Most Netflix drama is very mediocre and formulaic. But Ripley is something else. For me easily the best and most original production they've ever done.
Atmospheric and evocative at first but declined rapidly. The resolution of the crimes was far too easy and the criminals and their behaviour just beyond any rational belief. It went more and more woke as the seasons progressed with an especially embarrassing incel story line at one stage.
Aimed at POC/LGBTQ/Jewish teens primarily. It’s typical high school fair with an emphasis on sex and boys strangely narrated by John McEnroe(Two other narrators turn up for variety). It’s pleasant enough and progressive naturally but not nasty woke like Lily Singh. Teen girls will like this the most. One negative is how oppressive Indian home life appears to be.
A visceral (and often disgusting) surreal horror noir. The 90's are the backdrop. The characters believable oddities. It's well produced with what I guess is a statement on Hollywood (It's ugly and horrible) The lead character is a self centred narcissist, the least likeable of all the players. You'll have to watch to see if karma visits her.
The show basically spends its time looking for a bad guy while emoting heavily about those (especially about the teacher) who died in the disaster. The sentimental schmaltz is a far cry from ”The Right Stuff”. Space travel is inherently dangerous. It has a mortality rate of 3% (Everest Climbers are 16%). Amateurs shouldn't go. It's also horrendously expensive. This short series highlights the decline in NASA’s technical and organizational ability. America now trails China and Russia and probably will never catch up. Why? The people of course. One mission control staffer said he was the first non-Anglo-Saxon astronaut. Patently false and insulting to boot. Armstrong was Scottish German Irish. Collins was Irish. If this is the quality of your people then you’re going to have problems.
Aimed at teens and young adults primarily but older viewers will enjoy it too. There are some largish suspensions of belief necessary re character actions and the Swedish justice system for example but that aside this is well done. The lead is really very good as are most of the supporting cast. One point I would make would be re Sebastian. He just doesn't look like a rich kid, his friend Labbe yes but not Sebastian. He looks more like a tracksuit boy on the high street.
Well presented documentary about one of the strangest murders in Irish history. I know West Cor and it's chock a block full of the oddest bunch of eccentrics you’ll find anywhere. The series is short and uses the familiar method of previous archive footage plus interview. Occasionally they prompt the interviewee which takes a bit from the overall feel. Remind yourself though that they come at this with their own viewpoint which even unconsciously will be seen on the screen. Apparently, Bailey is taking the makers to court regarding his segments which he never gave permission to be used in the main body of the series. Meant only to be in the trailer. It's all very strange and very fascinating.
Tom Cruise won't enjoy this (Deliberately I'm guessing). Neither will our non-binary gender-fluid friends probably (Also deliberately I'm guessing). But everyone else will be good with it. Well, maybe not young people either. This really is a show for old folks. They will understand. It deals with death which is only really funny for oldies. Maybe Trump fans will not appreciate the Trump scene either though Trump himself will. Could have left that out. So basically it's for oldies. It follows the long Jewish tradition from Gene Wilder through Woody Allen and Seinfeld to Larry David of self-deprecated sarcasm. Very melancholic and all in all sad. Getting old ****. It really does.
Sean Bean shows his acting prowess as the broken proto detective in early 19th century London. His vulnerability is well portrayed. The whole production feels very authentic though the sharp eye will see the grey stone of Ulster not the red stone of London. Believability does suffer from woke color-blind casting but not fatally so. As well as the settings, costume and peeling paint austere backgrounds we get quite excellent use of musical atmosphere. Season 2 though still excellent on the production side, slides off track into excess moroseness and a meandering listless story. Pity 8 for S1 3 for S3
Short and sweet. Only 3 episodes in the now-familiar documentary style of old footage and modern talking head interviews. The Mormons are the nicest people on the planet bar none but even among them there exist bad people and here we get to see that. A fascinating story though it tells us nothing really about Mormons, their beliefs, or culture. I especially enjoyed Mr Flynn, whose voice though affected by age or ailment was perfect for this presentation. Good show.
