valid_point Reviews

Maxton Hall: The World Between Us (2024– )

entertaining teen drama

[6/10 · 10 May 2024]

Of course the story is cringe and the drama is over the top but that's what you expect (and want?) from a teen show.

What is really bothering me (apart from the main character's name Ruby Bell, but that's blamed on the books) is the music. It should have been used way more subtly. Like the background music is always at full volume, decreases maybe at voiceovers but gets at full blast without any transition.

Oh and the voiceovers .... If they just consist of generic calendar mottos, then maybe there should not be any at all.

The director focuses a bit too much on facial expressions. But the acting is mostly really enjoyable and the cast in general is very well picked.

Best character is doubtlessly Alistair!

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024– )

Promising visuals but poor execution

[4/10 · 26 February 2024]

Good things first: the CGI, the world's realisation, the element-bending as well as the fight scenes are extraordinarily good. In general, the visuals are simply fascinating, you can definitely see the effort there.

But the dialogue, the acting and some directing choices were too poor to actually enjoy the show.

The script is awful. Nearly every character expresses itself in an unnatural, vague, prose-like manner. There is no friendship-bonding between these superficial lines, in fact, you do not even get attached to the characters as a viewer. Moreover, the series relies way too much on exposition than actually taking action. Important plot elements happen off-screen, details get explained by characters who happen to be omniscient or major plot points/ plot twists appear underwhelming and far from epic.

The actors' line delivery is so unconvincing, I simply cannot understand some casting choices. Face expressions and emotions are non-existent and there is zero chemistry, charm or easiness to the characters. Due to this lack of charisma, originally goofy characters turn cringe and villains do not feel like serious villains.

The camera work sometimes really highlights the lack of acting since there are way too many close-ups of unauthentic face expressions. The director loves these close-ups especially at the end of EVERY. SCENE. When a character states something totally meaningless but in a kind of poetic way, accompanied with way too loud music.

The soundtrack itself is very pleasant and my personal highlight was the short intro which differs from episode to episode. But that's it, nothing to recommend.

When They See Us (2019)

Heartbreaking series which leaves you infuriated

[9/10 · 7 February 2024]

First and foremost, this was very good film making. It was an emotional rollercoaster bringing me to tears, putting me in rage, leaving me desperate regarding mankind.

The story is based on the true story of the infamous Central Park Five, who would be found guilty and jailed for a brutal attack against a woman. The series focuses less on the trial itself, but rather on each individual, their familial situation, their time in prison and how they are coping afterwards. You get extremely attached to the characters and even though they do not always appear as saints you are rooting for them and may be screaming at the screen regarding this huge injustice the five boys faced.

The acting was on point, young and adult actors alike and the dramaturgy was well executed. Nevertheless, it just leaves you speechless and powerless knowing their and many others' fate lie in the hands of unconscionable superior individuals.

The Three Detectives (2023– )

Cute adaption with great cast - a must see for all book fans

[7/10 · 7 February 2024]

Zuckersüße Adaption mit tollen Cast, besonders für Fans der Buchreihe ein Muss - 1, 2, 3, Power!

As a kid I really enjoyed the (audio-)books and since many book adaptations are rather mid I was very skeptical at first. But just let me tell you I was having a blast. It was sweet and wholesome and also cringy on top of an actually not too bad investigative plot. The series' motives were well adapted from the books that I could recover many characters as well as plot elements.

The actors were well selected, I really enjoyed their interaction. Paired with nostalgia this was the ultimate comfort series I didn't know I needed. I know for sure I will watch it again some time!

