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caltaert
Reviews
Scavengers Reign (2023)
Girlbosses reign
Is it original? Sort of.
Does it have amazing potential? Maybe.
Does it hate men? Oh, yes. It despises them.
There's got to be a point, a tipping point where viewers are thoroughly sick and tired of the same tropes being thrust into our brains show after show. I think we're getting there collectively, and know I've been there for quite some time.
The animation is surreal, almost sublime because of the unique ecosystem our intrepid explorers have fallen into. It's fascinating to watch the interplay of the characters with their environment, the symbiosis of almost every living thing on the planet.
Some of the characters are cool, well thought out and fully fleshed. A word to the wise though, if you're not a gawping teenage boy or a horribly broken man, you're dead. If you're female, sky's the limit.
I enjoyed this series for about the first 7 episodes, until it became painfully clear to me that the narrative was going to swing into the men suck/women rule dichotomy. It didn't disappoint. Straight in with no hesitation following some noble death, some gruesome deaths, and some pointless deaths of the menfolk. The women all seem to avert death no matter what situation they find themselves in.
I suppose I'm bitter because the writing and story seemed solid, and then started ticking diversity boxes. I'll still give it a 7 for getting my hopes up, but I wish a show could just have a story without overt messaging.
A Gentleman in Moscow (2024)
Quiet, atmospheric, subtle
I really enjoyed the first episode, and look forward to the next.
Here's the deal: if you don't know the book, and you're looking for action, this won't be the show for you.
If you do know the book, you'll likely love it.
If, however, you don't know the book, and you enjoy a slow burn with great acting, you may be in luck.
Taking place shortly after the revolution, the plot revolves around the life of one of the last aristocrats of Russia. He's been imprisoned for life in a hotel, if he ever leaves, he'll be killed on the spot. Ejected out of his posh suites, he's forced to live in old servants quarters in the attic.
Episode one shows us a glimpse of his past, and gives us a sampling of his character. The Red Guard are everywhere, and have filled some of the hotel positions with spies, looking for traitors. Anyone deemed a threat is taken out of view and summarily executed by a bullet to the head.
It's a nice balance of whimsy and darkness, with a creature of politics and privilege navigating the murky waters of a revolution in progress. Will he survive? Will he be able to use his connections and intelligence to escape?
For myself, I can't wait to see where the story leads....
Harlan Coben's Shelter (2023)
Derivative, predictable nonsense.
*Instant spoiler alert*
An African-American/Spanish/Jewish boy befriends a non-binary boy and a lesbian while staying at his lesbian aunt's house. They all investigate his father's apparent death, and are inexplicably drawn into the world of human smuggling and the rescue of abused children.
This show has glimmers of promise, little tidbits of nice writing, decent acting, that are quickly offset by "convenience writing" and political agendas. When I can literally say their lines seconds before they do, and guess 95% of the plot twists, chances are it's formulaic and derivative.
I'm just getting really tired of decent premises that devolve into utter garbage.