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Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022)
F. is NOT in trouble. Misleading title
I love, how the story is told. I think it's something unique out there right now. You can be annoyed how annoying the main character is in his insecurities and how long it takes him to maybe change a bit or maybe to be able to see anyone more than only himself, but well - it's just interesting to follow him around and see his tainted perspective on his wife while he keeps remaining a good dad and doctor. This show is about life, about getting stuck, about commitment, change about men, women, parenthood, about Power, about money, about entitlement, about the struggle to be somebody, about class, about growing up - about everything. And that there is always another possibility to see things.
The story of a group of college friends who kept loosely in touch is told by the woman of the group, Libby, a writer but now frustrated housewife and mother who doesn't know who she is anymore. We catch glimpses of her and her story as she tells us the story of her friend Toby Fleishman who is going through a breakup/divorce and whos former spouse has suddenly disappeared. The story of Fleishman, is told by Libby through Fleishmans lense who is very sorry for himself and we see how he tries to cope with his wife leaving him and him beeing now responsible for the two kids. And there is one other friend who seems to be the fun one, the one who doesn't commit, but of course we learn that there are cracks. And towards the end of the story, the perspective changes, Libby encounters Rachel, Toby's Ex, who is still - and was the whole time - in a total mental breakdown and collapse. So now we get to see a bit of her perspective, one that T. Fleishman never considered. We get a sort of relieve for everybody involved, but gladly it's not a fairytale. It#s an open ending and we can wonder about how life is going on for them, but with a good dose of hope that they'll manage.
Wonka (2023)
Boring - suitable only for smaller children I'd say
This movie tries very hard and does fail in nearly everything. There is no heart, everything that should be magical seems wooden, the camerawork, the directing is so boring. There is no depth in the acting of Chalamet, there is no sense of danger or hardship palpable when noodle is put into the coop or when we see the people in the laundry in the basement. So there can be no relieve or urgency felt when they are rescued. It's not the fault of the actors, the cast is good. And well, I hate the musical stuff (I always do ;-)), but that's just a matter of taste and doesn't affect my rating. I guess small children could have fun with this.
Silent Witness: The Penitent - Part 2 (2023)
outrageously bad. who approves of those scripts?
I really do not understand how it can be that a so well loved series gets the most hideous scripts with dialogues that make you cringe and dread the upcoming sentence - which you already know, because it's out of the "writing trivial, nonsensical, unbelievable crap for idiots"-book. At some point of this longrunning series I stopped watching, because I couldn't take any more of what is at the end an insult to the intelligence of the viewers. Now we are at that point again.
Do they get paid enough? This lazy writing, who approves of it? Who says, yeah, that's good. Let's do that.
I feel sorry for all the actresses and actors involved.
Silent Witness: The Penitent - Part 1 (2023)
Do the writers get any money?
I really do not understand how it can be that a so well loved series gets the most hideous scripts with dialogues that make you cringe and dread the upcoming sentence - which you already know, because it's out of the "writing trivial, nonsensical, unbelievable crap for idiots"-book. At some point of this longrunning series I stopped watching, because I couldn't take any more of what is at the end an insult to the intelligence of the viewers. Now we are at that point again.
Do they get paid enough? This lazy writing, who approves of it? Who says, yeah, that's good. Let's do that. Let#s destroy all the characters, especially the leading ones, make them flat, act like no human would, make them completely inconsistent with what they have been built up to be in the previous years and let them talk rubbish.
I feel sorry for all the actresses and actors involved.
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Stewart can't do it no more
Patrick Stuart isn't Picard anymore - or anything more really than an old frail man with a frail voice. I love him, but I'm sorry to say that as an actor in general he isn't suited for much anymore, surely not for Picard. Besides this, the poor and repeticous writing, the dragging out of terrible and boring storylines, the strange feel of it all that has nothing to do with the star trek universe is just saddening. A lot could have been done, especially with 7 of 9 and the Borg Queen or the Borg in general, also with Q. But nothing comes of it. Alison Pill is a delight, but what can she do with that writing? Nothing, exactly. Series 1 was not good, but enough to give the 2nd series a chance. Now they hit rock bottom, I just ran through the last 3 episodes on fast forward. Won't watch a series 3.
