rozi72 Reviews

One Day (2024)

Color-blind casting works for me here

[7/10 · 12 March 2024]

While I normally dislike the random casting of people of color in roles when it clashes with the story or the setting, I had no problem with it here.

I read the novel quite a long time ago, but I cannot remember anything about the character of Emma that would require her to be white (I vaguely remember her family being not so well-off). Also, British society has changed a lot in terms of people's ancestry, so I don't see why Emma cannot have brown skin.

I disagree with reviews that say the chemistry between the two leads is not good. Even though their erotic chemistry is really not so great, I think they have good chemistry as friends. Ambika Mod (Emma) conveys being in love with Dexter very well with her eyes, while Dexter fancies pretty much everybody (in his own words), so this relationship is more strongly about friendship in his case.

As far I remember, it is difficult to understand in the novel why the two protagonists stay friends and don't get together for such a long time (at least for us non-Brits). The series presents it more as if Dexter broke her heart repeatedly and this is why she remains cautious.

In the novel and in the series, too, it is also difficult to understand how they stay friends even though they are very different and also live in different places (apart from Emma being in love with Dexter).

All in all, I like the atmosphere, actors and the portrayal of decades from the late 1980's (not overdone) in this series.

Explanation for Everything (2023)

Not a bad film, but the characters are not memorable

[7/10 · 5 February 2024]

There was a lot of hype around this film last year, which is not surprising, given the fact that not many film-makers tackle these days present-day politics in Hungary.

The basic premise is a bit implausible, which detracts from the story. I get it that the creators wanted to show how a minor thing can get blown up in today's political climate, but still, it makes the whole story feel a bit insignificant. Also, even though there are some funny/satirical moments, all in all, this is neither a comedy, nor a drama.

It can be felt clearly that the creators wanted to avoid vilifying either side (right-wing conservatives or left-wing liberals), but as a result of this, the film feels too cautious. Having said that, there are some effective scenes showing how deep political divisions run now in the country. I also liked the ambitious right-wing female journalist character, although her portrayal could have been more complex.

Even though the main character conveys very effectively what an awkward time adolescence can feel to a lot of people, this character is too uninteresting to be even remotely memorable. In this respect, this film reminded me of Ferenc Török's Moszkva tér, also with unmemorable adolescent characters.

The most complex character in the movie is probably the right-wing father, and I liked István Znamenák's performance. It is interesting that in the early 1980's, this actor played the teenage protagonist in Hungarian cult movie Time Stands Still (Megáll az ido), a film with plenty of memorable teenage characters.

Without Air (2023)

Too subtle to have a bite

[7/10 · 5 February 2024]

The story originally happened to a Romanian teacher and the film also takes place in Romania (but in an ethnic Hungarian grammar school), so it is only indirectly about the Orbán régime. However, since then, a law has been passed in Hungary that bans talking to minors about homosexuality, so this is quite a relevant topic in Hungary.

The film presents social pressure very effectively, it is difficult to watch how her colleagues turn against the popular Hungarian literature teacher, who recommended the film Total Eclipse to her students when learning about Rimbaud.

I understand that the creators wanted to avoid using a heavy-handed approach, and for this reason, there are hardly any discussions about the subject matter, but this can leave the viewer feeling that too many things were left unsaid. The main character is also very quiet and subdued, which sometimes comes across a bit unnatural in her situation. Not totally unnatural though, since she is a literature teacher, I suppose it is plausible that she would never get angry or use any bad words.

What happens to the other main character (the student) is also shown in an understated way, perhaps the depiction is a bit too subtle for true drama.

For a film to provide a critique of a régime or a way of thinking, biting satire is more effective, like in the cult Hungarian film The Witness (A tanú). A more subtle approach, as the one used here, might feel a little weak.

Adult Under Construction (2017)

The subject is interesting

[5/10 · 28 July 2023]

The teenager life stage is an interesting subject but it is explored in this documentary very superficially, the girl keeps asking the same questions in a fake naive way. They probably wanted to make it relatable to young people, this is why they chose a young woman as a presenter, but again, it is quite boring that she keeps repeating that she is twenty-five, which is presented here as the boundary of adulthood.

Also, the experts could have provided more relevant examples and problems that can arise at that life stage, or the creators could have added interviews with teenagers, etc. Nevertheless, some experts say some interesting things, like the probable evolutionary advantage of teenage recklessness.

