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The Umbrella Academy (2019)
Season 2: Stuff happens
I totally loved season 1. While there were some flaws, none of them really mattered to me because the show was very engaging so I wasn't looking at the plot holes, for example.
However, season 2 is a whole other deal.
The characters and their relationships didn't have any development and were boring. Having a partner of a different sex compared to your ex is not character development. Being a cult leader is not character development. Having a girlfriend... you get the point.
Most of the time was spent on side stories that didn't matter and were poorly done. The social issues had no connection to the main story or characters and were written in a very superficial way. Boring and unnecessary.
The new characters are a snoozefest and completely forgettable. On top of that, half the interesting ones from S1 are gone.
Everything is dragged out simply to fill the episodes. The writing was so bad it's difficult to even say what the climax of the season was supposed to be. Things just happen, that's it. A lot of the scenes were so poorly done that you can only feel bad for the actors who seem to be just standing there not knowing what to do. A couple of times I was even confused about what was going on because I couldn't read what they were trying to convey. There were several long scenes that didn't serve any purpose, cinematic or otherwise, like walking into a building for 30 seconds. I just felt like fast-forwarding through them.
There was a lot of gore just thrown in for no reason. "Hey, we don't have a descent plot, well-written scenes, or character development, but here's some severed body parts... oh, and don't forget the fart jokes! Enjoy!"
We did get 2-3 enjoyable family scenes but that's about it. If I wasn't already very invested in the characters, I wouldn't watch this train wreck. Season 1 was 8/10 for me, season 2 is 4/10 at best.
Edit: After writing this, I watched the last two episodes of S1. Each scene is interesting, it has weight, emotion, direction. The characters are connecting with each other and are serving as a mirror or a counter point to the arc of someone else. The music enhances every important moment because there is actually something to enhance, and it's used perfectly as a foreshadowing device (because there are actual things to foreshadow). With S2 I didn't see any of that and the epic end theme always felt undeserved. I honestly have no clue how people are giving S2 good reviews...
Upload (2020)
Cringeload
If you are looking for a show to cringe at, you've found it, good for you.
The low score reviews on this site are funnier than anything in the show.
The acting in this train wreck is horrendous. The characters are awfully written and unlikable. They are narcissists and sex addicts with the emotional intelligence of a 3-year-old. They don't have agency, just follow the plot.
The writing is some of the worst I've ever seen. The "mystery" is non-existent. There are so many plot holes and so many illogical things you start to wonder if this was created because someone lost a bet. And there are a lot of little things that would get anyone who knows anything about technology very distracted - for example, how are they able to upload people into the afterlife but don't have the technology to turn black-and-white photos to color? You know, the same technology we've had for years?!
It's super lazy and superficial. The "politics" are as if an angry 60+ ultra conservative couple is imagining the "liberal" future.
It's nothing like The Good Place. Don't waste your time.
Knives Out (2019)
Should only work for people who haven't seen anything in the genre
I want to start by saying that I live for crime mysteries so I am 100% in the target audience. I'm quite familiar with the genre and I love everything in it by default.
However, this movie had too many flaws and I can't understand how it has such a high score. My only guess is that most of the people who voted are incredibly unfamiliar with the genre and don't have a reference point.
Anyway, let's get to the chase. For a crime mystery it's incredibly important to get the audience to ask the right questions. There have to be very few very clear and interesting questions. And this is the most important thing the movie does not get right. The questions change all the time, they are too many, they are unclear, too simple, some too easy to figure out anyway. And we have this issue both in regards to the plot and to the characters. So the mystery part is done incredibly poorly.
The crime part is almost OK but a lot of the time it's all over the place. We didn't get a proper view of the picture in regards to the crime that took place. What exactly was done and how, what the police see as being suspicious and why, dissection of the motives of the characters and, you know, and actual investigation. It would have been fine if it wasn't such a crucial part of the story and if at least the mystery or the drama was very good.
So, next on the list is the drama. This is the only genre that actually has something to offer here. Trying to work with the characters' differences in moral stances and ethics was a very good idea, unfortunately this part of the script was in embryonic state. I believe that if they went with that as their main guiding line and main genre the movie could have been very good.
Lastly, if you go in expecting comedy... I hope you will be able to see any. It is beyond me how this is even listed as a genre here. The movie is light and easy to digest but that's not really comedy.
Other general notes:
1. Casting was fine but I have no idea what they were even trying to do with the Daniel Craig character. In the beginning I needed quite some time just to get used to him and for the rest of the movie he was below average. I admit, I truly can't even guess their intentions there. Other than that I found the casting and acting to be enjoyable.
