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pete_olds
Reviews
The World of Steam (2013)
OK for steam punk enthusiasts...
At the time of writing, only the first episode of the web based series has been produced, so this focus on the "The Clockwork Heart".
This is everything a steam punk fan could want, where a familiar story is told from quite an interesting perspective (although not entirely unique).
The series has an back-story interesting enough to get it's own dramatisation...you can see more at the series web site http://theworldofsteam.com/.
So if you are into steam punk, or if you like science fiction, or a Doctor Who fan, take a look.
But be prepared for some fairly ordinary acting, so poor quality production (some of it deliberate) and some originality.
Despite that, I applaud Matt King for his effort, and will be looking at the next episodes when they are available. It's 15 minutes of fantasy in a busy world, so it doesn't need to have the same level of engagement as Avatar, or other 3 hour movies...
The Ninth Gate (1999)
A movie with so much potential....
Truly, I have found this to be a rare movie. It is not full of action, but rather thoughtful and layered. The story is simple, but well built up through the directing and some excellent performances (not including the directors wife I should add). For a horror/thriller, it was pseudo intellectual, and eminently watchable, without being drowned in special affects (except for the weirdness that was the female companion floating around). The style was reminiscent of Denis Wheatley fiction at his perverse best.
But the downside is that the movie was hollow, and disappointing. The signs were all broadcast so obviously, the ending was uncharacteristically thoughtless and sudden.
Overall? I have watched it a few times, marveling in the almost brilliance of it all. But it's not brilliant. Still, I think it is a worthwhile investment of time for film enthusiasts. And think what could have been...
Idiocracy (2006)
Dumb, but enjoyable.
I found this movie dumb, seriously missing a plot, full of a range of profanity and generally enjoyable.
It's not one to watch if you are trying to impress someone with your movie tastes, but sometimes it is good to watch something completely unchallenging. And this fits the bill quite well.
I can't ever see it being a cult movie (it would be darn hard to justify ever watching it again) but if you have an adolescent sense of humour, it may be worth a look on the night where you really have nothing better to do.
It's much slicker than Office Space (other dumb humour also from Mike Judge) is much more of a one joke movie than some of his other offerings.
Bee Season (2005)
Probably not for everyone
I can't remember when I last feel asleep watching a movie. Until Bee Season.
I have the distinct feeling that I should find the book and read that, but I found this movie disappointing and unable to generate emotion in the audience partially because of the prevalence of overly simplified characters.
The basic premise of the movie sounded interesting, but the execution did not bring any emotional engagement in a movie which could have offered so much more.
I came away with the distinct feeling that it was an attempt by shallow people to make a deep movie.