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Roar (2022)
Poor
With this kind of tongue in cheek surrealism the trick is to make the unbelievable believable, but Roar falls short of that. Most of the episodes are not only unbelievable but impossible as well. Too many gaps in continuity and too many leaps in logic to make a memorable series.
Severance (2022)
Spooky and Compelling
This show has some of the feeling of Squid Game about it, but much more refined. Yes it's slow, but that's how psychological thrillers work. I hope it progresses and doesn't sink into a repetitive groove. Looking forward to what might come next.
Superman & Lois (2021)
Awful
Truly awful. This series is aimed squarely at young teens and belongs in the children's TV section. Schmaltz at its limit. Teen emotions are excruciatingly dragged out and overacted, holes the size of Alaska appear in the plot and continuity. Don't bother if you are over twelve years old.
Chloe (2022)
Flawed, but Watchable
There are three things you need to know about Becky. 1: She never sleeps. 2: She can magically make people leave a room when she wants to speak to someone privately. (Sarcasm: the script is littered with obvious and poorly executed contrivances. 3: She has a thing about cardboard boxes.
That said it is well acted, and the plot tries its hardest to confuse but fails to be unpredictable. The ending is weak.
Suspicion (2022)
Something Wrong With The Sound
The music tracks are compelling and rich, on the other hand the dialogue is barely comprehensible. Much of the middle and lower frequencies have been suppressed or stripped away completely. Too difficult to follow.
The Girl Before (2021)
OK Thriller With a Crummy Ending
Starts well, if not a little confusing until you realise it is dodging around in time. What really lets it down is the ending which has all the hallmarks of a hastily devised codge-up. Simply not believable with too many unanswered loose ends which make no sense when held up against the rest of the plot.
Foundation (2021)
Watch if Nothing Better to Do
I cleaned out my toaster after watching the latest episode. It was difficult to tell which was the most crumby but I think Foundation won. Fabulous scenes, brilliant cgi, awful plot, childish dialogue.
But then Asimov was never the most convincing of writers, his logic was flawed and had holes you could drive a spaceship through, so in that respect this was true to the original. We have come a long way since then and this production is unfortunately stuck firmly in the ignorant past that was peppered by such misinformation and misdirection.
It is only the graphics that is keeping it afloat.
Vigil (2021)
Started Well, But Faded
I enjoyed the first few episodes but it failed to keep up the same level of excitement. Some parts of the plot were strained and over-thought, others not believable. The ending was a damp squib.
For All Mankind (2019)
Season 1 Thumbs Up, Season 2 Thumbs Down
What happened between Season 1 and Season 2? Did the writers get sacked? Was the budget cut? As an example of how to turn success into a miserable failure in the shortest possible time this will go down as a record breaker.
Season 3: Schmaltzy, misinformed, boring.
Stowaway (2021)
A Marmite Movie - Hate it or Love it.
A psychological movie that won't suit everyone. No apocalyptic gunfights, no ridiculous superheroes with ridiculous superpowers, no sex marathons. So not for the immature mind seeking sensationalism. Not new, though. I remember a very similar drama on British TV back in the 80s. The ending was very similar.
The Terror (2018)
Confused
Impossible to rate as this appears to be two completely separate series with two totally different stories set in two completely separate times and locations. I've only watched one, about the ship called The Terror and the attempt to find the Northwest passage. Can't rate it high enough but the second one has me puzzled as I can't find it anywhere.
I've rated it middling because of the confusion.
Capitani (2019)
Not as Good as Could Be
Good storyline, cinematography, and direction. What a pity then that the English dubbing is so appallingly hammy. It ruins all the good work entirely. Better, much better, to have the original dialogue and have subtitles.
The Expanse (2015)
Hugely Disappointing
Read the books, nothing like the drivel here. Books have a totally different plot and are driven by science not gratuitous violence and foul language.
Marcella (2016)
What happened?
There is a good story here, somewhere. Well acted, well directed, well filmed. But it has been killed - no, it has been completely slaughtered - by the truly awful soundtrack. It's reminiscent of early Hollywood where from out of nowhere, and at every given minute a full orchestra would strike up for seemingly no reason whatsoever. In twenty years time people are going to watch this and they are going to fall off their chairs laughing.
The Great Escapists (2021)
Awful
It's Top Gear without the cars. Without the wit, without the players, without a story. Come to think of it, it's Blue Peter. Nice scenery, though.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Schmaltz
Started well, great sets, the promise of a great story, but degenerated into a mishmash of sentimental gibberish. No idea what happened so can't even write any spoilers. The wide-eyed pouting Cluney stuck his face right up against the lens and gave a lens than believable performance. The best performance came from the British actress. Unbelievably slushy.
Tales from the Loop (2020)
Slow, Slow, Stop
Pedestrian and boring. Cinematography is brilliant but does not make up for the lack of a substantial plot. Each episode could be cut to half the length and still retain the essence. Good if you suffer from insomnia.
The Mandalorian (2019)
Star Wars RIP
In the second season it's obvious that the budget has been cut, none of the gloriously complex sets that we had in the first. Instead it seems mandatory that there should be at least fifty or more violent deaths in each episode to soak up the running time and give the screenplay over to the backroom boys. The storyline, too, has suffered with very little variation from the first series, and each episode gets more and more predictable. It completes the Disneyfication of what was once a classic masterpiece and drags it down to the level of Bambi. If there is another season I would not be surprised to see it without actors and in animation form and totally CGI. So sad.
Mulan (2020)
Rip-Off
At over twice the cost of an average cinema ticket, and that on top of a monthly subscription, Disney are really taking us for a ride. Rubbish film, too.
Strike (2017)
Should Have Given Up
Latest series is dull and boring, completely unbelievable. It's like an am-dram production peppered with embarrassing pauses. Not worth watching any more.
The Current War (2017)
One to Forget
Based on a true story, says the blurb. The key word here is "based". Mount Everest had a base but its peak is a long way away. So it is with this film.
if there is a story it is dwarfed by jittery camera angles and stuttering screenplay,
like being on the top of Everest it leaves you breathless but not in a nice way. All you want is for it to finish so you can go home.
What We Do in the Shadows (2019)
Waning
First series was brilliant, but watching series 2 back to back with series 1 it becomes obvious something has changed. It's not as slick, it's not as tight. There's a slackness, the timing is off, and there is an unnecessary tendency to over-verbalise. Pity.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Fails on Character Credibility
Watched this again on Disney Channel wondering why it had not left an impression on me when I saw it the first time, just after it had been released. I soon realised why.
CGI, stunts and pace are all great but a dull script and continuity errors you could drive the Millennium Falcon through contrive to counteract the excitement with painful mediocracy.
It's overriding failure for me though was it's inability to convince me of the relationship of the characters to their predecessors. Casting was way off.
If you've never seen the original Star War series (let's face it, who hasn't?) then you might enjoy it a lot more than I did.
Killing Eve (2018)
A Fading Star
Brilliant first series, good second series, mediocre third series. Let's hope they stop now.
Just watching series 4.
It is going downhill fast. Running out of ideas and running out of support. Why oh why do they not know when to stop.
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away (2012)
Wow!
WOW. The most amazing film I have ever seen. Absolutely spellbinding.