mdentfineart Reviews

The Gilded Age (2022– )

Feeble attempts at American Downton Abbey.

[6/10 · 15 February 2023]

As the title suggests, the series relies on gilded interiors, garish wardrobe and abundance of glistening jewels to carry its story. The story itself, although showing much promise, is moving too slowly to keep my attention. There are definitely parts of it that might be very interesting and could develop into a true drama, but honestly, I'm not sure it will keep my attention long enough for that to happen. I'm at s1 e5 and if the show was cancelled tomorrow, I wouldn't be heartbroken. It has not truly captured my attention. Let's face it, American writing will never equal English/European writing.

For now, I watch to learn some interesting tidbits of 19th century New York (that I hope are correct) but I'm not sure I'll make it to season 2.

Stowaway (I) (2021)

How not to kill a stowaway in 10 days? Another Netflix dud.

[3/10 · 11 May 2021]

Honestly, this movie felt like it lasted 10 days. Netflix really needs to stop making these "sci-fi" movie specials. They are embarrassing themselves. This latest production is another cookie cutter failure. Iffy premise, no science whatsoever, and it's basically different "story", different actors, same boring stuff complete with: * long shots down the corridors, with lights turning on and off (plus mournful music) * characters staring at each other or the space, meaningfully * one "commander"/pilot and two science "geeks" who don't seem to know anything about the ship. (what happens when commander is killed?) * "Science-fiction" that has about as much to do with actual science as Lord of the Rings.

Does Netflix think their viewers are stupid? They must. Oh, we mustn't forget these couple of boners: 1. They find a stowaway, patch him up and then just leave him alone in the ship and walk away. I mean, the guy could have been a serial killer for all we know. Or someone bent on sabotaging the ship, but hey, let's just leave him alone to do as he will.

2. They had room for huge fancy mugs but no room for back ups of critical systems like CO2 scrubber? Wow.

I've taken a look at the "goofs" section and laughed because, let's face it, the whole movie is one big goof, only sad. I've never seen a sadder bunch of "astronauts".

The last 20~30 min of it was simply painful to watch. Enter obligatory sun storm (which, strangely enough, we can predict on Earth but apparently cannot do that in space) and about 10 min of listening to Anna make weird noises every time she moves while her character sacrifices herself for the crew... Phleeease!!! Netflix, just STOP!

Underwater (2020)

We found the Kraken!

[6/10 · 24 April 2020]

Actually I had two titles for my review. The other was: "Well, what do you know, Kristen can (almost) act! I wanted to give this title a 6.5 because it wasn't really that bad... What I really appreciated and what really bothers me about most sci-fi movies, is that there weren't that many slow moments. The action starts almost immediately and is non-stop. There aren't too many scenes where characters stand around and look at each other meaningfully while the disaster happens all around them. So many movies nowadays are full of those. It kept me guessing - I was never sure whether the main character Norah was going to be the only survivor or were others going to make it a swell. Or maybe they were all doomed? And even though I'm no expert on deep water drilling, I don't think there were too many scientific goofs, at least nothing that made me think, "no way!" and jarred me out of the experience. So, I actually enjoyed the movie except at the end I was left wanting to know more about the creature. Where did it come from? What was it? What was its relationship of the smaller, human-like creatures? I wanted to know! Favourite moment: the tunnel where it's caved in and dips under water, Norah says: "I'm the smallest, I'll check it out." The deep dive suits are all the same size, Sherlock!

Sanditon (2019–2023)

Not a true Jane Austen

[4/10 · 24 February 2020]

I more or less enjoyed this new adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished last novel, until the last episode. Whatever anyone says about Andrew Davies, he DOES NOT understand Jane Austen's spirit and should never have been allowed to "finish" that novel and adapt it for TV. There is no way in hell Jane would have allowed the main heroine, a beautiful, innocent girl with a loving heart, to come to an unhappy end with a broken heart. Never. She would have found a way to solve all the problems and make everyone happy, that was her special magic. This was such a disappointment. Jane Austen: 8, Andrew Davies: 4.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

Edgy, real, raw, a definite 10!

[10/10 · 12 January 2020]

This is hands down THE best spy flick I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the 007 series etc., but they are all about the glamour, pretty girls and wise cracks. Atomic Blonde is so much more real and gritty and, I'm going to guess, much closer to the real life of a spy. The added bonus is the fact the spy is a strong female and I have to admit I was surprised that ratings by female viewers were not higher? What's wrong with you, ladies? Don't like a strong woman as a movie lead, kicking a$$? Speaking of that, the fight scenes were absolutely AMAZING! Dirty, bloody, exquisitely choreographed and truly believable. And for the X Gen: what a pleasure to listen to the music of our youth. I'd give it an 11!

