tenacious_dummy Reviews

The Booth at the End (2011–2012)

Surreally wonderful

[10/10 · 31 May 2012]

It happens once in a year for me, I think. To stumble upon something that I know I will cherish for as long as I am capable of memories.

"The Booth at the End" is a thought-provoking, unbelievably engaging, and convincingly performed series of short episodes, all filmed at a booth in a diner. I read in one of the comments how the person thought this setting could never achieve the level of engagement it did, but was (fortunately!) mistaken. This might be the first science-fiction film/series in which I truly did not want to find out the 'secret' behind the story. It is an allegory of life, of flawed human nature, but also of occasional glimpses at divinity in ourselves, and it is as such that it ought to remain. Honestly a wonderful piece, both with respect to writing and production.

Also, I would like to commend Xander Berkeley for his brilliant performance. So heartfelt, on the verge between reality and fantasy, hell and heaven.

I do hope I will have the opportunity to come across more projects of this kind in the future.

House M.D. (2004–2012)

Farewell Dear House

[10/10 · 16 May 2012]

There are three aspects of House which I admire.

The writing cast. Hugh Laurie. And Robert Sean Leonard.

The show looks at life from a critical standpoint. It refuses easy solutions just because they give the satisfaction of a purposeful world. As its main character it has a deeply conflicted, yet intellectually brilliant man, who is not straightforwardly depicted, but remains inscrutable to a certain point throughout the seasons. It provides a setting where it is not unlikely for crucial, ontological questions to pop up on a daily basis, and it takes every advantage to tackle life from multiple perspectives. It has portrayed a variety of main characters since it first appeared on air, and though not all have given satisfactory performances, the dilemmas of their relationships were nevertheless made real.

I am sorry to see House go. But it had one hell of a ride.

He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

Gender stereotypes disguised as female empowerment

[2/10 · 6 January 2012]

I have been skimming through this movie's reviews, and quite frankly, I am appalled by the positive feedback it received. Isn't this precisely the type of Mars & Venus gender-dividing gibber gabber women have been trying to contradict in the actual world for the past few decades? Do we seriously still believe that men and women are so intrinsically different that we speak and behave in ways incomprehensible to one another?

The central story of Gigi and Alex is so vapid. While Alex so "generously" attempts to explain to Gigi how there are simple rules to male behavior (implying, of course, that women unnecessarily complicate things) and that one of them is the "he's just not that into you" catchphrase, he is doing so without any real argument. The one thing he has to say in his defense is "it's just how we do it." His only rationale is being a guy. When he ultimately comes to Gigi's apartment where she is apparently waiting to be rescued from her pointless singlehood, he seals her lips with a kiss, while she exclaims "I am the exception!" Yeah, Gigi, you sure are... Congrats!

And so, while we are persuaded throughout this excuse for a movie that we are never the exception, suddenly exceptions are springing up all over the place, and everyone (well, almost everyone, someone had to be the scapegoat) is tucked into their nice, comfy, little conventional lies/lives, and they all live happily ever after. The only relationship I could sort of recognize as "real" is the Aniston-Affleck combo, but they had to ruin it with his predictable proposal in the end. Why couldn't he just come back and tell her that if he doesn't want to get married, it's because marriage to him is only a formality, and that if they don't stay together it's because she quit on him, not the other way around? But I guess such an ending would not be considered happy by Hollywood standards...