haidok Reviews

Asakusa Kid (2021)

Avoid the dubbed version

[7/10 · 21 June 2023]

The voice actors in English are abysmal. Make sure you watch "Asakusa Kid" with the original Japanese dialogue, with subtitles in your language if you don't know Japanese. It would have to be better than the dubbed version I was forced to endure. Beat Takeshi was one of the top three comedic entertainers in Japan during the last decade of the 20th century, and though he went on to act, write, produce, and direct, this film, an overlong biopic, is focused on his early days, as a shy dreamer and a wannabe entertainer - who wasn't sure just how he wanted to entertain his future audiences. The film is as much about his mentor as it is about Takeshi.

Transatlantic (2023)

Poor writing, and acting to match

[4/10 · 21 May 2023]

I only got through the second episode, and this only because I'm interested in the historical events and personalities surrounding the stories, but the only positive thing I took from this production were some location shots of Marseille, since I've never been there. No attempt was made to create believable wartime dialogue, in English or in German. The jarring 21st century vocabulary and turn of phrase made the poor writing even more unauthentic. (I don't speak enough French to extend this criticism to the French dialogue, but my suspicions suggest a similar problem.) I could watch this if it were truly the only thing available. Thankfully, it is not. Look further.

The Night Agent (2023– )

Dreadful

[3/10 · 20 May 2023]

I have been using IMDb since it's inception and have never written a review previously. Read the other bad reviews - there are plenty. I would just be repeating their criticisms. This series was as bad as everyone said, I guess. I'd have to watch all the episodes to be certain, but I certainly won't. I couldn't get beyond the first episode... I can only add that it was so bad in every possible way (except for the basic conceit, which was intriguing) that I started writing this review before the credits rolled on that first episode. To me the true mystery is the 7.5 average viewer rating. That usually means the series is pretty good. Not this time. Do not pick up the phone!

Emily in Paris (2020– )

Not sure if Parisians or Americans should take greater offense

[5/10 · 19 January 2023]

Not sure if Parisians or Americans should take greater offense.

Maybe it is the audience who suffer the greatest insult. I actually watched four or five episodes to see if the writers could put together an interesting narrative, rather than simply stringing together obvious cultural stereotypes. I was disappointed. The actors seem to be giving it their all, but they have so little to work with. One reviewer suggested only viewers under the age of 18 would enjoy this series. I might like to refine that suggestion a bit, to say only girls under 15. I really can't think of a worse series that I've seen in the last decade or more.

Grey's Anatomy (2005– )

Downhill after first season

[7/10 · 8 November 2007]

The hardest thing is to assign a star rating to the whole program. It was at least a 9 the first year, dropping lower and lower as the second season progressed, until the maudlin, final episodes were aired. By the last episode of the 2nd season I was rating it a couple of stars. Why does something so fresh and interesting in the first season have to deteriorate into a daytime soap? Was there simply nothing more to say? The British have a solution to this problem. They don't try to stretch out their successes over multiple seasons. They move on to another new, interesting project, rather than trying to milk a dead horse forever. And now I read other reviewers saying the third season is even worse (even from commentators who, unlike me, liked the second season). Is anyone surprised? I've gone from being a major fan to being a major detractor in just two seasons.