2. I found the music to be just as messy as the story and the mix of genres. I am sympathetic because it must have been really difficult to figure out what the movie is supposed to be and therefore how to make the soundtrack.
3. I would really like to say something good or that I would recommend it anyway to people who haven't seen anything of the genre at least, unfortunately I just can't do that. It felt undercooked and messy. I would not watch any sequels they decide to make. Any British crime movie or TV show is a hundred times better in all aspects so why waste my time.
I hope this is not where detective movies are headed. First Kenneth Branagh and now this... There are plenty of people who know how to make these movies right, just give them a chance, Hollywood!
Boston EMS (2015)
One of the best in the genre
I generally like similar shows but I've mostly watched once from the UK or Canada as the American ones are usually bombarding you non-stop with emotions and with action and it seems like the people in them don't matter. I think this show is quite well-balanced when it comes to how many stories they show, how much of each, as well as sharing information about the job and different issues. The editing and sound design are in general also balanced and non-invasive, unlike with other shows. It captures the emotion, it shows what it needs to show, without being in your face and screaming for attention while still being very interesting.
The people from the EMS are kind and intriguing and diverse. Each has their unique character and reasons for doing their job. The patients are shown respect and care. Overall, what a show like this should be.
Many have complained about the fake sirens that are added in post-production but it doesn't really bother me.
Batwoman (2019)
1/10 reviews have not watched the show
Just want to get this out of the way first: do NOT buy what the haters are selling, it is obvious they are commenting on the old trailer and not on the show. The first episode has enjoyable male and female characters. The only incompetent one is Batwoman, who is not a guy (and she is incompetent because she is new to these things, going in alone - not so smart). The main evil character is a woman. There is absolutely nothing in the show to suggest that women are better than man. The male characters are just as diverse and interesting as the female ones.
Now to the show itself. While not perfect, this was a very good start and it got me hooked for the duration. There are some obvious plot hole but I would say most of them exist because they didn't want to make it drag and have a slow start like many others. I would say that is a good compromise to make because at this point most people are sick of origin stories. The characters are interesting and I hope they plan to make them more and more complicated since they certainly have the potential. It being a CW show I am not super optimistic but only time will show.
Without getting into too much detail, I will say it's worth the watch if you are into the genre. Everything is pretty good so far: visuals, music, casting, writing, directing. So just ignore all of this toxicity in the reviews and give it a chance.
All Rise (2019)
Little substance, bad episode formula
After the first episode I had hope it could turn out to be a descent court dramedy, unfortunately I don't feel so optimistic after the second one. The show seems to follow a simple formula which is taking over the story and characters, and part of it is: show a couple of cases, make it very clear what is right and what is wrong for each, make the main characters fight for the right thing and the replaceable characters fight for the wrong thing. The show has a very simplistic worldview and I have trouble imagining how that wouldn't get in the way of character and story development. Don't think I would be watching next week.
Ocean's Eight (2018)
Exactly what you should expect of the genre
I don't know if an 8/10 is well deserved but with all the hate here I am giving it a little more to balance things out.
The movie is light with some humour, some suspense, and some twists. It might not be brilliant but it is exactly what the genre is all about. There is no character development, there's no deep message, it's not Oscar material. It is something to kill two hours of your day.
It is the first time I will say all the hate is actually coming from the fact that many people feel threatened by a female cast in a "male" genre and that's all there is. Plot holes are inevitable in this and similar genres, it's what people complain about when they don't have anything else to point to. Character development when you have a two-hour movie with 8 new characters and when the plot is the main idea of the movie? People saying they expected anything like that are just not being honest but instead looking for reasons to hate the movie.
Bottom line being, the movie is just what you should expect of the genre. It might not be the best but it's perfectly fine so if you are at least a little bit open-minded at all just forget the haters and enjoy it.
Big Little Lies (2017)
Season one - great, season two - boring and unnecessary
I enjoyed season one very much; loved every episode, every character, and probably every scene.
Season two is a whole different story, though. It felt immensely slow and aimless, and also weirdly superficial and generic in regards to character development. I didn't feel the characters and didn't care about the story. It was also devoid of any fun that was present in the previous season, like it was trying to be depressive and dull on purpose. Towards the end of episode seven I thought maybe it was the last of the boring episodes and finally there was going to be a payoff for all this, and then I realised I'm watching the last few minutes of the season. It was probably the most unneeded continuation of a show I've ever seen.
