Chuck_EM Reviews

Derry Girls (2018–2022)

Exceptional

[10/10 · 2 August 2023]

Of the few comedy shows in the past 20 years or so that showed some promise, they all started gasping for air after the fourth or fifth episode. The writers had simply run out of ideas.

Derry Girls starts off exceptionally funny and just gets stronger episode after episode. Many of the comedies from a certain part of the world think that relying on potty humour is clever. Derry Girls humour comes from strong characters (and a couple of those rely sparingly on potty humour, but it's really funny as part of that character). What makes the show most endearing is that you can tell that the characters are based on real people, emphasizing their funniest and most endearing traits. I'm glad that there's at least one show every 20 years that can make me laugh.

Lisa McGee is a mature writer (a rarity in this genre) and a true genius, able to wield humour subtly and potently.

Lupin (2021– )

Over before it even started

[1/10 · 28 February 2023]

There wasn't even an attempt at a plot for this show. Not five minutes into the first episode they had to turn it into a heist. I'll tell you how that's gonna go: they're going to plan a heist and then they're gonna start the heist and do some running around. Then something minor will go wrong and the characters will yell at each other for a bit to create some mock tension to distract viewers from the fact that there's no plot. Then the heist will be over and they'll get away. That will be the end of this heist, just like the 100 heists that came before it, and unfortunately people will keep making heist movies for some reason. The only thing more boring and unimaginative than a heist movie is a monster movie.

Andor (2022– )

Not bad

[8/10 · 6 October 2022]

This show is pretty good. The acting is great, the CGI is impeccable, and direction is good too. This is Star Wars that attempts slightly mature themes. The characters are well written and interesting. The only Gondark in the ointment is the actual plot. The idea of a heist was partly what flushed the Solo movie down the toilet, and here somebody had the lack of imagination to drag it out again for Andor. It's not as bad as dragging Palpatine back from the dead, but it's still pretty bad. That old trope has been dragged over mountain and through the mud so many times it's just dull and stale.

I am hoping that the series can push past this and leave it behind. The other characters are quite interesting, such as Luthen and Mon Mothma. Even the bungling Syril Karn is amusing.

Update: after the heist, Andor finally gains a plot, and it's very good.

The Door Into Summer (2021)

Excellent

[10/10 · 15 August 2022]

I haven't read the book, but this the screenplay is masterful. Usually with these types of films I can guess far in advance what's going to happen, but this one actually kept me guessing for a while. It was very enjoyable. The pace was great and kept the story moving. It's not too often that a good book translates into a good movie, but they did a really good job on this one. The characters were written well and also acted extremely well.

37 Seconds (2019)

Superb

[9/10 · 12 August 2022]

I think I see about one film every year or two that's really good, and this is the one for this year (for me anyway). It's a really well written story about disabilities, family, and friendships. I have never seen a film so well directed. One part reminds me of some anime where you see the occasional three-second shots of perfectly framed scenery.

West Side Story (2021)

A stinker

[4/10 · 14 July 2022]

There was a lot of talent and resources put into this production. The singing was absolutely excellent, and music is masterful. The sets were great, costumes were great, the direction was great. The only problem with this is the plot. It's nothing more than a simplistic and unimaginative story about the base instincts of human beings, without any subtlety or finesse whatsoever. It's supposed to teach people not to hate. Ok, I get it, but there's really no entertainment value to the plot. It's amateurish and shallow. I find it amazing that this thing keeps getting revived in some form or other. Probably it's because of Bernstein and Sondheim's music propping it's rickety legs up. There really are some good tunes here.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

A Great Film

[8/10 · 22 April 2022]

What a fascinating movie. It's very rare to see writing this insightful, deep, and entertaining. I found it fascinating that the same troupe of actors played each storyline as different characters. They're an A-list of accomplished actors too. The direction was great too. The only complaint I have is that it was about ten times as violent and graphic as it needed to be. That tainted the film a bit.

The Green Knight (2021)

A masterpiece

[9/10 · 9 April 2022]

What a subtle and beautiful film. No it's not a whacky Marvel movie. No it's not a puzzle where all the plot pieces fit neatly together. It's more like a wonderful dream where odd and interesting things happen. The scenery is sparse and beautiful. The costumes are superb and the acting is top notch. It's a really laid back enjoyable film.

Yasuke (2021)

Very good

[9/10 · 5 February 2022]

I'm sorry that this story didn't meet many peoples' preconceived expectations, but it has a great story and the art is beautiful. Yeah, maybe the robot doesn't fit, but most of the other elements make sense.

The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022)

Entertaining and Engaging

[10/10 · 15 January 2022]

This show is truly enjoyable. The writing, acting, costumes and sets are superb. I am seeing some low ratings here from people who say they want the Boba Fett from the movies. This Boba Fett played by Temuera Morrison is a complex and interesting character. I admit that maybe he's a little bit too altruistic but perhaps he got this from the same people. For those viewers who like simplistic one dimensional characters that jump around a lot, perhaps they would like the Marvel movies better. The Star Wars series by Filoni and Favreau are about rich characters and storylines. (This is not true for the Disney Star Wars movies however. They are all terrible.)

