Change Your Image
sameenuk
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Recent Check-Ins
Reviews
The Menu (2022)
Silly romp
This is kind of a very dumb film, reminiscent of Beeetlejuice. But deliciously well acted. I appreciated the way the films first act introduced all the key players in particular the chef.
I can't get Ralph Fiennes channelling Hannibal Lecter, Pope Benedict and Anton Bourdin out of my head. I admit by the end, I was rooting for Team Chef.
The Bettlejuice analogy is quite good for this. It's a horror film but the horror isn't in the gore but in the characters who themselves become victims to their own avarices, notably the foodie superfan.
I enjoyed the cinematography. Beautifully shot scenes. The script dialogue was a little empty, with some gaping plot holes. But I think this is one where you take as a comedy with a pinch of salt.
Bullet Train (2022)
Funny but some poor execution
I read Bullet Train during lockdown so was seriously looking forward to this film. The film adaptation of the book makes me feel like where it departs makes the film more convoluted. I don't entirely mind, like the cutaway scenes of the boys watching West Ham United beat Chelsea. It made it quirky especially if you hate Chelsea.
One of the stranger bits is departing from the book by removing some of the hilarious elderly characters.
But some of it really didn't make any sense. This isn't like brain candy, where you can switch off and not think too hard. You have to figure out whats going on and it's not entirely clear even you did read the book.
Dune: Part One (2021)
If the Tate Modern did a film
Clearly a very stylistic film. Visually breathtaking. But storytelling wise, it's hard to follow. Im watching this film while reading the book and I got upto the third section - the Prophet. And the film itself, mindful is an adaptation, still left so much to be assumed or revealed through cursory dialogue and very very visual notes like the Benni gessarim costumes.
The way the book source material has been adapted, a few key scenes and a lot of liberties, is fair enough as there is far too much detail and nuance to go into a faithful portrayal. But it was still a hard and at times incoherent watch. You were at times in the future and then reaching in the past via the dream sequences. If you read the book, you know what's coming and which characters are missing and sympathetic as you can't include everyone. The final scene of Liet being the largest departure.
But I found it hard to take the young Duke seriously, I realise he's meant to be a kid. Hard to watch him and Chani, especially in dream sequences. Chanis best scene was the voiceover bit at the start. The young Duke reminded me more of Frodo and sucked energy. Like when did he become a pilot if he's so young. The book explains it better as a coming of age with his brain advancing. It just didn't come through in his character.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Just felt a bit bored tbh
As a heads up, I'm a strictly neutral. I haven't watched any star wars films since phantom menace. But I could see this film was laden with Easter eggs. It's a film for the fans with throwbacks to give you a feel good feeling like seeing Lando again. It's a big sci fi costume melodrama and oh boy, the costumes had a lot of thought going into it.
I tell a lie actually. I did watch a star wars "film" recently. And that was the story of Cal Kestis in Fallen Order. And that is something internally I would compare with. Because there was a point in that where I felt I need to stop everything and focus because I want to know what's going to happen. There was no pull.
I've given this film a low rating because I just didn't feel much invested in any of the character with the exception of Poe Cameron and Finn. I just felt the film was flawed because so many things were left unexplained and characters underdeveloped.
Where the story telling was going on eg the urge of the dark side on Rey, there was just a point where it stopped making sense. There was only point where I thought she'd submit to save her friends. But compare this to Fallen Order and the blind rage of Cere Junda, and there just wasn't the same emotional depth.
There were lots of action scenes and an epic lightsabre duel which features in the trailer. So lots of special effects. But it was the charge of the light brigade towards the end which was actually pretty cool. The Jedi training scenes were also good.
But I'm wondering why so much was just left unexplained. The story kept jumping. The only coherence was the narrative flashback to Rey's family and its significance in explaining the ritual. But then what was the purpose of Kylo Ren in the end. I'm sure he was told to kill Rey. The problem was it just never added up. And there are countless examples of this.