I would like to give them credit for *trying* to go in dept with the characters and how they came to be this way but, firstly, they were trying to answer questions nobody was asking, and secondly, almost all stories were very generic and predictable (not that the more original ones were actually good).
The only reason I'm giving such a high rating is that ten minutes after finishing season two, as I'm writing this final sentence, I'm ready to forget it exists.
Gentleman Jack (2019)
Main character too unlikable, wrong tone & fill scenes
So I watched 3.5 episodes of this show and while I thought it started alright now I feel it was nothing more than a waste of my time.
The main character has no positive qualities in my opinion. She has good survival skills, which was fun enough to watch for a couple of episodes but other than that she's bigoted and she keeps invalidating people around her who have only been good to her and frankly have more positive traits. There is that one little side story which is supposed to make her seem like a good person but to me the thing is just forced into the story and her character and seems too unimportant and slowly developing at this stage to really care about.
I also don't remember watching another show which is so concentrated on butting in as many sexual and romantic scene as possible when there is really nothing interesting going on in them - most tell us nothing about the story or the characters, it just feels as if they had too much time to fill in.
In the beginning it felt more like a parody of such shows and the time period which could have been fun, but now it seems they intend it to be an actual serious drama and the whole thing just really doesn't work for me.
Father's Day (2019)
Has issues but I would recommend
A realistic show about a divorce between a man and a woman who also have an 8-year-old boy. The story tries to show all sides and I would say it does a fair job but didn't go deep enough.
I think the first three episodes were extremely good, then it's almost like the rest is written by different people, until it comes back at the very end.
In regards to acting, I think the main characters were played very well while most of the secondary ones which were in for a few minutes or so seemed to not have enough to work with. It was a problem because of the contrast - on one hand you have people who seem quite real, on the other hand you have the plasterboard ones.
There was something similar going on with the characters themselves. While the male characters were pretty well written for the most time, the females were mostly one-dimensional and only had development in the very end of the last episode.
The show overall was a bit of an odd mixture between very realistically done characters and stories and some which seemed almost like parodies (such as the scenes in court). I certainly did not like how violence was dealt with by the writers but it's the culture here - if you are a guy and someone says something bad to you or you simply don't like how they treat you, just hit them or push them and go with the "they pushed my buttons" defense.
However, I would still recommend it because it deals with very real issues and can definitely make people think more and consider other perspectives. Many divorces turn into wars between the parents, and the children are often neglected or used as weapons, and people need to pay attention to this and learn how not to do these mistakes.
Hanna (2011)
Coming of age can be brutal, and so can this movie
Coming of age can also be extremely confusing and more or less fun, and so is this movie. Don't be fooled by the synopsis, this is not your typical CIA/FBI/whatever thriller. It's intense, it's action-packed, yes, but it's also weird and surreal. This movie is original, yet filled with cliches, it's beautiful yet grim and brutal. Surely there is a lot to unpack if one must analyse the "meaning" of it all and how it relates to real life. To me at the moment it seems just as meaningless as teenage years tend to be: life jumps at you and you try to survive, and no matter how much you were "prepared" for it, it's all a big mess that you'll probably try to forget until the rest of your life.
If you are not into weird movies, don't watch this. If you like having neat stories you won't like this. It's not something to pass time, in my opinion, because there is just so much happening all the time. The story, the cinematography, the music, the characters, it's all changing and creating different layers of conflict all the time. It's easier to say what this movie isn't than what it is, so I guess if you are into that sort of weirdness, you have found your movie of the week, or maybe the month.
6.5/10 from me for the way it was executed in relation to sound, visuals, and acting, and for bringing a different experience. I would have liked something more in regards to how the characters and the story were developed (weirdness is not an excuse for having no character development, be it one which makes no sense, in my opinion). I am not a fan of using characters merely as symbols, but if you are, it probably won't be a problem for you then.
P.S. It reminded me of "Legion" (Marvel) but with no character development and worse storytelling. I think "Legion" is fantastic, just to be clear about that.
The Perez Family (1995)
The meaning of family and the meaning of freedom
I would like to start with saying that I have not read the book (yet). To me the movie was poorly made and the main reasons were that a lot of things happening were not made clear to the audience and that the characters' motivations were often unclear.
To me one interesting aspect of the story was that the meaning of "family" was analysed by looking at the form and function and how it affects the people involved (rather than taking strangers and showing how they love and support each other unlike their families, although they are not formally related). It is a trope used in some Christmas flicks but in a different way which I never found satisfactory.
