Change Your Image
janrosseau
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
I accept that it is not "horror", but that does not make it any better
The story of The Haunting of Bly Manor, as many reviewers already said, is not one that would be categorized as horror in the era of today's cinema. That being said, my brain quickly adapted to this and accepted this. In general I am not even a fan of bland horror movies, but more of stories with good plot (which might coincidentally also be horror stories some times).
So while seeing the series for what it is (and not hating on it because I did not get my portion of jumpscares) I can summarize it as this: very well-written characters (played by great actors) that definitely have depth and a certain pull, used in a story that was very poorly written and was spun out so hard that while watching the show you start to wonder if you (minor spoiler alert) did not die on the grounds of Bly Manor yourself. During the last two episodes I checked the time on my phone multiple times, which says enough. Even though the story definitely had its good moments (mostly due to the character development which was great on itself) I think the pace really destroyed all that was left to enjoy.
As to compare it to its more successful predecessor: What made The Haunting of the Hill House so great was that it story was so enticing and it too had (even more) interesting characters. Everything was connected in the end, but now everything seemed so disconnected. The huge "reveal" of the reason behind the haunting was the worst part for me. I did not have the "aha-erlebnis" I had with Hill House. I admit that I am also not a huge fan of that ending, but the ending of Bly Manor made me go as far as cringe a little bit even. That it was less scary than its counterpart did not really matter to me, as I only care about the quality of a story and how it is told. And unfortunately the quality of this story was far below that of Haunting of the Hill House.
If this series would have cut its episode count in half I would perhaps still recommend it to certain people. The characters on themselves and their actors get all the respect from me and deserve to be watched and applauded. But sadly the story just drags on and never gives you anything to root for or keep watching for, so I won't be telling any people soon to waste their time on it.
The Outsider (2020)
Starts of great then goes downhill but manages to keep its level at the finish
The first few episodes are great. A classic murder mystery with a twist. But I have to admit, even though I knew it was from Stephen King, that the whole paranormal part really was not that good for the plot development in this series. It starts to go downhill from there and gets a bit tedious even about halfway. But once you are acclimatised to the paranormal "El Cuco" thing and just forget about the fact that you are not getting a realistic murder mystery, it is still quite watchable. But in these times, when thousands of shows are being put out every year, being watchable just does not cut it anymore. But then come the last two episodes; they manage to save the show for me. You can actually relate to almost all characters even though you did not really get to know them that well throughout the series. You have a lot of supporting cast that does really well, especially in these last episodes. If it was not for these last two episodes and the accompanying satisfying ending (not satisfying meant as in "end good all good", but won't spoil it for you) I would have given it a 6-7 out of 10 but the overall definitely deserves an 8! If you are a casual series watcher and enjoy the genre, this is definitely one to watch, but do not expect a masterpiece in storytelling.
Luke Cage (2016)
Season 2 not only saved this show, but put in in my top 5 series of all time.
I have to admit season 1 had it shortcomings and towards the end it almost lost my entire interest.
But wow, season 2 was amazing! The storytelling, characters, music... They created an atmosphere that sucks you right into the show as you are living it yourself. You can feel the tension. The development of the characters was incredible! Props to the creative team behind this show. Specifically Shades was amazing, character wise but also acting wise.
I don't feel like Luke Cage is the main character anymore. Everything and everyone is so entangled. The whole coherent story transcends Luke's role in the show and transforms it into a high-speed train of different characters bringing their own part to the story. A rollercoaster of emotion, telling the story of Harlem.
I can't add any other comments without exaggerating to say how great season 2 was, but it just had such an impact on me. It got me craving more and made me sad there were only 13 episodes. A really compelling story that makes you feel for every character in the series, good OR bad. This definitely rose in my top 10 series of all time, i may be even saying top 5!
Future Man (2017)
If you're looking for a good time, this show has got it... and more!
To start of with I really need to get this through to every potential viewer: As the first episode introduces the concept of the series, it may not be able to convince you to continue keep watching the series, but I can heavily recommend you to!
To start of with one recurring pattern in the movie; the humor. The humor in this series is quite special. While being quite predictable most of the time, it always managed to put a smile on my face even though I am not a comedy man myself.
In terms of the story it has a lot of potential. Bringing in a lot of plot twists and even at the end of the season (I won't spoil it for you guys) the series really surprised me in contrast to the rather mediocre plot of this series (from a technical point of view). Story wise you shouldn't expect a super airtight plot.
