way2grimee Reviews

Sharp Objects (2018)

Cant understand the hype

[4/10 · 5 January 2021]

I want to keep this short as I already wasted far too much time on this long slog of incoherent misery.

The acting here is top draw, no criticisms.

The pacing is simply simply awful and the plot whilst realistic in one sense is marred by unrealistic character decisions that facilitate it.

The producers also couldn't resist weaving progressive politics into it albeit it was done very subtly in comparison to the myriad other shows that cannot resist imparting their ideals in the most obvious and intellectually offensive manner, though it was still noticeable enough that I easily picked up on it. Summary, men are mysoginistic, white people (particularly southern folk) are bad, particularly suburban housewife types.

I'm English so maybe you all are really this bad but somehow cannot imagine American society would have made it into this century if that were the case. There is some glorification here of weakness and victimhood.

Anyway to top it all off is a shock value twist in the final 30 second scene which anyone with half a brain cell could see coming from about episode 5.

Honestly the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Raised by Wolves (2020–2022)

Waste of potential. Seriously WTF.

[1/10 · 26 November 2020]

Do not waste your time on this trash. It starts off absolutely epic. Like Alien / Prometheus then slowly degenerates into utter nonsensical tripe. The final episode is like they couldn't even be bothered anymore. Like the writers for the first half was put on Gardening leave. My wife is livid with me.

Sea Fever (2019)

Bored to tears

[1/10 · 19 April 2020]

Watched this doing 100KM ride on zwift during lockdown and I was still bored out my skull

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Some of his finest work to date

[10/10 · 18 August 2019]

This is some of QT's finest work he has ever produced. The reviewers leaving 1 star claiming it is boring and nothing happens probably enjoy trash like the Avengers. This is a masterful slow burn build up to a big crescendo and is essentially a fairytale set to the backdrop of the Hollywood hills. The soundtrack is incredible and weaved in cleverly via the radio of Rick's Coup Deville. One reviewer claimed it was a pointless movie full of scenes from other movies. These scenes help to build Rick's character and display the existential crisis he finds himself in and craft his rollercoaster mental state. They are not pointless, merely the IQ of the viewer was too low to appreciate their significance. The movie is HIP, COOL and beautiful and expertly crafted. Some describe it as self indulgence, it couldn't be further from the truth, this is a love letter to a by-gone era and those who lived it. I don't expect your average millennial to appreciate much less understand this movie. I personally thought the ending was wonderful and how he dealt with the matter of Sharon Tate was actually touching and heartfelt. Finally the bleeding heart liberals moaning about Bruce Lee's portrayal are honestly pathetic. I love Bruce Lee and his movies and I found the scene to be hilarious, this is Hollywood, its supposed to be fun! I'll finish with saying, this isn't a movie for FILTHY HIPPIES! :-)

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Wow...... Just wow!!!! Critics know nothing!

[10/10 · 23 November 2018]

Critics, can there ever been a more talentless irrelevant profession in the age of the internet. Let me describe this movie which is the sum of all it's incredible parts... simply outstanding. Whether you like Queen or not, watch it and be blown away! What a performance from Remi. Incredible.

The Shape of Water (2017)

Avoid at all costs

[1/10 · 14 January 2018]

I WAS a big del toro fan until I saw this dross. It is so transparently racially and gender political that I had to turn it off despite investing almost 2 hours in it, a rarity for me to be so appalled.

It's nothing to do with an open mind, this movie depicts a typical working class white male with a nuclear family as the ultimate villain whilst a mute outcast consummates with a living fish man.

Also depicts another working class white male as a villain, who turns down the advances of a gay man old enough to be his grandfather in a scene where he is also suddenly revealed to be a racist.

Of course, if you don't want to have anal sex with your grandad, you must by definition also be an evil racist.

What a crime in general it is to be a white male taxpayer these days. The movie is utterly offensive. The plot is straightforward and linear.

