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jonas-rudberg
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One More Time (2023)
"Groundhog day" in a Swedish (and very pink) small town setting
On her 40th birthday, Amelia is hit by a bus and wakes up in her bed to her parents singing "Happy Birthday". She reluctantly realises that she is 18 again and that the year is 2002. Her best friend Moa is throwing a party for Amelia, who turns out to be the popular hot girl ("every boy in school is in love with you" as one of them shyly tells her). In her 2024 (?) life not so much, she is bored, alone and feels lost in her adulthood. However, Amelia has to relive her 18th birthday over and over again with slight variations - in a very well known manner. (Plus: the movie has a few peculiar resemblances to Mårlind and Steins sadly underrated "Storm" (2005), more on that below.)
Nice story, nice acting, nice setting and costume (pink and pastels in abundance), nice 2002 markers, "nice" everything. The soundtrack is nice too. You get it.
"One More Time" could've been a complete disaster, painfully drowning in niceness - if it weren't for one thing: Hedda Stiernstedt in the lead, as Amelia. She alone carries the movie on her shoulders and makes it quite watchable, albeit immensely predictable. Stiernstedt is an absolutely perfect cast for this role, even at 35 she has the youthful look that actually works ... with just a grain of suspension of disbelief.
Well, the story is... nice, and keeps rolling in well-familiar tracks. If it's worth your time depends on how much you are into feel-good coming-of-age romantic drama, and how much pink/pastels your eyes can stand. And yes, if you are a fan of Teddybears Sthlm (I am!) it helps, too.
With that said, it wouldn't hurt if Netflix levels up the request for writing skills, just a tad or so.
Similarities to "Storm"? A certain kind of accident in key scenes, and moreover: the answer is hidden in a secret box. Yup.
Bienvenidos a Edén (2022)
Thrilling TV-drama with a European touch, maybe too clever for some?!
Although, it's not THAT clever, at least not in terms of one being able to follow the plot. It is good enough acting, well written story with some twists - but not overcomplicated, very suspenseful on the whole, and a fascinating, beautiful setting on an "paradise" Mediterranean* island.
Trust me, it is WAY better than the ratings suggest. Reasons for the surprisingly low avarage score (currently 5.5) might be:
a) the abrupt finale of season one, leaving a cliffhanger of the decade (relax, folks! There WILL be a second season)
b) the show is in Spanish which most Americans tend to have a problem with (get over it! Switch to dubbing or, better, turn on the subtitles)
c) some slow parts mid-season one which obviously made a bunch of viewers leave (but why rate if you do not watch the whole thing?)
"Welcome to Eden" is for everyone that has ever dreamt of escaping their ordinary life to a place where dreams come true. Or, maybe not come true... It is for everyone who can appreciate the variation of settings, language and intrigue developments.
Most of all - it is for anyone who enjoys a good show with some, but not too much, psychological depth.
(* supposedly Mediterrainean, in reality filmed on Lanzarote, Canary Islands)
The Watcher (2022)
Good start, disappointing end
UPDATE: My first review (below) was written after only 2 episodes, and by then I gave it a strong "7". Big mistake, sorry for that. Although I came to terms with the male lead's "over-acting" (that's in the character, so it's appropriate) the story itself implodes in an unsatisfying way. Just like several others have pointed out, the show really loses most of its logic (if there ever were any) in the 5th episode. And from there on, it's just getting worse.
There are lots of things that COULD have make for a great show: the original story, supposedly base on true events, and the setting in a fascinating (and strange) suburban community. The actors are not to blame, either, they're mostly doing well. The authors - not so much.
So, "The Watcher" will be of interest if you are a playwright and want to study failures; such as allowing big plot holes, overcomplicating things and how to NOT develop a story. If you're not, avoid. Waste of time.
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A huge, super expensive old house with beautiful surroundings. A neat, married couple 40 something, two kids (15 and 12, maybe). A ferret. And neighbors who all are characters picked right out of the "not-so-scary-but-labelled-horror-anyway" movie catalogue. Strange letters, creepy sudden appearances, vague but ominous statements about the house... you probably get it, you've probably even seen it before.
