Reviews

This is one of the few cases where the sequel is better than its predecessor. On the first movie, I had to wait about two thirds into it to see some real action, and I didn't find the story particularly interesting. You don't have to watch the first one at all to understand this sequel, as it gives you all the background you need, and you get to see Jason Statham showcase his martial arts skills that I watch his movies for, right from the outset and throughout.

I also found the story and the thriller part more interesting. Not that it's an amazing plot, it just sets the stage nicely for the action while keeping us engaged. And there's Jessica Alba. Was also nice to see Michelle Yeoh and Tommy Lee Jones. Streamed it about seven years after watching it in the cinema and really enjoyed it again.

I enjoyed this show, although it felt like it had a slow decline. Too many changes, with characters coming and going. It might be what some liked about it, along with time travel, but I would prefer a bit more consistency. Cannot say that I am disappointed it ended, but I am not pleased that after seven seasons they ended up with a cliffhanger before axing the show. A little more planning to end it properly and show some consideration towards the viewers and fans would have been nice. That's why it lost one star from me.

Mostly I continued watching it because it was part of the "Arrowverse" and it was fun and lighthearted, even after the Arrow was cancelled. Again, just wish they ended it properly, and I admit that I will miss the characters, including the beautiful Gideon!

After watching the entire Friends series properly, I wanted something to replace it. I'm not comparing the two shows because they're entirely different. But they are both fun and entertaining to watch, although this one has a few less laughs. One thing I liked about it is that there was quite a bit of outdoor and city life scenes.

The one big difference is the ending that ended up being a disappointment, especially for a series that is upbeat for the most part. Also, you would expect a big reunion towards the end, but there were a lot of characters missing, especially Diane. Still enjoyed it, but that's not how I like a book or a story to end. At least there's one moral to take away from it: be truthful.

I was pleased to see Black Panther introduced to the MCU in Captain America Civil War, and I really liked their choice of actor, even though I didn't know him before. Being into martial arts, I like superheroes who are experts in hand combat, and Spider-Man is my favourite. Black Panther is a bit like him, and we got a glimpse of his fighting prowess and learned a bit about the "magical" country of Wakanda, in Africa. So I was excited to see a movie dedicated to him.

By the way, Black Panther isn't some new superhero recently cooked up by Marvel/ Disney. The character and his Wakanda background were created by the legendary Stan Lee in the sixties, so he's been around for a while. Personally, I think that the concept of Wakanda is brilliant, and can open up some interesting stories, if played right. I wish I had read and followed him in the comics. My guess is that it's probably a bit different from the direction they took here. I vaguely remember another story, probably animated, where Black Panther was trying to keep vibranium only in safe and peaceful hands.

This movie felt below my expectations. In sharp contrast to Captain America, it's all about Wakanda. And that would have been fine if the plot surrounding the villain was more interesting. Unfortunately I can't help feeling that there was some sort of agenda behind it and it's not clear what the objective was. Sure, it's just a story, and it's very clear that the ideas of the villain are rejected by the hero Black Panther and others, who speak of unity and the world acting as "one tribe". An ideal that I think most people applaud.

Somehow though, I can't shake the feeling that they made the voice of the villain so loud that it makes it harder to hear the message of love and unity. Plus, his idea just doesn't make sense. Yes, there's still some racial injustice in the world, but what exactly is he proposing, that advanced weapons are the solution? The idea is so ridiculous that it doesn't make any sense even for a fictitious story.

Also, it's disappointing to see that the most technologically advanced country would have such outdated barbaric rituals for challenging the throne. It seems to contradict their image of a wise and spiritual country, like the scene of the warrior woman meditating. That said, I very much like the idea of preserving good traditions along with technology and that's something positive about this movie. And another is that one tribe is vegetarian!

The action and the visuals are good, especially when they were on a mission abroad. And I wish that had been the focus of the movie, Black Panther as a superhero out there in the world. Or even in Wakanda, but it's the plot that in my view robbed this movie of being much better. The martial arts style fighting could have also been longer and better. Nonetheless I enjoyed it in the cinema, and just enjoyed streaming it. But it'll probably be a long time before I feel like watching it a third time, if ever. Curious to see what happens in the upcoming sequel...

