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mcgooligan
Reviews
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
A Student Film
Aside from Tom Cruise thinking he is, or wanting to be the fictional character of Reacher (much has been written about that to Cruise's embarrassment) this appalling film features a bad and disjointed script, acting, directing, editing, lighting and production design. Frankly, it is a work of insult to the franchise and is best described as a student film with only a B grade awarded to the film maker. I feel cheated. The people that made this film need to either go back to school or resign from the film industry never to resurface. Tom Cruise ought to be ashamed - and he is credited as a Producer! It just goes to show that even with the 2 or 3 grams of charisma that he possesses, it is good film makers that make him look good. I hope that all film makers analyse this ridiculous mess of a film and learn from it.
Cheat (2020)
A Boy's Love Series Like No Other
When a strange boy raised in seclusion sets foot into the world outside, his innocence triggers the emotions of a family with dark, hidden secrets. Love, lust, jealousy and betrayal quickly reach boiling point and threaten to change their lives forever.
But what's it really about? Sure there is mystery and suspense and supernatural elements ~ but really it's an age-old story of innocence and how that innocence breeds desire in certain people - a desire so strong that they want to take that innocence, to steal it without permission, to cheat them from that precious personal possession - Consider the title, CHEAT: in this case it is the act of cheating a person out of their innocence, and about the consequences of that theft and that betrayal ~ the knock on effects that influence everyone involved, and the darkness it creates once that light of innocence is extinguished. Cheat looks at how quickly that one evil deed spreads, almost like a virus that increases in strength and magnitude, in fact, the entire series takes place over a period of only 5 consecutive days. It's almost a warning of how an incestuous tightly-knit group can breed evil amongst themselves, and how it is compounded and condensed and how it festers in such a short period of time. Cheat is set around a family used to betrayal, revenge and guilt. It's explored in full in the main story, but it's also reflected in the B story. There's the story of the Mother of the family, an extraordinarily strong woman with hereditary supernatural powers who has also been betrayed and cheated, and there is the story of Sister, a deeply religious woman who is racked with guilt, and also is herself a deceiver, a betrayer. There is something to like about all of the characters, but each of them also has their own mystery ~ I'm sure that many viewers will identify with certain characters and go on the journey with them. Watch this series and I guarantee that you will be embarking on a roller-coaster ride and won't be disappointed.
El hoyo (2019)
A platform of hype
After all of the hype, I was expecting a jolly good and entertaining film. What I got was frankly insulting. I guess the film maker found a way of making a platform seemingly float and then hurriedly wrote a superficial millennial-brained script to use the device. Terrible plot (such as it was) completely disjointed story (actually, was there a story?) juvenile and obvious premise, bad acting, appalling sound (oh my goodness it really is bad) and predictable boring nonsense.