The Report (I) (2019)

Surprisingly great watch.

[8/10 · 29 December 2019]

I honestly thought this was going to be dry and boring and, have to admit, watched it only because of Adam Driver. What a wonderful surprise! This movie exposes how the US government works (or doesn't?). How different branches work against each other to server their own purposes. The lying and cover up is prevalent. Everyone covers someone else's back so that, when time comes, they can call in the favour. The realization that is obvious to me is that US is no better than some of the eastern countries they fight with and consider below them, they just dress it in prettier clothes of "democracy". That this report ever came to light is nearly a miracle and we need more people like Senator Feinstein and Dan Jones in any governing body. Do not miss this movie.

The Witcher (2019– )

Excellent series and more enjoyable than the books.

[9/10 · 22 December 2019]

I have to admit, thoroughly enjoyed the first season of the adaptation. This is so much better than the books so, kudos to the production team! The book translations are so tedious and awkward, it's hard to read them even though I love Fantasy stories. Could never understand why they were best sellers. The actors chosen to play characters were very well picked, too. The only 2 nitpicks I have are these: It would have been helpful for people who have not read the books to give some kind of indication that the scenes with Geralt in them were happening in the past and the ones with Ciri were the "present" / future and that the two timelines were on a converging course. It took my husband too many episodes to figure it out (I did not clue him in) and as a result he was quite confused as to what was happening. The second nitpick is the use of the word "f" in this series (AND in the books). It just doesn't fit this type of story. I'm sorry... Every time Geralt or someone else utters it, it just sounds so contrived and fake, totally jarring with the reality of the story around. And no, I'm not a prude, I use it all the time.

The Handmaid's Tale (2017–2025)

The Handmaid's Too Long Tale.

[6/10 · 25 October 2019]

When I started watching this show, it was fantastic. I would have given it an 8 star rating for the 1st season. 7 for the second but now, in the middle of 3rd season, it's only 6. As many have said before me, this should have been a mini-series and should have stuck to the original material in the book. But no, the producers/network have to stretch it as long as they can so they can milk it until the Handmaid is dry. Bad mistake. From different and edgy, this show is becoming a "same poop, different episode" kind of story. How many times can they go over the same conflicts, over and over and over? How many times will the main characters flip flop from one side to the other? The cinematography that was edgy and inventive in the 1st season is now boring and painful. Seems like every second scene is in slow motion, or people walking up and down the stairs, glaring at walls... I've been watching this on Crave and basically started the 3rd season with my mouse hovering over the "forward 10 seconds" button because it's so boring and so full of those long, empty spaces. If I have to see another shot of Ms. Moss walking slowly or staring at the camera, I'll puke. Speaking of that, if my Handmaid was this slow answering every question and summons and gave me those murderous looks, I'd probably be whipping her daily. Yes, we know Ms. Moss can act, now let's get on with the story. Ah, the story... Some huge logic gaps here now that we are not following the book anymore. Imagine this: in a society where Handmaids have basically no rights and their only purpose is to breed, a young, naive girl who is "free" and married makes a mistake of having an affair and is immediately executed together with her lover, yet a handmaid who has a long history of insubordination kidnaps a child, THE most precious thing in Gilead, and helps it escape the country, burns the house and commits a number of other crimes, but, nah, let's just whisk her off to another Commander, one who happens to be the founder of Gilead and one who, unexplainably, just ignores a resistance network run at his house. Yeah.... NO. Things just don't add up and it feels as if the writers are grasping at straws to come up with a story just to keep it going.

Honestly, at this point the only reason I am still watching is because I want to see some kind of resolution at the end. Hope I don't have to wait 10 years for it.

Ad Astra (2019)

Next time try mindfulness meditation, Brad.

[2/10 · 29 September 2019]

This had to be THE slowest, boring movie I have seen in a very long time. First of all, it has no business being called a Science Fiction. It was a long, drawn out, painful psycho-drama. You will basically spend 2 hrs watching Brad's character psychoanalyze himself in slo mo only to finally find his dad (honestly wasn't sure we were ever gonna get there) and realize his dad is an a-hole and he should be more present in the now. May I suggest mindful meditation next, it would have had a similar effect without having to spend the money on filming the movie. The only reason I didn't give it a 1 is because some of the visuals are truly stunning. That was, truly, the only part of the movie I enjoyed.