This review will be contrary to prevailing ones because people just want a film that makes them feel good and touches on nostalgia. But I'm pretty sure the studio just inherited a convoluted mess and rewrote the story in order to just get something out. There were lots of cameos based upon memories and I think that was at the expense of writing a formidable plot.
I liked all the British accents in the film. I remember at one point Christopher Lee was in it and it gave the drama a theatrical gravitas. This time that role was played really really well by Richard E Grant. I felt he stole every scene he was in
The Good Liar (2019)
memo to self - this is "not" a romantic comedy
I fancied something a little light and once i saw these two names on the billing at the cinema, thought, oh why not. how wrong was i?
Something in this film was always off. And thats what got to me. The third Act of this film came from entirely nowhere. This was a film within a film, each scene chipping away at the veneer of what this was really about. It was a vengeance movie in ways that I haven't seen done.
In this film, I really felt complete and utter repulsion for Ian McKellen's character. Two girls walking out together chatting were saying the same thing. That he really was a horrible man and his arc in this film was still unsatisfying.
Part of the problem in this film is that I think the cut was a bit wrong. The pacing was too slow. You had to persevere with this film past the hour mark. I saw a few people walk out before then. And honestly, that is truly their loss. Another was how the film dealt with the minor characters. They seemed a little one dimensional but you could see most of the supporting cast had key roles in the development of the plot.
Helen Mirren acted her heart out beautifully. From what I thought was a sweet lovely woman to well... probably more colder and calculating that the soldiers. I was hooked from the line about the perils of online dating.It actually made me laugh quite hard but beyond that, there were few moments of comedy. But that was an example of the enjoyment in the dialogue of this film.
I think this is a great date movie. Just our date needs a very black heart to truly enjoy this.
The Man in the High Castle (2015)
Thought provoking introduction to Philip K Dick
This review predominantly will be about series four which i watched recently. But I will try and take on board the entire series in my thoughts
My expectations were a bit low in viewing this. Its because i really felt Season Three was awful. I wanted to see if this series would at least be better than if not reach the heady heights of Season 1 and 2. The good news is that i really think this was a strong series, just as good as season 2.
The finale. I think it was overegged precisely because this was the last commissioned series. On viewing, i felt the last scene left me a bit underwhelmed, but actually there is a lot of meaning in there. Where the drama goes now will really be for Fan Fiction.
The strength of this series was in its characters. Rufus Sewell didn't quite steal the limelight this time. But he deserves a lot of credit for adding depth to the two characters he needed to portray in this series. What I really liked was the parallel redemptive character arcs between him and Inspector Kido.
I liked the Black Communist Resistance. It gave the Series a freshness. The truth be told, there really wasn't much communism. It just seemed to be a plot device because the movement was getting sponsored from presumably a communist China. They didn't really have a grand communist plan beyond their own land. But I liked how the film explored that - in ways which actually reminded me a bit of the early Zionist attempts to resist an occupationary force. I'm unsure if this was in the book or not.
What I don't think reviewers don't give enough credit for in the entire Series is the extraordinary musical score. Every single series has been outstanding for the music. He sincerely believe Dominic Lewis should be awarded for his work in this series and Series Four continues that strength complementing the plot. I often find it relaxing to listen to this on Spotify/Prime Music.
The weakness in this Series in particular is that I actually felt that for some reason, the pictures were relatively darker. Sets were a sombre sepia or grey. I often found myself turning the brightness up. I used to really admire the attention to detail with the envisioning of a Nazi America or an Occupied Zone but it feels in this Series that they didn't really want to invent much in this world.
The alt-world/multiverse theory is on that is hardcore sci-fi. I mean, we are already in the alt-world and suddenly exploring other alt-worlds. I like what that means here. But the rules about travelling between alt-worlds, I just felt they were now being made up as the Series went along. The "visions" of Julia being the key innovation in Series Four. And actually, that undermined quite a crucial bit of the plot. What was a great idea by the writer wasn't developed properly in the screenplay. And it undermines everything.
