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Reviews
Constellation: Somewhere in Space Hangs My Heart (2024)
This was a great episode
First 2 episodes were good but I found the moments where the main character shifts to other places with her daughter to be quite confusing at first as you can't tell what's real or not. This episode you start to get a sense of what might be happening in a sort of creepy, subdued way. Jonathan banks character felt more prominent in this episode and all the better for it, he excels at playing those jaded, brooding, morally ambiguous characters.
The end of the episode was excellent and now I need to wait another week for a new episode to come out
If you're not into thoughtful, slower burn plots that's fine but it's definitely my kind of show.
Criminal Record: The Sixty-Twos (2024)
Capaldi is exceptional
I've enjoyed this series so far but this was very much a Cipaldi episode and what a performance. His character up until this episode was very much a competent police man but also signs that he's a bit bent or morally sketchy at best and you're led to believe that he stitched up Errol for the murder or at least overlooked evidence. In this episode we get the flashbacks to the Errol interview and it's clear that Cipaldi's character is a lot more nuanced and the way the pair pressure keeps building on him from all angles (his boss, his team, his daughter, that his wife had just recently and suddenly died) The whole scene with Errol's dad in the allotment was just amazing, very intense and well acted.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Loved this movie!
I didn't really know what to expect, saw the trailer which looked interesting but didn't watch it right away as read some of the initial iMDB reviews and it put me off... anyways I put the movie on tonight and I absolutely loved it.
What was good: the actors were great, especially Ethan Hawke the way he portrayed a normal person reacting to the growing uncertainty surrounding them all. I get really bored with these movies where either characters are ex special forces or clever teenagers solve the problems- Ethan Hawke portrays more of a normal human response. I also loved the growing unease during the film and by the end you still only have basic clues as to what could actually be really going on. Have to disagree with others in the ending, I LOVED THE ENDING, as soon as I heard the Friends theme song I knew the titles were going to start rolling. I have to say I was intrigued by the short from the moon with the solar eclipse, was that just a reference to the US domination coming to an end with the flag or was it meant to convey a more extra terrestrial meaning....
This film reminded me of 10 Clover field Lane where there's this whole something bad is going on vibe but it's the last few mins where you actually get to see some of the things going on elsewhere.
War of the Worlds (2019)
Fantastic slow burn invasion story
Ok so this is the 2nd show recently where I've been out off starting due some of the reviews here. Everyone has their own opinions but this exactly what I want an alien invasion story to feel like. Confusion, fear, mounting dread and uncertainty, people die and those deaths hit you.
Spoilers ..........
I'm only on ep 6 but I absolutely love that you barely get to see anything about the "aliens" other than those scary dog like robot things that have some weird biological matter inside them. You can kind of get away from them but you never know when they will appear and that are very effective at killing people. No one is spared.
Most of the actors are really good, there are no "special ops" people saving the day or stupid teenagers arguing with parents and running away putting everyone at risk. It feels darker and more hopeless.
This is very similar in approach to Invasion which I also loved for all the same reasons.
The only thing I found odd was the robotic looking dogs have very noisy servos. I felt adavanced tech would be quieter but it also creates an audio signature for the creatures that adds the the scariness.
Invasion (2021)
Glad I decided to watch this...
Initially was put off watching this show after reading some of the reviews here and now having watched 4 episodes I suspect some people just prefer the Independence Day type of experience where the alien threat is more immediate and obvious.
What l love about this show is the slow, creeping sense of dread that builds. Almost none of the characters are classic "stupid" tropes and although I don't have much real life experience of alien invasions this has a much more "real" feel to it - the confusion, the lack of gun toting heroes or "former special forces/elite specialist saves the day" type of characters. As a viewer you get more of a genuine feeling of fear or helplessness.
Also want to comment on the audio sound track which is excellent, has that haunting/dread undertone that just adds to the visuals.
I always find the true measure of how much I like a show is that I start bingeing and with this show I did.
The Devil's Hour (2022)
Binged this in 2 days, couldn't stop watching
I echo what others have said, episodes 1-5 are great, Ep 6 is insanely good and very different. Cipaldi plays his part so well that you genuinely want to see more of him/character beyond this series. In a weird way he's almost like a morally shady "superhero"with the things he is able to do.
Love a TV show with this level of depth to it, go read up on theories after I finish then I watched the last ep again.
