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Reviews
The Witchfinder (2022)
It's a BBC comedy. What were people expecting?
This show gets a bad rap which comes down to the fact that it's a silly comedy. It's not TOO silly, it's just too silly for people who don't like silly. So many people gave up on it very quickly, not appreciating how hard it is to make a silly comedy that isn't overly-silly. It's a fine line.
It has some special moments and some good jokes. There were moments where it came close to annoying me, but managed to back off just in time.
The racial makeup of the cast was a bit jarring since it's unrealistic for 1600s Britain. It wasn't terrible and I wouldn't even bring it up, but it's unfair to the youth and those not-yet born to give them a distorted idea of Britain's past demographics. If people of African and Asian descent were in Britain at that time, they were an extreme exception and mostly within the upper classes, as peasants and labourers didn't have the luxury of traveling the world. History lesson over.
We neither needed the BBC to tell us how absurd the whole witch hunting thing was and how brutally women were treated by the Puritans and Calvinists, but we got it anyway.
Despite my criticisms, I'm not trashing it, and that's saying a lot.
Inventing Anna (2022)
Controversy and far left extremism aside... it's solid
(I didn't deduct 2 stars because of the politics. I almost never give a TV show 10 stars)
The other critical reviews here make for good reading, re: how corrupt this show itself actually is because Anna has profited from it. But be careful of the unmarked spoilers in some of these reviews.
My only real criticism is the occasional moaning from privileged female characters while they were busy cannibalising other women. In one episode it got so "on the nose" that I had to wonder if the writers intended to make their characters outrageous hypocrites or were the show-runners themselves outrageous ideological hypocrites. As an underprivileged male (a station I share with most other men), I resent this ideology being shoved in my face on every other TV show and movie.
That didn't ruin the show for me.
Neither did the length. 9 episodes maybe dragged on for 40 or 60 minutes at the end. They could have just made episode 8 the finalé and added an extra 30 minutes to it, the same way I've seen shows end seasons. The pacing in the rest of the show was good and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know all the characters better. Other reviewers complained, with one saying it could have been 4 episodes, but that just reminded me of BBC's Chernobyl mini-series and how sad I was to say goodbye to the characters so soon.
Julia Garner was awesome as Anna. The accent was awful, but not too awful, and it went a long way to helping me forget I was watching Ruth from Ozark by the second episode. Very well cast and she presented the elegance you'd expect from a young woman pretending to be rich.
At the risk of making this a meta-review, I noticed another reviewer complaining about the disclaimer on each episode (paraphrased) "Everything is true except for the stuff we made up". Of course that leaves you wondering what was true, but I'll take a guess that this was a deliberate choice since the storytelling style is mostly from the perspective of multiple "unreliable narrators" including Anna herself. It's puts you in that world with the journalist and others around Anna.
When is a "based on true events" TV show clear, anyway? They don't put a little box on the screen saying "Everything in this scene is 100% accurate and proven in a court of law" on the 100% accurate scenes. If you watch a TV show based on true events and walk away thinking you know what happened, you're kinda dim.
Slow Horses (2022)
Clever, likeable characters, well written. Ruined by political extremism
I hear this is based on a book, which I might read instead of watching the rest of this.
The pacing is good, the atmosphere is dialled in perfectly, and there are a few characters who definitely have more interesting stories to tell as the story progresses. I enjoyed the first half hour of the first episode, but then the wheels started to come off when right-of-center social issues get lumped in with right wing extremism. It really jumped the shark later when it completely inverted the current political reality in the UK.
I get it. It's fiction. But when a show is presented to me as a realistic depiction of reality only to then wildly deviate from reality, I can't help it pulling me out of the show. The series narrative makes as much sense as a show about the Mormons secretly being an international drug smuggling operation. Sure, it'll work, but I'd expect that show to be a comedy and not a serious series about the intelligence community.
I'm just left with the impression the show is trying to inform my beliefs instead of entertain me. It could have been an exciting story of an underdog group of agents uncovering a corporate or government conspiracy, but it just turned out to be a lecture on how I'm a bad person for not going along with the current establishment line.