The White Lotus (2021–2025)

Intelligent and entertaining exploration of current topics

[8/10 · 14 December 2022]

I liked Season 1 slightly better because it has a tighter narrative structure, without any scenes that feel unnecessary or boring. The same is not true of Season 2, but I enjoyed that too, regardless. Although I really liked Jennifer Coolidge's performance as the vulnerable and dysfunctional rich heiress, by Season 2, I felt that I have already seen everything about her character and her continued presence was a bit unjustified and felt repetitive.

Both seasons take place in beautiful resorts, and the cinematography and the soundtrack both sometimes feel a bit over the top, as if they were trying to create a film advertising these places (I wouldn't be surprised if Sicily was inundated by American tourists next year as a result, for example).

What is the role of having rich white people as the main characters? Well, I think it is similar in this sense to Big Little Lies, because first, the characters' enviable life and the beautiful scenery add to the enjoyment of the viewer, and second, because by depicting a life of leisure, there are plenty of opportunities for exploring the protagonists' dysfunctionalities (which is more difficult, of course, if your characters are struggling for survival). In Season 1, there are also some threads dealing with social issues and how the different generations handle them (e.g. The conflicts between the rich friend and the poor friend who identifies with the 'oppressed' Hawaiians). Young people are shown to be more socially sensitive but often hypocritical or clueless about the consequences of their actions. Season 1 also presents how a pretty young woman who is from a poor family and feels mediocre as a journalist struggles against the role of being a trophy wife (excellent performance by Alexandra Daddario). In Season 1, there is also more attention given to conflicts between the rich guests and resort employees, particularly the hotel manager. In Season 2, being rich is only explored inasmuch as becoming the target of scams or plots targeting their money. The Italian prostitutes are depicted as quite immoral but still, I felt that the creators showed them in quite a favorable light (young and vivacious, scamming people only because they try to make a living, too).

Masculinity and desire are an important theme in Season 1, too, but are the main focus of Season 2. In Season 1, the young geek discovers male camaraderie and the appeal of the non-virtual world. His estranged parents (dominant mother and emasculated father) find each other again as a result of a dangerous situation. Season 2 takes an honest look at desire and draws the conclusion that accepting not knowing everything about your partner and even some jealousy can spark desire, whereas being too familiar can kill desire. I thought this conclusion was quite insightful but unusual for an American series, which normally have a more puritanical view of the world. The presentation of the three generations of men (boys will be boys) seemed quite conservative in the sense that it treats male desire as a biological given, as non-negotiable (and the young guy, trying to behave differently from his father and grandfather initially, is presented as clueless and pathetic). Although all characters are flawed, the gay characters are even more immoral and promiscuous. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the series is homophobic, but it certainly gets very close.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

Caricature-like portrayal of autism

[5/10 · 24 August 2022]

As it is often the case in fictional works with autistic characters (e.g. Rain Man), this series also goes for a cheap effect and presents autism in an exaggerated manner. I'm not an autism expert, there might even be people like this on the spectrum, but I think it is highly unlikely. The protagonist is shown to have very severe autistic traits (extreme clumsiness, never looking into people's eyes, being unable to control herself in what topics to bring up, talking about whales all time, etc.) while at the same time, she is shown to be a genius. People on the spectrum whose behaviour is so extreme in adulthood would usually have a low IQ in real life, while individuals with a higher IQ (I'm not talking about being a genius, only average or higher) might still exhibit some characteristic behaviour but would, as a rule, come across as only slightly quirky or weird, while some autistic individuals learn to completely mask their behaviour to match 'neurotypicals', especially in some situations (e.g. A job interview, where the protagonist's behaviour is shown to be completely outrageous here).

If you want to watch this because you are interested in autism, I recommend watching Love on the Spectrum instead, with real-life people on the autism spectrum, both lower and higher IQ individuals.

