ssstbob Reviews

Chicken Nugget (2024– )

Quirky indeed

[7/10 · 21 March 2024]

It's quite a funny webtoon based series about a girl who turned into a chicken nugget. The series is about her dad and guy with a crush trying to get her back. Too bad they used Kim You-jeong as a kind of "click bait" to lure people into watching as she had only a very minimal role in the whole series. I would have had different expectations if I had known before hand.

It's funny how the series throws in all kind of themes but doesn't really have the story, time or budget to get into more detail. For example, like any self respecting k-drama, it has a connection with the Joseon era, just like the big boys! But, of course, as with all the other elements, without much depth and not even that useful. In that regard, a lot of themes seem satirical, rather than for the story.

Conclusion: Although a bit clumsy, still worth the watch.

7 / 10.

Doona! (2023– )

Unexpected happy ending

[8/10 · 1 March 2024]

Quite chill and slower k-drama about a guy ditching his child hood crush for the sexy k-pop star. It takes Bae Suzy no effort to show off some sex appeal and the director also allowed some more sensual scenes than you would usually encounter in a k-drama (although it still stays very family friendly).

At first, there doesn't seem to be too much story, but as the series progresses, you realize it touches some deep topics like mental health and loneliness. You also start to wonder about the seemingly random scenes and time order of the scenes.

That is why, while at first, the ending seems bittersweet, when you take into account those seemingly random scenes scattered throughout the series, which on closer inspection also happen to be in Japan, and the realization that the scenes are not in chronological order, one cannot help but to assume a happy ending! It turns out the final scene is not the last one in terms of chronological order.

It's not your typical formula. The series also features shorter episodes and only 9 of them, which was a good call, otherwise it would have dragged on too much.

Once Upon a Small Town (2022)

Short = fun. Peaceful in any way

[8/10 · 26 January 2024]

8,5 / 10 . This is a mini series which is reflected in shorter 30 mins episodes but also thinner, less elaborate story. Still, keeping it simple can be fun too, especially if it doesn't drag on for too long. The chemistry between the main couple is nice and FL had a very nice girl next-door vibe, although in real life she is a k-pop star apparently :) theme song (missing) is quite catchy.

The series takes place almost entirely in the country side, it was refreshing to see lots of nice rural shots and mountains. It's also remarkable that there aren't any "bad" characters, even the people who'd rather see the main couple fail, because they have a crush themselves, are relatable and you feel for them, they don't exit with an ugly fight.

Given the format, this series deserves a better average rating than the current 7 / 10.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Nice intro

[8/10 · 29 December 2023]

The trailer was quite exciting but when I saw the low rating on IMDb I started to hesitate whether it was worth watching. Although there are quite some cliches going on, I believe it doesn't deserve the current low rating of 5.2 / 10.

Admittedly, not too much happened in this movie, but I still gave it a 7.5, which rounds up to 8 due to the benefit of the doubt the following parts will live up to all the seeds that have been planted. This first part touches a lot of lore but doesn't go into much detail, so I hope this will be addressed in following parts. I look at this first part more like an introduction to the characters and the story. Thus far, I wouldn't call it original, but it does succeed in bringing entertainment.

Some turns of events are quite unrealistic, if you can't stand that, better not watch ;) overall, i can recommend though.

Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part II - The Beginning (2021)

Confusing but intriguing

[7/10 · 7 February 2023]

I saw this movie randomly on Netflix without any preexisting knowledge of the lore. The dialogue is quite terse so that didn't help to understand what was going on. Maybe it's me not being used to japanese names too, but i kept on mixing up the characters and who was on who's side! 😁 The sword fights were pretty good and there's quite a nice atmosphere going on, although i could imagine some people finding this boring. The movie is quite long and the ending can seem dragged on.

All in all, it was an interesting watch, different from main stream Hollywood, though I expected more out of it. Nevertheless the movie intrigued me so that I might watch one of the sequels (that were produced earlier so it seems)

Blonde (2022)

Fiction

[6/10 · 30 December 2022]

I probably missed it in the beginning of the movie, but to make it abundantly clear: this is a fictional story (based on a book) that uses a celebrity (Marilyn Monroe) to attract viewers/readers. If I had realized this during the movie, I would've watched it in a different state of mind.

