Reviews
Mercury Plains (2016)
Pointless
A waste of time. Extremely poorly edited, the dialogue (script) is a joke. The plot was feasible if it had been better utilised. the cast should be ashamed, although they won't be as they will have been payed for their 'efforts'. I make no apologies for my English spelling 'mistakes', as I am English and it is grammatically correct to use 's' instead of 'z' in 'utilise'. This was pedestrian at most, uninspiring, predictable, badly set and filmed. It would definitely seem that the apple falls far from the tree based on this. Scott Eastwood has a presence, but more due to his heritage than anything else. The 'Captain' has some previous pedigree but it was wasted in this. My opinion and my advice is not to do as I did and watch this, because if you do, you'll regret what you could have done with that time.
Serenity (2005)
Joss Whedon shows us how to make a great sci-fi movie
Without a doubt the sci-fi success story of the year (ironically!) Although the series the movie was based on (Firefly) was axed, the fans for their part helped to keep the dream alive, by backing Joss Whedon, albeit not financially, with their very vocal support. One of the great things about this film was that the viewer did not have to have seen the series first, yet it managed to introduce the characters seamlessly, without disturbing the series fan by 'going over old ground.' It maintained the ethos, kept the moral ambiguity, the humour and the pace to such a degree that it was much more than an extension of the series, it was a fine piece of cinematic work in its own right. The plot was brilliantly written and executed, the visualisation superb, and without giving anything away to anyone who has not seen this film yet, not only expanded the knowledge of the universe it was set in, but coursed and writhed in beautifully controlled ways that the hardened fan could not have predicted. In short, if you haven't seen it then do, and if you have then see it again, because it is so well portrayed it bears revisiting many times. Let's hope a sequel / new series is in the pipeline, because it deserves it far more than many that have been given that privilege.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
A genuine epic
"Fellowship of the Ring" is a marvellous film. Peter Jackson has taken the Tolkien books to his heart, and has transferred it to film in a way that stays as true as possible to the story, whilst making it accessible to anyone who has never read Lord of the Rings.
As a Tolkien fan I can easily forgive him for the changes he must have been forced to make, because he has produced a work that is fascinating, exciting and in some places genuinely frightening. My only frustration is that I will have to wait a year before seeing the next 'episode'.
Because of the method of making these films, I feel I can be certain that "The Two Towers" will be every bit as good as this one.
Well done Mr. Jackson, I thank you for your vision.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Expect the unexpected.
I expected that this film would have followed (or more accurately forerun) the traditions of 4, 5 & 6. Unfortunately it threw those latter ethics away (the Force is a viral infection?) for simplistic and plagiaristic scenes. I voted a 4, which would have been a 3 except for the last light-sabre duel. Very disappointing.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
Sick pic of hanging crock
Although cinematically beautiful (given the location) this film in my opinion is perhaps the most pretentious self-absorbed piece of self-flagellation I have ever seen. To imagine as a viewer that children with a spot on their foreheads are gifted with the ability of disguising that they are children with a spot on their foreheads is the most inert drivel. An all too unbelievable story made from a real life premise to be the excuse 'that supernatural powers were involved'.The suspense of this film was when will it end! Too long, too self indulgent, too bad. Please delete this film as soon as possible. Make it disappear exactly like the children did initially. I am happy to say that antipodean film production has improved well beyond this.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
A look at the underbelly of America at that time.
This film, in its methods of production, direction, cinematography, dialogue and sequence were ground-breaking in its era. The idea of the shattered "American Dream" as portrayed is poignant, emotive and compelling. The casting was inspired, albeit with a first lead of great box-office potential, still managed to show a society of callous reckoning. The impersonality of the city compared to the almost parochial nature of the outer states is shown with a clarity that is stupefying. The shortest comment I can make is watch this film and think.