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Fear the Walking Dead (2015)
Utterly worthless
Season 8 is laughably bad. It's pathetic. That season on it's own gets a 1/10. Seasons 2 and 3 pull the show up to a 2/10. Madison is back, then Troy(!) is back, talk about desperation. The acting is dreadful, particularly from the kid actors. Even Lennie James gives an awful performance. The dialogue is cringeworthy. Magic radios. Characters introduced 2 episodes from the very end of the series. Terrible, weak "villains" for the final season. No major characters die, apart from completely gratuitous death of Charlie, and Grace, but who cares. A complete and utter waste of time. Worthless garbage, made by talentless hacks.
The Gray Man (2022)
Utter nonsense
Incredibly violent, par for the course on this streaming service. Ryan Gosling is his usual plank of wood self, and he has a hideous scruffy beard that doesn't suit him, he should lean into his youthful looks, as I do. Chris Evans has a cool moustache and haircut, but he can't act. There are some ridiculous hand to hand fight scenes involving blatant stunt doubles. Early in the movie, Gosling and Ana De Armas leave Evans alive when they could have ended him and the threat he posed there and then, thus saving the lives of hundreds of people, including many law enforcement officers, and Billy Bob Thornton, Gosling's mentor and father figure in this worthless movie. Utterly pathetic. Another $200 million well spent!
The Walking Dead (2010)
Complete waste of time
I watched this for 12 years. The very first episode, the very first night it was shown. I was 29 at the time, I was 41 by the time this ended. The first 3 seasons are superb, Season 4 is okay, it starts to get ridiculous by Season 5, the longest I would advise anyone to watch it is to the end of Season 6. Having said that, the first eight episodes of Season 11 are great, but then it falls off a cliff for the final sixteen(!) episodes of that final season. The finale is beyond an insult. Utterly pathetic, all it does is set up three(!) spin-off shows, none of which will receive a single second of my precious time. First three/four seasons in isolation would be a strong 8/10, possibly a 9 if I was feeling really generous, which isn't often.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
A laugh riot!
Fun for all the family! I can see why it came to streaming at Christmas, on Disney+ of all things. I'm joking, it's grim and depressing, as well as pointless and meaningless. The two leads and the writer/director collaborated on "In Bruges", which is superb, and why I looked forward to this film, almost watching it at the cinema. I'm sure glad I didn't. The acting is great all round though, and there are some humorous moments in the first half an hour or so, but then it's downhill all the way. Don't bother, it's a massive downer, all in service of nothing. The music's not bad, and the cinematography is decent.
The Terminal List (2022)
Heart in the right place
It's not perfect, but this show definitely has its heart in the right place, means well, and raises some interesting points. It shows respect and gratitude to the military people who sacrifice so all can remain free, a sentiment clearly shared by Chris Pratt, who is also a producer on this. Pratt seems like a decent, stand up guy, certainly by Hollywood standards, and the more certain elements of society hate on him, the more I like him. It's a shame there's no room for his humour in this, but it would not have been appropriate to the material. He does lose something when playing a deadly serious part, mainly his charm, but he's certainly convincing as a man of action. Jai Courtney and Taylor Kitsch are particularly entertaining in their roles. There's a very unconvincing and annoying female journalist character who's in it far too much, though. As mentioned, the show is sympathetic to those who sacrifice, and discusses issues that don't always get heard about. And the show is not woke, at all, but did you expect anything less with Chris Pratt so heavily involved? Let's hope he keeps up the good work. Worth checking out.
Disenchantment (2018)
Groening loses the plot
I was actually interested to watch this initially, but I was new to a certain streaming service at the time, so I couldn't possibly have known what I was in for. It's awful, in the way new Simpsons is. It's woke, and all the male characters are idiots or evil, par for the course on a certain streaming service, and it also glorifies alcohol abuse, sleeping around, and it appears to glorify drug use as well. Great. Matt Groening appears to have become a hippie in his later years, this has occurred to me while watching more recent episodes of The Simpsons as well. It's a shame, The Simpsons (in it's heyday) and Futurama are two of my all time favourite shows. It also makes me concerned about what Groening is going to do to the upcoming new episodes of Futurama. I hope I'm proved wrong, but I've got a bad feeling about this.
