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Community (2009)
Hilarious, moving, genuine, zany.
"Community" follows the exploits of a close-knit study group, through their education at a local community college. The goings-on at that college range from the mundane to the insane. It is hard to describe what this show is about, you'll just have to watch it. And give it a chance when you do, the first 5 episodes will set you up. You'll either be left confused and uninterested, or totally hooked.
What i can say is that Community is the best sitcom I have watched, by far. There is no laugh track, and when the usual sitcom tropes are used, they are exposed and made fun of as well. The comedy takes on a different flavour in every episode, but the characters stay true to their roles; each of the actors' personalities was allowed to bleed into the characters and it shows. It makes for a show that feels... genuine, for lack of a better word.
There has been some off-screen drama during the 6 seasons (and a movie?) of this thing; some of the cast dropped out and new characters were introduced. And against all odds, it worked. Each season has its own vibe, the varying cast lending its own color to it. With the final episode giving some sort of closure. Dan Harmon took this thing as far as it would go, and stopped there, without dragging it out.
This series will forever be on my list of favorites. Watching a couple of episodes again is like running into a couple of long lost friends.
Three Pines: The Murder Stone - Part 1 (2022)
Surprisingly weak and clichéd
After a promising start with 4 strong and interesting episodes, the series runs into a brick wall called the Murder Stone. When the tyrannical head of a rich family passes away, his will turns out to leave little of value to the family, with the most prized asset - a hotel - being left to an estranged daughter. The daughter is found dead the next morning, and Gamache, who happens to be staying at the hotel, starts the investigation. Suspicion naturally falls on the other family members, but as the investigation proceeds, the hotel staff and other people come under scrutiny as well.
If all of that sounds familiar, it's because this episode has many of the tired clichés of the classic whodunnit, and fails to bring anything new to them. Similarly, the actors perform their roles exactly as we might expect of them, and the backdrop lacks the unusual charm of the first episodes. The fixed characters in the story, like Gamache, do not develop further and the overarcing plots are not advanced. All in all, this feels like a filler episode and the result is rather boring. Hopefully things will pick up again after episode 6.
Willow (2022)
You're not the boss of me, princess!
If you're looking for good Fantasy with a light comical note like the original Willow movie, don't bother with this one. The movie had artistic integrity and was lovingly crafted, and it showed. This thing has silly costumes, bratty unlikable protagonists whom you will hate 15 minutes into the first episode, a nonsensical script, and dialogue that sounds like it was written for High School Musical. The title of this review is just one example of that. It's like the producers did not even try, or cared.
I could overlook some of this, but what kills it is the fact that they managed to completely miss the tone and atmosphere of the original. This series feels like a parody at times, or poorly made fan fiction, not like a serious production by a serious company.
I managed to make it to the end of Episode 1. Which, by the way, closes to a jarring pop-rock score as the credits roll.
Andor: Aldhani (2022)
Promising series picks up the pace with Ep. 4
Lots of comments about slow pacing in the first 3 episodes, and I agree with that. And while those flashbacks are an important introduction to Cassian's origin, they further reduce the momentum of an already sluggish plot. I like slow TV and I was entertained well enough, but the first three episodes did fail to properly hook me and get me invested in the story and characters, until Ep. 3. Hopefully just a stumble out of the gate.
Ep. 4 changes the beat, though. Cassian finds his stride (and so does his story arc), and we're treated to a set-up for several subplots involving Imperial politics, intrigue and espionage. The pacing, atmosphere and visuals are great, and more importantly: everything feels decidedly Star Wars-y; from agricultural backwater planets to the drawing rooms of Coruscant. The actors are finding their stride as well.
I'm looking forward to the next installment. If Disney can fulfil the promise shown in Ep. 4, we'll have a great season ahead of us.
Paper Girls (2022)
Fun comic translates poorly to the screen
The premise behind this show is interesting enough, but the writers did a poor job adapting it for TV. I think it has mostly to do with poor writing when it comes to the characters.
The actors do their best with what they've been given, but that isn't much. The kids are given the full range of emotions that's expected from kids in shows like this, which means they have three settings: belligerence, sass, and angst. Such exaggeration works in comics, but on the screen it results in flat and unlikeable characters with dialogue that sounds rather forced.
