tacom Reviews

More Than Ever (2022)

Wonderful heartbreaking

[9/10 · 4 December 2022]

Plus que Jamais is a slowpaced drama dealing with a fatal disease and what it does to the people around the patient, especially the loved ones.

Vicki Krieps is excellent, it is not hard to understand where Helene is coming from and thats because of Vicki. Yes it's dramatic, but she acts with a lightness that it never gets too heavy.

Her husband , played by the equally wonderful Gaspard Uliel , in one of his last roles, feels left out and has a hard time dealing with being so helpless.

Shot in beautiful Norway the movie is slow yes, but never boring. Excellent acting and story telling.

If that is not enough; for me it was a little confronting to watch deep into Gaspard's eyes again, knowing he passed away earlier this year. Great loss, beautiful and very talented guy.

It's a Sin (2021)

Best series of the decade

[10/10 · 23 October 2022]

What can I say what's not been said before. I recently rewatched this series because of the musical Cabaret I saw in London, where the lead part was played by Callum Scott Howells, Colin in this series. He was superb, what a great actor.

Anyways, that was the reason I had to watch It's a Sin again, and i realized that i did not review this earlier.

Its just 5 episodes long and we get a fair good look of the lives of the head characters when they get to live together in a London house. The reasons why they got together and certainly why they stayed together. Finally they reached a stage in their lives where they could be free and have fun without too many responsibilities. Unfortunately the news that gay men were getting seriously ill came more frequent and even affected their happy lives. What follows is a rollercoaster of emotions.

Its a fantastic series, acting is great, you get a proper *80-s London vibe and although you can feel the hopes of the young , you also feel that something is going to change, Some real shocking scenes, devastating illness , lost friendships and although death is knocking on the door, the feeling of hope lasts their friendship.

I have cried my eyes out, also the second time I watched, and I advise everyone to watch this when you are able to. Its just brilliant.

The Tourist (2022–2024)

Really nice dark thriller

[9/10 · 24 July 2022]

I am usually not too fond of Australia's Outback series or movies, most of the times its just too grumpy for my liking. I started watching because of Jamie. Dornan because I think he is a really great actor. He did nog disappoint, his parter in crime here the police woman Danielle MacDonald.is really great too.

The storyline is full of sidesteps and change of views, so never a dull moment and it is somewhat funny as well. I binge watched it in 2 days and could not wait to know what the producers came up with to solve this.

The ending makes me want a series 2. Loved it, very enjoyable to watch.

Mothering Sunday (I) (2021)

Superb acting in very refined sophisticated movie

[10/10 · 6 June 2022]

Beautiful scenery, fantastic acting and a wonderful storytelling.

When all these great actors are put together to tell the story of Jane, you know there will be a lot you will love about this movie. The director made a choice to tell this story in different timelines, but with a great eye for details, for light, for close ups and it all is just wonderful.

I am a fan of Josh O'Connor and again he proved me why, he is excellent, charming when needed, dreamy and full of sorrow in a close up scene which took my breath away. Olivia and Colin each play a rather small part, but every line they speak is spot on and in Olivia's case especially the non spoken acting is simply phenomenal.

I saw that a lot of people rate this movie with just 1 star and it is simply ridiculous to be honest, when you love cinema, when you love attention to detail, when you love seeing brilliant actors it is simply not possible to give this just 1 star. Some people just are bullies really.

The Long Call (2021)

Nice storytelling

[9/10 · 3 April 2022]

Nice storytelling, with here and there some flashbacks. The pace is not very fast, but it is slowly unfolding the mystery. Of course there are some sideplots to mislead the viewer, but not too many thank god.

I read somewhere people hated it, because it was too woke. Well what a load of BS is that, being this the first detective that is actually gay, at least what I ever saw in British tv series. Some people just like to reproduce the narrative what is fashion these days and that is not the world is too woke, it is that everything is considered too woke, even when its obviously not.

Back on topic, I really loved the emotional scenes where. Ben Aldridge dealt with his past and the end was simply great tv making. Kudos to. Anita Dobson who played a brilliant part as Grace.

Inventing Anna (2022)

Really worth watching

[9/10 · 25 February 2022]

Great tv series, yes its long, and like life some parts are more exciting than others, sometimes the pace is very fast and sometimes it isn't. Its a series that is well produced, well written and well acted.