Severance (2022)
A gem
There are reviews in the 8/10 range that describe this better than I can, but in summary it has a great atmosphere, cinematography, and uses visual allegory very well. Some say it's a "slow burn" or even that it moves too slow, but by episode one you have a good idea of what the world is and by episode two you have the obligatory "call to adventure", so it moves along just fine. What some viewers might not appreciate is that it takes its time to immerse you in the universe it's creating. It takes its time, but every scene tells a little bit of the story. If it moved any faster, I'd think it was a miniseries or was destined to run out of steam after 4 episodes and get bogged down in tedious drama between characters.
At the very least this is worth an hour or two of your time to see if it sticks with you. Something I never thought I'd say about a show directed by BEN STILLER, but here we are.
The Shrink Next Door (2021)
Liked the podcast, really dislike this show
I think the most important point is that I can't actually make it through this show. I try returning to it, but I keep getting put off by the badly balanced goofy comedy in contrast to the grim reality of what this man went through.
Will Farrell and Paul Rudd aren't my favourite actors, but I appreciate they have strengths in certain types of movies. They just make a mockery of this one and it's hard to forget I'm looking at Will Farrell and Paul Rudd.
What were the creators of this show thinking by making it a comedy? I listened to the podcast of the same name and it was fascinating and saddening. What this man went through was cruel and tragic. I'm sure there's many situations in it where you can introduce levity so it's not just a boring tragedy, but this writing just took away the story's credability. I found myself being pulled out of the show because I had to ask myself whether a certain depiction was accurate or whether it even happened.
Monk (2002)
Amazing, but fell apart by season 5
All the other positive reviews you'll find are on-the-button. The show will probably always be the epitome of the mystery/cop/comedy genre.
Then it slowed down during season 4.
Then it got ridiculous in season 5. Monk's character seemed to go through a very unconvincing development while still being "weird", to where he just ended up as an annoying overgrown child. The mysteries themselves because less mysterious. A "clue" that a 5 year old child could see, only Monk can see for some reason. Then there's Lieutenant Randy Disher. When once his social awkwardness and slowness was funny, it's just over the top and annoying. Sure, some of his scenes were slightly unbelievable, but in season 5 he's acting way beyond the scope of believability.
Still a great show and everyone involved should be proud
The Umbrella Academy (2019)
It's okay
Okay characters, okay plot, okay humour. It's just okay. It doesn't pass my "can this ruin my sleep" litmus test, where I put on a show or movie while in bed and if it's good enough I'll strain to keep my eyes open. It's not bad though, it's just okay. I'm still watching it.
What brings it down from great to okay is the overplayed hermaphroditic jester, Klaus, played by Robert Sheehan. It works for the most-part and I'm glad they have him in there, but he's an example of the rest of the characters which are too perfectly balanced. The plot is kind of dull and takes a backseat to the drama, which is okay if you want a superhero drama. I suspect this is like the rest of the recent superhero TV shows and movies where this first season is a "get to know the guys" thing before it really kicks off in later seasons. So I'll stay tuning in.
Rake (2010)
A great antihero series
If you enjoy dramady with depth and a complex antihero you can either relate to or live vicariously through, Rake is your show. Just look at the intro and you'll get a good idea of what you're in for over this 5-series stretch.
I really enjoyed Cleaver, the antihero, and learned to love and feel for him, but that's not the crown achievement of this show. It's a dissertation on Taoism and yielding to life instead of trying to control it, because it seems no matter what any of the main characters do to improve their lot they bring about their own demise. It shows us the futility of our obnoxiousness and selfishness. The other crown achievement is how everything works out in the end of every story arch anyhow - the good guys get a little bit of happiness and the bad guys get torn down in spectacular fashion.
Rake isn't just one thing. It's a dramady that likes to diverge from stereotypical narratives. You'll never actually predict what happens at the end of each season.
I give it 9 out of 10 because of all the sex. It's not explicit, but for some reason everyone ends up sleeping with everyone else, forming this bizarre incestuous web. To say there are love triangles in this show would be inadequate, because you'd need about 3 more spacial dimensions to describe it. Is this part of Australian culture or is there an actual reason why all these people are "rooting" like rabbits? It just put me off a little
Michael Inside (2017)
Traumatic, but don't miss this one
I don't have the artsy vocabulary to describe how well made this movie is, but there's plenty of other reviewers who have. Every aspect pulled me into Michael's world and traumatised me.