Hospital Playlist (2020–2021)

Season 1 is relatively entertaining if you enjoy shows about real life, Season 2 becomes boring very quickly

[7/10 · 25 July 2022]

This is a truly wholesome show in the sense that the five protagonists are all perfect doctors who will go to any lengths for the sake of their patients. In addition, there are no really negative characters among the other staff members of the hospital (one of the doctors is somewhat negative, but he is a minor character), everybody works very hard to improve themselves and the occasional mistakes are the result of a lack of knowledge or practice that the young doctors or nurses try to correct after being scolded by their superior. Also, 95 percent of patients and family members are portrayed as positive, very few of them are annoying or malicious. The relatives almost without exceptions make all kinds of sacrifices to care for their sick family members. In short, if you believe that people tend to be good and you like shows that reflect this type of worldview, you will probably enjoy this. Do not expect any grittiness or edginess here. For my part, I grew bored with all this wholesomeness by Season 2, but I keep watching it because I'm curious how some storylines will end.

Out of the five protagonists, the paediatric surgeon guy and the neurosurgeon lady are perfect to the point of being irritating. The paediatric surgeon is almost saint-like (and wants to become a priest). After he gets together with his love interest, their relationship becomes a real snooze fest, too. The neurosurgeon lady is also little miss perfect, her only vices are that she is a gluttonous eater and she wants to be the singer of the band, even though she cannot carry a tune. The band rehearsals are not part of the narrative for the most part, they are quite separate from the rest of the show. The songs occasionally reflect the characters' feelings, but mostly, they feel more as interruptions. In my opinion, the creators could have done a better job with the band storyline.

The rest of the friends are slightly more complex, but all are predominantly positive. The liver surgeon guy (Lee Ik Joon) is perhaps the most likeable, with a playful, goofy sense of humour.

I would rate Season 1 as eight, Season 2 as six, hence the combined rating of seven.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

Sex positive but unsexy

[6/10 · 28 June 2022]

I agree with all the praises for Emma Thompson's brave performance and for showing her body at age 60+. She is not particularly in good shape but not worse than the average woman at this age, quite a bit saggy, so it is not like 'I have a personal trainer and a chef, so I look better than any of you at this age'. We are still not used to older women being portrayed as sexual, and in this respect, I think this is an important film.

However, I had several problems with the characters and their interaction. First, it is very difficult to imagine that a male escort would be more like a psychotherapist. Being patient with women would be a must, of course, to be successful in this job, but it is taken too far to be even remotely plausible. Also, if we are to believe that he is serious about loving this job because he loves giving pleasure to anybody, then it is not plausible that he would have so many insecurities in his real life, especially related to his line of work.

Nancy's behaviour is not realistic, either. Granted, a widow who only had sex with her husband and has never had an orgasm would feel awkward in this situation, but she is too reluctant and keeps changing her mind. This becomes ridiculous after a while and she comes across as very entitled and fussy (especially considering that she keeps complaining about how expensive the guy is).

In this day and age, it is difficult to imagine that a mature woman who is interested in sex has never had an orgasm (come on, she has never heard of vibrators before?) but okay, I'm willing to suspend disbelief here. I actually thought the scene when she finally has an orgasm was very subtle and realistic: if we accept that she has never had one before, it would not have been plausible for her to come while having sex with Leo (like they normally portray it in films). Nancy touching herself after being sufficiently turned on (spending a long time having sex and receiving oral) and finally getting off was certainly very realistic.

The film has a very sex-positive and sex-work positive message: pleasure is good and everybody should be having it, so the people who do it professionally play an important role. However, Nancy states that she is not interested in older men and she wants a young body, so she is willing to pay for it: so far so good, even if it is a bit depraved (older people buying young bodies). Later, they talk about how this should be a public service available to everyone. Excuse me? The government should subsidize old people getting access to tight young bodies because everybody is entitled to it?! This idea is far too depraved for my taste.

My Mister (2018)

Mature drama about a love that was not meant to be

[9/10 · 24 June 2022]

My title was an understatement: there are actually three loves that are not meant to be in this slow-moving drama, which explores the complexities of unrequited love, longing and heartbreak in a subtle and beautiful way.

At first, it seems that the focus would be more how the baddies at the office are scheming against the good guy (the male protagonist), but as the drama progresses steadily, we learn a lot about the characters' background and family life and gradually the focus shifts from the scheming to personal relationships.

The male protagonist is, I imagine, an ideal Asian good person, an ideal male. He is stoic, self-disciplined, hard-working, virtuous, endlessly loyal to his family and always on the lookout for people who need his help. As a European woman, I actually identified more with his cheating wife, who is frustrated by how he always puts other people first, be it his birth family (his controlling mother and two loser brothers), childhood friends and even strangers. His portrayal is very complex though and there are several scenes where it is shown how he lets off steam, for example, playing football with his group of neighbourhood friends or getting drunk with his friends (conveniently leaving his wife at home).