So much of the joy in watching this drama was in giving food for thought and the layers in the plot and depth in the character. I seriously wanted to know what happened with the main characters, Frank Frink in particular.And I liked how Series Four in particular touched on this in a way that viewers who hadn't seen the previous Series will enjoy. In this series, I cared a bit less for Julia but way more for Helen Smith - who turns in the last series from where she was in Series 1.
The one scene in Series 4 that really stayed with me was in the penultimate episode. Helen Smith being confronted by her daughter Jennifer. The whole Series was built up to that one confrontation which was beautifully done. I can't remember any scene in the entire four seasons which gripped me more aside from the reveal of the Rabbi giving underground lessons from the Torah. That makes this series despite its many flaws and plotholes, well above average for me.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Just left feeling empty
I should begin by saying i never watched any Teminator film after T2. I noticed many people recommended this film on the back of it being better than genesys. I'm coming at this fresh after watching last night.
Deep down, the film isn't a sequel of T2. Its a self-conscious retread. The weakness was in the story. Its very much an action film with a lot of chasing, CGI and some brilliant fight scenes.
I believe this film is full of plot holes. This is a slight spoiler although very well trailed. In essence, the opening of the film starts with the death of John Connor as a teen by an Arnie who was meant to have been in molton lava but sent back in time. Linda then asked, "if they destroyed Skynet then who gave this order". And here I agree there was this lingering distrust between Arnie T-800 and Sarah o'Connor.
Thats where the problem starts in this film. In essence they left the question unanswered and simply transitioned the plot so Skynet was rebranded as Legion and a new target found for a terminator.
Lets be fair to this film. Where it invested in the story, e.g. the story of Grace - i think was very well done. She had a character arc revealed slowly. The film swerving to the big reveal over the relationship between protector and protected. It was good story telling
Also, the terminator, aside from the hokey CGI was very very menacing and relentless. Some good use of unsettling music. He was very convincing. But they kept pushing this wierd exoskeleton with its own almost semi AI. This thing was unstoppable in the same way as the terminator sent in T2 to kill John Connor.
But the problem was the breathless chase and action scenes. They were huge and major set pieces, including two C5 bombers. It just didn't stop. I felt the film was levering these in (including borrowing from T2) just to hide from a lack of story.
That left the characters. I have to admit i felt very little for Grace. Sarah o'Connor got my nerves. Arnie as a kind of reinvented himself terminator seemed lacking. And its because they didn't bother to explore the character. Grace asked Arnie whether he developed a conscience, shocked, they left it.
Arnie protected Sarah o'Connor from certain death - but wasn't she meant to be the one protecting the world from him. Their relationship was actually weird as it turned out just as he was getting orders when he was a T-800, now he was giving them for a human to do the terminating. But did they explore that contrast, no, because there was no a time.
I've said very little about the crux of the film. the character of Dani Ramos. And it was because she was pretty but forgettable until the end. Her brother was the more compelling character. She toughened up by the end in much the way Sarah did.
What i do remember are the imaginative fight scenes, the almost devilish like agility of the Rev-9, the physics defying mechanics of a liquid metal T2. But there was nothing at all about AI or the role of advanced intelligence.For an advanced machine, it sure seemed to fall for the same traps again and again.
I hoped for more than this from this film. It was highlighted and had a great trailer. But it really was a very superficial film. There was no depth to the story, and the film almost was looking for any way to a carry linda hamilton
Official Secrets (2019)
Ok viewing. Tense at times. Unsatisfying
I got to a preview screening courtesy of the Times. As most of the plot is a matter of public knowledge, it doesn't make sense to avoid spoilers.
This is a dramatic retelling of the story of Katharine Gun, the GCHQ operative who leaked the request by the US to spy on the delegates of the UN Security Council in the run up to voting on permitting war on Iraq. It should be a biography but in a story this complex, a lot of shortcuts and imagined meetings must have happened.
