andrewpeel's Reviews

The Power of Parker (2023– )

8/10

30 August 2023

As someone whose from Manchester and lived there in the 80s/90s the memories this series brought back are excellent.

What really makes the show is the banter. Northerners are known for the banter and every episode is littered with one liners that from the time. Setting it in Stockport is a stroke of genius for many reasons. At this time many of us in Manchester thought Stockport was 'posh' and a great night out. People in Stockport cherished a Stockport address and looked down on Mancunians.

The two sisters at the centre of the story are great and watching Parker slowly unravel just adds a layer of dark comedy.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

9/10

Best Marvel film since Endgame

6 August 2023

Let's be honest since Endgame Marvel films have been all over the place. They've lacked what any successful franchise needs a good anti hero. Thanos was brilliant in that role and the Eternity Stones were the plot device around which things revolved.

Since then it's been the nebulous multiverse which only people who've read the comics can really relate to. They've made the same mistake that DCU made which I honestly never thought MCU would.

GoTG was thankfully was the only thing that never fell into that trap. It has what fans of this genre want, a decent story that doesn't require in depth knowledge of the comics, fantastic music, great graphics, great action and actors who care about their characters. These three films will stand the test of time and will be watched again and again - how many times will people watch Eternals? Enough said.

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Black Adam (2022)

3/10

At some point DC will make a decent film

8 July 2023

We all know what makes a good Superhero comic hero film by now for goodness sake. Marvel studios have the formula down pat. They even manage to turn out decent TV series.

The burning question has to be why is Warner totally incapable of doing anything near that with the DC Universe? Apart from the utterly brilliant Dark Knight Trilogy every new dawn since then has been a false dawn. It's truly tragic for fans of DC franchises.

I'm at the point where I refuse to waste my money going to the cinema on one of their releases. I won't even pay for rent on stream anymore.

I watched Black Adam on Sky Cinema when it was included in my monthly subscription. Even then it felt like the sort of knock off super hero film the Sci-Fi channel puts out but with better graphics. That should tell you all you need to know.

One day in the far off future in a galaxy far far away there will be another great DCU film.

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Wolf Hall (2015)

9/10

History at its best

25 January 2023

Amazingly some reviewers have suggested that the 'story' is boring. Thus we are witnessing the decline and idiocy of the current generation. This isn't a 'story' it's real history brought to life by one of the greatest historical authors of our time.

It beggars belief that one of the reviewers was a person who says he was 'forced' to watch it for uni . If he was studying this period for university and found this series so boring he gave it a 1 he was on the wrong course.

Reading the books you feel like you are in Henry's England - watching this series you actually believe you are transported to it.

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South Pacific (1958)

7/10

Misunderstood by many reviewers here

28 December 2022

Warning: Spoilers

Having read many reviews here written probably 50+ years after the film was released I felt I had to write a review in response to the basic charge many are laying at the film - that it is 'racist'.

Firstly I believe the fact the film explores attitudes common at the time is exactly what Mitchener does in his novels. When Nurse Nellie says 'I can't explain it it's just emotional' in response to being asked to explain why she can't marry the man she loves because he had married a Polynesian woman - that cuts to the heart of the issue. Cable replies it isn't something people are born with it something people get spoken in their ears from age 6 or 7 to hate peoples of a different skin shade.

Even the women who sings 'Happy Happy' is called Bloody Mary and is prepared to sell her daughter to the Marine. There are extensive historical accounts of American servicemen having children with Polynesian women and leaving them after the war, similarly in the Vietnam War.

The film ends with Nellie realising her attitudes were racist and stupid and she changes. Unfortunately Cable dies before he gets the chance.

So how anybody can say the film is racist when the whole story is patently pointing out the stupidity of racism is beyond me.

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Andor (2022– )

9/10

Superbly written

24 September 2022

The people giving this a low score are probably the same ones who think Thor:Love and Thunder was a great film.

Rogue One was hands down the best of the new Star Wars films bar none. This series gives the back story to those events. It literally explains how the Rebel Alliance started. Now if some Star Wars supposed 'fans' find that boring then I'm at a complete loss for words.

No film or TV series has explored why the Rebel Alliance started, what the lives of ordinary people in the Empire were like. This is science fiction at its grown up best. If you have a problem with this kind of science fiction are you really a true fan?

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The Lazarus Project (2022–2023)

9/10

Totally original and brilliant

24 July 2022

Just like Dr Who and Blake's Seven every now and again a totally original and brilliant British sci-fi comes along and this series is it. It's genre defying. Miss it at your peril.

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The Batman (2022)

9/10

Worthy successor to the Dark Knight Trilogy

3 June 2022

For anyone who like me loves the Batman Arkham series of video games this movie is for you. The villains are excellent and grounded in reality. Rather than have one bad guy we have what the situation is in the comic books. A Gotham that is rotten and run by the crime bosses with tentacles everywhere. Batman has to face some uncomfortable truths. A lot less reliant on CGI and special effects. Overall top quality from start to finish.

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Naked Singularity (2021)

8/10

Utterly baffling low average low score

3 April 2022

At a loss how this has such a low score. This film works very well as a crime heist, social commentary on the American Justice system and even tosses in ideas about how the Universe might one day collapse with ideas about alternate universes.

