soph_ia Reviews

Sisi (2021– )

Quite fun if you accept that it won't be historically accurate

[6/10 · 3 December 2022]

I love period dramas and I've accepted that, for the most part, they won't be historically accurate. And, to be honest, a period drama probably wouldn't be as fun if there wasn't a certain level of dramatisation of events.

That being said, this show had some historical inaccuracies that I just found silly. But before I delve into those, I do want to put a disclaimer that I enjoyed the show, in a guilty pleasure way. It had nice dresses, somewhat steamy romance and all the drama made it fun to watch for the most part.

Sisi finds some prostitute Franz went to before their marriage and she convinces her to follow her to Vienna and become her Lady in waiting. Now that wouldn't be possible because as an unmarried woman, Sisi wouldn't be able to go unchaperoned to town, let alone to the town brothel.

Then, Sisi managed to convince her mother that the prostitute (feels bad to call her that but I don't remember the character's name) is some lord'a daughter, which again I found super implausible, seeing that Sisi's mother was very sociately conscious, so she'd know all of nobility.

Sisi manages to bring the prostitute to Vienna, they fool people for half an episode or something, she's caught and then they proceed to meet up in secret and be best friends.

Later, it is even revealed that Sisi and the prostitute might have been more than friends.

This was just too much historically inaccuracy for me.

I also found that Sisi kind of did her sister dirty in the first episode. It is historically accurate that Helene was at first meant to marry the Kaiser and he ended up choosing her. They actually kept some of the history correct, that Sisi was wearing black in their first meeting. In the show it's done because Sisi was "mourning" her lost love, in reality her entire family was wearing black and because it looked better on Sisi than her sister, Franz Josef decided to marry her. (And then they say modern day dating is shallow.)

Anyway, even though Sisi and Josef's actors had chemistry and I'm always a sucker for enemies to lovers tropes, I did feel for Helene and I understood her being mad at Sisi. It did feel like Sisi went behind her back to steal her man and the scene were Franz ended up giving Sisi the flowers in spite of dancing with Helene was just a dick move and honestly quite humiliating for her.

Also, I did have to comment that while the costumes were lovely, it just wouldn't be comfortable to ride around in a ball gown. Also, wouldn't Sisi freeze to death riding on horses with off-the-shoulder ball gowns?

That being said, I can't wait for the second season of this telenovela-y guilty pleasure.

Luna Nera (2020)

Entertaining but also silly

[6/10 · 17 October 2021]

This is an entertaining show for the most part, especially if you're into period dramas and fantasy. It has an interesting concept with a lot of potential, which I sadly thought was wasted.

First of all, the magic stuff. It is sort of established that each of them has her unique set of powers, but they also don't show what is the extent of their power. It's not explained what they can and cannot do. When it's fitting for the story they're powerful and when it's not, they suddenly seem to have no power. Persepolis is shown to have the power to move things around and break mirrors, but she only ever seems to use these powers at the witch house. One of the witches introduced later, Petra, was inprisoned by being buried in rocks, but later it's shown she has the power to transform rocks (and even her name means rock in Greek) which makes you wonder, why didn't she just will those rocks into releasing her?

Then, the romance between Pietro and Ade seems forced. They've only interacted twice, known each other for like 2 days and they're madly in love with each other. Now, that is something that kinda happens in courtly love stories, but still. I wasn't sold in their romance. Also, Pietro is kinda a dick. I don't remember which episode it was where he discovers the Perfect Way to put a stop to Ade being chased: them getting married. He gets all petty when she doesn't immediately say yes, telling her other women are lining up to marry him etc.

Another thing which didn't make much sense was how Pietro's father, the leader of the witch hunters, who is so adamantly against magic, suddenly has no issue with Marzio bewitching their weapons and telling him he can bring his wife from the death. It just didn't make any sense for me. When you establish a character to be a devout Christian who wants to chase down all witchcraft, you can't have him so easily trust someone who quite literally performs magic in front of him. If anything, that sword that Cesaria used to break the ground seemed more evil and satanic than any of the magic performed by the women in front of him.

The final episode was the silliest.

