Change Your Image
sianstanley
Reviews
True Detective (2014)
Fantastic season 4
Jodie foster is brilliant as Liz Danvers and the supporting cast are excellent and very believable.
The journey is an emotional one with floored difficult characters and a view of American big business and its treatment of indigenous peoples which will make some people feel defensive and uncomfortable.
It uses the detective genre to highlight how marginalised some communities are and the inherent inequalities that exist within American society. Again that won't always sit well with some people, even the more enlightened might be curling their toes on occasion.
That said I think it's a fascinating narrative arc that has a good eye for detail and atmosphere.
The supernatural stuff is possibly the weakest part but this will depend upon our belief systems as to how we respond to it.
Overall it is brilliant and I am very glad to have watched something of this quality.
Simulant (2023)
Buy a mobile phone
I love sci fi, love it.
But this is tricky because despite state of the art humanoids who can do all sorts of amazing stuff- being shot does not it seems trigger even the most basic emergency call! Even my current car can do that, oh and my phone and watch if I had a crash.
My mum has a button round her neck that could call for help.
That aside it is still odd, nobody seems to have any friends, honestly if I had a pool like that I'd have lurds of friends.
I love my husband but there's absolutely nothing that would induce me to make a stimulant based on him- he is hard enough as an actual human never mind a creepy replica with no sense of humour and an inability to play the piano.
So despite the fact that I love the Canadians and I want to like the film,this is v. Silly.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)
Lovely coming of age film
I took my 11 year old girl. I read the book when I was her age. This was such a great experience for us. I'm looking at it as a mother and she a girl in a similar stage of her life and we both related to it on so many levels. I loved the relationship between mother and daughter, grandmother and granddaughter.
We never really see this subject matter in films, especially talking about periods, bras and boys
We laughed, we cried and we talked a lot afterwards
The acting is excellent and the setting perfect
Just wish it had been longer as it seemed to come to a bit of an abrupt end- we could have gone another 20 minutes easily.
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
Interesting
So for me this film was very interesting and visually pleasing. The balance was off, it would have been so interesting to understand more about how all the characters arrived at their respective decisions.
I was left wanting to know more and I wanted less of the perfect life and more of the depth.
The ending was good but it needed to be longer and the beginning shorter.
So it was not by any means a disaster but not perfect either. Florence Pugh was very good and I quite liked Harry Styles. The ancillary characters never really got a look in which is a shame.
I would recommend it- much better than I was expecting.
The English (2022)
Extraordinary
Visually gorgeous and very well acted.
I thought the characters were well thought out, looking at the history of America from a different perspective, the good and the bad.
Emily blunt is utterly believable and very beautiful although I don't think even she would look that good after spending that much time sleeping outdoors and riding around Wyoming.
It's such a visual feast and for that alone it's worth the watch. Personally I think at its heart this is a love story and it's very affecting. I was particularly touched by the love of the mothers.
I would not change much apart from giving emily greasy hair and a bit of sweat to make it a bit more authentic.
Scouting for Girls: Fashion's Darkest Secret (2022)
Very brave women
This is an interesting series, it was terrible to hear the dark side of the fashion industry. It was well made and very credible. Not an easy watch but watchable. I am the same age as some of the women affected. I can testify that things were very different in the 90s and I hope that my daughter is better protected from sexual predators.
Rules of the Game (2022)
Interesting
I have worked for the last 25 years in a mixed environment but mostly male. I have seen some of the behaviours shown in this series so I can relate to some of it , what is missing though is the representative good people and particularly all the good men, the ones who are kind, thoughtful and supportive. I have worked with some difficult women but also many who have worked incredibly hard and remain wonderful. What I am trying to say is that this series lacks nuance, it like using a brick to open a window. It's a start but only that. Hopefully something similar can be produced which taps into the idea that we are not all good or all bad.
Back to Life (2019)
Miri is great
You absolutely can't judge this series on the first couple of episodes. Miri is a great character but her probation officer is my favourite, she's just beautifully drawn. I love that everyone is kind , her mother has chlamydia and her father finds a way of dealing with it.
I am thinking of moving to Hyde! It looks lovely.
Miri is the most resilient character, she never denies her crime she owns it, she is trying to look forward all the time- I think we can all learn a lot from Miri.
Annika (2021)
I like it
Nicola Walker is always good to watch, this is less moody Nicola and more witty Nicola. I find the dialogue really interesting and good to watch, the underlying mysteries are almost secondary to the whole world of Annika.
It's different and I like it.
Intergalactic (2021)
This gets better and better
I don't think the start of this is the best BUT it gets better as the season progresses. It is not what you think. The writing is good as the back history of the women is revealed it is more clever than it first appears. I am really enjoying it. As a total sci-fi geek I think it's super.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
Not an easy watch
This is a good film but tough viewing, sad to it's very core. It's particularly difficult as it reflects the experiences of many other women.
I wish the Cassie character could have found a healthier way to exact her revenge- perhaps this is her reality?
Overall the strength of the the film is the performance of Carey mulligan who is a fabulous actress, she takes the difficult material and creates a flawed complex character.
My criticism is that it was a bit predictable and even the ending was what I expected.
It raises many important issues and for that alone I applaud it.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)
Wow!
Douglas Adam's is always left field but such a talented writer. I found this series really interesting and great fun. I have not watched the second series yet but I am looking forward to it.
Watch it through to the end- it's worth it!
Galaxy Quest (1999)
What wonderful fun
I have been reminded of how much I love this film by the documentary Never Surrender. Galaxy quest is clever, kind and wonderfully fun. If you love life, you will love this film!
The Third Day (2020)
This was really interesting
There is so much bland TV, this is not. The acting is superb, totally committed. I have think the story has more to give. I liked the ending- I thought it was very powerful and Thought provoking.
Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans (2019)
Good- not brilliant
This is good and very watchable, it lacked something, possibly budget? Not sure but it was a little thin-it just needed a bit of bulking out. Derek Jacobi as Claudius was wonderful, a real treat
Mosaic (2018)
Very interesting
This is an interesting piece of work, it is more European than American in its structure and pace. It is not so much a who did it as an interesting journey into a world of which I have never experienced. So don't binge watch, savour the characters, admire, dislike, understand their motives and you will see this for what it is- a study in human behaviour.
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
Poor
I watched this with my husband and we decided that it's a pale imitation of the first film. The violence was graphic which might appeal to some but the plot was so contrived that it was just bizarre. I love sly Stallone but enough is enough, hang up your weapons and live a quiet life in one of your tunnels.
The OA (2016)
Second series was amazing
Can I just start by saying I loved the octopus, I cannot think of any other show that would have an octopus as a medium. The characters developed and I finally found myself warming to the high school kids in particular. It is bonkers but it is fearless and I love it
Flack (2019)
Really good
I don't review often, but I wanted to comment on this programme. It is really very interesting especially if you are a working woman. Her world is extreme but elements of it resonate. The face that is presented vs the face that is real. Containing so much all the time, letting situations wash over you as if you stopped and thought about it all you would probably go mad. I liked the script. It is a good watch in my view