- all the acting was stellar
- amazed they managed to squeeze all the different genres in over 6 episodes
So many great questions in my mind!!
- "Mike" is a character you want to hate for the way he treats Isaac. There should be retribution on him during the final flash forward/back/sideways (???)
- still wasn't clear why Gideon wanted to make Lucy "remember" and potentially reset her path going forwards.
- were those flash forwards at the end or parallel "paths" where you see Lucy catching Gideon
- I like having answers but a little bit of ambiguity adds to the mystery
- where did Isaac go at the very end, Lucy ended up in burning building but in different??
- bring back Gideon!!
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Really enjoying the first 2 episodes
I read some of the books years ago, loved the LOTR films but didn't manage to get through the Hobbit movies. So that's the extent of my understanding of the lore. Writing this review to help others like me who just want to know whether to watch this given all the negativity in some of the reviews.
Almost immediately you can see where the money has been spent, for a TV program this is really high quality visually. I also found myself caring about the characters which is normally a good indication of the acting and writing. I even watched both episodes twice then spent a bunch of time reading up on the "history" of LOTR that I wasn't so familiar with. Looking forward to the next episodes.
Scrolling down the reviews it's pretty clear there is negative sentiment from some towards literally anyone who has anything positive to say about this TV series. Crazy.
The Gray Man (2022)
It was....... ok
The film has good actors but it just feels like like an average mash up of other films. Fun at times but utterly ridiculous at others. Most potential plotlines involving highly trained killer spies have been mainly covered before so what tends to differentiate a film is the quality of the acting /writing and this is kind of lacking. Still watched it to the (not in one sitting right enough)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Watched it many times
For me it's just one of those films that I can watch every couple of years. Tom Cruise plays an exceptional role as does Emily Blunt and humour was a pleasant surprise.
The Lazarus Project (2022)
Fabulous Sci Fi series with fresh ideas
First of all the synopsis almost put me off watching this program with is crappy description. In reality this was a hugely addictive to watch series, written with intelligence and fresh perspectives and absolutely loved the theme music and the tone it sets.
What I really liked is how it portrayed characters having to live through the same moments repeatedly and shows the psychological trauma associated with those experiences and how it has a lasting impact. The last episode was so full of tension and landed on a cliffhanger. Similar to other comments this better get renewed!!!
Person of Interest: Shadow Box (2012)
It's just a shot away....
Love how POI slowly switched from "number of the week" and from midway through season 2 is starts becoming more serialised (and all the better for it). This episode... love the ending, the use of Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones.
Another Life (2019)
Weirdly addictive and a lot darker than I thought it would be
Went into this with low expectations but decided to give it a chance because ...Katie Sackoff. Here's what happened:
- Read reviews, some were not flattering at all
- Watched half of ep 1, interesting enough premise but was put off by the stupid character decisions early on (would space professionals / veterans really be so dramatic, I suspect not).
- Decided to continue....
- Few episodes in it settled down and then the weird thing is I started to care about what happened to the characters and found myself wanting to see the next episode
- Felt like it got darker as time went on (good thing in my book)
- This series is not afraid to kill off main characters
- The "science" is not at the level of say The Expanse but as the series went on I really liked the whole ship set up
- Ep 7: The Terminator 2 eyeball thing
- I'm on ep 8 and really, weirdly attached to this show
So in conclusion: started annoying then found it's stride and an unexpected darker edge with the storyline and characters.
The Expanse (2015)
Best sci fi series since Battlestar Galactica
Just finished final ep of series 5 and had some time to reflect. Rated it 10 because I know I'll watch the whole thing again at some point.
Takes time to build during season 1 and initially I wasn't sure about the whole premise (space detective trying to find missing person) but then it teaches a point I can't remember exactly which episode but it just seems to switch gears and draws you in so then I started bingeing a few episodes at a time. I think what sets this and other high quality TV apart is the writing and the acting, coupled with a gritty sense of realism about the limitations and affects of space travel on the human body (no lightspeed jumps and space lasers). Later on the main protagonist kills many people and does terrible things but you can also understand why, as opposed to the typical "evil person doing terrible things for apparently no good reason". Looking forward too season 6 and no clue what to watch now!
Westworld: Kiksuya (2018)
Mesmerising episode
This episode stands out above all others I've seen to date. Very emotive and like that most of it was subtitled with the actors using a native language (excuse my ignorance for not knowing the name of the language).
Amazing...