balbip01 Reviews

The Rise and Fall of Boris Johnson (2024– )

Searches for excuses for a bumbling fool

[8/10 · 10 August 2024]

Let's nail one thing ... Johnson did not 'get Brexit done'. What he did in typical fashion was that he wouldn't put the effort in to make a Brexit deal work and just threw out out a vacuous slogan which made no sense.

Take that particular thing away and he stands exposed as a bumbling philandering lying idiot who the Conservative Party should never have let within a million miles of Downing Street.

The programme was useful in exposing the sense of entitlement to power that him and his ilk possess. Not so useful in attempting to excuse his behaviour on his childhood over and over...

Worth watching just for the Nadine moment when she realises her hero has just announced he won't be standing for PM.. positively creepy.

Overall a good reminder of why he led to the parties downfall in 2024.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Oh dear...

[4/10 · 22 April 2024]

A villain dressed up to look like a German colonel, a random collection of goody two shoes who agree to band together with no logic, all apparently over an argument over a few lorry loads of grain. Throw in the compulsory riding the Harry Potter beastie and some slow mo and apparently it's a movie. I understand that Disney turned it down which says everything. I suppose the visuals are good but that comes nowhere near making up for the cheesy dialogue and illogical plot. All been done before and much better and I fell asleep before it was all over. How such tosh even makes it past the storyboard is beyond my understanding.

Mandy: Destination: Dundee (2024) Season 3, Episode 1

Mandy on top form

[9/10 · 31 March 2024]

I nearly had a heart attack laughing when she took off her shoes to 'reveal' how tall she really is... and the terrorist trying to remember his bank account details - up there with Airplane.

Anyone who has flown with British cheapo airlines will recognise all the observations that Diane puts into her work... it's this attention to detail that puts the writing above the rest of the pack.

Mandy is the classic down on her luck character (perhaps pushed a bit too far in the later episodes) but this one episode and the next is comedy gold. I really hope we see more of Diane on the screen and this isnt the last of our heroine's life adventures.

Trigger Point (2022– )

Stale dialogue and unrealistic

[3/10 · 14 February 2024]

I know you cant possibly recreate things exactly as they would work, but there has to be some sense of realism which is almost completely missing (apart from blowing things up..). The police all run round doing their own thing as the writers thought this would add to the drama - instead it just looks plain silly - the lack of discipline is excruitating to watch and feels like its being rammed down your throat - I nearly gave up when the robot driver bottled it but struggled on to the end, only to see someone just casually wander over to a van to have a look at what might be inside - and you just knew what was about to happen.

I was just thinking to myself whats coming next and sure enough a right wing backlash etc etc etc - its like plot construction via Powerpoint. Not for me but it could have been a whole lot better.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Feeling very let down by this stinker

[3/10 · 4 February 2024]

I'm not a huge fan of superpower movies, but the first runout had everything in it, it was good fun, a logical plot, interesting characters and stunning effects.

So what happens? - its as if the writers decided that what they really needed to do was to construct a film with just about everything in reverse - not so good effects, boring characters, an illogical plot and a fight every 30 seconds that wasn't even fun (and please... a baby weeing on daddy-o is so cliché that I can only assume the writers didn't even show the director those scenes and filmed them on his day off).

This film just attracts a certain 13-17 audience who don't care about the film as long as it has lots of costumes and fights - for any other age range it's a huge let down after the first film. I recommend its now put to bed and everyone moves on.

Ghosted (I) (2023)

Im keeping this film for historical purposes....

[2/10 · 22 January 2024]

....as Im pretty sure its the first ever movie solely constructed with an AI program. Input words comedy, spy, London, baddie goodie and guns and poor quality jokes.

Output - complete and utter drivelling fluff.

There doesnt appear to be one creative scene in the whole movie, some of the sets the villains appear in appear to have filmed in the directors basement and there is a total absence of wanting to care about the characters.

I nearly gave up with the boring joke about the bounty hunters being killed off one after the other, but ploughed on to the end for the final 'hilarious' scene of the drug dealer in the car boot.

Program ends... rejig for the sequel no doubt.

Uncharted (2022)

Its the not so original mash up film....

[4/10 · 9 December 2023]

Which manages to throw together just about every oft repeated scene in movie action history so I suppose it has that going for it... but not much else, and by the end one just knew a. Who was going to survice all the epic scenes and b. You know who was still alive somewhere. Worse of all you just dont care - its all been done before, hardly anything is original and the story just goes on and on and on.... in the end myself and partner were just playing guessing games about where the scenes were filmed in reality just to pass the time away. One just yearns for some originality - nothing wrong with action scenes but lets have some novelty... please....

