tinyone2 Reviews

Da Vinci's Demons (2013–2015)

Loses its way somewhere in the 2nd season and then crashes in the 3rd

[6/10 · 25 April 2024]

If one ignores the complete absurdity of the storyline, then the first series is rather entertaining. We watched this and joked that it is MacGyver with gore and nudity. Every now and then MacGyver/ Da Vinci would concoct a miracle machine out of sticks and stones in record time.

However, somewhere in the second season the story starts to loose its way. But it is only in the 3rd season that it completely spirals into chaos that bores. We're dragged along as Da Vinci loses his sanity, and there is seemingly endless chaos, murder, death, pain and war. In the midst of all this, he tries to solve a couple of murders. Apparently the show suffers an identity crisis.

I didn't find Da Vinci's ineptness in the third season fun to watch. I struggled to reconcile it with the happy-go-lucky oblivious MacGyver from the first 2 seasons. Too much dreaming and fighting and nonsense. It diluted the entertainment value.

Lucifer (2016–2021)

Man child

[3/10 · 21 November 2023]

As the seasons and episodes progress Lucifer increasingly becomes a whiny man child. The melodrama also increases with each episode. Did these writers attend soap opera school and what would a good soap be without endless manipulation? Less grating, that's for sure.

The storylines become more formaliac and monotonous. I suspect AI generated content would've been more creative.

The final nail was when I wondered whether making the devil the main character, is like making the lead character a paedophile. Then continuing to write it to show him as vulnerable and sad, yet oblivious about his manipulative and childish behaviour. Put him in an expensive suit and bring in his friends and mum that enable and exploit this behaviour and a new TV show is born.

As I couldn't stop associating the character with a horrible person hiding behind innocence, I decided to turn this off.

Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022)

Why serial killers shouldn't have kids

[5/10 · 5 September 2023]

I was enjoying the series, and Dexter's return... until his kid showed up.

The annoying, entitled, psychopath teenager mucks everything up. Dexter starts making very sloppy mistakes. Out of character. The once calculated, careful planner turns into irrational tilly wally everyday murderer.

I would never be able to believe a prolific serial killer could be so careless.

The last episode was an incredible disappointment. I felt cheated, especially out of the 10 hours of my life that I wished I'd never spent on this series.

Predictably, Harrison grows a conscience at the very end and turns on Dexter. The moral of the story? Never trust anyone with your secrets and to keep you safe. No matter how much they nag.

Projek Dina (2020– )

Lack of variety

[6/10 · 10 June 2023]

The story becomes a bit monotonous after season 1. Unfortunately, the main character, Ronel, also becomes hugely annoying. I understand her desire to trace her sister, and have sympathy for her obsession. However, the single mindedness and the absence of a bigger picture in her mindset became cringey. Without her decline into crazy, this would've been nicer to watch. There is a "big conspiracy" but the show lacked substance and variety.

Ultimately I had to turn off the show halfway through season 2 as I just couldn't stand the dogmatic lead plus I became bored by the small snippets of ancient clues leading the viewer on a goose chase.

Alchemy of Souls (2022– )

Please bring back Mudoek!

[8/10 · 20 January 2023]

Part 1 was fantastic! It was funny, serious and full of intrigue. Mudoek was the star with her schemes and plotting while remaining a heartfelt funny character with loads of life and personality. The prince was equally funny. Starting off serious and then quickly turning into a hoot.

My 9 rating is for Part 1.

Part 2 was terribly disappointing. The loss of Mudoek hung heavy on my heart so I couldn't warm up to Naksu. In my opinion, Naksu wasn't nearly as gorgeous as Mudoek. Both inside and out. I tried to warm up to Naksu, but it just didn't click for me. As far as a storyline goes, it was still entertaining but the void that Mudoek left was too big to overcome,

For Part 2, my rating is a 6.

The Pentaverate (2022)

Painful to watch

[1/10 · 25 October 2022]

Holy moly! This is awful. Yes, it is cleverly thought out vulgar humour. But it is also mindless slapstick humdrum. It is poking fun, but needs to be crass to do it.

It is far from subtle. It has to overemphasise the points and hammer it in with visually painful reiterations. This would have been so much more funny and clever if it eluded or mentioned and then moved on, without the visual reinforcement.

This is Mike Myers though, and if you thought he has matured and evolved since his earlier years, you'd be wrong. So, if you didn't like his older movies, then rather avoid this as it is even worse.

There would be an audience for this. I suspect it can appeal to some. But I am amazed that this is on Netflix rather than Prime. The latter normally has this type of nonsense with I love Dick or The Tick. Has Netflix run out of good scriptwriters and ideas, because the last few things they created was painful, boring and horrendously unwatchable?

