Reviews

An well presented film version of the Cambridge spy ring. The acting is excellent, and portrays the misguided idealism that existed in elite Universities post WWII. As the true facts are revealed, the extent of Russian spying becomes apparent. The case for mitigation is well made i.e. That the mutual nuclear deterrent has prevented WWIII. But this is where the movie hasn't aged well. Now we have Putin threatening the West with nuclear war at every opportunity, leveraging the very technology that Russia stole from the West. Perhaps if the traitors were still alive, they'd now see the folly of the betrayal.

This series is an amazing insight into the Church of Latterday Saints. After a slow start, the story gains traction and draws you into the twisted thinking of religious zealots. All the cast give a fantastic performance in their various roles. The time shifts are very effective in explaining how the church was founded. This gives real context to the modern story. Beyond the immediate story, the series highlighted how religion generally is used to brainwash and manipulated good people into bigotry and the abuse of power. Pretty much the same story could have been told of any religion. We should all take heed.

This is a rather underwhelming movie given the quality of the cast. For a start, it's way too long for the story, I was checking the time every 10 minutes after the 1 1/2 hour mark - not a good sign! I don't know why directors opt for comedy to convey this kind of dark story - it's inappropriate and as a result very few of the gags hit the mark. The underlying plot, set to the backdrop of 1930's Europe, is vaguely plausible but never seems to gain traction. Christian Bale in particular keeps things interesting, but it's hard going. If this story had been told 'straight', a great movie would have resulted.

ITV seem to excel at these real-life dramas. They manage to tell the story in a 'straight' yet entertaining manner without the need for getting woke nor preachy (as another famous broadcaster does). The story is probably familiar to most by now, but nonetheless shocking when you see how it wrecked careers and lives. The Post Office and it's management don't come out of this well at all. But that didn't stop the government awarding their CEO a CBE. Absolutely disgraceful! The The cast all give riveting performances that perfectly capture the toll inflicted on hapless postmasters across the country. This production is a real credit to ITV who set the standard for such dramas.

Hard to find anything positive to say about this. The plot is weak, the characters implausible (even considering it's sci-fi fantasy), the acting wooden, the sets and costumes amateur. Some impressive action graphics but that's not enough to carry the movie. The story seems very tired and predictable, borrowing extensively from other movies. With the available budget, director and cast, surely something more original than this could have been made. To cap it all, Part I fizzles out with Part II on the way .......shudder..... The cast contains some considerable talent, and that feels wasted. For the avoidance of doubt, I didn't enjoy it.

This is a rather ordinary yet familiar story of a dysfunctional family, or rather families. All the characters are flawed in one way or another. None are especially likeable nor attract much sympathy. The movie is is from the book of the same name, and follows a narrative that seems prominent in US literature (The first world travails of wealthy Americans in suburbia). There is no deep plot, nor some thrilling reveal - it's pretty much ordinary life. Nonetheless, it's a compelling watch, probably because we recognise ourselves in some of the characters. The cast make a good fist of their roles, and all characters seem real-life and believable.

This is truly a masterclass of story telling. It follows the true case of the murder of two elderly and vulnerable victims. The casting and acting are top notch, with suburb performances from the entire cast. The true story beggars belief, but so good is the telling that we get drawn into the crime and the horror seems almost mundane. As doubts creep in and evidence mounts we get a nail biting ride to conviction. The court trial and cross examinations are nervy as versions of events differ. We can question the verdicts but justice has been done - at least in the eyes of the jury. This is docudrama of the very highest standard.

This is truly an acting masterclass. Every single role is played to perfection. The basic plot is the true(ish) story of the Cambridge Gang of 4 Spies helping the KGB after WWII, and the speculation that there is embedded a '5th man'. The tension and paranoia are tangible as the story unfolds. The period décor and props are superb, and the constant smoky, dark rooms, add atmosphere to the murky world of spying. There are a lot of time shifts between present and past events, but these help explain the background of the main characters and their motives. A key aspect is the conflict between personal friendships and political ideology.