Frasier (2023– )

It will have to improve to survive

[4/10 · 27 October 2023]

Almost hate to say it as a Brit (because Murders in the Building is a great show from the States) but there are two things that are done better - know when to stop after something has been a success (think Fawlty Towers, think Vicar of Dibley etc) and second, know when to not have canned laughter (when the BBC aired MASH they did it without the laughter track and all the better for it).

So.... really wanted this to be a success but its too painful. Characters are weak the plot if forced and this could be a reboot too far. Perhaps it will be killed off and we can just live with all the original memories of a great show. I hope so.

Mask Girl (2023– )

Better than the average Korean pap but....

[6/10 · 24 August 2023]

The first three hours are intriguing, the last four drag out, so by the end I just wanted it to be over (and it was pretty obvious what that ending was going to be). It's a pity - as a fast pace 200 minutes film it would have been great. At seven hours there is far too much time spent on plot elements that could have been explained far quicker, and some parts don't make much sense. The english version I saw was dubbed which although it worked for the main characters really didn't for some minor ones - give me subtitles every time. Having said all that it still was streaks above a lot of stylised Korean work which mainly looks like it's created on a romantic AI machine.

Inside No. 9: Once Removed (2018) Season 4, Episode 3

Stand out comedy/thriller/horror all in one

[10/10 · 19 May 2023]

One of my favourite of the series... its like watching an Agatha Christie play which instead of playing over three hours condenses everything down into a half hour of brilliance. So much detail is crammed in that its really watching again after your first roller coaster viewing just to catch all the subtle details (and there are many...) - burning a hand on the Aga is so so British I burst out laughing.

All of the characters are played expertly, the dotty father, scheming mistress, smarmy estate agent (love the way they have him following the house seller all over the house...) and the others.....

If this was a one off it would be admired - the fact that its just one of 50 episodes is even better.

Inside No. 9: Thinking Out Loud (2020) Season 5, Episode 5

Predictable yes but....

[8/10 · 12 May 2023]

The featured review includes the line

'Also the influencer character was simply awful to watch'.

Wonderful! How that completely hit the mark. Ioanna Kmbooks performance hit the nail on the head, Yes completely awful to watch but you couldnt take your eyes off it as she disscects the world of influencers (you can buy all this stuff from my bag...) Complete with all the influencer sound bites, in the know abbreviations and other nonsense .

Like all series its going to have its weaker stories (stil worth an 8 to me) but this stand out character performance makes up for everything else. Great writing perfomrance and editing.

Rabbit Hole (2023)

Neither one thing or the other

[6/10 · 28 April 2023]

The premise is a good one and could have been a classic thriller, but there's too much illogicality going on - Weir's picture is plastered all over the place as a wanted murderer but he wanders around with everyone oblivious to it - including the daftest police station in the US. The rest of the plot seems to be the writers making it up on the hoof. The humour is terribly forced and keeps jarring with what I assume is supposed to be a serious story line. Theres a huge nod to the TV series Hustle but without the intelligence, characters or plot. Twists and turns are all very well but there needs to logic, not just ' it seems like a good idea lets run in that direction and back again'. First two episodes were okish but its been wandering since then and dubious that this will make it to a series 2.

Clarkson's Farm (2021– )

It could have been very good indeed

[3/10 · 21 February 2023]

Perhaps if Clarkson had been given a budget and told that was all he had instead of seemingly conjuring up money for this that and the other it would have been interesting.

Perhaps if some background had been given about why you just don't give planning permission in areas of outstanding natural beauty instead of Clarkson moaning about the 'planners' in the same silly way they talk about the blob.

Perhaps if they had kept to the rules about the shop and not dismissed them as just silly people who were getting in the way of their game

Perhaps if we could get real with the death defying stunts

Perhaps perhaps we would have been presented with a very interesting programme about farming and its problems instead of a very strange self absorbed Clarkson journey.

White House Down (2013)

Theres entertainment...

[1/10 · 10 February 2023]

And theres just full on dumb entertainment ... yep I dont mid plot holes, I dont mind jokey asides, I dont mind terrorists with pea sized brains, I dont mind plot holes the size of the Grand Caynon... but for goodness sake there are ways to make it entertaining - this movie throws all these things in the mix as if the director was reading off a pic'n'mix of trendy things to do in a movie, and forgot that doing it requires skill and effort, not just doing it. I suspect a lot of the stars of this movie wont be putting it front and centre of their cv's - most of them can and should do far better things with their careers than this mish mash .

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Should have been butchered by a sub-editor

[4/10 · 28 December 2022]

At least 45 minutes of this film could have been cut, the dialogue sharpened up and at least some resemblance of plot sophistication introduced (one of the kids saying 'are we tied up again?' gets my award for best in-joke of the year).

If that had happened then we would have had a great film with wonderful effects. Instead its just great effects film which just leads on to the next (which I don't think I will watch as I know whats coming). The effects must be costing so much that the studio is determined to squeeze the most out of it while it can.

