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Reviews
Westworld: Well Enough Alone (2022)
Very disappointing
In the meantime this show feels like the xerox of a xerox of a xerox. There's not a lot left from the originality and quality of the great first season.
And btw: Why is Aaron Paul in this show and what exactly is he doing there? Was he just hired because he once was Jesse Pinkman?
Better Call Saul: Rock and Hard Place (2022)
The scene that really bugs me...
...was when Mike was 100 meters away without any cover and could have been seen by the Salamancas at any time. If he had been discovered, the whole operation would have gotten out of hand. In the end he even gets up, although the Salamancas are still there.
Someone like Mike would never have been careless enough to take such a risk and the whole setting was pretty implausible.
Don't Look Up (2021)
To be honest...
Sure, this film is a satire, but as a non-US American I feel that all my prejudices have been confirmed, because what this film portrays is exactly the desatrous self-image that the USA transports to the rest of the world on a daily basis.
And that's nothing you should be proud of.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
I can't believe someone gave a green light for this crap
I've never seen a film before that tried so desperately to construct a justification for its existence and failed so badly by doing this.
It was downright painful for me to hear all the embarrassing explanations that were supposed to make sense of this far-fetched train-wreck of a plot and it felt if the film was parodying itself as it played - but miserable!
I literally rolled my eyes so many times that they hurt afterward. Actually, I can only think of a suitable description for the feeling that I had while watching it. And that is if there was a fourth part of the Lord of the Rings in which suddenly Spongebob appears to save the day.
Westworld: Crisis Theory (2020)
HBO wanted a second Game of Thrones and...
...they got it!
In the first season, Nolan and Joy took the idea of Crichton's film from 1973 and were also heavily inspired by Bladerunner. And when the following seasons (especially the third one) were no longer just about reusing other people's ideas and the two were supposed to have their own, they failed miserably.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
The creators of this show seem to never really have understood that a good story makes the viewer think for himself. Instead, in this case the audience has to swallow what is served. Without any subtlety the one-dimensional message is thrown directly into the viewers face. Ironically, by doing this Nolan and Joy did exactly the opposite of what they so vehemently defend in season three: namely, to give people a choice (to think).
That was what, for example, bothered Ridley Scott about the original ending of Bladerunner (which the film studio had asked for at the time). And it was the reason why he ultimately wiped it out after he could. Now the film ends without any long-winded, stupid explanation and the viewer is encouraged to think for himself!
How is it possible that the same people who put together such a good and challenging first season fail so badly? Is a glossy facade without any depth and easily predictable plot really what you think today's viewers would like? Do you seriously think people are so superficial and dense?
It seems so.
Westworld: Passed Pawn (2020)
Are you people really that easy to fool?
This show is a prime example of how after the first season, the authors have no idea how it will go on, because they apparently didn't seem to expect it to continue at all. All they are doing now is reading the forums to find out what the fans expect and then putting it into practice. This is exactly the same thing that was done on "Lost".
In addition, the stupid and weak story is then "upgraded" with great set designs, unnecessary battles and special effects. It's almost like watching a Michael Bay movie that is desperately trying to satisfy teenage boys.
The philosophical and existential questions from season 1, which are also the leitmotif in "Bladerunner" for example, no longer play any role.
There was a lot of nonsense in season 2, but at least attempts were made to build on the ideas of season 1. But season 3 doesn't even try to give the impression anymore that this show has any profound meaning.
A nice example of how they try to manipulate the viewer is the annoying use of the sounds or "music". It is much too loud and too pushy and only serves to unconsciously generate emotions that the lame screenplay is unable to deliver. A show with a good plot and good dialogues doesn't need such cheap tricks. Just take a look at the "I am the one who knocks" scene from "Breaking Bad". The whole time there is not a bit of music or sound effects and only the actors are in focus. In contrast, the current "Westworld" is nothing but cheap sensationalism.
Hence my initial question. Are you really that easily fooled by a fancy packaging? Because there is no question that Season 3 is just a pile of poop, sprayed with gold paint.
Westworld: Decoherence (2020)
This show reminds me more and more...
...of the later seasons of "Lost".
Just an incoherent mess, peppered with fan service and no more common theme at all.
