wolfman111071's Reviews

The Last of Us (2023– )

9/10

16 January 2023

Only one episode in and I'm hooked! As a MASSIVE fan of both games, I haven't been this excited to watch a TV series in my life.

Any concerns I had about Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, vanished within the first 30mins.

There are so many recognisable scenes recreated from the game that it felt familiar, yet had enough changes and "tweaks" to make it feel new too.

Certain things that happen in the game are reimagined but still occur and progress the story effectively.

There was no way that Neil Druckman was going to let his "baby" get ruined! I have seen a documentary about the making of the game back in 2013, and he directed the motion capture scenes himself. It was evident from that how much passion he had for the project back then, and that passion has not waned AT ALL!!

If you haven't played the game - watch this! Or play the game first then watch this!

If you have played the game - STILL watch this!! In any way shape or form, watch this if you like genuine, gritty and emotionally driven horror drama shows.

What has been regarded as the "Best story ever told in a videogame" (it won well over 200 awards...) has come to the medium of TV and by the looks of things, has lost nothing of it's impact!

Oh, and remember "Chernobyl" also created by Craig Mazin, was the highest rated show on IMDB for months... he knows what he's doing!

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This Is Christmas (2022)

8/10

Nice surprise

11 December 2022

Watched this not expecting much - I've watched Sky Original films before and been unimpressed.

Not sure what others are watching when criticising the lead actors... both natural and the chemistry is palpable.

Genuinely gives a warm fuzzy feeling, which is everything you need from a Christmas film! Definite strains of Love Actually, in the intertwined storyline, and even a little bit of "Pay it Forward" in the scenes on the train. All set against the backdrop of London at Christmas which is just magical - truly heartwarming!

Properly surprised, and enjoyed every minute of the film. Added to my list - Love Actually, Last Christmas, The Holiday, Gremlins, Polar Express and Disney's A Christmas Carol (the Jim Carrey one). Give it a go - if you're like me, and a sucker for a true feelgood, Christmas film, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

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Battle Los Angeles (2011)

8/10

Highly underrated

17 July 2022

I REALLY don't get why this is rated so low. No, the story isn't "original" - aliens invade earth - and we've seen hundreds of movies like that.

However, this is much more like a war movie than the average invasion film, and feels like how a squad of US Marines might actually take on an invading alien force.

There are human elements to the story - how the troops react to losing comrades; evacuating civilian children, for example. And sure, there are some overly heroic actions by some of the troops which may seem "gung-ho" but if anyone cares to read any factual stories about WW2 and D-day in particular, you'll realise that there are soldiers who act like that in combat, which is how Victoria Crosses and Purple Hearts were awarded! And besides, how do ANY of us know how we'd react if this WAS real...

The action is pretty relentless, and I for one think the acting is good, the SFX are decent. No, the aliens aren't especially scary, but that's not the point of this film.

A very underrated movie, and I'd love to see a sequel.

Way better than people give it credit for...

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The Midwich Cuckoos (2022)

8/10

Surprisingly good

11 June 2022

Read some of the other reviews and was getting concerned.

But, as someone who has seen both versions of Village of the Damned, I decided to see why so many people were slamming this.

First off, the acting is good - especially the kids, they really are creepy!

Anyone complaining about this being brought up-to-date, is missing the point. It still works set in a modern environment. Unlike other Sci-fi classics such as War of the Worlds, which ABSOLUTELY needs to be set in victorian times (the inability of "turn of the century" technology to fight the Martians, is key to the story) very little gets lost by setting this "today." Very few complaints about TWotW that Spielberg made with Tom Cruise being set in modern day US - with RPGs, nukes, tanks, etc... It's not a bad film, just NOT War of the Worlds!

Sure, there aren't many villages like this left in the UK, and NO, they wouldn't have such a well supplied police station, but REALLY... is that the worst complaint...!?

Complaining that something in a "Sci-fi" show is stretching the imagination is just plain ridiculous... it IS SCIENCE FICTION!!

Watch this for what it is - a creepy, atmospheric, well acted and quite tense, Sci-fi thriller with a few good shocks. Ignore a couple of dodgy SFX, and remember this isn't a multimillion dollar, Hollywood production, and enjoy a "modern" retelling of John Wyndham's classic.

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Pieces of Her (2022)

7/10

Pretty Faithful to the book

7 March 2022

Warning: Spoilers

So, I have just finished watching the Netflix adaptation of Karin Slaughter's book, Pieces of Her. I have yet to finish the book (only a few chapters to go) but I can say that everything I have seen has remained pretty faithful to the source material - Karin Slaughter, is listed as an Exec. Producer, so she has been involved with the project.

I have seen others criticise the fact that it was filmed in Australia, and had Aussie actors...!? I don't feel that this detracted from the story in any way, and at no point did I find myself shouting at the screen - "That's Australia!" Both Christian Bale, and Robert Pattinson are British and have played Batman/Bruce Wayne - an AMERICAN - without criticism, so this seems a rather moot point to be making. Plus, it would have been filmed during the pandemic, and Aus./NZ was one of the only places open to film in!

I will agree, the story does give away the plot too early on in the series, but it is well acted, and filmed. The book does jump between the two timelines a lot, and I think the series handled this quite well, and I never really found myself getting lost. Unfortunately, the scene that sets the story in motion - Toni Collette's defence of her daughter in a diner shooting - has been "dumbed down" and isn't nearly as shocking as it read in the book.

My only real criticism is this... Karin Slaughter has been one of the top crime writers of the last decade, and this is a relatively new book. Her earlier "Grant County" series, and the spin-off "Will Trent" series of books would make for MUCH better TV. This is certainly NOT one of her best stories, and I think the more negative reviews are a reflection of this.

That is not to say, it isn't worthy of watching - it is! But, if you are expecting something ground-breaking, you will be left wanting. Unfortunately, like the book, this is a fairly "run-of-the-mill" crime story/drama, and not up to Karin's usual high standards - seems an unusual move on Netflix's part to pick one of her latest novels. I would LOVE to see a film adaptation of her first novel - Blindsighted - and then, perhaps, the subsequent books in the series...

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A Christmas Number One (2021)

5/10

What a shame

12 December 2021

Unfortunately, what is meant to be a "feel-good" movie, misses the mark by a long way!

Despite having some good actors in it, they never actually seem to be comfortable in their roles.

Don't get me wrong, there are some funny moments, but they're few and far between.

A far better film is Last Christmas!

This could have been so much better...

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On the 12th Date of Christmas (2020 TV Movie)

7/10

Decent Christmas movie

10 December 2021

As a "made-for-tv" movie, by Hallmark, this is actually pretty good.

Likeable characters, and a different storyline from many of the others.

Genuine "feel good" film that probably deserves more exposure.

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Chernobyl (2019)

9/10

Chilling...

8 June 2019

As someone that works in the nuclear industry in the UK, we're taught about the effects of criticality incidents and accidents. Having been born in 1971, I was in secondary school in 1986 when this happened, so already knew a fair bit about it from stuff I'd learned over the years. I can honestly say that this series has sparked numerous conversations at work and talking with the "experts" this is about as accurate a depiction of the effects on the human body, from radiation, as you're ever likely to see. And to some extent, it's still been "dumbed down" to make it easier viewing... The 1980's Soviet Union, and their distrust of EVERYONE is scarily portrayed. Ignore the British, northern accents of the large majority of the actors, and instead, watch one of the most horrific, scary, stories, unfold. And never forget, this is a TRUE story; this REALLY HAPPENED! It has opened the eyes of some of the trainees we have to the dangers of working with radioactive substances - one of the most dangerous substances known to man. Enjoy!!

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