The Cuphead Show! (2022)
Surprisingly good
A certain streaming service actually comes out with a decent show! I'm as shocked as you are. This is slightly reminiscent of "Ren and Stimpy", which is something of a compliment. Season 2 is a big step up on Season 1, it features Miss Chalice, who is the new playable character from the new DLC for the base game, and she's portrayed in a pretty amusing way. And the boss characters from the game (it's essentially a boss rush game) seem to be featured more prominently, which is enjoyable if you've played the game, as I have. And it's not woke! Definitely worth checking out if you think it looks interesting, and you don't have much to lose as each episode is no longer than a quarter of an hour.
Better Call Saul (2015)
Show of two halves
There are going to be big spoilers in this review. I watched Breaking Bad when it was originally on. I strongly advise watching it before watching Better Call Saul. The first three seasons of this show are, in my opinion, boring. Hardly anything happens and they seem dragged out to an extreme degree. But in season 4, once Jimmy/Saul's brother Chuck is out of the picture, and less time is spent on the boring intricacies of being a lawyer, things really start picking up, and the final two seasons, 5 and 6, are phenomenal. Something bad happens to a major character at the midway point of the final season, and without the first three seasons it would not have had anywhere near as much of an impact, so in retrospect seasons 1 - 3 served their purpose. The acting is amazing. Rhea Seehorn as Kim is superb, and she gets better as the show reaches its climax. And I agree with Lalo, she's certainly quite easy on the eye! The aforementioned Lalo is a great and menacing villain. In the end the show concludes on a downer, which I fully expected, although not in the way I maybe anticipated. The final episode rounds it off perfectly, it's comparable to the final episode of The Shield in how it couldn't have been done any other way. It's also more satisfying (although depressing and sad) than the final episode of Breaking Bad. Overall, a superb and wonderful show.
Greenland (2020)
Utter garbage
I've watched a lot of apocalypse/post apocalypse movies, it's a subject that interests me a great deal. This is possibly the worst one I've ever seen. It's not Gerard Butler's fault, he's okay in this. But some of the characters are hateful, they make stupid decisions, and I didn't care about them. And the ending is truly pathetic, a bigger and more senseless cop out than the end of "2012". Don't waste your precious time.
In Bruges (2008)
Superb
Moving, beautifully acted, with wonderful, atmospheric music and visuals. It's the first film where I started taking Colin Farrell seriously. I rented it when it first came out on DVD, and was blown away and surprised at just how good it was. It's one of my all time favourite British movies (I'm British). It's not as good as the amazing "Sexy Beast" (my favourite British movie), but it's not too far off it, which is a big compliment. Bear in mind it's a violent movie, made for adults, but if you don't mind that, I very highly recommend it.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Boring
A very boring character, played by a very boring actor, does boring and ridiculous things. There's far too much Vader, it takes away the from mystery of him. I actually thought Reva was a reasonably interesting character, and that Moses Ingram was charismatic and competent in the part. And it explains in the end why Leia reaches out to Kenobi at the start of A New Hope, so that was cool. But overall it's terrible, it looks cheap at points, which I'm sure it wasn't, and it reminded me of the awful Loki show as well as the horrendous Solo. Disney suck, they've run Star Wars into the ground and they've nearly done the same thing to the MCU. But it's kind of amusing to watch it happen at this point.
Ozark (2017)
I liked the ending
The ending pulled this up from a 4 to a 6 out of 10. I definitely didn't see it coming, and it's the best thing about the entire show. Two things though, and these are massive spoilers: I think Ruth would have shown more of a sense of self preservation right at the end, even though she is ultimately doomed whatever she does; and Mel Sattem walks headlong into his own death, which I don't believe he would have done, but if he hadn't we wouldn't have got the fantastic shock ending. The political stuff is incredibly boring, but it's not in the show by the final episodes, and all of the Byrdes (including the kids) are totally evil and they get away scot free, so I understand why that would put some people off. But overall I'm glad I watched it.
