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Catch Me A Killer (2024)
This is outstanding
Its awesome to see serial killer tv outside of thr USA, Europe, etc, its based in South Africa and is interesting to see the locations, its much more civilised than I had pictured it. As an Aussie, many of the,locations are similar to Australia with, of course, 20 times the population. Each rpisode relates to a different serial killer and the acting is faultless, its hard to remind yourself these are actors playing a part, and it doesnt get any better for enjoying each one. The main character also plays her part faultlessly and does not put a foot wrong, My hat is off to the director, all actors and everybody involved with this mini series. I especially hope another one will be coming down the pipeline. If you liked Mindhunter, you will love this.
High Country (2024)
Too complicated
The actors are excellent, the story on paper may have made sense, however, it had far too much busywork and pointless conversations, some of the characters were thrown in to keep us guessing, was it going to be a supernatural series, which is what it was looking like up to number four, when it did a 180 and went for a rather mundane practical and rather poorly delineated mystery. It seems like inexperienced writers threw in everything they could think of to make it interesting, and it was just confusing, too many directions and not tightly controlled, or focussed. It was, as an Aussie, great to see an unusual story, however, by the finish I didnt know who the crap one of the main characters was, and the actors credits on here dont even give the person a credit. I really hope it will be renewed, for all its missed opportunities, it was an intriguing watch. Tugged at the heartstrings, which is always necessary in a mini series.
The Exorcist (1973)
It had to be seen in 1973 to gauge its impact.
At its release in 1973 there had never been a movie remotely like this. Everybody I knew had seen it and the conversations about it were staggering. It changed horror movies forever and possibly opened the door to a genre of horror and violence that may never have happened without this movie. Its impact cant possibly be minimised because of all the increasing amounts of violence in movies today which can be traced back to this movie. Certainly todays special effects and disgusting violence make this movie seem almost tame, except for the Demons violence on Regans body, which is horrific even today. They even had the exorcism performed in a refrigerated room to get the effects correct. Looking back on it, we humans expectations around the use of violence have been forever changed because of this movie.
Vivarium (2019)
What an awesome movie
I loved every minute of this movie, I had absolutely no idea where it is going and have never seen anything remotely like it. What a strange mind the person or people who wrote it have to come up with the concept of it. It is frustratingly abstract and the watcher will need to buy into it 100 percent to get anything out of it. I cant begin to say how much I enjoyed it. Its very difficult to review it without spoilers, if you like weird, crazy movies that are different to anything else you will enjoy it. It is also extremely confronting and if you put yourself in the actors shoes and play what ifs its outstanding in its own way.
Bloodshot (2020)
Skinny, unlike Vin
I, like many millions of others, love Vin, the Riddicks were and still are awesome. This is predictable and a clone of several other movies, which is not bad if you enjoy sci fi. It was confusing and, at the same time, had a very simple uncomplicated storyline. The graphics were ten out of ten. Vin cant do much except work with what he is given. Every actor tried hard, nobody shirked or gave anything less than 100 percent. The movie lacks a timeline and until you catch on where its going, it is quite annoying, with bad direction and a weak storyline has really been a disadvantage. Overall, it is worth a watch, Vin is always outstanding. I would love him to be offered better scripts. Guy Pearce is magnificent as always.
Road House (2024)
Jake and Conor are awesome
Jake is always great, his feelings come through in every movie, his eyes show it, I love him as an actor. The fight scenes are exciting, and Conor Macgregor is excellent, would like to see him in more movies, he is surprisingly good. The 1989 movie was, and still is, a classic, it has heart and continuity and tells the story of Dalton perfectly, all the actors are clearly either goodies or baddies. This movie with its crazy rendition of the double deuce must have been thought up by somebody not playing with a full deck. It lacks heart and would seem to have been made to get a quick buck off the back of the 1989 version. Just a barely watchable movie with very little going for it.
Mary & George (2024)
Should have been made in England
British movies and tv have a special something that cannot be replicated by any other country. This series is beyond disappointing and a total embarrassment in every scene. The diaglogue, characters, locations, and general feel of this mish mash is just tragic. Julianne Moore is far too American to get the rythym and nuances of an English noblewoman and simply does not fit the part. George and his brothers and in particular, the french teacher in the first episode are obviously newcomers to acting. There is absolutely nothing in this series that makes for amusement or even shock value because of the subject matter. Compare this drivel with Gunpowder, Treason and Plot, for instance, to see how this type of subject should be handled.
