Spider-Man: Homecoming

It was strange to see a film without an origin story; though it blended in nicely with the rest of the franchise and people were already familiar with the character. The idea of having another superhero as a mentor is also quite unique for this franchise and works well with the age of the characters. The relationship between Ned and Peter is also good fun; though the rest of the class is a little too close. There’s a bit of bullying but it’s mental rather than physical. At least Parker tries to do the right thing. This actor has the right level of immaturity which makes his decisions fun to watch. I like the irony that Happy is not happy to help Parker out and does so only under Stark’s direction. It was a shame that the final battle didn’t take place at school; but I suppose it makes sense when you put it into context with the other films.

Ann Droid

This was a great little comedy that had me laughing at the deadpan situations. Morgan’s voice can be annoying at times, but it’s designed to be that way. Her comedic smile to reassure her human is brilliant. Johnstone does a fantastic performance playing Sue, and the series addresses real life issues like loneliness and bereavement. It’s quite realistic, and the plot focuses on incidents that are quite common. Linda’s full functions are unknown, but Sue can’t learn everything in one series. It’s good fun how Linda interferes with her life for the better though, even if Sue isn’t ready for it and her motives are exposed. I did feel that Ready’s character and associates were a bit plastic and unrealistic; though I’m sure that people can relate to him. I’m looking forward to a second series. I’d like to see more of the technician come round for repairs, upgrades and maintenance.

The Sheep Detectives

This was a fun and novel idea, with a cure theme, but it could have been a bit more comedic with more jokes. It seemed to be a seriously focused on the murder to get the plot right; though there’s some slight slip-ups for the Americans. The inheritance is in dollars, there’s mail carriers instead of post men who also happens to be the local paramedic, though it’s possible that some roles are doubled up in village life. Some of the voice actors will keep you guessing, and kids will love the chaotic actions that the sheep will get up to. For an ensemble cast, it’s quite well-balanced, although there would have been more chaos and fun if more of the sheep had decided to adventure from, the meadow. But there’s also mockery and common sense amongst the hysteria. But there could have been a bit more mockery with the detective theme.

L.A Confidential

This was a great film as we got a glimpse of actors in their earlier elements. It wasn’t immediately evident what era the film was focusing on, but it’s probably because I’m not from that era or area. I loved how all the detectives got around in an old Mercedes Coupe all to themselves. It’s a bit hard to follow who the lower protagonists were but it was hard to favour one main protagonist over the other, and it take me a while to work out the film plot arrests were real. I enjoyed how quickly the events climaxed in the last hour of the film. I was pretty shocked how it all came to fruition. It would have been interesting to see more of a plotline from the antagonist perspective, but it’s not a good look for the public. I guess that they had to go on the values of the time.

Masters of the Universe

This film borders too much on the nostalgia; and doesn’t give much opportunity to introduce the franchise to new viewers. There’s a nice nod to the actor who played him in the previous film, but the character is taken just too seriously. There’s not enough room for any love interest either. Instead, we’re treated to patriarchal relationships concluded by people with hearty laughs, though there was an attempt early on in the film. But after fifteen years from boyhood, you’d have thought that he would have forged a few more connections. It’s all a bit too cheesy with a slight mockery of the wonder, and there’s even a cheap plug for teamwork. And the two brief characters that require animation or CGI only make very brief appearances for nostalgia. The film becomes more unreal as we move away from earth, and it’s a shame that the final battle didn’t take place there.

Terminator: Dark Fate

This is another separation to the timeline. The events are supposed to happen after Judgement Day, but it’s weird how that could happen since they apparently stopped that timeline. Unless Skynet sent a second robot before they were destroyed in the past. But the film  doesn’t even make an attempt to address that topic. What we do see is more of the same story; albeit with another robot who apparently wasn’t melted by lava and instead has chosen to shelter with a family while waiting for new orders. It’s all very confusing. It’s a shame that the finale didn’t reveal some dastardly plot to end all mankind and again focuses on the protagonists. The acting is believable but it’s the plot that lets them down. It’s expected that a war’s still coming, but can we be bothered to watch them on the run again?

The Amazing Spiderman 2

This film had a bit more umph than its predecessor, though introducing Harry as a supervillain took a bit of time and didn’t give the Goblin enough screen time. I also thought that Gwen’s graduation speech was a bit morbid. I like how he tries to be friends with the bad guys first. But you’d think that Richard Parker would want to destroy his work rather than hide it away. It’s also strange how all of this science is conveniently locked up in a skyscraper in the middle of a populous city. The grand reveal of Spiderman’s identity to Harry is a little underwhelming, and there’s little evidence available to see how he reaches this conclusion. I was also hoping that Aunt May would discover the secret. It’s also strange how everyone is connected to one company, though it does explain how Peter can be friends with Harry. But at least the legacy is protected which confines Peter to the city.