Star of the show is of course Julia Garner, she is really amazing. And for those who find her accent not believable, believe me, for a russian/german woman who speaks english it is spot on.

Her temper mood swings are so well acted, she really makes this show.

Again it is fashionable to slam big netflix series like this and so many people give this one just 1 or 2 stars even after just watching 2 episodes. Its ridiculous, a well made show like this, with great actors can never be given under 4 stars. I think its worth 7 stars,1 star extra for Julia and another 1 just to balance it out a little.

Close to Me (2021)

Rather disappointing

[4/10 · 22 January 2022]

At the start it seemed this was going to be an interesting psychological suspense drama. It turned out to be a quite dull drama about supsicions that actually turned out to be the truth.

Both acting and dialogue are not very good, Im sorry, I can see Connie Nielson is at heart a good actress, but in this series I found her even a bit annoying. The constant sighing, the constant neurotic eye movements, it really gets on my nerves.

The end was disappointing as well. In fact to be fair there was not even a plot when your reached to the end, but I could understand people not even getting to that end. No, not really recommended.

Private Lessons (2008)

Hard to watch

[6/10 · 12 December 2021]

Movie is quite disturbing and at some point almost unbearable to watch. Jonas needs to pass for a middle jury desperately because he neglected his schoolwork due to his tennis career. What happens next is a classic way how sexual abuse gradually starts and (in this case thank god) ends.

Jonas finds himself with 3 older people in a house where it gets more and more uncomfortable , due to sex talks, so called sex education and dinner parties where they challenge Jonas.

It all ends up (which was the intention from the start) that his teacher Pierre takes advantage , sexually, of Jonas in a troublesome way.

Acting is quite good, especially Jonas Bloquet as the young Jonas, and the movie makes you think after you seen it, so that is a good thing I guess.

I did not enjoy it though, it was hard for me to watch and it gave me a creepy feeling.

Are We Lost Forever (2020)

Honest breakup story

[9/10 · 11 December 2021]

I had to write a review, when I saw the low rating on here.

This movie ie honest and pure, and anyone who had been through a break up (and who hasn't ) will relate to the raw emotions displayed here.

Acting is very pure and honest, and although the pace of the movie is rather slow, the storytelling again is really honest as well.

I thorouhly enjoyed this movie, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoy a real relatable storyline with some fine actors.

Too Close (2021)

Excellent acting

[9/10 · 25 September 2021]

I wish IMDB would moderat the reviews more, I just read some and 1 person had the audacity to review this series after watching 15 minutes of it. This should now be allowed.

This short series (3 episodes) is compelling and sad at the same time. Both actresses are absolutely fantastic and the plot is just varied enough, not focussing on 1 issue, to keep you glued to the screen.

8 out of 10 for the series, and an extra point for the absolutely great acting. Well done Emily and. Denise.

Respect (2021)

Huge Respect

[8/10 · 4 September 2021]

The one reviewer on here gives the movie 1 star because the movie does not show that Aretha was a b*tch , the other gives also 1 star because the movie does not show that Aretha had great humour. It is getting more and more tiresome that people think its ok to rate a movie like this as terrible and just worth 1 star. It says enough of those people though.

Respect is a bio-pic of a singer that struggles at the beginning of her career to follow her own path, her own voice. It ends in 1972 when Aretha recorded a gospel album, live at a church service. When she finally earned and gave herself that respect.

Jennifer Hudson is amazing, at times she sounds exactly like the Queen of Soul and her acting is at times absolutely great.

Respect is a great movie about the Queen of Soul and if you like her music, this is the movie for you. I suggest you don't listen to the people who before they see a minute of a movie decide to trash it just because its one of the 'big' movies. Its not fair, just give it a chance, I personally promise you, you won't be disappointed.

The Life Ahead (2020)

Beautiful and very emotional

[9/10 · 16 January 2021]

To get a chance to see la Loren once again in a major movie rol is the one reason everyone should see this movie. She is gorgeous, beautiful and absolutely fantastic. But the whole cast is spot on I may add with the phenomenal Momo (Ibrahima Gueye) in peticular , in his first acting role I gathered. The story is beautiful and the moment Momo says to Madame Rosa : Do you pretend not knowing me..with the tears in his eyes got to me really got. Superb acting.By the time this happens in the movie, I was already in some sort of rollercoaster with emotions that this really hit me . Brilliant movie, its a must see.

