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katbesnew
Reviews
Showtrial: Officer X (2024)
Brilliant
Brilliantly written, plotted, cast, acted and directed and brilliant at showing all sides of so many issues, all of which resulted in caring about and investing in most of the main characters. Sam Malik and Justin Mitchell were amazing, supported by an also impeccable cast. To put all of this across in 5 episodes is unusual.
Maybe people who feel strongly about either side of the coin won't like it because of the way it portrays both sides so effectively.
I don't like to big stuff up too much. But I can't fault it. Everyone involved in this should be proud of themselves. It will stay with me for a while. Brilliant.
The Wrong Mans (2013)
Brilliant
Brilliant British farce. Brilliantly cast, plotted, written, directed n acted. Never heard of it before which is strange as think it was made about 10 years ago. What nay sayers call cliches n stereotypes are part of the whole enjoyable experience of this. So many nods to other dramas/comedies n actual life. Brilliantly done.
James Corden still plays James Corden. So what? You could argue throughout his career Robert de Niro has played Robert de Niro.
Having tried to watch so much cr** new comedy series these days, I have to say this has been exceptional. Quality production all round - extremely hard core as well - with the violence n executions. Quite hard to watch sometimes. These guys have combined everything in a dark, dramatic comedy thriller.
Gonna be sad to watch the last episode which I'm in the middle of right now. I will also miss them ...
The Killer (2023)
Loved it ...
My brother decided to watch this when I was over last weekend. Never asks what anyone else wants to watch which I kind of like cos takes way too long for everyone to agree.
Loved and really impressed by this film. Pared down, understated, beautifully shot (which means a lot), dark humour in parts, sad, gripping, fast moving, never boring.
Fassbender has this down as a becoming weary professional assassin. He's not only good to look at (always a bonus), but the total lack of overacting gives access to the unmasked expressions that you see in his face. A masterclass in the tension, resignation, fear, resolve, wistful flashes, vulnerability and habit of a soul who's gone way too far down this path to even consider redemption.
It's a fast moving, travelling, succinctly narrated, closely held, vicariously lived experience of his life through this short period of time. Every airport scene, every stake out, every moving on to the next place and hit I honestly felt like I was there too.
Brilliant, understated, underappreciated film. Loved it.
The Gallows Pole (2023)
Second episode way better ...
Gotta say watched the first episode n agree with everyone who felt like they were watching an am dram improv class. Like Shane Meadows threw his cast under the bus with no script just adlib the feck out of it. It was awkward to watch. They were out of their depth.
BUT ... I honestly watched the second episode to wonder how something that cringe worthy got funded, n quickly realised I was proper enjoying it. If you can get past the first episode, plus the equally cringy opening scene of the second episode with the Stag Men "humourous" juxtaposition of then n now - "Thy soul blah blah ... It's cos yer a lazy b**" etc the second episode is way, way better. The actors have settled in, the edit is much tighter, n there's a good ref to everyone just saying feck all the time when ad-libbing in the end scene with David, Grace n Abe.
I found the first episode irritating, contrived n boring. I really enjoyed the second. I guess it did also end up being interesting seeing the cast settle into the improv/ad lib in progress, but think Shane Meadows needs to give them more to work with initially n maybe get together with a decent writer too. Maybe treat the next first episode he does this way as a rehearsal n rework.
Not watched the third yet. But will do, n looking forward to it ...
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
Disappointing ...
Disappointing. Couldn't suspend my disbelief or get lost in the magic. Yeah I know it's an animation.
The character and behaviour of Pinocchio is just irritating and annoying. Worst of all he is voiced by one of those upper middle class drama school types that they seem to use for everything these days who overacts his way through the whole shebang. Just irritating.
Plus they do burst into song sometimes.
Plus it's all a bit predictably, patronisingly preachy.
It does get better as it goes on. And I probably am slightly jaded and cynical. But I was so looking forward to watching this and I was distinctly underwhelmed.
The English (2022)
Went west a few times but mostly brilliant
Beautifully shot. I'd watch it just for the cinematography.
Brilliantly cast, directed and edited. Everyone was good but Spall was a revelation in a serious role for once.
When someone has as much control as the guy who created this did it can get self indulgent. There were some occasions when I felt it went off track - like overcomplicated and unrealistic. But they were few and far between. I'm glad I was able to rewind some scenes though, to get what had just happened.
Gotta be honest I was disappointed by the final episode. But only because the rest of it was so good. I feel they could have ended it earlier, with greater impact.
It's a slow reveal that all the way through keeps you wondering and absorbed with some wicked twists.
Really good ...
Nope (2022)
He's made a mockery ...
3 of us streamed this last night. The first 5 minutes looked like it was gonna be good. Half way through we took a break n everyone was a lot happier to not have to watch any more of it for 10 minutes. By the last half hour we had to watch it to the end cos we'd already watched it this far, but we were so bored, so amazed at how bad it was n so desperate for it to end that the relief when it did (which was also terrible) was great.
It was soooo boring. It was so bad, in so many ways that I'm not going to bore you with how many. I felt like I'd been suckered and insulted and I didn't even pay to watch it.
BUT ... I've read so many reviews of it since last night where like us people were like "That is probably the worst film I've ever seen." And I've read the professional so called "Critics" reviews that were so up it to keep their jobs I will probably never bother reading any of them again as in the old story of The Emperor's New Clothes.
Then I started wondering why so many people like us didn't just not like this film, we hated it. We felt mugged, ripped off, tricked, patronised, offended, astonished at how seriously bad and worse incredibly boring it was and how we'd somehow been suckered into thinking it might be worth our time, attention and money.
Then I decided the only way Peele is gonna front this out is to make out that that was his intention all along - to make a really boring, alienating film, with a massively over the top overacting sister, a massively undereacting brother, an absent mother, a father who gets killed off in the first few minutes, a ufo that presents as a spaceship, turns out to be a live creature and on what must be an okay budget film ends up with special effects including old parachutes, lilos, sleeping bags and a square surrounded with green, velour strips of cloth like a bad lampshade.
As for the chimp, I wouldn't worry why. It's some related theme about taming the wild. I agree it was way more engaging than the ufo.
Anyway ... what I'm saying is Peele has to be taking the mick out of (mocking) us, genres, Hollywood, fear of the other, the pale vacuum that sucks up everything in it's sights if you let it (just don't look at it, don't engage, don't do the media - or at least don't do the media unless it's Peele taking your and their gold coins to make that point), racism, racial and cultural prejudices between all races and cultures, the lack of historical and current acknowledgement and inclusion in eg Hollywood of black people, black power, black contributors.
All fair enough. And it has to be deliberate because it's so very bad that if it's not it's hugely embarrassing. But next time include all of that in a film that works, that people engage with, that people don't fall asleep to cos it's so slow, that doesn't insult and patronise your "audience" by running gleefully off to the bank with a lazy, cobbled together snooze fest under the pretence of educating people with your profitable big joke under the banner of anything goes if you're not (weren't) part of the oppressive establishment. Maybe ...
Hullraisers (2022)
Brilliant ...
So good to see a sitcom that is well written, cast, directed and not overacted. I am a cynic, not much makes me laugh, or at least chuckle quite a lot.
Realistic, recognisable, endearing characters, attitudes n scenarios condensed into exaggerated, seriously smile/laugh slightly out loud comedy gold. Been a long time since anything this good has made it onto the screen.
Brilliant ...