Valente, the little brother, turns out to be a girl and the Chosen One. I found it super corny and silly how the witches managed to do a complete dress up with themed outfits and gather around the lake by the time Ade and Leptis reach them. Ade's sudden turn to the dark side also didn't make any sense. It would be understandable for her to be all "wtf" about her brother actually being a sister and the Chosen One, but showing her being jealous and running away didn't. Ade didn't seem to be interested in being the chosen one up until this point and she loved her brother dearly, so it just didn't make sense. It would have made more sense for someone like Cesaria to be jealous.

Pietro turning evil also didn't make any sense. I would understand him hating Ade for killing his father, but she did it because he was choking her brother/sister to death. For the entirety of the show Pietro didn't agree with his father and especially him wanting to kill people for witchcraft. So it'd make sense for him to be sad about him dying, but not so quick to become a witch Hunter himself. It would have been better if his turn to the dark side was explored in the second season, but I suppose they thought it'd be more suspenseful this way.

Also, Spirto suddenly becoming loyal to the Benendanti didn't make any sense either. He seemed pretty Done with them when they beat him up and tied him at the town square, so it didn't make sense that he suddenly renounced Persepolis and joined them.

Òlòtūré (2019)

Important topic but poorly executed

[6/10 · 7 October 2020]

The topic of this movie is really important. However, just because it covers an important topic, that doesn't make it a good movie.

There were times when it almost felt comical. I don't know if it's just that people in Nigeria have a different way of speaking and carrying themselves. At times I felt that the actors were overacting.

Furthermore, they try to portray the journalist character as being this naive girl who is shocked by the way she is treated, which seemed silly to me. She was shocked whenever she had to do anything that involved being a prostitute. If you're going undercover as one, then you must expect to have to do some undesirable things. They could have shown how shocked and scarred she was by the experience in a subtler way.

It is a pity, because the bad acting and illogical characters made it more difficult for the movie to be taken seriously.

3% (2016–2020)

Over the top dystopia

[3/10 · 17 August 2019]

I'll start off with the positives. The show has an interesting premise and it is entertaining and enjoyable to watch.

It's also really really bad.

The 3% is the story of a future world where the elite, the 3% of the population, have the monopoly on the wealth and technology. The rest 97% live in an over the top post apocalyptic city. In order to join the 3%, 20 year old have to pass the Process, a more pansy version of the Hunger Games with psychometric tests and puzzles.

The distinction between the two worlds is so over the top that it's almost silly. Why did the Inlands have to be so terrible? They could have shown that it's bad and that there is inequality without the destroyed graffiti covered buildings and ripped clothes. Working class people in the 1800s had better living conditions than they do! Our current society has financial inequality and we don't need to live in ruins and wear rags to know that we don't have the same opportunities as the super rich. I would have preferred if the Inlands society looked more like a 70s Soviet country and Offshore like modern Dubai or something.

The Inlands was an over the top anarchy world where everyone seemed to be sitting around. Wouldn't it have been smarter if they enslaved the Inland people to work in agriculture and factories for Offshore's benefit? People then would probably be less likely to revolt, whereas as it is in the show they just sit around either doing nothing or being petty criminals.

Also, Offshore seemed kinda boring to me. I only saw a glimpse of it in the first episode of the second season. I expected something more grandiose than people hanging out at a park dressed in H&M's new spring collection.

I use the term "over the top" a lot in this review because that's the perfect way to describe this show. It has no subtlety. Oh, we should show that people in the Inlands are poor and less privileged, so let's have them live in ruins, wear rags and eat rats!!!! People at Offshore are rich and privileged so let's have them live in minimalistic pastel CGI houses!!!! The 13 year olds this show is targeted to could handle some subtlety.

The Good Doctor (2017–2024)

Great premise; silly execution

[4/10 · 14 September 2018]

I was intrigued by the concept of this show and thought it would be clever. The story is about a young surgeon who has autism and who's about to start working at a new hospital. First two minutes in and there's a medical emergency at the airport where he gets to show off his medical skills. It was interesting getting to watch him work but the whole accident was so phony and silly! There alwas also another doctor at the scene who was apparently inadequate, as is the cliche in such instances.

I couldn't get past the first episode. The premise is great but it's poorly executed.

The Handmaid's Tale: The Word (2018) Season 2, Episode 13

The ending ruined it

[4/10 · 14 July 2018]

The season 2 finale was, overall, a solid episode. I didn't find it as eventful as it was hyped up to be, but it wasn't bad. Until the ending.

