Change Your Image
viiire
Reviews
Inside Man (2022)
Bloody hilarious!
I have a big problem after watching Inside man... nothing else seems even remotely interesting now. Inside man is witty, mentally stimulating, gripping, addictive... such a shame there is only one season of four episodes. I was hooked right from the beginning. Masterful plot and great acting performances and superb direction... every moment of this show was utterly enjoyable! I do not get any of the criticism given here by other reviewers... how can anyone dislike this show? What is there not to like? The puzzles, not given away too easily... the dark humour... I'd have to say I enjoyed the plot most of all about this series. Absolutely delightful!
Leave the World Behind (2023)
A gripping enough film, not sorry I watched it
As a huge fan of end-of-the-world movies, I'd say this is a fairly solid one. I wouldn't say it's the best I've ever seen in this genre, as it's perhaps too neat and tidy. Not enough chaos or danger. Perhaps the authors didn't want to scare little children who might possibly watch it. But this cautiousness has probably taken away from authenticity. Even though it's certainly suspenseful, it didn't keep me, personally, on the edge of my seat.
The greatest strengths of this film are the enjoyable acting performances alongside with a pretty convincing storyline. This is quite a likely scenario to play out IRL, to come to think of it. Almost like a warning even...
All the Light We Cannot See (2023)
Utterly naive and fake, but watchable
This mini series comes with a warning 16+, however, what it should really come with is a warning 16- (or, perhaps, for Americans of any age) -- it really is a torture to watch when you're out of your puberty and a European war film aficianado.
It is way too naive for a good war film, that much becomes true within the very first few minutes of the first episode. Anyone sitting peacefully in an attick during an air raid is so utterly unrealistic it makes me cringe. A bomb lands nearby, breaking the windows and bringing down mortar from the ceiling - and what does the main character do? Brushes off the dust and continues broadcasting, urging her close relatives to come back home... what kind of a sane person would do that, especially knowing that during the day, the air raid would stop? Anyone in their right mind would try to find a basement or a shelter and broadcast during the day, when there's an actual chance that somebody would listen - dear papa and uncle, if you're listening - do NOT come home, the bombs might kill you... (not to mention the soldiers keeping watch at the borders of the town).
And, oh yes, the language... it just makes the series so unbelievably unrealistic I almost turned it off. I kept on watching only because I wanted to see the performance of Hugh Laurie. That was another disappointment, however - he, unfortunately, only brought a sugar-coated, pastel version of himself on the table. As appropriate for a children's film, perhaps...
Another issue I had... I know very little about visual impairment, but I'm pretty sure nystagmus does not disappear on its own - if one has it as a child, they should have it as an adult, too... unless there are corrective surgical means to get rid of it, but it seems unlikely at that era and with the war going on and what not. I do believe the child actress of Maria was actually blind, however, the adult version of Maria is, unfortunately, not credible as a blind person... the actress does not do a good job at controlling eye movement to perform someone who has been blind from birth.
The naive storyline plays out as predictable, dusty, seen a million times before... yawn yawn yawn. A brilliant seed of a captivating story is taken and dulled down: the idea of building the story around broadcasting coded messages to change the course of history. To no avail... right at the beginning, the ball is dropped and the boredom is killing me slowly, as I watch.
It also seems disturbingly evident that an impotent has probably made this film. No passion whatsoever, the only lukewarm love scene is, again, just very dull and lifeless. So, as I tried to switch on the mode of watching this film as a love story rather than a war film, I was - yet again - disappointed. So, I'd warn anyone to spare the 4 hours of their life and do something else with them (unless under 16 or an American).
Soo (2022)
Exquisite nature views
...but poorly put together and schematic film. Some acting performances were very one-dimensional and fake (the rich lady of the mansion and the villains of this story - two brute rednecks - were all like caricatures). A couple of decent - although not great - acting performances (Liis and Toomas), but, for me, they could not save this film. There was too much going on in this story and none of the multiple intriguing relationships got enough airtime to manage to surface from out of the swamp of amateur film-making. What is it with Estonian films? Every time I take time to watch one, I see waste... complete waste of great actors, beautiful scenery and then such poor directing and uninspiring scripts that it's also just such a waste of the audience's time...
The Society (2019)
Definitely deserves a second season
Credible chracters and intriguing plot, mostly enjoyble to watch (a few episodes are a little too soapy, but maybe it's jyst me). All the questions as to how, where, why, what remain unanswered in the first season of this dystopian teen drama. Would be interesting to find out how that New Ham came into existence. This series could actually teach the young to appreciate all the things that their parents and othet older members of society are doing for then, I think. I hate it that it doesn't have a second season, because the cast was good and the directing was also much better than average. And the viewers are left wanting for more and wanting for answers.