Tricycl Reviews

Special Ops: Lioness (2023– )

The great hollowness

[3/10 · 25 October 2023]

Why even make a show if you have nothing say? Being able to recruit a few celebrities doesn't mean you should just for the principle of it.

Watching this show after the first episode is like seeing a headless chicken that keeps running aimlessly in every possible direction after having just been separated from its cognitive functions. Just longer, much longer.

It starts as a nonsensical action/espionage thriller but at least at first it looks like pretty entertaining nonsense. But soon enough it becomes obvious that the writer has absolutely no idea what story he wants to tell, so the main storyline drags its feet endlessly, moving tiny bit by tiny bit if at all, only to punctuate ridiculous unrelated events that add nothing to the plot and other (particularly cringe) family drama.

How does this get such rave reviews I wonder. Or do I?

Taylor Sheridan keeps selling his name cheap, eventually there'll be nothing left to sell.

Foundation (2021– )

Read the books AFTER

[7/10 · 12 September 2023]

I understand Asimov's readers' disappointment, I would have been angry too. As often with book adaptations you should read the books AFTER watching the show or movie, the other way around is a perfect recipe for frustration at seeing your favourite saga and its author betrayed. Books inspire that kind of attachment.

So I read the books in between the two seasons and indeed Apple went its own way but I don't find that the choices and additions they made are necessarily that bad (some are). Foundation didn't have that amount of details and it was written in the 50's, a 70 year old vision of the future might not have been entirely telegenic to today's viewers.

They made it epic and rich in its own way, it's not perfect, it can be a tad too crass and corny at times, tedious too, but its moments of greatness are worth its flaws.

For Asimov's real work you'll have to read the books though.

Extraction II (2023)

Writers strike already being felt

[3/10 · 20 June 2023]

And felt hard. The script must hold on a cigarette paper.

As for the dialogues they are clichéed to death and overall appalling:

• I'm going to enjoy killing you
• errrr, get in line

... that kind of snappy retorts.

Acting is alrightish but since they have no story nor proper lines written for them actors aren't really given much occasion to shine.

Every fanboy and their dog will tell you "but this is to turn you brain off, unwind and appreciate the senseless action". Meh... not really, it still takes itself too seriously and lacks that entertainment factor of a good popcorn watch. The action is hopelessly repetitive, dizzying and bloody endless, even more so that it's shot in 20 minute long single sequences that only make it even more exhausting. Pretty boring and mind-numbing actually, there's no fancy trick or clever kick, just what feels like hours of raining bullets into bullet-sponge vests, leaving you waiting for something decisive to happen.

It's not your new Jason Bourne or John Wick, it's just pointless, tedious, unimaginative brutality.

Rabbit Hole (2023)

Once every couple of years we get a gem like this

[9/10 · 12 May 2023]

The beginning is a bit confusing and all over the place but once you realise what kind of show it is it's awesome. Gripping, subtly hilarious and delightfully quirky.

There aren't that many writers who have the talent to create such an original show and do it right. Although they're very different and unique it made me think of Patriot and Utopia series a bit. That kind of vibe.

And the cast is perfect. 20 years after 24 Kiefer Sutherland has finally found a role that suits him, Charles Dance couldn't be bad to save his life, the Asian accountant is brilliant, the girlfriend too, the teenage hitman...

The Night Agent (2023– )

Exactly what it looks like... and then worse

[4/10 · 10 May 2023]

Although the trailer left little doubt about the kind of slot-filler this show was I got fooled into giving it a try by the good reviews and now I will have to live with that mistake for the rest of my life. How naive of me.

This is your usual unimaginative deep-state conspiracy thriller that hooks you with a big mystery to keep you engaged in spite of a tragic lack of inspiration. Poorly written, botched plot, cheap twists, cheap sentiments, appalling dialogues, embarrassing hand-on-heart patriotism... there isn't one cliché this show doesn't resort to to fill an episode. Even the action is so-so.

Perhaps it's your kind of show and you'll have a good time watching it, but don't expect it to be anything else than factory-produced entertainment.

Braven (2018)

Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes

[9/10 · 19 April 2023]

This movie doesn't pretend for one second to be what it isn't and it's great at what it is. It certainly isn't dumb or poorly written.

It's a B-action movie, and a good one at that. It's very well paced, the opening is a bit mundane and slow but I found it made the movie overall more balanced than those flashing explosions and bullets right after the studio logos. Once the stage is set and it gets going it's pretty entertaining.

