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The Day of the Jackal (2024)
meandering mess
This show should have been made as a mini series. Its way to much dragged out by meandering way to much on subplots that could have been left out. Eddie Redmayne pretty much carries the whole show with Lashana Lynch out of her depth and sorely miscast. There are some pretty good action scenes with the sniper scenes really well executed. Its pretty much of a slow burn and could have been so much better if it was shorter. I watched the first 4 episodes to give it a fair shake but to be honest i wont be watching the rest. Theres plenty of better shows on at the moment and maybe further down the line it might be worth a binge watch but for now its a miss.
Grotesquerie (2024)
meandering, misses the mark
First 2-3 episodes were quite good and it set the series up nicely for the start of a good show, unfortunately it went downhill really fast from then and started meandering quite a bit. Niecy Nash Betts plays a pretty good part and i'm usually not a fan of hers but none the less she's a good fit. I'm sorry to say that the praise for the rest of the cast is zero, none of the cast are likeable or a good fit with the show with the exception of Travis Kelce funnily enough. I'll be intrigued to see how it ends having already having watched 6 episodes but i cant see it being picked up for a second season. Its a good premise but wasted on execution.
Salem's Lot (2024)
Fails across the board
I was quite looking forward to this as i was a fan of the original but alas i was very disappointed. It plays like a made for TV movie with acting that was very sub par. Too many mis-casting parts to mention and the special effects were laughable. It might be worth a watch if only to compare to the original but dont get your hopes up. Has the feel of what seems to be the trend lately of remakes being made with little or no effort being made to improve on the original just to make a quick buck. Give it a miss and wait for something better to come out. Lots of great horror movies on the horizon but unfortunately this isnt one of them..
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
Jenna shines but mediocre at best
Let me say right of the bat that i wasn't a fan of the original movie but i did go into this as a big Jenna Ortega so expectations were high. It wasn't bad but then again it wasn't great either. Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder did shine and the special effects could have come straight from the 1988 original but i think that was more for authenticity than anything. Michael Keaton did look tired and not a patch on the original character and the rest of the cast were pretty much blah. Its definitely worth a look for nostalgias sake but for anyone who is being exposed to Beetlejuice for the first time will be sadly disappointed. Small spoiler alert " the musical number towards the end of the movie was one of the dumbest thing i have ever seen, what was the director thinking"
Trap (2024)
its not the best
Let me say right off the bat that Josh Hartnett is pretty good as the serial killer but the good points end there. There's nothing further that i can honestly say was a redeemable quality. The rest of the cast just dosn't sell it. The premise is good but the cast lets the whole thing down and. Saleka Shyamalan as Lady Raven just dosn't own it, far better to have an established singer to play the part to better own the stage when she's performing which to be honest was way to much and far to distracting from the plot. I really wanted to like this because the trailer was pretty cool but in the end it was a real let down. Its worth a watch for the Josh Hartnett performance but alas he just cant carry the movie.
The Killer (2024)
could have been so much better
Action scenes are pretty decent but it drags for most of the movie. Nathalie Emmanuel pretty much carries it with a good performance of an assassin for hire, the rest of the supporting cast is pretty poor . I know its a john woo film but his trademark shots has been done to death, how many times do we need to see a flock of pigeons in slow motion, it gets old very quick. Filming location in paris was pretty cool with many good shots of local landmarks. That being said it seemed to struggle to fill in the dialogue between action scenes and some actors seemed to struggle with their parts. Its an ok watch and worth persevering with if only for the final battle at the end.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2024)
highly enjoyable fantasy
I always feel that people who rate 10s and 1s have an agenda. Theres no way they could have watched this show and rated it honestly. Its a pretty decent fantasy series with good acting performances all round. Special effects are pretty decent and the story moves along at a pretty decent pace. It may not exactly follow the bok or the movie but it dosnt take anything away from the entertainment value. My only gripe and its a small one at that is that the children are a a bit to old, having said that it dosnt take anything away from the show. Christian slater is great in a role that was made for him. Its well orth a watch if you give it a chance.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
absolute joke of a movie
One of the worse movies i have ever seen and ive seen some bad ones. This seems to be a terrible trend with reboots of a successful franchise, simply put the name in the title and any old garbage in the scrtpt and hope it will sell. This fails on every aspect from acting to directing to cinematography. Rachel zegler is badly miscast and really lame, at least jennifer lawrence was believable as a badass but zegler just dosnt cut it. Its about time holywood stopped piggybacking off successful franchises and started to come up with more original concepts before irreparable damage is done to the movie industry.
Undateable (2014)
truely awful
Once again the canned laughter kills wshat should have been an above adverage show. It feels like its on constantly and theres just not that manylaugh out loud places in the show. The cast feels like they are trying to hard to see who can get the biggest laugh with the outcome failing badly. There are no redeeming qualitys either and i have tried on more than one occasion the watch this as it does have a pretty decend cast, but alas my perciverence was wasted. I feel that this happens with a lot of american comedies, too much caned laughter takes you out of the moment and ruins the punchline. A sad show from a great cast.