There were lots of excerpts from media footage of Bush and Blair. To take you back into the turn of the millenium. I thought this was a slickly told story, well edited but also sadly flawed. I had many questions frustratingly unanswered. The film itself determined really to look at the legitimacy of the war v the need to disclose state secrets. In essence, the means for the latter attempting to defeat the ends of the former.
The strength of the film is in several areas. What is does exceptionally well is explain very complex situations succinctly. The conflict in disclosing top secret information was set out as the duty to the government v the duty to the country in the police interrogation. The Iraq war as the sheer human cost of removing a tyrants regime as Katharine and her husband argued.
Even the legal argument was easy to grasp as it was layered slowly from a passing thought to the defence which led to charges being dropped. Ralph Fiennes stole every scene with understated precision in his barrister role.
The flaw is that the film couldn't quite work out if it was a drama in the newsroom, the courtroom, the bedroom or the police interview room. It was all too neatly self contained stopping each bit from resolving.
It can't have been this neatly divisible in realtiy. I struggled to understand why the film didn't bother for example to reflect on GCHQs water cooler moment as the charges were dropped in court. Instead, the film abruptly stopped at the moment a relieved Katharine said she would do it again, betraying secrets.
And here is the issue with this. Keira Knightly was cast as the lead. But what stole the show was her makeup artist. As the tension started to wear on her, Keira looked visibly worn emotionally. But in general there was a lot of stoney faces from the police (special branch?), to work colleagues, to Ralph fiennes as lawyer. And this was despite there being a lot of conflict. The conflicts were contained largely between Katherine and her husband.
The actual flashpoint was between Ken McDonald and Ralph Fiennes Ben Emmerson QC somewhere on the coast away from London. And even then the film left unexplained why there was such a vicious underlying antagonism between the two. It did this a lot. Some kind of shadowy internal affairs at GCHQ applying pressure on colleagues was really the last straw for Katherine? There had to be more but it was all left unsaid.
The newsroom bits were probably the best bits. The over the top acting as everyone was losing their head in the Observer. The Washington correspondent was hammy but entertaining. Yvonne Ridley meeting the journalist to handover the leak was a well done moment building up tension. a lot of material was drawn upon
The most profound bit was the discussion around censorship on national security grounds. The film explored a lot but here is the flaw, it just concluded the newsroom story around two thirds of the way in. The story then made way for the final act in the courtroom. Where again, it just got stuffy if not farcical as "the best lawyer" the DPP had opted not to prosecute at trial. Why even go to trial? The plot itself was that it would have meant disclosing that the legal advice at the time was that the UK going to war in Iraq was illegal. Was it?
It just made a well produced film unsatisfying. A lot of thought had gone into very subtly told scenes. For example, even the lighting in gchq offices and the police rooms seemed oppressive. The dress sense of the detectives was twee as if they knew they didn't belong to the world of spooks. And that's the problem with the story, it just jars as if it's out of place somehow.
Don't Let Go (2019)
V different
Conceptually, a good film. Some flaws in executing a complex way to tell a story. It passed the netflix test. I stopped whatever I was doing at the time because I wanted to pay this film more attention. I needed to know what was going on in a very unpredictable and messy first 20 minutes.
Once I grasped there was a kind of spiderverse type idea, then I started to enjoy it. Where it went wrong is me wondering if the protagonist somehow already knew by the time of the interrogation. The film jumped around a lot confusing me a bit. It just needed something in the corner telling us the viewer what the date and time was. Instead we had to Work it out which was time consuming mentally
The acting was on point for the uncle and niece relationship. That pivot was crucial to the film. Great acting by the lead. The film just failed a bit in the supporting cast who were a bit unconvincing. Just hard to see how consistency was maintained with the time jumping and the day of the murder shifting. It's also a bit hard to see anyone being shot like that continue without bleeding out.
I hope the dvd has some of the key scenes in it which I think must have been deleted for the cinema cut.