The Amazing Spiderman

 I’m not particularly sure why a reboot was necessary but here we are. Maybe someone felt that the story was drifting too far from the comics and there’s been missed opportunities to introduce key characters. We see a slightly earlier time at Parker’s school, and he’s got the same costume. It’s strange as to how Stacey manages to secure such a top position at Oscorp. We’ve lost Mary-Jane and Harry, and Garfield is also keen to expose his secret identity. You’d think that Aunt May might have figured it out as it’s a bit too obvious. Uncle Ben gets a bit more focus, and there’s also a mystery to solve regarding Parker’s parents as he attempts to get to know them. The plot is a bit predictable if you know the format of these films, and there doesn’t seem to be much else that’s new. But the sequel seems interesting.

Cars

This was a film that I recognised but I never got in too deep with the characters. It was less of a mechanical effort and more of the story of a small town where a bigshot found a team. It was good fun and I did wander how it was going to stretch to  two hours but the second hour just flew by. It was interesting to see how a world without humans and cars in their place would run. It was a bit odd that McQueen went back to his usual paint job including the tyres after returning for the final race. I thought that there might have been more Pixar references slipped in. I did catch a glimpse from the animation, and it was good to see a few captions thrown in the outtakes at the end. But there’s still plenty of opportunities as there’s two more films to watch.

Joker

This is one of the best origin films that I’ve ever seen. There’s a thin line between having  joke and insanity, and this film illustrates it perfectly. I love the fact that sometimes you can’t tell if he’s laughing or crying for society. TV is his only escapism and it’s easy to see why Fleck can have problems distinguishing between fantasy and reality, though I wasn’t sure if the first few scenes were flashbacks or fantasies. Some scenes are a little predictable, and there’s also a heavy presence of suicide as well. But the reason why Fleck is so likeable is his ability to smile at everything. I love how he flaunts his madness when he decides to reveal himself. There’s tie-ins to future protagonist characters as well. Even the soundtrack is a distorted echo of Zimmer’s Batman theme. Let’s see how well it ties up with the current franchise.

The War Between the Land and the Sea

This was an interesting series apart from the name; I wonder if it’s going to be a series of spin-offs with UNIT at the helm. The protagonist was involved through the strangest of blips and it’s astonishing how far along he infiltrated considering that this was a military operation. It’s a shame that we don’t get to see much of their world, especially during the descent. I would have expected that the vessel used for this would be more of a craft rather than a giant yo-yo. There were lots of special effects, but I felt that it was a bit drawn-out at the end with character development. It also wasn’t clear as to what Barclay has been injected with, and he could be the virus. There’s vague attempts at humour, but it’s sometimes too serious. It’ll be interesting to hear about what the Doctor has to say of this encounter and whether he’ll have to battle Stewart to save humanity.

The Scarecrow's Wedding

This was a cute little animation story made for the Christmas period. I don’t think it needed a narrator and before the scarecrows met, I wasn’t sure if speech was needed either. It’s a very colourful production with some lovely colours, and the clumsiness made it more realistic, though at one point it did look like the scarecrows were drunk as they took each step. It’s nice to see that the scarecrow didn’t become a bridezilla and hunt down a cake for her guests. The animals were very cute, but I’m not sure that a pimp in a white suit was realistic and appropriate enough to be introduced as a rival in a children’s production, if only for a short while as a plot development. There might be too much smooching for younger children, and perhaps some of the items could be sought out by some of the animals rather than sending the scarecrow further and further away.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

This was an interesting film, but I can’t help but think that it was based on  a book owing to a decision to Americanise the protagonist. It’s got a good gothic style, but a bit more thought is required for plot development. Each of the characters had a hidden past and it would have been interesting to learn a bit more about how Miss Peregrine came to be. There’s no shortage on special effects though, and there’s good involvement in the real world. The list of powers suddenly seems endless, and it’s a shame that Jake’s power is a bit dull and nothing else develops, though it probably explains how he’s kept in human society. It’s enjoyable, but it’s hard to keep track of what’s what. It’s a shame that more time wasn’t spent investigating the lops since these featured heavily in the conclusion, and that Jake’s father is suddenly abandoned and forgotten about.