Maybe things will pick up further in the season, or in the next one. For now, try the comic this was based on.
The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World (2021)
A rushed and confusing ending to the first chapter of this series.
I felt that the series was picking up nicely with episode 6, but looking back, I think it would have been better to have this season finale spread out over 2 or even 3 episodes rather than the one we have been given. Not the first time I've made this observation: at times, this series has felt cheap and rushed despite the generally excellent costumes and backdrops, and I could not quite put my finger on it why that is.
But after this episode I think I know what it is. There is a serious lack of world building. The White Tower, pretty much the political center of the world, doesn't get much attention. The ajahs are largely left unexplained. Fal Dara is "just there", no time is spent expanding on the significance of the city of its people. Min tends bar in a generic Ren Faire tavern; they don't even do establishing shots of the place. Everything is given the same lack of attention as the heroes are whisked from one location to another, without giving these locations any sort of color or place in the world. Similarly, the characters themselves are given little time to develop. There's a lack of motivation, there's little sense of real stakes or choices and consequences. Sometimes the series feels like an expansive sitcom.
The battle at the pass was equally rushed, while this should have been an epic set-piece. How much better would a narrowly won victory by the people of Fal Dara have been; after all, that lot is reknowned for holding against the Blight. Instead, a handful of Aes Sedai win the day, not without cost, but not with great effort either. All great fantasy works define their own brand of magic not by all the awesome things it can accomplish; believable magic is defined by its limitations. If the only limitation is that the bad guys wield an equal amount of magic, you end up not with a great work of fantasy, but with a superhero comic book story. As far as the One Power goes, that scene kind of jumped the shark.
The cliffhanger at the end of the season finale perfectly exemplifies the problem with this series. After seeing that, I can imagine that the average viewer is left with some questions. Where are the Far Western Shores in relation to our heroes? What are these people doing here? Who even are these people? And why should we care? Then there's another instance of the writer trying to "improve" upon the book: the Damane in the book wear leashes which would instantly make the nature of their role clear to the viewer, and where channeling women stand in Seanchan society. But perhaps the writer thought that would be a bit too explicitly objectifying in this day and age: a woman on a leash? Nope, guess not, Rafe knows best.
The events in the last two episodes deserved a little more time and attention instead of turning it into this confusing mess; the arrival of the Seanchan was best left to the start of the next season. All in all a perplexing and rather unsatisfying ending to a season that definitely had potential.
The Wheel of Time: Blood Calls Blood (2021)
A good episode spoiled by hurried writing
The series is finding its pace, and episode 5 is another solid installment that I enjoyed watching. But it's starting to feel a bit messy. It feels like the writers and director are losing their way a little in the complex world of WoT, and are having trouble deciding what to focus on, what is important, and what needs to be condensed or skipped. This is especially apparent in the scenes where this series departs from the novels.
For instance, the scene with Valda, Perrin and Egwene. The whole thing seemed hurried and uninspired, except when it comes to the tired old tropes used to establish Valda's character. This event is a pivotal moment for all involved, and it deserves a bit more care and attention. A few other events in this episode are similarly glossed over, with sloppy writing leaving things unexplained or just plain unlikely to ever have happened the way they did.
In contrast, we're treated to a drawn out funeral scene that seems rather pointless. It does little to move the story along, and the viewer will have zero emotional investment with what amounts to a minor character, in a series that has barely begun. This scene could easily have been left out entirely, to allow some time to be spent on the more important events.
It's not all bad though. A great example of effective exposition is the stand-off between the Tinkers and the Whitecloaks. This scene only lasts a few seconds but does a good job establishing character and motivation. The Way of the Leaf versus the ruthless Children of the Light. This is how you "show, don't tell".
On the whole, this is an enjoyable fantasy epic. But its creators need to keep up a hard balancing act: the script needs to be strong enough to stand on its own for those new to WoT, while remaining faithful enough to the books to please the fans. This episode makes me wonder if the writers are equal to the task.
Cowboy Bebop (2021)
Worthy homage to the original.