Revolting Rhymes: Revolting Rhymes Part One (2016)
Unwisely forgot what this was about
Decided to show my daughter some Roald Dahl. This came on as suggested. I very unwisely let her watch forgotting how dark the books were. By the time Red Riding Hood had got rid of one wolf, we were both hooked. There is a lot of anarchic unpredictability. The wolf being a great narrator. I love the way the story weaves back into the scene with the cafe at the end.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Wait for a director cut
This was soo bad. I persisted through the three hours of this unlike half the audience who just walked out. It wasn't that bad, there are a few gems like Caprio acting within acting which made me sit up.
It is long and had an overly convoluted plot with very little compelling about the characters. There are a few violent scenes to the end but almost comedic. But honestly, I stopped caring what happened to who.
I guess I haven't seen any tarantino since Jackie brown. So I've clearly missed something. Brad Pitt had charisma but probably got upstaged by his dog. The little girl was amazing but had a bit part.
I get Hollywood is seedy but the cinematography wasn't much but the 60s and 70s wardrobes were good. And there are some in jokes along the way but the film just wasn't funny. But it wasn't a noir film and the plot just dissipated into a very contrived showdown for fairly thin reasons.
The way the twin plots met by the final scene, in a film for three hours, just felt contrived and rushed. I honestly would wait and stream it. Also don't believe the hype surrounding this film. Something really wierd goes on where reviewers seem to give Tarantino easy treatment
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Action film - disengage brain
This is kind of a popcorn flick. It's probably a standalone film. I only figured out the link to the fast and furious franchise at the end.
The premise is ludicrous. You have to suspend disbelief that suddenly the world's most wanted are simply ignored to potter about. Hacking and stealing along the way
Idris Elba was good as some kind of beast. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, they told a story. Statham seemed more anon and this film was really a kind of redemption for him but I found myself not caring. This film was have been so much better if the ending was to give him the virus, he injects himself then hurls himself into the fire.
There are some genuinely funny lines in this film. There are also touching scenes involving Hobbes's daughter. The backdrops or the sets give a lot of character to the film. London and Samoa gave a lot of charm.
But the film is about 30 minutes too long. There is too much dialogue with lots of stunts. It's really a panto with big cars and big guns.
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Sweet film - geeky
I stumbled on this with no real expectations but just fancied a comedy. It is kinda but really much more about emotions, personalities and barely touch on sci fi.
The premise is interesting, a search for a time traveller to share a journey with. The crux of the film though revolves around honesty. So many lies being told to progress the story that the ending works for me because it turned out that Kenneth was being honest all along.
All of the characters were quirky or wierd. The main ones seemed like loners. And I feel this is why the film resonates. It's not because of the delicate humour but about loneliness. And that's why it's worth a watch on a lazy rainy day
Eaten by Lions (2018)
fricking hilarious
So just to set expectations, the end of this film tailed off a little until the final scene sitting on a tree. I felt a little lost in how the story opened because i didn't appreciate they were step-brothers, but this is the kind of film where the netflix generation will put the phone down and pay attention.
The story is just madcap. Its a bit like Ferris Muellers Day Off meets Andy and Tim from Little Britain. Most of the comedy is so absurd and typically British. Its hard to see how they could keep a straight face through the sketches.
Production shows all the glories of Bradford (so around 30 seconds of tracking shots), Blackpool and there is a rather iconic bit of film with the car drifting towards the sea. It added to the film because it slowed the pace down.
The two leads were hopelessly miscast but they managed to pull off sibling chemistry. I found the "asian orphan" lead was a little wooden whereas the "white orphan" lead was probably too animated. But thats what made the comedic value. So with the asian guy, there is this look of childlike glee in his face as he takes off his shoes to go in the sea like its his first time ever that he did this.
The real humour comes from the nutty supporting cast. I think they were all playing for kicks. There is still stiff muslim prospective in-laws who collectively gave a sense of awkwardness. You get father of the year who blames his kids for being born or father of the year, and I think the grandmother character was brilliantly told in flashback.
This is the kind of gem i'd put alongside Rocket Singh. Very relatable characters until you realise they are all mad.
