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Reviews
Silo (2023)
I wish there were 3 seasons to binge watch
Very easy to watch, absorbing and entertaining. Believable and slow burning plot that is not boring at all as it's all held together with well acted and well rounded and credible characters. Set in a post-apocalyptic underground bunker where 10,000 people live, the story meanders between politics, law, mystery and unspoken taboos. In search of the "truth", the lead protagonists introduce us to a complex society that survives in spite of the challenges of living permanently underground. There is definitely scope to play the long game with this series - and I wish I'd discovered it after three (or more) seasons so that I could binge watch it!! The answer could be to forget about it for a couple years and come back when there are more seasons to watch - but that is not gonna happen - I'm hooked already. I hope they don't cancel it. Great show, highly recommend it.
Billions (2016)
Season 1-5 fantastic. Since Damien Lewis (Axe) left it's bad.
Great series similar in some ways to Wolf of Wall St and Succession. Loved those two as well. Billions is a clever collection of stories set in the high flying banking world, The cast are all fabulous - but let's be honest, the star of the show is / was Damien Lewis who played the lead - Bobby Axelrod (chief at the Axe Capital bank). Coming in at a very close second, in my opinion, is Paul Giamatti. Together, these actors provide outstanding onscreen performances as arch rival characters - with edge of seat excitment. But the class and intensity that Lewis brings to the show is second to none. He is utterly convincing in his role and pulls the cast around him to create compelling episodes in the first 5 seasons.
But all that changed when he left the show. I do not know the circumstances behind his departure, perhaps he felt it was done. Well, now it is and sadly season 6 tries, but will never reach the previous levels.
The Ark (2023)
So bad it's strangely good
Like something from the 1970s (Logan's Run anyone?), it's a low budget, non pretentious sci-fi soap. Sure the cast are all just out of acting school and the cheapo sets are like something from 1980s Doctor Who or Star Trek, but it's still kind of fun and strangely enjoyable to watch. Don't take it too seriously - it certainly doesn't demand much - just take it for what it is and you might escape for an hour to a story of another possible reality. I'm guessing it's getting a poor rating because it doesn't have the CG of Lost In Space or the expensive cast of the latest Star Trek, but lower your expectations and give it a try.
Station Eleven (2021)
Quirky and fun
I really liked this series. I thought it had some genuinely funny and touching moments. I particularly like the whole creative direction which is very unusual in a doomsday kind of genre. It gave it a lot more hope for humanity - although I would like to see a broader base of theatre, not just the classic Shakespeare.
Bring on the next season!
The Girlfriend Experience (2016)
all seasons good in there on way - why so many haters?
I enjoyed all three seasons - they are all a bit different. I really can't understand why so many people hated season 3 - sure there is less sex but the story is stronger, more sci-fi oriented. All in all, a great watch!
Fear the Walking Dead (2015)
Utterly dull and a sad demise
First 2 or 3 seasons were watchable, now sadly all getting worse and season 7 is a total wate of time.
This needs to end. Time to bring it all together and save the planet.... or not, but please wrap this up.
Tenet (2020)
Ridiculous, arduous, tedious and lousy
I fell asleep and never do that in movies. Basically, a lot of what seems like daft plots lines - I mean if things are going backwards, why not speech too? Now that would have made it more watchable.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Shallow and dull slasher movie
Don't bother with this one, it's predictable and dull with repetitive scenes all adding up to a dissapointment. Depite a good cast and a great original story, this version is not worthy of your time.
The Cul De Sac (2016)
Great show and good acting from kiwi kids
Watched with my teens and it's a well written show that deserves more acknowledegment.
The actors are pretty good, the storyline is very watchable and the locations are fun, with some basic special effects.
I think the whole team has done a good job and overall must have been fun to make as it is fun to watch.
Limitless (2015)
fun and enjoyable, please renew!
Great series with well rounded characters. The plot is feasible and believable and the episodes are all enjoyable.
Apart from the obvious 'glorification of drugs' issue, I cannot understand why it would be cancelled - mayb it's a bit too close to the truth and was pulled by the CIA !
Life (2017)
Not worthy of your time or money
Rarely do I bother to write a review, but I feel so annoyed, I am forcing myself to write one for this movie! In a nutshell: utter garbage, with a pinch of great cinematography.
So crazy that screen writers can make a living from this sort of trash. If I was their boss, the people who wrote / produced this movie would be out the door.
The movie had so much potential, but was spoiled by too many unrealistic and head scratching, logic defying events.
One such example is at the beginning of the movie, when the researcher in the lab, who is examining the sample, asks his colleagues to increase the temperature. So why, when this Alien starts to attack him, couldn't they simply have lowered the temperature again to freeze it back into stasis? Instead, we are expected to sit through a long and stupid cat and mouse, ultimately ending in the death of all on board and further insult as we learn the fate of Earth is now in the balance.
Daft movie, 2 stars because of the nice scenery. I wish I'd read the reviews before wasting 2 hours of my L I F E
Into the Forest (2015)
Worth a watch
Not terrible, not brilliant - just OK. Worth a watch but the ending is really a disappointment and it's just one of those movies where you say out loud "What!? Oh come on FFS".
If it were you that had directed this movie or indeed written the script, it wouldn't be that hard to actually do something a bit more:
a) realistic (why would they burn down the house FFS) and
b) a bit more hopeful.
Overall, I'd say it could have been so much more a cliché but true!
Acting was reasonable, location good and story line not unfeasible (though quite why the entire planet appears to have gone offline is never explained).
Spectre (2015)
Dark and unremarkable
Forget your sunglasses, you'll need a torch. Most of the movie is set in darkness or semi darkness. I hate that.
Secondly, nothing new - in fact just a regular rehash of all the same kind of stuff you've already seen a hundred times before. Not saying that every movie needs to be original, but this was really dull and boring.
Waste of time and money.
Next time, I'll go with my GF and hope to get a foot massage. Seriously that would have been a more rewarding way to spend 2 hrs.
Don't waste your time
The Emperor's New Clothes (2015)
Important Contemporary Social Comment
The Pros:
1) This is a very well made documentary in true Brand style - no holds barred presentation of the facts.
2) Winterbottom, Brand and their team should be congratulated for capturing a true reflection of current financial inequality and hardship in Britain (and to some extent, globally).
3) Easy to watch and relate to. Hard not to agree with everything Brand says, with compelling evidence of banking system corruption, government secret deals and corporate tax avoidance.
I particularly enjoyed the scenes with the kids at the school and thought the analogy about sharing toys equally was powerful.
Cons: Other than the obvious points: 1) that many of the figures presented could be argued for accuracy
2) the timing of the release to coincide with a British election is a bit suspicious.
3) very little if not zero critique of any Labour policies, therefore makes it clear where Brand's political party allegiance lies, which is fine, but it appears to be concealed.
4) Whilst the subject matter is painfully true and this film should be seen by everyone - it is very light on any form of prescription or a "what to do next" or "what can you do now". Obviously the team have decided not to take that route - but it seems a missed opportunity if someone sits through 90 minutes, agrees with it and then goes back to watching Eastenders afterwards. Even a "Subscribe to the Trews" link would have been better than nothing... youtube.com/user/russellbrand
Conclusion
Russell, thanks for putting yourself on the line to speak for the gross inequalities that exist in Britain. Regardless of what your motives might be - you are doing a great service to the human race.
This film should be shown free and played on loop in the hope that Occupy or whatever organisation comes next - can be more widely mobilised in order to be successful.