Masters of the Air (2024)
Flying sequences save this series
The airborne sequences are faultless and beyond any criticism, the onground, wordy sections which sadly take up most of the series are annoying and in general. For me, are adequate at best. I expected thlis show because of who is directing and producing, to be on par with The Pacific and Band of Brothers. Because all the air sequences are AI, its not possible of course. Not nearly enough action because of this. I kept waiting for something to happen on the ground, to make it worthwhile to hang in there. There is one episode that does not involve flying that was excellent, but the rest was quite boring.
OCC Patreon: True Detective: Night Country Part 1 (2024)
Was hopeful and looking forward to this.
I have watched one and two, the setup on one was hopeful it would be something worthwhile. Both female officers play their parts well..
Number two, however, seemed to be filled with anything but the continuation of the story, annoying personal stuff that advanced the show not at all. Jodie plays an aggressive hardline cop with no humanity making it difficult to relate to her in any way. The other cop also plays a hard nose cop who is impossible to relate to. By the finish of number two I was saying to myself what the hell is this about and why am I bothering. This show will have to seriously get itself together big time to keep,viewers watching. It feels like the producer and director are making it up as they go along. Not at all impressed so far. Have now viewed all episodes and its just awful, makes no sense in that its not a logical police procedural or a supernatural anything, it makes minimal to no sense and, because its drip fed once weekly and its not logical anyway, its impossible to process the continuity. If it were released all at once it might make a bit more sense, however its just terrible. Jodie and the other cop are good, but its just a piece of ********. Will not be remembered kindly, if at all.
Napoleon (2023)
Jumps from scene to scene and time to tiime
What a strange non story. It is maddening how it unfolds and if I didnt know Napoleon's history I would not have been able to make any sense of it at all. As others have written here, the battle scenes are outstanding. The storyline is virtually non existent. Joachim looks far too old in the beginning, recognising Napoleon was in his 20s when he won the battle of Toulon. I am fully supportive of him not hiding his lip defect, however, in this movie it grated on me that by playing Napoleon, he didnt put some makeup on it, He seems tired and uninterested most of the time, whereas Napoleon was a charismatic powerhouse, interested in everything, Joachim does not play him this way. The love for Josephine was obsessive when he first married her, but like many relationships, over time he divorced her with probably little concern other than getting rid of her to continue his dynasty, so the mooning after her in the later stages of this movie are not realistic. Overall, this was a disappointing, lucklustre movie.
My Fair Lady (1964)
Gawd, its awful
Watched it streamed today and I cannot bear Rex Harrisons performance, he is beyond redemption even for 1964 surely, he is bitter, condescending, sexist and a dreadful man all around. Audrey is georgeous and the clothes are breathtaking, Col Pickering is an excellent sidekick and all the others play their parts well and the look of the whole production is faultless. Henry Higgins I cannot begin to say how much I disliked him, even the ending made me cringe. Surely
even in 1964 male attitudes like Higgins were not considered to be normal and acceptable. Just hate it. I found no love, affection or any humour. Gigi has virtually the same storyline but boy, is that an outstanding movie.
Sudden Impact (1983)
Best actor besides Clint is the dog
I totally dislike this movie, mainly because of Sondra Locke, whe is a hard faced, unappealing person in all her movies and particularly this one. Clint would have given her this because she was his girlfriend at the time and the movie really suffers because of her, she has the acting ability of a stone. All in all, this movie left me depressed and disliking the other actors and the storyline in general, virtually none of Clint's one liners that have broken the heavy dramas in the other Dirty Harry movies. The movie never rises above being nasty and depressing and it quite unlike most of Clint's other movies. The only other good actor was the great dog, and Clint also borders on nastiness to him, which is a shame. Hate this movie.
