Change Your Image
stevelivesey-37183
Reviews
Complicity (2000)
Trying to find the right word......ahhh yes, disappointing.
No idea how I missed this 24 years ago with most of the best acting talent that Scotland has to offer.
The set up is pretty good, but the longer the movie goes on the worse it gets.
There are several problems. The movie is not cinematic at all. It feels like a TV movie or part of TV series. Johnny Lee Millar is badly cast. In the first half he is a drinker, a drug taker and lots of kinky sex with Keeley Hawes as well as being a ballsy journalist. In the second half he becomes stupid, a cry baby and preaches about the dangers of drugs?
The biggest issue is how stupid he is not figure out how that he is being setup.
Simply unbelievable and badly acted.
Madame Web (2024)
I honestly can't think of anything good to say about it
So many things are just awful. The plot and script for a starters. None of it makes any sense. Is Hollywood using AI to write their scripts and plots now? The premonitions are so convenient.
The CGI is awful. The ending is awful. The casting is awful, Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney are utterly wasted. The product placement is annoying. The foley/sound recording of the voices are terrible.
The direction is weak, coming from a director that made a mess of the Game Of Thrones sequel.
The way they do chest compressions all the way through the movie is silly and just plain wrong.
This is going to loose a ton of money and ruin careers. And a good job too.
Bae Wolf (2022)
Not so much a film. More a high school standard, LARPing event
Egregiously bad.
Like the title suggests, this is not a movie by any definition of the word.
It's as if a bunch of adults involved in larping, and get hold of a camera, some cheap costumes and after an evenings heavy drinking decide to make a movie.
Unfortunately, not a single one of them possesses a shred of talent. I cannot remember having seen such a poorly, acted, directed, scripted, lit attempt at film making in my life.
I was aghast about twenty minutes when, 'the monster', dons a rather fetching hat and a feather boa. In 500AD. In Denmark. Where everyone speaks with a distinct American accent.
2 stars instead of one because at least they made an effort.
Night Shift (2023)
Good, low budget, horror with a twisty ending
Surprisingly good horror flick that keeps you guessing until you get the twist about an hour in.
At times the movie makes you think it is a ghost movie, a low budget Shining and/or a, not so much a demonic Rosemary's Baby more a sort of Rosemary's Motel.
The direction is ok, the story is good, it is well made and has good production values.
Phoebe Tonkin is great as the new temporary hotel night manager and the supporting cast does a great job. The obnoxious, married couple is a real treat.
At times it seems to have an almost light hearted, humorous, quirky feel to it which eventually plays out in the ending.
Just a question. Was the ending real or in her mind?
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Better than average horror chiller
The director Andre Ovredal has made some great movies with a Norse/Scandi theme to them, like Troll Hunter and the Mortal. Just recently, he has been doing American based horror like this and Voyage of the Demeter. I like him better when he deals with his own tales.
SSTTIID is good story, well told with enough scares to keep you entertained throughout its runtime.
The acting is adequate, the policeman are just about hick enough and there are good production values in the CGI effects, the lighting, sound and the monster creation is pretty darned effective.
Worth a look if you haven't seen it yet.
Oppenheimer (2023)
Thrilling and enthralling cinematic event
Simply stunning.
The Oscars are tonight. This movie is supposed to win a ton of Oscars. And it should. Best film, best director, best actor, best supporting actor, cinematography, sound, screenplay, etc.
If it's so good, why give it only 8? Well, it's three hours long. The first two are about the development of the bomb, the third is about how the American government ans security seem to be bothered about eliminating all scientists with all communist sympathies. The last part is done well but doesn't hold the attention like the first two hours, although it tries really hard.
It makes you feel like you need to see it again to get all the nuance out of it. And I for one will be happy to do so.
Napoleon (2023)
Not perfect but very entertaining.
There is quite the mixed bag here. It really should be called Napoleon and Josephine as this the main plot point in the movie.
The movie has a lot of excellent points about it. The costumes, lighting, cinematography, direction are all very good. The battle scenes for Austerlitz and Waterloo are fantastic.