Although the girl playing the female protagonist has considerable on-screen charisma, I did not like her acting. For a smart girl around twenty who has had a very difficult life, she acts too much like a sullen teenager all the time. A girl like that would have learnt the hard way how to smile at people when it is needed or how to use her beauty for achieving things. Perhaps this was the writer's or director's decision, I don't know, but it is certainly not plausible. Not to mention the fact that she works as a temporary office worker sorting the mail but is shown to have skills that would be envied by professional spies or detectives.

She starts to fall for him after installing some application on his phone that allows her to listen to all his conversations (started as an effort to collect information that could be used against him). This is done very effectively, with plenty of time for her to recognize his goodness and since the lead actor has a beautiful, deep voice, falling in love with him while eavesdropping is certainly very plausible. There is also a very touching scene where he sings a song about missing a loved one, while as far as I remember, he already knows that she has tapped his phone.

I also rooted for the protagonist to get crazy a little and to at least spend a weekend with the girl he loves, but the fact that he does not give in to temptation is perfectly in character.

The thread about the monk (who used to be the protagonist's childhood best friend) and his former girlfriend who still longs for him several decades later uses a song that was very popular in my country in the 1980's. I actually thought it was a Hungarian song and was really surprised to hear it in Korean. It turns out, however, that the Hungarian version was based on a Russian song about a million roses and a painter who falls in love with an actress.

Business Proposal (2022)

Enjoyable and cute but full of clichés

[7/10 · 22 June 2022]

I have now seen several Korean series and although almost all of them had scenes and characters that were meant to be funny, this one had more, so the genre must be romantic comedy (even though there is the contrived 'dark secret from the past' element in this one, too).

Okay, so how funny is it? Not very funny to me; I don't really like it when the source of comedy is the characters shouting or hitting each other (e.g. The female protagonist's mother) or somebody tripping and falling down, or hiding in the bathroom when someone really badly wants to get in... Another source of humor is when the characters get drunk (interestingly, in Korean series, it is usually the girls - I'm guessing that this is regarded as cute). The scenes of the somewhat pitiful tertiary couple (Shin Hari's older co-workers) are sometimes mildly entertaining, especially the guy acting stupid. It is also somewhat entertaining that the rich guy (male lead) is compared to some dinosaur bird (I have forgotten the name), this is his name in the protagonist's phone and every time he calls her, this bird appears on the screen in animated format. It is also quite funny that the characters often watch scenes from an over-the-top k-drama, while they are also a part of one...

How romantic is it? Very romantic, although full of clichés... Rich guy falls for poor girl and after lots of misunderstandings, trials and tribulations, they fall in love and he asks her to marry him. Okay, nothing original here, but like in other Korean series, the romantic tension is built up very slowly, in a somewhat old-fashioned way (you know, like in the world of Jane Austen), so lots of women will find it enjoyable (I don't mean to be sexist, men might enjoy it too, I just doubt it :)). This world is really materialistic (everybody envies the protagonist for the rich suitor, who flaunts his money quite shamelessly), but people's character also matters a lot, along with old-fashioned values (e.g. Respect for one's superiors and elders).

I suppose the male lead is good-looking (although the guy playing the secondary male lead, his secretary, is better-looking, in my opinion), but I found it difficult to get over the fact that his hands are a weird red color all the time (a very different color from his face). The female lead is played by a pretty, lively girl, and the secondary female lead is cute, too. As an interesting inconsistency, the female protagonist first draws the male protagonist's interest on the blind date because she seems bolder and different than all the serious girls he has met before, but later on, it turns out that Shin Hari is a normal girl, too (only poorer than the rich serious girls). She is submissive, modest, hardworking, gets embarrassed all the time, talks to her superiors and older people in a respectful manner, etc. Okay, she can drink a lot of alcohol, but this seems like acceptable behaviour for a nice girl in South Korea. She is portrayed as somewhat competitive, but nothing out of the ordinary. Her best friend is slightly more interesting.

In this show, both the primary and the secondary couple are shown to have sex before marriage (there are no graphic sex scenes, but it is obvious), so in this respect, it is somewhat more modern than other Korean series.