Very well put together mystery tour. Fascinating and macabre. It has closure and there are twists and turns so don't google it in advance. One thing really struck me was just awful the LA city government was (and probably still is) by not just tolerating but encouraging the deprivation of the area and preventing hotels such as the Cecil from improving themselves. The talking heads are a very diverse and interesting bunch. My personal favorite was the former manager Ms. Price. Thank you for your grace under pressure.
A show written by feminists for feminists doesn't necessarily mean it will be unwatchable to non-feminists. As a well-produced mystery “Unbelievable” is reasonably good. It tries to be balanced by having a Christian main character, who is the best actor in this by a country mile, but can't help itself with general anti-male ethos, though subtle. It appears realistic but really isn't if you ask any sex crimes detective. What really kills it though is the introduction of Rasmussen who is so badly written and acted it's cringe to watch. She ruins it. Otherwise, it's average.
Not just the US but Europe, Not just murders but missing persons and a rather odd UFO encounter. Some are more fascinating, others not so much, a couple are deeply heartbreaking. It's done very well without narration but naturally, you are led to believe a certain path of course. The unsolved nature of the cases will annoy those of us used to closure so be prepared to be frustrated if you have that mindset.
The banality of evil or just plain stupidity. Both really. Despite the producer's best efforts to steer the narrative, nobody looks good in this. Nearly every talking head is dislikable, some are unbearable. The prison phone calls are the most interesting and informative. The attempts to explain/justify his actions are weak but at least they tried. Karma reigned in the end.
Not as charismatic or intelligent as he's often portrayed. More ordinary, unexceptional, and mainstream. Very hard to marry the gruesome murders with the person but the evidence is overwhelming. There is an attempt to understand why. It appears to be genetic. Just basically an evil person taking advantage of the inefficiency of the police. The numerous jurisdictions and the difficulties they pose are highlighted along with just how valuable traffic stops can be. In today's technological world he'd have been apprehended much quicker. Social media would probably have outed him before he could even start. The production values are superb even if the subject matter is very sordid.
Where it’s good, it's excellent 10/10. The portrayal of the Hasidic in Williamsburg was about as real as you can get. Where it faltered was the fairy tale in Berlin. It all seems a bit made up and convenient. Plot holes and cringy performances on behalf of the hip lib Euro friends grated. Still entertaining and enjoyable overall. The physical appearance of the lead actress and her devotion to her role was exemplary. The character of Moshe is most fascinating. I speak a little German and was surprised at myself I could follow a lot of the Yiddish. I’m giving points for that.
I know this is probably blasphemy but this was better than the last Attenborough. The photography was outstanding. It zipped and zoomed around the world from the poles to the equator and even included the interaction between wildlife and humanity in urban environments. It concentrated on the animals and was a pleasure to watch. While acknowledging the severe ecological problems we face it didn't let them overwhelm the audience with despair as many nature shows do. The narrator isn't a zoologist but an actress and she put some gusto into her work which I quite liked. Excellent series.
"If Jesus stood up today, he'd be gunned down dead by the Cia" is a line from the 1980s band 'The The'. Nothing much has changed according to the producers of Messiah. An interesting concept, very well acted but ultimately not a success, unfortunately. That the actors were all dislikable to a degree was deliberate. This I presume is to highlight the idea we are all flawed sinners, a relativism idea I dislike . It portrays an excessively negative view of humanity which is incorrect. It might be hard to believe but there are people out there, and not that rare either, who are just goodness personified. The next main impediment to success was the writers didn't seem to know how to progress after a certain point, though they kept the suspense and intrigue all the way through. I'm also deducting for cancellation. Series like this need to be commissioned for 2 seasons or come to a definite conclusion on one. It spoils the experience for the viewer. If they try an idea like this again, and I hope they do, they might decide on a different location to Israel/Palestine. Tibet, Venezuela, Sierra Leone, or anywhere bar the Middle East.