Where the film falls down is firstly trying to encompass so much of his life into one film. It does feel like some moments are glossed over a little.
The main issue is the relationship between Napoleon and Josephine. I never understood the attraction. After she cheats on him and ne throws her out, all she has to say is 'you can't live without me' and he starts crying and lets her back in! Made absolutely no sense.
All in all, i would recommend, just sort the dodgy script out.
Argylle (2024)
Expensive, dumb, disappointing but silly fun
Something is very off with this movie.
A star studded cast plod through a very mediocre story of light hearted spying.
The problems are, firstly, Vaughan directs in the style of his previous hit, Kick Ass, which is a very youth culture type of a movie. This isn't youthful. There is no central character in here that is less than forty ish. As a result, it simply doesn't fit the style.
Secondly, the budget. Two hundred million has been spent on way too many stars and too many glossy sets. It feels bloated.
Lastly, Bryce Dallas Howard, looks completely wrong for the role. Sorry to say it, but it's true, she looks like a soccer mom, and not a hot one. Scenes of her running and fighting are laughable. Indeed, I laughed out loud when her big reveal happened half way through.
The Late Game (2024)
Quite a rare movie these days. What it means to be a man in the 21st century.
Firstly, so many weird one star or ten star reviews on here already. Trust me, this movie is neither of those things.
Secondly, it's nice to have a movie where a man shows us what it means to be a man these days. I mean with all the modern self doubt, loneliness and desire to make friends as well as feeling part of something.
The setting is an amateur game of hockey , late at night. The action takes place in the space of one night and one game. Out protagonist is reticent to go to the game but along the way, the audience can feel him warming to the game and his teammates.
The film has a very 'Clerks' type feel to it with characters in and round the rink and the game adding to the drama whilst the game is happening.
I would recommend it if you like ice hockey, Clerks, bro movies or you just want an easy watch with some humour.
Spaceman (2024)
An hour in and I have had to give up
Don't get me wrong, this is a very well made film with decent acting, good CGI, some beautiful cinematography and an interesting premise about loneliness, loss and mental illness. However the script, the plot and the pacing simply kill any momentum that the movie tries to have.
It is definitely a cure for insomnia.
The movie ends up being a series of moments of Adam Sandlers life that an imaginary spider whispers to him. Seriously.
The first 15 minutes are at least vaguely interesting, but all the bits with Carey Mulligan are dull.
I love grown up sci-fi, but this movie definitely jumps the shark, or in this case the spider.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
An ungodly joining of Warm Bodies and Edward Scissorhands
The 80s shtick is strong, The Diablo Cody dialogue is somehow missing and the Kathryn Newton from the awful Ant Man Quantumania is here playing another character devoid of any charm.
At times it felt like a John Waters movie. Full of improbable characters and events.
Lisa Frankenstein is a paint by number teen flick aimed at American high school girls. So far it has failed to find an audience in the USA and I don't think it is hitting cult status anywhere else.
The problems with the film are that it has no feelings, no likeable characters, stilted action, bad editing, awkward writing and a director that doesn't understand the genre, seeing as all she has done is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuff this far in her career.
This is a bad movie and you should avoid.
Scrambled (2023)
A modern feminist fairytale told LA style
There is something quite admirable about Scrambled. And that is its ability to depict both the positives, the negatives and the reality of walking the tightrope of life trying to balance, being a singleton, a partner, a friend and a success whilst remaining true to oneself and not conforming to societies norms.
As a first time feature director, Leah Mckendrick does a good job of balancing all the strands of a complex story that is also well written by her.
There is also a strong supporting cast, it remains consistently funny until the film becomes more emotional in its third act.
If I had to have a gripe or two about the movie I would say that the male characters are mere stereotypes but then given the prospective audience for the film I don't think it is significant. Also the end conveniently finishes before the end of Nellie's story is over. Did it work? Will they ever be used? Will the outcome lead her to revisit her life so far, her female emancipation or her choices that she never seems to to take accountability for that have lead her to this.
Not sure why it bombed at the box office, I would definitely recommend it as worth a watch.
