Doc Martin

I've done it, I've seen it all!

He's a fish out of water, he's a doctor is a small town village... that could describe a lot of series, but in this case it is Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes. Who is kinda based on the character in the two tv movies, which was based on the character from the even earlier tv movie... but they couldn't spin up a tv series with that character (who is far too chill) and made him more uptight.

This is ten seasons, however as this is British tv, these are around eight episodes per, which the US wouldn't hit for several years. Often at the end of each season he is no longer able to be the village doctor... and then in the next season they work out how he can doctor again. Also I watched the beginning of each season wondering who came back. There was a big break after four seasons where several main characters don't return, so they quickly slot some other characters into those positions. (Oh, he gets another inexperienced secretary... oh, he has another aunt!)

There is definite character change, but more to the other characters than him. He does get married and has children, but still remains uptight and outspoken and with a bloodphobia (although the last episode quickly tries to pivot that to something else).

With Martin Clunes we get Ian McNeice, Stephanie Cole, and Katherine Parkinson (who is competent with computers... what?). Aside from those known, we get Caroline Catz, Joe Absolom, Selina Cadell, John Marquez, Jessica Random, and who turns out to be the absolutely lovely Eileen Atkins. And cameos from Ben Miller, Jeff Rawle, Chris O'Dowd, Louise Jameson, Caroline Quentin, Sigourney Weaver (!), and Rupert Graves, amongst others.

The reason I went into this is because there is now a US reboot, Best Medicine. The pilot episode is pretty much the same. There are different stories in there, but again some borrowed plots (such as one involving the doctor's father... who is played here by Martin Clunes!). But because this is a tv series in this current year, it's just ten episodes. Ah well, something else they got from the UK!

A fun wee series, ends on a Christmas episode. Definitely rewatchable!

 

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Bone Temple is Ready!

Some period of 28 later, the companion film!

The Jimmys are a bunch of complete a-holes, at least the lead Jimmy is and everyone else follows his lead. Alternatively, Ralph Fiennes is nearly naked and gets drugged up with the lead zombie. Eventually their paths cross, and it can only go one way, especially as we know how things are heading from the last movie.

Despite this being close to the previous movie, I can barely remember any of it, so much so that I wasn't sure if Spike was from it or not. The two main plots proceed pretty much as you expect, so much so that I was thinking it was retreading stuff from the previous movie. Although I watched it one my main screen, I may not have picked up on everything.

Ralph is fine, and the rest of the cast is decent, and... it's a well made film. But I am probably not giving it the justice it deserves.

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Shuttering again

Indonesia movie about the dangers of taking photographs.

Darwin is a photographer, but his pictures are showing a strange woman in them. Slowly he and his girlfriend work out that she is related to the woman they ran over, and now it's about them trying to escape her curse, which she enacts on people she has been photographed with.

I was about a third of the way through this when I got the sensation that this was very familiar and... this is a remake of the 2004 movie of the same name. That's it! I saw that, and now I saw this.

So what does this bring over the original... well, it's in Indonesian, so there's that. But as this is about analog photography, this doesn't update the tech to be able current technology, so...

It's fine. I hope the film makers and people involved did this because it was something they wanted to, but if you seen the original you've seen this, and vice versa.

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Hilent Sill: The Return

So, as a movie based on a video game...

James returns to Silent Hill, and suffers many a flashback and he wanders around the town, bumping into people who are metaphors for his past life and love. He stumbles from place to place, encountering plot beats and not at all subtle references until finally he gets several endings.

So I'm trying to view this movie on the level of it being a movie and... it's a mess. Just random moments stitched together, going from one place to another just to justify another memory flash back, and then tying it all together in blatant story telling.

And as a movie adaptation... I can see why they went with some of the changes, they don't have time for all the original sub plots, but then they still reference them anyway. And then what was the point of some of the things they did include? Aside from game nods, they don't serve any purpose (what was any point of Eddie?).

Fans will be able to say more about this, but I can't say I was thrilled to return here.

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Better Ape

Hey, it's that monkey movie!

Robert has a not terrible life (considering), but has a star in his eye. With a random bit of cheekiness, he joins Take That, but is repressed by his bandmates... and needs to break free. Badly, after a terrible whirlwind romance, he does, he's on top, he's... hating every moment of it.

As much as people love this, this does feel like a standard biopic movie. Not great childhood, break out fame, drugs, so many drugs, and a big concert.

Except he's a monkey. That does take a moment to vibe with, but it works fine, and fits really well. I will agree that we need more monkey movies.

Oh, and Steve Pemberton is in this, with some really bad wigs. Odd after seeing him in Taskmaster.

So I've seen it, but... meh, it was fine, not amazing.

If you want a better take on it all:

Are Music Biopics Good Now?

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Virtuscosity

Since I mentioned it...

In the far future of 1999, virtual reality is so far advanced people are being trained to fight crime... where people are criminals who are testing the system. One such is ex-cop Parker Barnes, who went away for killing the man who killed his family. However, to provide a good test, he is up against Sid 6.7, who is every bad guy combined, including the killer, who of course is dominant. Due to horniness, Sid escapes into the real world, and only Parker can track him down, despite being continually set up as the bad guy. But, hey, at least guns are free and plenty.

It's Denzel Washington being Denzel Washington, so very watchable (and he gets to beat up a nazi!). Russel Crowe is eating all the scenery (literally in one scene), and gloriously hamming it up. There's also a collection of other famous faces, and a very young Kelly Cuoco!

This is pure cheese, but it isn't really trying for anything else. Everyone just looks to be enjoying themselves, although no-one as much as Russell Crowe.

Watch for a laugh, not for deep philosophy.

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Tron Tares

Subtlety? What's that then?

Dillinger creates a monster, but perhaps the monster is more than the creator? Ares is that Frankenstein's monster, and when ordered to kill Dillinger's competitor, he decides that after having stalked her, she is the one who must live. And so we get real people in the digital world, and digital people in the real world (physics? what's that then?). And for creatures that can only survive 29 minutes in the real world, damn that is a long ass 29 minutes for us to suffer through.

Did this need to be a Tron movie? Did this need to be any movie? It does inherit some backstory and world setting it can otherwise skip over, but it also skips over how one goes about creating digital things in the real world, so whatever. And hey, I've seen Virtuosity!

There are some worthy people in here, but everyone gets overshadowed by Jared Leto, for whom this feels like a vanity project. And the CGI is... fine. But it all makes me wonder how it is supposed to work in the real world.

Well, now we wait for the inevitable sequel.

At least the sound track was great!

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