The makers seem to scribble desperately from episode to episode and then paste the whole thing up with gun fights, explosions fancy clothes and a nice set design so that no one realizes what nonsense they are watching.
Why is Maeve fighting Nazis in a simulation? What BS is this? And what's the point of William's "therapy"? I could go on and on.
Sorry to say that but it really should have ended after season 1!
Better Call Saul: Bad Choice Road (2020)
WOW, WHAT A WOMAN!
If I had one wish for free, I would immediately know what I would want: A woman like Kim Wexler!
How she came to help Jimmy the moment he was about to reveal the truth. Even though she knew Jimmy was lying to her. She knowingly risked her life to save Jimmy and although she didn't know it, she also saved Lalo with her grandiose appearance which she undoubtedly learned as a masterful lawyer. Because of the bullet hole in the cup, she immediately realized that Jimmy was lying to Lalo for a reason and therefore understood how serious the situation was. And then she acted at lightning speed when the situation threatened to tip over.
What an incredibly intense episode!
Please, please, please - give all three an Emmy for their performances and another one for the awesome writing!
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
I seem to have the wrong age and sex to like such a crap.
Now it's official: The once-sophisticated series for an adult audience, has been rededicated to be a shallow fantasy soap for teenage girls.
My God, what a merciless crash in every possible way. The plot, the logic, the dialogues - all kicked into the bin. And for what? Because Benioff and Weiss apparently thought that the GoT fan of the first hour would probably no longer be interested in sophisticated entertainment and the audience would suddenly consist of teenaged Twilight, Panem and Marvel fans only. Best evidence of who the creators wanted to make happy with the final season is the incredibly greasy scene in which Jon and Daenerys kiss and he thrusts the dagger into her heart. Just laughable! You only have to look into the comment sections to find out who likes such a kitsch. That says everything!
I, as no longer the youngest, feel slapped in the face twice. First, it is the decline of the show I once loved, which hurts. On the other hand, it is the fact that the showrunners tell me in this way that I am no longer part of their preferred audience. But that's ok. Saves me money which I'm able to spend elsewhere.
Game of Thrones: The Last of the Starks (2019)
SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME....
What Dumb and Dumber present to us is wrong on so many levels but I guess everything has been said already.
Just so much: Anyone who likes Season 8 (and 7) has basically not understood what GoT is about in the first place. Sophisticated dialogues, thought-out storylines, character development, logic - All that means nothing to you. All you're interested in is fan service, cheap thrill and forced WTF moments.
Too bad this show has become such a huge success. Now it has to deal with a mostly stupid audience and obviously adjusts its quality level accordingly.
Game of Thrones: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2019)
Season 8 has written FAN SERVICE all over it.
Once upon a time Game of Thrones was sophisticated adult entertainment with well written dialogues and thought-out characters. But meanwhile it has become bad-written nonsense FOR TEENAGE GIRLS who otherwise watch vampire movies. The ridiculous dragon ride romance scene from episode 1 or the embarrassing knight scene from episode 2 - I mean WTF? As an adult one can not help but rolling the eyes with such BS.
And why is it necessary to have so many roles suddenly act out of character? Because of some heavy changes in their behaviour it is almost impossible to recognize a few of them from previous seasons.
You already could clearly see in Season 7 that the literary template is missing and that mediocre Hollywood writers now write the screenplays. It's as if Da Vinci had started a picture and this would then be completed by an untalented street artist.
This is so NOT Game of Thrones anymore - it really is painful to see what one of my most favorite shows has become.
Thank god it is over soon. It's already ruined enough.
Westworld: The Passenger (2018)
Please HBO, let it end after season 2
Complexity is good and enjoyable as long as in the end it leads to a satisfactory solution. But when it is only used to distract the viewer and lead him to the false assumption that there is a hidden layer of knowledge he just did not find yet (when in fact there is none), than complexity has just been reduced to a cheap stylistic device.
The finale of season 2 is just a copy of "Inception". A lot of complexity but very little sense, all garnished with pretentious dialogue and a few (not so deep) philosophical thoughts so that the average user is forced to think how "intelligent" this whole thing is. Don't let them fool you - it isn't!