Short Reviews 22Q1
First Quarter 2022
Being a list of brief notes on other culture consumed over the this quarter of the year that I either abandoned or don’t feel needs a longer discussion.
Being the Ricardos - Prime TV. I did enjoy this, very authentic to look at, well acted but I did lose the thread of things at times.
Greyhound - Apple TV+. Tom Hanks captaining a destroyer guarding an Atlantic convoy. Well acted by all, the helmet worn by the radio operator was historically authentic but did make him look like Dark Helmet from 'Spaceballs'; and the taunting chat with the submarine was most certainly NOT historically authentic and actually quite silly.
Finch - Apple TV+. More Tom Hanks but accompanied only by his dog and a robot (wonder if Covid restrictions had any part to play here...?) in a post-apocalyptic future. Surprisingly moving, made you cry over a dumb robot.
Power of the Dog - Netflix. Powerful film, a very cleverly told story about 1910s(/) cowboy life, not a period often portrayed. Well acted, probably deserving of its awards but not something I would particularly want to watch again.
Red Notice - Netflix. Totally daft action movie that doesn't really take anything too seriously and is all the better for it.
French Exit - Sky Cinema. good concept with funny and unexpected moments but far too long on the atmospheric lingering shots
Constellation - Apple TV+. (abandoned) Usual high quality Apple production about a returning astronaut but it just didn't grab me( and there was a disturbing scene involving Jelly cat bunny and I just couldn't take anymore!
The Adam Project - Netflix. fun movie, Ryan Reynolds rarely makes a bad choice of role and plays this one well, but I did feel that tedious and unnecessary action scenes made the film longer than it needed to be
OMNO - Xbox. (abandoned) This was an open world puzzler that looked absolutely beautiful and was a delight to move around. The puzzles were satisfying, not overly complex but challenging enough to be interested, however I just gave up when I had figured out what was needed to solve a puzzle but that the actual execution required stupidly accurate button-mashing that my arthritic fingers just couldn't do!
The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard - Sky Cinema. fast paced fun and funny but leave your credibility at home! At least it doesn't take itself seriously, and the "hints" scene about where our hero should go next was a knowing (and funny) nod to unlikely coincidences in the movies.
Wolf Like Me - Sky TV. Another modern update on the werewolf theme with some clever use of the standard tropes in a fairly simple story that was pleasingly told. Whether that is enough to get me demanding a second season I'm not so sure.
Our Ladies - Sky Cinema. Story of a religious Girl's School trip to a choir contest in the big city. Slightly aimless but entertaining, not a great advertisement for Scottish men
Your Place or Mine - Netflix. A hopelessly unrealistic movie with a deeply unlikely premise about privileged white people that we really should dislike, but if you suspend the disbelief and accept that the world really is as clean as it looks here then this can be a good way to pass your time. There was something about house swapping, or possibly life swapping but everything looks very nice and the ending could be considered a tear-jerker if you were feeling particularly sentimental that day...