June and baby Holly/Nicole are helped to their escape by a network of Marthas. Through a series of events, Emily also makes it to this bus that's about to take them to freedom. It's all going according to plan, until a last-minute, melodramatic "Take the baby and leave without me" move from June's part.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not frustrated because this ruined the potential of a happy ending. I'm frustrated because it makes no sense at all. I get why June stayed - in order to save Hannah. However, how exactly can she help her daughter when she's a wanted handmaiden who's already gotten herself in enough trouble to merit the death sentence? If she wasn't the protagonist, she'd be dead a long time ago. At least, in the past, it made sense why she wasn't killed. She was pregnant and she proved herself fertile - she was useful to Gilead. Even a fertile handmaiden wouldn't be given a pass after trying to escape on numerous occasions, though. The only way I see her surviving would be to lock her up somewhere so they can use her for her uterus without her causing any trouble... Which would make for an as boring show as June getting to Canada would.

June's choice to stay is clearly driven by the need to keep the story going for a third season. If she safely makes it to Canada or wherever it'd (probably) make for a very boring third season. I get it. However, don't make it so that her staying illogical and frustrating.

The Handmaiden (2016)

Not just a period drama about lesbians

[9/10 · 24 October 2016]

My impression of this film prior to watching it was 'Lesbian Period Drama'. I was pleased to see that 'The Handmaiden' is not just that.

'The Handmaiden' is a movie about con men and it unwraps itself as one. The viewer feels conned as layers of the story are further removed. We are given just the right amount of information not to be confused, without revealing the plot.

The thing people anticipated the most about this film were the sex scenes and, given the very nature and story of the film, they couldn't be missing. They were nicely done; just the right amount of erotic without making it a porno. In fact, although the movie includes one (I guess two?) pretty graphic sex scenes, the camera strays from the characters' pubic area. The only genitals shown in the movie are pictures or props.

As a period drama lover, I was delighted by the film's aesthetics. It creates a nice mixture between the east and the west of that time. Most importantly, it looked authentic.

Mr. Robot (2015–2019)

Slow and boring

[4/10 · 16 October 2016]

The thing most TV shows suffer from is that their pilots tend to be weaker than the rest of the show. It's understandable; the pilot is supposed to introduce us to the premise of the show and its characters, so that can easily become sort of tedious. It wasn't like that with Mr. Robot. Its first scene was great; I got a perfect sense of what the show was about (hacking) and who its main character was. By the time 'Mr. Robot' flashed out, I thought to myself "This is going to be an exciting show!"

Oh, was I wrong.

The thing with Mr. Robot is that it is so slow. I constantly felt like we're about to reach some destination, that something BIG was about to happen, but it never quite happened. I was in the middle of the first season and I still felt that the story had not yet quite taken off. The big revolution at the end felt lackluster. Even then I didn't feel like anything exciting was happening.

That could be attributed to the fact that Mr. Robot is a more character-driven than plot-driven show, and boy, isn't Elliot a complicated character. We see a lot of the story from his point of view and most of the time he's confused AF as to what is going on around him. Actually, I've noticed that the... atmosphere of a scene is sort of clearer when Elliot isn't in it.

Having said that it is obvious that Mr. Robot is not a poorly made show. It has some of the most stunning visuals when it comes to TV at the moment. For me, however, the most important aspect of a TV show is how entertaining it is and how invested it makes me to its story. Mr. Robot's story may be clever and well-written, but it is also slow and boring and that, for me, is unforgivable.

War & Peace (2016)

Does not feel Russian.

[6/10 · 4 October 2016]

I've already reviewed an episode of this series under the same title/summary. 'Does Not Feel Russian' is my overall impression of the series.

War & Peace is a great TV series, it really is. The actors deliver decent to great performances, even if they do not succeed at appearing like authentic Russians. I know that a British TV series with British actors that speak English can't achieve perfect Russian-ness, but that lack of Russian-ness still distracted me from my overall enjoyment of the show.

A very distinct example of this is in a scene where two female characters sing a Russian song in Russian. I appreciate the effort but the result was terrible. It was obvious that they've never spoken the language before. They could have had an actual Russian sing it and dub it over them, or just not have them sing at all. In my opinion, if you can't do something, don't it.

Story-wise, the series does a good job. I've not read the book so I cannot judge based upon how well it adapts the story. I think it stands on its own pretty decently, which is the goal of an adaptation.