Godless (2017)
Great Western
I love westerns, and so gave this this show a chance. People have said in other reviews on here that it's slow, and nothing happens for the majority of the episodes. I disagree. One of it's strongest points is that it's a limited series, 7 episodes and then you're done, the story completely wrapped up, rather than dragging on endlessly for years. It's beautifully filmed, with great, appropriate music. The final few minutes of the penultimate episode was a particularly moving and standout scene. The acting is mainly great. I wasn't very familiar with Michelle Dockery, but she's perfect in her part, and charismatic and beautiful. Scoot Mcnairy is pretty great, as usual at this point. And the villains are evil and memorable. I'm not saying it's perfect, but if you like westerns, it really is worth giving a chance, and sticking with it, as it builds up to a really great last couple of episodes. And don't worry, it's not really woke, which was initially a concern of mine. A show like this should be appreciated, as westerns are a rare thing these days. Highly recommended, for the right audience.
Copshop (2021)
Great crime movie
I'm a big fan of Joe Carnahan, mainly because he directed "The Grey", which is one of my all time favourite films, and which also features Frank Grillo, who co stars here. Grillo is great in his part, Gerard Butler is spot on, and Alexis Louder, who I'd never seen before, is excellent as well. This is one of Carnahan's best films, it's interesting from start to finish. It's very well shot, and quite atmospheric in parts. It even reminded me a bit of Tarantino at points, in a good way. Yes, it is quite violent, but if you're alright with that, and like crime thrillers, this is well worth checking out.
Tron: Legacy (2010)
Halfway decent
Fantastic visuals. An absolutely superb soundtrack by Daft Punk. Some distinctive characters and a fairly unique atmosphere. And a gorgeous actress named Beau Garrett, who I'd never seen before, playing a character named "Gem", who's some sort of android/computer programme. Unfortunately, the film is too long, and it falls off a cliff shortly after the halfway point. It's still worth checking out, for the excellent first half.
Me, Myself & Irene (2000)
When comedies were funny
This would not get made now. If you've never seen it, watch it and you'll see what I mean. If you haven't watched it in years (as I hadn't), watch it again and you'll also see what I mean. It's raunchy, it's outrageous, and it's not PC, at all. Jim Carrey is excellent value, and is hilarious. And as an added bonus, Renee Zellweger has never looked better. If this is your type of thing (as it is mine), check it out.
Turning Red (2022)
Appalling
A new low for Disney, if that's even possible. There is nothing in this film for young male viewers, in fact it seems to be openly hostile towards them, as well as being openly hostile to parental figures and authority figures in general. It's even more woke than you might imagine. And at one point the lead character declares "My Panda, my choice". An utterly disgusting message to thinly veil in what is supposed to be a children's film. Despicable stuff. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Real Steel (2011)
Father and son
I pretty much loved this. It tells a story in which a previously absent and careless father bonds with his son, and his son bonds with him. It's a tale of setting lofty goals and exceeding them. And it's about a selfish, damaged man achieving redemption. Hugh Jackman is superb, and completely convincing as a formerly gifted boxer. The actor that plays his 12 year old son is great. Evangeline Lily is very good, and suitably attractive as his female friend who might be more than that. Anthony Mackie is suitably larger than life. This film, even just 11 years later, would not get made now, at least not in this incarnation. Everything out of Hollywood now has to depict broken homes, dysfunctional families, and men, especially straight, macho, masculine men, as bad guys and disposable, if not worthless. At the very least, if the movie was made now the son would be gender swapped to be a daughter, which completely defeats the object of the whole story. It's ultimately touching, and the climax is superb, rousing and uplifting. Highly recommended.
Trolls World Tour (2020)
Horrendous
If you think you're going to hate this, you will. The cast is hateful. The songs (all cover versions) are hateful. The visuals are headache inducing. And the characters are unbelievably annoying. If I had children (which I don't, through choice), they would not be watching mindless garbage such as this. And on top of everything else, it's super, super woke, full of completely wrong-headed messages. It's the stuff of nightmares.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
Sickening
This has received a lot of 1 star user reviews, but none that I've read have touched upon what I'm going to say. This is easily one of the most disgusting, depraved movies I've ever watched. It's basically one step from being a snuff movie, given how realistic and convincing the special effects are at this point. I seriously question the mentality of anyone who derives pleasure from this. There is a lot of violence and evil in the world, who in their right mind watches more of it for entertainment? Yes, I chose to watch it, and I instantly regretted it (I watched it right before going to sleep, as well). The apparently already infamous bus scene was absolutely harrowing, and it stayed with me for days. It is no surprise that this film was hugely popular on a certain streaming service, you all know the one I'm talking about, it constantly stoops to new lows. This movie is truly sick and completely nihilistic. There is nothing of value in it. My advice is to avoid watching this at all costs.
