grahamn-5 Reviews

Attack on Titan (2013–2023)

Season 4 ruined it!

[7/10 · 11 November 2023]

I know this review isnt going to get many likes, but this is how I feel

The number of stars is for the whole series - 10 stars for each of series 1..3 and 1 star for series 4.

I loved seasons 1 - 3 and was looking forward to season 4 to wrap up everything... First couple of episodes were great, then what happened?

Characters are drawn differently - so much so I didnt even recognise them! This is what I dislike the most.

Personalities have changed, now they are brooding, narcissistic and not likeable. Erin completely unlikable.

Story is hard to follow and flashes forward, flashes back, flashes all around.

And its boring

After getting to ep 13 or thereabouts, I dont think I can bring myself to finish watching them, because every episode is getting worse.

The Terminal List (2022– )

Too many long long long long dialogues

[4/10 · 14 July 2022]

I get it, he loved his family, but there are hours of flashbacks to happier times, and long lingering shots of sad walking, driving, gazing into the distance whilst having apparently meaningful conversations about past times... Seldom adding to the story. Soon had me reaching for the skip on the remote to get to more interesting parts.

See (2019–2022)

Kinda dull

[4/10 · 3 November 2021]

Would be much more interesting if they could see.

The fact that everyone is blind just seems to hamper the story...watched a few episodes but it didn't get more interesting, so abandoned it.

Foundation (2021– )

Takes some effort, but worth it.

[8/10 · 15 October 2021]

I'm starting to quite enjoy this series - it was good for binging on the first few episodes to catch up. I'm not a massive fan of SciFi, as the style often seems to drop the reader or viewer into a universe with an entire backstory and dozens of characters without any preamble - which I find confusing.

Foundation threatened to do the same thing, but restrained itself just enough to not lose my attention, and now its starting to draw me in with a rich story encompassing politics, scifi, rebellion, etc - classic stuff and amazing imagination.

Beautifully filmed with amazing special effects.

Pay attention to character names and places though, as the first couple of episodes set up everything and if you're not paying attention you'll probably get lost!

Reminiscence (2021)

Fascinating and thought provoking movie for those who have loved and lost

[9/10 · 19 September 2021]

If you want your movies clear cut, with good guys and bad guys, a simple story of good vs evil, with a nice happy ending - this isnt it. Go watch a Marvel movie or something.

I think that older viewers who carry with them relics of failed relationships, hurt, guilt and deep regret from decades ago can probably relate all too well to the painful reminiscence of events that have mold one's life in profound ways - and yet you have only have part of the story and will never find out what really happened.

The temptation to go back and relive the past and find out what *really* happened is an interesting movie plot that for me anyway, stirred up deeply painful memories that I definitely was not expecting.

Well acted, perfect noir themed movie, beautiful dialogue that is poetic and full of meaning. A relatively complex story line, so pay attention to every word.

Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

A more profound movie that I expected

[8/10 · 30 September 2018]

I'll admit it, I watched this movie because its notorious, but was surprised to find the cannibalism was minor. What it really is is a movie about exploitation that is a lot more than skin deep and mixes a fictional movie with reality in ways that are quite disorientating - I found that I couldn't easily compartmentalize the violence, rape and gore into "this is just a movie" as easily as usual. The reason is simple - the animal deaths are real, the guts that are portrayed as human are probably real animal guts, the director exploits the real natives (they were real and none of them get credits), the main characters exploit the natives, the natives exploit each other, the studio execs exploit everyone, I (as a watcher) am exploiting the natives and the animals.

Very interesting to ponder in the days after you've watched it.

Don't get me wrong though... the finale is pretty gruesome and looks very very real, partly because it maintains the handicam/lost film idea right to the end.

I guess I didnt give it a 10 because the it doesnt really age well - but most certainly this is a one of a kind movie that can't be easily repeated - certainly not by Hollywood.

Westworld (2016–2022)

Boring as...

[2/10 · 12 August 2017]

Its one of those sagas that spends the entire first series setting something up that presumably happens in the next series.

Trouble is... its boring. Really, really, *really* boring.

Nowadays, if a series does that to me I might gut my way through series 1, but can't be bothered with series 2. Life is too short.

Che: Part Two (2008)

Artless purity

[4/10 · 22 December 2009]

What an unusual movie.

Absolutely no concessions are made to "Hollywood special effects" or entertainment. There is no background music, not special effects or enhanced sound.

Facial expressions are usually covered by thick beards and the Spanish language is a strange monotonic lilt that sounds the same whether in the midst of a battle or talking around a campfire.

I sort of viewed these movies (parts 1 and 2) as an educational experience, not really something to go and get entertained by. Its quite long and in places dull.

But I suspect that given the lack of any plot development, I don't think its very educational either.

Its also difficult to perceive any story from the movie dialogue - it would be a good idea to read up a little on the history so that you can understand the context of what is happening, since for some reason the director didn't see fit to inform the audience why Che's band was moving around the way they did - as a result there seem to be groups skulking around the woodland for no particular reason and getting shot at.

I would have loved to give this movie more stars for somehow generating more empathy with me and developing depth of character, but somehow all of the characters were still strangers to me at the end. The stars it gets are for realism and showing the hardships of guerrilla warfare.

Generation Kill (2008)

Dull

[3/10 · 15 October 2009]

Well, clearly I am in the minority here...

But if this mini series was designed to show the dullness and blandness of war, then it certainly did that well. And ended up being dull and boring to watch! You could argue that war is like that, however one particular episode when marines are coming under sustained fire from no less than 3 directions, while being cornered on a bridge - and yet the only wound *any* of them receive is a scratch - well, that just tests credibility too much. Naturally, the death toll amongst from the attackers was massive.

Realistic? Apart from that, almost the only other action in the whole series is a convoy of Humvee's shooting up some Iraqi shopkeepers in a small village and hollering like rednecks.

After watching a few episodes, I was rooting for the Iraqi militia.

Tiger Cruise (2004 TV Movie)

Disliked it...

[2/10 · 6 June 2009]

I watched this movie with my 4 year old son on TV and would have preferred that the 9/11 bits were not included, as it transformed the movie from a nice bit of pleasant fluff, to what seemed to me to be thinly disguised recruitment for the US armed forces - where the US is the guardian of truth and justice and the armed forces are only used as a last resort against the evil in the rest of the world.

I realize that this viewpoint will upset a good many readers, and I was content to let my son (at 4 y.o.) marvel at the airplanes and 'boys toys' - however, if he were of an age where the more subtle message would get through to him - I would have had to explain to him that the world, and the armed forces, is not like what this movie would the viewer believe. And the world won't stop turning because one mid-ranking naval officer decides to put his family before country - like he should have.

Having said all that, its an movie with competent acting in undemanding roles - much like mass produced kids TV.