Encanto (2021)

Very good

[8/10 · 26 December 2021]

This has a great story and the quality of music is amazing. All the singing is excellent, but Adassa really stands out. At the end however, the magic powers coming back really cheapens the story. The producers didn't learn their own lesson that not everything has to be perfect.

Black Widow (2021)

No substance

[3/10 · 15 December 2021]

I like the actors in this film, but they play characters that are flatter than a piece of paper. The purpose of a film is to tell a story. Thus is just one long fight scene, with zero character development or plot. I had to shut it down half way through.

Welcome to Earth (2021)

Pretty good

[6/10 · 12 December 2021]

The cinematography and direction of this show are superb. All of the guides are really interesting people. The show would have been greatly improved if the main narrator would simply have been left out of it.

The Wheel of Time (2021– )

Mildly entertaining

[5/10 · 27 November 2021]

First of all this is absolutely not the Wheel of Time. It's low budget and amateurish, and the direction is pretty poor, but it's still better than 95% of anything else produced these days. There are some good scenes, such as those culture building moments where traditions are described or a poem is recited in context. Tolkien was very good at this kind of world building, but it seems not many writers have been good enough to even try to copy it. It's pretty rare, but welcomed here. Even though this series is pretty hammy and there are some unnecessarily disturbing scenes (very ham-handed dear director), I will try to appreciate it. It could get better if they figure out what they're doing wrong,

Star Wars: Rebels (2014–2018)

Superb

[10/10 · 23 October 2021]

Every time I watch this series it becomes more and more epic. This is masterful storytelling. The animation started off a little plain but soon became artful. The voice acting is superb and the characters deep.

Cruella (2021)

Surprisingly good

[9/10 · 29 August 2021]

Great acting, great directing, and most importantly, great writing. This is the best film to come from Disney in the past 10 years. It's a refreshing change.

Gintama Live Action the Movie (2017)

Excellent

[10/10 · 4 July 2021]

This is a masterpiece of comedy and drama. The sets end direction reminiscent of a play. Very well done.

The Tomorrow War (2021)

Worth watching

[6/10 · 3 July 2021]

Most monster movies have zero plot, but this one does. It's full of holes but at least there is a plot. Some money was spent on CGI and sets, and the acting is pretty good. And there are people shooting guns; lots and lots of guns (wow, never saw that before). Still, it's sci-fi and worth a watch.

The Grand Seduction (2013)

Great film

[9/10 · 8 May 2021]

This was an enjoyable film with a good story and good acting. The scenery of Newfoundland was spectacular and the indoor lighting was phenomenal. Gordon Pinset is quite a character. The humour was low-key, but genuine, and not forced at all.

Battle for Terra (I) (2007)

Excellent

[9/10 · 8 May 2021]

One of the best films I've seen in a long time. Animation and voice acting were great, but most importantly it told a great story. I just hope that the Terrans keep the humans on a very tight leash for the good of all.

There was just one very large plot hole that you kind of have to overlook. The humans never seemed to try to communicate with the Terrans, even when led by semi-intelligent people at first. I mean if they were real humans, they would have at least tried to fool and steal from the Terrans first. That's usually the first order of business, according to real history.

Frank of Ireland (2021)

Terrible

[1/10 · 3 May 2021]

I could tell from the first five minutes of the first episode that this was terrible. I couldn't endure any more of it.

Stowaway (I) (2021)

Garbaaaaage

[2/10 · 23 April 2021]

To be fair the actors did a pretty good job, and the set was ok. The story however makes no sense. Even if it were set a long time ago in a galaxy far far away it would be very hard to make any sense of this movie. The producers were too cheap to hire a science advisor and the writing is atrocious. I mean the whole point of a movie is to tell a story. If the story doesn't make any sense it's just a wasted effort. I had to shut it off after about 20 minutes, but at least it wasn't as bad as Interstellar.

2067 (2020)

Rotten script

[2/10 · 11 April 2021]

I can't say that the acting was terrible in this movie, and the sets and costumes weren't bad. But the purpose of a film is to tell a story. At a very high level this could've been a good one, but for the horrendous script. It is badly written and just makes no sense. Maybe the writers might get good someday, but this script should never have been accepted for a film.

Undone (2019–2022)

Could've been better

[5/10 · 29 March 2021]

I was impressed that the animation was the only non-japanese art that I've ever seen that was acceptable (though the old Disney work was pretty good). The backgrounds are truly beautiful. The story was interesting for the first three episodes but then started to drag on. I skipped to the last 10 minutes of the last episode to see the non-ending and felt that I hadn't missed anything. The whole thing could've been done in three or four episodes.

Isle of Dogs (2018)

Superb

[10/10 · 26 January 2021]

This was the best film I've seen in a long time. It's charming, its witty, and very funny.