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paul42873
Reviews
Alexander: The Making of a God (2024)
What a wasted opportunity
The life of Alexander is extraordinary and deserves to be told accurately. I liked the way the producers focused on the major strategy and battles of Alexander , leaving out the battles of lesser importance. It might have worked too, if more accuracy was brought into the telling. Netflix is however not known for historical accuracy in its shows, which is a major put off when you see docuseries of interesting people or events advertised and you just know that its going to be inaccurate. My major gripe however is with the narrator. Whoever trained them to use their hands and body movements to accentuate events did them a huge disservice. They were massively irritating. The male narrator had his eyes all over the place his hands doing, heaven knows what and he couldn't pronounce Darius, ( Its not Dareyeus ). The main female narrator was just weird. The older one in the temple was good though, but goodness, the others... The story should be told again, but not by Netflix.
Blonde (2022)
Pathetic
This film is a fictional representation of what was an amazing life cut short. The film purports to be a biography of sorts, nowhere does it explain that its fictional and may not be accurate at all. It has all the misery, extensively exploited and none of the magic that she created. It is at once disturbing, dull, boring, far too long, far to one sided and miserable. Just disgusting . If you like wallowing in misery for an extraordinary long drawn out time, without any uplifting moments then this is for you. At the end of it I felt deflated and disapointed . This all happened before my time, but I saw Marilynn as an icon, a singer , a magical person loved by so many. This film tries to destroy all that.
Vikings: Valhalla (2022)
Disapointing sequel to Vkings
The Vikings series was totally captivating, the characters totally believable and whilst the series also introduced characters to create a thread throughout the series, the main storyline could be followed as a quasi historical narrative. I learnt more about English and viking history through the series than at school. I also started to read up on it.
Valhalla is different, for some reason they went as far as changing the sex and race of Jarl Haakon. I don't know why, maybe just to insult the Danes ? That historic manipulation was more than irritating, it brought the entire series' credibility so bluntly into question. Was any of it really true , is there an ounce of accuracy in the series ?
Some of the acting was very good, some incredibly bad , the warrior maidens fights for instance was so bad, it defied credibility. I suspect that historically that also didn't happen. This series could have been great, but the credibility of it was totally lost. The producers, I suspect, were just having a laugh.
Condor (2018)
Riveting series , very well acted too
This is a very good suspenseful thriller. Every episode holds your attention. I thought the acting was topnotch by all . A special mention for Max Irons, he's a natural, never theatrical, always fully committed. Excellent.
Manifest (2018)
Great underlying story, but......
The acting is sometimes so bad, it becomes irritating. The most credible actor in my opinion is J. R. Ramirez . He keeps his interest in the story as it develops. The worst in my view is Melissa Roxburgh, it feels as though she moves between emotionless boredom and occasional spurts of energy.
Whoever wrote the dialogue totally missed the mark. Sometimes interesting, much of the time quite inane. I.dont know why they made Josh Dallas such a weak person. Irritating. I sat through about 10 episodes before I gave up.
State of Play (2003)
Thrilling mini series
All the episodes were quite exciting, except the final one. That one seemed pointless , contradictory and I felt a little cheated . The story was building nicely, just to be destroyed at the end. One has to ask , why ? We were led on a wild goose chase I feel.
Barbarians (2020)
Modern barbarians
Unfortunately with so much going for it, the show is negatively affected by not referencing the times properly. It would have been far better had the producers tried to stay true to the historic times in terms of dialogue, acting and characters. By bringing it into current political correctness, the show loses its credibility . Every speech or act, just looks made up, untrue and unbelievable. Shows like Marco Polo, Kingdom, vikings etc... may deviate from reality a bit more, but they reflect the times better and are therefore more credible and engaging.
Tin Star (2017)
Good story but non stop drinking became irritating
The storyline , although quite depressing is captivating. I found the lead's character non stop drinking, disturbing. Its OK to have a character with an alcohol problem, but one who is forever grabbing whisky bottles and drinks through most of the series becomes a bit ridiculous.
Delhi Crime (2019)
Very human tragedy
It is seldom that you get to watch such a well developed and acted series. The characters fitted their roles perfectly . The story is a very heartbreaking one, but brought to the screen in an amazingly humane, sympathetic way, with its moments of honest light humor. An amazingly , emotionally balanced execution of a difficult story.
Liar (2017)
More promise than delivery
At first I thought this might be a dramatized true story, but then the main characters started doing some totally irrational things which destroyed any credibility the series might have had. Why for instance did Andrew drug her ? There was absolutely no need, she was as eager as he was. Why did she send an incriminating libelous email to ancillary people whom she knew it would hurt, and who were innocent of any wrongdoing, without any proof to back up her claims. Why did he not immediately take criminal and civil action / There are so many nonsensical issues in this plot, which totally destroyed the series for me.
Striking Out (2017)
Found a good one here
I was immediately captivated by the fresh modern look to this show. The acting and storyline are very good. The show just feels energetic, light and entertaining. In hoping a third series will be created. I found Emmet Byrne particularly excellent in his role. Fresh and inventive, not an overdeveloped show as a lot of American shows tend to be.
Strike Back (2010)
Casting spoils the story
I watched a few series. The stories were really well thought through and the filming on sites across the world, really impressive. I found the action guys believable and tough, but their bosses were lame without character strength. Their acting was weak. They had been given a script and narrated and acted it but without commitment or real understanding.The female roles fighting alongside the hardened guys ,looked good , but , for me lacked any credibility in those roles.
Devils (2020)
Excellent
Great story about the banking world. Clearly a fiction , but thought provoking nonetheless. The acting by the main protagonists is sharp and intensely credible. Highly recommended.
Goliath (2016)
unconvincing
Billy Bob's character unfortunately irritates as a chainsmoking , brown paper bag drinking , needing a good wash, alcoholic. He never comes to life either. You expect as a lawyer, moments of brilliance, but they never come. The research on the legal case by his adversaries is supposed to be very extensive, yet there is little evidence of that. Billy's final argument in court falls totally flat and is really underwhelming.
Flikken (1999)
Excellent portrayal of police life
I watched the entire series and was captivated all the way through. The stories are good, and the character development throughout the series excellent. You felt that you really got to know the individual characters . I'm sure many viewers at the time when the series were aired thoroughly enjoyed them. Well done, I'm sorry there were only 10 seasons of this.