Overall a disappointing experience which could have been so much better.

The Traitors UK (2022– )

Good but flawed execution

[7/10 · 16 December 2022]

As the interaction between the 'players' is the most interesting part of the game the game element where cash is earned doesn't really gel (I often just fast forward that bit) I think the producers just thought they had to have something interesting/exciting/outdoors cos it's Scotland.

The result is that full length it's too long and drags... I think they could have left out the games element completely and upped the traitors twists and turns , making for a much tighter show... the producers probably didn't have to offer cash.. the free board and lodging would attract the players.

Having said that it's still an interesting take on the reality show although I wonder if the participants have to sign a binding contract that they promise not to band together and collectively murder Winkerman in her sleep...

See How They Run (2022)

Good idea that doesnt live up to its aims

[5/10 · 24 September 2022]

The idea of intermeshing the Christie play with real life seems a good starting point, but I felt disappointed by the end. Some of the acting would have been better just played straight (playing the detective as a drunk seemed odd and he wouldnt have lasted five minutes in the fifties police force) and as for the weird portrayal of Christie herself, I have no idea what was being attempted there.

Not bad as a whodunnit but more attention to the characters would have greatly improved this. As others have said it will make great Sunday afternoon snooze time tv in the UK in a few years time, but I think overall a missed opportunity.

The Split (2018–2022)

Its OK but...

[7/10 · 5 May 2022]

Perfectly watchable but I do wonder about Nicola Walker's acting style - it seems that Ive seen this same sort of tempo over and over again in her work, and Im always left with the feeling that there is a lot more to her than you see,

Are the writers deliberatley scripting her to be this sort of stuttering life is just such a mess roles? ( I coincidentally watched her one appearance in Jonathon Creek and she was cast as the messed up woman in that).... fine for a while but I have a nagging feeling watching her that her true talents are far wider than, and I would love to see her in differing roles as Im sure she is more than capable,

The Heiress (2021)

Just got going and fizzled out

[2/10 · 29 March 2022]

Lots of potential and good acting but the storyline wandered for the last 25 mins and ultimately wasn't that scary. The tension between the medical and church is a good idea but never really developed.

Apex (2021)

Why does Bruce waste his talent?

[2/10 · 27 March 2022]

Oh dear.. apart from the pay check I can't think of one reason BW would want this script. Runs around in a red jacket watching all the hunters pop themselves off ... I was just waiting for the back to nature moment and sure enough the writers threw that in as well.

Very very poor.

My Golden Life (2017–2018)

You need to be a real Korean drama fan..

[3/10 · 25 February 2022]

To stay around for 52 episodes of convoluted plot lines, repeated ideas, wooden characters that it's difficult to have sympathy with, coupled with a jarring weird soundtrack and plastic feel to everything. Got to episode 19 and felt like gnawing my elbow off.

No Time to Die (2021)

Good action but just not Bond..

[6/10 · 10 October 2021]

Was really looking forward to this as various reviews promised the best Bond yet etc etc, but frankly I felt let down. The film is perfectly ok as an action movie and had an okayish plot (but very contrived at the end) but lacked the essence of the Bond theme - having two villains seemed confusing, and where was the big take your breath away scenes? (think the tube train crashing through a station, or a complete mansion being blown away, or the entire secret service building being demolished) - I actually thought the missile attack on the island had craftily been changed to fireworks by Q and all was well. Lots of car chases and gun fights just isnt the same.

Im worried that contriving to get Bond back and changing the lead might be too big a job to pull off for a future director. Probably wouldnt be too popular but I would love to see a complete remake of Moonraker set to the original story and time period.

Manhunt (2019–2021)

Clunes is wasted in this docu drama

[4/10 · 17 September 2021]

Take away the bit of family drama and the back biting coppers and there's not a lot left apart from a lot of police slog and one glaring cock up. All been done before and not enough material for a three parter. A straightforward documentary would have been much better and Clunes seems unclear how he should be playing the part.

Murder, They Hope: Dales of the Unexpected (2021) Season 1, Episode 3

Finally gets into its stride

[9/10 · 8 September 2021]

Like another reviewer I felt the first two episodes were quite plodding and unimaginative. This one made up for all of that, and the link back to the original coach theme was inspired - I hope this isnt the last we see of them.

The Investigation (2020)

As a drama it fails

[5/10 · 30 January 2021]

The background to this story is so strange and sad its almost unbelievable, but true it is and worth telling. The problem I had is telling as a drama. In order to give some meat to the story there are several cliche type vignettes that pop up - the detective so engrossed in his work he forgets his family life, the forgiveness of a detective who loses a file - detectives who have to speak some sort of strange code to each other - to me these all distracted from the telling, which would have worked as a straight documentary wonderfully. The very movng protrayal of the parents grief seemed diminished by comparison.

Sometimes a story needs just to be told and not dramatised.