david-889-610576 Reviews

Hunters (2020–2023)

Good but also bad?

[7/10 · 10 March 2023]

Just finished the first season. I think it's quite an interesting show, but must admit I had a bit of trouble in what to make of it. At times, the show seems to present itself as a quasi-parody revenge fantasy, perhaps along the same or similar lines as Inglourious Basterds, with rather over the top violence and villains, which of course aren't meant to be taken seriously. Or at least I don't think are meant to be taken seriously.

But then at other times, it seems to be quite serious. There are moments that are sincerely touching, very well acted, and very credible (in the sense that they clearly aren't meant to be parody). Moreover, at times the show draws upon and refers to real-world facts.

While there's nothing inherently wrong with this juxtaposition, to my mind, it sows a few seeds of confusion as to what to make of it.

All that being said, generally speaking I found it to be entertaining. Action sequences are generally well done, and most of the acting is very solid. Not surprisingly, Al Pacino is superb. Greg Austin, who plays Travis Leich, does a great job portraying a believable embodiment of pure evil (or psychopathy).

However, one weakness I found was in some of the writing. Some of the plot and actions taken by the characters simply don't make any sense, which instills a bit of frustration and/or irritation.

Overall, I think it's worth a watch, but not necessarily something to go out of your way for. However, if you do start it, I strongly suggest at least finishing the first season. The last episode is very, very well done.

Yellowstone (2018– )

I really wanted to like it, but...

[5/10 · 23 January 2023]

Yellowstone had been on my watchlist for a while, largely because of the very positive reviews and because it was created by the writer of Sicario (which I thought was very well done). I'm only a few episodes into the first season, but find it challenging to watch any more.

I imagine I'll be in the minority given the show's stellar reviews, but I find the plot, the stories and the characters all somewhat tedious. OK, yeah, I get it already - pretty well all the characters are seriously messed up in one way or another, and anyone with either significant power or money is a sociopath.

It would perhaps be a bit more interesting if the characters weren't so one-dimensional, particularly the characters of John, Beth and Jamie Dutton. They're boring and predictable.

Who knows. Maybe it gets better in later episodes, but I'm not particularly inclined to find out.

Tulsa King (2022– )

Well executed

[10/10 · 23 January 2023]

The general concept of the show is the somewhat well-worn "fish out of water" trope - a Mafia capo is exiled to Tulsa after he's released from prison, haing served a lengthy sentence rather than ratting out his partners in crime. Despite this trope (and a number of others - e.g. The "good" mafia guys (like the protaganist Dwight Manfredi) vs the "bad" criminals (mafia and otherwise), it works out surprisingly well. Some very clever (and often humourous) dialogue and solid acting all around, plus well-choreographed action sequences and an interesting plot. It does touch upon some serious topics, but contrary to what seems to be a prevailing trend, doesn't try to plumb the depths of human darkness. The first season flew by. Very entertaining and worth a watch.

Paper Girls (2022)

A bit heartbreaking...

[3/10 · 2 August 2022]

Brian, Brian Brian. We need to talk. I'm starting to see a pattern here. First Y the Last Man. Now Paper Girls. Both stunning, innovative comics. And both ending up as rather poor TV. I don't know why. All I can see is the end result. But it saddens me to see such brilliant work in your comics suffer such tragedy.

In the case of Paper Girls, I think perhaps one key element might be budget. At least I think it's budget. The show has the look and feel of a B-grade production. Poor cinematography, odd lighting, scenes where they seem to try to avoid showing more costly special effects (as compared to the scenes in the comics), and a somewhat bizarre and ill-suited soundtrack - not really the actual songs, but the strange and mood-inappropriate filler music that pops up at the oddest times.

Acting and dialogue are mediocre at best, with the occasional dash of unnecessary histrionics. The plot is muddled and seems to veer off in odd directions in a way that seems quite a bit different than the almost-perfect storytelling in the comic. And not that I think that one must adhere slavishly to the source materials - for example, The Boys departs in some very significant ways from the comic, but manages to do it, well, a lot better.

I really do hope that Brian perhaps looks into other partners or producers or writers for future adaptations. It'd be a shame to see more of his brilliant work suffer such insult. Particularly Saga. Please, please get a huge budget for Saga and give it the treatment it deserves.

For All Mankind (2019– )

First two seasons were great...

[8/10 · 2 August 2022]

The whole "what-if" nature of the series in the first two seasons made for some great storytelling, and done in a way that made it all quite believable. Plus it instilled in me the same feeling I had in the 70s and 80s, when space exploration was (for the most part) so full of hope and promise. The creators do a very good job of instilling that same sense of hope and excitement.

However, in the third season, the show seems to have lost its way, just a bit. Hate to say this, but I found many of the first few episodes, well, a bit boring. And while I'm no astronaut, some of the sequences seemed somewhat lacking in terms of credibility, particularly in situations where some of the events seem a bit contrived to develop tension or action - for example, leaving someone who has clearly displayed some very problematic instability alone to monitor a key control that could result in a large-scale disaster - really? Or controlled drugs like opiates and amphetamines being freely available like candy in an unsecured cabinet to any astronaut, rather than under the control of a doctor under lock and key? Again, really?