Watching this film felt like being in a time warp where time passed more slowly. By some considerable measure the longest 2 hr 19 min of my life. The slapstick comedy was cringeworthy and the plot a complete mess. If there was some underlying message it was completely lost on me. The fact this movie won awards is unbelievable. God alone knows what the competition must have been like in the same category, I shudder to think. Perhaps Chinese-American humour doesn't travel well. Whoever thought the was enough material for a 2 hr 19 min movie? There was barely enough to flesh out a 5 minute comedy skit.

This biopic takes a radically different approach to the genre. It attacks the senses with a succession of fast and colourful images interspersed with quotes and songs by Bowie. Some of the images were so fast and obscure, it's hard to get the relevance. Perhaps that's the point. As for Bowie's many pronouncements they are either profound or pretentious according to your point of view. The chameleon-like ability of Bowie to re-invent himself is particularly well portrayed. The costumes and sets are visually amazing. Bowie was a unique talent who broke the mould of rock stars. I doubt we'll see his like again.

This is a survival movie that tells the story 'straight' with an absolute minimum of embellishment. It feels like you are there, involved in the task of survival and some tough decision-making. There is barely any dialogue, and events unfold through images and actions rather than conversations. The situation and challenges are obvious from the outset. We don't learn much about the protagonist, who he is, what happened etc. All that matters is survival in an extremely hostile environment, and that is the focus. Apart from just staying alive, we are faced with moral dilemmas and the question "what would you do?".

A medical story based on a true story, and very well acted by the entire cast. In particular, Redmayne captures the cold oddness of the main character. The weakness of true story dramatizations is that we often know the outcome from the start. But in this case, that doesn't detract from the entertainment value. We are drawn into the story of how wrongdoing is suspected then proven despite obstacles being placed in the investigation by vested interests. As events unfold, we are never sure what will happen next, especially as the net begins to close. I found this a highly entertaining movie from Netflix.

I really enjoyed this movie, which is a (more or less) true story of of the art world, forgery and collaboration in WWII. There some compelling characters in the story, who are extremely well portrayed by the cast. The movie captures the post war mood of retribution on collaborators, and also lays bare the phoney world of art 'experts'. The main character and his motives are ambiguous, and shrouded in the fog of war. We are left to make our own judgement by the end. Similarly we are faced with the question 'what is art?' Is it what we are told by 'experts' or by how much the rich are prepared to pay?

This is a harrowing real-life dramatization, and Evan Peters does an amazing acting job in portraying Dahmer. But the series is way too long, with a lot of repetition of Dahmer's modus operandi that seems superfluous to telling the story. We get he was a monster. A series of 4 to 5 episodes would have sufficed, the rest is just padding and lowers the overall quality. As is usual with these things, the Police get a sound kicking, and with hindsight (such a wonderful thing) should have done more. But much of the time Dahmer was working in the (then) twilight world gay bars, recreational drugs. Not easy to police.

This is an excellent movie that covers the moral dilemmas facing the military, politicians and lawyers when faced with 'precision' aerial strikes against an enemy. It focuses on 'rules of engagement' and 'collateral damage' as well as the legal ramifications. The story that unfolds is very convincing, and as tense as it is frustrating. The 'right' decisions are ambiguous and balanced depending on your point of view. We see that what might be morally and legally justified might not always be politically acceptable. The cast do a great job of portraying the various players and their vested interests. The movie also demonstrates how technology has changed modern warfare.

This is basically a movie about making movie. It is footage and commentary of Jim Carrey getting 'in-character'. Jim and the person he portrays represent a unique kind of American zaniness that is probably lost on everybody else. Jim certainly goes to extreme lengths to capture the essence of his subject. It all get's a bit precious at times, but there are nonetheless some telling insights into Hollywood and life in general. Perhaps the most telling moments are the unguarded expressions on the faces of the production crew as they witness events unfolding. Priceless!! A picture speaks a thousand words as they say.