If you can stand Bobby Cannavale's constant over-acting and ignore the fact that you have seen Noami Watts doing much more interesting stuff, then this is for you. Because, all said and done, actually fun, fast paced and fairly intruiging.
Having seen only the first two episodes I still have hope. This is not groundbreaking TV, but it is certainly above standard Netflix quality.
To be updated (see above!)
Keep Breathing (2022)
Hey, this is not another wilderness adventure - it's WAY better than that
This is not about surviving in a remote NW Territory forest.
This is about surviving childhood - and life.
Unfortunate labelling: "adventure", yes but not in the way you expect; "thriller" - nope.
Excellent acting, clever use of flashbacks vs real time scenes, and - of course - breathtakingly beautiful scenery.
If you expected a survival thriller, just skip this one. Don't whine about "unrealistic", that's completely irrelevant (and, for the most part, just not true).
But if you have read and understood the first two lines, please watch and enjoy! Episode 5 is one of the most beautiful I've seen on Netflix. Ever. And Melissa Barrera is absolutely outstanding as the lead.
Vi i villa (2022)
Nice but nothing overwhelming. Decent show to watch on a rainy day...
... especially if you belong to the "upper middle class" and happen to live in a "villa suburb" in Sweden or some country with simlilar cultural references.
I do not, although I am Swedish. But evenso I can enjoy much of the show (having seen 4 out of 6 episodes). Much due to the main character, played by Mattias Nordkvist, who has become kind of a personal of mine favorite since his outstanding achievement in the masterpiece "Vår tid är nu" (2017-19). He also starred in "White Wall" (2020), the latter being an underrated sci-fi thriller, well worth watching. In "Vi i villa" Mr. Nordkvist is also doing his job very well, but his character is not very complex. The script is what it is.
The story is about Anders, a middle-aged middle class man who feels trapped in his unexciting life. He doesn't like his work as a manager on a speaker's agency, being terrorised by his pretty near psycotic boss (Filip Berg is perfect in this role). One day he discovers that his young daughter is bullied by her class mates. So Anders decides for revenge. At first minor misdemeanors, later on more advanced deeds such as blowing up a car using a very unusual - and amusing - method. Of course these acts are not targeted at the pupils, rather at their parents.
It is often funny, with a scent of gravity, but not anything that makes you yearn for the next episode (hence, me having watched only two thirds so far).
When it comes to acting I disagree with the former reviewer! Blame it on the script, maybe on direction, but not on the actors. Noticeable are Johan Widerberg, who goes all in as the alpha male wannabe Martin, an extremely superficial and annoying person and Sanna Sundqvist, who portrays Anders' wife Filippa with bravour.
Although I agree - the 4:3 format is just silly. Maybe it's meant to give the impression of an amateur recorded real life movie, together with the often poorly lit scenery. Looks a bit "last century" although the show obviously takes place in present time. So it does not make any sense at all.
For some reason Vi i villa has been excessively praised by some Swedish professional reviewers, using phrases like "the best you can watch on streaming right now" etc. That might rather reflect their own identification with Anders and the middle-class middle aged thing.
EDIT: after finishing this show, I have to change my rating from formerly 6 to 7. All because of the final episode, which makes up for a lot. It is a rare thing to see such an improvement over the course of a season, the opposite is unfortunately quite more common. In order not to spoil the ending I will stop with this: in episode 6 there are true emotions and a real connection with things that matters in life. Cred to the playwright(s).
Dopamin (2022)
Hospital romance and crime ... and a waste of talent
First I thought IMDb had moved the user review part to the Pro section. I mean, 3 weeks after premiere still none?
Well, I go first then. Actually, I can understand the lack of interest. The Danes are, by rights, famous for their TV-series; both drama and crime. But this one, aired on Discovery Plus, suffers hard from lacking a credible plot. The acting is okay, the script and the direction is not.
The sex scenes (not many nor very explicit) are probably the best ones. Which tells us something about the overall quality of the series.
Well, the story is about people working in a (fictitious) hospital in Aalborg, Denmark. Two of the main characters Maiken (nurse) and Jacob (aspiring surgeon) are in a relation that seems to be drying out. But that will change when a new nurse, Ida, arrives from Norway to join the crew. She is the third main. Very outgoing, good looking and seductive and very soon we are assured that she will have a great impact on Maikens and Jacobs relation. As well as she has on the everyday life (and death) in the hospital.