I dunno. Maybe I'm being too picky. And it's still a pretty solid show overall. It just seems to have lost a bit of the luster it had in the first two seasons. Still worth a watch.

The Terminal List (2022– )

Pretty solid - worth the time

[9/10 · 29 July 2022]

If you're hankering for a decent action show, look no further. The Terminal List is your ticket. The basic framework of the plot isn't particularly noteworthy - quasi-superman going on violent rampage of vengeance has been done many, many times before. But wow, they sure did a great job with the execution (plus some well-executed psychological twists layered on top and a bit of a decent twist at the end). Perfect pacing, well-written dialogue, and great performances all around. Not to mention beautiful cinematography.

As for the action sequences, they did a great job making them believable and heart-pounding - as good (or perhaps better) than most blockbuster theatre releases. They didn't cheap out and it shows. My only (minor) complaint is the sometimes seemingly contrived situations that of course inevitably lead to hand to hand combat. That being said, I think that's par for the course for most action movies. And to their credit, the fight choreography is very well done and realistic, at least to my untrained eye.

Overall, it's a lot of fun if you're into the genre and well worth the time.

The Old Man (2022– )

Really wanted to like it, but...

[5/10 · 26 July 2022]

Well, there's lots to like about this series. The acting is solid all around - just a superb job by pretty well all the actors. Cinematography - excellent - the use of light, camera angles, etc. Is just great.

Unfortunately though, I can't get past two things: First, the writing. The dialogue is overwrought and overelaborate in situations where it just doesn't seem to make much sense. Very often, I found it difficult to take the dialogue seriously, particularly the abstract, ephemeral pontificating of Morgan Bote. To be clear, I think the lines are actually very well-delivered. It's the words I have a problem with. The overall result is a rather slow and labored plot.

Second, while some action sequences seem pretty solid and credible, most are a bit puzzling and often seem rather contrived in order to generate physical fight sequences. I do like a good, solid movie fight, but not when it doesn't seem to make much sense. I'd perhaps give a few (or maybe a dozen) examples but will spare the spoilers.

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

It's OK, if you're not a fan of common sense

[6/10 · 6 July 2022]

Continues the rich tradition of the first movie, insofar as survivors of an invasion by killer aliens seem to have lost all their common sense, doing the dumbest possible things while under the threat of lethal monsters, which, not surprisingly, results in gory death. To wit (SPOILER ALERT):

Imagine being chased by a massive beast that can instantly kill you with a flick of its arm. You're in a car, speeding away, but it catches up with you, shredding chunks off your car in the process. You manage to lose it, and end up at a building that offers shelter. You open the garage door and go in. Now, remember, the monsters work off of sound - they can hear everything, but they have crappy eyesight. Now, ask yourself, knowing that this beast is very likely hot on your trail (because it can hear your very loud car), what would be the VERY FIRST thing you do after you enter the building. Would you:

(a) quietly close the garage door behind you, and maybe barricade it and seek stronger shelter or maybe hide quietly within; or

(b) leave the giant door OPEN and START MONOLOGUING at the top of your lungs?

If you chose (b), then you'd probably like this film.

The Northman (2022)

Disappointing

[4/10 · 19 May 2022]

I had been looking forward to this film as I quite like most of the actors whom I've seen do great jobs in other films and shows. While most performed admirably, regretfully they didn't have much to work with. The scripting and dialogue was often cringeworthy. Moreover, what is ostensibly presented at least in part as an action movie had (with one or two exceptions) almost laughable (or perhaps non-existent?) fight choreography, with some actors seemingly struggling to coordinate their timing with others in some fight sequences. The overall feel of the film was also puzzling, as if the makers of the film were conflicted as to whether they wanted to present a realistic film, a surreal film (a la Valhalla Rising) or a fantastical film (a la 300), which results in an odd mishmash of all three. Final verdict: Watch Vikings instead.

Don't Look Up (2021)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 4 January 2022]

Perhaps it's just me, but I think satire works best when it it's subtle and has some reasonable semblance to reality. Wag the Dog comes to mind as perhaps a good example.

Unfortunately, the notion of subtlety is lost on Mr. McKay, who hits the satire so hard and in a way that is so over the top that, well, it's no longer very funny. I don't know why. Perhaps he was worried that audiences would be too dumb to actually get it that he felt the need to slam it into their face, over and over again? That, coupled with overacting all-around made for a rather tedious 2.5 hours.

Perhaps the one redeeming feature of the film was the cinematography - some wonderful shots, and great mastery of light and perspective.

Y: The Last Man (2021)

A good start, but then...

[5/10 · 17 September 2021]

With perhaps some minor exceptions, I thought the first episode was pretty solid - a very promising introduction with decent exposition and good acting. Was really looking forward to the next episodes.

Unfortunately episodes 2 and 3 were extremely disappointing. It's as if the writers suddenly lost their minds. Characters started acting with a complete lack of any common sense, and the plot devolved into a miasma of scenes that are at best puzzling and at worst nonsensical.

Very disappointing that they could transform such a great comic into such a poor show.