soundwright Reviews

The Red King (2024– )

Failure of directing

[4/10 · 7 May 2024]

The hallmark of good british crime dramas has always been roles being under played with dignity and respect for the viewers. In this one the lead actress gets a pass, just, but the important roles played by Adjoa Andoh and Mark Lewis Jones were unforgivably hamed up with a mix of amateur overacting and hyper theatrical speech that any director worth paying should have put a stop to immediately. That is what they are paid for. The younger cast members deported themselves well and I hope the self-indulgent performances of their elders does not rub off on them. Happy Valley and Marcella are modern examples of directors keeping tight reins on theatrical indulgence by actors, but casting should also answer for giving roles to those already guilty of overplaying roles in the past. Adjoa Andoh and Mark Lewis Jones have form.

The Famous Five (2023– )

Minus 5 if I could

[1/10 · 3 January 2024]

The list of things gone wrong with this is best left to others, suffice to say it is a great old story ruined by modern sensibilities and fear of upsetting the precious and fragile weaklings we think our children are. The production company deserves a participation trophy at best. You know what I mean, an award for turning up. I seriously hope there was no public money spent on this mess. When this sort of thing happens I always hope that the people responsible get told in no uncertain terms that this is not what the consumers want. Better still send a message to every production company by not giving whoever made this any more work.

Mother and Son (2023– )

Dear god no!

[1/10 · 24 August 2023]

Who thought this was a good idea?

If ever there was proof that Australian TV is a cultural desert, here it is. Also proof that you need a lot more than the inclusion of minorities and "box ticking" to make something memorable in a good way. Not a single laugh out loud moment in the first episode, or any tangible pathos or even a moment of authentic affection. All hallmarks of the original series. Why do we not have any directors who will play a straight bat with the "talent" and tell them that this is not Home And Away and you need to show some skills here. Denise Scott may have pulled it off with a proper script but the casting just didn't work.

Deadloch (2023– )

That's a NO from me.

[1/10 · 2 June 2023]

Madeline Sami's dreadful Eddie Redcliffe character is just so poorly played that I started to skip past her parts and you can only do that a few times before you hit a wall. The suspension of disbelief can only go so far, even if you approach it expecting a satirical/drama genre. The lead was doing her best with what she had, but you get the feeling she new it was not going well. Some how Australian producers and directors etc still let acters ham it up to the point where it's just embarrassing, and it's completely unnecessary to overplay any role if the script is strong. I really wanted to enjoy this but there is a limit.

Would I Lie to You? (I) (2022– )

Dear god no

[1/10 · 1 March 2022]

26 million people in Australia and all we can make is a franchize of a great british show, and do it poorly, even with Ross Noble roped in from the UK. No one else on the show has even a fraction of the wit and intellect of the UK cast. As for Carrie Bickmore.............just...........WHY???

Please Australian creatives, please do something original substantial and professional.

Muster Dogs (2022– )

Best ever dog series

[10/10 · 26 January 2022]

Heartwarming captivating brilliant tv. I've just lost my best ever Kelpie and shed some tears in each episode as I saw the qualities I love so much in every pup. The quality of the people was just as impressive. Well done ABC, this is what public broadcasting should be about.

Preppers (2021)

No and god no!

[1/10 · 27 November 2021]

Two glowing reviews and one of them just joined {thanks mum}.

I feel very sad for everyone involved. Seriously sad for anyone with a financial investment in this waste of everyone's time. I watched this for free and I still got ripped off.

Australia is now world renowned for two things, no action on climate change and a "black hole" of talent. {No racist pun intended}. Majority and minorities ALL stuffed this up.

Witches of Blackwood (2020)

Cardboard

[1/10 · 18 September 2021]

Just cardboard performances all round. Not a single redeeming feature. Why why do we {Australia} so rarely make something original and significant for the screen.

Top End Wedding (2019)

I wouldn't pay to see this one.

[3/10 · 14 August 2019]

Sorry to say but it is yet another mediocre Australian film, aimed at pleasing all but captivating to none. Some are saying "appealing cast" but I cannot say that. What it is is a list of cliche written characters played as such. Tiny fleeting snippets of "Iconic scenery" serve no purpose other than to illustrate the makers opinion that his audience will get bored with any lingering reflective takes.

Orange Is the New Brown (2018)

Just woeful

[1/10 · 17 November 2018]

God help us. If this is all we can produce in Australia, we better keep mining everything we can get out of the ground, because nobody is going to pay to watch this.

Bite Club (I) (2018)

Woeful effort and just plain sad.

[1/10 · 29 August 2018]

The Australian film/TV industry is decades old and this is what gets dished up in 2018 ?! God help us. To think this can compete on the international stage is the definition of self delusion. With scripts, acting and directing we have just got to do better, and we can.

Panic at Rock Island (2011 TV Movie)

How embarrassment

[1 August 2011]

Even Kylie Mole would not be proud of this one. As an Australian I apologise and ask that every effort is made to limit collateral damage. I.e. innocent people outside of Australia viewing this in the hope of being entertained. This movie is so bad that it could actually suck the will to live out of the Australian film industry. It achieves this by being a blight on the resume of all involved. A bit like the nations that did not join in with the invasion of Afghanistan. Those not involved now look intelligent and have saved mountains of money by not touching it. Those who did not participate in this movie look good by default. I am genuinely sorry for the many young actors involved who could have spent the day serving tables and flipping burgers without suffering anything like the embarrassment that is to come for those associated with this movie. The only thing that could have saved it was the seasoned experienced actors, but they too contracted the perennial Australian disease of toxic over-acting and taking themselves too seriously. One episode of "Misfits" ,channel 4 UK, and you can see how TV productions can be done well.

Ink (I) (2009)

Self indulgent tripe

[1/10 · 7 November 2009]

Self indulgent tripe like this may be the start of a great career for someone, but most likely it is just proof that amateur dramatics is best consumed after a great deal of alcohol, and it's best to listen to independent voices rather than the ever supportive encouragement of your mother. "benjamin-holland" puts it perfectly, saying "Ink is like watching an episode of The Power Rangers. It feels like a student film in nearly every respect. Most of the actors seem as if they were picked at random from a crowd, the cinematography (although, I'm certain it was a stylistic choice) is often flat and over-exaggerated, the soundtrack is tactless in its use at times..........Unless all the reviewers are the filmmakers' friends, I don't understand the praise.