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mmk77
Reviews
The Gentlemen (2024)
So many stupid decisions it's offensive
It's got the looks and feel of the old and great Guy Ritchie films, which might explain the positive reviews. However, that alone is far from enough.
What led me to abandon this series halfway through, something I typically dislike doing, was the decisions made by the characters.
You have these characters who are portrayed as successful, wealthy, and supposedly skilled in their criminal careers... yet they consistently make the most idiotic decisions imaginable. Every. Single. Time.
Sure, making a mistake is something that happens, but it's baffling to see these major criminal organisations seemingly incapable of hiring a competent delivery person, among other unbelievable occurrences.
These nonsensical decisions, made by characters who are supposed to be successful, are incredibly distracting and frustrating.
Of course, the bar has been set so low with the successful characters making these absurd mistakes that one can only imagine the level of stupidity exhibited by those who are supposed to be stupid.
Killing Eve (2018)
It got really bad
Series 1 and 2 are excellent! TV at its best.
Series 3 and 4, on the other hand... what a disappointment. Something clearly changed and it hasn't worked. Maybe they fired someone crucial for the series? Idk.
S1 and 2 - 90
S3 and 4 - 50
70.
The Shrink Next Door (2021)
I can't believe they got it so wrong.
I loved the podcast and knowing that Georgia Pritchett was involved got me really excited about this show. She does have the marvellous the thick of it, veep and succession under her belt but this one was just awful.
I understood why after listening to an interview in which she mentioned that this was the tale of two flawed men and that she didn't want to make it about a villain and a victim. Let's be honest, this makes no sense. One of the main characters was a psychiatrist who had professional responsibilities towards his patients. Ike took mental and financial advantage of Marty, and other patients, for 27 years! That's just criminal!
The result is a series that feels constantly "bleh", no depth, even though the story it tells is extremely interesting.
Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd are pretty good and Kathryn Hahn is great (isn't she always?) but good acting is not enough with a weak script.
You're better off sticking with the podcast.
The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
Another boring, generic action film
Another boring, generic, destroyed-by-Hollywood-greed film.
They managed to turn Salander into a boring, generic action hero.
Besides, it has that extremely fake and artificial setting: Swedish characters, in Sweden, speaking English to each other... Come on, how silly is that? Not even kids buy that.
There's even a scene where a Swedish journalist, curious about a crime in Sweden, turns the TV on and watches the news in English. That is so pathetic and reductionist.
I'm giving 4 stars just because technically the film is fine and it looks good. But that it. Nothing else here.
Just watch the original Swedish films if your are actually interested in the story.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Enjoy the trip!
Get rid of your sobriety and enjoy the trip. I don't think the film works any other way but it's great once you fulfill this requirement.
Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones (2019)
Easy, low "jokes"
I normally enjoy Dave's work. His funny and relevant. Usually.
What happened here? This show is mostly easy, low and predictable takes on gay people. I thought we were past that. It was kinda funny in the 80s but it hasn't been for a long time.
I don't get why a smart and capable comedian as him would wast time with those jokes. You know when comedians are incompetent and need to hide behind being offensive due to their lack of skill? It's what Dave does here. It is unexpected since his is most definitely very good at his job but this special was awful.
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Way too much happens and not a lot of depth
It's a good series. Interesting theme (subjective, I know), good production and good performances but there's just so much going on, way to fast with no time for depth.
In series 1 and 2, I thought it was questionable to base each series on 2 books. It felt like too much content that was just rushed.
Then, to my surprise, as if it was not enough, in series 3 they based it on 3 books! There is just so much going on, way too quickly. That leaves not time for deepening the plot, exploring the complexity of the story and developing attachment to the characters. They just come and go.
If you are looking for a shallow series with horses and swords to pass the time, it does just that.
If you are looking for a complex drama about how England became England, look elsewhere. The novel are a much better start.
Vikings (2013)
First 3 seasons are great.
The first 3 seasons are amazing. Then, after Ragnar was gone, it got lost. No focus, uninteresting, boring and mediocre. Full of meaningless conflicts involving characters we don't care about.
It just reminded us of it great self in the last 5 episodes of the last season.
Gangs of London (2020)
Good mafia and police series
This is a solid mafia and investigation series. It is also very violent. Although, the violent scenes do not seem gratuitous or pointless, they fit perfectly with the context.
The series seems to be generally divided into two moments, the first half about the gangs and the second about the police investigation.
I must say the first half, mainly about the gangs, their issues and relationships, was much more interesting. The second half, more focused on the police investigation was closer to many other investigation series. Much more common place.
I would rate it 9 for the first half and 7 to the second. 8 average.
Unorthodox (2020)
Very simplified but still a good story
They got complex and layered story and simplified to a huge extent.
Considering her situation and her background, things happened WAY too easy and too fast to her. Netflix opted for the fairy tale approach instead of realism, that is a pity. It could have been much stronger.
There are things that the audience cannot ignore:
How can someone so naive (as she is portrayed) be homeless but always clean and never hungry?
She made those friends literally minutes after her mother didn't answer the door.
The Arabic speaking well-educated man who works in a music academy just gives her a ham sandwich.
It is still an interesting story but there is so much potential lost. It should have been a regular series with more episodes, providing the opportunity to explore her life in NY and then her journey in Europe.
Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
Bad film on amphetamines
It is mostly a pretty bad film. They tried to hide that behind:
- Annoying loud music
- Shiny colours
- Telling the story in an ridiculously fast pace
In my opinion, the last one is what makes this film bad. I am not sure why they chose that. Is it because their target audience is people who have the attention span of a golden fish? Or is it because they intended it as a way of hiding a bad plot? I cannot answer that, only the producers and director can, but the result is a tiring, silly film.
My rating is not lower for two main reasons:
- At least it is not another brain-dead macho action film. We have had enough of those. Is feminism approached in a silly, unsophisticated and way too commercial manner in this film? Well, of course, that is what happens when huge corporations "adopt" causes.
- Some jokes work. Sure, most of them are so very predictable but many do work.
Snatch (2017)
Why are they so stupid?
I love the film and though I'd like the series. But that seems impossible. How can I enjoy it when the main characters repeatedly make stupid mistakes?
Really, it's offensive. The main characters are so idiotic and make the most stupid and unbelievable mistakes over and over.
I couldn't get past S01E04 when they let the guy who's tripping balls in charge of the gold and he forgets it in the taxi (wow, no one saw that one coming).
If you want to watch a sequence of incredibly stupid mistakes, the show is for you.