The Sweet East (2023)
A schoolgirls fever dream.
This happened and then this happened and after that this happened.
In 1973, a British movie called O Lucky Man was released with a similar story structure. Namely, a protagonist falls from one improbable situation to another whilst passing commentary on the world around us.
In this movie, all sorts of 'thrilling' adventures befall Taila Ryder as she is led from one implausible situation to the next. An activist, ingenue, actress, thief, prisoner, etc. Until its disappointing climax.
Ryder is good as the nonplussed main character, the script seems largely improvised, the plot doesn't exist and the poor quality film stock and directing style made me want to shower after watching it.
It quite good with some reservations.
Stranger in the Woods (2024)
Let's rent a house and make a movie. Errrr....lets not.
Low budget attempt at a horror/ slasher drama.
Firstly, I am not going too hard on a movie that clearly has a small budget and made independently. That being said, this is poor by any standard.
The direction, the editing, the sound design, the acting, the script, the plot and cinematography is all poor. I can only imagine what someone like Sam Raimi would have done with something like this.
This is Holly Kenney's first stab at doing a screenplay and it shows. It doesn't help that she has decided to play the lead character herself.
There are strange scenes all over the place. The dog, who is the best actor in the film, disappears and reappears for little or no reason.
Carmen (2022)
An interesting mess. An enigma dressed as a conundrum.
So the director who choreographed Black Swan, gives us a reimagining on Carmen. It's a musical, it's a dance spectacular.its drama filled study of the border issue in the USA. It's an arthouse study of all of the aforementioned. To summarise, someone has tried to get a quart into a pint pot and ended up with a hot mess. An interesting hot mess. But a hot mess nonetheless.
You can a movie about all of the above but not all at once.
That said, the movie is very well made. There is religious symbolism in the washing of feet, allusions to PTSD, slow motion action scenes, nice cinematography, the director is not without talent and the acting by the leads is very good. It is slow but somehow never boring and worth a watch if you consider yourself a cinephile.
Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
Great set up, then drifts away to a terrible ending
The set up, that I liked, was the desperate brother, the conniving aunt, the run down burger joint, the five weird and creepy teddy bear killers. So far, so good.
The film was quite decent up to an hour in, then the nonsense started.
The children are ghosts??
Trapped in the body of the creepy teddy bears?
How did they get there? Don't know.
How do the pictures control the creepy teddy bears? Don't know.
It really does become nonsense. But it made a ton of money at the box office so they will make another one to milk this mess a little further.
The teddies have decent design and the set and lighting are quite good, but scary it is not.
Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II (2015)
The continuing adventures of Carlton Leach
Not a movie as such more a collection of stories that happened to Carlton after the Rettendon murders.
There is not a plot to speak of as such but every ten minutes or so, a new scrape, a a new business venture, a new fight takes place to keep things bubbling along quite nicely.
Unfortunately, with this, it just isn't good enough. It does keep you vaguely engaged, but, not enthralled.
The lead actor is a little 'one paced' and limited. And compared to the real Carleton Leach, who appears as a cameo at the end of the movie, looks tiny and carries little or no menace. Instead coming across in the movie as an angry little man. All snarl and no bite.
No Hard Feelings (2023)
Can't get angry with a movie that's just OK
It's OK. That's all. Not awful. Not fabulous. Just OK
It's quite funny in parts although nowhere near funny enough. And quite poignant in places, although never really heartbreaking.
Jennifer Lawrence is good, playing a role that suits her down to the ground. The nerdy guy is also good even though he looks like the chef from Ratatouille.
One of the problems that the movie has is the portrayal of male characters. All of them were either, nerdy, stupid, needy, wimpy, soft and distinctly unlike any man I have ever met in my life. Maybe they only have men like that in Montauk, or Hollywood.
Could have been better.
Double Blind (2023)
Not a very original story. So why was it so watchable?
The idea of medical trials going wrong is not new. Maniac, Tell me how I Die, Inhumane, Altered Perception are examples and all in the last ten years. But this was way more watchable. This was actually good.