Dirty Lines (2022)

Fun retro show

[7/10 · 17 May 2022]

If you are middle-aged or older or a young person interested in the 1980's, you will enjoy this light-hearted Dutch series. The clothes are so typically 80's without being over the top, especially the clothes worn by the Ramon character that I sometimes burst out laughing, and not because they were ridiculous but because it felt like time-travelling. Maybe, and just maybe, some of the clothes and the hairstyles are more an earlier 80's style, for example the teased hairstyle worn by Frank's wife, which, as far as I remember, was no longer popular in the late eighties (then again, perhaps I don't remember it correctly). The interior designs are a lot of fun to watch, too, as are the obsolete technical gadgets (the crew must have had a lot of fun collecting them). The story of how house music became popular in Amsterdam is interesting, too.

Of all the characters, I liked Frank the most because he is a weird but entertaining cross between a successful person and a loser. The actor delivers a fine performance, making very funny faces while also conveying a sense of vulnerability. I also liked the performance by the actor who plays Ramon, although the closeted gay character was not very interesting, we have all seen it many times before.

As regards the stories and messages about sex, don't expect anything novel or earth-shattering here. Considering the fact that the protagonist wants to become a sexologist and this is the period when she explores her own sexuality, we don't even learn whether she manages to come during sex with a partner eventually, or not. There is a scene with her lover (also a sexologist...) that suggests that she doesn't, but it is left at that.

Tokyo Vice (2022– )

Were it not for the Japanese setting, it would be pretty uninteresting

[6/10 · 29 April 2022]

The 1990s Tokyo backdrop and the fact that it is based on someone's memoirs make this show worth watching. Oh, and before I forget, I really like the opening credits! Otherwise, the characters are not very interesting (except for Sato and maybe the female boss at the newspaper) and there are lots of things that seem unnatural or unconvincing. I've only watched the first few episodes so far, I'll update my review if the show gets any better.

We learn very little about Jake's motivation related to the Japanese language and working in Japan as a crime reporter. He just happens to speak near-native Japanese (otherwise he would not have been hired as a journalist). Why is he drawn to this culture? What does he want to achieve? There are never any 'meta' conversations about his interest in the Japanese language or culture. He acts pretty much like a drifter, which cannot be true because of all the efforts required to be able to pull this off. The actor is too childish to be credible in this role, even considering that he is a 'gaijin', it is difficult to believe that police detectives and Yakuza leaders would take him seriously. I agree with the reviewer who mentions that it is not explained how he can afford to frequent expensive nightclubs and restaurants.

Samantha's character is not credible, either. She is too intellectual, too independent-minded and her Japanese is too fluent to imagine that she would work as a nightclub hostess. Okay, let's imagine she is motivated by the money, but why? We only learn that she wants to open her own club but what is her motivation?

I also dislike the way the show mixes Japanese and English conversation. If Jake speaks near-native Japanese, it would be more natural for everybody to speak Japanese all the time. Okay, they did not want to do this because it would have been too difficult for the actor to learn all those lines and I know that American viewers dislike reading subtitles. Then again, if we are supposed to feel that when they speak English they actually speak Japanese in real life, they might as well speak English all the time and you know, we would imagine... And finally, if we take the theory that the Japanese would want to practice English with him all the time, then the Japanese characters should speak English like an (Asian) non-native speaker would speak and not like a native speaker, with sophisticated vocabulary, no grammatical errors and perfect fluency, only with a Japanese accent. The conversation with the old Yakuza leader is a typical example for this discrepancy.

The joke about I Want it That Way is hilarious, if you get that far, you will understand!

The Innocents (2021)

Original and full of suspense

[8/10 · 20 January 2022]

This is a low-budget thriller but very effective, unless you only tolerate high-budget Hollywood movies, it is worth watching. The protagonists are children, some very evil, some moderately evil and an autistic girl who has special skills.

The Hookup Plan (2018–2022)

The first season is okay if you're looking for very light entertainment

[5/10 · 17 January 2022]

Season 1 has a very implausible and silly premise but it is watchable for the cute actors. I particularly recommend it if you speak French and want to learn new slang words and trendy expressions.

I started to watch season 2 but that is even sillier, so I got tired of it very quickly.

