jcfcever-20202 Reviews

Encounter (III) (2021)

Well acted but entirely obvious

[3/10 · 11 December 2021]

This is not a sci-fi movie. I can forgive the over acting, but it's pretty dull....not because it's really bad, because it just isn't what it suggested it was going to be. It's like one of those overlong made for TV movies, but with better quality cameras used.

The Alpines (2021)

Good for it's budget

[7/10 · 22 September 2021]

It's not a good script, but it's acted out pretty well. This is the sort of thing that would have been great if it had been funded adequately. The premise is OK, it needed refining. I can tell it was alright because I got to the end, and it's not my usual kind of film. If you put this on stage, as a play, it would get rave reviews....you could do the whole thing on stage. It's more a theatre production than a film, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was written by someone that does that and not film.

First Signal (2021)

Perhaps the greatest movie ever

[10/10 · 2 September 2021]

I had low expectations of this movie, but it's not a movie that thrives on traditional elements like strong acting, good/passable cinematography or a reasonable script. What First Signal shows us is that all of that nonsense is overrated. I have a busy life, I want to know within 30 seconds what a movie is like. After the opening 30 seconds of this movie It knew I didn't need to dedicate my time towards watching the rest. That's an Oscar worthy achievement in my opinion.

Superdeep (2020)

Really not that bad

[7/10 · 26 June 2021]

I've seen far worse films. The idea is good, the acting is OK and the set is decent. Sure, it's not particularly original, but it was watchable.

2067 (2020)

Not that bad

[6/10 · 6 October 2020]

It starts off looking like a sci fi channel movie. Yes, there are serious flaws with it....but it turns into a good looking film, and the lead actor isn't bad....the rest, not so great. They did a lot with the budget, an incredible amount. The script is nothing special, but it's not entirely obvious until near the end

Paula (2017)

It's loses the plot

[8/10 · 11 August 2020]

Paula starts off as semi believable and ends as if another writer was brought in to co write the final episode. I also suspect that is what probably happened.

Everything seems to be building up to James and Paula being brother and sister....and that was likely the original ending. A lot of the loose ends would have been tied up, minus the how she sneaked a box with a person in it under the floor of the cellar.

My theory is the ending was changed because someone thought they could get another series out of it.....but misjudged how it would be received. I found it watchable and well acted, if a bit more than a tad daft. The lesson here is tie up the 1st series unless you have the 2nd in the bag

Mope (2019)

I liked it

[8/10 · 5 August 2020]

Not a story I was aware of. Well acted, probably cut down a bit for time like most films. The key characters are reasonably well explained, perhaps one fringe character isn't, but they are being used for effect. It's done well, but moves fast towards the finish....which makes sense considering the mental health of the main character.....it doesn't dwell on the stuff that is thrown in to pad it out. Also I like that it doesn't create overly sympathetic characters, nor monsters. It's not a faithful to every detail biopic, it's going for a feeling of what happened and possibly why it happened

Marcella (2016–2021)

Not that Bad!

[6/10 · 5 July 2020]

Series 1 & 2 are daft but OK. There is nothing believable about it, but it's alright. The acting is fine, if it was trying to be less clever it would work as the characters kind of get confused. I could tolerate watching it, even enjoy it.....but then series 3 happened, and it just doesn't work at all. There was an opportunity, even at the end of series 2, to pull it back and tie up the thousands of loose ends....but they may as well have set it on the moon and claimed it was an aliens dream

Ashens and the Quest for the Gamechild (2013)

You have to be a fan

[7/10 · 31 December 2019]

If you have no prior knowledge of Stuart Ashen, this film isn't going to make a lot of sense. It's well filmed, and it ties in with the themes from his other work. The jokes probably won't make any sense if you are watching this as a stand alone film....they are very dependent on seeing his YouTube series.

Personally, I think it's pretty good for what it is. It's quite amazing what can be accomplished with a tiny budget. There are things in it that could have a wider appeal, but I'm not sure it's about that. I don't believe he's looking to be the next Simon Pegg, more just trying to do something to the best of his ability that resonates with his existing audience. It achieves that and a bit more....so it will be interesting to see how it develops.