The characters were believable. There was no identity politics. The script and plot kept bouncing along nicely. I felt invested in the characters and their motivations and traits. And lastly, their actions made logical sense.
I liked the 'warped' reality of their psychosis due to sleep deprivation. And the ending rounded things off quite nicely.
The production values and direction were good enough.
Overall, I would recommend checking this out.
True Detective: Night Country: Part 6 (2024)
Catastrophic ending to a dreary series
Where do I start with this nonsense?
Some of the acting is ok. Well, that's all the positives out of the way, now for the howlers.
The story, the script, the plot is an absolute shambles. Finding DNA buried in the ice is lifted straight from Fortitude. A series filmed in Iceland, exactly where this was filmed.
If I see another 'ghost', another flashback, another person come back from the dead.....it will be too soon. All too often this trope is overused in this awful series.
The police officers are massively corrupt, murderers and generally awful at their jobs.
I can't believe they have greenlit another series of this already.
Issa Lopez should stick to directing and not writing.
The End We Start From (2023)
Slow. Disappointing. Climate alarmism.
When I heard the blurb for this movie, I thought that it sounded great. Apocalyptic setting, good cast and lots of potential for drama.
Instead what we got was a Greek tragedy. A drama where all the action takes place off screen.
How did this cost £10 million to make? It only made half a million back. Another film that disappoints its bank manager.
The actions of the characters make no sense at times. Mark Strong is wasted. Joel Fry must be the most annoying actor working at the moment, specialising in beta male cry babies every time I see him.
The sound mixing for the movie was terrible. Loud musical interludes and mumbled lines from the actors are simply annoying.
You will be messing with your phone from twenty minutes in.
Miller's Girl (2024)
Incredibly pretentious. A schoolgirls fever dream.
What a boring moving trope to begin with. Teacher falls for student. Wow, really?
The script and story start to fall apart about a half hour in to this schoolgirl fan fiction nonsense. The characters start making weird choices and make decisions that belay their traits that we have seen so far.
The constant use of poetry quotations is annoying and so incredibly pretentious and is very distracting.
The writer/director is a first timer who looks like they have used both childhood dreams and chat GPT to write this.
An hour in is when the film jumps the shark. Most likely because the writer had no idea how to end it.
A waste of a good cast.
Mery Coltrane - La seduttrice mortale (2019)
Micro budget nonsense
Some nights I randomly choose a movie to watch on Prime. Cue this nonsense.
It is badly made, zero talent, Italian soft 'prawn'. Without enough, errr, prawns.
The acting is awful. The story is gibberish. The sound effects are hilarious. I half expected to see lots of 'Kablam' and 'Kapow' written on the screen.
Lots of nudity. Lots of drugging people. Some weird staring at people to little or no effect.
There are some nice opening shots of Venice and some of a lake and, as I do with all low budget movies, I do not have the heart to give them a one star review. So it will be two stars as a 'well done for trying'
Breaking Glass (1980)
All reviews are correct. It is a post punk A Star Is Born.
Not sure about it being low budget though.
Growing up in these times in the UK, I have to say, this is pretty accurate. The power cuts were real. The bin men being on strike so the rubbish was piled high on the streets. Fighting between right and left wing factions, race riots, mass unemployment.
Hazel o'Connor had some hit singles with this music and was big in 1980 when this came although most of the music has aged badly and sounds awful.
The direction is basic, the script is average but I will say the film has its heart in the right place.
I had so much fun looking out for young versions of of tadays well known actors. Jonathan Pryce was a special treat.
The Shift (2023)
Some great science fiction ideas given a religious twist
I watched this for about a half hour before I got the religious overtones. Before that it felt very much like a Stephen King book made into film.
The film had a very interesting start that lagged a little when he tried to figure out his new world. The movie draws on stone other film for inspiration, The Book of Eli and the Marvel movies with their multiverse to name but two.
The ending was heartfelt and in these modern times,that is to be applauded.
Is the movie a masterpiece? No
Is it worth a watch? Definitely.
There is nothing in the production that is particularly amazing. The acting, direction and cinematography are all passable.