Tag Archives: #150WordReview

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S1E1&2 “A Shadow of the Past” and “Adrift” 150 Word Review #AmazonReview #LOTR #RingsofPower #150WordReview

February 7, 2023150 word review, 3-5#150WordReview, 150 word review, Amazon, Amazon Prime, Celebrimbor, Dawn French, dragon, elf, Episode VII, Erik the Viking, Ewoks, fantasy, female Ghostbusters, female reboot, French and Saunders, Galadriel, Game of Thrones, harfoot, J R R Tolkien, Jar Jar Binks, Jennifer Saunders, Legolas, Lenny Henry, Lord of the Rings, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Lord of the Woke, LotR, LOTR: ROP, member berries, memberberries, Michael Palin, Middle Earth, orc, Peter Jackson, Rings of Power, RoP, short review, Star Wars, SW7, The Hobbit, Tolkien, wizard, woke, Zummerset, Zummerzetbryanajparry

Carefully constructed from the appendices, footnotes and old bits of crumpled-up post-it notes

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power tells the tale of the second age of Middle Earth, some thousands of years before the events portrayed in the Lord of the Rings. Carefully constructed from the appendices, footnotes and old bits of crumpled-up post-it notes from Tolkien’s rubbish bin, LOTR:ROP will take us back to experience the world of J. R. R. Tolkien once more, a world of good versus evil, dragons and treasure, duty and honour, and prosthetic ears.

What has one billion dollars got Amazon? A lot of memberberries, apparently. It’s a soft reboot of LOTR: Galdriel, Legolas 2, ~~Hobbits~~ ~~Harfeet~~ Harfoots, a dark lord, juicy maps, Probably-Gandalf. But it’s all in a 2022 stylee: black hobbits and elves, Female Frodo and Female Sam, lots of powahful women who don’t need no man.

Episode one and two were enjoyable. Not what we feared, but not what we hoped for. Let’s see how the series develops.

3/5

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Netflix Film Reviews “Lost Girls” (2020) #150WordReview #NetflixReview

April 2, 2022150 word review, 4/5, film review#150WordReview, #MovieReviewsBlog, #NetflixReviews, 150 word review, @MovieReviewsBlo, Amy Ryan, based on a book, crime, film, film blog, film review, film reviews, film student, films, Gabriel Byrne, Lola Kirke, Long Island Serial Killer, Lost Girls, Lost Girls 2020, Lost Girls MOVIE, Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery, movie, movie blog, movie review, movie reviews, movies, murder, Netflix, netflix film, Netflix review, New York Times Bestseller, serial killer, Sundance, Thomasin McKenzie, thriller, true crime, true storybryanajparry

will surely haunt you

Lost Girls is based on the disturbing true case of the Long Island Serial Killer, where upwards of 16 young ladies, all sex workers, were murdered and buried in a field behind a gated community. The killer has yet to be identified. The film focuses on the story of Shannan Gilbert whose disappearance and subsequent police search led to the gruesome discovery of this string of dead bodies.

Nobody wanted to listen, but Shannon’s mother, Mari (Amy Ryan), was tenacious and made it happen. Deeply flawed individuals. Amazing acting even from those with very few lines. The casting was fantastic.

The obligatory credits sequence where we see the real people involved was particularly grisly and gruesome, especially when the fate of the surviving members of the family is revealed.

I don’t want to overegg this sell. Just watch the film. Fans of crime, thriller, documentary, and true stories will all love this deeply disturbing tale that will surely haunt you weeks later.

4/5

featured image from http://fr.web.img2.acsta.net/pictures/20/01/17/09/06/4110848.jpg

Film Review: “The Woman in the Window” (2021) #150WordReview

June 27, 2021150 word review, 3/5, film review#150WordReview, #NetflixReviews, 150 word review, agoraphobic, agoroaphobia, Amy Adams, crime, crime-mystery-thriller, crime-thriller, film, film blog, film review, film reviews, films, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Julianne Moore, movie, movie blog, movie review, movie reviews, movies, mystery, Netflix, netflix film, Netflix review, Scream, Seeing is beLIEving, The Woman in the Window, The Woman in the Window 2021, The Woman in the Window MOVIE, thrillerbryanajparry

A really good movie, albeit…

Agoraphobic divorcee Anna Fox (Amy Adams) is increasingly losing touch with reality, most of her days are spent staring out of her window and spying on her neighbours. But one day she witnesses her next door neighbour, and sole friend, Jane Russell (Julianne Moore) murdered in her own house. However, when the police check it out, it turns out that her neighbour is well and alive, but is not the woman that Anna knows (Jennifer Jason Leigh).

Is Anna crazy, or is there a cover-up afoot? The Woman in the Window is a thrilling mystery crime drama. Off-kilter performances and direction with several twists.

There is a vaguely Scream-esque aspect to the final reveal, but done straight-faced. That’s not necessarily a good thing. Other aspects of the film are slightly derivative. None-the-less, the movie was well acted, logically scripted, and compellingly directed.

A really good movie, albeit one which underuses its wonderful cast.