To summarize, War & Peace is a noble effort at adapting an important piece of Russian literature. At some things it succeeds, and at others, not so much. What is important is that it doesn't suck, so if you feel at watching a period drama, consider War & Peace.

The Neon Demon (2016)

Pretty, but boring.

[6/10 · 4 September 2016]

I didn't start watching The Neon Demon with high expectations, having read and watched some reviews of the movie. But I thought, whatever, the premise seems cool so I went and watched it anyway.

Visually, the movie is stunning. If I were judging based on aesthetics and cinematography alone this would have been a 10/10. The music also fits the mood of the film like a glove.

It's in terms of story-telling that it falls flat. For a thriller (as it is listed on IMDb) The Neon Demon fails to get the viewer on the edge of his/her seat. Other than a chase scene at the end, the movie is rather slow and tame in terms of pacing. It also felt drawn-out. With the amount of story, I'd say that The Neon Demon would work much better as a short, as the shorter time frame would deliver all the story in a much more lively way.

So that's what The Neon Demon is; a pretty movie with mediocre writing. If you love good cinematography, I absolutely recommend this. However, if you want a gripping story, better watch something else.

Thirteen (2016)

Great first four episodes, sloppy ending

[7/10 · 18 August 2016]

'Thirteen' follows the 'Kidnapped Girl Who Returns To Her Old Life After A Long Period Of Time' formula. We have clichés like the overbearing mother, the divorced parents that got separated because of the loss of their child, a dose of Stockholm Syndrome and probably a bunch of other stuff that I didn't catch. And in spite of all this, 'Thirteen' still succeeds at being interesting, compelling and an all round quality five hours of TV... Well, save for the last episode. But we'll get to that.

I was impressed by Jodie Commer's performance as our protagonist, Ivy. Not that I expected anything less; I've been a fan of hers since My Mad Fat Diary. The rest of the cast also delivers strong and powerful performances.

The writing is good and the story is given in a thoughtful and believable way. Everyone's reactions, from Ivy's to her family's to her friends' was pretty spot on for someone going through what they were going though. A lot of characters got on my nerves but I still saw where they were coming from.

The mystery aspect of the story was also handled well. It was interesting and compelling and had nice twists.

The only weak link to this otherwise great TV series is its final episode. Ivy is set to meet with her kidnapper in a mall to give a chance for the police to catch him. Except the police handles the whole thing sloppily like a bunch of idiots and Ivy ends up being captured by him again. The police continues with the sloppiness as it tries to find Ivy. Meanwhile, her family and friends conduct a search of their own, which I personally found somewhat cheesy.

Don't be disheartened by what you just heard, though. 'Thirteen' is a great mini-series and definitely worth the watch. It's just not flawless, but then, what is?

The Man in the High Castle (2015–2019)

Just watch a show about the actual 1960s

[3/10 · 2 August 2016]

The Man In The High Castle is a TV series with a great premise which is sadly executed poorly. To put it simply, it was dull. I wanted to at least finish the first season, but I gave up after five or six episodes.

The show's aesthetics is its strongest point. The Man In The High Castle has nice cinematography that really captures the mood of the series.

The story could have been great, but it was boring. When you're making an alternative universe of something, the goal is to make it more interesting than reality, or at the very least, just as interesting. This isn't the case here. The Man In The High Castle's 1960s are boring compared to the actual 1960s. Other than having a bunch of swastikas and other Nazi symbols thrown all over the place, the show's world really didn't seem that... dangerous or scary or whatever.

The characters are not that likable either. It's not even that I disliked them; I just couldn't get invested in them. Juliana felt like she didn't have any emotions at all. In one scene she witnesses her sister getting shot and she seems to have no reaction at all. No shock, no sorrow. Her two love interests (another love triangle?!) are not any better either. The Japanese trade minister guy was the only one that I sort of liked in an "I'm invested in you" way.

The sci-fi aspect of the story is apparently revealed in the final episode of the first season, but I honestly don't think that it's worth watching an entire season of dull episodes that feel 3 hour long for that. This could have been a great story without any sci-fi being involved. Do yourself a favor and just watch a TV show about the actual 1960s.

Boardwalk Empire: Cuanto (2014) Season 5, Episode 4

Missed Nucky and Margaret's interactions

[10/10 · 5 July 2016]

This was the most enjoyable episode of Boardwalk Empire I've watched since about the 3rd season. I found the fourth season dull and this episode made me realize why: its lack of Nucky and Margaret interactions. Steve Buscemi and Kelly McDonald have excellent chemistry and it was great to see them together once again.

