Change Your Image
inspirelake
Reviews
Rake (2010)
Not credible
Apart from the fact that the acting is terrible, cliche, outdated and stupid, this, after 5 minutes was not credible or even interesting. So, yes, something I don't really do much of... spoilers. Guy in suit on a dark night on a busy road gets out of a car with an overacting other actor who pretends to be a (cliche) criminal, who then smashes guy in suit on the nose, drawing copious blood, kicks him twice in the stomach when suit guy is down on the ground. Next scene. Some person 20 years younger is gently bathing his bloody nose and they're very romantic about it, as if... nothing like blood and goop to turn you on, eh?
Next, suit guy and daughter-aged blondie are now cheerily, yes cheerily, (guy in suit acting suave and cracking jokes,) his top off, showing his abs and biceps, nary one teeny, weeny little bruise from having just been kicked twice in the guts, and all the while daughter-aged female is gushing and obviously deeply satisfied with how suit guy has performed, because he's obviously superman, not one bit of pain after a gut kicking to hinder HIS performance of manliness. But wait, there's more. Apparently he's also a coke head and some other type of addict and, well, yes, they surely are the MOST healthy human beings on earth, all abbed-up, not one teeny weeny bit of pain or bruising after copping a gut kicking.
I couldn't watch any more.
This is the type of slosh Australia can surely pour out on its unsuspecting public but I had hoped that era was over and now we are able to accept some good drama perhaps. Trash for the simple minded with nothing better to do than munch chips and believe utter moronic television twaddle.
After the Party (2023)
Riveting
Imagine believing something so powerfully inside of you that your entire life becomes a train wreck and, to everyone else, you are a loose canon of mammoth proportions. Is it true or is it not?
This is another amazing New Zealand production, like so many of theirs.
Robyn Malcolm is sensational. The entire cast fits their roles perfectly. The scenery is stunning. I began to watch a few minutes and binge watched the entire 6 of series 1, in one afternoon and evening.
Denial, lies, the delicate balance of trust. The fragility of youth. Manipulation and control. If you are a victim of abuse I would say to watch this with caution. A must watch.
The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
Painful
A truly weird film. Not a comedy but I'm still deciding whether this painful ode to a narcissist is a very clever movie or just a mess.
The script is so bad that it's either an accident of incredible incompetence or a work of genius, I don't know and by end of this, I really didn't care.
The essence of this story is when someone who has no idea who they are, what they want or a real concept of how to deal with other people, decides they are actually intelligent, original and acceptable, when clearly, they are not. And they shift other people around and confuse others' lives so that their needs are met. A narcissist. If you're game, watch it. It left me with bitter ashes in my mouth and a sense of watching some of our politicians doing their 'best' work.
The Iron Claw (2023)
Oh dear...
Well, how to begin. Not a fan of wrestling, but still, due to the massively high rating, I erroneously believed this might be a very good quality drama. The kind that has a script and people who appear to be awake and not sleep walking.
A story that should have filled me with wanting to cheer on the battler, should have made me want to cry, should have been an emotive rollercoaster, was so poorly scripted and directed that it saddens me for the people who's lives this was based on.
I have painted walls and had more interest cutting my toe nails while the paint dried than this entire misery fest created. Hang on, at 2hrs, 3 mins and 16 seconds, it got good. Then it ended. The real tragedy is that the people who lived this life have not been showcased well in this terribly disinteresting movie.
A Most Violent Year (2014)
Slow burn, but excellent.
Many undercurrents within the characters, very realistic take on certain types of business, on marriages that work but don't feel comfortable, on setting goals and on ethics within the framework of business.
This is a relatively slow moving film. Which is possibly why it works so well. I feel if it had been faster it would have felt and looked like a classless gangster movie and it's actually a pretty classy take on the grit and determination to have success without too much muck sticking to your shoes. Great acting from actors who not only look amazing but know how to pace their work, probably under great direction. I think you need to be in the right mood for this one but it's worth it.
The Escape (2017)
Gemma Arterton does blank eyes really well...
I liked the idea and got caught up by it. Obviously there are many women who can't wait to escape a marriage and/or their children. However, let's talk about the film itself.
