Code 8 (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Code 8 (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Code 8 started life as a short film, eventually making its way to Netflix in the UK via a super successful Indiegogo campaign and a lot hard graft by the Amell brothers.  Was its worth it?  In a word: yes.  Whilst Code 8 never really feels more than a very slick pilot for a HBO TV show you want to see, it’s never less that good fun as it taking elements from the DC TV shows the Amell’s have featured in (Flash! Arrow!), a few sci-fi films they’ve watched along the way and a whole dose of well produced Canadian action.  Look don’t expect Code 8 to break any new ground but what it does it does well and leaves you wanting more.

Best Bit: The heist 

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: ARQ, Monsters, Cube, The Flash, Arrow

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Annihilation (2018) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

Annihilation (2018) – A Revisited Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
I’m an hour and thirty minutes into Annihilation and I’m starting to wish I too had a phosphorus grenade (all will make sense if you bother to watch it).  It’s all got rather dull.  And pretentious.  Not to say it wasn’t to start but it’s got a lot worse a lot quickly. Five minutes later a character has just exploded and the film has turned into  a conceptual student music video featuring Gort.  Considering Alex Garland made Dredd, 28 Days Later and Ex Machina I’d expected more from this.  Then when you remember Paramount dumped it onto Netflix… well you can kinda see their point. This would have been a massive bomb.  It’s not as cerebral as it thinks, and kinda steps on the ground that Arrival did better a few years back and, ultimately, is pretty pointless.

Best Bit: For humour sakes the lighthouse had me crying

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream as it’s free

If You Liked this Try: Ex Machina, Arrival, Dredd

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Murder Mystery (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

Murder Mystery (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
A direct to Netflix Adam Sandler comedy? The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over and many others show that this relationship between Sandler and the streaming giant rarely mines gold.  But Murder Mystery is actually alright.  Okay that may sound like damning with faint praise right but actually I laughed, I was engaged and at just over 90 minutes the film doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.  The support cast are good (Walliams & Stamp are having fun in their limited roles) and the film flies from from one set up to the next.  So if you want a great comedy on Netflix there’s loads to choose from but once you’ve watched them you can do much worse than Murder Mystery.  Like The Ridiculous 6 for example…

Best Bit: Bedroom Escape

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Knives Out, Clue, The Longest Yard 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Extraction (2020) – A Quick Capsule Review

Extraction (2020) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Extraction is the latest Netflix original to land on the platform and this one arrives with some real action chops – both in lead man Hemsworth and stunt man & director Sam Hargrave.  So any good?  Well yes.  Kinda. Hargrave delivers two of the most innovative action scenes I’ve seen in a while but whilst this part of the film delivers the overall story and pacing doesn’t and we end up with a lot of filler in a film that’s just under two hours long.  It’s a shame as this film has all the elements to work but honest come together in the end.

Best Bit: The apartment fight

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: 6 Underground, 12 Strong, Spenser Confidential

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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Netflix & Prime Box Sets: A Survival Guide By Grosse Point Geek

Netflix & Prime Box Sets: A Survival Guide By Grosse Point Geek

by Will Strong A Blog Grosse Point Geek Other Cr*p

In these rather strange and troubling times we are living in at the moment it is of course very easy to get depressed and down in the dumps.  Many of us are naturally struggling to fill the time in the absence of being able to do normal things – like visit family and friends, go to the pubs, restaurants, theatres or cinemas. So what to do to stave off the COVID19 blues? Some people are playing board games, some are listening to music, others are on their play stations or Xboxes.

However if you are like me (a notoriously obsessed film geek) you may be raiding your dvd/blu ray collection or trawling though Netflix and Amazon Prime in search of some thing to watch. So to help you all out I have compiled a few lists of films and box sets to see you though the coming weeks.

Next Up: Recommended Box Sets on Netflix and Amazon Prime

 

Hunters (Amazon Prime)

Breaking Bad (Netflix)

Sex Education (Netflix – its a comedy before anyone gets the wrong idea!)

