Pete's Write

So it's based on a true story, and it has a rather formulaic plot which goes by the numbers, but who cares?  Underdog stories, sports stories and the odd ball ones based on a true event always gets to me, and this one is no exception. The director is an award winning one, the main star is also a big one, and he is supported by far lesser known ones who do not feel out of place and bring to life the story of how American Samoa picked themselves up from the worse defeat in football history and helped not only themselves, but also the coach brought in to help them get over this losing streak. It's funny, cheerful and yes, predictable in some ways, but it is also inspirational and gives you that lift and that was what it did for me. You do not need to a football fan to get this, yeah it's football, not soccer mates..  If you need a pick me up, this one will really do it for you, and whilst it may not win any Oscars, it has a heart warming story that will make your day. Recommen...

In my old estate, every Christmas and Easter the housing committee would get together and screen a movie on the lawn outside the main community area and the most request shows were Superman, Star Wars and surpassing these two franchises, was Indiana Jones. At that time there was only the first one, and later on the second out of the four, and the first one, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is still the gold standard by which I measure all other action adventure movies. In fact, it ranks as one of my all time favorites. Raiders was a classic movie with the just the right combination of amazing action, good plot, chemistry, comic timing and just a dash of romance with plenty of interesting locations and a rousing soundtrack. If a movie could be perfect, Raider was the closest, and I always enjoying any making of Raiders documentary too. Many have tried, but none come close to matching it, even with modern CGI and new actors. So whilst the last outing was not really memorable, the Kingdom of the ...

In the old days, when you wanted a home theatre system, there will be at least 5 speakers, a subwoofer and plenty of cables snaking around the home, plus a host of boxes of Blu Ray, CD players, a radio and more. These days, your TV is smart enough to have all the apps to stream the latest movies and a single HDMI cable to your soundbar will allow you to experience better dialogue and potentially a decent surround experience. But not all soundbars are created equal and just because there is an Atmos sticker on the box does not guarantee a wonderful surround experience. Bose has been rather late into the game of Atmos, having entered earlier with decent efforts like the 300 and 700. These gave a very significant boost to the vocals and dialogue, some left and right directionality and sounded more than half decent for music too. They also had internal streaming options which allowed you to listen to the internet radio and other music streaming options. Then came the 900 and it has bee...

In the past, a stereo system was the staple in every living room. Apart from the sofa, there will be a TV and the radio. If you had space, there will be a multi-deck system, with an equaliser, radio, cassette deck and the amp, flanked by a pair of speakers.  When home theatre became popular, the pair of speakers then became five and more, but things changed, especially when homes became smaller. The soundbar reigned in many domestic settings, but there are some issues with a soundbar. When you take the same budget and divide it up into more channels, the main thing that suffers is sound quality.  However, you may want domestic bliss and keep the two speaker layout minus the cables and multiple boxes, so are there alternatives? And the answer is yes! The powered speaker used to be the preserve of computer users, who use it as alternatives to their built in speakers. It added volume and fidelity. Then someone felt that it was a good idea to use it in a room for music, and KEF ca...

Covid has intensified the rebirth of the Home Theatre system, and that begins with a TV upgrade. But after buying that fancy TV, with the latest apps and 4k resolution, you think you're in TV heaven, enjoying some high quality images. However when you begin streaming movies that indicate they are master in Atmos, somehow the sound is flat. Or worse, even for free to air TV broadcasts, the dialogue is not very audible and the TV speakers don't even go that loud. Well, with the advent of wafer thin TV sets, there is no more room to put proper speakers inside. Don't let those specs of "20W per channel with subwoofer" fool you. Some TVs even say they are Atmos equipped.  Remember, to get a full home theatre surround experience, you need sound to come from the front, the sides and for Atmos, from the top, or at least have sound bounce off surfaces so they sound like they are not just radiating from the front.  Many home owners who live in smaller settings and are not a...

When I saw the actors, and the general styling of the movie, I was almost certain it had some involvement of Wes Anderson, who uses a rather similar style, but interestingly, it was not his work. There are a few classic genres or cinema tricks used: the unlikely buddy cop firstly, harkens back to the Dirty Harry partnering a newbie lady cop who is much less experienced, prone to mistakes but ultimately uses her energy to turn the tide and even save the main detective. The two cops are also very different, in age, sex and approach.  The plot seems to follow a who dun it, much in the vein of Agatha Christie, who is actually in the movie, played by a much younger actress, along with other famous names like Sir Attenborough. Many plot elements are true to life, and the play itself is actually something that was popular and well receieved. However the pacing, flashbacks and the twists seem to follow something that Wes would use, and this is actually a good thing, turning this from just ...

With so many superhero movies coming out in the past decade, one has to be special to rest above the pack. And can one too many be a bad thing? Marvel has shown it can generate hit after hit, with the climax blockbuster Endgame, it has surpassed it and whilst some of the follow on movies like Spiderman 3 has been successes, the others have been less well received.  In the Marvel vs DC comics battle, DC comics seems to have come off a lot worse if you count box office receipts and Black Adam is one of the latest that try to swing things back towards DC. Sadly, I doubt that it will, and even box office results indicate so. It seems that The Rock, who seems to guarantee a taking whenever he is in it, can't seem to excitement comic fans. Considering how much effort has gone into the production of this movie, the plot seems so derivative. There are scenes and plots that are taken from other shows, even the motif on the back of Hawk's flight chair looks like something out of Thunderb...

