Movies
Decent drama. Brooklyn is typical Oscar material, with its glorification of the past, the US and romance. It's an easy film to love, but it's just as easy to dislike, depending on what you want from a film and how forgiving you're feeling towards its faults. Personally, I had a pleasant time with it, but I was hardly blown away. The story revolves around a young Irish girl who sets off to America to start a new life. She gets herself an education, finds a job and marries a bloke. Disaster strikes though and she has to return to Ireland to attend a funeral. Once there, she begins to forget the life she had built for herself in the US. The tone is light, the drama is decent and Ronan's performance is strong. Her character's somewhat shady and even a little unlikable though, strangely enough the film doesn't really acknowledge that and pretends this is just a sweet little romance. It didn't really bother me that much, but it is quite remarkable. As for the presentation, it's pretty polished and slick, but hardly attractive. All in all a sold film, though not enough that jumped out for me.Read all
A solid British drama about a young kid who has to integrate back into society after spending time in jail. The nature of his crimes aren't immediately revealed, instead Crowley focuses on the steps he goes through to start his life anew. He takes on a new identity, moves to a new city and starts a new job. Having spent a long time in prison comes with its own set of challenges. Jack lacks social skills, isn't up to speed on technological advancements and doesn't even know how to behave around girls. A woman at his job fancies him though, and she is willing to put in the extra effort. Crowley delivers a decent drama. Performances are solid, the flashbacks to the jack's crime add some welcome tension and even though the plot is a little predictable (it's no spoiler that people will find out about his old identity), it doesn't really weaken the emotional impact. Nothing too exceptional, but good filler.Read all
A somewhat lifeless mix of drama and sci-fi. I have no clue why this was set in an alternative past, but that wasn't even my biggest gripe. For an 80-minute episode, it's all extremely simplistic and predictable, making this effectively a basic made-for-TV film. Crowley can do a lot better. Two astronauts are carrying out a 6-year-long mission in space, but they have avatars on Earth that allow them to spend some time at home with their loved ones. One of them is attacked by a cult, who murders his family and destroys his avatar. His companion feels sorry for him and lets him borrow his avatar. The retro/60s gives the film a more classic feel, though not too much effort is put into the styling. You can pretty much map out the entire plot from the very start and the performances aren't strong enough to carry the drama. There was some potential here, but it is mostly ignored in favor of tepid storytelling.Read all