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dominiccilli
Reviews
Blood of Zeus (2020)
Tremendous!
Wow. What a show this is. It has a Shakespearean level story that's steeped in the Greek Mythos. It will help your viewing pleasure to at least have a passing knowledge of Greek mythology. The Anime-style animation is just kind of average, nothing on the level of Blue-Eyed Samurai, but the story is complex and compelling and makes up for it all. Season 2 just dropped and it ends with a WHOPPER that makes it look like S3 has the potential to be gigantic(wink, wink). It's the stuff the of dreams for fans of fantasy, animation and people who can just appreciate an epic story. I just cant wait for season 3!
Ripley (2024)
Alfred Hitchcock Would Approve
Andrew Scott give another remarkable performance in this very fleshed out remake of the Talented Mr. Ripley. It's shot in glorious Black and White and you will see some remarkable shots and some cinematography that will make you say "Wow". Watching this I could not help but feel like Zaillian was going after an Alfred Hitchcock vibe and he has done it perhaps as good as I've ever seen it be done before. The supporting cast also shines. I think Dakota Fanning almost always does a great job and this is no exception. This series just looks and feels great. This is perhaps the very best adaptation of this great novel to date. I Know a lot of folks liked the Matt Damon version, but this surpasses that one by quire a bit.
Echo (2023)
A breath of fresh air
A wonderful entry into the MCU. This is Super Hero Lite and focuses more on spirituality in the Native American culture and is all the better for it. The Super Hero genre is getting stale and a bit tired of late. This is a breath of fresh air. It's well acted as Vincent D'Onofrio is always a treat as Kingpin and Grahame Green is beyond reproach. 6.9 is far too low a rating for a series with this much heart, but the lower than deserved doesn't surprise me given the state of America. It's been a long time since a super hero entries tugged at my heartstrings but the conclusion of this series did just that. It's not perfect. They could have developed the main conflict a bit better but still a super hero series that doesn't overwhelm you with over the top super powers and a plot that isn't find this thing or the world will be destroyed or boring us about the Multiverse which is basically an excuse to do anything makes this A Must See.
San ti (2023)
A Remarkable Accomplishment
I have read the entire series Remembrances of Earths Past by Cixin Lui which contains The Three Body Problem upon which this is based, so I knew what was going on when i started this series and they managed to capture most of the higher level cerebral concepts covered in the novel which is a remarkable accomplishment. However, it takes a while to get there. It will be a bit confusing for those who haven't read the novel but somewhere around e23 the reveals start coming in slowly and the veil is lifted for viewers. The writers had to alter the timelines of the novel for dramatic effect and they pulled this on of quite brilliantly. If you are confused and the start of this series you won't be alone as I imagine most people will not have read the novel will be, but hang around because the payoff is huge.
The Railway Men: The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984 (2023)
Never Before...
The first thing that struck me upon reflecting upon this series is why the union Carbine disaster was never covered in film before, at least to my knowledge. Well the answer saddens me when I know its because Americans don't and didn't really care what happened to a bunch of poor Indian people. The disaster in Indian was one of the most vile examples of corporate malfeasance ever inflicted upon human kind. Well thank heavens for the production team at Netflix for putting this to film. It's extremely engaging material and you will not find yourself bored one bit. I am sure if Americans give this series the will find themselves richly rewarded.
Lessons in Chemistry (2023)
How Many Emmys?
Well this is just a spectacular show in every sense of the word. Brie Larson has never been better. Television shows like this don't come around very often. Everything from the opening credits to the closing shot is done with passion and care. It follows the life of Elizabeth Zott as she navigates her life as a brilliant chemist in a time when women were not thought capable of such feats. Her journey is a roller coaster of heartbreak and joy that will be shared in equal portions with the audience. Lessons in Chemistry is heartwarming to a degree that is seldomnly seen on Tv. Only one question remains, Just how many Emmys nominations will this garner? My best guess is 5.
Blue Eye Samurai (2023)
SUBLIME
"THIS IS THE BEST SHOW NETFLIX HAS EVER PRODUCED" There I said it, now fight me. It will not be for everyone, but for a guy who loves, chicks, swords, bloodletting and animation there can be nothing better. ...But seriously, this is a stunning achievement filled with action and glorious artwork and everyone needs to see it. BES was somewhat Reminiscent of Kill Bill (one of my favorite films of all time) and if QT sees this he's going to be a proud papa and the proud mother would be the creators of Mulan...
I could go on for days, but I never do in these things. I've already given away too much, but you need to RUN to see this. On a Final Note I would be remiss to not mention that in this wonderful series, e5 stands head and shoulders above the rest of the series. "The Ronin and the Bride" An absolute MUST SEE.
The Killer (2023)
Style without substance
Here is another film that will fool a lot of viewers into thinking it was good. Fassbinder is a contract killer who misses his target. Upon doing so apparently he is automatically put under contract himself. Now its made very clear to viewers he has tons of money, a bunch of fake id's and the wherewithal to just disappear forever, but he returns home to find his maid beaten up and hospitalized and then he decides to go on the hunt for the people who contracted him? Does this make sense to anyone? She wasn't even killed and yet he decides to go all hog wild and killing everyone involved. David Fincher is a great director and this film has style, but if you think this plot makes any sense whatsoever you just aren't thinking. One last note using The Smiths as your main soundtrack was an awful choice and one that I am sure was made by Fassbinder.
Bodies (2023)
Many WIll be Fooled
On the surface this looks like its great, but its non sense plain and simple and doesn't hold up to even the tiniest bit of scrutiny. Here is a life hack for you. If Netflix describes a series as Mind-bending that is code for "won't make a lick of sense" So we have 4 alternating timelines and the premise is that the Future Mannix goes back in time to ensure that he gets to exactly where he started??? Already people are gushing about this which is very telling. This show is nothing but a bunch of hooks that will make the uninitiated think this is "brilliant". Its anything but. I gave it a 6 because the cast and the production values are outstanding But don't be fooled by this garbage screenplay.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (2023)
A pretender...Boring
Well at first glance this has all the trapping of a monumentally great series. It is Beautifully acted and beautifully filmed and the production values are through the roof. The series uses Australian wildflowers to set the themes and moods for the action it's dealing with. In short, The packaging is about as good as it gets, until you really dig into it. First off, It's painfully slow. This is as boring a show as you will see this year. There is lots of crying and melodrama and it's all quite tedious. The plot make only makes the least bit of sense, if you don't think about it. It was painful to even write 500 characters to get this to be an acceptable review. Its gets 5 stars for the packaging only, the story and drams contained within this series aren't worth anyone's time.