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Reviews
The Wire: Middle Ground (2004)
Peak TV Drama
3 seasons of set up and carefully plotted character evolution on both sides led to the spectacular final few moments of this episode. The brilliance of The Wire is in how it portrays the organisational politics on both sides of the law. We see Burrell borrowing Colvin's rationale to save his own skin after having reamed him out himself, and then the Mayor doing the exact same thing. We see Dennis make progress with the hoppers while Carcetti schemes. We see the feds bend the rules to clear the path and the special crimes unit unite to put all the infighting and tension they've suffered under the bridge, only to be beaten to the punch as String and Avon cross each other and Omar finally gets his catharsis. So. Much. Drama. How everything comes together at climax of season 3 of The Wire makes it the greatest little run of episodes of TV I've ever seen.
Stowaway (2021)
Pros and Cons
Pros: set design was legit and the innovative space cinematography made for some awesome visuals. The doctor, professor and stowaway put in respectable performances. So 4/10 feels harsh, but...
Cons: plot holes galore as described elsewhere, and what has to be Toni Colette's worst performance, awkward and jarring, really stunk the place out. And the ending: I get what they were trying to do but it was so limp and corny.
The Invitation (2015)
Smart idea well shot and acted yet somehow has an amateur feel
Cool idea, and the payoff in the final scene somewhat validates the overall story, but the slow, cliche-riddled build up only serves to frustrate rather than create tension or intrigue: script padding to extend what could have been a great black mirror or x-files episode into a mediocre feature length movie. Can't fault the performances or cinematography but with just a few minor tweaks to the story it could have been a lot more satisfying! Unfortunately despite the positives I'm looking back at the entire first hour as an awkward, amateur-ish waste of time.