Reviews

The effect when you watch such a finely detailed show as this is mesmerizing, it sucks you into the world and time ... and the culture.

Before an actor utters a single word in any episode there is the fact and nature of the world building that has been done in order to give them a stage to perform on. In the case of Shogun what has been accomplished is astounding, but it really comes into its own when the camera is tight and the sets and shots are relatively tightly constrained. Up close this world is utterly convincing - the costuming extraordinary.

The script is also exceptionally well written and manages to convey a deep sense of Japanese culture (primarily of the upper classes) - but also tells its story very economically - it provides ample opportunity for nuanced communication.

This brings us to the actors and the director and cinematographer who captured these subtleties - not easy to do with a light touch, managed here very deftly. The result is a show not over burdened with dialogue that tells part of its story some of its most significant moments, with gesture and response, subtle character action, a glance here, a hand movement, a tilt of the body, or the sweeping swish of fabric before composure again. On this level the show and its actors are quite magnificent - but there is room for special mention.

Anna Sawai as Mariko is as refined and elegant as you'd expect from a high born and well educated noblewoman of the era, she is thoroughly steeped in the culture, captured here in very fine detail - Sawai's minute control is truly something to behold - very special indeed. So also Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Toranaga - another brilliant and subtle performance from this fine actor.

I've read some nasty dismissal of Cosmo Jarvis' Blackthorne - they miss the point. Of course he is uncouth, brash, insensitive. Of course his energy clashes with everything around him and he seems clumsy and arrogant and a bit useless. That IS the point, and the reality. His character is completely out of time and place - culturally he may as well be on another planet. The way he walks and moves is an affront to centuries of careful aesthetic, the way he sits, the way he drinks, the way he looks at people - all a culture shock. English arrogance and insensitivity gets a turn in front of the mirror. Well done.

This show is sensational and ticks all the boxes - brilliant work by all involved. Not to be missed.

The whole point of a show like this is to let it wash over you, to take you out of yourself, out of time, into another world. 'A Gentleman in Moscow' manages this astonishingly well.

We're getting used to seeing film quality production values in TV shows, and this show is no different, except perhaps in one key respect - music! The soundtrack for 'A Gentleman in Moscow' is sensational - it deftly provides some known classics, but the main game is Federico Jusid's heavily laced score - lush strings, sombre strings - sounded like Mahler there, Tchaikovsky here, some Chopin - all executed with a light touch that adds both depth and space to each moment and does a lot of work to halt the passage of time, so that the watching experience is like a suspension, like being held in an extended moment, as the bow draws out. Quite brilliant.

For me, this is the best work Ewan McGregor has ever done - has the most dynamic range and engagement.

Personally, I am glad the production didn't fall into the trap of false Russian accents and cultural short hands - I think they do more to take you out of the present than suck you into a reality - and I wonder if actors are at times so focused on getting accent and mannerism right that there's little room left for the really subtle moments of feeling and expression. Whatever the answer to that is - this show remains free of that burden and is unencumbered as a result - and McGregor and the rest of the cast make the most of that freedom.

As for comments on diversity etc - wow - anyone who knows anything about Russia knows that Russia is not just about white people. These kinds of criticisms, as if there have never been black men in Russia for example, are both plain ignorant and completely miss the point. They can be safely ignored as reasonable reviewers of this show - in fact they are unreasonable, self centred and culturally biased in a way that says everything about the reviewers views of the world and their entitlements. Get over yourselves and read some books, then do some learning.

This a deeply absorbing show that has been brilliantly executed. If you enjoy period dramas you should find plenty to like here - it has a rarely seen sophistication running through it. Excellent TV.

Argylle is a rollicking lark of a movie.

It actually manages the delicate balance of being a spy movie thriller whilst completely taking the proverbial out of the genre with action scenes to rival any of the best spy thrillers.

To top that off, it has some great twists and turns in a very accomplished script - the kind of script that is indispensable to making ANY kind of a good movie in any genre - the kind of script that actors can get their chops into and have some fun developing their characters.