Not once, in what feels like a very long film, do we get introduced to any back story. Such as: Why did this woman get married in the first place? Did she really love him? Was the sex even good before they got married and had children? Why did she agree to have children?
After it ended, it occurred to me that perhaps she was just as wishy washy and unformed in character before she married the husband (that so many reviews want to disdain). Maybe she just had a beautiful face and not much going on behind it (yet,) too young, too insecure, flattered that he wanted her, needing to belong somewhere and, as the movie clearly illustrates, no communication skills whatsoever and too little confidence to know how to TALK to her husband rather than run out of the room when he actually really wants to know what's going on, rather than allowing her daily mediocrity to continue. Then when she does speak it's all done and dusted. Is she shy? Insecure? But not insecure enough to pick up a bloke in Paris and have a fling.
Well acted (considering the script has about 4 lines but lots of facial expression and lingers too long.)
What we see is a woman who is terribly unhappy. Doesn't want him, doesn't want the kids, doesn't work, (seems to never have, what a luxury), has too much spare time on her hands and absolutely no imagination on how to use it, is bored, boring to a fault, is married to a very average bloke who loves her and isn't really into anything that extends beyond the banal everyday life scenario.
I get it. The narrative of get married and have kids is not a fit for 50% of the population. So think hard before going there and if you had any courage/wits/self expression whatsoever, go do a communication skills course and learn how to unravel the dullness of your existence from the ground up. Being in a marriage with someone who won't communicated and runs out of the room is as much fun as running sandpaper around your nether regions.
Healing (2014)
An excellent piece of Australian film making
Well, here we are finally able to say that I truly enjoyed and thoroughly appreciated this very beautifully filmed Australian film. A great many ozzy films are terrible but this is not one of them.
It's a long movie and not on fast forward but it moves along and keeps you keen to see what's next.
Not too cliched, it has a stellar cast. Don Hany, utterly brilliant, would have had me fooled and thought he was that character in real life and yet he's Australian through and through. As usual, Victor Hugo, highly contained and well acted, but all the cast were perfect in their roles, each of them and it could have failed without that.
I highly recommend this movie as a gently rolling watch of humanity and spectacular, not too often seen wonderful raptors of Australia footage and understanding.
Queen of Oz (2023)
Beyond bad. Excruciatingly horrendous.
Ok. Where to begin? When episode one has a woman visiting a school and within a few moments of the show starting, manages to vomit onto school children, we know we have reached a pit so deep and so senseless that there can't be any returning back from it.
Tate is never funny. Not ever. But nonetheless, I thought this might be possibly hilarious considering the actual premise has the potential to be entertaining... if done right.
I'm sorry to say that after the first episode of vomiting on a young child in school and all over the child's project and admitting to being a drunk, my head was spinning with how utterly repulsive, vile and just plain dirty this show is. Goodbye. I will make sure never to put myself through this actress again. I read she and her partner wrote the ship wreck of a thing. Urgh.
Radioactive (2019)
Oh my gosh... boring, boring, boring.
I was so excited to see that a film about Marie Sklodowska-Curie had been made. To say that this was so irritatingly badly written that it was almost unwatchable, is an understatement.
Here we are, two of the most astonishing scientists of their day, and it's just a bland, pretending to be exciting, kind of nothing.
The actors are working so hard to make a tragically disposable script appear fascinating that they actually look a stupid doing it. It generates nothing exciting about their science and, since this is not a film for scientists, but for the public, it's just black clothes, bunches of bunsen burners and a dabble of generic romance. There is nothing of the feeling of a great team between husband and wife or the absolute excitement all of this must have generated for them. It's just facts. In boring, black clothes mode.
Bay of Fires (2023)
Violent, quirky, not my usual watch at all, but...
I hated the first episode. It was over acted and hammy. But I stuck with it. Then it became mesmerising.
For starters, there are reviewers here with a one score who have no idea what it's about. They didn't watch this because the first episode clearly explains WHO is chasing with intent to kill. (And it's not an already dead and much beloved husband. At least if you're going to review, know the story!) And for the other misinformed and hateful reviewer who never stuck it out long enough to find out whey it's called Bay of Fires despite it being about a town on the complete other side of Tasmania. At least watch a show before you make a crashing judgment on what hasn't been explained yet.
