arendv Reviews

Better Call Saul (2015–2022)

Tedious and Boring

[2/10 · 12 January 2023]

Half way through season 2 and I am so bored. Waiting, wanting for something to happen maybe even some violence or a death would do. Maybe just for the show to end.. The main character Jimmy is interesting, however. His acting is exceptional for a tough role. Maybe it's just the law office world he's in that is so unbearably boring. That and the abysmal pacing of the show..I long for some action so much so that I might even indulge in a childish super hero movie just to reawaken and reboot my system..The series started off interesting enough but descended into an overly long portrayal .of the moral dilemma journey that Jimmy was on. By itself this theme of wrestling with his basic nature and what was expected or even right was.certainly a legitimate theme but it was just so tedious....

Blood & Treasure (2019–2022)

Cliches and stereotypes....

[2/10 · 7 June 2021]

Gets better in later episodes but so riddled with cliches and stereotypes that the script seemed to be written with the goal of how many campy lines can we stuff into the dialogue. Utterly predictable and shallow written for a 14 year old. Terrible editing. Sometimes there was not even an attempt to transition between scenes, just an abrupt end. There was simply no flow, just a bunch of scenes pasted together. Acting was ok but not a lot of depth with a script so devoid of authenticity or realism.... I actually liked the way flashbacks to the past were handled with the dates and maps. It pulled together the storyline whereas in many films I often get confused when the film just jumps into the past without a reference or relevance point.

Luther (2010–2019)

Criminal pathology in the extreme

[10/10 · 14 April 2021]

So many of the reviews here assume that this is a police procedural and should basically conform to basic expectations of police behavior and situational engagement with some allowances for pushing the boundaries. After all, this is a tv thrilller and should have unexpected moments and encounters which mostly revolve around difficult moral dilemmas. These reviewers are disappointed that their expectations are unmet. But, I think they have missed the point of the show which is a deep dive into the extremes of criminal psychology and the dark shadow of lawlessness that can reside in coppers sworn to uphold the law. This is not about crime but about psychosis and psychopathology in its most dysfunctional and virulent forms and that deep repressed personal aspect called our shadow. It is hard to watch as we are taken into a world so unfamiliar and irrational that our minds seek to return to our familiar world of shared values and standards but not here. We are brought face to face with a dark realm as our main character, Luther, is compulsively engaged in mortal combat with his shadow in the form of the criminals he chases and pure evil that is revealed to be extreme psychosis. Luther's obsession reminds us of another famous epic struggle of Ahab and the white whale Moby Dick.... The devil comes to Luther in the form of the seductress Alice who is both ally and friend yet depraved criminal who without remorse murdered her parents who tempts Luther to disgard his contrived integrity. . We find ourselves in a world without a moral compass desperate to find our way to the light but betrayed by our emotions and needs.... This is a complex show with many parts to unravel...

The Mentalist (2008–2015)

If you like abysmally shallow, inauthentic stereotypes then watch this show...

[1/10 · 10 April 2021]

Every time I watch an episode, I feel that I'm in an advert for perfect grooming, not a hair out of place not even on the sets..,. I guess the attempt here is to make a crime thriller for the Jr high crowd portraying a criminal world concocted in the Disney studios with cardboard characters, adolescent relationships and a message that psychic and intuitive awareness are fraudulent and need an overaged juvenile Sherlock Holmes who can debunk it. If you need more depth, realism and adult maturity, try Elementary..... but if you need to watch tv with teens this might fit the bill... Addendum: So, 4th season makes a shift. The most robotic actress painfully locked into a cosmetic wrapper was freed to actually be someone authentic. Something shifted and more realism was injected into the script. I guess someone got the message. Though, the main character is still so wimpy, always hiding from the danger and smiling to hide his cowardness...

Collide (I) (2016)

Surprisingly enjoyable

[8 January 2017]

This is not a movie with deep meaning, a complex plot or redeeming value but was surprisingly enjoyable. The primary characters were not glamorous but rather down to earth which lent a certain innocence and believability. I thought their acting was excellent and sustained the movie through to the end. The bad guys deserve kudos. Ben Kingsley and Anthony Hopkins played quirky drug lords which they pulled off really well in a low key manner. These are often the most difficult characters to pull off in a movie, often being overly done but not here. The secondary bad guys were superbly cast and relentless in the chase which kept the tension level high through the entire movie. Plot wise this was a basic caper gone wrong and chase movie with a surprising twist at the end. Wreakage and carnage on the Autobahn while extensive, was not overdone. In fact, the chase scenes and crash scenes were really well choreographed and not over the top or gratuitous. The only weakness was the ending which was predictable and didn't follow through which left a feeling of abruptness, probably forced through mandatory time constraints. As a result, Anthony Hopkin's character and story did not feel complete. Collide was great entertainment that didn't require deep thought to enjoy....

Comment: the main characters were not "backpackers" but rather ex- pats living and working in Germany. Seems to be growing tendency to refer to anyone between 20-30 as backpackers...

The Transporter Refueled (2015)

One dimensional

[20 November 2015]

Stunningly awful… I felt like I was watching robots mechanically delivering an emotionally vapid performance. Now if this was a pre-take walk through, it could be forgiven but as the final cut, it was deplorable. Only the father exuded some warmth and presence as a character that one could identify with and appreciate. The sheer lack of depth of the other characters was only matched by the lame attempts to humanize them. I am nearly speechless at how artificial the attempts were. Not sure if this was due to a really bad script, bad directing or terrible editing. I think the women made a valiant effort to give some dimension to their characters but in the end the whole enterprise was a sinking ship and the cast knew it….