Better Than Us (2018–2019)

Give it a chance.

[7/10 · 8 September 2019]

The main flaw of this series is that it starts very, very slow. They take for ever to set up the story and the dialogue moves at snail's pace. But, if you give it a chance and make it to episode 4 or 5, you will be rewarded. The story becomes increasingly complex and involved, you start rooting for certain characters and it's quite an enjoyable watch. The acting is excellent but Pauling Andreeva (Arisa) truly stands out. There were moments when I wasn't totally sure she wasn't a robot after all... Give it a chance.

Another Life (2019–2021)

The Sci-Fi without the "Sci" part.

[3/10 · 4 August 2019]

Jeezus, this could have been so good. I soo WANTED it to be good. Huge fan of Katee Sackhoff, so when I saw a new Netflix series with her in starring role, I couldn't wait to see it. Katee, you are such a good actor, what were you thinking???

I don't even know where to start...

The crew: as others mentioned, this is NOT a group of astronauts, the Earth's best sent out to contact the Alien race that sent an artifact to Earth. This is a group of petty, emotional millennials running around with ipads strapped to their wrists, pretending to be "scientists". They don't even have uniforms, I mean, seriously?

The non-existent science: Don't even get me started. From one scene to the next, there is nothing scientific about this series. The mistakes made by the crew, especially when landing on alien worlds, are laughable. You don't have to be an astronaut to realize how ridiculous they are. I guess no one on the crew has ever been briefed on procedures, because they certainly don't follow them.

Acting: I must give kudos to the actors. Katee, Jana, Cas and William were especially good. They all tried very hard to carry the story, but alas, it was not salvageable.

Writing: This is where this show has failed completely. I'm not sure who on Netflix's team makes the decisions to pick and approve the writers or stories, but that person/team should be FIRED! This is just another show in a stream of totally badly written, immature and partly plagiarized drivel. It's painful to watch. I have read many MUCH better stories on FanFiction! Where do you find your "writers"??? You really need to look somewhere else. Netflix "original sci-fi" is becoming synonymous with "pass on it because it will suck".

I will probably watch it to the end, but only out of respect to Katee and Selma.

Prospect (2018)

Finally, a nice surprise!

[7/10 · 13 July 2019]

I've been burned so many times by the Netflix special "Science Fiction" titles that I was quite reluctant to watch this. But I finally did, and what an unexpected surprise it was! It's different, it has a great story (surprise, surprise!), it's well done with attention to detail and the characters are complex and very well played. It really kept my attention. I don't want to get into any spoilers, but gonna say one thing: watch it, you'll be nicely surprised.

The Order (2019–2020)

Same old same old.

[2/10 · 8 April 2019]

The previews looked semi-interesting so I thought I'd give it a try. Didn't last past the middle of the second episode. I'm going to guess the people giving it 8s, 9s and 10s are teenagers who have seen very few truly good shows. Because that's who this show is designed for: young audience who will go "ooooh" and "ahhhh" over contrived, overused magic tricks but won't look away from their phones long enough to realize there isn't much happening. The scenes are awkward and contrived, dialogue oh so stiff and theatrical (in a bad sense) and the logic... Well, who said there was any logic in this piece of garbage? Just to give one example: Belgrave seems to be a very important, prestigious school to get into. Yet, despite the fact there are bloody, gruesome murders occurring daily, everyone goes around like nothing ever happened. The place is NOT crawling with police and investigative teams and students, though temporarily and very fakely concerned, go back to their classes minutes later like nothing happened.

In summary, this show is redoing what has been done numerous times in the past with much better results. It's a wanna be that doesn't have the chops.

Nightflyers (2018)

It's so bad it's good? Nahhh.

[2/10 · 12 March 2019]

This show is so terribly bad, it's almost good. Imagine The Shining and Event Horizon had a baby, but somewhere along the pregnancy it was exposed to high radiation and was born horribly malformed. I don't even know where to start... The actual idea for the story is not bad and has the potential for a some great storytelling, but alas. Everything else is either stupid, illogical, ridiculous or just plain dumb. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, makes any kind of sense or shows any logic. As someone else said, human IQ must have gone dramatically down into the future.

