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peteramartin
Reviews
Subat (2012)
A bit unique.....
I wasn't sure quite what to expect with this epic series and, despite still not knowing what to make of it, even after the final episode, I found in a compelling tale.
My only reservations were (1) the very lengthy replays of the previous episodes (which I fast forwarded) and, what I thought, was and unnecessarily number of episodes. For me, the story could have been told in 25 and not lost anything. (2) the slow motion shots which seemed excessive and (3) the totally unconvincing fight scenes.
That seems like a lot of criticism but, as I said, the storyline and most of the performances (especially from Melisa Sözen and Alican Yücesoy, with a special mention for Sermet Yesil) were excellent and my criticisms do not override my enjoyment of 'Subat'.
46 Yok Olan (2016)
An unusual tale, but engaging and worth a watch.
I went straight into watching this after enjoying another Turkish series (The Gift), which I enjoyed. 46 Yok olan was quite different but held my attention throughout, even though the storyline is a tad unbelievable. It was made more creditable by some very good acting, especially from the main characters, although I found Chief Inspector Doglu the least convincing.
At times it morphed into black comedy and I'm not sure it was intended, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. I wouldn't mind a 3rd series but not sure there is enough left to carry on.
Znaki (2018)
Intriguing, well acted and compulsive
It is so easy as an English speaker to allow subtitled productions to pass by but I have learned from experience that it is folly to do so as there are many excellent 'foreign' films and series. This is one of them.
It grabbed my attention from the start, was, for the most part, unpredictable and it kept my interest and attention throughout. I was actually sorry when I reached the end of series two and that's a good litmus test for me.
The Crown (2016)
Season four
I so eagerly awaited series 4, having enjoyed the first three so much, but I have really struggled with the portrayal of Margaret Thatcher by Gillian Anderson. She, and her make up artists seem to have turned Thatcher into a cartoon character with the over-big hair and the over emphasised plumey accent. Although I never felt Olivia Coleman portrayed the queen as accurately and as sharply as Claire Foy, I have managed to adapt to the change. I could never get used to Anderson's Thatcher.
On a more positive note, Emma Corrin as Diana Spencer is absolutely ace. A marvellous piece of casting and she captures how I remember the young princess so accurately. As Foy IS the young queen, so is Corrin Diana.
Ratched (2020)
Difficult to pigeonhole
It's usually fairly easy to categorise a series, but this one had me stumped. It had many different elements to it, but none were especially good. Most of it was average, poor or very poor and I was left feeling that every one of those elements could have been better. In the end I struggled to get the concept of a black comedy out of my head. For me it came closer to that than anything.
3% (2016)
Mostly good throughout
First time I have ever watched anything from Brazil and was surprised how good this was. There were a lot of oddities and slightly unbelievable situations but, for me, that was balanced by an interesting storyline and some fascinating characters, some of which I got to quite like.
I am surprised that several reviewers seem to criticise the acting which I thought was largely decent with 'Joana' a standout for me.
Overall a good production which kept me interested to the final episode, despite a few 'flat' periods here and there and a slightly odd ending.