Cinderella and the Four Knights (2016)

Hugely disappointing

[5/10 · 22 October 2022]

The first few episodes were great. Good premise and an idea I could indulge in. The writing and evolution of the story were unfortunately a train crash.

From the graduation things just went downhill. The graduation itself could have been a great FU moment, but instead it was messy and silly.

From there, the guys turn into mushy mash, and the girl loses all the characteristics that made her great at the start. It was like watching a diamond turn into a turd.

The ex girlfriend of the one cousin kept following him like a puppy. No matter how hard he kicked, she came back for more. It was embarrassing. I found her terribly annoying, and wished the writers did her a solid and let her find some self respect and move on.

The step sister and mother were irritants. They were screeching and yelling like cats in the rain. I recoiled from the pain they caused my psyche everytime they appeared.

The ending was like winning a toaster in a car competition.

Ultimately, this should've stayed an experiment until the movie makers found more substance to include in the story.

The School for Good and Evil (2022)

The very best part of this film, was the fact that it ended.

[1/10 · 22 October 2022]

Huge production. Big name actors. All wasted with an awful script. Predictable. Shallow. Boring. Stereotypical. Over the top tripe.

It looked more like a school for over 30's so I wasn't sure if it was a later life education program.

The story is bland. No, it is downright stupid. A complete and utter waste of time. You know a film is bad when you keep wondering how much time is left, and wishing they would get on with it already as we all know how it will end.

Plus the two lead girls were just cringe!! The good girl was a goody twoshoe irritant. The evil girl was a screeching nail on a blackboard, with bad hair.

They should never ever make a sequel as it would just be an utter waste of money. I would definitely not be fooled into watching another one of these, and would avoid anything by this scriptwriter in future.

The very best part of this film, was the fact that it ended.

The Bride of Habaek (2017)

No substance with flawed logic

[3/10 · 22 October 2022]

Such a great idea, but unfortunately the execution was awful. The logic is completely flawed. The ending is atrocious. The series is just people crying, fighting or making oogly eyes at each other. Plus more crying.

Why can everyone pop in and out of the human world with their powers, but Habaek cannot? We could've had a story with some amazing godlike powers and visits to the otherworld, but nooooo.... Let's just mope around and clean the house....

Habaek was a jealous azzhat too. Definitely not good husband or boyfriend material. Selfish. Jealous. Demanding. Controlling. Urgh!

The acting wasn't spectacular either. The two leads looked like they would rather kiss tree stumps than each other.

All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star (2021–2022)

Awful and boring host

[4/10 · 3 June 2022]

The idea is good. The talent is great. The host is absolutely awful. She has zero personality and isn't interesting at all. One could use her voice to lull you to sleep.

Plus she repeatedly referred to a certain gender, race and sexuality in the first episode in a derogatory manner. Her repeated insults had me gasping at the bigotry. I couldn't actually believe they let that air on the BBC.

Hollywood (2020)

Emotionally disconnected. Acting mediocre. Story depressing nonsense.

[1/10 · 9 May 2020]

The series and story lacks emotion. This is partly due to poor acting and partly because of the story. The writers and producers try so hard to be provocative, that they forgot to treat the story with sincerity. As such, it lacks authenticity. The sex in the series also overpowers the narrative. Definitely not my cuppa tea. I found it vulgar dribble without rhyme, reason and emotional depth.

Awkward. (2011–2016)

Season 1 was great. The rest was stale

[5/10 · 15 March 2020]

Season 1 was great. Funny. Relevant. Heartache. Love. Sex. Lots of fun watching.

Season 2 still had a little bit of magic, but it was overcome by overbearing BFFs that felt fake. Eventually it too ran out of magic.

Season 3 was dull. So dull that you could skip 5 episodes and still not miss anything. It made no sense, and was just awful.

Seasons 4 and 5. Give it a skip.

Raising Dion (2019–2022)

Slow, boring

[1/10 · 7 March 2020]

The show is incredibly slow and predictable. It uses a formaliac approach where something interesting happens in the last 30 seconds of every episode. Otherwise it is very slow paced.

The acting is ok, but sometimes sounds like they are delivering a speech.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Soppy lala land

[4/10 · 23 August 2019]

It is a soppy story. There was no grit. No realism. No wow moments. Just utter disappointment.

They can only go once. Then go a few times.

They cannot change the past. Then they change the past.

If you change the past, it will change the future... uhm, well let's forget about that and concentrate on special hero stuff and then keep the present as is despite killing the antagonist from the past meaning the future (or present) wouldn't actually be.

Then they have these pouted pauses one would expect in soap operas from the 80's. The pouted pauses are with dearest family and friends in a warm sunny glow.

