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Reviews
The Unforgivable (2021)
Excellent Story, Excellent Movie
I think most of the reviews here claiming The Unforgivable is "slow" and/or "boring" must be written by younger folk who prefer Marvel and superhero movies.
As an older viewer I found it refreshing to come across a movie that actually tells a story- and a very good story at that. Acting is above par, as one would expect from a trooper such as Sandra Bullock, and the premise is intriguing as well as entertaining. Ignore the bad reviews, if you prefer good old-fashioned story telling over meaningless action and gratuitous violence, you'll surely enjoy The Unforgivable.
The Last Thing He Wanted (2020)
Incoherent Rubbish
Considering the very good cast, I was thoroughly disappointed with this movie. Now, I am by no means dumb but I found the storyline extremely difficult to follow. I know it was basically about the U.S. supplying arms to the rebels in El Salvador and that our leading lady's father is somehow involved in a shady arms deal. Other than that, I have no idea.what was going on. Cryptic conversations within a vague and at times totally incomprehensible plot add up to a whole lot of nothingness. Terrible movie that I definitely would not recommend.
Castle Rock (2018)
Boring Tripe
Note to producers: incessant creepy music over snail's pace scenes is neither scary nor suspenseful... something ACTUALLY HAS TO HAPPEN!
Intriguing, suspenseful, mysterious, interesting, entertaining... none of the above! Boring, listless, rambling, sloooow, dull, monotonous... all of the above!
Enough said... this show is utter rubbish.
Mr. Mercedes (2017)
Season 1... Terrific, Season 2... Absolute Rubbish!
Season 1 of Mr Mercedes was outstanding. If you haven't seen season 1 as yet, please do. Then they made season 2 and wrecked the whole thing.
Seems like when season 1 finished Netflix suddenly realized they had a hit on their hands and decided to produce a follow up season. But wait... we killed off the main villain at the end of season 1, what to do? I know, we'll resurrect him through some sort of miracle drug and then proceed from there as if everything happens in a dream. Absolute rubbish. They should have quit while they were ahead.
Winter Ridge (2018)
Very Bad, Do NOT Believe the Positive Reviews
I am a big fan of British drama/thriller type movies so was easily sucked in by the positive reviews here. I can only guess that said reviews must have emanated from people who are associated with the movie - or fiends thereof - because there is no way any discerning viewer could rate this movie higher than poor.
Acting and storyline are extremely amateurish... acting is cringeworthy at times. Storyline is predictable and cliched. Please don't get sucked in as I did... this movie is really bad!
I Kill Giants (2017)
Not what You Might Expect, But in a Good Way!
The title and genres for this movie are misleading and I suspect that most of the negative reviews for I Kill Giants are from younger people whose expectations of a Harry Potter type fantasy were unfulfilled.
I almost didn't watch this movie for the same reasons but am glad I did. I Kill Giants is NOT a kids movie, it is a serious exploration of a child's broken psyche, conjecturing on how a young and fertile mind might deal with a grievous situation. The result is an interesting and touching movie with an important message.
If you crave a break from all the "Marvel" drivel, are fed up with incessant shoot 'em ups, punch 'em ups , car chases, etc., and are looking for a movie with substance which actually tells a story, give I Kill Giants a view. You could do a lot worse.
Hereditary (2018)
Slow, Slow, Slow, Load of Abosolute Drivel
I don't believe I have ever watched a movie that left me so disappointed. Goodness knows what the positive reviewers saw in it.
Hereditary aims to be some sort of phsycological/horror movie but is, in fact, slooow to the point of boredom, totally predictable, and in no way suspenseful or scary... many of the scenes are more humorous than horrifying. Please take no notice of the high ratings, this film is a complete and utter borefest with zero originality and even less entertainment value.
The Disappearance (2017)
Give This a Miss
A missing boy plus a dysfunctional family headed by an arrogant, overbearing patriarch simply makes for an annoying shoutfest. IF you enjoy seeing hours of family bickering, shouting and screaming at each other, you might enjoy this. Otherwise, I'd stay well away. Just awful!!
Save Me (2018)
Boring and Lifeless
So many good reviews on here, hard to believe they are genuine. I honestly wanted to like this show just based on the premise - an estranged couple, a missing daughter, a hint of human trafficking - what's not to like. Turns out it's all been done before and much, much better than this drivel. Save Me is sadly lacking in suspense or intrigue and primarily consists of the father hanging about in his local pub. Hugely disappointing!
