice but it worked. I'd rather watch something like this than some of the big-budget rubbish Netflix has produced. I'm also surprised at the 15 rating, there were just a couple of swear words but nothing else that would warrant a restriction, so it could be enjoyed by all ages.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
(2022)
Absolute guff.
29 August 2022
The show that everybody's saying is terrible really IS terrible. Listen, it's not because it has a woman superhero. We loved Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman. It's not because some people mistakenly think she's a gender-flipped character - I'm fully aware she's been in comics for decades. Sane people think this is garbage because it IS pushing a sexist, misanthropic agenda. The show has a message running through the middle like a stick of Blackpool rock, and the message is that women are better than men and that all men are oppressive creatures that should hang their heads in shame. A lot of money is going to be lost before streaming companies realise that nobody - NOBODY - pays for trash like this. The majority of people are turned off by it and, ironically, the minority audience they are trying to pander to don't pay for anything anyway. I've seen it first hand - the virtue-signalling cosplaying loons may look like the biggest fans, but they spend all their money on EVA foam and self-promotion, and don't spend a penny on the franchises they claim to love. Hopefully Disney won't double-down and make a second series, and She-Hulk can be confined to the bin.
The Net
(I) (1995)
An oldie but goodie.
29 August 2022
I'm sad to see this movie has a relatively low rating. It isn't a perfect 10 but it's a very decent and enjoyable yarn. Get over the fact that it portrays a romanticised version of the internet that never existed - this was made a few years before it became commercially viable, so the majority of people didn't know a thing about it or what it looked like. Ignore this and you have a decent conspiracy thriller. Plus, the portrayal of the internet is infinitely more realistic than its cartoonish contemporary 'Hackers', which came out the same year. The tech isn't the star of the show here, and it doesn't rely on spectacle.
Fringe
(2008–2013)
The best 5 seasons of TV ever made
7 August 2022
In an era where so many TV shows that start out great later ends really, really badly, there is Fringe, which starts out pretty good and then grows into something amazing. Series 1 does admittedly take the initial commissioned run of ten episodes to get going - it's far from slow, but held back from giving anything too deep in case it was cancelled. Get past this hump and the big story starts to emerge. It's creepy, it's funny, it's clever, it's packed with conspiracy and moments that make you go 'woah!' And the story ends precisely where it was supposed to, not the product of some early cancellation. Get it watched.
Hard Cell
(2022)
No laughs.
21 April 2022
So dreadfully unfunny. I smiled maybe twice in the first few minutes, but after half an hour I hadn't laughed once. Of course, humour is subjective, but I found Catherine Tate's earlier work funny, and I liked The Office, whose fans this show is so obviously trying to appeal to with the mockumentary format. But that's part of the problem - there is nothing in this show that hasn't been done before, better. The use of a washed-up EastEnders star playing a sad version of themself was done better in Extras by Barry (from EastEnders). And the writing just isn't there at all. It's not like there needs to be jokes or puns - Catherine Tate always managed to be funny without gags, just doing character humour. But the characters aren't funny or interesting, just rubbish stereotypes that have been done a million times before, probably by Tate herself. All in all, it's a massive misfire on every level. Two stars for the production, who managed to dress Tate up as a relatively convincing comedy man... it's just a shame that is no longer funny in and of itself.
Moonfall
(2022)
What a load of old bunkum
14 April 2022
This is such a bad movie that I can't believe nobody involved in making it noticed what was happening and tapped out. It's not even one of those 'so bad it's good' movies, it's just plain bobbins. I was braced for bad acting and dialogue based on previous reviews but nothing really prepared me for what I got. I can almost hear the American director telling the poor British actor "I don't think a British person would pronounce NASA like that". But it's not just the supporting cast, the former A-listers deliver some of the humdingers. If the premise was grounded in some science then I might say at least they tried, or if it was completely hokey then it could have been a fun knockabout movie, but it's a bizarre mishmash of the two, part ecological disaster, part ridiculous alien nonsense and it just doesn't work. I'm giving one star for the JFK joke, which was funny for how badly it was delivered, and another star for the sheer audacity of releasing this 130 minutes of hot garbage.
The Rocketeer
(1991)
A fun family film that has aged well
7 April 2022
I absolutely loved The Rocketeer when it came out and have watched it many times over the years, most recently with my kids who also enjoyed it. It was only moderately successful at the time but I thought it would be well remembered and am surprised to see the mixed reviews here. The concept and story is lifted straight from 1940s rocket man serials in the same way that Star Wars was directly copied from space serials of the same era (among other things). If it's formulaic it's because it's following a winning formula. There are still lots of surprises though, and the action scenes are great. I found the ambitious special effects have stood the test of time really well, especially in the context of the serials it is paying homage to. For some good clean fun you can enjoy with your whole family, where the good guy is good, the bad guys lose, you can't go wrong with The Rocketeer.
Dodger
(2022– )
A great show aimed at children and families
22 March 2022
Ignore the bad reviews on here. This show was created for CBBC and it's great to see a proper production and cast for a children's show. Perhaps it's because they've repeated it on BBC1 in the Sunday afternoon family slot, or because it's on iPlayer, but many seem to be confused about the target audience and are judging it by adult television standards.
Murderville
(2022– )
Very funny, if not quite as great as the original
3 February 2022
Comparisons to the British original are unavoidable. This US Netflix remake of 'Murder in Successville' jettisons the surreal film-noir feel and celebrity impressions from the supporting cast and opts for a more straight-up spoof of police dramas. The chaotic humour feels the same, though, and it's still very funny. Like the US version of 'The Office', it manages to be different from the original yet still be something equally as valid. My only complaint is that the guest stars in the US version, who have to improvise without a script, all come from comedy or acting backgrounds, so they improvise well and there's very little corpsing. Part of the fun of the original was seeing celebrities without any acting skills out of their depth and struggling not to laugh. But with no more series of the original in production, I'm happy to have both exist.
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