The only funny thing, for a moment, was Thor.

They could cut the movie by 2h35 and it would be immensely better.

The Accountant (2016)

Loved the action and intrigue

[9/10 · 26 January 2019]

Above expectations and probably Ben Affleck's best film. I hope they make a sequel as I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue and action. The steely accountant is an everyman super hero, despite just being a flawed human.

The acting is decent, the story entertaining and there are loads of action. However, what I enjoyed most was that there were no long winded and completely moronic car chases, there were no cliches and there wasn't just a repeat of all the movies we've seen before. Indeed there was no great love story in the run of the mill way, the subtlety of it all was just enough.

Don't expect too much and be blown away. If you like John Wick then you'll like the Accountant.

SEAL Team (2017–2024)

Good entertainment

[9/10 · 28 December 2018]

A solid show with lots of personal drama plus lots of action and muscles.

The characters are deep enough and one can imagine the turmoil this lifestyle can create. The acting is excellent, especially Jason Hayes.

The weak spot is the character Mandy Ellis. She is unconvincing as a CIA operative. Too skinny, not strong enough, holds gun like amateur and is not attractive enough to be the beauty the show wants to portray her as. Surrounded by the strong male leads and the strong female logistics specialist (Lisa Davis), regrettably Mandy is just not strong enough and I am forced to fast forward over her scenes.

Otherwise the characters, the action, the stories and the drama are all worth a watch.

Homecoming (2018–2020)

Worth a watch, but with the volume turned down

[7/10 · 30 November 2018]

Julia Roberts shows why she is one of the greats in this series. She convincingly tells the story of a worker at a rehabilitation centre where things are more sinister than the inhabitants know.

The episodes are short, yet the series felt long and it would've been better if there were 1 or 2 episodes less. At stages the series is slow and frustrating, so hopefully the pace will pick up in the next installment.

The visual experience is interesting and reminds one of a show from the 70's. There is probably a lot more symbolism in the series than I realise, but for me it was just great to see the attention to detail.

Unfortunately, the music and sound effects in the series let it down. I almost stopped watching at one point because the music is loud, intrusive and completely over the top. It is almost like the director wanted to hammer in the emotion and cause the viewer pain through sound. The show is better with the sound off in many places, which was a sentiment echoed in the rest of the room.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020)

Bad juju

[1/10 · 28 October 2018]

I love occult shows and movies. I love supernatural stories.

However, this has got too many political nuances and references to be true escapism. It also blatantly talks about worshipping Satan and serving Satan. Regardless of my religious beliefs I feel wholly uncomfortable inviting bad juju like that into my home.

I'd rather step away from this one.

The Bold Type: Betsy (2018) Season 2, Episode 7

Promotion of bullying

[1/10 · 15 August 2018]

The episode focused on Jane's unhappiness with a part of Sutton's past and present. Unfortunately Jane continues to throw a tantrum and bully poor Sutton into giving up something really precious and sentimental to her.

As this programme is partly intended to be inspirational to young women I found the way that the conversations were handled very aggressive without considering the best friend's viewpoint.

It also made Jane's character very unlikable as she is now seen as a bossy tantrum queen.

Keeping Faith (2017–2021)

Slow and Disappointing

[3/10 · 17 April 2018]

The last 5 seconds of the first series is probably the best. That earned all the stars.

Otherwise this is really a slow story! Lots and lots of scenes where people stare into nothingness or walk on a beach or just walk in the middle of nowhere. There is also a lot of driving around aimlessly saying nothing. Just lots and lots of fillers with mood music.

Many scenes of healthy kiddies eating breakfast or singing with mum and some more mood music. The actual meat of the story moves slowly too. Noone actually does anything except trying to block the poor victim. It is beyond frustrating to watch. Endless helpless and hapless people, even the police are flabbering idiots. Honestly found myself playing ahead by 10 second intervals trying to get to something that actually moves them along and stops being so boring.

I won't bother with the second series as I only persevered to the end of the season to see if they actually get anywhere. No they don't. It just drags on to create employment for actors and writers that don't actually know how to write thrilling and interesting entertainment.

That said, cinematically it is good. But when I'm watching BBC drama I am not expecting art pieces. I want entertainment. Otherwise I would've been on the Arts channels or at the Art theatre.

As drama entertainment, the series as a whole disappoints.

American Idol: 106 (Hollywood Week) (2018) Season 16, Episode 6

Best judges yet

[8/10 · 31 March 2018]

We are thoroughly enjoying the latest season of American Idol. The judges are entertaining and more human than previous judges. One can relate to them, yet they are naughty and silly. Lots of fun to watch. At the same time their interactions with contestants are friendlier, more honest and warmer.