Summer of 85 (2020)

Wonderful storytelling, great acting

[9/10 · 14 September 2020]

Francois Ozon lang lasting career of making wonderful movies guarantees a well made movie with wonderful storytelling and and art direction that makes you instantly go back to 1985 and fall in love again.. Felix Lefebvre is fantastic as the young Felix who falls in love with the charismatic David, played by the wonderful actor Benjamin Voisin . The strong acting especially makes the storyline believable and the direction makes you as a audience almost participant of that long nice hot summer in 1985. Loved it <3

White Lines (2020)

Huge disappointment

[3/10 · 23 May 2020]

Who killed Axel, his sister wants to know when they find his body 20 years later. That is supposed to be the reason why you should want to see this series, well I can tell you, you could not be bothered after a few episodes. If they only stayed at this plot, then maybe with some better actors this would have worked. Now, because they made up dozens of side plots: His friends with all their secrets, their families with even more secrets, their relationships between each other, their relationships with their family, drugrunners, policemen, her own family, her father coming and going ,with his secrets as well. It is all too much, some plots absolutely ridiculous, some plots so out of touch with reality , some plots just simply annoying. If that was not bad enough most of the actors are not acting their best roles, in fact some are doing such a bad job it really gets annoying.. so when after episode 5, again a new direction of the plot is chosen, you as a the viewer could not care less. I made it until the end, hoping that maybe there was a surprise ending, but even that was too much to ask for. Beautiful Ibiza , lots of nudity and sex is not enough to make a series that people want to see. 1 star for the beautiful scenery , and 2 stars for the one actor that made a real character out his role.. Boxer.

Toy Boy (2019– )

It is a Magic Mike rip off soap and not a good one

[3/10 · 7 April 2020]

Well what can I say. Its not a very good show, the acting is quite poorly, very one dimensional , the script was all over the place and the suspense of wanting to know who did it in the end, was non existent, because you could see that coming from episode 2. The set and scenery looks amazing (hence the 3 stars I give this series) and ok the guys look great too , but after 2 striptease shows we know what the guys do for a living, we dont need to see 24 shows of the lads. It takes wayyyyy too long to get to the end, each episode lasts longer then 1 hour , so it mostly a waste of time. There are far better shows to watch!

Atypical (2017–2021)

Can it get any better then this ?

[10/10 · 28 March 2020]

Late to the party, I just finished 3 seasons of Atypical and it left me completely filled with emotions. This is one brilliantly written and executed show, it never gets predictable , it never gets boring and mainly because of the fantastic actors it is genuinely believable. The pace of the storytelling is the one minute fast and exciting, the other minute when needed, slow and meaningful. I really have to give a lot of credit to the cast, there is just not one actor that is not delivering, all are brilitantly casted and simply fantastic. Especially Kier Gilchrist as Sam is phenomenal , the way he acts make you as a viewer want to protect him, to be there for him as he was your own brother... I mean feeling proud over a tvshow character like I was feeling, then you know you did a fantastic job. Can not wait to see season 4. 10/10

Little Women (2019)

Wonderful , entertaining and simply beautiful

[10/10 · 10 February 2020]

It has been a long time since I enjoyed a movie as much as I did watching Little Women. Wonderful storytelling, wonderful performances, wonderful costumes, wonderful scenery , it is just a joy to watch. Saoirse Ronan never disappoints , the natural way she goes through all the emotions, with a highlight the scene in her (attic) room with her mother (the also fantastic Laura Dern) and the scene where Laurie (the brilliant Timothee Chalamet) expresses his love to Jo. Those fine actors know how to handle a rich scene like that. it can't get any better. I have to admit that I did not know her, but Florence Pugh as her sister Amy was also a delight to watch. Absolutely loved this movie, thoroughly enjoyed watching every aspect of this movie. Can not wait to see what Greta Gerwig's next project will be!

Messiah (2020)

Great TV show, somewhat slow at times

[9/10 · 23 January 2020]

I enjoyed this TV series and watched it in a few days. I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. Production is great, actors are great, though not really a fan of the actress playing Eva. Maybe its just me, but I found her storyline somewhat annoying, and not thoroughly written. Major drama in her life is at times hardly mentioned , her relationship with her father is just touched and so on... Best thing about this series is the way it still mysterious all the way through the end. Sometimes it felt a bit slow., but I really liked it and can only recommend it.