I will try not to spoil anything, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out there is something fundamentally wrong with this Ida from Norway. If you have googled the title you already know what that "wrong" is - yes, the description from the production company already tells most of the story. Maybe a sign of how much faith they put in it?
Generally decent acting, and sometimes the chemistry between Maiken (Amalie Dollerup) and Ida (Josefine Frida) sparkles, at least in the first few episodes. Jonathan Harboe as Jacob is also doing well. Josefine Frida is known from Norwegian blockbuster SKAM (Shame) in which she plays Noora, a much more complex and likeable character which also suits the actress better. And SKAM is of course a series far more watchable!
The season ending is ... unsatisfying, to say the least. If someone thought that kind of ending would make us want to see a second one, think again. It's just making me angry, realising I have spent four hours in vain.
One big question remain - why "Dopamin"? Yes it is a neurotransmitter, known as the "pleasure chemical" or "addiction hormone". But it is never mentioned in the series, nor by any means explained.
One warning, also. If you chose to watch the trailer, you will get to see more or less all the key scenes in this series. So please avoid. That is, if you really want to watch Dopamin. I recommend not to.
Lust (2022)
Waste of talent ... not funny
Well, what can I say. It was a very long time since you could amuse or shock an audience by using words like "knulla" (the f word). And it was never a good idea to have grown ups talk like they were 11 years old. Sadly the playwright seems to be unaware of these facts.
The cast includes some of the best Swedish actresses. Elin Klinga (Himlen är oskyldigt blå) and Julia Dufvenius (Heder) are great performers, not to mention Sofia Helin (The Bridge). Unfortunately it doesn't help this so-called comedy about the sex life of middle-aged women very much. A lame script is a lame script.
Yes, there are some decent scenes (or maybe indecent, due to the subject) - much relying on good acting. But for the most part I feel ashamed of being a Swede watching the series; after all there is not very much Made in Sweden on HBO - or other streaming services. We can do so much better than this.
Any good comedy should have some core of seriousness. The subject of female sexuality while getting older would make for an interesting drama AND comedy, in some other creator's hands, that is.
If you wish to see Swedish comedy, skip this one and try "Love and Anarchy" (Netflix). If you want some depth, stick to Ingmar Bergman.
Katla (2021)
Brilliant idea, fantastic scenery but... logic fails and the end is a disaster
YES - the basic idea is very similar to Stanislaw Lem's/Andrej Tarkovskij's "Solaris" novel and film, which are masterpieces, far above "Katla" in all aspects.
Still it would be great to base a modern TV-series on that idea. Could be great, that is. Iceland with vulcanos and glaciers is a perfect setting; probably the best equivalent (on Earth) to an enigmatic ocean planet.
(100 per cent SPOILERS will follow, be warned).
In spite of a promising and well played first few episodes, "Katla" fails. The lack of logical and believable actions by most characters, pointed out by many, is only one problem. The concept of people meeting their challenges in form of "changelings" (clones) is not very well handled. At he same time obscure and overexplained; a rather shallow take on the psychological aspect. Again, "Solaris" is everything this show is not.
Katla could still be worth watching and, maybe even a 7 star rating, due to the (mostly) good acting and breathtakingly beautiful and eerie landscape, and (at least some) thought provoking psychological drama.
BUT - the final episodes ruins it. Overexplicit, not very logical and far less credible. Even the acting is poor; but that is to blame on the script.
Second worst scene: the Russian Roulette (Grima and her clone). Utterly unlikely even in this context. Worst scene: the deliberate drowning of the boy. By his parents! Yes, I know he's supposedly not human (maybe not even real) but I don't care. The brain doesn't care, for God's sake, it sees two adults drowning their own child.
Nine year old Hlynur Harðarson (who acts the boy in question) is also Katla's best actor, which doesn't exactly make the scene less horrible. Along with "suicide warning" there should be a "dreadful child murder" warning.