There is also a lot of talent. As soon as we thought we saw the clear winner, some one else blows it out the water. It is certainly going to be a nail biting season.

My only criticism is the soppy stories of some of the contestants. You can ask anyone in the world and they will have a sad story. Their dog died, their uncle doesn't have a car, blah blah. Honestly, it makes me less likely to vote for someone if they try and milk a sob story. Life is tough for all. It is about the person's talent and ability to entertain. We can luckily fast forward through those bits.

The true entertainment is in showcasing the talent and in making us laugh with and enjoy a happy show.

The Magicians (2015–2020)

Poor casting and acting with a very slow juvenile story line

[5/10 · 19 August 2017]

There are some great moments and real potential. For example, the teacher in the Arctic or the episode where the Beast first appears. However, the story lacks grit and so Producers try to spice things up with sex scenes. But as the relationships are dull and unconvincing the sex scenes are just time fillers that irritate. Like commercials for soup while trying to watch the Superbowl.

Episodes drag on without substance or excitement. It smacks of yester year drama that is being regurgitated in low budget form, resulting in a cast of geriatric actors (for this story) without strength or emotion and writers without imagination. Again there is an attempt to cover this under cigarette smoke, drugs and lots of alcohol.... plus more naked uncomfortable looking actors.

The nerdy character Alice Quinn has very little personality so is difficult to feel connected to. Her acting skills are also not great, but seem to improve over time.

The very needy desperate character Julia Wicker feels redundant, like dead wood. Her whole story-line is excruciating to watch.

This show could have been made better if the casting gave us soulful relatable characters and the writers gave us more awe.

Suits (2011–2019)

Slow Scream

[4/10 · 18 August 2017]

I have watched all seasons.... unfortunately.

Originally the drama was tense and fun. The bromance between Harvey and Mike was also really interesting. However, over time the sparkle disappeared and the magic of Mike's amazing memory seems to have disappeared alongside it. Instead of being fun yet tense, the show has evolved into a continuous screaming match and people panicking about mundane nonsense. Made up drama that feels too forced to be entertaining.

Live. Die. Repeat.

Every episode seems like a catastrophe for the firm or the people. They resolve this by yelling at each other or trying to be really clever. Unfortunately the clever seems to have turned into everyday unspectacular. The characters are now just bumbling ants without direction and without any capacity for passionate relationships. Even Mike and Rachel or Harvey and Donna are washed out.

Worth a watch up to about season 3. Thereafter, it turns into a slow and agonizing death of a show.

12 Monkeys (2015–2018)

Worth watching

[8/10 · 18 August 2017]

I have watched the first 3 seasons.

This has been on my watch-list forever but with a show called the 12 Monkeys, a virus and time travel, I just could not get myself to press play thinking it will be another boring low budget sci-fi show with good intentions but zero grip. The same old same old disappointment.

Boy, was I wrong. When I finally pressed play I could not stop watching. Every episode left me wanting more. I think not expecting much helped it outperform too. But the acting is descent, the characters are complex and evolving, and the story moves at a good pace too.

The story has a heart and passion and action. It does not shy away from violence or hard decisions but it is still not a dark and dreary affair. Somehow one still feels like there is hope.

The irritation of the villain also does not last as each villain evolves quickly. Complexities of characters' "baggage" are also dealt with at the right pace.

The story migrated a lot from the pilot by the end of season 3 and many of the roots of the travelers have been disturbed.

I would say that there are negatives too. The story writers seem to have forgot about keeping track of the time-line, ages and whodunits of characters as well as when time needs a reset. They also forgot about the drawback of time travel they introduced in the first season. But I don't mind because without the writers' blind spots the show would not be as fast paced and entertaining. This keeps us guessing as well.

Girlboss (2017)

Loud and empty but pretty

[2/10 · 29 April 2017]

A good idea executed poorly with empty characters and cliché plots.

The lead actress is pretty but unfortunately the rest of the cast is much more bearable. Her acting isn't great and her character is loud and selfish and sounds like an airhead. (I had to turn the TV softer!) She just doesn't entice me into liking her. Instead of feeling allegiance or camaraderie, her character annoys.

What intrigued me was that the guy stuck around. Despite her neurotic behavior the cliché prince follows her like a lovesick puppy. I don't know any men that would not have run for the hills following the scene on the bus!

I don't know what it is with Amazon and Netflix Originals. They have recently just produced regurgitated shock fests or formulaic plots instead of plain good suspense drama. I would not even mention the rubbish they force-feed us as supposed comedy. Where are the script writers for Friends and Seinfeld?! And take a look at Line of Duty for an idea of what real drama looks like.