martinblackwell Reviews

Midway (2019)

Just totally unrealistic

[3/10 · 3 May 2023]

I watched & enjoyed the 1976 movie starring Henry Fonda amongst others. I am no expert on the Battle of Midway from a naval point of view but I have seen lots of movies & know what I like. This version is so fake it's shambolic & virtually unwatchable.

Lots of aerial footage of planes attacking planes or ships, planes being hit by anti aircraft fire & plunging into the sea. But whose planes, American or Japanese, who can tell, & after a while who cares? The odd ship explodes, the odd submarine snurges through the water but it's all computer generated rubbish. No sense of reality at all.

I wonder what the actors think of it?

The Fall (I) (2013–2016)

An episode too far

[6/10 · 24 February 2023]

Loved the first two episodes but 3 is different, too slow & reflective & Gillian Anderson's constant whispering à la Bruce Willis is tiresome. The subtitles are only in Dutch & the Nortnern Ireland accents & her constant whispering are sometimes difficult to follow. They should have killed Spector off at the end of episode 2 but I guess the urge to continue was too strong.

1 and 2 were excellent, Gillian Anderson is a very elegant investigation SIO policewoman & Jamie Dornan a spine-chilling killer. All the other roles are well played although John Lynch's Assistant Constable cuts a rather sad figure.

The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft (2022)

Absolutely stunning

[9/10 · 18 October 2022]

The pictures of exploding volcanoes are quite extraordinary, the accompanying soundtrack is fittingly haunting, this documentary also shows how devastating exploding volcanoes can be for the human beings, animals & the countryside that lie in their paths. You just have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also Werner Herzog's narration is magnificent in its wonder, tenderness & almost reverence for the power of nature - & his admiration of the Krafft couple is quite evident. You are left really regretting that they were killed during an eruption in Japan because their archive feels unfinished while their legacy lives on.

The Ipcress File (2022)

Seriously disappointing

[3/10 · 12 May 2022]

I was hopeful after Episode 1 that this remake of a classic would be worth watching, but it is all over the place & not worth it. Joe Cole does a good job & Tom Hollander is excellent but the plot is ridiculous.

The Defeated (2020)

A literally dark series

[4/10 · 4 May 2022]

I understand that shadows can be used to reflect the atmosphere of what must have been a very dark time in Berlin post 1945, but to make many scenes so dark that it is tough to identify the characters or even see half decently what is happening spoilt it for me A pity, with two excellent actors Nina Hoss & Sebastian Koch mostly in the shadows.

Dream Horse (2020)

Lovely story

[7/10 · 13 February 2022]

A feel good movie, captures very well the love that breeders, owners & trainers have for their equine charges. Well acted, surprising & welcome appearance from Lewis in such a presumably low budget movie, events a bit predictable at times but it doesn't stop one having a really fun time.

How Green Was My Valley (1975–1976)

A classic, slightly jaded

[8/10 · 22 October 2021]

Hasn't worn too well, some corny bits for the 21st century but still a magnificent movie despite few of the lead actors sounding very Welsh. A stark picture of what life must have been like in a little Welsh mining village full of its prejudices & community spirit, a harsh life indeed.

Baptiste (2019–2021)

Too many cooks...

[4/10 · 20 October 2021]

.....spoil the broth, & with 4 Directors this proves to be the case. Really messy, disjointed & sometimes makes the willing suspension of disbelief hard to achieve. A pity because the cast is more than decent & the setting interesting.

Official Secrets (2019)

Strong case for the war on Iraq being illegal

[7/10 · 14 October 2021]

Excellent acting & direction, the film moves along swiftly & poses a credible suggestion that Bush, Blair & co took the alliance into an illegal war. What's more it has been shown that starting that war has solved absolutely nothing, causing hundreds of thousands to die, fomenting even more hatred in much of that region against the US, the U. K. & the West in general. Shame on them all, & they have got away with it.

Designated Survivor (2016–2019)

Implausible but compelling

[5/10 · 31 May 2021]

Season 1 Completely rubbish & unlikely scenario but somehow I managed to get through to the end.

The Investigation (2020)

A huge disappointment

[5/10 · 19 March 2021]

Seems like they needed lots of time to fill, endless slow & dreary shots of the back of the main character, phoning from his car, walking down corridors, regretting his poor relationship with his daughter or just staring into space. A pity because I usually really rate the main actors in other series they have been in. I put it down to a thin story so there are no surprises & poor direction.

The Widow (I) (2019)

A slow descent into watching paint dry

[5/10 · 29 August 2019]

Starts really well & then gets sillier & sillier & more & more unlikely

The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)

Appalling

[1/10 · 8 July 2019]

There is nothing about this movie that makes it remotely of interest; asinine plot, the actors don't look interested, just a waste of time. Can't believe Foy went for this.

Homeland (2011–2020)

Initially v good then....

[4/10 · 3 May 2019]

By the time I got to series 7 the focus on carrie's mental became almost all encompassing & I lost the will to live, or finish it

True Grit (2010)

Almost great

[5/10 · 30 September 2018]

Good cast good acting good scenery good filming but regretfully a nothing plot

West Side Story (1961)

Must have been a great movie in 1962

[5/10 · 2 April 2018]

The acting & movement even the dancing all seems rather forced and has certainly not aged well, in fact it looks as if it's on a Broadway or West End stage, which of course it was, rather than a movie. "Somewhere" is still a great song though