It was 1986 when Top Gun hit the big screens and led to a frenzy of people who joined the US Navy as "aviators", it also sealed megastar status for Tom Cruise. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, with a Mission Impossible Franchise under his belt. However, he has always been keen to make a sequel to the original movie that really set the world ablaze and helped send him into the stratosphere.  The thing about sequels, is that not every sequels works. Some just cash in on the nostalgia or ride the interest wave and try to milk the good feelings for the original.  However, you also have movies like Aliens, Terminator 2 which have not only done well at the box office, but also improved on the original.  More than 30 years later, you can add Top Gun 2 Maverick to this short list. Yep, it's good.  So the plot isn't going to win any Oscars, the same idea of cocky pilots, some facing inner demons, and some very spirited flying which will definitely inspire a ...

Brad Pitt once acted in a Guy Ritchie movie which had a multi-threaded plot, that all tied up in a climax, and this action comedy effort from the director of John Wick has a very similar feel... Bullet Train isn't an original movie by any stretch of the imagination, and it borrows from many movies about fights, with many people after the same objective, ala Smokin' Aces. In this case, the prize is a briefcase, and it all happens on a bullet train in Japan on it's way to Kyoto. Many people have to slug it out, cheat, kill, maim and plot to get it, with revenge as as well money on their minds as the train hurtles towards it's destination, the movie also climaxes with a reveal as well as the final showdown.  Whilst it's not original, it has a nicely paced plot, with plenty of good action, humor as well as decent surround scene all interspersed, letting you forget yourself for the two hours or slightly more of the movie run.  Even though it's in Atmos, the bass and ...

SVS started out as an online only company more than a decade ago, and has developed a reputation for high value with good subwoofers at a good price. I bought my first SVS, a gigantic behemoth  of a box the PB 13plus, years back, and it took a couple of mates to help me get it into my den and position it well. But before their large power ported subs became their mainstay, SVS as well as Hsu were famous for their cylindrical subs, which had a small footprint and a relatively light weight. These cylindrical subs used the shape to provide great strength whilst keeping the weight down, which was very important for reducing shipping costs. Thankfully, SVS has kept a couple of models in this form factor, and the PC 2000 pro is the lower of the two. The Pro version is very different from the older one, with a new driver, amp plate and the most exciting of all for me, the new app to control the settings from the comfort of your seat. Some important points to know: Soundpath...

Shows that involve religion can be very straight jacket affairs or the presence of a church is just a background setting for someone in it, or a tool in the fight of good versus evil. That last one is often used in shows of a supernatural nature but here, the new Netflix series "Midnight Mass" actually depicts a fairly accurate portrayal of the ongoings of a typical Catholic church, set on an island called Crockett Island and what follows after a seemingly new priest comes to the island. Once the new priests comes in, many usual and supernatural things happen, and very soon, the inhabitants realise that there is more than meets the eye. Some horror shows rely on the shock or slash factor, but this miniseries is a much slower burn, with plenty of character development, from the drunk driver prodigal son who returns, the pregnant single mum to the aforementioned priest and many more. These days, there must be an obligatory LBGT angle and there's a doctor who plays a very im...

Prior to this movie, I enjoyed a Netflix production called Sea Power and it described the Battle of the Atlantic, with the wolfpacks fighting against a few destroyers guarding their flock of merchant vessels.  It harkened back to the old days when real wolves hunted sheep in packs and the danger here was equally real. Many lives and ships were lost before the tide turned simply because the Americans were able to produce more ships than the Germans could sink. The setting of this movie is in the early days of the war in 1942, and the U boat menace was at it's peak, with Wolfpacks picking off merchant ships, and the escort ships fighting a desperate battle to get the convoy to safety. It was never about getting everyone across, it was a numbers game. Get as many across, and lose as little ships and escorts as you can. Tom Hanks headlines this Apple production and its a gripping tale of the hunter and the shepherd as they each try to fulfil they roles in this battle of wits ...

Hi folks Covid days mean more days spent in the den, so I did some tweaking and also updated some gear. I finally swopped out the JL Audio Subs, I've owned four of them, but I've decided to return to SVS and updated my system too. Also swopped the rear surrounds for a newer generation of the Silver FX. Living room TV: https://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2021/12/sony-x85j-85-tv-review.html Sony X85J LED TV Denon Heos Bar with subwoofer Denon Heos Bar Review Sony BDP 6500  My Den: Sony ZD9 75" ( Sony TV review) Denon AVC X8500H ( Denon AVC X8500H review ) Dynaudio Confidence 1 Platinum (  Dynaudio C1 Platinum Review  ) Sony UDP 1000 ES ( Sony UBP 1100ES Review  ) Dynaudio Confidence C1 and Centre Platinum front and centre Dynaudio Special 40 side surround Dynaudio Special 40 review Monitor Audio Silver FX (Gen 6) in dipole mode for rear surrounds SVS PC 2000 Pro ( https://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2020/02/jl-audio-e112-review.html ) ArtNovion Corner Bass trap (https://www.ar...