atlsk Reviews

Fallout (2024– )

Top tier post apocalyptic entertainment

[10/10 · 12 April 2024]

You don't need to have payed the games or really know anything about them. The only thing game knowledge adds are some "dang that's from the game, so cool" moments." Playing the game only adds to the experience but not knowing the games doesn't take anything away from the overall entertainment and quality. Fallout stands on its own as a top tier post apocalyptic action drama. It's like Mad Max Fury Road meets The Road meets The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This series of episodes is up ther with any beloved action/Sci-Fi trilogies and is better than some. The creative team clearly took advantage of, what I imagine was, a very large budget. Nothing about his series feels like TV.

Scavengers Reign (2023)

fantastical survival sci-fi

[10/10 · 1 March 2024]

This is one of the most beautiful, eerie, engrossing, all encompassing pieces of art I've experienced. From the art design, score/soundtrack, innovative/ imaginative biological creations, story, character development to the pastel color palate. Its's as close to near damn perfect as animated storytelling can get. I could imagine it starting off kind of slow for some, so I recommend watching it with a surround howe theatre set up or headphones to catch the vide more quickly. The imaginative creations and visual representation of the circle of life/food chain on a new unexplored planet juxtaposed with the classic survival of standard space travelers makes for a a gripping tale.

The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart (2023)

Perfection

[10/10 · 22 July 2023]

The culmination of twenty years of quintessential character development, standard setting writing, and visual storytelling at its finest. Thank you Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick. Y'all have created a work of art that encapsulates the best and worse of humanity. From innocence & failure to the growth that comes with acceptance, The Venture bros. Is now the bar for serialized storytelling. From ingenious & palpable dialogue that captures the deep rooted insecurities and their associated overcompensation's to the mesmerizing backstories for even the most unsuspecting of background characters, The Venture Bros. Has managed to perfect storytelling as an art. Please do yourself a favor and watch this full series and tie up film. You won't regret it. Thanks again for the 20 years of eating for the next part of the story, for once it was actually worth it!

The Leftovers (2014–2017)

Under the radar oerfection

[10/10 · 24 December 2021]

Do yourself a favor and trust the collaborators. Go in as clueless as you can and treat yourself to the best of what the TV platform has to offer (when working from already amazing material.)

Hawkeye (2021)

Way better then expected

[8/10 · 22 December 2021]

Just finished the Hawkeye Christmas centric miniseries (all 6 episodes combined are still shorter the the last avengers ha) and as a whole, it's basically like the more recent Marvel films that hire unexpected directors (like antman/Thor ragnarok/black panther) meets best parts of the original Home Alone- meets a well edited pg-13 version of Die Hard, & makes for one heck of an enjoyable, heartfelt, comedy/action/thriller/Christmas romp! Great stunts and action, well timed cheese for the cheese humor, characters building semi-believable (in a comic book world) relationships relationships, w/ some do what's right for the greater good/with power comes responsibility sprinkling are all Wrapped up in an entertaining Christmas bow that the whole fam can enjoy.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Text I sent to my sister/mom of two Toddlers/fellow wasted art degree person I always riff with about the abuse of nostalgia since we're 1 yr apart

[8/10 · 12 November 2021]

I've never been the biggest fan of marvel movies, however Shang Chi is a legit bonafide classic. It's like Goonies meets Harry Potter, never ending story...meets Okja crouching tiger hidden dragon...meets princess Mononoke... meets the secret garden...meets the raid...and every akira Kurosawa film (it's a lot more in depth with legit Asian film history then that but I need films you knew) it's a legit A+, 10 out of 10, 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿 up for the whole family and for art appreciators. It's seriously the best blockbuster movie that reps the craft and uses the best medium for storytelling to the masses (film) of the last few yrs. It mixes adventure, fantasy, mysticism, non cultural appropriation2non Americanized martial arts, every aspect of classic cinematography, Oscar winning acting with up and comers, non cheesy non forced humor for all Ages, and superb pacing and storytelling. It makes every other marvel film look like trash. It's like a Pixar x studio ghibli movie but with real life actors...it's tugs on the nostalgia heartstrings through emotional suggestion w/ a hint of that original feeling; you remember that genuine hope/amazement that's always missing with the "in your face recycling" of the exact same bs in every other modern blockbuster leaching off the nostalgia tit. It's really something special.

Mosaic (2018)

A definite must watch for fans of Soderbergh, whodunnits, and great storytelling!

[9/10 · 4 July 2021]

I ended up bingeing the first 3 episodes. It's a very well done art filled/story driven mystery set in a wealthy Utah ski resort town. It focuses on the murder of (and happenings leading up to) a lonely middle aged children's author (Sharon Stone). According to an article in Vulture it's inspired by a similar case involving the murder of a children's author in England. The first episode was initially a lil off putting as it dives right in with the initial scene being towards the end of the story then going back to the beginning and dropping the viewer right into a party scene (without any handholding) introducing some of the main characters via a realistic and annoying presentation of self absorbed snobby rich people amidst their art scene. Paul Ruben and Sharon Stone both do a great job portraying their characters in way where it's obvious their actions are masking a sense of loneliness. By the end of the first episode I was hooked due to and from then on it plays out as a very well written/directed whodunit. The color palette, cinematography, and pacing are reminiscent of The Knick and is every bit as good when given a chance.

The New Mutants (2020)

Not as bad as the reviews

[6/10 · 21 February 2021]

Not a great film, but not near as bad as this lonely troll army of 1 star reviews makes it out to be. Def better then several other films in the X-men franchise and it's nice to see new characters in a film that actually attempts to develop them. It's clearly meant for the angst preteen/teen audience.

Avenue 5: He's Only There to Stop His Skeleton from Falling Over (2020) Season 1, Episode 5

It's worth the build up.

[3/10 · 17 February 2020]

It started slow, but it's definitely picked up and is In full stride with the this latest ep. you can easily see why it started slow by developing the characters over the first few slower eps. The payoff off is real humor.

After Life (2019–2022)

The evolution of Ricky Gervais is on full display.

[10/10 · 9 March 2019]

Another masterpiece in the vein of Derrick. The emotional honesty creates genuine feelings. The writing is superb. What really stands out is the frosty of Gervais as a director. The cinematic approach is highlighted by amazing cinimetography.