It's not that easy to do a live action version of a comic, and that goes double for anime. If you're after a faithful recreation of a beloved series, you'll probably be disappointed. It's a different medium, and what works in ink doesn't necessarily work with real actors.
So: the Netflix version of Cowboy Bebop is not a recreation, but a worthy homage to the original. That's as good as it's ever going to get... and that's fine. An over-the-top, beautifully made production with a crazy energy.
An acquired taste to be sure, and it's not for everyone. My advice, whether you're a fan of the original anime or not: ignore the overly positive or negative reviews, and just watch an episode or two, that should settle it.
The Wheel of Time (2021)
Decent fantasy that do justice to the books
As a longtime fan of the Wheel of Time series of books, I think this adaptation is off to a strong start. The writers sadly do not have the benefit of having the original author around to consult, nevertheless they do a good job of capturing the atmosphere of the books. Rosamund Pike is a great Moiraine; Nynaeve and Egwene are brought to life by Zoë Robbins and Madeleine Madden, and it will be interesting to see how Kate Fleetwood's role as nasty Liandrin develops.
There's some weak points. First of all the forced diversity. It makes little sense for a village in a remote corner of the world to have such a diverse cast; in fact the books make much of the fact that Rand, not of Two Rivers origins, stood out amongst the rest of the village. It feels forced, and combined with the relatively unknown cast, lends something of a cheap YA-genre vibe to the show.
The other weak point concerns the three boys. I think the way the writers embellished Perrin and Mat's backstories is ok; it adds some color to characters that have little time to develop in the first episode. The characters in the books have distinct personalities: Rand as a stoic leader, quiet and loyal Perrin, and the cheerfully irresponsible Mat. One of the great things about the story is the way these personalities drive their actions, while at the same time we see those personalities grow and change and mature as they are swept up in events that are much bigger than themselves. In the screenplay however, it feels like the actors are still trying to get used to their roles, and they come across as somewhat bland and depressing, without much motivation.
I see some comments about the writers shoehorning in some feminist message. Those who have read the books know that this rivalry between men and women, with the women often out-smarting the men, is a core part of the original story, but it was never meant as a message to the reader. The viewers do not have to take it as such either.
Red Notice (2021)
Lighthearted comedy caper swings between entertaining and irritating
Check your brain at the door and grab some popcorn; Red Notice is an enjoyable action comedy. The formula is familiar: elaborate heists in interesting scenery, comedic banter between reluctant partners, plot twists and back stabbing, and some good ol' over-the-top action sequences. Reynolds and the Rock are having clearly having fun with this. This is the kind of lighthearted entertainment that we haven't had a lot of the past few years on the big screen.
But Gal Gadot... something about the Bishop just rubbed me the wrong way. Her character is an unadulterated Mary Sue, and she irritated me to no end. And unlike the other leads, her performance is lackluster and lacking chemistry. Not sure if it's the result of the writing or the casting, or perhaps an unfortunate combination of both, but after a while I inadvertently cringed every time she appeared on screen. Too bad, because this movie could actually have been good with a better Bishop.
Foundation: Death and the Maiden (2021)
Indiana Skywalker and the Foundation of Doom
After episode 6, a disgusted First Speaker tosses the Prime Radiant in the rubbish bin, declaring the Plan to be beyond salvage.
I mean, seriously, what? What on earth was this episode? No, a movie or series does not need to faithfully follow the books on which it was based, in fact it usually is impossible to do well. And Foundation is particularly hard, spanning so many eons that they had no choice but to pad out the relatively short stories into half-seasons, or they'd have to replace the cast every 3 installments. So, the writers were more or less forced to adapt it into something else. That's fine.
The problem is that by now it is crystal clear that the writers not only lack a good understanding of the source material, they have no idea what to do with it either. The clever writing of Asimov has been turned into a string of cardboard characters and cinematic clichés. Like so many series, the writers lose themselves in lame subplots and action sequences while losing sight of the overarcing story, the story that made Foundation one of the all time SF greats. Such a wasted opportunity to create something epic, especially given that the production values of this series are great, and I think that at least with the visuals, they hit exactly the right note.
Shadow and Bone (2021)
Interesting, to someone not familiar with the books.