This series is so raw it's hard to watch at times. I had to pinch myself that only 18 months ago we were in lockdown, stuck at home, despairing at panic buying and praying for a vaccine. This dramatization is extremely well acted, all the main players are well represented, and there is a superb portrayal of the behind-the-scenes pandemonium as the pandemic progresses. The episodes covering Care Homes are especially harrowing, as is the sense of despair in the NHS. The flaw I think is that we learn very little of the virus itself, the molecular biology, the cause, how it spread, vaccine development etc. Instead the focus is on suffering, loss and political ineptitude. So it's part of the picture but not all of it.

The movie follows a 'reality' style of narrative and filming that gives it almost the feel of a documentary. The filming is unsteady as if captured on a hand camera of some kind. The audio quality seems very high indeed. There is focus on the music and the making thereof rather than on a storyline. Unusually, the songs are sung in their entirety, each last several minutes. Insofar as there is a plot, it's just 'that's life' without any twists, miracles or implausible endings. In that sense, it's probably as close to reality in a movie that you can achieve. It's certainly a fresh approach and the more entertaining for that.

This is a US adaption of a UK series, the latter being highly acclaimed. So the bar was set high. The plot is an unusual twist on the crime genre, and it's probably more of a psychological drama. The cast, Sandra Bullock especially, deliver very good performances indeed. The grimness of the US penal system and ostracization of offenders in society is realistically portrayed. As the story unfolds we start to feel empathy with somebody who, in theory, is 'unforgiveable'. But there's always a sense things aren't all they seem, and indeed that's how things play out. This leads us to a thoughtful conclusion, and pondering how any of us would react in certain circumstances.

This is an excellent series that keeps you guessing as each episode plays out. The plot is based on a book and centres around a Phycologist and one of his patients. (As an aside, wouldn't a medically trained Doctor have the title Psychiatrist? We are told the character attended Med School). The clues are revealed slowly and are hidden by plentiful red herrings. I thought all the cast did an excellent job with their respective characters. The pacing is good and the number of episodes just about right. To sustain the drama without getting boring. All in all an entertaining and enjoyable viewing experience.

This is a surprisingly amusing and entertaining movie based around a revenge plot following a crime, the basic premise being that you are not 'taken seriously as a victim of minor crime. The tone is fairly lightweight, but there's enough quirkiness and gags to keep viewers engaged. All the cast turn in good performances and do a fine job with their somewhat eccentric characters, goodies and baddies. I'm not sure the movie title did the marketing any favours - I usually avoid movies with titles like this. Nonetheless, definitely a good choice for a movie if you don't want to think especially hard.

The underlying premise of this series was brilliant - something that was plausible and terrifying. The graphical portrayal of software code was clever and entertaining, the acting of a high standard. The method of using Russians, speaking Russian in certain segments worked very well I thought. There was more than enough material to tell the unfolding story 'straight', but being C4, the story strayed into unnecessary and irrelevant side plots which rather diluted the overall impact. There were quite a few plot holes too, but I suppose you have to stretch credibility to get the drama. Overall, entertaining and enjoyable.

Although an interesting documentary, I felt it was a rather sanitized and self-congratulatory focus on the four subjects. The role and influence of Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor would have added both interest and perspective, but they were barely mentioned. This might have been for financial or legal reasons, but left the documentary feeling like an advert for the Stones next 'last' tour.

A superb telling of the true story of the famous cave rescue mission in Thailand. This movie is a masterclass of how a docudrama should be done i.e. Stick to the story and facts without box-ticking side plots. The action footage is superb and extremely realistic, as is the portrayal of the main characters. Highly recommended.

A grim yet poignant portrayal of the descent into dementia. Of course.many people will have first hand experience of this journey through parents, grandparents, friends, colleagues etc. The acting by all the cast is first rate and all too believable. I liked that the movie wasn't judgemental nor skewed to any particular narrative, and we are left to draw our own conclusions.