Ignore the doomsday reviews, this isn't a move that deserves snide judgements of its failures. In fact it doesn't fail at all - it succeeds in pulling off the daunting task of making a comedy spy thriller - and to do that it had to nail all three elements - that takes great writing, cinematography, art direction, acting, and directing - a full house.

The trailers makes it crystal clear that Argylle is about fun and confusion and entertainment - and it delivers these with style and gusto creating a classic pastiche of the spy thriller format in the process. But not a cheap knock off version, a high quality romp with all the bells and whistles - and it is this that succeeds in really elevating the movie, and making it, dare I say it, thrilling and fun - which is exactly what it set out to do.

Then there is the matter of the cast - and no one could doubt that they are having an absolute blast. Some refreshing casting choices also, especially the leads, who really nailed it - but real depth in the ensemble.

Argylle is probably a solid 8.5, but I'm rounding up to 9 to counteract the doom and gloom reviewers in their dark judgemental basements - it must be so hard trying to concentrate on gaming and negativity while mom's got the washing on.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't - that's where you end up with dramatizations of historical events - but it's all about the objectives of the movie and matching your expectations to those objectives.

The point here is not to get lost in the historical detail - the point is to create a sense of what a character was like, what those surrounding him may have been like, what the prevailing moods might have been like - it's to build a story with human characters within a series of events that we know about.

On this basis it's very hard not to have a lot of admiration for what has been accomplished in this movie.

The environments and goings on within them seem very real - the detail is beyond extensive, with a convincing capture of the activity of life in the early 1800s in a France not long since uprooted by a brutal civil revolution. In fact I'd go so far as to say it does this astonishingly well. Likewise the battle scenes carry a disturbing amount of detail and visceral oomph - this is not an attempt to romanticize the Napoleonic battlefield and make legends.

But for me, this is all the support act for the real work, what might the actual character of Napoleon have been like, and what of his Josephine - how did they relate.

For me Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby did an extraordinary job in creating the environment of intimacy for their respective characters to inhabit and co-inhabit. Ironically, this is one of those points where historians will probably yell, "balderdash!" - but do historians really know people, do they know how people related on a 1-1 level, about who had a real partner in crime, and who didn't, and how they behaved? Historians will no doubt say yes, but the best they have is someone's version of things, subjective and, of necessity, incomplete.

Scott's movie brings the characters of Napoleon and Josephine to life as animated real people. Combined with the detail and realism of the movie in it's other aspects, this makes the whole thing work.

Napoleon is a brilliant accomplishment - make no mistake about it - don't fall for those who would trivialize and belittle it. But, adjust your expectations, and look for the humanity.

I mean, get fully hammered with some mates and then settle in for a laugh. But don't forget to maintain the hammering, or the vacant meaninglessness of Obliterated might overtake you.

It's really silly, and flips between outrageously silly and fun, and just plain bad ... pathos seldom lasts for more than 30 seconds - but did I mention stupid?

There's nothing bashful about Obliterated - if you thought Idol pushed boundaries, think again, Obliterated seemingly has no boundaries - not really sure how they got away with that.

It's definitely, clunky, banal, a stupid story, improbable and yet somehow entertaining in a Pineapple Express kind of way - also not at all suitable for children - so viewing age 25+ :) (Sorry 18, you're just too impressionable for hedonistic immorality laced with violence, menace and self righteousness).

I don't care!

I suspect this fell victim to too many parts of it being edited out - unfortunately, the sum of the remaining parts don't clear the high bar set these days for engaging story telling.

But this movie suffers from more than that. Convincing onscreen action and plot requires attaining a level credibility (albeit increasingly combined with a certain amount of viewer incredulity), this is what drives audience investment in story, and I'm afraid in this department Rebel Moon, although it tries hard, misses the mark. Perhaps Part 2 if it gets made won't have this problem.

Rebel Moon suffers from too much clichéd character and context building. Yet despite this we don't really know enough about the main character, nor her band of combatants - this is a problem, the story requires us to be rooting for them.

The script and story telling needed a much lighter touch with more consistent pace and oomph, and more depth - the bones are there, but the flesh fell off them - which is a real shame, as I can imagine a version of this movie that is exciting and engaging.