What a smashing idea. The origin of football in a Victorian setting. They could have got a billion viewers if they'd stuck to the football. But they didn't. They missed a sitter, an open goal. Clichéd and hackneyed to the nth degree. All of it. Every single character without exception. Cardboard quality with the dialogue that had to have been written by an AI programmed by a teenage girl. Total dross. Mawkish gunk. And, the football! What little there was.. Oh God. Awful. And Maradona, not even cold in his grave. Shame SIR. Shame
On the plus side, Pike is the best captain since Kirk. Captain Georgiou is fun. The sfx is excellent and the opening sequence is great. The story is OK too with a few decent twists. On the negative. It's far far too emotional. Melodrama in small doses is OK but we are close to soppy saturation here. The funeral episode was mawkish in the extreme. Tilly even with the plastic surgery is still an ultra hipster off put. They even brought flavored ice cream nonsense in. Ugh. Finally, the occasional vulgarity does nothing for the show except elicit minus marks. Double Ugh. 5/10
Middle-aged talking nerd heads reliving the early days of video games, with pseudo-Super Mario graphics added in for fun. The Japanese contribution was especially interesting. Enjoyable from a nostalgia point of view. Be aware that it goes out of its way to include LBGTQ/PoC. It's Netflix after all.
Tiger King is something else. On a production level, it’s outstanding. On an entertainment level, it’s gold.
Sure it’s manipulative as hell pushing the redneck hillbilly semi sneer but so what. Who knows what is actually true?
And if you’re interested in knowing all the nooks and crannies of this bizarre story and the unbelievable people involved in it then I suppose you should do your own research, which many people have. Everyone is pretty awful including the so-called simple employees who I think they want us to sympathize with but are too gullible to deserve much empathy in reality. The animals get a bit lost in the story which is a shame but besides that, this is compulsive.
Miles better than anything produced by Netflix in the fiction department. This is where netflix does its best work.
I don't why they wasted money paying for the book rights. It bears little relation to the sourcebook aside from the name. If they stuck to the haunted house and the kids it would have been fine, but no, instead we got about 8 episodes of tedious family drama. Episode 6 was one long shot straight out of amateur theatre class. Boring. Not very acted either unless perpetual angst is your thing. Nope, not good.
Starts OK but devolves quickly. When you manage to make vampires dull, you can forget about it. A handsome lead isn't enough. Weak writing, direction and acting. The usual paint by numbers stuff. Gave up after 3 episodes.
If this show was released in 2010 it would have probably won a Grammy. But unfortunately, it wasn’t. It’s just another zombie show in a long line of zombie shows. The first few episodes aren't bad but the zombie apocalypse just doesn't cut it anymore. That and it felt a bit cheap.
Why this banality is so highly rated is incomprehensible? It’s laugh track dullness personified. Not a single original concept. Even the Latin angle has been done before in Ugly Betty. I struggled through one episode. Never again.Dreadful.
A former writer for the West Wing and Peak Practice and hardcore progressive activist takes on a Slavic fantasy for the sole purpose of pushing a woke agenda. And does it badly. Propaganda done well can be admired. Look at Soviet Art. Done badly it invites mockery. They could have commissioned a fantasy series based in Africa and we would have watched that. It could have been excellent. But no, because the idea isn't to uplift certain groups but to denigrate others. This is so poorly made, acted and scripted, it beggars belief. Devoid of skill, soul or intelligence. E.g. It sticks numerous accents into small villages which is jarring and inauthentic, though everyone is a variation of British. It does its usual feminist promotion but thumbs its nose at disability without even being aware. The CGI is crass. Even the score is bad. Bar Cavill himself, who at least looks the part, the whole thing is just awful. We’ll look back and call it cultural vandalism. Game of Thrones had its flaws but compared to this it was out of this world.
The underwater photography is outstanding of course and Attenborough makes it magical. David Attenborough is simply the best nature narrator that ever was and ever will be. The warnings about how we are slowly but steadily destroying our planet are subtle and powerful without being scoldful. The environmental movement needs more communicators like Sir David and less antagonistic ones like Greta Thunberg.
The wonderful fight scenes and the excellent work by the costume department are the pluses. The minuses outweigh unfortunately and by a long shot at that . A bland disjointed script with absolutely zero believability, badly directed and poorly acted. Danny Wu is as wooden as you can get. It's been put through the PC filter also to further compound the mediocrity. A forgettable experience for adult viewers.
