Reviews by Onion Jack

All reviews - Movies (2) - TV Shows (1) - Books (2)

Grim, powerful and frustrating.

Posted : 6 years, 11 months ago on 18 May 2017 09:44 (A review of Three Girls)

This three part mini-series was shown over three nights, and it knocked me for six for each of those three nights. The subject matter is grim, but it would be since it is the real-life story of the Rochdale child sex abuse ring.

There is enough impact in the stories of the three girls at the centre of it all, but the performances of those involved make sure that it smacks you between the eyes. Maxine Peake is phenomenal as the frustrated NHS sexual health worker who nobody will take seriously. Paul Kaye is superb as the helpless father of one of the girls. Lisa Riley is brilliant as the mother of the other two girls. Lesley Sharpe is fantastic as the copper struggling with her own doubts about the system. And of course the actresses playing Holly, Amber and Ruby are all unbelievable in their ability to be believable.

If you watch this and aren't emotionally drained after each episode, there is something seriously wrong with you. If you didn't watch it, find it. This really is how you do it. Awesome. Incredible. Sad. Disgusting.[Link removed - login to see]

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Overcooked Bread

Posted : 8 years ago on 31 March 2016 09:40 (A review of Toast)

A review of toast? Well, I have a soft spot for bread, so I thought I'd better give this a go, so I did. The cast was great... Butter slid into the role with ease (but not the roll, because there wasn't one). Cheese bubbled away throughout the performance, and Marmite was truly terrifying as the villain of the peace. Was all this too much for the toast itself? Was there too much up top for the structure of the thing? I'd say it was solid throughout, and that all the contributing factors came together well to provide a mightily enjoyable experience. It's top marks from me. Toast is the future, I've tasted it. Give it a try, especially if you like the genre.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Rock of Ages review

Posted : 10 years, 2 months ago on 14 February 2014 09:35 (A review of Rock of Ages)

The dialogue between songs might have been awful, the songs sometimes screechy and the whole thing a little High School the Gleesical. Russell Brand might have had more accents than the average British inner city school, and... oh who cares, the songs carried it from start to finish, and I know that I'll watch it again and again. The only question I have is why didn't I watch it sooner? A guilty pleasure today I've found! Sometimes you really do need a little cheese on your cracker.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

The Expendables review

Posted : 11 years ago on 7 April 2013 03:01 (A review of The Expendables)

If you like action films with bad acting, bad surgery and bad dialogue... then this is the movie for you.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon review

Posted : 11 years, 1 month ago on 13 March 2013 12:46 (A review of Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon)

A very long read, but worth every second of it. This tells the story not simply from the eyes of a besotted fan, but it is a pretty straight forward look at the life of Moon The Loon. It'll tear you from side to side, not knowing whether to like him or not, but it is all part of the ride. How did I feel at the end of it all? He was a lovely guy, a flawed lovely guy, a flawed lovely guy who had no idea how to control himself on the rollercoaster of stardom. He made mistakes but he also he paid the ultimate price.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Pete Townshend: Who I Am review

Posted : 11 years, 1 month ago on 13 March 2013 12:41 (A review of Pete Townshend: Who I Am)

Undoubtedly a great musician, but this book is nothing more than the ramblings of a man who appears to have a total absence of moral fibre. Which ever way you look at it, if this book is really who Pete Townshend is... I'm glad I found his music instead of him.

0 comments, Reply to this entry