Tales of the City (2019)

Wonderful modern storytelling with the fantastic Olympia Dukakis

[9/10 · 23 June 2019]

Lovely, wonderful feel good story. Unfortunately still much needed in today's society. For an American production it is somewhat bold, regarding nudity and sex, but we in Europe are very used to that. This series is indeed about the tales, you get an insight of the people who live at Barbary Lane and the people they know. It is done in a gentle pace, you really get to know each character. At first I found Ellen Page's acting more of been there, done that, but have to say her layers of emotions when feeling vulnerable and insecure are really great. Linney is simply the right actress to fulfill the part of Mary Ann, and the guys Gross and Bartlett are doing ok as well. But they are all outshone by Olympia Dukakis, what a wonderful fantastic actress she still is. Absolutely love her ! So an 8 out of 10 for this lovely series and an extra star for the star of the show Olympia .

Perfume (2018)

Nice try, but no thanks.

[3/10 · 9 February 2019]

I did not enjoy this show very much. I did not think the acting was any good , some actors had only two facial expressions in their repertoire , some actors gave it too much in the dramatic sense and some actors just forgot to act at all. I realize that is mostly the director's fault but t found the acting quite annoying. The long shots of naked murdered people , the sexual violence against women, the very inappropriate story about a mother/son relation ..it all made it unfortunately uncomfortable to watch for me. Nice try to put the classic Perfume story to a more modern time, but for me it failed and got stuck in to a too pretentious arty cinematic series

Wolf (I) (2013)

Raw and Moving

[9/10 · 3 February 2014]

Unfortunately I missed this movie in the cinema, but just bought the DVD and I am glad I did. I loved Rabat and was curious to find out if this movie was as good. It was, even better in my eyes. Very raw and rough storyline and still you are drawn into the story. Mostly thanks to Marwan Kenzari who plays his character with an intensity in both violent scenes as in the more moving scenes. Violence in this movie is just getting worse and worse....and you can see it happen and still you are shocked when it escalates. Beautifully shot in black and white. Fantastic crew of actors. Very credible in dialogs. Great art direction, simple and very convincing. Loved it, highly recommended. I can not wait for this team's new production.

Amour (2012)

Heartbreaking

[10/10 · 17 March 2013]

This is really an excellent movie, I can not believe that some reviews here are saying the movie left them cold. Where is you heart I may ask.

The movie is about 'Love' , the love of an elderly couple, well situated in the upper middle class. They live their lives at a slow pace, but still enjoy going to a classical concert of one of their past students, something they have been looking forward to. The day after everything chances when Anne is suddenly not responding to her husband's Georges. Their lives completely change as Anne's health is slowly deteriorating. Haneke chose to film entirely in the couple's apartment which gives the movie a claustrophobic feeling, there is not much left of their lives then looking after Anne. Both Riva as Anne and Trintignant as Georges are outstanding, absolutely heartbreaking is the scene where Georges is teaching Anne to sing Sur Le Pont... Absolutely heartbreaking, if you don't feel the love between them, don't see the incredible powerlessness of their fate I ask you what does? Very touching movie. Outstanding acting.

10/10

Les Misérables (2012)

Breathtaking

[9/10 · 11 January 2013]

Reading all the reviews on here made me think that either it would be a nightmare to watch, or I would love this musical movie version of Les Mis. I loved it. I have known the storyline years and years, reading the novel, watching the late '90-ies movie and watched the musical play numerous times. I was excited to watch the trailer, was excited to hear which actors were cast for what part, so to be honest, I could not wait to go an finally see the movie.

Most of the actors are absolutely great with for me the exception of Russel Crowe. Neither his acting, nor his singing lives up to the standard that all the others easily reach. Hugh Jackman is just perfect, his acting is stunning and his voice is quite good, His version of 'Bring Him Home' is simply very emotional. Anne Hathaway is also breathtaking, really superb and highly emotional version of 'I Dreamed A Dream'. It hits you in the face and you believe every note she sings. Eddie Redmayne is also really good, his version of Marius is energetic, really charming and you can see in his eyes what he feels. Brilliant actor.

The director's choice to have the actors sing live, while they play the scenes is for me personally a brilliant choice. This way the meaning of the lyrics are absolutely believable and it pulls the viewer into the story. I love the close-ups, the scenery..in short I love the movie.

You have to like musical theater to like this movie, and you have to like historic drama as well. If you do, this movie will not disappoint, if you don't you should not bother to go and see it. I will go and see it again and again. 9/10