I am usually more into American TV. Nonetheless, this remake of the 2012-2014 Swedish series Äkta människor (Real Humans) joins a list of several British shows that I have enjoyed like Luther, Channel 4's The IT Crowd (also with Katherine Parkinson who plays Laura in Humans), Merlin (also with Colin Morgan who plays Leo in Humans), and Spooks. I didn't know the English actresses Gemma Chan (Mia), Emily Berrington (Niska) or the Irish actress Ruth Bradley (Karen) but I would love to see them again.

Although I didn't watch the original Swedish series, I can say that the British adaptation lives up to the predecessor's tagline: What does it really mean to be "human"? It is set in present times, so don't expect other futuristic technology like flying cars. They don't even show self driving vehicles which are a lot easier to build than these robots even without the consciousness that came later. Entertaining and thought provoking, it raises many questions. One can also draw analogies with other forms of discrimination and ethical concerns and speciesism in particular.

For example, ironically, the conscious "synths" objected to being "treated like animals". If they had studied ethology they would know that animals are known to be conscious and display many human characteristics including pain, intelligence, emotions, altruism, giving each other names and the ability to build things and create art. It's as if they are saying, "We're not so different you and us. We get that animals are inferior beings based on our own criteria and it's acceptable to sexually exploit, torture, and kill them. But we look, talk and think just like you, we're human machines, so we deserve human rights." But what if the intelligent machines concluded that humans are the inferior beings and should be treated like animals? We've seen the plot in many movies.

One thing to ponder is, should the capacity for love be a more important measure of humanity, and where can we find more of it, in synths aka "hubots", humankind, cows, chickens, pigs, fishes, dogs or other people from the vast animal kingdom? The answer might surprise us. And should humans follow the example of elephants and rhinos who are strong but don't kill other animals for sustenance? Or should we follow the example of tigers and lions who feed on the flesh of others? Maybe we could be powered by electricity like the synths? Just kidding, but who knows... More importantly, if we're so special, shouldn't we be setting the example of universal compassion towards our fellow humans of any race, gender, belief or other background and extend that benevolence, peaceful and respectful attitude towards the innocent animals and stop making the word "animal" synonymous to something that deserves contempt and isn't worthy of consideration? Indeed, in Humans, the newly awakened synths say that they look up to us for guidance.

There are other considerations that come to mind, while watching this show, including more realistic ones such as regular robots taking the jobs of humans. We are still far from developing just plain robots (compared to AI in a computer) as depicted in Humans, and whether we can ever create true consciousness is debatable, although giving a machine the appearance of consciousness and free will is technically possible, and it becomes a philosophical and metaphysical discussion. But even present day technology has its challenges. Already we take advantage of artificial neural networks to train computers to do things like image recognition, which would be very difficult to achieve with traditional programming. Facial recognition, like many things, can be used for good or abused. Clearly, wisdom and a fair and kind society must accompany progress in science and technology. That's my take away from the series.

The topic of artificial intelligence and its impact on the world is a big one. This isn't a documentary so don't expect to find answers here. It is however, an excellent drama and science fiction thriller that I will miss, especially since it was cancelled after season three, which ended without proper closure, but still better than many. Even with its plot holes and flaws, this series is a remarkable achievement in tv that I can safely recommend as fun, engaging and thrilling to watch.

I don't usually like kidnapping movies. Taken was an exception. This one is nothing like it. I don't consider it an action movie but for me it was a one time watchable thriller. Having Gerard Butler and Russell Hornsby (from Grimm) was a plus.

It's such a shame that Netflix cancelled this, an entertaining series that also showcases local South African talent. And it had the potential to show scenery and city life from other parts of the continent, as seen in the pilot which started with an adventure in Zanzibar. Sure, this wasn't perfect, but it had enough interesting characters, decent action and substance to become a series I would enjoy following through all the seasons. Hope they make something else to replace it.

What I liked the most about this was the cast. Specifically the sheer number of familiar faces. Colson from Agents of Shield, the girl from The Good Fight, Connie Briton who I remember from 911 and American Horror Story, the lead guy from Brooklyn 99... it was impressive. I didn't know Aubrey Plaza but she seemed fit for the role.

The plot is what you'd expect, a teenager trying to get laid, and this time it's a woman. It's not an original story, and I was expecting something crude and nothing special, just a few laughs, and It delivered that. There's no nudity at all but I wouldn't call it a family movie due to the very sexualised theme and language. Didn't find it as funny as American Pie, but fun enough to watch once. The 90's theme wasn't really apparent aside from the electronics. While I liked the absence of people glued to their devices, I think it would actually be interesting to see how this plot would play out in today's world...