The story is well told, the action is well done but not overdone, which is rare enough to be noted these days, a few moves that require a bit of disbelief suspension but nothing too outrageous, none of the physics-defying stunts, over-choreographed fights or epilepsy-inducing CGi that have now become the norm, the villain is good, Jason Momoa couldn't be bad even his life depended on it... a very enjoyable watch really.

Not a big budget movie nor a testimony to the depth of human sentiments but there's definitely some love and talent that went into it.

Give it a go, your time won't be worse used than watching Liam Neeson killing everything in his path or Captain America strong-arming a Viking deity.

The Last of Us: Part II (2020 Video Game)

Perfection ruined by cheap politics

[8/10 · 28 March 2023]

In spite of the American culture wars tropes it heavy-handedly shoves down our throats, this is objectively an awesome game.

If only for the gameplay that is so entertaining and well balanced.

So much work, skill and talent went into this game. The way they aged Ellie is brilliant, graphics are superb, the general atmosphere is exquisitely done, the levels are varied and gorgeous, characters' movements look more natural than anything I've ever seen, the whole vengeance quest is very engaging and it does feel great to slaughter the villains' friends one by one.

Even the story is strong in spite of its undeniable flaws and weaker characters, of course it was never going to be as good as the first one that didn't really leave an opening for a sequel, so the writers made a choice to keep the emotional engagement going, understandably that was pretty brutal and painful for the fans, but I'm inclined to think it was their artistic liberty to do so.

Of course the main sore point is the idea of making us play as the antagonist. Pretty bold move, but if risks always paid off then they wouldn't be risks. That one gave a pretty mixed result. It adds an interesting dimension to the story but they made her character so impossible to relate to if not downright detestable that it can feel like a chore to play as her.

It was worth a try, but ultimately that doesn't really work.

If it wasn't for the rather unsubtle political messaging that weighs on the overall experience, it was a masterpiece, even in spite of its other weaknesses. But that was just too obvious and self-indulgent not to be annoying.

1923 (2022–2023)

1883, season 41

[4/10 · 8 March 2023]

I assume the rave reviews were posted while only the first episodes had been released, as they're quite enjoyable, but there's no way a self-respecting viewer can accept this as remotely decent drama after that absolute trainwreck of a finish. Man those last episodes were painful.

When the 2nd season of a masterpiece is released so soon after the masterpiece itself it's usually not a good sign, especially when the star-writer is already doing so many things at once (Yellowstone, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, etc.). One can only have so much inspiration, and it was all used-up long before this season could be wrapped-up.

So it has all the fat tricks of a botched sequel made under producers pressure and tight deadlines, and then worse. Fillers, added exoticism and spectacular events to make up for the lack of inspiration, hollow dialogues, soapy, fragmented storylines, corny romance, gratuitously lewd scenes, cartoon villains being pure evil in every possible way, music artificially building tension, cheap & almost explicit political messages (from all sides), etc.

They obviously intend to make a 2nd season of it and maybe that's why the story is stretched so thin, but who would want to watch it?

Man on Fire (2004)

It's not a movie it's a stroboscope

[6/10 · 21 January 2023]

A stroboscope with a good story, but a stroboscope nonetheless.

Now I remember in the early 2000's it was indeed pretty trendy to have this kind of brutal, erratic, dizzying editing being flashed at our faces. I assume that must probably be the kind of training astronauts undergo to make sure they're fit to be sent to space.

I don't remember being so annoyed by it then, I guess it was new and cool and I was younger and cooler, but damn did it not age well. Not at all.

Pity, because they are some great moments, acting, action scenes, devastating quotes and pretty good retorts, but the immersion is always broken by that epilepsy inducing nightmare.

Treason (2022)

You expect an Evil Twin

[4/10 · 3 January 2023]

It starts with a very strong spark and the first 5 minutes of the show make you anticipate the most gripping espionage thriller of the decade, but it quickly appears this is rather an espionage-themed telenovela than Spooks reborn. It tries too hard to be gripping all the time, except during the family-life filler scenes, with a quick succession of twists that reach far beyond most adults' disbelief suspension capacities, and a music that artificially maintains tension to turn each scene into its own climax.

In the end it's a network time-slot filler, but what makes it particularly frustrating is that the cast is great and the potential for a good show is clearly there.

You can see that there is some competent people behind this production because some plans and dialogues are really good and the 3 main actors are excellent, but the inspiration to tell a descent story just isn't there.

Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021 TV Movie)

Better than the Series

[9/10 · 20 December 2022]

What an awesome, enjoyable movie that one. It's actually better than the series, much more to my taste anyway.