In the interests of completeness, I've stuck with the Americans through all 6 seasons even though to be perfectly honest the novelty and originality of the concept passed around season 3 never to return. Still one never likes to leave a book unfinished especially if you’ve enjoyed the first few chapters. Season 6 was adequate if overlong. The believability factor was quite low with Elizabeth now a superwoman and Paige's transformation into a Kgb agent from a born again Christian. The finale was a tad unsatisfying, to say the least. Production values are still great but they went two seasons too long with this show.
Gross out comedy horror starring Timothy Olyphant who has obviously gotten tired of playing cool guys and goes hell for leather as the awkward dork with Drew Barrymore going uber coarse. I've never heard someone called a c**tstick before. A weird concoction that works. Apart from the sardonic teenage daughter. She adds nothing.
The first 3 seasons of The Wire were outstanding. Probably the best TV of the 21st century. Generation Kill was also very good. I tried to like Treme but it was just too uninvolving. I put it down to my indifference to jazz. And for me The Deuce is visual jazz. I can appreciate the artistry but I found it tedious. Too miserable and unpleasantly voyeuristic for my taste. Also I found the two Franco's were distracting. Maggie Gyllenhaal unbelievable. Positive portrayal of pimps repellent. Jarring over explicit sex scenes and vulgarity. No subtly. In short banal. Last Exit to Brooklyn is in a similar vein just way better execution.
Season 1 was a Spielberg/King homage which wasn't original in the slightest but very entertaining and very addictive nonetheless. Season 2 is a regurgitation on 1 just weaker on whole. Season 1 had its flaws that could be forgiven on its debut. 2 has the same flaws but worse. Weak plot lines, poor writing, the obligatory PC and general silliness grate the second time around. Stranger Things is a now corporate. KFC and Coke product placements, even though KFC wasn't even around in 1984. Season 3 will be the death knell .
Clichés everywhere you look. In practically every single aspect with few exceptions. The flashbacks, the slow pace, the unspoken dirty small town secret, the ambitious FBI agent, alcohol, smoking, dysfunctional family, sex abuse. That said the actors are very good. All of them. It will all hang on the finale. If (as I fear) it's the obvious well trodden conclusion then this will be **** if they venture off the reservation, who knows, this might be an award winner..??
Really poor, Just about everything in this show is substandard. The dialogue, the dumb plots, the bogus background shots, the God awful accents. But over and above all of them is Scott Bakula. He's useless. TV for vegetables
A wonderful series which knew when not to out stay its welcome and was subtle in its delivery. Even when addressing gay and gender questions it did so with a light touch. Four series was just about right for HaCF. I imagine everyone my age loved it as it transported us back to a time long forgotten aka the 80s and 90's and not just the fantastic backing track but the whole feel, fashion, decor and even language. It follows the evolution of personal computing from the original PC through home computers, the internet, browsers, search engines, ISP, antivirus and even the open world games philosophy. And this fantastic and instructive but the beauty of HaCF is in the interaction between the characters and their own evolution. A mass of scenes not necessary to the narrative but essential to make us aware and understand the humanity that is always behind everything in our world. This series demonstrated that life is in the detail and failing is what makes us human..
Larry David will not lie down and just let this stupid unfair world roll over him. He's going to fight it every step of the way. He will never surrender. He's effortlessly hilarious...
A tremendous drama that doesn't coat it's audience in sugar or tug blatant emotional levers to evoke sympathy. Instead we have a fierce drama with characters who are borderline obnoxious to the extent of psychological disorder . Somehow, despite not especially liking any of them, and I mean any of them, we are fascinated by them and need to know how their world turns out. To some this will be perplexing or even boring to watch as you need a little retro techno knowhow to understand what's going on and an appreciation for nerd culture especially the 80's version. The story evolves and explains technical advances in way that is both satisfying and seamless with the narrative. There is sadness and hubris and revelation in this season, it’s more poignant than the previous for sure. The finale leaves us satisfied and wanting more at the same time. The pace is gradual and then jumps multiyear and then gradual again. A nice technique to propel the story. What I like most are the stand alone scenes scattered throughout the season that are not pivotal or necessary as such but just develop the individual characters.These are subtle gems . Excellent show.