Our Flag Means Death: Pilot (2022)
Haven't laughed at all
Cannot remember a supposed comedy where there wasn't one laugh in it. Horrendous writing, tedious, dragged out, unfunny stuff. Felt like written by a teenager for a school performance. Strange casting, was so happy to see Rory Kinnear, but he also had the most unfunny role/lines - and then was killed off.
Dexter: New Blood: Sins of the Father (2022)
ok with flaws
The whole series was a bit flawed, so the last episode is obviously, too. All in all I'd say better that ending than the old one.
What annoyed me a lot was the music chosen, especially in this episode. All the time terrible songs with songtexts that reflected what was going on in the plot at exact that moment. It undermined the credibility of it all and the possibility to actually be dramatic in a way that as a spectator you could be sucked into the story.
With that being said, the creator, looked storywise too much in the direction of a possible next series and made some choices that didn't sit well.
First is, to bring Batista in for just a phone call, that in the end let to nothing, because dexter was dead before he arrived to help.
The other is everything surrounding what Harrison did, because it was totally out of character, especially in the crucial moment the worst contradicting action. Harrison just wouldn't kill his father, he actually isn't such a murderer. He wouldn't do it. He could just have let his father go with Bishop arriving just some seconds earlier and let her do the job. But we had to use the rifle that was from the start set up to do that, right?. Doesn't fit the character and is just lazy writing so that Harrison in a possible further series will have issues with actually having shot his father. Then he drives out of town and we see his face changing from alarmed and scared to being content. That's also not fitting with the character. He's not thinking "Oh, I had to kill my father, he fitted the code, I saved a lot of innocent people."
That Dexter, who cared for his son and actually left him so that he could grow up "normal", really wanted to be shot by him, also doesn't sit that well. Would he really do that to his son?
So, I guess, Showtime will give it a try with Harrison and Dexter as the ghost in his head (if MC Hall is up for it), but I don't think it would work.
The Chair (2021)
Terrible Script - Selfish manchild ruins his friends career and she is still rooting for him
Everything here is just ridiculous, the actresses and actors did what they could with that script, but it's just so annoying. I guess it was thought of as comedy? Right...
So the manchild who lost his wife a year ago is totally out of control and behaves like a kid. His friend, who he (not believable) also pretends to fall in love with, has just become the first female and poc as chair in the english department of that university in that position ever. Big deal. He sabotages where he can, she takes care of him and takes care and care again, tries to save him more than herself. But he is good with her daughter so everything is ok, right? It's an old story with a terrible aftertaste. Should this be feminist? It's really not. She looses her job, stays friends with him and says that the job was anyways too much for her, too much fu***s around. And we see her teaching in class again. So everything is fine?
So what have we learned? We see a female POC who is also raising a child on her own not being able to set prioriites for herself. She isn't up for the job because she tries to care for everyone, especially that disruptive, manchild professor who managed to show a Hitler salute in class. Because of that, she loses the important job. But she is ok with it, all fine. Because that is how women are - they are too soft for such a responsibility - and all forgiving towards supposedly charming men who ruin their lives. Wow. No.
We Are Klang (2009)
Hilariously absurd and over the top
So amatourishly and raw - it's a delight. It's pure chaos and anarchy. I could hate it, but I love it. It's childish, it's so absurd it hurts. Can't stop giggling.
La trêve (2016)
S1 - Soooo tired of misogynous writing
Classic patterns of crime writing, well executed, very good actresses and actors. But really - the woman is the murderer. Again, because she's jealous, right. I don't know many crime dramas I've seen in which woman kill men or other women because they are jealous. Too many, definetely. Women just don't do that, it's pure misogynous framing - sooooo old. No, the prisons are not full with frustrated women who kill, because they want a man they cannot have. Stop writing that crap.
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
Great story - great actors, shame that it's propaganda
This is a very well done movie. Obviously the writing was good - the memoir and then the script for the movie. All the actresses and actors are doing a terrific job. So the movie in itself - very good.
The problem is, that you can't separate the movie from the person, Vance. He is a predator, the memoir's use is propaganda. Vance turned republican, he worked for Thiel and his wife is also up there with her job at supreme court. They are the people coming from the bottom of society, then pulling up the ladder and serving themselves and only themselves while pretending that everyone can do it, even if it's hard, without help from society. It's basically a lie to keep those people in that area voting republican believing, he is one of them, he made it, they can too. It's saying, "Look, I'm truthful here, so my politics and the republican party, including Trump of course, are truthful. It's a big lie.