Mon oncle (1958)
His interactions with dogs and kids are awesome
I saw a doco in the 1980s where a French University built the house depicted in the movie, and studied it from an architectural and psychological perspective, it was intriguing and I have never seen this done for another film. I understand in France this movie has national treasure status, which is well deserved. The fish fountain, the garden, the electric garage door, and many other items would have been futuristic in 1958. Every moment of this movie had me awestruck and laughing inside. His interactions with dogs, which appear many times are a total joy for me as a dog lover, especially their freedom, which sadly doesnt happen today because of traffic. The scene in the small local market and the dog is so funny in a subtle way. Strangely, for me, the movie is subtle throughout, not slapstick. He was apparently a hard taskmaster and did not suffer fools lightly I understand. Have seen it many times and still give it a watch to make my day happy.
Scrublands (2023)
I was expecting a shorter version of the book
This is excellent Aussie tv, the book is extremely complex, however, the story is so magnificent I would have liked it to not deviate as much as it did. The changes are so very significent that for me, having read the book, which was awesome, I would have liked them to stick to it in a shortened version and not change the storyline as much as they did. The acting by all was terrific, and the location is an actual town in Victoria. It needed, in my opinion, to have two more episodes to flesh out the back stories, which are written as a true masterpiece by an outstanding Australian writer. The second book about the main character is also awesome and would make a great follow up.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)
No depth in it
Having read some reviews and love horror and Dracula movies i gave it a watch. There was nothing in it and the premise that a black American went to Oxford is beyond ridiculous, although he gave a moving speech on his troubles after Oxford and he is likeable. If he were from France or other enlightened countries back then it would be believable, but an American ? Nah ..... not truthful. The acting by all was good, but the movie just had nothing in it. It was a bore. The ship itself and the child actor was terrific, It was quite emotional at times but in the final anlalysis it was disappointing. Wait for streaming.
Babylon (2022)
Stupid, just crazy
I have just lost two hours of my life I will never get back. Brad Pitt plays Brad Pitt, last time he actually acted instead of just playing the same person over and over was in the excellent Allied. Margo is georgeous, and acted her,heart out, she is a marvellous comedian. Nothing wrong with all the other actors, however this movie does not just go nowhere, it has no storyline that I could find. The colours, costumes and sets were gorgeous, however the story, if there was one, did not make an appearance and the movie is very, very boring. Dont waste your time unless you are truly desperate to see Brad and Margo.
The Frozen Ground (2013)
frozen stiff with boredom
I love police procedurals, and this bears minimal relationship,to a good procedural. Also like Nic Cage movies, he is usually great. He spends most of the movie running from sleazy bar to sleazy bar asking has anyone seen Cindy, a total bore. Movie highlights Police indifference to missing women and denial that Robert Hansen could be guilty, despite his appalling past history. Cindy gets,far,too much screen time, adding to the lack of a,thrilling procedural movie, her pouty thin skinned response to every interaction with anybody is annoying and adds nothing to the story. As Hansen was a brutal, terrible killer, the movie could have been great if the director had stuck to the facts and not given half of it over to finding Cindy. I was extremely disappointed with this movie. Nic was as always excellent he tried hard with an annoying script.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Six for Indy
I have closely read the reviews and finally watched it. Harrison Ford is absolutely awesome as always. All the other actors were very good and put their heart and soul into their roles. Mads Mikkelson is outstanding as he is in all his movies and tv series, He seems to be typecast as a villain which is a shame. The problem is too many characters are involved, which diffuses the movie, its too wordy and does not come anywhere the fast paced action loved and expected, I guess because action scenes drive up the overall costs of a movie. They could have inserted many additional action scenes and not skimped on them to save money.. Our expectations are so much higher these days because of all the great action movies around. The scenes with Indy younger were flawless. Enjoyed it but also somewhat disappointed.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
people who lived through those times will know
Quentin nails those times to perfection, every frame is true to what was happening, music, clothes, places, the overall feel is the 60s. He also injects his particular type of cynical humour, that places the actors in situations they dont see as funny and we the audience see the humour totally. The confrontation with the Manson family for me was the ending I always prayed would happen and of course it never did, but the fantasy of the alternative ending was excellent., Leonardo is gloriously amusing, Brad is strangely stiff most of the time, giving the feeling that he is very still water that runs immensely deep, his scenes with his dog are outstanding. Brads scenes at Spahn Ranch are chilling edge of your seat diaglogues if you know the manson story. Its filmed in a gold light that many of us see our younger years in through memory. Very different, cant be compared with any other movie, which makes it special.