Second Act (2018)
Schmaltz Xmas movie
This film has some great camera work. Very stylishly set in New York and an incredibly pastiche London.
The story is just so cheesy with some tearjerker scenes. It's semi Working Girl and then a twist you could see coming from scene one. Jlo calls it in a bit. The best scene probably a shower scene. The worst is this playing to type as a person who comes up from Brooklyn unsure about who exactly she is
It's just a movie which has so many tropes eg British badguy (although it's nice to see a villain who can dance). There are parts which can't be explained like why wasn't she recognised by who she was by her real former employer.
I think the ending, almost totally seems to neglect the consequences of the corporate plot devices pre-twist. Like what happened, did they go with Jlos product or not? When did she resign etc? Totally neglected stuff. Just the production seemed to focus on Jlos story at the expense of everything else
Homecoming (2018)
Nailed it
That last scene. In the very last second. With Julia Roberts at the table. The most satisfying ending I've seen in anything I've watched this year.
And it was so subtle, I didn't even notice till the camera panned away. Aside from the story itself, there is a lot of good and innovative camera work going on. Long tracking shots, the ending of each episode, usually very voyeuristic, some almost retro style effects in the last episode with the driving.
But there is a beauty in how the story unfolds. It is very slow at first. Almost glacial. There is a lot of jumping around which requires patience. There are also some hyperstylisations like bold fonts and minimal music as the intro piece. But it's all telling a story in a very different way.
Most of the acting is understated. The person who stole this was Jean Marie Baptitse and Stephen James (Walter Cruz). Everyone seems trapped in a system and that makes the way the characters act almost stilted, dialogue becomes poignant because aside from Bobby Cannevale, there is no distracting chatter.
The key thing in this drama is to just accept the pacing will be quite pedestrian. The plot drives the story and it's a very unsubtle plot about subverting the psychological process after trauma. Almost eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind.
But it's going to be hard to forget that last scene. Everything built up to that moment. It seemed quirky and very subtle but it really worked as a plot device
Almost Adults (2016)
Charming little film
I'm not familiar with the two actresses. I wasn't expecting much. The film itself is a relatively low budget situational drama. It could probably make a decent play.
What I enjoyed was the kookiness of the two leads. They were overacting but then half the story is about overreacting, being a bit annoying and self centred. But as friends, they don't realise it until the friendship is tested. But I liked all the little ways they were reacting to each other, there was real chemistry there. The levity helped break the moments of tension.
I felt there were some overdone moments. The last scene should have been cut. But I guess it shows how both got closure and moved on. The pacing in the story drifts a bit so it's slightly too long. The story isn't convoluted but also not very deep and plays up to some huge cliches, for instance not all women who play softball/soccer/football/sports are lesbians. The way they talk in the film is also annoying at first, but aside from the parents.. That's true of all the actors except the soccer chick.
Ingobernable (2017)
Good conspiracy thriller
I am most of the way through season 1. This is a character driven Mexican conspiracy drama. For some reason, the way the story flows makes it very hard to feel attached to any of main characters. The backstories are introduced slightly randomly. I really couldn't stand "chris" at first, but then the backstory kicked in about his ptsd. Which made what happened to his sister very anti climatic.
I do appreciate this is best understood in a Mexican historical context. The machismo is a bit overdone and the president just a little too handsome and chiselled. But the speech around tackling the drug traffickers in a different way was cathartic. Given their importance in the plot device, I'm surprised not to see trafficking gangs characterised. The military seem to be doing the job of the police in most scenes.
You have to suspend disbelief which is fair enough. So the first lady going around totally incognito or doing a getaway in heels is a bit hard to swallow. The hacking skills of Ovni just seemed to grow and grow and it becomes harder to believe. The interdynamics like the notional love triangle between Zyan-canek-Emilia just felt contrived. The one character I liked was the super smart special investigator but maybe her scenes were cut as it's hard to see how she makes so many logical deductions.