Unsolved (2018)
Pointless
The whole intrigue of the murders of rappers Tupac and Notorious is that nobody really knows who killed them or why. If this series had shed some light on the subject, or even proffered some kind of theory, then maybe it could have been interesting, or even mildly entertaining. What we get instead is two identical and tedious investigations, a decade apart, neither of which leads anywhere or discovers anything whatsoever. A complete waste of time.
Ryde (2017)
Like a Really Bad Porno, Only Without the Sex
Fake reviews abound here. Ignore the high rating, this movie is utter crap, like a really bad porno but without the sex.
Story line: is non-existent, the whole movie is just a series of brutal killings. The viewer has no idea what is motivating the killer or why these murders are taking place... just that they are.
Acting: I swear, if I were a porno watcher, I would have seen these actors before. All cast members are young and good looking but the acting is terrible, worse than terrible.
I fell for the fake reviews, more fool me. You have been warned, don't waste your time with this one.
Jungle (2017)
Best Movie I've Seen in Ages!!
I am generally not a fan of survival type movies but this one really ticks all the boxes.
Three friends head out for an adventure into the wilds of the Bolivian jungle led by a guide who, one suspects, is more than a little insane. Misadventures lead to the group separating until Daniel Radcliffe is left to survive on his own.
Daniel Radcliffe absolutely nails the role, his performance is a real tour de force. Some negative comments have criticized the stupidity of these adventurers, but hey, this is a group of youngish, starry-eyed backpackers, not a group of seasoned explorers.
Jungle is a movie about survival, mate-ship, and the strength of the human spirit, an emotional roller coaster. Easily the best movie I've seen in ages. Highly recommended.
Sleepwalker (2017)
Very Strange!
A very strange movie about the perception of reality - am I dreaming or is what I perceive to be a dream actually reality? This is the question posed by Sleepwalker and, as far as I am concerned anyway, remains unanswered to the very end.
Acting is excellent, pace is good, intrigue builds, but, in the end, I was left thinking... what the heck just happened! I am certainly not dumb, but maybe someone far more insightful than I could explain what this movie is all about, because, frankly, I have no idea.
Sleepwalker left me with mixed feelings; while I quite enjoyed the viewing experience, waiting patiently for the shocking revelation to arrive, when the movie ended and I was left none the wiser, my final thought was... what a massive waste of time!
One for the hyper-imaginative perhaps? Definitely not for those who prefer their story lines all neatly wrapped up in a bow.
Kidnap (2017)
Average Movie, Worth a View
I'm not surprised to see divided opinions about this movie... some like it, others hate it. I'm somewhere in the middle.
Kidnap is a one dimensional chase story with a large portion of the movie devoted to a car chase - a kidnapped child and kidnappers in one car, with the child's mother chasing them in the other car. I'm not a huge fan of car chases but this rather long one is at least interspersed with a number of interesting deviations.
Halle Berry plays the going-out-of-her-mind mum with aplomb and,if you can ignore the numerous unrealistic plot holes, Kidnap is reasonably suspenseful and mildly entertaining. I didn't hate it, didn't love it, hence the average rating.
I wouldn't go hunting this movie down, but if you're stuck for something to watch, maybe on a rainy day, there are far worse movies around.
The Big Sick (2017)
Boring and Humorless
I watched this movie based purely on the high ratings and favorable reviews on IMDb... wish I hadn't bothered. Movies are subjective, that's for sure... one man's meat is another man's poison. Not sure why my opinion of this movie is so contrary to the majority. Maybe the generational gap... I am an oldie. Or maybe because there have been so many really crap movies released recently that, comparatively, this one fares reasonably well.
About 30 minutes into the movie I turned to my wife and said, "this is a load of rubbish". She nodded her head violently in agreement. There are a few good performances from established actors in the cast but, in the main, this movie is boring and humorless. The main actor is apparently a stand-up comedian, I reckon he should probably stick with that. His performance is flat and wooden, very amateurish. The Big Sick is maybe something the under 30s might enjoy but, as an oldie, I thought it was far worse than ordinary.
Inconceivable (2017)
Nothing New to See Here, Move Along
I suppose this might have been considered a good movie, maybe 20 years or so ago. It's not badly done, the acting is fine, it's just that the story line is so trite. Obsession, surrogate mothers, whose baby is whose? It's all been done before and so often.