The only redeeming quality is Michael Shannon's performance as the evil white man, another actor of who I am a big fan. However I'm not sure I can respect, enjoy or watch him anymore after his willingness to participate in this utter dross.

The Rover (2014)

A 10 to counterbalance the unintelligent and tasteless among you

[10/10 · 4 September 2014]

Sadly this is a case of me having to give a movie a very unrealistic 10 just to counter balance the amount of intellectually challenged people giving it 2s and 3s. Realistically an 8.5/10.

First of all, the performances in The Rover are absolutely flawless. Guy Pearce is on blistering form and shock of the century; Robert Pattison (Spelling?) steals the film.

I think many of the reviewers missed the point of this film, particularly younger viewers and thus went into it expecting some sort of Mad Max incarnation. This is a much more slowly placed, complex film with adult themes.

For people who didn't get the ending (which I thought was amazing by the way):

Pearce's character was a bitter and disillusioned man with absolutely no love left within his soul or rather no soul whatsoever. This is shown how he mercilessly kills throughout the film, also shown through dialogue, particularly with Pattison.

Pattison's character is young, naive and full of wonder, he knows nothing else. In comparison to Guy's character, Pattison feels love for his brother and his brother likewise. This is incomprehensible to Pearce's character until the penultimate scene when he realises this and it is all too late. This is why he slumps on the bed and cries in front of the old man, he is reminded that there is still love in the world and that his turmoil is a result of his own actions - The murder of his wife and her lover.

Finally, in the absolute final scene, we discover why he so relentlessly pursued the car. The Rover (Rover being the dog in his boot), dog being man's best friend, loving unconditionally of his master until the end. When the dog died, Pearce plummeted deep into despair as the last thing he ever loved and loved him perished. He would stop at nothing to retrieve the dog and lay it to rest, before, no doubt laying himself to. This is not shown but it's pretty obvious what comes next.

For anyone who has ever loved or lost or been through great turmoil or despair this film will resonate severely. I felt deep sorrow for Pattison's character, that a film-maker and actors performances' can invoke such emotions should be applaud, loudly.

To all you people leaving 2 stars, you have many life lessons yet to learn I imagine.

Deadfall (2012)

Awfully executed...

[5/10 · 13 November 2012]

I rarely login to IMDb to write about a film, except those which I feel strongly about. Eric Bana, what was he thinking!? Chopper, Munich... Deadfall, what?

Somewhere in a tangent universe I'm sure this was an absolutely excellent film. In our universe, unfortunately not. As most other reviewers have said, character development is nigh on void. Eric gives a good old performance but even he cannot save this trash. Again, the boxer character (Don't even want to know his name, rather forget him) is an absolute idiot, cheeseball lines and the type of acting you would expect from a TV movie. The screenplay is particularly poor as well, attempts to make up for the lack of plot with lines like:

"You know he's an asshole, the sheriff... your father!"

I figured that out in the previous scene when she called him Dad. Moranic lines are present throughout. If you want to see a real movie in a similar vein that is well executed, check out Fargo.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Simply brilliant!

[10/10 · 15 August 2009]

I do not know where to start about Inglourious Basterds, other than, that it was a delight to watch through out. The opening chapter puts you through so many emotions in such a short space of time that you feel like you just came off a roller-coaster, did the waltz, took a relaxing swim then had a shootout. Bizarre doesn't begin to describe it, I'll just say that Christopher Waltz is fantastic throughout, from the opening scene to the climax 2 hours 30 minutes later! Brad Pitt puts in yet another stellar performance, though comes in second place to the amazing Christopher Waltz who steals every scene in which he appears.

I went into this film wondering how Tarantino could possibly mould his style into a World War 2 film. I came out of it utterly satisfied, I sort of discount Kill Bill 1 & 2 as Tarantino having a bit of fun rather than actually making a movie. Jackie Brown and Death Proof were both actually great movies but nothing compared to the caliber of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Inglourious Basterds my friends, it is safe to say, completes the true Tarantino trilogy and is without a doubt his third masterpiece, this is an absolute thrill ride throughout with a fantastic opening sequence, gripping tension throughout and a completely satisfying ending in true blood spattered, tongue in cheek Tarantino style.