Can only assume the low scores are by as usual lazy reviewers unable to exercise grey matter watching an enjoyable film.

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The Ipcress File (2022)

9/10

Fail to understand the dislike

22 March 2022

Have watched the original film several time & read the book. This TV series is excellent and takes a whole new dimension with the characters. Well worth watching. The acting is extremely good. Have to say ITV have done a good job with this one.

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The Order: 1886 (2015 Video Game)

9/10

This is what immersive games are about

20 March 2022

If you're into totally immersive games with characters you end up caring about this is a great game.

It's got a great twist on some old themes in video games. It was only about £15 when I got it on the PS4 recently well worth the money.

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Detroit: Become Human (2018 Video Game)

10/10

Probably the second best game I've ever played

30 January 2022

What defines a great video game? When it's not a game at all. That's how I felt when I first played X Wing many years ago. I really felt like I was IN Star Wars fighting for the Rebellion. Witcher 3 came close to the same feeling. This game is the next game to do it. It's a stunning piece of immersive interactive entertainment. Period.

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Don't Look Up (2021)

9/10

The Network for the 21st Century

21 January 2022

I remember watching the movie Network and it having a seminal impact on me. It made me question my TV viewing habits and I actually started to watch less TV and believe a lot less of what I was being told on TV.

Wind forward to Don't Look Up and we have a movie that is easily of the same standard. Two scientists tell Americans a comet is going to hit the earth and wipe out life. A parody of a President and frothy 2 minute news slots plus obsession with social media mean no one takes it seriously. It's a masterpiece. The people marking this film down low are precisely the dumb asses the film is sending up.

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Eternals (2021)

7/10

A very different Marvel movie

16 January 2022

Considering it's based on a collection of comic books written to explain about the creation of Universe in the Marvel setting it's a pretty good film. Whether you agree with with the concepts or not is in my view irrelevant. The fact the film explores them is worthwhile.

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Hell or High Water (II) (2016)

8/10

Jeff Bridges ages like a fine wine

13 January 2022

In an age of wokeness when people are too quick to take offence at the least thing Jeff Bridges is a breath of fresh air. If you're easily offended give it a miss. If you love your Westerns you have to watch it.

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Dalgliesh (2021– )

10/10

Outstanding

22 November 2021

**********************The best thing on TV by a mile. I will take no arguments about this. If you're bored by this you have no brain or soul. I have nothing else to add.

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Shadow Conspiracy (1997)

7/10

Above average political thriller

10 November 2021

I really fail to see what most people's problem with this film is. It's from the 90s, it's of it's time and it a decent thriller. Ive seen a lot worse than this. I really wonder what people expect from films to be honest. The worst part of the film is the assassin hence 7/10.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

4/10

This is not The Hobbit

6 November 2021

Let's be very clear about one thing this isn't a film adaptation of the book The Hobbit. It's three films loosely based on The Hobbit spun out as far as possible. Tolkien would be appalled by this adaptation. It's one thing to miss things out but to add things, to completely change the order of events and give other events prominence they never had is inexcusable.

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The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

8/10

Better than average YA Halloween Film

30 October 2021

Cracking good film for Young Adults and Adults at Halloween. Thought all the performances were above average. Great tale, some unusual twists on the theme of magic. Definitely not one for younger children. No problem in recommending.

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The Wizard of Oz (1939)

10/10

Impossible to review

21 September 2021

Anyone who reviews this at less than a 10/10 basically has no place reviewing films because they know nothing about the history of this art form. End of my review.

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Nightbooks (2021)

8/10

A better than average movie

18 September 2021

I really only writing a review because of all the silly poor reviews. This is a very enjoyable young adult family movie that doesn't take itself too seriously which way too many of the reviewers clearly have. Just add it to your list for Halloween get some popcorn sit down and enjoy it.

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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

1/10

How not to write a Superhero film

27 August 2021

Clearly DC don't know or want to write Superhero films since the Batman Trilogy. They screwed up Superman - badly. We had to wait for Znyder to rescue the Justice League. They gave us a Joker who wasn't the Joker. Now this drivel. This is truly the worst superhero film ever. It has nothing to do with Wonder Woman at all.

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Jurassic Park (1993)

10/10

Simply one of THE best movies ever

2 August 2021

Anyone rating this movie below 8 has no business rating movies - that's all I have to say.

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The Empty Man (2020)

8/10

Best Horror I've seen in years

16 July 2021

I really fail to understand the low scores. This is an intelligent well written and well acted horror with no gore which makes a welcome change. It's driven by its atmosphere and based on a good premise. Some people just fail to see a gem it seems.

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Wellington Paranormal (2018–2022)

9/10

Not since Police Squad

12 May 2021

Not since Police Squad which was criminally cancelled far to early have we had genuinely funny spoof police comedy like this. It's like a cross between Police Squad and spoof X Files delivered completely dead pan. Clearly those giving it low marks don't like sarcasm or dry humour - if that's not your thing then avoid but don't give it a 1 just because you don't like that kind of humour.

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