It's still reasonable holiday fare, not a complete right off, but if you were hoping for a new peak experience sci-fi movie, or indeed for top-shelf Zack Snyder, this aint it.

The Creator is a good solid addition to the sci-fi genre - and technically, it is a very well made movie with a good story and some good performances.

Having said that, there is a weak link - script and script development - which just don't match the aspirations of the rest of the film. The result of this is some clunky plot development, some redundant dialogue, I'd say also some missing dialogue, and a general feeling that something is AWOL. Mainly though, this applies to the human contingent - especially the armed forces - some of their rushing into action and plan changing is hasty to say the least, and probably unprofessional, given what is supposed to be at stake.

I'd add that at least one important character to the overall story arc is also massively under-developed, which is a shame. This would have added depth and reasoning to both events and motivations, and done wonders for balancing and rounding out the story, as it is. Instead, an important factor and character is simply left Inexplicably mute - a very strange decision that seriously impacts the overall impression and viewer commitment.

But, the Creator is still a good watch and I'd recommend to any sci-fi / action fans.

Too late now, if you are reading this review but haven't seen the movie, because this is one of those movies that would definitely be best served by having no expectations or real prior knowledge of plot - I think if you saw it like that you'd be quite satisfied.

I really don't want to be to negative as I liked the movie, and for the reputed budget they did an amazing job. The sets and locations are great, the action is good, the main story and plot is good too - it just needed sharper and more considered dialogue, and more script development which would have modified some of the scenes and refined the action.

A well deserved 7.5.

PS. It seems a number of other reviews contain major plot spoilers - shame.

I held off on this until the final episode. The series started brilliantly, and they packed an enormous amount into each episode - but as it became more complicated I became a little apprehensive about how it would all finish up - I shouldn't have been, they smashed it out of the park.

Episode 6 is one of the best episodes of TV I've ever watched - but that sounds redundant, because the standard is so high all round that it's top shelf movie quality production all the way.

Every aspect of production is so finely attuned that this was a joy to watch.

Having said that, it sounds like it was a show not a story, but make no mistake, this is a very self assured piece of story telling controlled with real finesse.

Loki season 2 is a comfortable 9.5 in my book - a really well crafted epic journey.

I loved the haphazardness of Season 1 of this show, but season 2 has taken things to a new level - they've upped the ante in pretty much every department - script, production design, acting, cinematography, editing, music - across the board this show has taken it to the next level.

All of this has refined the dramatic presentation and engagement, to the point where I would rate S02 Ep6 as a 10/10 - simply magnificent and enthralling television delivered with the lightness of wit and pathos that we've come to expect from this team.

In a way, Our Flag Means Death has moved on the surreal scale a bit towards Mrs Davis - totally unrelated content, but a similar manner of challenging our "what's coming next?" expectations and blowing the doors off them.

It's definitely quirky, and will challenge some viewers in oh so many ways, but WGAF, the journey is so worth it.

This show is proof that script and production are indispensable ingredients to top quality product.

So pay the damn writers!

Best of all, I'd wager that all concerned have had an absolute ball putting this show together and challenging our perceptions and expectations.

Congrats to all concerned - brilliant work!

It's increasingly obvious that there are some very creative people working on this show - and that they delight in challenging their actors and keeping them happy.

Subspace Rhapsody was a riot.

Now having said that, I've always loved sci-fi but I pretty much hate musicals - but they pulled this off with some lighthearted humor and a twinkle in the eye, and it worked, it worked very well.

This show delivered on a full roller coaster of emotional journeys and a few great sight gags and jokes - Klingons?

So well done for mixing it up and having some fun - that's what we're here for after all, to be entertained.

Sure some people won't like it, but some people are stodgy and don't have a sense of humor.

I had no idea this was in the pipeline so it was a welcome surprise to welcome back Raylan Givens - Justified is what you get when you're on the end of justice Given's style.

It's a great show that can walk the line of gritty violence and humor, with a slightly sassy twist - and Givens (played brilliantly by Timothy Olyphant) has this down pat, and it doesn't really get old.

