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nicolasboeyer
Reviews
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Homeward (1994)
Prime directive apparently means "let people die under all circumstances"
An exceptionally flawed episode. Captain Picard, Captain "creative solutions and differentiated analysis", of all people, now interpets the Prime Directive in the most dull way possible. Said directive is about avoiding interference in cultures - its purpose is to leave cultures as "original " as possible to avoid artificially induced unrest. However, if all members of a culture will die with a 100% certainly, it follows that this outcome is undoubtedly worse than any negative outcome an interference could possibly have. So it must follow that applying the Prime Directive here makes absolutely no sense at all. And let's not get started about how much Picard's behavior in this episode completely contradicts his personality and his moral values as laid out in the more than 100 episode before. Also Worf should have been totally on board with his step brothers actions since it's without a doubt the more honorable thing to rescue the villagers.
The Blacklist: Mr. Raleigh Sinclair III (No. 51) (2018)
One of the weaker episodes
Now, the plot of this episode is alright. The story of "The Alibi" is intriguing and creative. Acting is good, as usual. But this is the first episode in which you cannot possibly ignore how cringe Elisabeth and - unfortunately - Reddington are getting. Elisabeth mostly by becoming all "tough" and ruthless, but her partial change in personality and attitude has never been established properly except for "her husband was killed so she wants revenge". And again, the way her "toughness" is portrayed is a bit...well...hard to take seriously. She's tough in a way how a teenager might imagine being tough (facial expression, posture, the way she talks...). There's no depth to it. Unfortunately, Reddington also shows this type of toughness mostly by being sarcastic a bit too much, even for him. Which, again, is a way of "toughness" that's quite cringe and transparent. But it's not nearly as bad with him as it is with Liz's character so it's okay. But overall - not a great episode.
The Blacklist: The Kilgannon Corporation (No. 48) (2017)
Mediocre
Mediocre episode. Not a lot with actual meaning to the plot happening, except for what's hinted at in the last minute of it. Other than that, it's just pushing an agenda. It would be nice to wove in migrants trying to reach Europe and all the misery that comes with it in the show, definitely, so it gives viewers a chance to inform themselves about the issue. But that's not what this is. This episode is just clearly pushing the notion of "all those poor and innocent migrants are always victims of either the smugglers or the bad Europeans and absolutely every person must be in favor of them just coming and staying here". They show literally wants you NOT to come to your own conclusion, it just pushes this agenda. Sad.
Girl from Nowhere (2018)
An amazing show
This is the first Thai show I'm watching and it's already awesome. The acting is sometimes a bit weaker, sometimes a bit stronger but overall very good. The characters are interesting and the story easily pulls you into its twists and turns from the very beginning. Dialogues are never monotonous and always contribute to either the plot or character building.
And the cinematography! Great shots that are often achieved through making use of light which I personally like very much. At times, there's even a strong "noir" vibe going on. Sometimes I'd wish for fewer shaky-cam shots but it's never so much that it gets annoying.
Overall this is a great horror/thriller with only negligible flaws and I recommend it strongly!
Mobeomtaeksi (2021)
Tolerable
Blunt portraying of the characters - you can't really "explore" them, they have no depth... rather the show makes very clear what it wants you to think of them. Also, women in this show wear even more Make-Up than they usually do in Korean shows anyways, making them looks like dolls entirely.
Additionally, constant use of music in the background makes it seem like the show thinks it's a sitcom and is eventually making it hard to dive into the story. The rating of 8 is utterly unjustified but not a surprise, as most Korean shows on IMDb receive too high of a rating due to a rather...uncritical fanbase.
Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)
Hyperactive cinematography
Lots of potential wasted by the hyperactive over-the-top editing with camera pans during the interviews, crime scene renders, tilting photos...very hard to watch for somebody with an attention span longer of the one of a toddler.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Embarrassing
Not that musicals are ever good. But this one is exceedingly bad; not because it's poorly made...but because it's just ridiculous. You can't take it seriously. Zero emotions are evoked, nothing is ever done to make you interested in the plot. It's like a parody on a musical that is bad to begin with, just, that it's taking itself seriously and that hurts to see (it's actually outright cringy).
Gumbeobnamnyeo (2018)
Average
An average show. It's not obviously bad, but it's clearly not good either. Too much artificial drama that's not based on anything, mediocre acting and generic storylines that are interrupted all the time by hectic and cliché looking animations/effects that probably are supposed to look scientific.
Cowboy Bebop (2021)
An amazing show
A very good show (and a sign of Netflix' demise)! The bad reviews are almost exclusively from fans of the comic series who apparently expected an exact copy instead of an adaptation.
Before I continue: Cancelling this show just after a couple of weeks of releasing is was a huge mistake in Netflix' part and I will not forgive them for it. They robbed what could've been the best big thing from us. They did this to many shows and is a stark warning: Never start watching a new show on Netflix right away, make sure there's a second season coming.
Now to the show:
The actors are well chosen and deliver good performances. The casting of the series is sometimes heavily criticized because the actors are not similar enough to the comic characters: But that's not the point for me, as the actors are not supposed to fit the comic roles but the roles in this adaptation. And they do that excellently!
Visually and musically, Cowboy Bebpop delivers nicely as well. Good cinematography that presents a retro-futuristic noir-neon world very well and always backs it up with good music. Add to that the quirky, idiosyncratic humor that sometimes expresses itself in well-done situational comedy and sometimes in linguistic wit.
All in all: a great series that is well worth watching! Suitable for anyone who either doesn't know the original or can accept a creative adaptation and doesn't expect just a copy.