EFRAM

Not sure what happened in the off-season, but season 2 is disjointed, confused and short on cohesive narrative. The actors are still strong, but the storyline are weak and without a compelling narrative the show falls apart.

Every so often, a series comes along that rasies the bar for all other scripted series. The English is that series. Besides being brilliantly written, directed, produced and acted, it's an historical monument to immigration in the US during the late 1800's and a tribute and testament to the Cheyenne and Pawnee legacies. Add to that the fact that The English is pure poetry. The writing by creator Hugo Blick is a cross between highly emotional, considerably brutal, and in the end, brilliantly executed to the point of prosaic. The cinematography by the insanely talented Arnua Valls Colomer is breathtakingly, heartbreakingly passionate, but its the not to be missed relationship between Emily Blunts Lady Cornelia and Chaske Spencers Eli Whipp that cements the series to the heart and soul. Ms Blunt has never been better. Her Exposed, tender, tough, determined, achingly emotional performance is the heart of The English. Her every move, every nuance, every action is perfection in form and style, firmly establishing her as the preeminent actor of our time. Mr. Spencers stoic, reserved, strong, passionate, secretly smitten Eli matches Ms. Blunt's open, razor sharp wit and personality and the two blend together to create the most enduring duo in modern scripted Series history. There's no need for spoilers here. The story is as intensely engaging as the characters and Mr. Blick's sharp direction and detailed and deeply impactful dialogue rounds out this marvel of creation that will redefine the Western for years to come. I never really see anything on TV that moves me to write a review like this. But I feel that The English has actually made me a better writer and creator, and I take my hat off to Mr Blick for his tenacity, his brilliance and for giving this very mediocre entertainment industry something to revere and to champion. Bravo!!!!

What was amazon thinking? This mish-mosh ham-fisted retelling of Tolkiens oeuvre through the exploration of the appendices of his books was boring, banal, devoid of action or drama or emotional heft. Besides the overlong totally unnecessary prologue which made the device of exposition into a cudgel, the storytelling, which should have been mesmerizing, and engaging was flat and stale. The acting was passable at best, but the writing and direction were what really sank the 2 hours I viewed. How the mucky-mucks at Amazon high command allowed this 58 million dollar embarrassment to see the light of day is beyond me. nothing to see here. I yearn for a fantasy drama that really brings a new light on a world that is created with excitement, and emotional meaning and TROP is not that.

What was amazon thinking? This mish-mosh ham-fisted retelling of Tolkiens oeuvre through the exploration of the appendices of his books was boring, banal, devoid of action or drama or emotional heft. Besides the overlong totally unnecessary prologue which made the device of exposition into a cudgel, the storytelling, which should have been mesmerizing, and engaging was flat and stale. The acting was passable at best, but the writing and direction were what really sank the 2 hours I viewed. How the mucky-mucks at Amazon high command allowed this 58 million dollar embarrassment to see the light of day is beyond me. nothing to see here. I yearn for a fantasy drama that really brings a new light on a world that is created with excitement, and emotional meaning and TROP is not that.

One of the singularly underrated scripted series ever, Warrior goes where no one else has tread. Besides being incredibly well written, acted and directed, it touches on the current affairs of immigration, xenophobia and prejudice in a story told more than a century ago. Andrew koji is that perfect blend of tough and kind, the kind of protagonist we forgot ever existed, but to see him act and fight is ass off in this joyride through the San Francisco Chinese exodus show us that great TV can be created without fanfare or pageantry. Based loosely on Bruce Lee's stories, Andrew Koji is just the tip of a cast of excellent, intense, riveting performers who bring this fantastic show to life. Bravo to Andrew Tropper and a stellar group of Stunt artists trained by the equally incredible Brett Chan. Not to be missed and a series that every creator should watch to learn just how great drama is created.

