Film Reviews by TB

Quite interesting original concept - people keep seeing this man (the main character) in their dreams, and how that develops, but the developments are often without rhyme or reason, The film doesn't seem to really go anywhere with it, and doesn't really say anything either (or certainly nothing profound).

That's not to say it doesn't have it's moments - there's an interesting scene with one of the characters who has interacted with him in a dream in a way like none of the others, and then the attempt at reenactment is tantalizing and also very funny.

So as a whole, I don't think it really worked and I was left feeling "so what?".. but worth a watch...

Pretty much what I expected.. not very good...

.. or maybe it is, for a girl's female empowerment misandrist night-out...

(I'm male)

The somewhat predictable, but contrived premise of all men & women hating each other (or taking the opposite sex for granted at best) dominate this movie, and is the main origin of the 'laughs' (not that there is much funny about this movie), and actually seems to preach women's apparent superiority over men... ("ha ha, that's so funny!" x 50)

Or am I being too harsh? (as we do live in a predominantly patriarchal society & world)

But saying that, there is the odd bit that is quite clever or works well (like the 2001 pastiche), although the film is essentially bigging up the concept of Barbie as a whole (more than just a mere doll of course!).

My partner (female) said to me - "Loads of people [women] told me this film is great..?" She didn't get it either...

And is Will Ferrell simply just a very annoying actor, or just always acting an annoying part in everything he's in?

I enjoyed this.. road movie on foot.. reminded me of David Lynch's The Straight Story...

Jim Broadbent is excellent as always.

But, this is the first review I have dropped by a star in retrospect, because it's told, and has the feel of a true story, but it's not.

Dunno why exactly, but that makes me feel let down by it. I think it's because it's the story of a guy who walks 500 miles for weeks to visit his dying friend for no good reason (instead of driving or taking the train), when he could have got there in a day - and that in my mind would have been an imperative in that scenario (but a different or less interesting story). Because I assumed it to be true while watching it, it made it more appealing as to why he would have set about such an endeavour.

Still a good watch though.

Quite enjoyable.. it has it's moments.. and an interesting story line.. but really not very good overall...

Robert Rodriguez directing - this is quite a drop from the genius that was Sin City...

Pretty good horror (I'm not a fan of most), but I kinda feel it's not really an Evil Dead film (though it seemed better than the 2013 remake).

The same rules apply (albeit in a completely different setting), and has nice little nods to the originals (eyeball, chainsaw, & shotgun), but it lacks any humour or slapstick, or the Raimi directorial touch.

Still better than most horrors out there though... 3 1/2 stars.

Origin Yellowstone story, 1883 tells the story of the Duttons' trail from Tennessee to Montana.

I thought this was better than the Yellowstone TV series (not that I'm a particular fan of the Western genre). I think the main reasons are that the whole story arc is spread over just 1 season, and I actually really cared about the characters, their journey, and their plight along the way. It's also probably less far-fetched. Aspects to the story are very moving or harrowing.

You don't need to have seen Yellowstone at all to watch this - recommended viewing.

I thought some aspects were excellent, other parts not so good.. I'm still not sure how I would rate it as a whole.. some people will probably hate it...

Let's have a look at some pluses and minuses...

Plus points -

Chaotic spectacle, with quite a few really OTT scenes

Not really like any movie I can think of, and self-indulgent

Albeit fictional story, there are some interesting historical elements (esp. going from the silent era to talkies)

Margot Robbie is great in it, perfectly cast

Looks fantastic, with some excellent editing (not all good though)

The last couple of minutes of the film are great (worth waiting for if you didn't enjoy the rest of the movie so much)

Minus points -

Chaotic spectacle, with quite a few really OTT scenes

Not really like any movie I can think of, and self-indulgent

Disjointed sprawling narrative (that didn't always work)

I felt that Brad Pitt was somewhat wasted in this; not bad, but not great either

Didn't really care about the characters - even one of the main protagonists, who's story arc is pretty much the backbone of the movie; but some scenes do still connect on an emotional level

Hard to rate with all the +/- so I'll give it 3 1/2 stars

But don't be fooled into thinking this is action-packed, it's not (although the action parts are quite machete-wielding brutal).

It's actually quite boring in parts, and some elements of the plot seemed very contrived (esp. considering it is "inspired by true events").. so this meant I didn't really care for the characters that much (although I did care for their cause), I wasn't really invested in it...

But not too bad overall I guess.. meh... 3 stars is probably generous - I wanted to like it more than I did.

Set in pre-independence India, the 2 main protagonists are basically superheroes, and is essentially a revenge/uprising movie, against the big bad British Empire (not often projected as such in the movies).

Overall, it's an above average action movie, with heart, and you certainly root for the good guys. For the elaborate but ridiculous action set pieces, the CGI is adequate to pretty good. There's the odd song & dance routine in it as well, which is curious in an action/fantasy movie, and I didn't find too objectionable.. but hey ho, that seems be a staple of Indian cinema...

Note: I have seen this film referred to as Bollywood, but actually it's Tollywood (Telugu-language film industry).

Went to see new Avatar in 3D in the cinema - it’s amazing, absolutely stunning!

I didn't have particular expectations for it (I didn't want to have high expectations due to loving the original), but they were more than surpassed.

I thought the 3D was excellent (and in the first Avatar too), so the viewing experience may be slightly diminished watching in 2D at home.

Main difference visually between the new one and the original, is that the Way of Water has a lot of footage underwater, which looks fantastic and beautiful.

Both me and my partner were so impressed by it.

It touched a chord so rarely in attained in movies, exactly what the cinema is designed for (while they still have them!).

Boring first act.. but got more interesting in the 2nd.. it had its moments.. certainly not for everyone.. ending was annoying...

Set in an isolated community on an island off Ireland with no trees.

Certainly original, but I actually found the first half quite boring, then picking up during the second half. The allegorical aspect is presumably to excuse the abject stupidity involved.

The same pairing as was In Bruges (which I loved), it had it's moments, but I didn't like this nearly as much.

Not quite sure why it got nominated for so many awards, but there you go...

I'm not an Elvis fan, but I enjoyed it.

He plays the part well, with great editing, and excellent prosthetics (the Colonel).

Has it made me want to listen to any more of Elvis?

No.

I don't really care what some filmmaker's depiction is of Viking Pagan rituals in the Dark Ages, but he could have given a more briefer glimpse into them, so it could actually get on with the story (which is essentially a Viking revenge film).

I do not recall watching a film that is crying out to have certain scenes significantly shortened.

At over 2 hours long (it felt a lot longer), if it had a hard edit, I might have actually recommended it.

Like Casualty, but with car chases, explosions, and a bigger budget...

3 stars is probably generous.