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Reviews
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Way too goofy, blend of fantasy and comedy doesn't succeed
Would've been far better if it wasn't the comedy that it essentially is. More like Lord of the rings would've been proper. Instead, we ended up with this silly mess that you can't really take serious at all, it isn't really funny either. As a general Dungeons & Dragons fan I don't appreciate my interest made one big joke and the casting makes it look like modern day Los Angeles, yes, it is fantasy but nonetheless Fantasy is a medieval inspired genre. There are a few surprises along the way, but it is kind of predictable. The best thing I can say about it is that it doesn't look cheap, and it is better than other adaptations.
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (2024)
Much worse than the original
I fondly remember the original British gem from my childhood, so I was eager to check this one out. Unfortunately, I was disappointed, the humor is weird and the casting is very odd obviously it has nothing to do with the historical era, it just looks like a school play. The charm from the old one is absent, replaced by silly slapstick humor and The dialogue is not as well written. The old one was silly too, but there was some seriousness just below the surface so that you felt like the stakes were high and you could relate to the characters and the historical setting. Here, I was just bored and thought it was a missed opportunity with ridiculous characters & just looking wrong. But if you are massive fan of British humor & no attempt to create a believable setting, you might find it tolerable.
Foundation (2021)
It's an OK show, nothing to do with the books
If it wasn't for the names of places & characters, you wouldn't recognize it as foundation at all. It may have been inspired by Asimov, but very far from based on his work. It seems as if they wanted to change as much as possible, just for the sake of it. Apart from the gender swaps, even the center of the empire Trantor is changed, it's not enough the whole planet is covered by city, as described in the books, now we have to have rings around it too which doesn't do anything for the story, just one example as to how they try to do one better than the author, not very respectful to the original I might add, A mindset that you sense throughout, so little has been kept.
The casting has pluses and minuses, but generally the acting is what you would expect from a medium sized budget, capable and competent, except maybe from the younger cast members.
All in all I wasn't wasting my time completely, but I was very disappointed because the books are to science fiction What lord of the rings is to fantasy, this show is not. Ok sci-fi, falsely labeled as based on Asimov.
For All Mankind (2019)
Alternate history, not believable, far to idealized
It's not a bad show, but there are several problems that really annoy me. In this alternate version of history, the US is so idealized that it takes away from the immersion. There is no systemic racism, there's no sexism, no covert Wars or regime changes or any other of the issues of the various eras portrayed here. All of the criminal behavior by the US during the cold war has been magically erased. Yes, it makes kind of sense given that this is alternate history, but it is so far from reality that it is too black and white, naïve in fact. The Soviets, on the other hand got to keep all the real historical Bad behavior.
The pace seems a bit slow & several things seem so unlikely that it spoils immersion. For example a rogue grumpy astronaut who refuse to obey orders would never happen. If you can ignore these issues & you like the pandering to every demographic at the expense of realism & talent, on and off screen, that Sony TV studios is infamous for, you might have a good time.
Black Sails (2014)
No pirate/orc accent, arrrrr's or other cliches. A relief.
Finally the pirate heyday get taken seriously. Apart from very frequent and long dialogue theres enough action and decent writing here to give it a chance. A fresh take on the genre. I like it.
Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
A mess
I can't get over the fact is one of the most interesting characters is never explained. How could a common born of African descent, perhaps a freed slave, as there actually were in London at the time, rise to be a nobleman? A freed slave! So inspirational and historically impossible at a time where your lot in life was determined by your birth that it should have been explained.
The rest of the movie is so hysterically inaccurate that is hard to relate to.
Australien skies (2015)
Interesting and definately not crazy
5% of americans have seen UFOs. I might have thought these guys were crazy, which you are supposed to think based on what science and media tell us. However I've seen thing and talked to people who I am sure do believe they have seen and filmed non earthly UFOs. Theres even a scientific research station in Norway to study UFO traffic in a particular place, so something is going on. The footage is also convincing, you can find thousands of other crystal clear examples on social media, some by amateur astronomers filmed through high power lenses. So its time to take the subject as seriously as the witnesses do. Its not fair to ridicule these people, and this film presents it in a serious and entertaining way.