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jazz_jeff
Reviews
Yes, Prime Minister (2013)
Don't bother viewing - simply terrible in every way.
Other reviews have said it all nearly. This remake of a great classic show is a waste of TV time and it a total let down. The comedy - what little there is - is very poor. That's partly down to the very dire writing and the rehashing of material that simply is out of date. The actors in it are wasted. They have poor material and although at times maybe trying their best, they peacefully fight a lost cause.
I loved the original and was willing to view any new series with the notion that it must stand on its own also and not just be judged on its previous history and calibre of shows. On its own sadly, it really fails - clearly without a doubt - in a lot of ways. Other reviews have covered the reasons why and in detail. I cannot disagree in any way, shape or form.
...And that's a shame. At the start of once hope - there was only bitter disappointment in its wake.
The Golden Compass (2007)
Terrible, Terrible, Terrible - What A Mess!
Dear lord, what a mess the makers and writers made out of this film.
It started off interesting with hope then very quickly it descended into a mess of re-written scripts TOTALLY different to the book. The scenes themselves looked beautiful but everything else after that was a complete mess. Plots were left unexplained, the reasons for many, many characters existents and actions were not even explained or touched on - as well as their very actions being completely changed or invented totally from thin air! You were left wondering many a time "why is this happening" - "who did that happen?" - "what has this got to do with the story" - what the heck is going on?" and "would someone please explain why ALL of the characters are doing what they are doing? And that's just the tip of the iceberg...
The makers of this film TOTALLY took a meat cleaver to the story. Cut huge and I mean HUGE chunks out, totally twisted scenes around to an unbelievable extent, let characters live that actually die, NEVER explained backgrounds of anything! Leaving out the fact that they rewrote the whole book and made a complete shambles of it, just as a non-reader, many have commented to me in the cinema, on the way out and afterward to this present day (June 2008) the equivalent of "you could tell they pulled the good guts out of it".
Dear god, if your going to make a film from a book, stick with the book or make up one of your own completely. Don't waste our time and your own by buying the rights to a book and then ripping it to shreds and sticking it back together again in an unintelligible mess. What is the point of buying the rights to a book in the first place if your going to totally re-write it (and screw it up in the process too to boot)?
I understand that the makers were spineless and cowered to the religious nuts by removing anything that made any intelligence to those with brains. The effect of this cowardice left behind a film that was a total waste of time, an insult to the original writer of the book and a waste of talent that should have been used better in a greater film than this mixed, unexplained unmitigated disaster.
If there is going to be sequels and going by this film, I hope to all heavens there is NOT - can we the audience have a change of makers, scriptwriters and a producer, a director with a brain and at least someone with guts to stand up against the zealous religious right.
To sum up: what a complete mess and waste of talent.
This film could have been so, so so much better.
Rating: one out of ten.
The Golden Compass (2007)
A Terrible, Terrible Mess Of A Film.
Dear lord, what a mess the makers and writers made out of this film.
It started off interesting with hope then very quickly it descended into a mess of re-written scripts TOTALLY different to the book. The scenes themselves looked beautiful but everything else after that was a complete mess. Plots were left unexplained, the reasons for many, many characters existents and actions were not even explained or touched on - as well as their very actions being completely changed or invented totally from thin air! You were left wondering many a time "why is this happening" - "who did that happen?" - "what has this got to do with the story" - what the heck is going on?" and "would someone please explain why ALL of the characters are doing what they are doing? And that's just the tip of the iceberg...
The makers of this film TOTALLY took a meat cleaver to the story. Cut huge and I mean HUGE chunks out, totally twisted scenes around to an unbelievable extent, let characters live that actually die, NEVER explained backgrounds of anything! Leaving out the fact that they rewrote the whole book and made a complete shambles of it, just as a non-reader, many have commented to me in the cinema, on the way out and afterward to this present day (June 2008) the equivalent of "you could tell they pulled the good guts out of it".
Dear god, if your going to make a film from a book, stick with the book or make up one of your own completely. Don't waste our time and your own by buying the rights to a book and then ripping it to shreds and sticking it back together again in an unintelligible mess. What is the point of buying the rights to a book in the first place if your going to totally re-write it (and screw it up in the process too to boot)?