No doubt about it, the production values of this series are very good. Great CGI, good costumes and sets, and they do a good job of building a believable and interesting world. With only a few exceptions, the actors appear engaged with their roles. And not having read the books, I'd say that the writing is decent (and these days, that is high praise)
My only complaint would be that they have stuck with the Young Adult theme. It may be that the books were written that way, but I think that this series could have been a lot better with a well-balanced cast, and a few less of the trite love interests. In some stories (like the Hunger Games) it makes sense to have all the main characters from one age group, but with the widely varied set of characters in this series, it just doesn't work, realistically.
I do know I am out of the target demographic by several decades, but this could have been a story for all the ages. Still, I'm going to stick around, I love solid fantasy and this ticks enough boxes for me to give it 8 stars.
Foundation: Barbarians at the Gate (2021)
More science, less visions, please.
After seeing the first 2 episodes, I wrote that the jury was still out on this thing. After episode 4 I am still not sure, but I will say this: the series is improving a bit. For someone who has read the books, the direction of the series is a little confusing, but it is slowly starting to resolve. I think this still might turn out to be an entertaining SF series, however it is increasingly clear that the writing is problematic.
Many of the writers' decisions puzzle me. It's like they do not understand the material, and use the books as something to lift disjoint ideas and notions from, losing Asimov's carefully crafted tale and characters. For instance: "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent" Possibly the most widely known quote from the books, even to people not familiar with Asimov's work. Why would the writers so casually turn such a memorable line into a summarily dismissed remark?
They do not understand Hardin's character either. From a calmly competent mayor bluffing his way around the Anacron invasion, to a bumbling, gun-toting psychic? And the Foundation itself: an interesting point in the books was the (ever growing) divide between the scientists working on the Encyclopedia, and the camp followers just trying to make a living on Terminus. In the series, the scientists seems mostly forgotten.
Asimov had Seldon impart his wisdom to his descendants through a prerecorded hologram in a basement. Why was that not good enough for this series? It makes a lot more sense plot-wise in every way... unless you need visions and a mystery monolith to turn Seldon's scientific outpost into a cult-like gathering.
I think that is what is nagging me about this series: the semi supernatural crap. While mysticism plays a role in the books, the tone of the story - as well as the society on Terminus - are decidedly scientific. This is SF after all. The writers however appear to take a different turn, towards the mystic, and that just doesn't work.
Foundation (2021)
The jury's still out on this one
Go in with low expectations, and remember that this is not your daddy's Foundation: the books are not easily turned into a screenplay, and it was clear from the start that they'd have to make some serious changes, omissions and additions to make this work on TV. I'm fine with that. I am also absolutely fine with them rewriting a few male roles for women, so that we'd have, you know, a couple of actual actresses in this SF story from the 50s. I'm not woke, but this is a choice I can get behind.
Episode 1 starts out strong; great visuals, the pacing is good, the characters are interesting, and it does a good job of setting up the story of Seldon and the start of the Foundation.
Episode 2 however felt like a bottle episode in a sitcom. The grand sweeping events moving the universe are forgotten, and the story bogs down in uninteresting details, unnecessary character establishment (yes, the emperor is cruel, we get it), and an unlikely love interest.
Giving it 7/10 on the strength of episode 1, hoping that things pick up again on the next installment.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
An honest-to-goodness old fashioned summer blockbuster
Let's be honest: this movie is not going to win any Oscars. But it has a few things going for it: it doesn't have superheroes, it's not part of a franchise or "universe", it's not a reboot or remake, and there's no blatant moral message shoehorned into the plot.
The Tomorrow War is something has been sorely missing from (home) movie theaters since the rise of DC and Marvel: the summer blockbuster. An action flick that doesn't try too hard to be complicated or clever or serious. Sure, the plot doesn't always make sense, but this movie delivers where it counts. The action and SFX are great. There are no Oscar-winning performances, but Chris Pratt and the others carry the movie well, and appear to have fun with it. The pacing works. The ending is satisfying and doesn't leave you hanging.
All in all, this is a fun, enjoyable and entertaining movie. Grab some popcorn, sit back, and be entertained.
The Orville (2017)
That good old-fashioned optimistic SF, on which we used to rely...