The Pope's Exorcist (2023)
So much less than I expected
Well, I found the movie disjointed, repetitive, just like many hundreds of movies since The Exorcist, as others have said, the effects are good, but the movie just had nothing in it, it jumped from scene to scene with no apparent continuity and never explained why the family was living iin an ancient dump of a convent, cathedral or what was it, that is just totally unbelievable, I try to never mention spoilers, but for the priests to find what they did in "the basement" is just laughable, I like Russell, but he must have needed a quid to take this drivel on is sad, when compared to "Master and Commander" and, to a lesser extent, ""Gladiator." and many of his earlier movies where his acting was outstanding, is tragic. He is still quite young enough to get himself back into shape, which may be why he was offered this part, where his weight is hidden by a black robe, please, Russ, get back to some semblance of fitness. His skin colour is quite healthy now, so it looks like he may have conquered cigarettes, which gave him the smokers grey skin for many years. I was not impressed with the movie at all, although Father Amorth was a real person who did much good work in his lifetime.
13 Gantry Row (1998)
An Aussie gem
This is a top class movie showcasing The Rocks in Sydney, 500 thou in the nineties, 10 mil plus in 2023, its great because you dont know where its going, not at all predictable and because of that, its an awesome film, the cast all excel and play their parts with enthusiasm and authenticity, its believable and creepy, I loved it and have it saved for future watching again. A great watch. The location is everything as The Rocks was settled by convicts in the 1790s I believe, and the feeling of history is very much there. Rebecca is always worth watching and the supporting cast really get into,their parts.
How It Ends (2018)
thoroughly enjoyable
I loved this movie, Forrest Whittaker is a magnificent actor, and the movie was excellent because you never know what is coming next, its ambiguous in that you dont know what. The cause is, is it the end of the world, has America split in half, have aliens landed, and because you dont know, every turn of the road brings something new, I really hope Netflix do make a second movie, its engrossing. The other actors could use some acting experience, but Forrest makes up for it, you would love to have him at your side during the end of the world. Give it a watch, if these type of movies are your thing, you will enjoy it.
Hannibal (2013)
Too many years before I watched this
Wow, I love all the Books and Movies, and because some series have so many times been total crap and a disappointment I dont place much importance on watching them, so after rewatching Hannibal Rising, I read the reviews on here and decided to give the series a go. I was hooked ten minutes into the first series episode one. The entire series was never predictable or boring, with oodles of unusual violence, it totally intrigued me and captured my involvement in every episode. Mads is phenomenal, and there are enough threads from the books so it is recognisable as Hannibal. I was unable to take my eyes off him, I enjoyed every expression on his face and the nuances and deep meanings of the words he spoke, he interpreted Hannibal to perfection. He IS Hannibal, not a clone of Sir dAnthony Hopkins and he brought his own personality to the series, making it outstanding and unique. I binge watched it because it was impossible to stop until I was so tired I couldnt keep awake, just outstanding in every way, if you love Hannibal, you will adore this series.
Kath and Kim: Our Effluent Life (2022)
Why have they bothered
I am a huge fan, and the great surprise to cone from this new two parter is that apparently most of the world are also fans, despite the unique Aussie flavor, which I am amazed the world has caught onto. I am, however, personally sorry they bothered with this cringefest. Other really awesome shows that failed miserably when they tried to segue from ten years or so have also failed appalingly, such as the new Dexter, American Gigolo, etc, etc, this mish mash looks designed just to make a few bucks without trying to do anything. Ladies your amazing legacy has been tarnished in may eyes, however, I still love the episodes, was never that impressed with the movies though.
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A Spy Among Friends (2022)
Another mini series not true to the book
So glad to see Guy Pearce showcasing his awesome talent. All other actors are excellent as would be expected of British drama, however, this show covers only a miniscule amount of the outstanding book which was obviously done to save money. From the beginning I felt as though I had come in half way. If you did not know the story of Philby you probably would struggle to understand whats going on. These days adaptations of books for me are mostly a disappointment, as is this one ultimately, despite Guy Pearce nailing Philby 100 percent. A shame they did not include Philbys early days as he was charimatic, dominating and very clever, probably one of the greatest spies ever.