And Just Like That... (2021– )

Desperately trying to follow trends - I'm enjoying it regardless

[7/10 · 17 December 2021]

Sex and the City was a sort of trendsetter in its day, while focusing only on sex, relationships, friendship and consumerism, of course, never on social issues or more 'serious' topics. And Just Like That presents the protagonists (unfortunately, Samantha is no longer part of the group) as fifty-somethings and still has the same focus. However, this show no longer sets any trends, but jumps on the woke bandwagon. In my opinion, even though the 'wokeness' is a bit overdone, it is not bad, actually, because the ladies sometimes struggle to keep up with the times, which is a source of humour. We shall see whether the light-hearted tone will stay or the series will drown in wokeness.

Update after episode 6: I'm still enjoying it, but then again, as a woman a few years younger than the 'girls', I'm probably the target demographic. I like it that they tackle ageing, health problems, plastic surgeries, etc. In a way that is entertaining to me. It is still pretty funny from time to time, I actually laughed out loud when Miranda was telling Charlotte about her adventure with Carrie's 'boss'. Also, although I maintain that the wokeness feels a bit overdone, with all those new characters of different ethnicities and one non-binary PLUS one trans character in the show, I'm upgrading my rating to 7 because I feel that most of these characters are being developed into flesh and blood people.

To be honest, I don't understand the negative reviews centering on the age of the characters. First, a person currently in their fifties can expect to live for several decades more, so it is not unimaginable that they would want to find a new partner or to change their career. Actually, I might even add that even just a few decades ago, the age group in the original Sex and the City (thirty-somethings) were considered to be old maids and would not be expected to go to bars and to date guys. Second, the actresses look good for their age, with the added bonus that Sarah Jessica Parker's and Cynthia Nixon's face looks completely natural, while Kristin Davis might have had some cosmetic enhancements but also looks pretty natural (with the exception of her mouth, which looks weird), so they have all retained their expressiveness. Third, if you cannot bear the sight of older women, don't watch the show!

The Crown (2016–2023)

Excellent actors, high production value and a good history lesson

[8/10 · 19 November 2021]

I started to watch this series while doing the ironing and I admit that when I watch it as the 'main event', I often doze off. Yes, it can be a little boring, even with the exaggeration and dramatization of events.

I grew to like the young actors in the first two seasons and it took a while for me to get used to their middle aged versions. However, they are all excellent actors, especially Olivia Coleman and it is impossible not to like her as the dowdy queen who is quite complex underneath it all. I also warmed to the actor who plays middle-aged Philip, as well as Helena Bonham Carter's Margaret. Gillian Flynn's Mrs. Thatcher is quite entertaining, perhaps because it is slightly caricature-like.

It's so hard to imagine what it must be like for these people to watch a series about their life and also that for the most part, the actors who play them are much more attractive (except for young Diana, who was prettier in real life).

Update Season 5 and 6: I loved Elizabeth Debicki's performance as mature Diana! The actress is even taller and prettier than Diana was, but all her gestures and the way she looks up in a slightly slanted angle conveys very well what I imagine to have been the essence of the late princess' character (charisma and vulnerability). At first, I did not like Imelda Staunton as Elizabeth, because she seemed just plain rigid, unlike Olivia Coleman, who managed to convey complexity behind the rigid facade in almost every scene. However, towards the end of the series, I grew to like Staunton's performance better, especially when Elizabeth was planning her own funeral. I thought that those scenes were very subtle but touching. There are also lots of soap-opera like scenes in seasons 5 and 6, which provide light entertainment (e.g. How prince William and Kate Middleton met at college).

It's a Sin (2021)

I didn't buy the blame game

[6/10 · 19 November 2021]

I found this series moderately engaging (I presume people who share some of the experiences, e.g. Came of age in 80's Britain and/or identify as gay would find it more relevant).

The characters are quite shallow and under-developed; their main focus is having sex with a different guy every night and perhaps to advance their career in the meantime. We never learn why Jill doesn't have a private life or why the only thing that she cares about is gay men with AIDS. She is a sort of guardian angel figure, not a real woman.

The story of young men dying alone and prematurely is very sad, of course, but I disliked how the series puts all the blame on parents, who were just trying their best but were not better than the rest of society in those days. I particularly disliked how Jill blamed Ritchie's mother for his promiscuous lifestyle and for not telling his partners that he is infected - her reasoning is that because the mother didn't recognize that he is gay, he developed a self-hatred. Surely, a person's moral values are not directly dependent on whether their mother truly sees them for what they are? At least I think it is more complicated than that.

