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Reviews
Singularity (2017)
Lacklustre performances make for painful viewing
This movie as others have pointed out is hardly original and indeed is for the most part painful to both the eyes and ears. Watching this film is akin to having your face peeled off with a cheese grater, it's not something you would want to do twice.
There are a few brief moments where the film is not coma inducing, however the director did not do his job and direct, it seems more likely that the actors were given scant instructions and were unmotivated. Some of the CGI work is not too bad for a B grade film though it would in many places give the infamous Troma-vision a run for it's money.
Overall, a young director/writer who produced his first feature length film, it's by no means the worst film in history but it's far from being the best.
Only watch this if you want to become depressed at how bad a film can be, or if you like coma inducing junk.
Zombeavers (2014)
Funny in parts, suit 13yr old kids. Hardly gory or scary.
I'm not adverse to a good horror or zombie film but this one is to my mind at least a very poor C grade film. OK it's not as bad as a Troma offering but it's cheesy and terribly acted. The script is half baked and the zombie beavers are about as believable as a used car salesman's spiel.
The premise of the film is pretty standard, teenagers off to spend a weekend at a cabin, some frolicking to get a bit of boob action and some pubescent level jokes. The boyfriends show up uninvited and a bit of a scene happens with the one of the boys who cheated on his girlfriend. Then the nasty evil beavers dispatch the neighbours and so on till there's only one girl who is left and she buys the farm in much the same manner as the way the toxic waste that created the zombiebeavers happened.
The acting is so wooden and the script generally is about on par with the acting. No one seems to take the film too seriously and the beaver characters are pretty chintzy.
With a good set of actors, better puppets or CGI and a top notch director the premise of this film could have become truly terrifying, as it was I found it pretty boring and trite.
Tortoise in Love (2012)
Quaint charming and gentle comedy
This film is probably not going to appeal to those who enjoy those trite, formulaic Hollywood type romance films. It's a small budget indie and it's nowhere near as bad as some reviewers state.
There's a very British humour that's both witty and gentle, something that may be misconstrued by those not in the know. The acting is a bit patchy but overall these are minor flaws in what is actually a very reasonable effort.
It does remind me of 40s and 50s British films, filled with slightly daft happenings that when taken as a whole weave a quite wonderful experience.
I'm not going to give away any of the plot or touch on the characters except to say that it's a cracking little film well worth the time to watch if you enjoy slower paced film with some good laughs thrown in.
As a person who grew up in an English village I was chuckling as many of the characters are quite close to real life people you do find in any English village. The English eccentric is still very much alive and kicking!
Field of Dreams (1989)
A very special film
Firstly let me state that I am not a baseball fan, however Field of dreams is not about baseball as it would first appear. Like Shakespeare's works Field of Dreams resonates on a far deeper level and will deeply effect most people in a profound and wonderful manner.
From a psychological perspecitve the film is packed with archetypes and prototypes and when you combine these with acting that is of the highest order, a quality script that has enough intrigue to keep the viewer hooked and you end up with a recipe for success.
Finally make sure you're prepared to let the tears flow, as only a person with a heart of stone will not cry when watching this film. Field of dreams still provokes deep emotions 24 years after it's release and that is a testament to the quality of the film.
Carthage: The Roman Holocaust (2004)
Annoying presentation of good material.
Dr Miles presents some interesting supporting material for his argument that Carthage was and continues to be demonised in history and far from being populated by ruthless godless heathen and evil-doers they were in fact a highly civilised group of people who were the deliberate target of a Roman smear campaign.
As good as Dr Miles ideas are the production looks tacky and cheap, especially the CGI work. The fire sequences are very low grade as are some of the map work. The CGI is by no means the worst of it, Dr Miles comes across as a leering and sneering presenter which to my mind doesn't do him justice as I'm sure in real life he's an affable enough fellow. He has to learn to "smile" for the camera. The other bug bear as far as I'm concerned is the lack of cohesion, the documentary jumps backwards and forwards in a most annoying manner that really detracts from the overall watch-ability of this production.
Overall it's worth watching if you can overcome it's production limitations as some of the sites and information are worth the wait.
Sharpe: Sharpe's Challenge (2006)
A modern day Biggles
I've not read any of the books so this review is based purely on watching Sharpe's Challenge on TV.
As far as TV fare goes I'd rate this as a middle rung production, the battle scenes are nicely done and attention to detail in costuming is above average, for example it's good to see soldiers and officers who are not pristine and clean. Locations are stunning and the actors put in good performances overall, I can't think of a dud performance in Sharpe's Challenge.
On the down side the plot is pretty thin and reads like a typical boys own adventure book, lots of daring-do with the usual damsel in distress type scenario. It's definitely not brain fodder but is better than most of the dross on TV at present.
Theirs Is the Glory (1946)
Better than a Bridge Too Far
One of my all time favourite war movies. The film re-enacts the famous paratroop landing at Arnhem by the British and Canadians the agonising and bitter fight while surrounded by the Germans.
What makes this film of interest is that the actors in this film are the actual Allied troops who fought the battle. As an added bonus the re-enactment was filmed on location in Arnhem and features the local inhabitants playing themselves.
The films opening sequence was shot in a Nissan hut and as the camera pans down a row of beds with soldiers lying on them while the narrator introduces them by name, occupation and town of residence.
Most of the movie proper is a series of re-enactments combined with actual footage shot during the battle. The standard of acting is pretty good but a couple of the speaches made to the men are well wooden to say the least. But by the same token I've seen a lot worse.
One thing that amazes me is how closely many scenes in the famous movie A Bridge Too Far resemble those in Theirs is the Glory. A co-incidence perhaps?
During the closing scenes of the movie it is mentioned that of the 10,000 troops who landed, scarcely 2000 survived. Bearing this in mind the closing scene is not only harrowing but also one of the most moving I've ever seen as the view pans down the same barracks but showing empty beds and a few disheveled tired men with the haunting words 'just ordinary men'