The rest of the series is an unfolding, unfurling, crazy, black semi-comedic ride. Often very violent with some seriously dark characters, believable because there are people like them 'out there', cleverly mixed with the occasional important flashback, not many, just enough. Some brilliant one liners and good expose of government handling of certain situations. And in the mix are some engaging and delightful children. The one thing that totally annoyed me was that I think if most people are in this situation, they would at least change their hair colour or wear beanies! And trust me, in about episode 7, no, that is NOT the middle of winter in the west coast wilderness and NO ONE goes camping in that area then unless they are certifiable. Middle of winter, there's ice, snow and rain. Every single day.
Tasmania's remote wilderness on the west coast is beautifully filmed with no exaggerations of how it really is; magical and also terrifyingly .... remote. Be aware that not all Tasmanian towns or people are like this!
Upper Middle Bogan (2013)
Surprised and delighted at this production's slickness and skill
Excellent actors, perfect timing, good editing, great direction. This could have been truly hideous if all of those components hadn't been darn near perfect.
Michala Banas, simply super in her role which, if handled differently would certainly have bombed. Robin Nevin, shades of people I have known, in her usual terrific style; but truly, every single member of this cast is doing their utmost to make this very funny series work. And work, it does.
Somehow, this did not go down the sloppy, vapid and tawdry road of far too many Australian shows and movies (maybe NIDA had a coach upgrade.)
I kept expecting it to go downhill but it never did. Amazing fun right to the end. I wish there was more.
Die Unsichtbaren (2017)
A lost opportunity
I looked forward to seeing this. It seemed compelling and important. It was neither.
Sadly, the splitting between 'interviews' and the 'movie' created a downdraft effect which neither allowed me to get properly involved with the characters or to truly explore the utmost of their situations.
This should have been gripping, however it appeared to be a gloss over of a series of people's lives; more of a pallid documentary without any real showing of what a horrendous stress, terror, pain and suffering the situations of these young people were.
I think this was a massive missed opportunity of something that should have been brilliant but was not.
Frayed (2019)
No, not funny, sorry.
The first couple of episodes showed promise. But I should have known that any show that begins with a husband dying with a phone up his rear end under the 'supervision' of a prostitute could only go downhill from there.
This is not a comedy.
If you like endless throwing up, old homeless men defecating in the street, really nasty, too-true-to-life vicious drug addicts, late 30's early 40's siblings, male and female fighting ugly and literally, like 10 year olds, rolling around beating each other on the ground, men snotting on the ground at a local swimming pool, schoolgirl bullying, secretary's that put their butt germs into the boss's coffee, and an endless string of lies, deceit, regrets, then you should watch this as a documentary on the vile side of human nature, but please don't mistake this waste of time for being funny. It isn't. It's a try-hard attempt to do something but I'm not sure what. It's not entertaining. Shows like this require intelligent handling. Mostly into the bin.
25 km/h (2018)
One of the very best road movies I've seen
I've seen a lot of road trip movies. Some are ok, some good, some excellent.
This very well paced film seemed unassuming enough in the write up and you feel it may be a little like so many other road trip films, where you enjoy them but forget them.
Wonderful actors, humour, talent, the totally unexpected and just the silliness of the premise are enchanting and wonderful.
Beautiful cinematography, realistic script and charming, intelligent scenes that showcase all the mixed emotions, highs and lows of the mix that makes us human and vulnerable.
The adventure is original. Two brothers and a whole lot of easy fun.
Gut gegen Nordwind (2019)
Don't waste 2 precious hours of your life
And so, it looked somewhat promising for the first half hour and then it was quiet afternoon and I forced myself to endure the remaining interminable load of never ending nothing. All in the hope that something important/useful/interesting might occur.