The Defeated (2020)

Heavy-handed treatment of an interesting historical era

[5/10 · 27 August 2021]

Perhaps marketeers at Netflix ordered a series that can compete with Babylon Berlin and this is what they ended up with...

The presentation of the historical period (post WW2 Berlin) is quite heavy-handed, as opposed to Babylon Berlin, which excels in that and is worth watching only for that. As others have pointed out, the portrayal of Russians is really outdated, in the cold war style.

After a while, this series becomes an average psychokiller/crime story, and a watchable one at that.

It's not bad but not very original or interesting, you can safely skip it.

Fatma (2021)

The first few episodes are misleading

[7/10 · 4 June 2021]

After 'Ethos' (Bir Baskadir), this is another Turkish series about a cleaning lady.

At first, this seems like a feminist revenge movie and not very exciting or believable at that (plain-looking cleaner gets away with murder every time).

If you keep watching, however, the main character (Fatma) gradually becomes more and more layered and the lead actress' performance makes her more and more credible.

I'm warning you that by the end, this story gets heartbreakingly sad, don't watch it if you're looking for something lighthearted.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Tries so hard to be original that it ends up being silly

[4/10 · 6 May 2021]

In my opinion, this film is a failed attempt to mix different tones and genres. It could have been a lighthearted and fun feminist revenge flick, which it is clearly not. It could have been a serious film about a 'me too' subject and the psychological effects of rape on the victim, but it is clearly not that either. It is rather a cringeworthy cross between the two. There are scenes with Tarantinoesque violence, but these are not trashy or fun either, they made me cringe so hard that I had difficulty continuing to watch it. The characters are all cliched and caricature-like. Add to this the feminine colour scheme and the upbeat, girly soundtrack and you get a very silly mix. Then again, pehaps I just didn't get it.

I only rated it four because I actually like Carey Mulligan and also because the movie is memorable in a way, even if only as a failure.

Lovesick (2014–2018)

Enjoyable and so very British

[8/10 · 5 May 2021]

This series is lighthearted, fun and seems so typically British: the characters have a lot of casual sex, drink a lot and repress their feelings all the time... All this, however, allows for a nice and slow build-up of tension, whether the two leads (and some secondary characters) will end up together or not.

Spoilers ahead

The actress playing Evie (Antonia Thomas) is gorgeous and Johnny Flynn is really attractive in a way that seems typically British to me (he is aware of his charms but acts in a restrained and slightly self-conscious manner). However, the two have zero chemistry together, which is not a huge problem as long as they are best friends and thank god, they only become a couple towards the end. After this, their relationship becomes really boring and the lack of sexual attraction is palpable. Perhaps this is due to bad writing or the two actors are not compatible, I don't know.

Luckily, Dylan (Johnny Flynn) has a lot of scenes with other women, too, some of which are very entertaining and sexy (especially the ones with 'Abigail').

The secondary characters are almost all very funny and I liked all the actors.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time but when I decided to re-watch it, I got bored with it quickly.

High and Low (1963)

I really enjoyed the outdoor scenes

[8/10 · 5 May 2021]

Before watching this, I had only seen Kurosawa films with a historical setting (except for Dersu Uzala), so this one was interesting because it takes place in modern Japan (the early 1960s are also history now, but you understand what I mean, present-day for the film).

I thought the first part was well-made but a bit too theatre-like for my taste and the moral dilemma was only moderately interesting. The police procedural aspects are quite interesting, but mostly because they use methods that now seem old-fashioned and because they are Japanese policemen.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed the second part of the film, with a lot of scenes filmed outdoors (shot on a train or driving around the seacoast). I thought the cinematography was beautiful and the scenes also provided a glimpse into Japan in the early sixties, including nightlife in Tokyo, with foreigners and 'trendy' Japanese people. The zombie-like drug addicts were a bit over the top, but I guess this was the norm back then when portraying people who take drugs.

Something in the Rain (2018)

Too repetive and mundane, with an irritating soundtrack

[6/10 · 3 May 2021]

I started to watch this series to check out Son Ye Jin, the female lead of Crash Landing on You in a different series. Well, I liked her performance in this one, too.

However, I got bored with the story after a few episodes. There is a lot of fuss about how much older she is, then it turns out she is only three or four years older than the guy she gets together with. The two leads are cute together but the dialogues are not really interesting and even the flirting revolves around the same topics (e.g. She being older and he being younger).