Most reviewers don't mention the casting, which was perfect. They cast the scumbags so brilliantly, by which I mean the detective-level Gardaí. This is part of what made the experience so profound. The reality of being pulled into Ireland's Criminal Justice System that ostensibly protects Humanity, but is devoid of it where it truly matters - i.e. when entering into someone's home and sanctuary or when a young offender actually has innocence and prospects. It's very well researched and acts as an exposé of this State's war against the poor.
I couldn't watch this in one sitting, but I couldn't help returning to it. Don't miss this.
Destination Wedding (2018)
The aggregated score is accurate
If this is a movie you need to see right now, you'll really enjoy it. If it doesn't touch that lonely and tortured part of you, you'll go "meh", enjoy it without being blown away by it. You'll probably find the dialogue gets tired out by halfway through the film, relentlessly fast and intellectually dense, you'd probably think it's pretentious nonsense.
This movie did reach that unloved fatalist in me, which is why it got a mark about 3 for me. That's all it has going for it, except both central actors are attractive enough that you could imagine yourself being in that situation.
13 Reasons Why (2017)
Awful
Another reviewer said that the second season turned the show into just another high school drama series, which I don't get, because this is what it is from the beginning. It's got interesting writing and directing, but the contents is lamentable.
Supposedly it tackles the real issue of suicide, but it really doesn't. More accurately, it addresses female-on-female psychic violence, in high school, which resulted in one committing suicide. The conditions of the suicide don't speak at all to the vast majority of actual cases.
This show pulled me in under false pretenses. I found myself bored by or even disliking TV shows before, but this one just inspired hatred, anger, and frustration.
Here and Now (2018)
Misunderstood by Conservatives and the Right
This is a clever TV show that may be uncomfortable to watch if you're averse to every conceivable liberal/hippie trope crammed into the first two episodes of a show, so don't watch if you're easily triggered. Sure, every straight white male is a derogatory stereotype, but what show today isn't like this? "Liberals" will see what they want in the show's characters and dialogue, but I see an objective critique of this philosophy and lifestyle.
What intrigues me the most is the show's handling of parapsychological phenomena. I won't say any more about it, but I will say that I expected another rehash of the mental illness/magical child trope when I read the synopsis. This show is much deeper than that. The guy's story arch really seems to be making a statement on the nature of reality and consciousness.
Worth watching the first two episodes.
Gun Shy (2017)
What were people expecting? This was great!
Beware low ratings and subjective reviews of movies, including this one. I gave this 9 stars based on how well the movie delivered on what it promised. It did fantastically.
It was a little bit wacky, but not even close to being over-the-top. All the jokes were original, imaginative, and genuinely funny. The humour didn't rely on being crude or scraping the bottom of the gutter. No foul language or innuendo, except for 5 minutes from one character who suited that brand of humour - yet even that was very tame.
The narrative was consistent and engaging with no plot holes. It didn't test my suspension of disbelief. Except for one fake-out, there were no clichés. Even the fake-out was accompanied by a tasteful and funny joke.
Would watch again. Would show to friends.
The Dark Tower (2017)
I took it at face value and enjoyed it
I've noticed the movie is getting flak because it's a Stephen King 7-book series distilled into a 95 minute movie. Critics have no room to complain.
Watching this completely blind, not knowing anything except Matthew McConaughey was a bad guy in it. There were moments of depth throughout that told me this was adapted from a novel by an imaginative writer - my intuition was correct. I imagine if you read the books you'd be upset by how brief and condensed this was, but I loved it.
Cheesy and hammy in 3 or 4 scenes. The mother and step-father dynamic didn't make any sense. Some of the Matrix-like combat scenes stretched credulity. Despite all of this, I remained immersed in the world and enjoyed it's unpretentiousness and humour.
Take it at face value and you'll enjoy it.
Death Race 2050 (2017)
A subtle masterpiece
The Village Voice said this "is the only movie that matters in 2017" and with only two weeks into the year, they very well may be right. Death Race 2050 is set in a well thought out dystopic near-future, masked with a ridiculously fantastic premise. I loved this movie and give it 10/10 because it accomplished what it set out to do, with many subtle threads and social commentaries. The humour can be silly without being stupid, the political and social messages are profound without being preachy, the casting is great, and the acting is perfectly dialed in. The movie has an uplifting and inspiring conclusion despite not taking itself seriously all the way through. If given a chance, it will gain a cult following similar to "Idiocracy."