The only thing good about it was reading the reviews here on imdb. The only reason I gave it a 2/10 instead of 1/10 is the acting. I gotta admit, it the actors can complete the ridiculous scenes without cracking up or falling out of character, they have some awesome acting mojo. Kudos to them.

IO (2019)

Don't waste your time!

[2/10 · 27 January 2019]

Wake up and smell the coffee, Netflix! Your formula of taking a half-baked plot and adding one famous actor DOES NOT equal success. There is a bit more to making good movies.

To start, this whole story could have been told in 30 minutes. Easily. So many long pauses, and more long pauses, and standing in the wind looking off into the stars, and then more pauses...

When there was dialogue, it was also painfully slow and awkward.

As for acting, well, even Anthony Mackie could not save it. Margaret Qualley needs to go back to acting school. Whoever directed this thing must have been thrown out of director's college. The whole thing was so poorly executed, I have no words. At 59 minutes I still had no idea what the story was about and forced myself to watch in hope of figuring that out. But sadly, I still have no idea. Was it about the escape of humans to another world? Was it about human need for companionship? Wash it about 2 last humans on earth randomly hooking up because they "had to"? Or was it about a weird scientist who keeps her father's death secret for whatever obscure reason? Or was it about their research? Or???? Don't know.

I won't even go into all the scientific incongruences. That would take a book. I am so done with Netflix "original" movies!

Titans (I) (2018–2023)

Great promise but fails to live up to potential.

[6/10 · 14 January 2019]

I do not follow DC so had no expectations either way. This show started with great promise but it petered out. Here is the kicker: The story has great potential, the characters are interesting and likeable, the acting is actually pretty good and yet, the sum of all these parts falls short. The story drags, opportunities for great character development are missed over and over, and the whole show feels like watching a low budget, B movie. This could have been a great show but I doubt I'll watch it past the first season, if it survives. Oh, and the CGI tiger is THE worst CGI animal I have ever seen.

Heaven Is for Real (2014)

A honey-sweet story based on a lie.

[2/10 · 3 January 2019]

I wanted to give this movie a try, and wasted 100 min. It's a lovely, idyllic story of a "perfect" family and their little boy who had a NDE, reportedly based on a real life story which was later debunked by the very boy who was supposed to have experienced it. So I'm not even sure why it's still on Netflix. The story might have been believable if it came from a family that does not believe in Jesus and God. But, let's face it, this boy Colton, was born to the reverend and has been hearing bible stories since the moment he took first breath. From technical side the acting was ok. The little boy wasn't fantastic, as some have written, though he is very cute and sweet, but he acts at the level of his age. He repeats what he is told to say. Honestly, the most enjoyable part of this movie were the landscapes and vistas of the Nebraska fields surrounding the Burpo homestead. Otherwise, it's a totally forgettable movie.

Annihilation (I) (2018)

So very conflicted about this movie.

[5/10 · 28 December 2018]

This was one of the strangest movies I've ever seen. It had great potential, undeniably, but fell flat on its face at the end. The plot was promising but kept stalling and running into dead ends. There were moments that really scared me and moments when I truly had no idea where the movie was going. It felt like a jack of all genres and master of none. The acting wasn't half bad. The music? Too ominous and stretched for too long. In the end, the premise of the movie was actually great and I kept hoping that promise was going to be fulfilled. Alas, it never happened and in the end I felt like I wasted my time.

Hold the Dark (2018)

"Netflix Original" Bombs again.

[1/10 · 24 December 2018]

Holy Cow, how does Netflix get away with making so many horrible movies??? 2 hours totally wasted left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Boring script, story line that doesn't make sense, a movie that's trying to be a thriller but falls flat on its face. So much unnecessary blood and guts splattered all over the snow. It all was just that, totally senseless. The only thing I know about this movie is that a child went missing, his mother called for some "wolf whisperer" to find the missing boy, then she tries to have sex with the "wolf whisperer" even though he could probably be her grandfather, and it turns out she killed her little son. Then she goes missing. Her husband comes back, finds the body of his son, goes to look for the mother and when he finally finds her, they end up making love and then go off into the sunset... Mind blown. Save yourself 2 hours and go do something constructive, like not watching this drivel.

Bird Box (2018)

Finally, after many false starts, Netflix delivered!