The scenes with Al Capone were also great. By now he's pretty much a ruthless killer and yet he's oddly likable and funny. Stephen Graham really does a great job at portraying him.

The 1880s flashbacks were nothing special, save for that tiny part where we see a bunch of pictures of young girls on The Commodore's desk. I thought it both a creepy and clever touch.

Outlander: Je Suis Prest (2016) Season 2, Episode 9

Has some powerful moments

[7/10 · 6 June 2016]

For the most part, Je Suis Prest felt like a 'I'll Make A Man Out of You' montage, as we see Jamie trying to make men out of a bunch of highlanders who have never yielded a weapon in their life.

We have the return of Dougal. In the beginning, he is his usual, pompous self, but by the end of the episode we see that he truly cares for Scotland.

We also see flashbacks of Claire's time during WWII, which were the strongest part of this episode. We knew that she lived through it and that it's one of the factors to her strong personality, but this is the first time that we truly see the scars that it left her. The flashbacks start small and build to a truly powerful scene, during which Claire remembers how two soldiers were killed while she lay helpless in a trench. The transaction from the flashback to the present was also beautifully done.

'Je Suis Prest' is not bereft of its lighter moments, though. A young British soldier breaks into our heroes' camp, leading to a pretty comical scene of him being interrogated about the location of his camp.

All in all, 'Je Suis Prest' is an alright episode, with both strong and meh moments.

Race (I) (2016)

A bit cheesy, but otherwise pretty good

[7/10 · 1 June 2016]

Race was beautifully shot and while that is obviously a great thing, I also felt that, in some cases, it worked against the film's favour. The depiction of Nazi Germany somewhat failed to convey the horror and austerity of the time period, even when we were shown some pretty harsh images.

Another thing that made the movie seem more light-hearted was that it seemed to follow the typical Sports Movie formula. Jesse Owens is the young athlete who raises from nothing and through talent and hard work wins four Olympic medals. Larry Snyder is the harsh and demanding coach who secretly has a heart of gold.

The movie was not without its cheesy moments. In a particular scene, Larry Snyder learns that Jesse Owens has a daughter and when he confronts him about it, Owens replies with "You never asked." Later in the film, when Jesse finds out that Larry has a daughter and he asks him why he never told him, Larry also replies with "You never asked."

Those cheesy moments felt somewhat silly in a movie about real historical people, but they were not enough to ruin the movie for me. Overall, Race was an entertaining and beautiful film.

Vikings: The Last Ship (2016) Season 4, Episode 10

Meh

[6/10 · 22 April 2016]

I have mixed feelings about this episode.

My favourite scene this episode was the one between Bjorn, Floki and Helga. It was well acted and the music that went with it really fit the scene. That scene alone made me feel excited about what is to come on the show.

We finally got our Rollo vs. Ragnar showdown and it was a letdown. They took turns at punching each other and... that was it.

The deaths of Roland and his sister felt like a waste to me. What was the point of these characters? One episode it seemed that the emperor was trusting them, next episode he kills them?

I was disappointed that they didn't address Siggy Jr.'s death. Why bother killing her if it's going to have such a little effect on the show? They might as well have kept her in the background - it wouldn't have made any difference.

I've been seeing people compare Aslaug to Cersei this season and this episode it really showed. I'm not sure if I like this attempt at Cersei-fying her, honestly. Aslaug is her own character and she can be interesting without turning her into a 'Cersei In Vikings!' fan-fiction.

The casting of Ragnar's grown sons is disappointing. How much older are they all supposed to be? It looks to be a 6-10 time jump, which would have made them teens/young adults and yet they look to be in their late twenties to early thirties. I also don't understand how they all went from being blonde to having dark hair.

Truth & Lies (2015 TV Movie)

As bad as you'd expect it to be

[3/10 · 12 March 2016]

I will start this review by saying that it was not a boring movie - it certainly kept me entertained for the duration of it. But it wasn't a good movie.

To start with, I wasn't impressed with the performances. Everyone in the cast was good-looking, but nothing more than that. Emily Tennant had only one "distressed" expression in all of her sad/unpleasant scenes. I didn't see any depth from her, or from the others from the cast. Dina Meyer delivered the strongest performance, but it was nothing award worthy.