Not that the show was bad, it wasn't bad at all, but it had a cheesy Disney vibe to it that made it painful to watch at times. Everyone loves a very mean, arrogant, conniving villain but an outrageously noble and selfless hero that only has the well-being of his fellow human beings at heart quickly gets boring and irritating.

None of that here, we're in it for the violence, dark sentiments and devastating drama. Some pure entertainment that has no time to lose with shallow dialogues, obnoxious characters and cheap morality. Also the actors are very charismatic and ridiculously good-looking, which isn't too unpleasant either.

Obviously you can't develop a story as well in one and a half hour as you can in two seasons so that feels a bit expedited in comparison, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. A good, efficient story that doesn't drag its feet and goes straight to the point with no fillers in between. Well done whoever made it.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Love it or hate it

[5/10 · 11 October 2022]

One thing for sure, it is very accurately named indeed, but Everything Everything All at Once amounted to not much as far as I am concerned.

It's definitely a "love it or hate it" flick, unfortunately I leaned on the latter and couldn't keep watching beyond the first hour. The progression of the story is just too erratic and the pace too exhausting without much to keep my curiosity entertained. The quirkiness didn't grow on me at all, the humour fell flat at my feet and everything (all at once) felt rather forced.

If I were generous I'd say it's a movie that wasn't made for my generation, but since I'm snobbish I'll rather assume that 15 years of formulaic Marvel franchises have severely lowered viewers' standards for this movie to receive such rave reviews.

Carter (2022)

Less would have been more

[5/10 · 11 August 2022]

I guess we all have to suspend our disbelief to watch action movies but this one pushes the concept really very far. With Carter we're almost in the realm of superhero kind of action, but the Telugu-inspired stunts and their improbable physics are too cartoonish for a movie that isn't.

When you go so dramatically over-the-top you better make sure the execution and direction are impeccable, or that you introduce some sort of cinematographic or choreographic innovation, like Ong Bak or Jason Bourne, but that's not the case here.

To be fair there are here and there some pretty cool moves and you can't accuse the movie makers of lacking imagination, but the action scenes are way too long and dizzying, becoming endless sequences of superhuman acrobatics on poor CGI and average camera work.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

The best Bond for non-fanboys

[10/10 · 23 January 2022]

This Bond has everything there is to love about 007 movies (gorgeous women, charm, wit, charisma, humour, exoticism, alcoholism, cold-blooded violence, etc.) and none of what usually ruins it for me (a cartoon story, an apocalyptic villain with a crazy plan and a giant secret base, alien technology gadgets, stunts that defy physics, etc).

I suppose we have the writers' strike to thank for forcing the producers to make a brilliant action movie that keeps things simple instead of the fanciful stories of later movies.

I get that die-hard fans may find its lacking some of the ingredients of the franchise, but for me this is the most enjoyable of all Bonds.

No Time to Die (2021)

Captain Britannia

[3/10 · 15 November 2021]

Daniel Craig's agony as James Bond is finally over.

Good Bond movies are rather the exception than the rule but this last one doesn't even have the charm of a bad James Bond (cold-blooded violence, alcoholism, womanising...).

It felt more like a Marvel movie. It's as botched and trivial as the 6th season of a low-budget conspiracy TV show, the witticisms fall flat, the puns are worse than Roger Moore era's, the script is written by an 8-year old, the story is all over the place, the technology unbelievable, some stunts are worthy of a Telugu action flick, the actors starting with Daniel Craig don't believe in their own characters and Bond is cheesier than Empress Sissi at her wedding.

I'm not particularly a die-hard fan but I can't think of any 007 movie that was worse.

The sequence in the forest is really cool though.

Revolver (2005)

Punches above its weight

[5/10 · 27 July 2021]

It's always flattering when a movie tries to appeal to viewers' intelligence instead of spoon-feeding the answers, but that one misses the mark at trying to be some sort of other level psychological thriller.

The metaphors, the quotes, the twists, the psychological struggle... in the end what this movie has to say is rather shallow and gratuitous.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Don't judge a book by its cover

[7/10 · 16 July 2021]

I put off watching it for a long time because I thought it was just another shiny big budget historical blockbuster, but I didn't know it was by Guy Ritchie.

Apart from falling in the all-too-common trap of abusing you with gratuitous meaningless CGI, which seems to have become the norm for all such movies these days, it was actually a brilliant idea to get that story told by that director.

The story telling and actors are awesome... Jude Law as the evil usurping king is particularly memorable.