[8/10 · 23 December 2018]

Ever since watching a string of Netflix Original duds, I was very reluctant to see this movie. But their formula of getting one or two famous actors to "star" in their movies worked, because I was compelled to see why Sandra Bullock decided to take part in this. I was very nicely surprised. This movie was truly excellent. The best thriller/scary movie I've seen in years. It gave me chills, it kept me on the edge of my seat and kept the pace well throughout the whole 2 hours. The thriller part was not the only theme. There was a truly compelling emotional and character part to it as well. All in all, without giving out details, it was a well made movie and I would definitely recommend it. The only reason I didn't give it a 9 or 10 is because, in the end, I'd like to know what the "phenomenon" was. I just don't like to have questions not answered.

The Predator (2018)

Movie lived up to our expectations.

[2/10 · 22 September 2018]

My son wanted to see this movie as he has not seen any of the originals. I told him all the previous ones got progressively worse as they came out, but I indulged him. We arrived to the theater with 5 min to spare before the opening credits and walked into an empty theater. That should have been our first clue. The movie has only been out for 6 days. It just went downhill from there. Sketchy story line, continuity errors, things that made you scratch your head (like an alien "dog" suddenly turning into a fetching machine for no apparent reason), plot... Wait, there was a plot??? A scientist who, after looking at a microscope for 5 seconds figures out the aliens are using gene splicing to improve themselves AND turns into a commando, a "sniper" who's a worse shot than I am... Need I say more? And the jokes! Corny, flat and, oh-so-overworked. But I guess that's what you get when you hire a 2nd rate comedian for a science fiction horror role. It was a disaster from beginning to end. The only bright star in that movie was Jacob Trempley who played young Rory McKenna. His story line wasn't any better than the rest of the movie, but as always, he turned in a stellar performance. Note to self: avoid any future Shane Black movies.

The Titan (2018)

Netflix disappointed, AGAIN.

[3/10 · 3 August 2018]

After the total flop of "How it ends" I was very skeptical about another "Netflix Sci-Fi" but the trailer looked interesting, so I took a chance. It started promising, aaaand, totally bombed about 1/4 into the movie.

The acting was horrible, there were subplots going nowhere (dangling subplots I call them), gaping holes in the main plot, you name it. And scientifically? Don't even get me started. Let's take a human, screw with his genetic make up and produce a mute, violent killer; have him live in Earth atmosphere and sit under water for 40 min plus and that will be proof that he can survive on Titan's atmosphere of nitrogen and methane. Yeah, ok.

The premise of the movie was good did have a potential for a good story but the execution was oh, so bad. It seems Netflix's new formula is to take a semi-famous actor, throw a plot together and hope for the best. It's not working and I have a feeling if they continue releasing such drivel, their ratings will start going down.

Sam, please, go back to Avatar.

How It Ends (2018)

Did somebody lose the final scene on the cutting floor?

[5/10 · 15 July 2018]

The movie itself was moderately interesting and I enjoyed it. Theo James is always easy on the eyes. But truly, if you're not going to give some kind of the explanation for the main plot event in the story, then end it with the main characters reuniting. Do not add some half baked, weird last scene that really didn't add anything to the story. And don't list it under Sci-fi when there isn't even a hint of sci-fi in it. It was just a pure drama/action/adventure, period. In the end, it was disappointing and anti-climactic.

Childhood's End (2015)

A waste of 6 hours - possible spoilers.

[2/10 · 16 December 2015]

I was aware this movie was based on a short story by A C Clarke but I have never read it so I was looking forward to it. The first episode wasn't too bad, simply because of the novelty and curiosity of what was going to happen. The other 2 episodes - total waste of time.

The whole movie felt as if it was a vast simplification of "something" but I could not figure out what that "something" was. I wasn't even sure of the plot and the significance of the characters. The sappy romantic side story with its mournful music in the last episode felt like a filler from a bad romance movie. The storyline left more questions than answers and at the end of the show I was left confused and disappointed, thinking "WTF???". What did I just watch? What was the whole point of this again?

Still waiting for good, original SF on TV.

Dredd (2012)

Mediocre at best.

[3/10 · 12 January 2013]

Where do I begin? First of all, I'm surprised there isn't a North America-wide shortage of red paint. The plot was nearly non-existent and it was too bad the director never followed through with the foreshadowing of Dredd's psyche. It was a tiny promise of something more, but never delivered.

Once they got locked in the building you knew they would have to get out alive, so it was just a matter of how many bullets and how much blood sputter.

The gratuitous violence, the blood, the guts... Is there really any wonder why there is so much violence in our world? Really, what a shame.

I expected a lot more from Karl and was sadly disappointed.