At least he tackeled the problem of false believes and racism a little bit, when he let his grandma say serveral times that "family is everything" while clearly it's what caused a lot of the problems (violent men) and not willing or being able to turn to the institutions for help. Then the hatred of "others", the dismissing of the polish people, the insisting of native americans being called "indian", the asking "what is she", seeing his girlfriend's colour of skin with actually indian parents.
Tenet (2020)
As bad as it can get
Well, where to start. Story - there is none - because it's the same old, lame story told a million times - and actually this terrible story was told better before a thousand times. So we have the male driven hero crap, the violent husband villain, the supposedly beautiful woman who cannot help herself but only be a mother and the hero who has to save the world and for some reason feels the need to save the woman (even if they have absolutely no connection) and prioretizes saving her before saving the world, but of course - he does both. It's misogynistic crap, but as said, this crap has been told better before. You don't believe any of the actors their role, the dialogue is so lazy, so cliché, so bad. Ah yes, then the "action" - cars driving backwards - great. I have to admit I was appalled after watching this for ten minutes, but stayed, - had little naps but apparently didn't miss anything. This movie is an insult of the intelligence of people. Don't bother with the time-loop-thingy, isn't worth it. The only time I chuckled was when the actress playing the wife of the villain sitting in the back of the car whilst it was driving alone reached with her foot to the front to open the door. I mean, that's why she was cast - those long legs. Why anybody else was there, I don't know, but I guess even an actor/director like Branagh doesn't always care and just takes the money- because he knew what he was getting into. I went to see this movie because I Iiked Inception. What a let down.
Gisaengchung (2019)
Enduring the first hour
There are some movies that move slowly and this is necessary for the subject, the tone of the film, the development of the characters and the story. This is not one of them. The biggest problem ist the first part, when the destitute family, person per person, starts to work for the rich family and as in most social dramas, the differences of living and working are shown. This takes one long hour. I guess the intention was to film it in a comedic way and it is clear from the beginning that there will be changes. Unfortunately this hour is just very boring and not at all funny. I had to stop watching and resume on another day. If this part would have been condensed to 20 minutes - fine. After the first hour things change in tone and the expectation that the already established critique of social differences in the country (and the one solution of maybe marrying up, which stays a dream) will be dealt with more openly are confirmed. The only surprising element is the how - the very fast developing escalation of violence. At the end we again see the dream of the boy to make money, climb the social ladder and rescue his father - which of course will stay a dream. So the three parts of the movie are very conventional, but they don't work together very well.
Better Call Saul: Wexler v. Goodman (2020)
Marriage???
If there isn't a twist to it, this writing is toxic male crap. Old-school writing, seen thousands of times from the beginning of writing it seems. There is no woman who would react like that. The writers had pushed her already too far on this road, but this is preposterous. Kim doesn't deserve this. This crap destroys the otherwise very good writing.
The Mandalorian (2019)
So boring and the film music is destroying everything
"This is the way". Well, it's not. The painfully repeated stupid greeting I guess should be somehow taken as brave, powerful, noble, manly. It's ridiculous and bores me to death like the action and fighting scenes in the first two episodes. Especially the music during the action scenes is dull (like 80ies compter game music), not at all powerful and so weakens the scenes further. There's not much of a story, really, and that's the problem. Bounty hunter kills people or beasts and rescues this super cute looking baby-yoda-like creature and takes it with him. So the baby is with him while he again kills people and beasts. He himself is now a target because he has the baby. That's it. They try to put in humor, that doesn't work and the little side stories are all taken out of the big sci-fi cauldron. Seen it all before a lot of times. The production looks cheap like early star trek settings (where it ist actually ok). I guess WErner Herzog must be very disappointed with this end product. The cooing baby-creature is sweet though for a while, but just for a while. It's not enough.
Well there is one very good episode every Star Wars fan should see. It's the last one of course.
Ozark (2017)
Great writing and acting, powerful + complex female characters
Well, it's what I said above.It's very dark - story and filming - but has it's funny moments. All the characters are beautfully written, there are layers to them, the different sides of the personalities are shown.Very good cast, but Julia Garner stands out - what a performance!!!!! - incredible work - and she wasn't even nominated for an Emmy, I think. That's a shame, because she deserves every price that's there. The twists and turns of the story aren't too unlikely, you can see a lot coming, but it's brilliant how it's executed. Don't let the first episode put you off. It's the worst episode (from series 1 + 2).