The Walking Dead (Amazon Prime)

Fear The Walking Dead (Amazon Prime)

The Witcher (Netflix)

Designated Survivor (Netflix)

Taken (Amazon Prime)

The X Files (Amazon Prime)

Daredevil (Netflix)

Picard (Amazon Prime)

Better Call Saul (Netflix)

Stranger Things (Netflix)

Star Trek Discovery (Netflix)

The Man In The High Castle (Netflix)

Bosch (Amazon Prime)

Vikings (Amazon Prime)

 

I’ll be back with more lists to help get you through the current Film and new release shortage!

American Factory (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

American Factory (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
A compelling documentary that looks at the reopening of an old General Motors factory by a Chinese billionaire and the inevitable culture class that follows.  What’s most scary here is how quickly the two different worlds fail to gel and the openness and honesty in which the documentary dig’s deep into this.  Whilst Netflix original narrative films often fail to deliver, its documentaries are some of the best out there and once again they hit big with the Oscar nominated American Factory.  Stream it now on Netflix.

Best Bit: Lazy Americans

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream

If You Liked this Try: Icarus, 13th, Fyre

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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In The Shadow Of The Moon (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

In The Shadow Of The Moon (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
In The Shadow Of The Moon starts off as a serial killer thriller and quickly spirals into something quite different. Okay so it’s far from perfect but at least it plays with some new concepts and ideas as the story soldiers on through decades after decades even if when the ending finally arrives it is a touch unsatisfying, with one particular turn being pretty obvious early on.  But overall In The Shadow Of The Moon is a pretty decent diversion, with a  good cast and some solid direction.

Best Bit: Ah it’s THAT film

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Primer, Predestination, Twelve Monkeys 

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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6 Underground (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

6 Underground (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
6 Underground is a hot mess of a film with one of the worst and most unwatchable opening action sequences in recent memory.  Get beyond THAT car chase however and actually there’s a pretty fun action film with some solid set pieces, a handful of genuinely great free running sequences and a winning (if somewhat familiar) central performance from Ryan Reynolds.  It’s also a film that showcase the best and worst of it’s director Michael Bay – from poor dialogue and OTT acting (and a dash of sexism) to beautifully shot action, excellent use of slow mo and some top notch ideas (the magnet for one).  This gives me hope that Bad Boys for Life may actually be fun… so 6 Underground will not be for everyone but it won me over in the end.

Best Bit: Boat + Magnet

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Bad Boys for Life, Bad Boys, The Rock

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Irishman (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

The Irishman (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The Irishman is more than just Oldfellas.  It’s a film that bares the weight of its cast and directors ageing years and experience.   Yes it’s long and yes it lacks the pace and stylish filming of either Casino or Goodfellas but it’s also not trying to be either of those films. The Irishman is a slower story, told over decades, that relishes in its character interaction and quiet moments.  It’s also not THAT violent, certainly not compared with Scorsese’s other gangster and crime films.  Nope The Irishman is a different film, genetically linked to his classic works but one that reflects the closing years of some of the most epic careers in the movie industry.  Also side note – the de-ageing technology on display here is near faultless.  Not bad for someone with a less than positive view of CGI heavy movies…

Best Bit: The technology

Cinema, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Casino, Goodfellas, The Godfather

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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The Great Hack (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

The Great Hack (2019) – A Quick Capsule Review

by Phil Hobden Quick Review

Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Eye opening, scary, complex and fascinating… The Great Hack dives deep into the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal with a sharp eye and unflinching dedication to its subject.  As the realisation of how deep and insidious this whole thing was dawns, you cant help but feel dirty and betrayed.  It packed a huge gut punch for sure.   In short it’s pretty terrifying as it details the exploitation of personal data on the internet by those you trusted to keep it safe.  You’ll never want to use facebook again!

Best Bit: Not best but knowing you can never trust any company again ever

Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream (Netflix)

If You Liked this Try: Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, Citizenfour

★★★★★★★★★★

 

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