Wolf Like Me (2022)
Interesting
I won't say much, as I don't want to spoil it. The main reason I watched this is because of Isla Fisher. I have loads of time for her, mainly because she's in one of my all time favourite comedies, "Wedding Crashers". She's charming, genuinely talented and hilarious, and absolutely beautiful, even in her mid forties (she's also a fast runner, you'll see what I mean if you watch this). Also, I thought it might involve werewolves, which interest me, I won't say whether it does or not. Josh Gad is fine, the actress who plays his daughter does a great job, and Fisher is quite moving, good acting all round. I will say I find it unfeasible that Fisher would go for Gad, they're respective attractiveness levels are miles apart. Each episode is about 25 minutes, a fine length in my opinion, and there are only 6 of them, so it's not a slog. I don't normally say this, but there could stand to be a couple more. It's not perfect, but it's interesting, and genuinely funny at points. If you think you might like it, it's not a big time commitment, so check it out.
The Legend of Vox Machina (2022)
Brilliant animation
I love traditional hand drawn animation (as opposed to CGI, which in general I hate). This show has some of the most beautiful, dynamic animation I've seen. It's amazing. Okay, its not on a par with Ghost In The Shell 1 and 2 or Studio Ghibli, but what is. It's still incredible. The opening credits sequence is great, and it really sets the tone. If you like very raunchy humour, which I do, there are some laughs in this show. If not, it might not be for you. The story is varied and interesting, and there are some great and memorable villains in here. I think this would make an excellent video game, preferably 2D action, or even a 2D side scrolling beat em up, where you get to choose from, or switch between the seven heroes. The cast of villains would make for great end of level bosses. While on the subject of the heroes, they are varied, and every one is memorable. The episodes are about 25 minutes long, which is a perfect length in my opinion, and there are 10 of them, so not too much to get through. If you like animation and raunchy adult humour, coupled with an adventure, check it out. It's quite a lot better than the massively overrated Castlevania, and as an added bonus, it's not woke, at all. Highly recommended, for the right audience.
Archive 81 (2022)
Foul mouths
Everyone's (least) favourite streaming service delivers more crass, foul mouthed, negative trash for the mindless masses, who will gobble this garbage up. Some of the "acting" is beyond belief in it's incompetence. The special effects are laughable. Every other word is the f word, particularly from some characters, I kid you not. The swearing/cursing is completely gratuitous, it's pathetic, but exactly what I expect from this particular streaming service. A truly awful show. And so you know, I didn't watch this through choice, it was inflicted on me by a family member.
Point Break (1991)
Career bests
The best film Keanu Reeves has been in, he's perfect for this part. The best performance from the extremely distinctive and memorable Patrick Swayze, again perfect for this. And the amazing director of action Kathryn Bigelow absolutely nails it, this is easily her best film. The music and sound design is incredible and incredibly atmospheric. The cinematography creates an awesome atmosphere. The stunts (no CGI) are great and convincing. So much happens in this, it's incredible from start to finish. This would have been amazing in the cinema, unfortunately I was 10 when it came out and had no interest in such films. This film is basically perfect, and I'm not even interested in surfing.
The Grey (2011)
Masterpiece
An incredible movie. The first time I saw it I'd missed the first third or so, and didn't have any expectations. But what I saw really impressed me. But once I watched it from start to finish I was completely blown away. It's unforgettable. It's my favourite film since "The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford", and it's one of my all time favourite films. It's the best thing Liam Neeson's done, and it's one of his best performances. It's the first film I saw Frank Grillo in, and easily his best, with his best performance. Everyone in the cast nails it. It won't be for everyone, as others on here have said. It reminds me of '70s movies with how grim and bleak it is. The sound design is awesome, you feel like you're there, and the cinematography is some of the best I've ever seen. Everything about this movie is spot on, including the ending, which is perfect. If you're of the right sensibility for this movie, I couldn't recommend it any more highly.