Somewhat amusingly he's joined in this latest escapade by his daughter, a slightly annoying and bratty teenager spending some quality time with dad - and in life imitating art style, it's Olyphant's real-life teenage daughter playing the part.

Justified: City Primeval is a well made show - and for anyone who was a fan of the original series I'd say you won't be disappointed - but if you haven't seen the original series and then come across this, then you should definitely check it out - and then you should probably also check out Deadwood if you've become a fan of the sardonic Raylan Givens - this guy is one of the best law enforcement officers to ever grace the screen.

Only 3 episodes in so far, but because they didn't skimp I'm giving this a 9.

There's a lot to like about Secret Invasion, at least there should be. For one thing, it's got some serious acting chops - and that coupled with high production values and a good script should be enough - but unfortunately, although the script tries hard, it doesn't quite make it.

There are some very dubious and inexplicable decisions made that don't ring true - even for Sci-fi.

The main one, as another reviewer commented, is that Fury is on his own yet we are led to believe that the world is at a precipice - duh! What's the point in having superheroes if you don't use them !?! - and no, character development isn't an answer!

Enter stage left The Queen and the Mother of Dragons and suddenly everything isn't quite so bleak - but sadly, they saved their best for the final episode.

Olivia Coleman is brilliant - a major audition to play the next Bond villain - she's coldly and ruthlessly violent, with a warm smile and disposition - it's quite the combo. Emilia Clarke is similarly ruthless but lacks the psychopathic smile of enjoyment and warmth - but she's got a great right hook.

So the script could easily lift itself - but the runtime ~35 mins (with an agonizingly long credit sequence) makes it hard to build tension and momentum - and made it hard for me to take this show seriously. They should have just made it into three episodes.

This is a show that should've been a solid 9 - I'm giving it a generous 7.

Throwing money at something is still no substitute for for getting story and script right, no matter how many queens you sign up - these guys know better.

Despite a start that was a little shaky at times Deadloch always had the bones of a good story and some good story telling - a tribute to a great script by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, two of the funniest women I've seen on TV in many years, with wit and tongue as sharp as a tack. And make no mistake, the tongue is in full stride here, so if you are word squeamish - hahah - get over yourself - there is some brilliant banter and dialogue from two of the best at razor sharp spiteful and insightful barbs.

My only criticism is probably about the direction of Madeline Sami's character Eddie - the cop from Darwin. Unfortunately this part is over-played in the first few episodes and jolts well beyond what was needed - we get it, she's rough as guts, now move on. Thankfully this gradually wound back - presumably as dictated by the story arc - and eventually the energy was more finely judged and didn't jar.

Kate Box is brilliant in the lead as Dulcie an ex-bigtown cop on a tree change with her massive pain-in-the-butt partner Cath - Alicia Gardiner. Cath manages to embody everything that is annoying and aggravating with tree change feminist chic - a self absorbed air-head of epic proportions.

Under all the human drama - and there's plenty of it - is a very satisfying and tightly controlled murder mystery - well worthy of an international audience. Also worth mentioning that the only cultural cringe evident is from self aware story telling as opposed to self deluded narcissism.

Suffice to say this is a rollicking good yarn once it gets going with plenty to keep viewers interested and on the hook. A great comedy-drama-mystery well deserving of an 8.

I found that Silo got off to a pretty slow start - but it has quickly gathered energy and momentum. I guess because I haven't read the books this feeling was probably somewhat exaggerated as I had no idea where the story was going.

Regardless, this is an intriguing story and it's mostly a well told one. I do think that there are a few situational and procedural anomalies in the story - unsure if these are inherited from the books or a result of the inevitable editing required when converting a book into an episodic TV show. Basically my feeling could be summed up best (without spoilers) by wondering why there aren't more fundamental questions being asked about the how, where, and why.

Good performances and visuals elevate the show into the 8s - looking forward to how it develops heading into a second season. This show should appeal to a fairly broad demographic - certainly not just sci-fi and mystery fans.

