Movies
The second entry in the 7 Up series. The kids are now 14 years old, which means they're at a more interesting age already. While the concept of the docs is very intriguing, the first part was held back by somewhat boring subjects who didn't have much to say beyond the typical childish babble. Normal when you're dealing with regular kids, but that doesn't make it fun to watch. Now that they're a bit older and a bit wiser to the world, most of the kids have more interesting things to say. Their opinions are still quite crass and unrefined, but that's what you can expect from kids their age. It was a pretty good choice to keep this entry quite short too, though it's already a good 10 minutes longer than the first one. The documentary is at its best when it confronts the kids with earlier answers, especially when they've made serious U-turns, or when they've simply grown up and show a better understand of the world they live in. It's all a bit expected, also not that insightful, but still quite fun to watch.Read all
Pretty much a carbon copy from the previous installment. Brosnan doesn't quite fit in this action spectacle, the action itself hasn't aged too well and is still too dependent on the old Bond tropes and the bad guys are incredibly dull. It's clear we're moving to a more serious Bond now, which simply isn't as much fun. Brosnan needs to dodge quite a few bullets, jump away from explosions and prove himself in hand-to-hand combat. None of that are his strong points, and it shows. The action isn't terribly impressive either (though the scenes with the helicopters are nifty) and two hours still feels like a stretch. It's not terribly boring, but there just isn't that much joy left in these later Bond films.Read all
The third in the Narnia series is a small step up from the previous films. The films are still way too childish and the fantasy's a little dull considering the possibilities, but at least their trip across the wide open seas is a bit more animated. It's also nice that the film doesn't cross the 2-hour mark. The kids are still rather annoying (Poulter in particular), the fantasy is a bit basic by and by the numbers and the adventure is mostly aimed at younger viewers. There are some memorable moments though and the budget seemed a bit more in line with the aspirations of the film.Read all
Biopic about the famous country singer Loretta Lynn. Or so, that's what the film says. I have zero interest in and zero knowledge of country music, and Coal Miner's Daughter did nothing that proved me wrong. It's two hours of full-on US kitsch, sporting one of the worst soundtracks I've heard. Spacek's performance is okay, but that's the only positive thing I can say about this film. The drama and characters are horrendous, the music is something I'd never subject myself to and the story is as generic as can be. If you like biopics and/or country music this might be for you, I'm never coming near this film again.Read all