Ahsoka (2023)
Over hyped tripe
I found this to be just another over hyped show, piggy backing off a successful franchise. The acting is really sub par and the plot is simply at its thinest, comes across as put together to make a quick buck. Special effects are awfuyl, so bad that it feels like it was plucked straight out of the 70s. I dont know wether it was done deliberately as to be more conected to the original star wars or its just plain bad, ill leave it up to you the viewer to decide. Same goes for the wardrobe, outfits look like they have been hanging in a wardrobe since the 70s and just dusted off for this . All in all its just terrible.. did manage to watch 3 episodes and i was done. Very disapointing,
Slasher (2016)
not for the faint hearted
Season 5 is quite possibbly the best revenge / horror ever made but be advised it can be really gruesome and not for the faint hearted. Its a real plot twster with it throwing suspects up at every turn with some real hateable characters thoughout this season. Its a nice idea to set in the period which it is set, having to deal with inadaquacies of forensics and the corruption of law inforcement by the rich and powerful. This reallly is an awesome show with some really great performances all round and the big reveal at the end is well worth the wait. I binge watched this as once i started i just had to see who the killer was.
I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (2002)
just not funny anymore.
This used to be a pretty half decent show, when there were actual celebritys on and they were genuine. The confrontations and arging was real and so was the humour and laughter. Now the show is full of non celebritys and everything seems so fake and forced. Ant and dec need to be put out to pasture, their school yard humour just isnt funny anymore. Everyone is so afraid of social media that they just tow the party guidelines, make assinine comments, childish jokes and over the top and fake reactions to every situation in the hope of boosting their media profile. Long gone are the days when celebrity actual meant being famous.
Grimcutty (2022)
enjoyable horror flick
I have to say i quite enjoyed this horror movie. Will probably be more relatable to social media brigade but enjoyable none the less. A real creepy looking monster and a few scares along the way. Lead was quite likeable and rest of cast gave good supporting roles. Nothing to gory, makes more of a scare in the tense built up to altercations with the protaganist and the ending although seemed a bit predictable was enjoyable none the less. Special effects were a C or a B. Its definatly worth a watch for something a bit different. You wont be disapointed a nd maybe relate to those of us who have children that are glue to social media.
Vampire Academy (2022)
this dosn't suck (no pun intended)
If you use the books as a guide rather than a script you get a pretty decent vampire show. Ignore all the 10/10s and 1/10s and read the inbetween reviews and you will get a more honest feel of how good or bad the show is. I for one quite enjoyed it. It wasnt quite as good as the movie but it came pretty darn close. Script is pretty solid and decent performances from most of the characters. Special effects are on point. Given the state of streaming platforms and how fast they seem to cancel shows whether good or bad. I could see this show running for 3 or 4 seasons if it picks up the pace and with legacies finishing its a good way to get your vampire fix.
House of the Dragon (2022)
just blah
Granted its only one episode in but it was nothing special. Maybe expectations are high but i was a bit disappointed. I really hope it picks up as its predecessor was awesome.
Orphan: First Kill (2022)
no original
As a stand alone movie this would have been a pretty decent flick but tying it to the original fails. Anyone who was familiar with the original knows the big reveal came as a bit of a shock and the protaganiost was definately creepy. In this the child looks like an adult so the creepiness isnt quite there. It is however creepy and decent performances all round. Definately worth a watch.
Prey (2022)
great add to the predator series
I have to say i really enjoyed this. Amber Midthunder is an absolute badass in the lead. I was particular impressed by the was it was aged to wild west. This is well worth a watch and in my opinion its one of the better movies from the predator series.
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
this sucks !!!!!!!!!!!!!
What you have here is lazy made movie with all the players cashing in on a great franchise with as little effort as possible, all in the name off making a quick buck. The situations the cast get into is laughable and the way they escape them is proposturous. FX are great and at times entertaining but definately not worth the small fortune i spent at the cinema.
NCIS: Hawai'i (2021)
A real let down
Terrible casting makes this a failure ,with a lot of bad acting thrown in for good measure. This should have been a great chapter in the NCIS legacy but fails miserably. Disappointing.
Memory (2022)
Solid action thriller
Above average thriller. Clips along at a good pace. Strong cast and good performances all round. Definitely worth a watch. Liam nelson at his kickass best.
Morbius (2022)
Epic failure
This has got to be the worse casting ever. No empathy for any of the characters and a substandard plot. Pretty cool effects but fails everywhere else.
Scream (2022)
dull,boring,phoning it in.
Putting the killers front and centre on the movie poster has to be the dumbest idea ever, completely spoilt it for me, took me right out of the moment. Its like almost every sequal thats released lately, no real thought put into the plot, actors just going through motion and just churn out a movie that relies on its predecessor . If i'm completely honest i think the scary movie franchise ruined the scream franchise, you cant watch it without laughung a little. Enjoy it for what it is but dont expect to much.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Sad demise of an old friend
If this had been the first there would never have been a second. It seems its the run of the mill these days, add a sequil to a popular movie add put no thought into it. Epic let down across the board. Worth watching to compare to original but be prepared to be disappointed.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
pretty decent reboot
Has to be said they really captured the creepiness on the first 2 games, especially the mansion and the RPD building. Story moves along at a pretty decent pace. My only negative take away would be the terrible casting. The jill valentine and leon characters in particular were nothing like they should have looked, which for me it took a lot away from the finished product. Its a good watch but it could have been a lot better.
No Time to Die (2021)
one of the best
Loved this final outing for daniel craig and in my opinion definately one of the better bond movies. Action moves along at a good pace and a great storyline. I have to say who ever cast Lashana Lynch as 007 , it was inspired, such a badass, really hope to see more of her in future bond movies. Absolutly worth a watch.