Short Reviews 24Q1
First Quarter 2024
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.
Freelance - Netflix. You can tell from the promo image that this would be a load of nonsense but it was harmless nonsense and didn't take itself too seriously, although it did kind of overcook all the gun battles to the point of stupidity...
About My Father - Sky Cinema. Robert de Niro talking Italian ("... italian...") Just the right side of being cringey (but only just) and there were some funny scenes, but most characters had barely one dimension let alone two!
The Creator - Disney+. (Unfinished) A lovely vintage montage at the start but everything else seemed cliched and derivative - way to go on the 2D characterization there. I'm sure that there will be redemption and growth along the way but I'm not willing to spend another 2 or 3 hours to find out!
Criminal Record - Apple TV+. This really draws you in, a very compelling story. Peter Capaldi was great and the acting all round was top notch. Story about a possibly corrupt cop and a rookie investigating a series of possibly linked crimes. Cleverly written
Silver and the Book of Dreams - Prime TV. TV Fantasy about dreams becoming real and shared. A strange and unusual film-visual and hyper-real, dreamlike but also grounded. Well worth watching.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 - Disney+. (Unfinished) Abandoned this after a while. It looks great, clearly lots of money spent on it but I just couldn't get into this enough to care about any of the characters to watch it until the end.
The Great Courses: History of English - Audible. Professor Michael Drout. I'm not sure that I learned too much I didn't already know but the good professor is always great to listen to!
In Ascension - Martin MacInnes. This was hypnotic and lyrical with convincing female characters. The story itself dragged a little towards the end, which itself was rather sudden. We follow a marine biologist down into the investigation of strange, -at least as far as one male reader can comment on the work of a male writer possibly extraterrestrial origin. In reality I think the plot was more of a framework to investigate the relationship between the main character and her mother and sister. SF with a side order of relationship stories.
Halo - Paramount+. (abandoned) I've tried to watch this twice now and given up after a couple of episodes. Partly because I can't seem to get subtitles on this series and quite a few of the characters( including Master Chief himself) mumble a lot and I couldn't hear them, but on the whole it just didn't hold my attention. Shame, because I'm probably missing out here.
Jesus Revolution - Sky Cinema. I mostly enjoyed this but I wasn't always sure where it was going. The story of an older preacher and a younger, spiritual man working to reach hippies in the face of opposition from the church authorities. It was an interesting story, well told but I wouldn't want to watch it again
Jules - Sky Cinema. A very sweet and funny movie about a stranded alien (shades of ET) and a curmudgeonly old guy( shades of Night sky) that takes some unexpected turns. Beautifully acted, high stake, but not too stressful (or too long!) this is a film that does make you think.
No Hard Feelings - Sky Cinema. lightly creepy story about an older woman and a young boy but funny enough to get over it. Jennifer Lawrence wanted to play against type perhaps? And I did like the setting so fun overall.