10/10. I couldn't fault it if I tried, I've been home 30 minutes and I'm still grinning with sheer satisfaction!

Moon (2009)

Over the moon with moon!!!

[10/10 · 3 August 2009]

Well dudes, I saw Moon and I am 'over the moon' with the results! What a fantastic movie! Sam Rockwell's performance is simply amazing, serious. Oscar worthy stuff. Also, considering it is a directorial debut, Duncan Jones (Think that's right) has done an absolutely tremendous job. The cinematography is second to none and the overall feel/atmosphere is the very gritty sort of space/spaceships we so loved to see back in the 80's in flicks such as Alien. This film doesn't lack anywhere except for perhaps the running time. I really would have enjoyed sitting there for a further 30 minutes or so. Heres hoping for a Directors Cut with extra footage! Well done Sam Rockwell and well done Duncan Jones! Bravo.

Public Enemies (2009)

Michael Mann is back!

[9/10 · 2 July 2009]

Firstly, let me say, that I have given up all trust and faith in film reviews. How 'The Times' could rate this 2 out of 5 I have no idea. Metacritic averages around 50% I think for this title, highly variable opinions. But then again, how could I place my trust in the judgement of yuppie journalists with nothing better to do than slag off the works of others.

Anyway, on with my review! Minus the shoddy cinematography towards the start of the film, and some poorly captured dialogue (sound-wise), this film is up there with the all-time greats! Johnny Depp delivers a stellar performance as always, the man exudes charisma and really does a great job at portraying John Dillinger as a lovable rogue rather than a cold blooded villain, in fact he's almost one of the good guys when compared to the character of baby-face nelson, brilliantly portrayed by Stephen Graham (Tommy from Snatch). Even Marion Cottillard plays her role to the tee, superb. Most Gangster's chicks drive me nuts (Penelope Cruz in Blow, I wanted to slap her!) but Dillingers girl was a real babe, down to ride in any situation! And she never sold him out, not once! The film does away with the classic rise and fall formula and focuses more on 'the fall'. The pace is relentless and bullets in abundance. I really enjoyed it throughout. If anything, I'm a big fan of Christian Bale, but his character seemed to lack something, he had a certain emptiness about him, but then again I think this was intentionally done.

Some of the cinematography seemed quite shoddy at the beginning of the film but this soon went away, whether I was so engrossed that I no longer noticed it or whether Mann had simply 'found his mojo'? I don't know, but its really not bad enough to justify the poor reviews I have seen. Some people clearly don't like these sorts of movies, I wouldn't write a review on something like 'Gone With The Wind' because that is clearly not my thing.

John Dillinger says "I like baseball, good clothes, fast cars and you." Well I like all that and Gangster films so this was right up my street. Ladies and gentleman, if you want to see a heart thumping gangster flick with the pace of a fighter jet and more bullets than the u.s army, this is for you. If not then go watch something pretentious, but don't go slagging this off with your yuppie articles in your local paper because I'm sick of reading them.

If you took a hardcore football fan to the opera or ballet, you wouldn't expect a glowing review of his experience would you? So why on earth are upper class yuppie journalists who much prefer the latest pretentious low budget love flick to come out of Cannes attempting to pass judgement on a big budget gangster flick of this caliber?! I'm so riled up right now, I'm sure the real John Dillinger would have loved Public Enemies and so did I! It may have received good press but I never thought much of Collateral anyway, so well done Michael Mann!

City Rats (2009)

Arty Farty Distasteful Student Art-School Tosh

[1/10 · 3 May 2009]

I was unfortunate enough to watch this film thinking perhaps it was another English gangster flick in the spirit of 'The Business' having seen Danny Dyer on the cover. However, I was instead greeted by a distasteful and depressing flick lacking significant character development. Not only this but there on numerous scenes of young gay men covorting with each other with no real explanation as to why. Other themes include suicide and drug addiction but are all terribly portrayed.