If you like Louie C.K. (Whats with these guys and sexual weirdness?)then you will enjoy Better Things. However if not, you will find this distinctly average and unoriginal , predictably jammed packed with cliched tropes. Especially the sardonic jaded heroine single mom with truly obnoxious children. There are a couple of smiles but very few. The shallow pointless materialistic narcissism of Californian life is on full display and it’s not funny, even ironically. I gave up after episode 4, which ended in a smash the patriarchy march. Yip, really funny stuff.
For those of us who feel cast adrift since the end of Downton Abbey, the Crown certainly fills the void. A Netflix production but with the best values of British period drama production. A pitch perfect attention to detail which is so precise as to go unnoticed. 7000 costumes were used including a $35,000 reproduction of the Queen's wedding dress (In reality she used her ration coupons)and a life size replica of Buckingham palace. Just the tip of the iceberg for this lavish production. Top class casting, especially Foy, Lithgow and Smith coupled with excellent supporting cast. The only fly in the ointment so to speak will be the narrative. It might be that exciting to non royalists.
"A greedy, perverted, selfish, apathetic, cynical, depraved, morally-bankrupt woman who can’t even call herself a feminist" is how Fleabag describes herself early on in the series but she's much more than that. She has strong screen presence physically as she goes on her journey of sarcasm and self deprecation but finally tells herself the truth in a touching final scene. Very effective ending. Though not especially original and more dramedy than comedy, Phoebe’s face is made for the 4th wall and there are enough laughs to keep your attention. Pathos abounds but authentic. Season 2 is not until 2019 which is long time to wait
A moody, taciturn, glaring, supernaturally endowed reluctant hero in Tom Hardy takes on the might of the East India Company in a sepia, dank, luridly scabious Regency London. If marks were awarded for style alone than Taboo would get a 10. Its an anti - Downton Abbey of the slums ,squalid and filthy in exacting detail. With the wealth of the betters displayed ostentatiously to emphasise the distance between the two. I say reluctant hero although James is portrayed as borderline amoral savage, he in fact seeks empathy , despite the grunts and snorts which are his core dialogue, we are pushed slowly but surely into his corner. Hardy aside, the supporting cast are superb, the best you will see in any movie or TV production this year. Marry them with the outstanding costume and set design, the colloquial rough vernacular and you have a winner. Negatives are the narrative which requires a little too much belief suspension at times and the ever present mumblings for period dramas. Enunciate people! Lastly there is a overly simplistic politically correct vein but these are the times we live in. Withstanding that and the dark violence, very enjoyable chaotic atmosphere of mayhem.
Similar show to 'You're the Worst' except that the characters are likable including the quirky supporting cast. Rob who is an American fish out of water is a perfect foil to the the normal sardonic British humour style. Well written and acted by the two leads, no phone in performances here. Very funny with a hint of sadness.
I held off watching SV 4 for a while. Some of the actors IRL social network presence really annoyed me. But what matters is the show right? The show is still one of if not the best comedies of the 21st century. There are enough truly classic one liners to cement this show as comedy gold. Erlich Bachman is the stand out but every character does a great job. The from the frying pan into the fire narrative however has its last outing I feel, They will have to modify the sequencing in future but still a great season, especially the first half..
Season 1 was all Penguin and in Season 2 we've moved away from Oswald Cobblepot and onto to the other characters in the Batman universe. And unfortunately it just doesn't entertain as much as it should or even could. It feels weak and lifeless when Penguin isn't on the screen. Especially Master Bruce.. He and his mini characters are a bore. Alfred, Nygma, Bullock are good everything else is only fair.
Vincent D'Onfrio steals the show as Wilson Fisk. His screen presence is outstanding. Daredevil himself is good and nails the nerd element perfectly. The supporting cast works well in Matt's slipstream. But Fisk is the man here, puts meat and bones on a fantasy tale and somehow makes it believable and thoughtful. Lastly its much more violent and more willing to kill off characters than I expected. So far so good.
Total Dreck. Mean spirited and malignant. Just a modern day reincarnation of the old style racist anti Polish/Irish/Black/Jewish comedians. Different target but the same sneer.