There were some undoubtedly good moments as this series set up, unfortunately, the further the series went the less promise it showed.

This is tricky, I really wanted to like Citadel, and I did like the first episode.

It's a little tempting to think that this is what happens when you throw too much money at something and don't make it work hard enough to earn that money and develop.

True there was some classic spy action - but with only a few exceptions this wasn't really groundbreaking stuff. Also true that an element of predictability crept into the show the further it went.

What we ended up with is a show that absolutely looks the part, but that when all is said and done is less the sum of its parts, whereas at a rumored $300 million it should clearly have been more - much more.

Citadel is another sad example of a show that chose form over function - looking good, rather than really getting the razor to the story and whittling and revising until something fresh and entertaining remains - new twists on old tails.

Let's hope they learn the lesson for season 2.

It's a little ironic in a way that a subject so steeped in taste and smell gets represented in a medium that can deliver neither of these - the fact that this isn't really a problem is a tribute to the brilliance and craft of those responsible for making this show.

For the most part Drops of God has a carefully sculpted aesthetic.

It's a multi-level approach - location plays a key role, but sound, lighting, and cinematography are elevated to convey the additional information - combined with a motif element to account for the filing of information on smell and taste.

Some great acting, and a great story - with a script that is a little clunky at times but mostly works well.

Considering that three languages are managed quite seamlessly and transparently, and that the end result is very satisfying, it's clear that this is a work of high accomplishment.

One episode to go and I'm hanging out to see which way the chips will fall.

It's hard to believe that there weren't some smart people working on this - so who thought it would be a good idea for one of the main characters to be a whiny teenage brat? I mean, I know they exist, but they're not engaging characters and it's very difficult to feel much sympathy for such entitled self-indulgence. So that's the first problem.

The second huge problem is the manic changes of direction the main characters take (and the pretty inexcusable chances that they roll the dice on along the way). Say one thing, do another. Ignorance might be bliss, but in some situations it's just plain dumb.

Garner's not great in this either, but it's possible some her obvious discomfort was actually caused by the erratic script (and story-line) and not by the predicament she's in.

And if the baddies are so bad, how can they be so useless?

All in all it doesn't add up - and there are much better and more engaging shows on offer.

There really is very little story time - maybe 20 minutes of the runtime - but probably not that much. The rest is just basically the same kind of fight scene, repeated over and over in different locations. The locations are mostly great - the monotonous action wears very thin quite early on.

I seem to remember that some of the earlier Wick movies had proper story lines - somewhere along the line they ditched them for non-stop repetitive action - action that stretches credulity well past breaking point - but some of it, especially towards the end, was ridiculous nonsense.

For any serious movie buff this installment completely fails to make the grade and is a total waste of time. Worse, it sullies the franchise.

2 stars for the locations, and because it's professionally made technically.

Minus 8 points for the lack of an engaging story and for reaching a new high for banal gratuitous violence.

Summary: So bad it's almost funny. But it's not funny, it's vacuous nonsense that cost a fortune to produce.

Wow, they stuck the landing!

Mrs Davis was quirky and enigmatic, and by that I mean of course that Simone (Betty Gilpin) was quirky and enigmatic - and a well judged safe pair of hands to bring this story home.

This was quite a ride - utterly bonkers - and yet quite real, and massively entertaining.

I'm not going into any details at all, that journey is uniquely for the viewer to traverse, but for my money this is top shelf storytelling - a timely parable for our times, one told with a light touch on a weighty topic - delightful pathos, and a sober reminder of what is at stake...

And what we risk stuffing up by not paying attention and being in the game of our own lives.

Brilliantly conceived and executed - 9.5.

This was a tough and adroitly managed movie.

There's a risk when you focus on one story, when trying to make a wider point, that the specifics of the story can nullify or overwhelm the wider point - can make it seem inapplicable; can make the context seem so unique as to render the wider point seemingly irrelevant.