The very ending only lays it out for a second season. Really, more of the same? Don't think so. What I AM thinking, is whether or not I should keep my Netflix subscription.
--> BELOW, my first review after watching 4 episodes // Probably the most important when writing a sfi-fi story with supernatural/inexplicable elements is to get the characters reactions to those elements believable and relatable. "Katla" creators, sadly, fail big time.
If you have never seen any sfi-fi or mystery TV in your entire life, you might be awe-struck even by (for everyone else) familiar tropes. It almost feels like the writers belong to these unforunates (although that is not the case).
However, if you are a charachter in a sci-fi dramathriller, you SHOULD be awe-struck by certain elements - or at least start asking questions. //
The Rain: And This Too Shall Pass (2020)
Satisfying finale = best episode of season 3
While I was (still am) disappointed with the whole of S3, I have to admit the creators of The Rain made it up to some extent with this last episode.
Actually they surprised me a bit, not so much plot-wise as the manner E.6 played out. Neat and focused, well acted as usual and reasonable logical (as far as sci-fi logic goes).
P.S. (= mild spoiler) Having complained about poor soundtrack choices in my reviews of previous episodes, I guess I must add one thing: the song played in the end ("Majesty" by Norwegian epic band Madrugada) is nothing less than perfection!
The Rain: Love Yourself (2020)
It's getting darker ...
... in so many ways. To get the gist of my disappiontment; please read my reviews of previous episodes. Just one addition: even the soundtrack gets worse. For unclear reasons, some tone-deaf member of the production team apparently saw fit to add their personal favorite tracks from their Spotify list to certain scenes.
Oh yes; these songs could be great - in a different context. Here they are just over-the-top-explicit ... cliche-like lyrics, probably ment to enhance the feeling of sadness and despair. It does not. Sometimes silence is the best music.
The Rain: Be the Change You Want in the World (2020)
So ... this is it?
Hm. The ideas and creativity for this show were basically left down in the previous seasons ... well, I can still enjoy the settings; dark desolated (or not so desolated!) houses, great CGI in most places ... and (very obscure spoiler): there is definitely one certain "Breaking Bad" moment in this episode! Thus: the "5".
People get killed. People on the run. People loosing trust ... so do I.
The Rain: Stay Strong (2020)
Hopes are rising for a decent final (of) season 3
OK - I will watch it til' the end! After a truly great season 1, I was a bit disappointed by the second; even more so now; half-way through the third and last (?) Like other reviewers have said: I watch it just because I _have_ to see how it ends. Sometimes I feel almost like fast-forwarding ... of course I do not; but problem might be that the script guys and the director seem to have had that feeling too.
The Rain: Stay Strong (2020)
Hopes are rising for a decent final (of) season 3
OK - I will watch it til' the end! After a truly great season 1, I was a bit disappointed by the second; even more so now; half-way through the third and last (?) Like other reviewers have said: I watch it just because I _have_ to see how it ends. Sometimes I feel almost like fast-forwarding ... of course I do not; but problem might be that the script guys and the director seem to have had that feeling too.
The Rain: Never Let Go (2020)
It strangely reminds me of Lost ...
(huge spoiler) ... everytime I see the Black Smoke virus (!) jetting out from Rasmus's hands. OK - I have to admit that CGI _has_ improved since the mystic island drama (although the Monster was embarassingly poor even by 2004's standards ... I mean, wasn't The Matrix released 1999 already?)
But it is not just a matter of impressive HD resolution for the (pretty cute) visual effects. It is also about making something, unlikely to happen, likely - so to speak. Or at least not unvoluntarily amusing.
The Rain: Don't Give Up (2020)
Expected (at least hoped for) more than this
My hopes were high - my expectations not so much. "The Rain"s 1st season was remarkable; thanks to a (mostly) intelligent script, very good acting and fantastic sceneries. Season 2 did not impress me so much; mostly because I felt like the storyline got stuck ... somewhere in a huge, desolated ware-house, maybe. Still good acting and settings (when outdoors); script including dialogue less creative, though.
However, even these pretty low expectations were deceeded. I don't want to spoil anything important; let's just say "more of the same, but less interesting". Rating even as high as 5/10 is _only_ because of Alba August amazing actor's skills.