Reviews

Marisa Abele saves this film, her performance was excellent. She was able to show the fragility of Amy Whinehouse but also her bolshie attitude to those around her.

Her relationships with men were flippant until she met and fell for Blake Fielder-Civil. Some would say he being her downfall.

The biggest influence in her life was her grandmother, a Jazz lover and stylish lady. Her death was a tragedy which I don't think she fully recovered from.

I left the film wondering why she was so self destructive, and wished somebody had intervened to help before it was too late.

At least her music lives on.

A Gentleman in Moscow is a wonderfully entertaining novel, full of pathos and subtlety.

I recently read an article where the author Amor Towles gave the green light on this adaptation and is Executive Producer. So I believed it to be in safe hands.

After watching two episodes I can say the cinematography, production and costume design are top rate. The casting is not. Ewan McGregor is a fine actor, however he cannot disguise entirely his Scottish accent which is jarring for a Russian Count. Some of the other actors come across as caricatures.

Because of the diverse casting policies now, one of the Russian Bolsheviks is played by a black man with dreadlocks which clearly would not exist in the 1920's.

History whether fact or fiction should be accurate in every way in my opinion.

I won't be bothering with the next episodes. I want to keep my memories of the book intact.

I started watching this excellent series primarily for Diego Luna. His performance in Rogue One was captivating.

Andor is an intriguing story. The sets and costume design are wonderful.

The main actors really elevate their roles. Special mention to Skellan Skarsgaard, his presence uplifts any role he plays.

Cassius Andor is a complicated character, and Diego Luna shows every emotion needed to carry the film.

The only criticism I have is the alien characters. Unfortunately they are not convincing and lessen the tension and drama. As it has a 12 rating they are obviously there to appeal to that age group.

The Reckoning is another tragic story of child abuse being ignored for years. Whenever prominent men are committing these heinous acts there are many people enabling them to hide in plain site.

A lot of people commenting are wrongly blaming the current BBC. In the 1960's Bill Cotton was the Executive Producer in charge of light entertainment. At the time there was no definitive proof of Savil's behaviour only rumour, so unfortunately the ratings took precedence.

Steve Coogan gives a very good performance, albeit creepier than the footage shown throughout of the real Jimmy.

He just comes across as a brash know all sucking up to powerful people to get ahead.

Worth the watch, but a hard one.

I've just binge watched all 5 seasons of Yellowstone and loved it. Therefore, I was eager to watch 1883, as Taylor Sheridan is a master at creating authenticity in his productions.

It all started well. Dirty, rough, sweaty cowboys, until the character's started talking, and they all have perfectly straight white teeth, which is very jarring. Also the women's makeup looks too modern and precise.

Why would you spend millions on props and costumes and make such an error?

I'm only on the first episode, so I will give it a chance, but if the Native Americans have bright white teeth too I'll be really irritated.

We all know about fake news, we are fed it every day. This series exposes the proliferation and frightening consequences for humanity in the very near future. A sophisticated and timely, well written drama.

Baz Luhrmann's casting of Austin Butler as Elvis was a genius move. His performance is so mesmerising, he lights up the screen. Interjecting real footage of the time period also elevated the visual experience. The film although a tad too long, leaves you wanting more. Beautiful, crazy, and heartbreaking.

The original Top Gun was a fun, sexy and stylish. With emphasis on the camaraderie and rivalry than the jets. Maverick is ALL about the jets, with amazing flying sequences. IMO it was more like a Mission Impossible than Top Gun. The script was weak, unbelievable, and the characters two dimensional. This was definitely another vanity project for Tom to prove how talented and good looking he is.

As the 1961 film is my favourite musical ever (I know all the songs) I was eager to see this adaptation. I wasn't disappointed. The cast are really talented. The choreography is excellent, and the original score by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Steven Sondheim is timeless. I was singing along happily!

Having high expectations for this drama, I was disappointed with the mostly two dimensional characters. All rich people are bad, dodgy police etc. There were some performances worth mentioning. Celine Buckens and Tracy Ifeachor were watchable. Otherwise a fairly plodding affair.

Margaret Qualley gives a wonderful performance in Maid, a story of alcohol fuelled domestic abuse. However, the abuse is emotional rather than physical, which is harder to explain than when beaten and bruised. The story takes Alex through a minefield of Government bureaucracy, hindering her in making a new life for herself. Her struggle is hard to watch, as she never seems to get a lucky break. What keeps you watching is a great screenplay, and superb acting from the cast. It shows that abuse is learnt behaviour passed through generations. It takes a strong character to break the cycle.

If you're a die hard Sopranos fan, this prequel will confuse and disappoint. And if you've never watched the series, it won't make make much sense. The younger versions of the known and loved main characters are caricatures. The sophistication, humour, wit and pathos of the series was completely missing. Luckily we can still watch the masterpiece.

I've put off watching this as the trailer was enough to stop me. Now the hype has died down, I had a rainy afternoon in lockdown to waste some time. It was so bad. The casting is ridiculous for this era. The acting is stilted, and has 21 century phrases thrown into the dialogue. I have not read the books, but from other reviews there is nothing to resemble them. They definitely owe their success to the ennui of the Pandemic.

Watching Gomorrah is tense. Akin to watching a series about Naples in medieval times. The violence is relentless and barbaric. Loyalty is short lived. Unfortunately, this is still the reality today. A well made, brave series, with no likeable characters.

The Americans, is loosely based on facts which took place during the Cold War days of the 1980's. The era is portrayed with absolutely brilliant attention to detail. The acting is superb, with Frank Langella adding gravitas to his role. The only irritating character is the teenage daughter of the protagonists. Made me want to slap her!

Engrenage is the most exciting, powerful, and dynamic Police drama you are likely to watch. Central to the plot is the unseen, to tourists, underworld of Paris. There are many different cases going on during one season, investigated by the flawed and dedicated team, with a strong female Captain. As an ardent fan since 2005, I was happy that the BBC have recently put the complete 8 seasons to stream again. Don't miss!

The eagerly awaited performance from Sofia Loren, was ruined for me by Netflix, dubbing the film with American accents. Why do they think audiences don't have the intelligence to read sub titles. Not hearing her speak in Neopolitan was a shame. Well acted but flawed

Child kidnap and trafficking is an important subject, and should be portrayed. This drama has some rather implausible plot lines, but still keeps you guessing. Poor reviews seem to be from Polish and Danish people so I may be missing something? Worth a watch