I understand that the makers were spineless and cowered to the religious nuts by removing anything that made any intelligence to those with brains. The effect of this cowardice left behind a film that was a total waste of time, an insult to the original writer of the book and a waste of talent that should have been used better in a greater film than this mixed, unexplained unmitigated disaster.
If there is going to be sequels and going by this film, I hope to all heavens there is NOT - can we the audience have a change of makers, scriptwriters and a producer, a director with a brain and at least someone with guts to stand up against the zealous religious right.
To sum up: what a complete mess and waste of talent.
This film could have been so, so so much better.
Rating: one out of ten.
John Adams (2008)
A Joy And An Honour To Watch
Thank you to HBO for the making of this series. Its was a joy to watch. The last part (7th part) was perhaps the hardest to watch. More than once tears were brought to my eyes, in compassion for many of the characters and the conclusion of their life story. What can be said about the making of it? There are not enough words to praise all those involved. Paul Giamatti's and Laura Linney's performances were absolutely astonishing and by the end, had me in tears, I as a man, am not ashamed to say. They were brilliant, class and I will forever be a fan of them. The rest of the cast were like a collection of fine art. Whomever brought them all together, alone deserves an award. Great fine acting on their own and as a group. This series deserves every award possible and more. I agree totally with all the praise that has gone before and will come after. This is a TV series that does HBO and America proud. It should be shown in every class room in the states. Its a work of art...
Further comment: Such great men and equally great thinkers are lost today on many of the youth. The likes of them will perhaps be never seen again. May they rest easy within the soil of America, for the freedoms they brought to their country they loved so much.
They could teach today's politicians a lesson or two on truth, sticking to upholding true meaning of liberty and the rule of law. I fear however they would not be impressed by the actions of those that this day, April 25th 2008, that stand within the blocks of the White House. History will also be their judge and it will not treat our present day leaders so kindly and deservedly so. Those that have now gone before at the foundation of the country, were clearly better upstanding citizens.
What is now is Congress and the White House is just a bad shadow of once true and honest men (and women) that passed away with the founding of America.
May they, the founding fathers (and mothers) rest in peace.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
A Terrible, Terrible Film
Here is some of my immediate problems (that comes to mind) with the film besides the overdrawn out length.
1. The storyline(s) wander all over the place. 2. A huge man goes around a street carrying a gas tank and an animal gun and not one cop (where are they?) stops him! 3. A huge man goes around a street carrying a large gun and a huge silencer and again no one reaches for a phone to say "O' look, we better ring the cops to check this out!" He shoots people in hotels, motels, offices, streets, cars, and what happens... nothing! 4. Its an insult to law enforcement in the 1980's if that when its meant to be in. They were an effective force then - it wasn't the dark ages! 5. Tommy Lee's acting alone was moan-filled and terrible. 6. Characters were introduced to us to varying degrees and then cut short completely without any explanation or reason! 7. The moral (I've discovered, there was one!) was so hidden, everyone I have talked to, couldn't see it, didn't know there was one and I have asked around. 8. The ending! O jeeze where do I start! I can't - it would be too long. Terrible, just terrible and that isn't my own view. EVERYONE in the cinema with me had the same immediate facial expression and words in their mouths "what the f**k" and outside the cinema doors were asking "did anyone understand it and who slaughtered the ending?" 9. The acting of a good deal of the cast was either over acted or they had adopted the attitude like Tommy Lee Jones, that they couldn't be bothered trying.
There is more but those are just the first few that spring to mind.
You know, people can set out to make an art film for art films sake. But sometimes, just sometimes a desert dusty film is what is visually it is and clearly is NOT a work of art for categorizing it into a juncture. The writer of the above review needs to take stock of the people that actually attend the cinema. 99% go to be entertained - not to be left scratching their heads! If this is an artistic film - it belongs more-so in an art house theater where it might get the respect it might deserve.
As a film to the masses, it fails clearly in many, many areas! So as for winning an Oscar, if the Oscars are supposed to be by their nature awards representing views of the majority who actually understands the films, this film fails in many categories. Its one thing to make it cryptic, its another thing to hide the whole theme, moral and story like a dead body - never to see the light of day.
If this film gets an Oscar, the awards yet again are a joke of epic proportions. All glitz, glamor but no substance. No wonder the public are being turned off the Oscars a lot more at this rate.