3/5

featured image from https://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/woman-window-poster01.jpg

Film Review “Fragile” (2005) #NetflixReview #150WordReview

April 25, 2021150 word review, 2/5, film review#150WordReview, #NetflixReviews, 150 word review, Calista Flockhart, Elena Anaya, film, film blog, film review, film reviews, films, Fragile, Fragile 2005, horror, horror hospital, movie, movie blog, movie review, movie reviews, movies, Netflix, netflix film, Netflix review, spooky hospital, Yasmin Murphybryanajparry

subpar

A nurse struggling to overcome a recent tragedy starts work at a rundown hospital where an evil presence menace the young wards under her charge.

Fragile features a measured and convincing performance from Calista Flockhart. Sadly, her co-stars don’t quite convince, especially Elena Anaya (nurse Helen) and mandatory mental kid Maggie, Yasmin Murphy.

The story was fairly generic, but none-the-less decently constructed. It’s just that this is something we’ve seen many times before. None-the-less, the “abandoned” part of the hospital has a believably thick and creepy atmosphere, highly believable, and this kept us watching (more-or-less).

Not bad stuff at all, but subpar and fairly forgettable. Better execution from all players and the special effects department is what Flockhart deserved for her performance.

2/5

featured image from https://horrormovies.gr/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/fragile-2005.jpg

Netflix Film Review “The Legacy of the Bones” a.k.a. “Legado en los huesos” (2019) #NetflixReviews #150WordReview

October 5, 2020150 word review, 2/5, film review#150WordReview, 150 word review, Alfonso Álvarez de Toledo, Aloisius Dupree, Amaia Salazar, Basque, Basque Language, Baztan, Benn Northover, Colin McFarlane, Doctor Basterra, Dolores Redondo, Dr. San Martín, El Basajaún, El guardián invisible, Elvira Mínguez, Euskadi, euskal herria, Euskara, Euskera, Fermín Montés, Fernando González Molina, Fernando Velazquez, Flora Salazar, Francesc Orella, Itziar Aizpuru, Jonan Etxaide, Luiso Berdejo, Manolo Solo, Marta Etura, Miquel Fernández, Nafarroa, Navarra, Navarre, Nene, Offering to the Storm, Paco Tous, Pamplona, Patricia López Arnaiz, Pedro Casablanc, Ramón Barea, Rosaura Salazar, Tía Engrasi, The Basque Country, The Legacy of the Bones, txantxigorribryanajparry

See the review for the first film in the trilogy here

seemed like an overlong episode of any … TV police show.

The Legacy of the Bones is the second in the Baztan trilogy based on the successful book series by Delores Redondo. This instalment sees our lead, Inspector Amaia Salazar (Marta Etura), return to her childhood home and try to solve a case that, once again, is inextricably linked to her own past. The evil seems intent on coming for her and her family.

The second film of a trilogy often sags. The reason is that it doesn’t really have a beginning or an end, it merely serves as a bridge for the first and last parts. However, the Baztan trilogy is more a serial than a series, each episode’s story connected to previous ones but a fresh story. Sorry, did I say “episode”? Whereas the first film, The Invisible Guardian, felt filmic in a good way, this seemed like an overlong episode of any good TV police show. Is that a bad thing? No. But it wasn’t a movie. The plot wasn’t substantial enough. I felt like I was watching a TV series. Which brings me back to the point: this trilogy is a serial of three separate stories, so the sag is not really understandable.

Good performances all round, great photography, good costume design, and the plot was well-rendered, although the lurch deeper into hocus pocus was silly. It’s hard to see how this is a movie. A big step down from the first film.

2/5

featured image from https://deveserisso.com.br/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/legado-nos-ossos.jpg

Netflix Film Review “The Invisible Guardian” A.K.A. “El Guardián Invisible” (2017) #NETFLIXREVIEWS #150WORDREVIEW #DoloresRedondo #ElGuardianInvisible #TheInvisibleGuardian

September 15, 2020150 word review, 3/5, film review#150WordReview, 150 word review, Alfonso Álvarez de Toledo, Aloisius Dupree, Amaia Salazar, Basque, Basque Language, Baztan, Benn Northover, Colin McFarlane, Doctor Basterra, Dolores Redondo, Dr. San Martín, El Basajaún, El guardián invisible, Elvira Mínguez, Euskadi, euskal herria, Euskara, Euskera, Fermín Montés, Fernando González Molina, Fernando Velazquez, Flora Salazar, Francesc Orella, Itziar Aizpuru, Jonan Etxaide, Luiso Berdejo, Manolo Solo, Marta Etura, Miquel Fernández, Nafarroa, Navarra, Navarre, Nene, Offering to the Storm, Paco Tous, Pamplona, Patricia López Arnaiz, Pedro Casablanc, Ramón Barea, Rosaura Salazar, Tía Engrasi, The Basque Country, The Legacy of the Bones, txantxigorribryanajparry

nature itself almost seems a character

A female inspector, Amaia (Marta Etura), battles both her own demons and against a religiously-inspired serial killer whose lust for murder shows no sign up letting up.