Some of the office dynamics at her workplace and the difficulties faced by female employees are actually more interesting than the romantic relationship of the two leads. There is a pervasive feeling of oppression and repetitiveness about the life of white-collar workers in Korea, I don't know how adequate the portrayal is. In her mid-thirties, the female protagonist still lives with her parents, who pry into her private life all the time. Although he has his own apartment, his sister, who lives on the same floor, checks on him unannounced whenever she feels bored (very often). In the office building, too, there are always some curious eyes following them around. No wonder everybody drinks so much Soju and beer, even the women!

The soundtrack is super annoying, it seems as if the makers of the series purchased the rights of using two western pop songs and to have a good return on their investment, they use them to death (several times per episode).

Welcome to Utmark (2021– )

Seems familiar but with some original elements

[7/10 · 3 May 2021]

This series has a trendy style, featuring some dark humour, quirky characters and woke themes (even in a small community, there are lesbian characters, abusive males, a crossdresser, etc.). It somehow seems familiar, even though I haven't even seen the Fargo series, which it is often compared to.

The Nordic vibe and countryside, as well as the Saami characters add interest to the story. I also enjoyed some sub-stories, particularly the one where the grieving pimp pays the Albanian prostitute to play his wife for a day. I thought these scenes were funny and touching at the same time.

All in all, although it is not completely original, it is worth watching if you enjoy quirkiness.

Secret Garden (2010–2011)

Extremely romantic melodrama with magic and outrageous hairstyles

[7/10 · 8 February 2021]

I watched this series because I was curious what Hyun Bin, the star of Crash Landing on You, was like in a different role. Well, although I find him even better-looking as a more mature man, he was already beautiful as a young guy and I liked him better in this role because his character is more interesting. He gets to act like a total jerk many times, and some of these scenes are really funny, actually, for example when he tries to defend his tacky designer tracksuits. He also laughs and smiles a lot in this role, which suits him a lot.

There is an even better-looking guy in the series, the stunt director played by Philip Lee, who is suffering from unrequited love here, so all he does is look into the camera with woeful eyes.

If you are like me and fairly new to K-dramas, let me warn you that this is an over-the-top romantic and melodramatic story, even though there are some comic relief scenes (some of which I found funny, some not at all). If you take elements from Pride and Prejudice (the protagonists disliking each other first, spirited repartee between the two leads), Pretty Woman (huge social gap, the woman's uncompromising attitude) and the Little Mermaid (some plot elements, use of magic, frequent allusions in the series), you can almost (!) imagine the level of romantic melodrama. If this wasn't enough, the romantic (or cheesy, depending on your taste) soundtrack adds another emotional layer.

The female protagonist's character is rather inconsistent. She is a spunky stuntwoman, brave and athletic, and she stands her ground when the spoiled rich guy starts to pursue her, kicking and hitting him and rejecting his advances many times. However, she keeps apologising and bowing to everybody else and cries all the time. This inconsistency becomes problematic at the body switching scenes; it seems that the male actor does not really know how to act when he plays her.

Some reviewers here objected to the outdated portrayal of women, how the female lead gets to be pursued by her rich suitor, even though she has told him not to several times, how he keeps grabbing her arm and holding her down. This did not bother me at all, first, because I think to be pursued like that by a (good-looking) guy who is obsessed with you is a fulfilling fantasy for most women, and second, because the scenes where he grabs her and holds her down are really innocent, he just wants to hold her hands or hold her in his arms. The scenes where they watch the other sleeping from close up are just adorable. However, it seemed rather outdated to me that the female protagonist was shown to be appalled by the idea of physical intimacy before marriage. I get it, conservative audiences like the idea of no sex or anything like that before marriage, but at least she could have been tempted. Here, at least the guy (almost) acts like a normal young man in this respect, unlike in CLOY. Her asexuality also means that the body switching scenes become very chaste and awkward, as if she is not interested in the male body she temporarily inhabits at all.

There is also a storyline featuring an aging K-pop star, a plagiarism scandal and a young composer, but I didn't understand half of it, perhaps I was too distracted to follow the subtitles by the Emo hairstyles, which must have been very trendy ten years ago but seem a bit ridiculous now...

I agree that the evil mother character was way overdone.