What I liked the most was how the meaning of "freedom" was shown. In order for the characters to be free, they had to let go of their illusions because they were the ones actually creating the prisons. The theme was very clear throughout the story and was common for most of the characters.
Overall, although not the clearest movie in regards to story and character motivation, I think it is worth a go and could actually be better the second time.
Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Barely made it 35 minutes in and here is why
I have to say the jokes in this movie are quite unique, unfortunately in a very bad way. I never expect much in movies like this in regards to story, plot, or the visual aspect. However, the humour and the acting have to be spot on in order for a comedy to work.
There is a simply rule when it comes to making comedy: build a certain expectation -> don't meet it. This movie does exactly the opposite as it builds an expectation, then meets it 100% and the joke is supposed to be that the characters are somewhat surprised by what happens. The result is zero laughs and nothing for the actors to work with (I have never seen Atkinson so bland before).
It is beyond me how there are people who find this funny as there was not a single joke that worked for me but I guess read reviews on both ends and see what works for you.
The Gifted (2017)
Season one was bearable, two is not
I've been an X-men fan ever since I can remember. This is the only reason I've stuck so far with the show. However, the writing is poor and only getting worse. Apparently there is no budget so most of the show is just people talking and explaining their feelings and thoughts and going through things we have already seen or know from others. More like a soap than anything. The acting is OK for a show like this and Polaris' looks are done well, but these are the only good things I can say. If you want to watch something which is actually worth it, better try the animated series about mutants, any of them are better than this.
Jessica Jones (2015)
Season 2: utter letdown
I very much loved season one and I can't believe I was waiting for this for three years. During season one I cared about all the characters and the stories. However, season 2 is extremely weak: as much as I wanted to, I didn't care about any of the characters and any of the stories; the show was extremely slow; the protagonist and the antagonist never had clear goal for more than a couple of episodes and they were not goals I cared about; Trish and Malcolm became so annoying (and I loved them the previous season). The only exception to all this is Jerry, but her story just didn't seem like a part of this show, more like a standalone. I just can't point to a single thing that I liked in season 2. I had to watch it in fast-forward after a few episodes just so I don't drop it. I really hope they get proper writers for next season. I only give it a 6/10 because of season 1, otherwise it would be a 1/10.
This Is Your Death (2017)
A movie about empathy and change
I will start by saying that I loved this movie. I am surprised to see so many reviews about this movie being about reality TV or look at it like it is supposed to be realistic. To me using this plot with the reality show is simply to be able to tell a much more meaningful story about life and death and the power of empathy.
Warning: heavy SPOILERS ahead!
***
To me there were two main points in 'The Show':
1) First, that it is not ideas that change people, it is empathy, real people.
We see the story of a confused man who could not overcome the meaningless deaths he witnessed in the beginning of the movie. However, rather than trying to deal with it, understand how it affected him, he decides to teach the world a lesson, to change the world.
So he goes ahead with this 'reality show' where people kill themselves in front of camera as he wants to teach people the value of life and death, while he doesn't much understand it himself. He does so quite narrow mindedly, without being able to give people something truly meaningful, counting on that people would simply start appreciating life by seeing others die. Throughout the movie we see that his message does not reach people - they either watch the show for entertainment, routing for people to die, or they hate it and want it down. And they do not understand it because he does not - the show is based on his need to understand death rather than on empathy and knowledge.
2) The second idea I see is that it is life and love which create meaning and which are capable of changing people, not death, as the main character believes. We are introduced to this idea through the story of two secondary characters: the sister of the main character and a participant in the show whom we get to know throughout the movie.
The sister ends up killing herself in the show which deeply affects the main character. His sister was meaningful to him when she was alive, she was his last family. He needed her to stay alive because he loved her. Her death is supposed to make him understand that he should have looked for meaning in life, rather than in death.
The last participant in this show was a broken man who could not support his family. We are shown they have a pretty good relationship, although not perfect. He wants so much for them to have money that he is willing to die. However, in the last moment he realizes that he loves them too much, and is much more valuable to them alive, therefore does not go with his plan. Until this point the audience was shouting for people to off themselves, and this was the first time in the movie we actually see them routing for a participant to stay alive, supporting life rather than death. Which was, in the end, the idea of the host.
***
As a conclusion, I think this movie shows us that empathy, strength, and life are what really touches people and makes them route for life, not ideas and not death. The main character stopped his madness when he felt empathy for the first time in a while, and the audience changed when they felt empathy for the man who is willing to live and love.