The storyline was predictable. I knew that it was going to have the "twist" it had in the end - it was typical for movies of that genre.

W.E. (2011)

Go away Wally

[6/10 · 26 February 2016]

If I were to review this movie aesthetically it would be an 11/10. It is a nice movie to look at. The Edward/Wallis scenes in particular were pure eye-candy, especially for a period drama lover like me. The score of the movie was also great. It was actually one of the movie's tracks ("Dance For Me Wallis") that introduced me to this movie and made me want to watch it.

Sadly, as beautiful as this movie is, it falls rather flat where its story is concerned. The entire Wally storyline should have been omitted altogether. The only good thing about it is that it has Oscar Isaac. This movie would have been great of it was just about Edward and Wallis. I actually thought that was the case and that Abbie Cornish and Oscar Isaac's characters were museum/auction people of sorts and that Edward and Wallis' story would be narrated through them.

To start with, Wally is a boring character. She does not deserve to be the protagonist of this movie and we as an audience do not deserve to have to go through her boring life when we could be watching a much more interesting story; Edward and Wallis'.

Wally and Evgeny were supposed to mirror Wallis and Edward which I frankly found stupid because they really didn't have that much in common? You are hardly creating a parallel just because the characters' names start with the same letter. I also found Wally's name cheesy, much like the explanation behind why she's called that. I get that it was a big part of the film that she's obsessed with Wallis but I think they could have easily made that point even if her name was Jessica or Sarah. Her being called Wally was something you'd expect from a story written by a twelve-year-old, not professionals.

Another problem with this movie is that although it is a romance the actors don't really have that much chemistry with each other. Oscar Isaac is an actor who I think can be charismatic even next to a cactus but I still did not find Evgeny and Wally's love story particularly engaging. James D'Arcy and Andrea Risenborough are somewhat better together but I still didn't feel like Edward and Wallis' love was so grand and strong as the movie wanted us to think. I actually find that they have more chemistry in pictures (like that promotional picture of them on the beach) than they did in action.

All in all I think that if they omitted the Wally storyline altogether and kept it about Edward and Wallis only (but still found a place for Oscar Isaac in that storyline because he is frankly too awesome) this movie would have been a lot better.

The X-Files: Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster (2016) Season 10, Episode 3

I feel cheated

[4/10 · 26 February 2016]

I really didn't like this episode. To start with, as an X Files fan, I feel cheated. With the new series being only six episodes long, I expected for one big story to span out in those six episodes, like a mini series of sorts. I am not happy that 1/6 of this series is a silly filler episode.

The big issue for me is that it is not even a particularly funny or interesting filler. This is hardly the first time The X Files does a more comedic episode but the difference between this episode and the others is that those were actually funny. Some of my favourite X Files episodes were the comedic ones. Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose immediately comes to mind. That episode succeeded in creating a balance between funny and the show's serious and dark tone.

The monster in this is frankly a stupid idea and it fails at being funny or charming or whatever they planned for it to be.

The only positives for me were the instances where we are shown how Mulder and Scully live in the 2010s now. The scenes in which Mulder deals with his smart-phone were fun when you've seen him operate with those huge 1990s mobile phones.

Sadly, the negatives override the positives for me. If this was one in twenty episodes I wouldn't mind it so much but when it is one in six after nearly two decades I feel cheated.

Room (I) (2015)

An excellent film

[10/10 · 26 February 2016]

Room is one of the best movies I've watched in a long time and totally deserving of all the award attention that it has been getting.

The performances of both Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay are excellent. Brie Larson really succeeds to show the fear and desperation that Joy/Ma felt. There are parts where she seems so tired and exasperated and I thought that it was a spot on reaction for someone in her position. Jacob Tremblay is a phenomenal child actor. It's too often when children in movies are two dimensional characters, whose range as characters moves from 'cute' to 'annoying brats'. Tremblay was more than that - he showed feelings and variety. He was accurately childishly annoying in some scenes but I never held it against his characters because it made sense that he would behave in such a way.

The director also handled space in an excellent way. In the beginning Room doesn't appear all that small which showed nicely how to Jake it was his only known world. In the end we are shocked to see how small Room truly is and that combined with the camera showing Brie Larson's face makes her character all the more tragic.