Because, when you see a person like Marilyn Monroe, that acts like Marilyn Monroe and has similar life events, you automatically identify them to be the same person. The writer knows this. And although, it is perfectly fine to come up with a story, I don't think it's ethical to do this. On top of that, as we all know, a lot of people don't know how to separate reality from fiction. Imagine when you mix both of them ;)

To conclude, I do think that Ana de Armas put down a good performance (hence the 6), the movie's intent seems to shock people but also remind us what a dark place the world can be, for women in particular.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Expected more

[7/10 · 3 April 2021]

I have fond memories of the first one and while it was fun to see wonder woman back in action, it failed to meet the same quality level 🙁 a missed opportunity..

Get Smart (2008)

good

[8/10 · 20 March 2021]

Not amazing but made me have a few good laughs and comes with a charming cast (they're basically all stars (by now))

Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

Atypical?

[8/10 · 18 March 2021]

I mostly liked it for the love story. Otherwise not so much going on..

Behind Her Eyes (2021)

Ending caught me by surprise

[8/10 · 27 February 2021]

Took a darker turn than expected, but really captivating. To be fair, I just dived in and didn't know what to expect at all.. Louise turning sides from Adele to David went a bit too quick for me to be believable but i guess the budget didn't allow :) or they thought it would be stretching too much. overall, really recommended, though a little sad ;)

Outside the Wire (2021)

I feel sorry for Anthony

[6/10 · 6 February 2021]

Love Anthony, liked the setup, but the story was messy and underdeveloped. Maybe I just expected too much of an action movie..?

The End of the F***ing World (2017–2019)

Brilliant

[10/10 · 14 January 2021]

Just watched season 2, very satisfying ending, nice closure. Caused me to up my rating from 9 to 10 (iirc I subtracted 1 for sad end, little did I know back then that a season 2 would come). Great cast, main actors are pure gold.

Asphalt Burning (2020)

Loved it, more potential

[7/10 · 9 January 2021]

Loved it but it had so much more potential. At the end of the film, there is not enough closure, still a few loose ends/missed opportunities here and there. We need more Norwegian series & films! I love it when they talk funny 😂

Mirror Mirror (I) (2012)

Light funny, feel happy

[8/10 · 27 December 2020]

Funny and light alternative version of the fairy tale snow white. Also, gotta love lily collins

The A-Team (2010)

entertaining comeback

[7/10 · 23 November 2020]

You can't watch this movie without comparing with original: while the cast fails to catch the full charisma of the original cast, it does quite a good job. I think the most succesful was Bradley Cooper as Face, excellent performance. BA was ok but didn't have the same level of annoyed anger/disgust in his voice when saying key lines like "shut up you fool" ;) Murdock was excellent as well, although less of a requirement because it is somewhat a smaller role. The main disappointment though was Liam Neeson as Hannibal. I can't put a finger on it, but it simply wasnt a good match. I also can't readily come up with a better alternative, really.

That said, for nostalgia's sake, it was quite an entertaining movie. The boat scene was really over the top though, even for the A-team ;)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

awesome weird

[9/10 · 10 September 2020]

Kinda stumbled accidentally on this movie on netflix and couldn't be more positively surprised! Can't believe I didn't know this jewel! Very original love story.

Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus (2019 TV Movie)

Invader Zim is back

[8/10 · 29 August 2020]

Like he was never gone. Kinda like a long TV episode. Highly recommend for fans

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Positive funny movie

[8/10 · 22 August 2020]

Happ vibe, actually had a few good laughs. Great cast.

Dunkirk (2017)

Atypical kind of boring but nice war movie

[7/10 · 21 August 2020]

Expected more in depth story and can't understand why the pilot chose to surrender instead of landing or using the chute to join the others on their journey back home

Grown Ups 2 (2013)

Stupid funny

[7/10 · 25 September 2019]

There's no real movie, just funny scenes, above average celeb ratio

Falling Inn Love (2019)

Good enough if you're in the mood

[7/10 · 6 September 2019]

It's not so bad if you're up for it.. just don't expect too much. enthusiastic lead and funny little village people

Suburbicon (2017)

Did not reach full potential

[6/10 · 2 August 2019]

Hardly a comedy to me. Not a bad movie, had the wrong expectations and could have been more

Fury (2014)

Enjoyable tank movie, unrealistic ending

[7/10 · 18 July 2019]

Great actors, nice atmosphere, totally unrealistic ending