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Beautiful storytelling within a once again beautiful world

[10/10 · 7 February 2024]

I do not understand the more or less poor reviews - to me, Avatar does not need a super sophisticated script, unforeseen plot twists or extremely complex characters. No, when I went to the theaters I just wanted to have a great time during this 3h, enjoy the scenery and dive into this world. And this exactly what I got. The CGI was once again mind-blowing and I love how much time Cameron invests into introducing us into the water world especially paired with this amazing soundtrack. Although I understand if some people complain about the long running time but I think it is comprehensible. Moreover, I really enjoyed seeing grown-up Sully with kids who get their own coming-of-age kinda storyline. I don't care if you could have predicted the happy ending from the very start, in Avatar 2 I WANT Sully to be the saving hero and I WANT the kids to have their cliché and stereotypical moments. I loved this movie just as much as the first one.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Fun watch but nothing oscar worthy

[5/10 · 5 February 2024]

I struggled alot during this movie.. in the beginning I thought that I'm gonna enjoy this movie a lot - it made me giggle every now and then, I especially enjoyed the action scenes where Evelyn absorbs skills from other multiverse Evelyns. But half way through it kinda starts losing itself. The resolution of the big why felt a bit underwhelming. I mean I get the idea behind seeing joy within a subjectively pointless life is what makes life precious but the film's execution felt incoherent. At this point the movie was simply too long, scenes became crazier and too over the top.

Waymand's character really stood out to me but honestly besides him nothing seems memorable about this movie. It was a fun watch but nothing oscar worthy.

Goosebumps (2023– )

Nice to watch during dinner but that's it

[4/10 · 14 January 2024]

I enjoyed watching this fantasy series way more than other teen shows, mainly since the sympathetic cast surrounding these 5 teenagers was appealing enough to keep me watching. Also the dealing with the time stamps was interesting. But I would have liked to have seen more storyline of the parents.

After the 8th episode I was wondering why there were another two, since the main storyline was already over. They act as a cliffhanger but it would have been better if they were either the first two episodes of the second season or they could have been easily included as a short epilog in season 1. It was just too long and too much in the end.

Silver and the Book of Dreams (2023)

Wasted potential

[2/10 · 10 December 2023]

So as a person who has read and loved the books, this is just a huge disappointment.

Visuals especially the dream sequences are top which is why I gave 2 instead of 1 star.

The actors' appearances were different from the books but still fine, however, their personalities were non-existent. The actors had no charisma at all and couldn't really show off their acting abilities which I believe some of them have.

There was no character, friendship and romance development because everything was rushed. The dialogues were poorly written and the plot got more and more ridiculous (e.g. Liv sedating Arthur during chemistry class in school and then herself and her breaking into a mental hospital) and boring. Half way through I didn't fully understand what they were aiming for anymore.

Bottom line: do not waste your time watching this even if you haven't read the books this is simply not worth it.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

Sort of enjoyable but ruined by Zegler

[4/10 · 18 November 2023]

Watching 2h 38min was as long as it sounds. The beginning looked promising: the yet undeveloped execution of the Hunger Games, the whole scenery or the introducing of Snow as the anti-hero who never actually despises the idea of the Hunger Games but still is human, empathetic and caring. There was some sort of character shift towards turning evil (like the scene he admits killing this one tribune felt powerful), but it never really got to a breaking point. Nevertheless Tom Blyth was the perfect choice who did a great job at what the writers gave him - which was way more than what they did to build a proper love story. Lucy's and Snow's romance felt forced, rushed and unconvincing.

Which brings me to the biggest problem the film has: Rachel Zegler. Her acting was so poor I couldn't grasp any personality traits of Lucy Gray who should have been the strong woman on the outside but scared woman on the inside. Instead, her whole presence drowned in arrogance which didn't stop even after Lucy just experienced the most horrific days in her life in the Hunger Games Arena (like shouldn't she suffer from PTSD?) Zegler has absolutely zero charisma that watching her felt exhausting. She definitely is a gifted singer - as the movie shows us several times - but that doesn't compensate her complete lack of acting skills. On the contrary, the more she sings the more the movie turns into these unnecessary and irritating musical episodes of any CW show.

So if you are a fan of the original Hunger Games movies, you will definitely found enjoyable moments - if you already dislike Rachel Zegler before watching this movie, I would skip it.