I don't know the actress that played Kate, but I like her. What I didn't like so much was the being poisoned plot that means she won't be able to perform at her best. Still, the action was fairly good, although the martial arts is not that impressive. It's also nice that it was set in Tokyo. I don't think I would watch it again, like I did for example with John Wick, but it was certainly fun to watch once.

After I started watching this movie I remembered that I had watched it before. And soon after, I realised why I had forgotten all about it. There's virtually none of the martial arts action that I like from Jason Statham. In fact, I had to wait two thirds into the movie to become properly interested and to see some real action, which still isn't quite what I've come to expect from him.

That said, there's a story here, it just wasn't engaging enough for me. There was a beautiful woman and they missed the chance to bring her into the story, which could have made it more interesting for me. I am sure there will be others who like it more. I liked Transporter, Safe and Homefront better.

The point with the voting was actually a bit clever. I thought it was good political humour. The smearing and mis-characterisation of PETA was so ridiculous that sometimes even funny, but it still felt unfair for an organisation that is actually trying to peacefully help animals and the planet and therefore, humans. But it's South Park and that's expected.

I guess people who already didn't like PETA for protecting the defenceless animals will cheer this episode and those that understand that PETA is for harmony between all earth's inhabitants, won't let this change the image of the organisation. So, we can all just try to laugh. I still found the next episode on Walmart funnier, though. And cartmanland, of course.

Being a sucker for superhero movies or shows, of course I watched this. It started a bit slow but I enjoyed the characters and the suspense in the first season. The action was alright. Season one also ended well. The second season took a turn towards paranormal drama, and I still don't quite get the point. There was one brief superhero fight that was pretty cool, but not much besides that. Slow, not upbeat, and it ended in a cliffhanger. I rated this series based on the second season because it was the last one I saw, but hopefully I will make it higher again if it gets better in season three.

After two disappointing action movies this weekend I decided to try my other favourite genre, comedy. Good ones are just as hard to find. Even though I've watched this for the first time nearly a decade later, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Perfect cast, Jennifer Anniston my favourite, the plot felt original to me, and I actually had several laughs. But mostly, it was just fun, warm and engaging to watch.

There are lots of people shooting guns. If that's all I wanted, this would be a great movie. But I like some story and great choreography, like John Wick. The plot here didn't make much sense and the humour of the situation got old quickly and replaced by annoyance. I think there was only one short scene I found funny. And one action scene that would have been good if it didn't have a weird footage that I don't know how to describe, but it was essentially a fast motion, colour weird, mixed with cartoon graphics type of thing. The rest of it looked more like random shooting to me. The ending was less than satisfactory, but luckily it was a short movie and not entirely boring. Plus, Natasha Liu Bordizzo helped.

I'll admit two things, I love big cities and beautiful women. This movie had none of those things, except the lovely Carrie Coon, to be fair. Set in a remote village with a core cast of two adults, including Paul Rudd who played Ant-Man, and a bunch of kids. I liked all of them, I just wished the whole supernatural thing would add some excitement to the little town. Instead, it builds slowly to a brief climax, and the whole story stays in the small bubble. I did enjoy it overall, just think they could have made it more interesting and exciting.

Enjoyed watching the whole series which had a decent ending, by the way. Great mix of characters played by an excellent cast. I must say I wasn't a big fan of them talking to the camera because it didn't make sense and took away the "illusion". They had an excuse in The Office, what was the pretext here? Nonetheless, some of those takes were actually funny, And I did laugh out loud in some of the episodes. Sofia Vergara was great and a pleasure to watch. Overall, fun show to take the mind off things.

It's not about left or right, I don't consider myself either. I just believe that all beings on earth should leave peacefully and in harmony with each other and nature. President Trump brought peace, stability and prosperity not just to America but to the world. Yet, almost all of the media in the world was and is still so relentlessly invested in making up lies and damaging his image and being extremely biased, that for a while even I believed their slander and thought less of him. Sadly, family guy decided to join them.

Politics aside, this show is about comedy so I was expecting some Trump bashing, and that's fine if done properly, even friends can make fun of each other sometimes and laugh together. I saw no humour in this episode though, just downright smearing. I didn't laugh a single time. It was just poor taste throughout and that's a shame, because a show as popular as family guy, missed an opportunity to use humour to bring people together.