Don't get me wrong though, the story on itself is amazing and all of the references to other pop culture are one of the many factors that make this show so great. Being born in the second half of the 90s I may have missed more than half of the references and even I thought it was great already. As a lover of the sci-fi genre and time travel plots this series really spoke to me. The rules of time travel are loosely established, which normally pisses me off very much, but for a inexplicable reason it really didn't bother me at all here.
The series on its whole creates a kind of synergy that just makes you enjoy yourself so much while watching. I have no regret spending my time watching this series and would recommend everyone who likes sci- fi to watch it. I give it a 9 out of 10.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
A deep and intriguing development of storyline and characters... to follow-up with a disappointing endfight
After having watched "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" in the cinemas and just now having watched the Director's Cut, I can already say this: if you have 3 hours to spare, be sure to watch the extended version instead of the shortened one!
To start of with, the much surfacing critique on the movie concerning the 'dark and gritty tone' of Zack Snyder is absolutely nonsense. This because the tone is one of the reasons that make this film shine. You place the concept of a Superman in a modern day world, and what happens in the movie could be a real life scenario. The old and hardened Batman doesn't trust this guy. Very good set-up and this flows naturally from the events of the previous film.
Batman is introduced as he should be. I like the colour palette of this film a lot because it strengthens the pessimistic point of view of both the heroes throughout the movie. And also because of that's what a (partly) Batman movie colour palette should be. The movie builds up quite slow, but a sublime scenery and astounding camera shots still have the ability to make you sit on the edge of your chair while waiting for the big clash.
But a fairy tale doesn't last forever. After a long build-up and a magnificent fight between Batman and Superman, the whole movie goes to ****. A slimy troll tries to take down the trinity of superheroes and the fight is just over the top. I know you can't just flush this movie down the toilet for a crappy design of Doomsday, but hey, my eyes also want something I guess.
At least the Director's Cut gives us a good and satisfying ending following the death of Superman. It needs time to really have its impact.
I give this movie a 8 out of 10. I do not blame Zack Snyder for this, but with a little more effort this could have been a 9 out of 10. It's a shame the movie didn't fall into the likes of the general audience, although I don't get why this is. This surely was an enjoyable film.
The Magicians (2015)
Excellent show worth watching! It might not turn out to be how you expected it from the description though
So to start off I will say to you this: This series is amazing.
I am a huge Harry Potter fan, or a fantasy fan in general, and so I was really excited to hear of a series in which adolescents discover having magical powers. I expected to see a kind of rip-off from Harry Potter, but not that I really cared much about that, because I am a fan of the genre in general.
But what the show actually was like, blew me away. You expect some cliché main characters with standard personalities, some basic struggling with magic, some discovering the magical world through little quests and so on. Although it may seem at first this show gives you this, and it maybe does at first, it actually gives you so much more.
It touches so many topics, that not even relate to magic at all. They just use the magic to bind the story together. It is actually an adult show (would not advise watching it with younger children), trying to bring to you a story of a group of misfits that happen to all have magical powers. But it could have been a series without the magic as well and still be good. It's actually a very intelligent show, making a lot of references to other works of fictions. Every time you think you know what will happen, they surprise you by adding a new element to the show.
I know many people call it an adult, dark and gritty Harry Potter adaptation, and I cannot say that they are wrong. It actually is just that. But they way the story weaves everything together. I don't know, I think it's just very refreshing to see that the writers didn't restrain themselves on using real world problems and implementing these into a show that's actually about magic (not reality). It doesn't feel in any way forced and the pace of the show is really good. I have been watching this series and never had one moment thinking that it was getting boring. There are a few episodes that I just think are magnificent, but up to you to decide which are, because that's pretty subjective.
I would not say this series is a perfect 10/10. But in its genre and just for being so creative and different it is really a must to see.
The special effects AND the acting are both incredible for a series this "small". To start up a show with a very small fan base, almost from scratch and ending up with a quality product like this, from episode 1 already, gives me the feeling that this show will bloom to get even more awesome than it is already. I think season 2 is even better than season 1, so if you are having your doubts after season 1, I think it's worth a try to keep on watching and see how you feel about the second season.
All I can say is that if you're a fan of the fantasy genre and you're not easily scared by the ugly side of the magic, this is has to be on your watch list. Just don't expect it so be a sort of comedy show of a group of magicians just wizarding through the world.