Hallow Road

This was a short and suspenseful piece of drama that didn’t require much in its execution. The terror all came from what you heard rather than what you could see. There was a bit of backstory that was revealed perfectly, and it even had an element of unrealism stemming from the unknown. You could sense the suspense and tension in the actors and there were just enough developments to keep things interested. There’s a touch of folklore and something of evil lurking within a plotline that you’d expect in a soap to keep it away from that genre. They don’t call it Hallows Road for nothing. The characters were young enough to keep people interested but old enough to have the experience. How far would you go to protect your child? It also allows you to draw your own conclusions, though you have to wonder if there could be a sequel which would be even more thrilling.

The Graduate

This is a great film with some brilliant comic moments and a great soundtrack to match. Even the cinematography has some great transitions to flick quickly between scenes. I enjoyed Hoffman’s nervousness of trying to get his own way while also doing the right thing, especially when he has to demonstrate a family gift in front of his family’s friends. It’s a strange time as independent women are still hard to come by, yet if there’s a generational gap they can easily command younger people out of respect as they push by through the door. It’s only when pressure is put on by his parents that he begins to question his motives to get what he wants, and there could have been some more scenes slipped in. Some scenes are cut to the point to save time and you could be forgiven for thinking it’s the same scene. You just have to wonder what happens next.

Futurama (Season 13)

Although short, this series had something to satisfy everyone. It was well-written without fear of cancellation again, with most of the stories being independent of each other. New abilities are backed up with well thought-out processes. Sometimes you wish things to be a bit bigger. Inventions and animation processes are well-thought out which contribute to the plot together with hints of past adventures for continuity. Yet some things haven’t changed and have taken trends into account like media streaming overtaking the cinema. At other times they’ve thought of everything incorporated into a character’s design and issues that are totally relevant that still haven’t been solved a thousand years later. But once again, while it tries to make jokes out of maths and science with a hidden agenda of how we can attempt to safeguard our future, there’s a few characters and plots that have been left out of this series.

The Secret Garden (2020)

This is a great classic escapist film to fall asleep to on a sunday afternoon complete with a classical music soundtrack. It’s set on a classic english manor estate which must be enormous which is why all other countries think that all British people are elitist millionaires who live this way. I’ve not read the book so I can’t appreciate the childlike wonder of the characters, but I don’t think that the film was aimed at younger viewers anyway. The characters are portrayed as brats. The animation is amazing, and Jemima is very well trained. I particularly enjoyed the Avatar effect where plants came into blossom as the children ran into the garden and withered away as they retreated in times of peril. But it’s a bit unrealistic as to how far Mrs Medlock’s voice carries such a vast distance into the garden. I’d like to think that the film concludes with all the characters camping in the garden while they wait for the manor to be rebuilt; but it doesn’t look like that’s realistic.

Mitchell and Web Are Not Helping

This was just drivel. This comedic duo have certainly aged, and not for the better. They’re joined by an actor who’s got recognition from starring in another sitcom, and an annoying American who certainly doesn’t help the ensemble. There were some great environments which could have created some great characters, but following these was an insight into their writer's room where the jokes had to be explained and who they wanted to mock while constantly arguing if they were too unpolitical. I just could not see the point of the Australian farm sketch. It was as if someone challenged them to see how many times they could swear in a segment. Some situations were just too realistic for anyone to see the funny side of it like the airport screening team or the company trying to withdraw its sales because they don’t want their products to be associated with a certain type of person. In the words of a previous sketch, it’s miss, miss, miss, miss, miss.

Absolutely Anything

This film is quite childish despite the star-studded line-up. It’s typically set in London, which seems to be the only place available if you want your film to reach international markets. It’s as if the rest of the world can’t recognise anywhere else. It’s a shame that the actions that he chooses are always reversable, and that many of the wishes are just too literal. It might have worked out better if there was a cosmic battle in the finale. Otherwise you might have just stuck a genie in place which would have been cheaper. Some of the global effects are interesting, like making the police wear pink. It’s a shame that they didn’t paint the cars as well. I don’t know why the protagonist decided to upon the suicide option when he could have lived his life quite comfortably travelling the world as he pleases and maybe helping others in the process. There’s a few chuckles but it’s not something that you’d deliberately seek out.

Mandy

This is a short but enjoyable comedy series, but it’s quite surreal and unrealistic at times owing to the situation that the protagonist faces. There’s some famous faces that pop up in some quite small roles alongside a regular supporting cast. The comedy is mostly situ, and Mandy’s deadpan carefree attitude to the world doesn’t help, nor do we learn of how Mandy came to be in her current situation. She gets to explore a variety of careers and work environments, and in some cases, she’s just unlucky, in others, it’s down to her character traits to getting the sack fast. But it’s a great insight into the attitudes of people who generally just want to spend their days larking about. There’s some interesting parodies that have already been done elsewhere with different characters, and don’t expect much in the way of stunts. We’re on a budget here. You’ll pick up some great excuses though.