War & Peace: Episode #1.2 (2016) Season 1, Episode 2

Does not feel Russian

[6/10 · 15 February 2016]

I have not read the book, so I cannot judge the series based on how closely it follows it. Story-wise, I'm really enjoying it so far, but it is the way it... feels that bothers me. Even though the music and background is great at showing the setting, the characters feel more like a bunch of British people pretending to be Russians than actual Russians. Which I know is the case here, but quality acting/writing/directing is supposed to convince me that a British person is Russian, right?

I have two examples:

In the beginning, we have a wedding. The ceremony is done in Russian which I thought was a great touch. However, in the next scene we hear the two most British sounding Russians ever speaking and that ruined the "mood" the previous scene set for me.

Then, in another scene, we have two female characters cross themselves after hearing good news. It felt really awkward to me and it showed that the actresses do not share the same religious beliefs as the characters they portray.

So yes, the story is great, but if it didn't take place in Russia and if the characters didn't have Russian names it could be a period piece taking place in England for all I know.

A Girl Like Her (2015)

Brings nothing new

[3/10 · 5 February 2016]

I have mixed feelings about A Girl Like Her. On one hand, it succeeds to make you feel something about the subject of bullying. It's pretty well done, the pacing is good, the performances were pretty decent. What I didn't like about it, however, was how... unoriginal it felt? Although it tried to tell the story from the bully's point of view, it still wasn't that different from any other movie about bullying.

You have Jessica. She's the victim of this movie. She's shy, keeps to herself, really nice girl etc. Then you have Avery, the bully. She's pretty, blonde and rich. She's the leader of a clique which is pretty much like every other 'mean girls' clique from any other teen movie.

Another theme that we've absolutely never seen before is that Avery and Jessica used to be friends! But one day everything changed and Avery started bullying Jessica.

All in all, I felt that this movie didn't do anything new.

The X-Files: Paper Hearts (1996) Season 4, Episode 10

Continuity issues

[5/10 · 3 August 2015]

I feel that this episode would have worked better in the 1st season than the 4th. While I enjoyed the emotional aspect of the episode's story, the continuity errors were simply too big to ignore. The story contradicted what has been established in previous episodes. We've seen proof and hints of what happened to Samantha. Again and again it was confirmed that Samantha was in fact abducted. Mulder even saw CLONES of her. The possibility of Samantha being murdered by a child murderer after all just contradicts that WAY too much.

So I don't find it believable that Mulder would suddenly buy this guy's story. We've seen Mulder make some irrational choices when his emotions get the best of him, but I think that he'd ignore all he's previously seen to such an extent If it was in the first season, sure, but as a 4th season episode it just doesn't really tie to the storyline.

Stitchers (2015–2017)

Nice

[7/10 · 11 July 2015]

When I checked the reviews after watching the first six episodes I was honestly surprised by how bad most of them were. Because I really enjoy this show so far.

It's not without its fault, but it's entertaining enough. The science part of it is obviously very fictionalized which I can understand how it may turn some people off, but I didn't mind. It served to the plot, so it's forgivable.

The performances were decent. I thought that Emma Ishta did a good job at portraying the cold and emotionally detached Kirsten. The rest of the cast also do a good job. I also quite liked that it has racial diversity.

On the characters, I prefer Camille and Linus to Kirsten and Cameron, but on the whole, all characters are interesting enough.

The Age of Adaline (2015)

An okay movie.

[6/10 · 11 July 2015]

It was an okay movie. It kept me reasonably entertained for the two hours it lasted and, on the whole, it didn't leave me with a "Oh man, I wasted my time!" feeling by the end of it.

I liked the costumes, they made the period parts authentic and I could really get a "feel" of them. The cinematography was also good. The performances were decent.

My favourite part about the movie was definitely Adaline and William's story-line. I found their love story much more compelling, for all that it was told in somewhat brief flashbacks. Harrison Ford's scenes with Blake Lively were touching and I could really feel their emotions for each other. Anthony Ingruber was also GREAT as young Harrison Ford.

Now on what I didn't like: Ellis. He was supposed to be this nice and romantic guy, but I personally found him creepy. I get being attracted to a girl and trying to get with her, but pretty much stalking her, using your power to find where she lives and blackmailing her into going on a date with you is just what a creeper would do. Blake Lively and Michiel Huisman also didn't have that much chemistry. Their romance was just plain boring when Ellis wasn't being a creeper.