If you want to see this sort of film done properly watch requiem for a dream or the korean film 'peppermint candy' starring Kyung Gu-Sol, avoid this film at all costs people, save yourself the time and painful headache, whoever made this movie needs a good councilor.

The Good the Bad the Weird (2008)

Why aren't more people watching Korean cinema?

[10/10 · 5 January 2009]

This film is an absolutely 100% thoroughly enjoyable thrill ride that pays homage to the great westerns of Sergio Leon... the film captures all the classic moments of the fistful of dollars trilogy and puts its own enjoyable twist on it. Kang-ho Song (The Weird) is an absolute joy to watch, as he is in every other korean film I've seen him in and in my opinion makes the film as enjoyable as it is. They couldn't have picked a better actor for 'the weird' in place of eli wallace.

Even Byung-hun Lee (Bittersweet life) plays a superb part and fills the boots as Lee Van Cleef (The Bad), the only disappointment was perhaps Woo-sung Jung... I had a better moustache than that when I was 13! He is far too much of a baby face to portray the Clint Eastwood style character. They should have bought in Kyung-gu Sol (Public Enemy) who would no doubt have brought that something special to the character.

Overall I give this movie a 10, purely for the fact that people aren't watching enough Korean cinema, I thus have to go over the top on my ratings! A more official rating would have been an 8.

Bravo, another brilliant flick from Ji-woon Kim, I cannot wait to see what he does next!

Save the Green Planet! (2003)

Amazing little flick...

[10/10 · 5 January 2009]

What can I say, brutal, twisted, lovable, iconic, hilarious are a few things I would throw at this picture. Completely not what I expected! I went into this movie expecting to hate it, and was pleasantly taken by my goolies and slapped around the face. I just had to give it a 10. I have nothing to say about the plot or the ideas of this film other than 'WATCH IT!' to try and describe the movie or pin it to a genre would probably put you off the entire idea. If you get the chance, watch this movie. It is a brilliant piece of film with an awesome ending. It is rare that you find a film maintains your attention throughout only to completely WOW you at the end!

The Dark Knight (2008)

A Gritty Dark World... Batman As It Should Be!

[10/10 · 28 July 2008]

This film easily competes with the original Batman. I thought Batman begins was awesome but The Dark Knight takes the biscuit! Christian Bale is every much as riveting as in the previous outing, a cold and almost callous Batman with the cities greater, long term interests in mind, and I'm not a person to be swayed by hype, but it has to be said that Ledger makes this film hands down. The character of the joker is one you love to hate and Ledger pulled it off with such delinquency! Needless to say that both the script and cinematography is superb! And the character of Harvey Dent is built up extremely well, I don't want to spoil anything but I'd like to see more of him! Pity we shall not be seeing anymore of Heath as he truly deserved the Oscar for this one, dead or alive, all hype aside. RIP mate. Legend.

Daylight Robbery (2008)

A Crime Caper Hot On The Heels Of The Bank Job

[8/10 · 23 June 2008]

I would think that this film has been overshadowed probably due to The Bank Job being released only a couple of months previous. There's a bunch of familiar faces from films such as Lock Stock, Snatch, The Business etc and even a bloke from Eastenders. Your usual cockney lot.

That being said the acting is spot on and the dialogue is funny. Gotta love low budget British films, there's a hell of a lot more of them recently and its a welcome change to the usual big budget yankee tosh.

The characters are fun but believable, especially the young white kid really made me laugh. What made him so funny was the fact that I know kids just like him haha.

The rest of the crims were your usual hard cases, jokers and sarcastic cockney types.

Overall the storyline and dialogue was very well written and an enjoyable film throughout.

I give it 8/10 to try and make up for whichever tosspot gave it such a crap rating. Bravo.

Columbus Day (2008)

A Return To Form For Val Kilmer

[8/10 · 5 May 2008]

After seeing the horrendous 'Conspiracy' I had almost lost faith in kilmer all together. However this movie is a return to form. The little black kid he talks to in the park is a great character and really helps Val along with his own demons.