MacFarlane has struck an odd but wonderfully effective balance between serious SF and comedy. To call this an outright comedy would be inappropriate; this is not Family guy in space where each new joke follows hard on the last one. There's pranks going on between the crew members which might seem out of place on a military vessel - they're not, ask any serviceman or woman - but they keep the show lighthearted, and make the crew appear much more human than the stern unsmiling officers on the USS Enterprise.
There is the occasional crass, out of place joke such as the eulogy delivered at the funeral of a member of the crew: "It's kind of appropriate that his name was Paine, because at the end he was probably in a lot of it". This is MacFarlane, after all. But such jokes are rare enough to make you sit up in surprise, and yet they just plain work; and are always good for a hearty laugh. Like the old Star Trek, the Orville weaves serious issues and dilemmas into its stories, but MacFarlane does so without taking things too seriously.
The result is an interesting, serious SF show with a few laughs thrown in. The sets - and crew - breathe a warm, welcoming optimism that is sadly missing from today's SF, and the production values are surprisingly good. You could easily be fooled into believing you're watching an older episode of Star Trek. Then there's guest actors like Liam Neeson, Holland Taylor and Rob Lowe to spice things up.
The one off-key note is Yaphit, an amorphous blob who serves as an engineer on the crew. A lot of Jar-Jar potential that thankfully mostly fails to materialize, he is still too much of a comic relief character to fit well into the rest of the show, bordering on cringe-worthiness at times. Also, I am really no fan of all-CG characters. I feel the show would have been better off with a human actor who has the screwball factor turned down a notch or two.
If you like SF, especially the older Star Trek episodes, then you'll want to get aboard the Orville. I think you will find a surprisingly pleasant welcome there.
It (2017)
Run-of-the-mill horror with some resemblance to King's book.
"IT" is a fairly well made horror movie, if you watch it with no high expectations or prior knowledge of the book. The cast and cinematography are above par for the genre, and there are some genuinely great moments. The opening scene really stands out; it does a great job of drawing us into the story and introducing us to Pennywise. And there is a bone chilling moment when the gang watches a slide projector go mad showing Pennywise truly come alive. It's a shame the second half of that scene is botched by an almost slapstick like manifestation of the clown cut mercifully short.
That scene in the garage is a good example of why this movie isn't "IT". The book and miniseries weren't about cheap jump scares but about character development. The evil in the original story wasn't something scary jumping at you out of the closet; it was something more chilling and deliberate: waiting, and inevitable. That is why those kids went after it: they didn't want to, they didn't just up and decide "let's kill that .... clown", they did it because they had to, despite their deepest fears. An incredible struggle for anyone let alone a bunch of kids, and something masterfully described in the book, yet the movie manages to completely miss this point.
The second half of the movie feels hurried and sloppy, almost as if both writers and cast are eager to get to the final scene. Again a complete departure from King's careful pacing and attention to colour and detail.
All in all, it's a decent horror, but it doesn't do the original any justice.
The Mist (2017)
Actually, this is decent entertainment.
I didn't have many hopes for this series when it started, but now that I am well into the season I don't find it all that bad.
Sure, there's nothing groundbreaking in here. No stellar acting, brilliant writing, or plot twits that keep you on the edge of your seat. It's pretty much what you'd expect it to be, given the story it is based on. But... the story and the people are interesting enough. What pleasantly surprised me is their take on the usual squad of "irritant antagonists" that every series of this kind has: the stickler for rules, the hysteric rabble rouser, the selfish loner, the religious zealot, the nutcase... They are all here, but this series treats them a little bit differently, and their success and failure doesn't follow the usual paint by numbers plot points: many characters do have a few surprises in them.
But I'm not sure if this is going to hold my interest. The first season is decent enough but leaves me wondering: where the hell are they going with this? I am afraid this thing will end up like so many other series that revolve around some profound central mystery or event, which is eventually left forgotten, ignored and unresolved while the story stays on the characters messing with the minutiae of their day to day routine.
Poltergeist (2015)
Pointless remake fails to stand on its own
I have scored this movie on its own merits, however if the studios get to reboot our beloved classics, then we get to compare the new and the old versions. In this case, it is a good illustration of why this movie fails.