Gina Gershon looks good, really good. She is like a fine wine, improving with age. Nick Cage's hair is so obviously dyed dark black, it looks quite silly on him. I guess Nick's leading man days are drawing to a close.
One could easily have considered this a good watch except for the fact that the scenario has been done to death, which tends to make it all too predictable.
There are worse ways to spend an hour and 45 minutes I guess, but, in the end, Inconceivable is a totally forgettable offering.
American Gods (2017)
Unfathomable
A previous reviewer wrote that she didn't wish to sound pretentious "but this show (sic) is not for people who normally find it difficult to follow story lines that are not laid out in step by step detail". Well, sorry, but the fact of the matter is that there is NO story line, period. Just a string of seemingly unrelated and disconnected extremely bizarre vignettes. Some are short and sweet, others are drawn out to the point of ennui, all are off-the-wall strange.
Yes, some of the cinematography and effects are outstanding, and quite shocking at times, but the lack of any coherency or continuity is, for me anyway, extremely off putting. I happen to prefer a logical story line which is heading somewhere, anywhere! My wife and I suffered through 3 episodes and won't be watching any more. By the way; American Gods is not for the fainthearted, sensitive, or prudish, it is often violent and sexually explicit so viewer discretion is advised.
Mythical? Fantasy? Symbolism? Meh!!
Santa Clarita Diet (2017)
Awful, just awful
If this is what passes for comedy these days, dark or otherwise, you can count me out.
The mother in a happy, seemingly normal family, living in a happy, seemingly normal suburb, suddenly develops a taste for human flesh. This scenario could have been presented with finesse and subtlety but, alas, the humor is silly, gross, and childish in the extreme. Why the likes of Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, both actors who I like very much, would be associated with this tripe is beyond me.
I openly admit to being a senior citizen and to me this show is clearly targeting a "younger" audience and, considering the high ratings, I can only assume that the majority of reviewers here belong in that demographic.
If mega projectile vomiting and similar grossness is your idea of humor, then you'll probably get a kick out Santa Clarita Diet. Otherwise, I strongly suggest you give this one a big miss.
Arrival (2016)
Can't Believe the High Ratings
First off let me say that I really enjoy sci-fi movies, one of my favorite genres. It was with great anticipation then that I watched Arrival hoping it would live up to its hype. Boy was I disappointed.
My reaction after the movie finished was... wtf was that! What it is, in fact, is a series of translation sessions, twixt alien and human, all drawn out to excruciatingly boring lengths.
There is very little suspense, practically zero action, and even less in the way of an interesting story line. Essentially, the movie consists of a face to face between 2 giant squids (the aliens) and two humans, one a language expert and the other, I don't even remember why he was there... perhaps as the obligatory romantic interest.
In the end, we discover that time is circular, or was it back to front? I'm not really sure, but it was a very long and boring exercise just to reach that rather strange anti-climax.
Everybody sees different things in movies and opinions are always subjective. For me, Arrival was just one huge let down.
The Accountant (2016)
Different Yet Excellent Movie
The Accountant is a very different movie; sort of Rainman meets The Equalizer. It's a bit of slow burn at first as the characters and background are established, and perhaps a tad confusing - however, never boring - and the second half of the movie comes to life as the action ramps up and everything falls into place, including a couple of nice twists.
Great job by Ben Afflek and Anna Kendrick very ably backed up by good performances from John Bertham and veteran actor John Lithgow. The story line is a tad out there yet strangely convincing.
Stick with it, that's my one and only piece of advice, and I'll guarantee you'll end up agreeing that The Accountant, while different, is a great movie. One of the best movies I've seen in a long while.
Westworld (2016)
Slow as a Wet Week!
I realize I'm out of step with the vast majority of opinions here but this show is utterly boring.
Loved the original movie with Yul Brynner and love the overall premise but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. I've watched all 6 episodes to date and still waiting for something new and/or exciting to take place. Each new episode is more or less a replica of previous episodes - same old, same old. Progress is excruciatingly slow. I've heard of slow burners, but this show takes that concept to the extreme.
The cast and acting are really good; Anthony Hopkins commands the screen as usual and Ed Harris portrays the evil "Man in Black" to perfection. Now, if only something would actually happen!!