For a low budget flick it works well and the acting is superb, especially the kid, top little actor, I expect to see more from this dude.

The plot all be it simple is effective and pretty much the entire movie transpires in echo park. The romance sub-plot works well and didn't feel like it was just thrown in their and overall was a good movie with some tense parts throughout and a great ending.

I recommend it to Val Kilmers fans and anyone else for that matter.

By no means a Hollywood blockbuster but taking into account a tiny budget, linear setting and some good acting...

I give it 8/10 Well worth a look.

Doomsday (I) (2008)

Small Budget Success Leads To Big Budget Disaster

[4/10 · 1 May 2008]

My god Neil what have you done? You've just alienated your biggest fan.

The moment this guy got a budget he got over ambitious and tried too much. My best way to describe this film is...

Mad Max meets 28 Weeks Later, meets Aliens, meet Knights Tale.

Yes you heard right, a f*****g knights tale.

Absolutely ridiculous film, the zombie virus thing is way over done and its as if half way through making the British Zombie version of Aliens Neil Marshall changes his mind and creates a post apocalyptic version of Robin Hood. Absolutely stupid.

Barely watchable. 4/10 Don't waste your time. I only give it a 4 due to good Cinematography. The acting is laughable and the plot even more so. Not even the over zealous gore can save this horror flick. Waste of 2 hours of my life.

Grindhouse (2007)

Barrel Of Laughs, They Do It Purely Because They Can!

[8/10 · 10 April 2007]

Let me start of by saying outright, I think Planet Terror was the weaker picture, and Kurt Russel plays a brilliant part in Death Proof! Anyways, Tarantino and Rodriguez literally are a pair of jokers...

I found Planet Terror to be rather gruesome and slapstick compared to Death Proof which is much more stylised with the classic Tarantino style dialogue! All in all the two movies compliment each other perfectly, Grindhouse defintiley fulfills what it sets out to accomplish and that is to bring back that classic drive thru cinema era of America by mixing some classic b-movie horror with some bad attitude and a 90's twist.

I fully enjoyed Grindhouse however I'm a massive Tarantino fan and knew what to expect, I think the non-beleivers will be like 'What The F**k' at times throughout Planet Terror but I thought it was hilarious.

As For Deathproof, this is the real picture, Kurt Russel plays a fantastic part as the psychotic stuntman mike.

I think its a long cinema experience as the two movies are as promised: Full Length Features. However if you can hack the uncomfortable seating defintiley bring a girl with you for this one and throw some popcorn at people! An instant classic in my books.

I personally wasn't all that impressed with Kill Bill 1 & 2 and this has restored a little faith in Quinten (Who has quick cameo appearances in both Planet Terror and Death Proof) and I just cant wait for Inglorious Bastards, which I hope will be his true comeback! Grindhouse gets an 8 from me!

Revolver (2005)

Those who criticise are simply not wise...

[10/10 · 22 September 2005]

I'm going to give it 10/10 purely to try and salvage this movie some sort of rating after you savages have attacked it like a pack of wolves on an injured lamb.

I see exactly where Guy Ritchie is going with this and think it is a welcome change from his typical formula. I wont go into spoilers but lets face it, if he were to explain everything fully and string it all out for you to see with a nice big bow wrapped around it, the movie would not be half as much fun would it, in fact it would wrap up nicely like Matchstick men if certain elements were explained a little more in depth, but why do that...

This film is beautifully crafted and manipulates you as the viewer then finally leaves you to make your own decisions at the end. I would be a fool to say there aren't any loose ends as they blatantly are, but I feel if they were to be tied up, half the concept of the con would not have worked in the first place. This is definitely a movie to watch on DVD along with the Directors commentary and believe me I shall be catching the DVD when it is released, for now I would appreciate this for what it is.

Another fantastic Guy Ritchie roller coaster. Amen.