It's great at being mass entertainment and great at being different too.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Entertaining, that's all

[5/10 · 5 July 2021]

The usual summer action movie, not bad but not really good either. Relentless action, crazy CGI, cheap sentiments, countless inconsistencies... it's shallow, it doesn't make much sense but it's not expected to and it's entertaining, properly directed and the story isn't completely headless and fanciful like some other recent blockbusters.

Worth it if you don't know how to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The Handmaid's Tale (2017–2025)

Time to wrap-up

[6/10 · 20 June 2021]

After 3 and half seasons of the same thing happening over and over, of characters acting irrationally against their own best interests, of June's very sophisticated facial expressions, of one cliff-hanger per episode to keep your curiosity up through the feet-dragging and fake depth... it's probably time to acknowledge that this lemon has already been squeezed dry and move on.

Who Killed Sara? (2021–2022)

La telenovela netflixana

[3/10 · 15 April 2021]

Everyone loves a good revenge story but this isn't it. It's a soap opera that hooks you with an attractive plot and then find every possible excuse to drag its feet and not move the story forward with over-the-top directing and editing, artificial family drama, constant flashbacks, ridiculous dialogues and of course a massive cliffhanger at the end of the episode.

But all this would almost be tolerable if it wasn't for the exhausting music that's constantly there to create some fake tension and make you feel that every moment is its own climax.

I didn't even know they were still doing TV like that. It's almost insulting.

Unforgotten (2015– )

Good British cop show

[7/10 · 9 April 2021]

There isn't much more to say about it. It's nothing extraordinary or particularly mind-blowing but the concept of reopening an old case makes for an even more engaging investigation, and the unfolding of the plot is very well done, a little bit like an Agatha Christie novel.

If I had one complaint it would be that the sentimentality and empathy of the lead detective can sometimes be a little too much if you aren't into that sort of stuff, but nothing to kill the deal.

PS : if you just liked season 1 but not that much, season 2 and 3 are much better, which is rare enough to be noted.

The Killing (2011–2014)

Brilliant for one season

[8/10 · 27 December 2020]

The first season has to be one of the best cop shows I've ever seen. It's dark, it's well written, the characters are strong and well-played and the police work feels real, with detectives that are human beings following evidence, not psychics with magical deductive powers who can solve the entire plot from the most fanciful clues in some kind of grand reveal that suddenly all makes sense.

The problem is that they tried to keep this alive for too long. At the beginning of season 2 they start to introduce heavy doses of rather gratuitous drama while the investigation keeps bouncing from one new suspect, to another, to another... that was ok for one season because the story was very engaging, but then the pattern becomes a little too obvious and repetitive, and made me lose interest for the investigation.

I'll never know who killed her, but I don't really care anymore.

Mosul (I) (2019)

Finally a Netflix movie that has something to say

[9/10 · 18 December 2020]

This is great on so many levels, first of course the cinematography, the directing, the acting, the photography, decors... but also the story. It's an action movie yes, and a good one at that, but it keeps things simply real without trying to sell some fake bits of hollow heroism nor making things more gruesome than they should be to overdo the realism. Congrats to the filmmakers for finding that sweet spot.

But what makes that movie incredibly precious is that it gives a face and some substance to the ordeal the Iraqi have had to live through. The death, the loss, the the factions, the sacrifices, the determination... It makes what is for most of us an abstraction we periodically hear about in the news into a reality.

And it's balanced and truthful in doing that.

Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

Best martial arts movie ever !

[8/10 · 10 December 2020]

I just re-watched it recently and even 20 years later, even if I try to be mature about it, being French I have to admit it's extremely difficult not to feel overwhelming joy and excitement at the sight of French cops getting their asses so severely kicked for 90 minutes.

Honest Thief (2020)

Even Liam Neeson couldn't save this one

[4/10 · 6 December 2020]

Good ol' Liam comes back to our screens as a burglar with a heart big like that and solid knuckles in a movie that starts incredibly cheesy, where everything has to be moral, with a moral hero thief and a very very bad and very very mean villain, and a peppy girlfriend who makes terribly bad jokes.

Then at some point our favourite sweet & sour brute starts distributing fists and bullets so you could tell yourself, "well, at least Liam Neeson will entertain us during the next hour by killing everyone who crosses his path, like he has done with unflinching regularity for the last 15 years", but in a world where nothing is certain for very long, you can apparently not even count on Liam Neeson to kill people at an industrial pace anymore as the unbelievably heavy cheesiness resumes as soon as the dust settle from that very short action scene.

So you give up.