Finally, a gripping, brilliantly written and directed deep dive into one of history's most fascinating people. A seething portrait of the inner workings of the English Court at a pivotal moment in its history. Practically **** every way.

I don't need a spoiler. This show was flat-out disappointing. I was expecting a LOT better from this particular creator. I kept on asking myself who is this show designed for? Certainly not kids or teens or millennials. It was confusing, wandering and off base. It seemed to be trying way to hard to be "intelligent" as if the writer set out to create a marvel series that forgot it was part of the marvel universe. What was the object of this futile excercise? It was boring to the point where I actually fell asleep. I cannot believe that all of these "professional" critics are giving it such high praise. I would never watch another episode.

I am exhausted by these flimsy adaptations of books I've never read, that start somewhere in the middle of a story and then have to backtrack to explain what I didn't understand in the first place. Can't any of these streamers have the compunction to create ORIGINAL series that do not hew to a book. Shadow and Bone is a mess from start to finish, in fact the finish is such a let down I don't think a Season 2 would solve any of the lingering questions of why, when, where and who. Comparisons to GOT are ridiculously overrated as GOT, while based on a series of books, (But a great series of books) took time to develop its characters, enabling you to care deeply about them. Not so in S&B. This might suffice for some, but as a fantasy writer and a deep devotee of all things fantastic and original I really hope that these streamers go looking for original content that blows all these mediocre adaptations of mediocre books away. #beoriginal #takeachance

Finally, a scripted series that respects the intelligence of its audience while at the same time creating a compelling story with tight writing, terrific directing, composing and production design, surprisingly fresh music supervision and wonderful casting. Anya Taylor-Joy , from Emma Fame shines oh so much more brightly here, weaving a compelling character with a panoply of emotional looks that range from sultry to cerebral and back again. Moses Ingram, and Thomas Brodie Sangster also shine but really, there are no bad actors here, and thats a credit to the creators as well. Hats off to Scott Frank and Scott Allan for the well crafted scripts and to Walt Tevis for his original source material. A winner!!!!!

I really thought this might be an Amazon show that actually had some real balls, but I was seriously disappointed. Instead what I got was a bad mishmash of stylistic kitsch and schlock and a series of bad performances, bad accents, totally gratuitous nonsensical violence, and a cast of totally unbelievable characters play acting their way through another waste of time. Amazon seems to have fallen into the "complex means competent" narrative sinkhole, where they think that because a story jumps around and has slick titles and slick production design and costume design, but has no real sense of plot or character development that people think it truly captivating entertainment. Instead what they delivered was a cartoonish superhero debacle that manages to alienate and distance itself from the serious subject matter they hoped to exploit. A serious miss and an insult to not only the Jewish community but to all oppressed people.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Wtf? If this is a joke, it's a bad one. Nothing in this messy,unwatchable mash up works. I can't believe any critic even gave it any credence at all. Just goes to show that anything can get made as long as someone destroys all semblance of story and character and relevant dialogue. WOW. I gave it a 2 because I like Hailee steinfeld,but Hailee...really. you are better than this vehicle.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Every so often a show comes along that rocks the conscience into action. Russell T Davies brilliantly and profoundly disturbing "Years and Years" is a sincerely drawn portrait of a culture of personality which wrecks disaster on the soul of humanity. The perfect example of Satire meeting Reality it hits close to home and then hits even closer. The saving grace is a cast of characters drawn so humanely, that we are immediately drawn into their world while at the same time fearful of what is happening to ours. A must see for anyone with a conscience and a desire to change the mess of a society we all find ourselves in. 4 stars, :)

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

So, I watched this series after seeing and hearing a lot of hype, and when I finally turned it on, hype was pretty much all I got. What was supposed to be the most interesting aspect of the series, i.e. the repeat of each moment to a further understanding of character and plot, became so unusually boring to me, that I dropped out in mid season. Groundhog day it is not, nor is it insightful to point of being more interesting than any other fare that Netflix throws against the wall.