Set in the haunting, rain-sodden countryside of the Basque Country, nature itself almost seems a character in its own right as embodied by the mythological “Invisible Guardian” of the forest. But Pan’s Labyrinth fantasy this is not; The Invisible Guardian is gritty, and gut-punchingly real.

The beautiful cinematography brings alive the unique culture and atmosphere of the Basque Country. The acting is first rate. The story was tightly plotted and interesting with shades of the Wallander books. This is the first of three films based on Delores Redondo’s books. Crime fiction fans should give it a go, it might be mildly entertaining for the general viewer.

3/5

featured image from https://pics.filmaffinity.com/el_guardian_invisible-726992780-large.jpg

Netflix Film Review “Calibre” (2018) #150WordReview

June 13, 2020150 word review, 4/5#150WordReview, #Calibre2018, 150 word review, boys will be boys, Calibre, Calibre (2018), film, film blog, film review, film reviews, films, horror-thriller, Jack Lowden, Martin McCann, Matt Palmer, movie, movie blog, movie review, movie reviews, movies, Netflix, netflix film, Netflix review, Paternity Stag Do, suspense, thriller, weekend away, You Can't Bury The Truthbryanajparry

A true gem.

Two 30-ish year old childhood friends, Vaughn (Jack Lowden) and Marcus (Martin McCann), meet up for the first time in a few years for a weekend away in Scotland to celebrate Vaughn’s impending fatherhood; a kind of paternity stag do. Ironically, to hunt stags — all at Marcus’ expense. But when an incident happens, their trip is turned into a nightmare that which will change their lives forever.

There’s an awful sense of inevitability from the very start of the film, even before the truly shocking and gut-wrenching inciting incident. We know something awful is going to go down. The film gripped me with a suspense I haven’t felt for a while.

The cinematography was beautiful and the countryside oozes Britishness and is both beautiful and haunting.

A true gem. Watch it.

4/5

featured image from https://kayoustore.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/WEB-6.jpg

Netflix Film Review “Bird Box” (2018) #150WordReview

May 30, 2020150 word review, 4/5, film review#150WordReview, 150 word review, A Quiet Place, Bend It Like Beckham, Bird Box, Bird Box (2018), film, film blog, film review, film reviews, films, horror, horror film, horror movie, horror-thriller, John Malkovich, Kelly, M Knight Shyamalan, Machine Gun, MGK, movie, movie blog, movie review, movie reviews, movies, Netflix, Netflix review, Parminder Nagra, Sandra Bullock, shit creek, The Happening, Tom Hollander, up shit creek without a paddle, without a paddlebryanajparry

read the long review here

Bullock … paddles her two young children up a certain creek …

Take 2008’s The Happening and 2018’s A Quiet Place, pop them in a blender with a pinch of Oscar (Sandra Bullock, John Malkovich) and a dash of randomness (British comic actor Tom Hollander, rapper Machine Gun Kelly, Bend It Like Beckham‘s Parminder Nagra), and voilà! An evil presence blown on the wind is causing people to kill themselves or each other (The Happening) when they look towards it (swapping A Quiet Place‘s sound for sight).

We follow Bullock as she paddles her two young children up a certain creek to an alleged haven. The film interweaves with the tale of how she came to be on this river.

Bird Box is a human drama of survival against odds.

Scary, emotionally terrifying, and thrilling, the blight feels real even though the full details are never spelt out. A wonderful movie, what M. Knight’s The Happening could have been.

4/5

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Netflix Film Review: The Circle (2017) #150WordReview @Netflix

May 16, 20182/5, 200 word review, film review#150WordReview, @THEFILMREVIEW, Apple, Brave New World, Emma Watson, Empire Magazine, Facebook, film review, Google, knowing everything is better, knowing is good, Mark Kermode, Mark Zuckerberg, movie reviews, Netflix, Steve Jobs, tech, The Circle, Tom Hanks, Total Filmbryanajparry

a nightmare … as perpetrated by floppy-haired, latte-supping, trendy technologistas

The Circle is the world’s number one tech business, a Facebook-Google-Apple mash-up led by a kind of Steve Zuckerjobs (Tom Hanks). Young intern Mae (Emma Watson) scores a dream opportunity to work for the firm, but the dream quickly turns into a nightmare. The set-up is compelling: the darkside of social media and modern technology, the invasion of people’s privacy and the loss of anonymity, as perpetrated by floppy-haired, latte-supping, trendy technologistas, under the guise of techtopian idealism.

Sadly, a well-realised world deserves a well-realised film. Most characters are cardboard cut-outs that we don’t care for. The development of Emma Watson’s character is illogical; the more she suffers the folly of this Brave New World, the more she seems to buy into it. And the ending is unfulfilling and makes no sense; Mae’s reaction is the literal opposite of the logical end point of her story arc. Watson does the best she can, and Tom Hanks is compelling, but the lack of through-line in the script makes for a frustrating what-might-have-been mess.

2/5

featured image from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4287320/mediaviewer/rm2345938944

Bryan's Magic Lantern Filmhouse

Mostly pithy film/series reviews of Netflix and Amazon Prime