The story behind both versions of "Poltergeist" is pretty weak even with suspended disbelief, but Hooper made a great movie out of it, and a few things came together really well: the cast, the score, the setting and atmosphere (this is one of those times where I did not mind Spielberg's influence). And the pacing worked just right.
Pacing is the biggest fault of Raimi's new version of "Poltergeist". The old version starts just like a good disaster movie, slowly drawing us into the lives of a suburban family moving into a new neighborhood. The new version thrusts the characters upon us, and bad things start to happen before we even get to know or care about them.
The movie seems to have been written in a hurry with little sense for a coherent story or meaningful events. Remember the scene in the old movie where the mother bends to get something from a kitchen cabinet, then stands up to find the chairs arranged in an impossible tower on the kitchen table? That was not scary except for the little squeak she utters, but other than that, it is just chilling. Bone-chilling, because in that simple scene the mother has no choice but to accept the fact that something very extraordinary is happening to her family. This scene makes an appearance in the remake, when the boy turns around and sees his comic books arranged in an impossible house of cards. But neither boy or audience is given the chance to shudder at the realization that something is seriously wrong, as one second later the house of cards is violently blown over, for a *jump scare*. Because the movie really needed one at that point, I guess.
The trees, the thunderstorm, the clown doll, Hooper did not grab these off the shelf as staple horror scare devices for his version; they started out pretty ordinary but got creepier over time... they worked because they were recognizable to many of us, as Hooper made our childhood nightmares come alive. And then they went away, leaving the afflicted doubting whether they really saw what just happened. In the new "Poltergeist", there's no such subtlety, no room for doubt whether it was "just a tornado" when the tree chases the kid around the house.
Even the cause of the hauntings, something that comes as a shocking, chilling realization in the old "Poltergeist", gets thrown in somewhere as an offhand remark. The whole thing feels hurried, cheap, and devoid of loving attention.
On its own, it is still a somewhat decent horror movie, on par with many other recent movies in the genre. But that's not saying much. All in all a disappointing viewing.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
A good script poorly executed.
The good: Special effects are top notch! This movie delivers when it comes to excitement, and the storyline lives up to my expectations. There's a few very good 'movie moments' in this movie... the events following the issue of 'order 66' is bone-chilling.
The bad: Editing! At times the action moves so fast and the camera jumps around so quickly that one loses track of what's going on. Also, the scenes jump around a lot. Cut to two persons who each get to deliver one line, and off we go again to the next scene light years away. This was bad in Eps 1 and 2, but this movie takes it to new levels. The result is that we never really get the chance to get to know the characters, or build any sort of affection for them (or loathing as the case may be). Unlike Eps. 4 to 6, I did not find myself caring for any of the characters in this installment. Also, the staggering amount of locations and different creatures gets a bit overwhelming at times.
The ugly: Hayden Christensen's performance is very poor... 'wooden' does not even begin to describe it. At times when one would expect some genuine emotions to show, he delivers his lines in the same flat monotone.
On the whole, a good, very entertaining movie that (I expect) will not disappoint both new and old Star Wars fans. A shame about the jumbled editing and Christensen's performance; more attention to those areas would have made for a great movie instead of a good one.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
This is no eye-opener! (4/10)
Well, I finally got to see what all the fuss is about. I was disappointed though, and from a movie that has stirred up such controversy, I had expected more, well... controversial content.
The good: All spoken language is either Arameic or Latin; a touch that lends a lot of realism to this movie. The setting, costumes and actors add to a believable reproduction. We aren't spared any of the gruesome bits either: the flogging of Christ at the hand of Roman legionnaires, and the crucifixion, are particularly hard to watch. Rather than skip over the gory parts, this movie shows things as they really might have happened: well done.
The bad: My gripe with this movie is that it does not show us anything *new*. We are shown the exact story that we already know, with only a few snippets of Jesus' personal life thrown in. The characters are as flat as cardboard cutouts.
Compare this film with that other controversial movie about Jesus: The Last Temptation of Christ. I expected at least the same sort of thing from the Passion: thought-provoking new ideas, challenges to our existing set of beliefs about Christ, and above all something that shows us the *person* Christ might have been. Sadly, there is none of any of that.