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Reviews
Santa Evita (2022)
Legend
With the dead of Eva Peron came more power than she ever had alive.
This is the story of her remains and the journey and myths surrounding her corpse.
This sometimes strays into the surreal and occasionally into the bizarre and perverted.
This cat and mouse game played like chess with Eva's body playing the central role although merely a pawn.
Part fact part sci-fi part farce it had me transfixed and so engrossed I binge watched all parts in one evening.
Over dubbed in English but reasonably well done (some are dreadful) all he characters play well and sometimes too well.
Overall a good watch.
Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance (2011)
Questionable
This documentary delving into the warped mind of Carl Panzram is fascinating and disturbing.
Learning about this man's early life and what shaped his murderous and demonic journey through his tortured life and those he prayed on.
I have difficulty believing that this scantily education man wrote his "memoirs" and they are not the work of a third party, namely his prison guard. The language used seems far to erudite. There are also references that don't quite add up to my mind.
This is put forward as fact without any true investigative work or fact finding. It would make an interesting piece of work to take this perspective instead of blindly accepting "his" writings as fact.
Anthropoid (2016)
Wasted Opportunity
This based on true facts film is an intriguing story and takes us to nazi occupied Czechoslovakia during the Second World War.
The plot to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich whom Hitler put in charge of suppressing any uprising against the nazi rule.
The main characters played by Jamie Dornan (fifty shades) and. Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) although both very accomplished were badly let down by the script. There is a distinct lack of action in the first half and never really builds anticipation as it should.
Lots of action in the later part of the movie but again scripted very poorly.
All in all an historical piece worth watching for interest sake but may leave you feeling cheated.
Howard's Mill (2021)
Docufiction
Billed as a documentary this is actually fiction.
The film makers went to great lengths to give this "authenticity" however a few of the characters and the acting give it away.
The storyline is good and in some parts believable as well as the "found footage"
It's about halfway through the acting gets a bit sloppy which is a shame as it loses its edge.
I'm not a fan of "found footage" genre in any case but went with it.
I'd recommend it over films like the Poughkeepsie Tapes where the acting is so bad (see review) and the script just not believable.
All in all it's a reasonable watch and a good effort.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
A crime
If you like true crime then avoid this.
Right from the first "interview" you can tell it's fake.
There's an authenticity about interviews given by real people that can't be faked.
The editing is so obviously done in a "let's make it look real" fashion.
The concept is a good one it's just been badly executed in my opinion. Too slick and obvious. Hire some "non" actors next time and study some real crime footage/documentary.
This mockumentury is so bad. And disappointing.
Very little if anything is based in fact.
Probably a good thing as the crimes would be horrendous if real.
I managed fifteen minutes and will await my medal although it's probably a fake one.
Sensation (2021)
Wasted potential
Lack lustre acting with mediocre script badly executed.
This clearly had some money thrown at it as the production values are good but it seems that someone got their mates to do the acting rather than spend on a decent cast.
Such a shame to waste a good concept. If this had been given the attention that other concept films have this could have gone on to be a series of films and and a winning franchise.
I'm sure the director and producer had high hopes but spent all the funds on production values rather than cast and script!
Personally I'd rather have a low budget film with a strong cast and script than this.
You'll have to watch it to see if you agree?
London Kills (2019)
Pedestrian
This had loads of potential but just misses the mark!
The ongoing storyline keeps it moving but each episode just lacks tension.
The locations seem to be all filmed in the same place, London has so many great little hidden places ideal for a gritty drama shame they weren't used.
Some very bad continuity issues, (cctv/npr footage we are told was taken at 22:35 but it's full daylight)
The cast by and large do a good job apart from the fake worried looks and gritting of teeth to add tension!
If your looking for a factual well researched drama then look elsewhere.
Sorry to be the barer of bad news but this doesn't "kill"
Bridgerton (2020)
Poor
As another reviewer said " teen drama in period costume"
This is so full of historical wholes it may as well be part of the curriculum!
The language, the class inaccuracies, the dialogue and social graces all seem to be inaccurate.
Anyone that expectes this to be anything like a BBC period frame will be greatly disappointed.
If your looking for a little distraction and fun then watch it as it is amusing.
The Driver (2019)
Used car trip
This could have been so much more.
The whole zombie apocalypse theme has been over used in so many Fims now. This could have taken it to a new place but no.
The acting is mediocre at best which is surprising given the main leads.
The action doesn't really start until your 40 minutes in then your lead to believe it's going to pick up the pace and become an action packed, road rage fuelled thriller/horror, but no! It meanders along and then fizzled out like a car with an empty tank.
If I had paid full price I would have been even more upset but for £1.99 GBP it was a road trip like any other.
Mi chao (2018)
Oh dear!!
The cast should make this arrived now x epic film but it just doesn't deliver.
The suspense just turns into frustration and the ending poor.
Aura (2018)
Slow and dull
The premise is quite good but the execution is poor.
None of the actors can actually act. This may be due to the script with is poorly written and even more poorly dramatised.
I found nothing redeeming in this film at all.