The general idea for this drama thriller seemed good to me, but the way it played out on screen wasn't as entertaining as I would have liked. The plot twists weren't made clear enough and left me with more questions than answers. Unsatisfying and ambiguous ending. Very little screen time for women characters. There were a couple of brief action scenes that I enjoyed, but it's not what I would watch this movie for.

I liked the first one better, judging by my rating and the vague memory of it, but I honestly can't remember it. The thing about this movie is that there was no engaging story and no exciting action. But I wasn't bored, was alright to watch once just because it was a sequel of a movie I liked and I am a sucker for "superhero" films. To anyone else I wouldn't recommend it.

From the little I remember from G. I. joe rise of the cobra, snake eyes was one of my favourite characters, because of his ninja fighting style. Being a martial arts fan, I was excited about a movie that focused on him. Not what I was hoping for! The story was okay, a bit boring for the first half hour, but I was more interested later. There was a serious lack of women, although there were some brief female appearances that I enjoyed. There was an opportunity to see the ladies kick some ass but instead they chose to jump cut to show only the result of the fight, leave the viewer to imagine what happened in between. Hallo, it's an action movie, I want to actually see the fight?! @)#&!

Which brings me to the action in this film, that unfortunately left me very disappointed. To be fair, there were a lot of fights, but I could barely see what was happening! The camera was all over the place during the action scenes. I've seen this happen so often in other films and series that it makes me wonder if they're intentionally trying to hide it because it's not that great. Adding to the mix, close ups in the wrong places, group fights, simultaneous fights going on, it was big mess and I couldn't follow or enjoy any of the choreography.

I can't think of a single fight scene that made feel that adrenaline I remember from movies like Jet Li stepping into a room full of martial artists in Fist of Fury and Kiss of The Dragon, or the first two Transporter movies with Jason Statham, or even the long fight scene in the first Kingsman movie. Or the gun fights in John Wick. How I miss this sort of action, and no one seems to deliver anymore. All I got in this movie is an incomprehensible salad of sword fights I couldn't follow, sigh. Well, if they genuinely tried, I am thankful for the effort, but my craving for action remains.

There's too little action here for me to label it as an action movie. The "suspense" is mostly trying to figure out what the story is about, so I won't give any spoilers. Suffice to say that it's very slow paced, but I enjoyed watching it once only, considering how hard it is for me to find good movies these days.

I mainly watched it because of Framke Janssen who I liked in Taken, and Ron Perlman who I remembered from The Startup. It was good seeing both of them. Fortunately I kept my expectations low, so it worked out. I would have liked more action but the story was okay.

I watched this movie at the cinema when it came out years ago. I just streamed it and I can't believe I forgot how amazing it is. The action choreography is top notch and while the plot wasn't exactly clear, it's a thriller better than many in my opinion. It certainly kept me gripped, and even watching the second time I wasn't sure how it would end. I also liked the cast and the familiar faces. Superb entertainment in my book. My only question, where's the sequel?!

Lighthearted story that gave me a few laughs. I think I enjoyed it more being an adult but I can see all ages getting something from it. It shows a spiritual topic without trying to preach anything. I enjoyed all the voices and thought the actors did a superb job. The guy from "The IT Crowd" was a nice touch. This is one of those animated films that could just as well be a regular movie. Fun and insightful.

All happens in the same location, the action is pretty much shooting all the way, with virtually no story or dialogue, and an ending that felt incomplete. I wouldn't have watched it knowing what I know now, Scot Adkins was the main motivation and he did show a little bit of his martial arts skills. It was ok to watch once.

I am not going to say how great this movie is or not, I will leave that to other reviewers and critics. I am really into action, but I was not expecting it here. After all, I liked watching Elementary or Monk, for example. Just a good crime thriller is what I was looking for once I started watching it.

And yes, it kept me guessing what was going to happen next but the pace was too slow, bordering on boring, and the story was a bit confusing, with a hugely unsatisfying ending. Now, some might call that original and different and perhaps even Oscar worthy. I just wanted entertainment and this was not it. That said, it's Denzel Washington, so it was okay to watch once. I regret that I did it on a weekend movie night though. I am sure the movie has a point, but I didn't enjoy it that much, and I am not even sure what it was. Lots of people seem to have liked it nonetheless, so thank you.