Nope. Just bored, bourgeois not particularly interesting/talented/inventive or motivated, utterly self absorbed people with no real problems to speak of, too comfortably off, wandering around in a blaze of nothingness, not even proper self seeking or self examination or anything else to offer the viewer. Apparently based on a book. Mills and Boon? Not enough here to waste five minutes on. Romance is NOT destroying a solid marriage on a bored person's whim. Goodbye to that load of trash.
Ah-ga-ssi (2016)
Most of this made me feel sick
Sex is the theme. And perversion. Very beautifully made with beautiful women, countryside, clothes, buildings and gardens, this is a tragic story. One filled with a theme of captivity. Raised by an uncle from the age of 5 a little girl lives in a magnificent, remote estate with servants and for a time, an aunt.
The rule of thumb is that her uncle is basically a rich tyrant who sells books of erotica.
The story begins with an entirely different precept, whereby professional thieves plot to secure the fortune of an unsuspecting heiress by having her marry one of them and then be put into an asylum so they can take her fortune. You will be stunned by the plot twists. It is quite a lavish and beautiful movie that made me feel sick. But it's worth the watch if for not other reason than the ending.
Deux (2019)
Waffle dressed up as love... again.
What we have here is the type of waffle that people believe is a story of love and undying devotion.
However, what we have here is a story about how lives built on fear and lies, will not work out for the best for anyone, ever, in the end.
The acting was passable. Depicting a coward and a control freak were good roles for the two lead actresses.
Reading all the starry eyed reviews that believe they have a clue about true love, I thought I would watch it, it had every chance of being a well done scenario about the particular theme - two older women who are in love and have been for a long time. However, in this film, in this day and age, they choose to keep the issue secret from the world, rather, scuttling across hallways in the same block of apartments to meet and share life together.
Held in France, where, forgive me, the last time I went to France absolutely no one gave a flying sock whether people were gay, kissing openly in the street to say goodbye for work, kissing openly at croissant breakfast bars in Paris, holding hands, hugging, gazing... you get the picture.
So here we have a movie about a couple of woman where one was once married and had children. She's too afraid to reveal to her children who are all grown up big people who I'm sure can handle it, that she in a deeply committed relationship with a woman, and so, all the lies that commit stupidity and also crimes, begins. Apparently, in this film, being 'in love' gives someone the right to destroy a parked vehicle and destroy someone's job - but sadly, reviewers here see this as 'love'. If hiding, sneaking around and lying constantly, destroying property and others people's incomes is love, then I'm a monkeys ass. I thoroughly dislike this type of twaddle dressed up as devotion. A pair of more self absorbed, insular women would not be nice to know and I disliked this movie because it did nothing at all to serve true love of any type or gender.
Haute couture (2021)
More sincere themed movies like this are needed.
For anyone who has never been given a chance in life or, when young, been paid no attention, the attention of someone who gives you a chance to make a life that will go nowhere into one that could be glorious, is often a rare thing.
A story of mentorship, friendship, and craftsmanship. Real life isn't a hollywood movie with snappy lines and over rated actors, it's about struggles of the ordinary kind.
Here we have a young woman who, in the circumstance of having robbed someone, is urged by her friends to make it right. And in that turn of events that sometimes happens, friendship and kindness become a part of her life rather than poverty and hopelessness. A very nice way to spend an afternoon.
Benedetta (2021)
A yawnfest.
I am neither religious or otherwise invested. I just wanted to watch a movie, that for some reason, had quite a high rating. I thought I would be watching something at least partly intelligent since it's supposedly based 'on a true story'.
Good grief. Fluctuating from severe boredom, to outright disbelief, to derision, I couldn't make it past half way. Going from ridiculous religious interpretation of events, to some nun's obvious deep need to lose her virginity and soon! Enclosed in a convent from an early age, the film caters to the possibility that all this waffle was perhaps a miracle.
I was so bored by this tripe that I didn't even make it to the supposed lesbian scenes that they say is in it and I'm sure they would have bored me senseless too.
Terribly made, dull acting, go and do something else, like wash your hair.
