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Reviews
The Best of Men (2012)
How is this so unknown?!
I was surprised when this came up as having been released over a decade ago and I'd not heard of it, let alone seen it; then I came here and saw there were only 14 reviews?!
I threw it on as something to watch and likely fall asleep to, but once the first 10 minutes had warmed up I was invested.
This is a cracking film; somehow giving classic wartime stoicism whilst also being vulnerable and full of feeling.
I won't give any spoilers, so will just say that an absolute smasher of a cast, a beautiful story line, and really great writing made this a true pleasure to watch.
I genuinely can't find a single thing to pick at with this film; so glad I gave it the time.
A Man Called Otto (2022)
All Round Heart Warmer
It's. Just. Lovely.
If you want to perch on a high horse and whinge about Swedish original versions, or pull out some bingo card for how this movie is ticking too many generic boxes; bully for you.
If you just want to know whether this movie is a good way to spend 2 hours of your life, then I'm here to tell you that it genuinely is.
Loveable characters, glances into modern day life that most people with the ability to empathise can relate to, and watching Tom Hanks do his thing, all make this movie a pleasure to watch.
Yes it's a gentle inoffensive comedy that will pull at your heart strings; but when did that become a bad thing? Really enjoyed it, and even if you're as grumpy as Otto, I bet you probably will too.
The Sister (2020)
Jesus, it wasn't that bad
Not sure if the majority of other reviewers got super hyped up about this show, and were bitterly disappointed when it wasn't the best thing they've ever seen; but crikey, it isn't deserving of the plethora of 1-stars and vitriol.
Yes, it's slow, moody, and a bit shallow when it comes to character and plot development; but if you want a classic British TV thriller with a few twists and turns and you're not a complete misery guts that thinks everything should be a televisual marvel, this definitely isn't a bad way to spend 4 hours.
It works from an interesting angle, and you're kept guessing as to what's going to happen right until the end. Tovey is good, and plays his character well, and the colour palette and score support the tone of the piece. It does a stellar job of expressing the feeling of being trapped and weighed down by guilt, to an extent it was almost a little uncomfortable to watch.
There were definitely things that could have been done better, but all-in-all it was captivating and worth watching.
Sharp Objects (2018)
A Strong Series
Just finished watching this across two days, and whilst it is a slow burner, I felt like you get plenty of value across the 8 episodes.
For me there were a few times where all the flashbacks got a bit confusing, and there were a couple of unsatisfactoraily-filled plot holes, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Overall, this is an absolute powerhouse of a single series delivery.
Acting: top notch. Production style: a mix of familiar styles served up together in a refreshing format. Storyline: Pulls you in. Cast: Incredible. The characters are shallow, but I interpreted that as the entire point.
End to end, Sharp Objects was one of the best all-rounders I've watched in a good while.
There's few shows that leave you wanting more because it was so good to watch, but praying it never gets dragged through a revival of any kind, because it was perfect as it was.
I'll be off to read the book now and see how the two compare. If the show is remotely true to it, I know I'm going to enjoy it.
If you're reading this considering whether you should watch it; just hit play already. It's only 8 episodes and even if you don't love it, I can guarantee you've wasted the same amount of hours of your life on far, far, worse things.
Raising Hope (2010)
Easygoing Comfort Watching
Just come back to this again after watching the first 2 series when they first aired, and I still truly adore this show.
Loveable, stupid, and hapless characters with complete insanity in every episode. If you take things seriously and have set expectations then you'll probably not like this, but if you just want something that's easy to watch and laugh at then, you'll be hard pushed not to enjoy this even a little bit.
I'd pitch this as similar to something like Schitt's Creek, where the enjoyment comes from falling in love with the characters and just enjoying seeing where it goes.
So good and one I know I'll come back to again and again.
The Santa Clause (1994)
Miserable Adults Need to Stop Denying Their Inner Child
I was the target audience for this movie when it came out, and I've just re-watched it in my thirties and it's still an absolute belter.
Everything a good kids movie should be. It's unrealistic and follows no logic at all, has rubbish jokes, a couple of adult references no child would get, and loads of warm and fuzzies.
Anyone who gave this a low rating clearly never made it onto the nice list, and is just a grumpy old miser with silly expectations of a children's christmas movie. (If you've watched the movie, they're a Neal)