Ritchie walked a fine line with this one given how the particular circumstance plays out in the opening 2/3rds of the movie. He brought it home because he also showed - with a lot of care - how unique bonds get formed in times of war under extreme duress. It's up to us to realise that although this particular story might be unique, it illustrates the reliance and trust that had to be present between US and western allied soldiers and their local Afghani aids and interpreters. It was simply a matter of life and death.

The breach of that trust in the evacuation of Afghanistan by western forces represents a severe loss of honour - a betrayal that has left a trail of destruction in its wake.

The brilliance of The Covenant lies in how it hits the bullseye without politicising its point. We care because we make human contact on the journey the movie takes us on. Great script, great directing, great acting.

It becomes clear pretty early on, that this show is meant to be fun - and it is.

Anyone expecting realism has missed the cues that are abundantly on offer. Notwithstanding that, the show isn't without its more serious undercurrents and treatments of world affairs and the conflicting agendas that make determining an appropriate reaction, or any reaction, a process fraught with intrigue and mischief.

This aspect alone is enough to make an engaging show, but The Diplomat also takes time to flesh out some of the more humorous thrust and parry that inevitably accompanies the messy field of international relations and diplomacy.

The show also isn't above resorting to sight gags and physical comedy to get the odd laugh - what's perplexing is that somehow it all works. The sum of its parts ends up being a bit like three dimensional chess - except that unlike three dimensional chess this is intriguing and entertaining, not just a mind exercise.

It's a solid 8.

So this is weird, after two false starts (that had moments of looking promising but that ultimately failed to deliver) now it seems they've returned to their roots and voila - a decent show.

It's a bit sentimental, rebooting the old gang, but with this story they've got going in Season 3 it actually works. And this is so much better than being stuck in Picard's mind with his mother (wow!).

The golden rule is that nothing really works properly if you don't have a decent plot and story - and this story is sufficiently sneaky and amorphous to actually work. Added to that the script isn't half bad - and the baddies are really bad, so we can get behind our protagonists - and there is seemingly quite a lot at stake, so we have elements of the heroes journey thrown into the mix.

As this is the last season, it's fitting that they came up with something worthy - but more than a little frustrating that they didn't dig deeper for the first two seasons.

At the end of the day it's a 7 not a 9 - nice try though.

There are so many clues that A Town Called Malice is a deliberate farce, the prime clues being the frequent scenes where the cast start singing to the backing music - true pastiche.

So the first thing we should be cognisant of is that this is a show that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's designed to take the mickey out of the times and the situations, and it does so with some gusto.

Amongst all this is a one family crime wave arriving on the Costa del Sol chasing riches with little care for the imprudence of their actions. They leave a trail of destruction in their wake, and come up against some stiff opposition, but they also give way to the comedic imperatives of the show - so the bumbling clowns get off the hook when in reality they would more than likely have parted ways with their heads.

The music is terrific, the show is outrageous - good times.

I'm four episodes in and hooked - The Night Agent is a proper thriller - good action, good tension, characters you get to know and a well concealed motive behind the shady dealings of some people who are clearly utterly ruthless.

It all adds up to a satisfying action spy thriller - more Jack Ryan than Slow Horses - definitely a good watch that will lift your adrenaline levels.

With six episodes to go I imagine there are still quite a few surprises to be had before things become clear and we know who's doing what, and where and why.

At the core of what makes the show work is the time spent allowing characters to communicate - this isn't just about short 15 to 20 second scenes that establish no real continuity and don't allow us to get to know the characters - and the dialogue is pretty good, the script has been well worked on.

Coupled with this, a great ensemble, high production values (including some good stunt work), slick cinematography.

A well deserved 8.

The first two episodes have been pretty intriguing. It's always a bit of fun when the protagonist is completely outplayed, out of their depth, floundering to make sense of what's happening.

I guess the question remains as to how Sutherland gets back into the game - he's a glutton for punishment though, so it might take a few more episodes before he starts to turn the tide.

So far Rabbit Hole has proved to be a high octane white knuckle ride - a few stretches of credibility and a little too much smugness, but I suspect that things will settle down over the next couple of episodes as they pile on the challenges for Sutherland to overcome.

A good entertaining ride and nothing to be taken to seriously.