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir (2018)
Not what I hoped for
This should have been totally captivating but many segments fell short. The romance didn't feel real but forced and out of tune, like it was the part of the story that was meant to captivate us but it definitely didn't. A scene with a police officer in England was so utterly STUPID although it was meant to be entertaining. No, it wasn't. A flatmate experimenting with her identity wasn't interesting although I'm sure it was meant to captivate us and didn't work. The only actor I felt carried their weight well was the lead and even he felt flat, like he was dragging a wet tyre around and out of puff. Not a bad film but should have been great and wasn't. I wouldn't watch it again but it's ok for a couple of hours of eating chips and scratching.
Baramgwa hamjje sarajida (2012)
A lot of fun
Surprised at every level. I thought this would be ultra silly or just bad but it was plain fun. Not to be taken seriously but a fun way to spend a couple of hours.
Apparently this is a directorial debut and I have to say it's an achievement as it's a bit complicated and you have to watch carefully not to get a bit lost.
Some of the humor is hilarious and it's a bit cliched at times but it pulls it off without any harm done.
I've seen worse heist movies and what this film misses out on in perfection it makes up in being thoroughly enjoyable.
Nice acting all round, some stunning scenery and a good plot.
The Justice of Bunny King (2021)
Another New Zealand made gem.
Not a very comfortable story but a very common one. When everything is wrong in a person's life there seems to be a cycle of continuance... no getting out, people who judge wrongly and finally, the 'I told you so's' when that person's back is pushed against the wall.
Bunny King and 'justice'... hmmm... a system that doesn't really look deeply into human stories but likes to get a job done and a lot of people suffering from the disease of standing on their moral high ground just 'doing their job'.
Bunny King is a mother. And she truly adores her children and wants the world for them. A woman who appears to have gone into the justice system for doing what a proper mother does - protecting her child from damaging violence, only to become the outcast by doing so.
Once the spiral of 'no job, no home, no proper income' sets in, the system makes darn sure you stay there. Sadly, behind her incredible bravery and optimism, Bunny pushes on but begins to make major errors, as most people would when desperation sets in, and she begins to get in her own way, sabotaging what works and hoping to believe in those who are weak and pushing her boundaries with those who are kind.
New Zealand film makers are quite exceptional. I have only seen one pretty ordinary NZ film and the rest were exceptional, whether comedy or drama. They seem to know how to subtly expose the guts of a human life without shoving anything in your face and therefore giving you a real story to follow and to see unwind, and the opportunity to identify with human situations realistically. An uncomfortable but highly watchable gem.
Rise (2014)
Admirable story
That this is based upon a true story and then made by the person who endured a wrong conviction, is admirable. I would have liked just a bit more on the process of the lawyers, that part of the story was thin on the ground and it all sort of wrapped up at that point a little too quickly.
However, the rest of the film was very good. And that it was of such a standard by a first time film maker is amazing.
Someone mentioned in another review that they had issues with the christian side of the story. Frankly, it wasn't over the top, it didn't preach and if this is how anyone can get a life that works for them outside of jail, I have nothing to complain about.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this. Some excellent moments, actors were all top draw.
It has much to say. Worth watching.
Winter's Tale (2014)
I wanted to love it
Intriguing in the beginning, this should have been remarkable. With all the makings of something very special, it should have been filled with something that we all crave - mysteries, answers, good versus evil, love, falling in love, magical moments, mysticism that might even be somewhat understood.
Instead this is really quite disjointed and terribly all over the place. Some incredible actors. Namely, the utterly terrifying Russel Crowe and other equally great talents but seriously, 'Lucifer', I just laughed. But the theme should be fascinating yet isn't. The one thing I loved utterly was the horse. Because I like horses and we all have a remnant of a magical horse tucked away inside our brains. Otherwise, no, this lost the plot everywhere and wasted an afternoon.
Une belle course (2022)
A complete surprise
When you've watched as many movies as I have you don't really think anything original can come along. But this was a total, refreshing surprise. Beautifully and perfectly cast and acted, what appeared would be a simple story became a complex but warm, difficult and open hearted encounter of two very different people - one a taxi driver and the other, his elderly, enchanting fare. And from this taxi ride a tale unfolds that is quite unexpected. It's a beautiful movie of encounters that reach deep into those spaces in the hearts and lives of people. This is truly a must watch for anyone wanting a meaningful movie experience.