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Reviews
The Blacklist (2013)
"Going, Going ..." but hopefully will never reach "Gone"
I've really loved this show until season 7: Cleverly visualised and crafted plots, unexpected twists and whenever Raymond Reddington, superbly portrayed by James Spader, does something society would frown on it's hard to not condone, or at least instantly forgive, his transgression.
Then along comes season seven. Have the writers got bored and given up trying? Are we really expected to believe that the season's baddie can just move in next to our heroine without her immediately getting curious and the FBI - supposedly protecting her - having armed men stationed outside her apartment but not doing something as obvious and simple as running background checks on the other tenants, especially the ones who've just shown up? Blimey, they run background checks on people they're going for a coffee with! Why not in this instance?
I really, really hope the writers start putting a little effort in again. One of the overall things I most loved about this show was that it didn't rely on lazy and/or stupid plot devices to carry it.
Hunters (2020)
Who Knew Al Pacino Was Such A Great Actor?
OK, probably everyone in the world knew how well Al Pacino can act apart from me, but I don't recall seeing much of what he has been in since 'Cruising' in the '80s.
I thoroughly enjoyed this show, right from the first episode. So much so that I put on pause other shows I was watching so that I could binge watch the first season. Sure, it's a little kitsch at times, and some of the comedic moments a little cheesy but these seem deliberate and somewhat tongue-in-cheek rather than poor writing / acting / directing. Personally I found these helped remind me that this is a fictional dramatisation of fictional events, important given the core subject matter.
The holocaust was a terrible blight on humanity, both by the perpetrators and those who implicitly condoned it by turning a blind eye. I've seen reviewers here quite angry that a particular incident didn't happen in the camps. Well, no, they're inventions that to the plot. I think I would have been more angry myself if real incidents had been portrayed. There's a dark light-heartedness to this show which wouldn't have made that at all appropriate.
I'm looking forward to a second season, though the cliff-hanger at the end of the first, and that the characters I most liked won't be in it, makes me a little doubtful I'll enjoy it quite as much.
Longitude (2000)
Well Worth The Wait
I recall first watching this many years ago, looking at the timeline probably when it first aired. Since then it has often flashed through my mind that I really wanted to see it again ... and yesterday I was fortunate enough to find a copy.
I won't recount details of the actual story, the basic plot descriptions already do that well enough and other reviewers have already pointed out how superbly it has been crafted and delivered.
Instead, let's look at the cast. Every other character is played by someone who is now, and probably was at the time, a household name. Whilst the trend nowadays seems to be to get one or two 'headliners' to pull in the audience then populate the rest of a show with much less well known talent, this drama is jam-packed with just about everyone who was anyone in UK drama at the time. (Well, men, at least. I'm afraid there aren't a lot of decent roles for women in this one.)
This was a delight to rewatch. It certainly won't be another twenty years until I do so again.
Les Revenants: Camille (2012)
Fortuitous Finding
I stumbled on this show by chance and, if this first episode is anything to go by, I'm glad I did. The basic premise of people being unexpectedly returned isn't a new one ... though I can only remember them being returned after having disappeared rather than actually being dead ... but there's a realism to this that has me hooked right from the start.
It would be very easy to overact some of these situations, and for that acting to still ring true, but it's superbly done by everyone. In particular though I have to single out Anne Consigny for praise. There's a moment after she has just come downstairs after seeing her supposedly dead daughter. Her portrayal of the conflicting / confusing feelings that would have been rushing around inside her head is magnificent.
I'm fortunate to have found this show very late so I've got the whole thing, both seasons, to binge watch if I want. I really, really hope the show lives up to the high qualities of this opening episode.
Black Mirror: Black Museum (2017)
"... and the prize for 'Best in Show' goes to ..."
I think I've enjoyed most Black Mirror episodes to this point. Even the ones that are a little slow, or where the premise doesn't quite feel right, I find I'm glad that I watched. Even the poorest are infinitely better than a lot of the dross out there!
This one, however, has to take some sort of prize for being (one of the) best in the bunch. The pace felt right, perhaps a little slow at times, but because this tale is mostly made up of a few flashbacks, each recounting a story within itself, each was never long enough to start to feel like it was dragging on too long.
For me, the final twist came at just the right time and was the opposite of what I was expecting. Once you've watched it yourself you'll understand why I say I was rooting for exactly what happened.
If this is a show you're new to and you're just dipping your toe in the water, I wouldn't recommend starting with this one. Most of the episodes are not quite as good, so they might feel like an anticlimax. Watch a few others first, so you're aclimatised to the kind of technology envisaged. Then you can concentrate fully on what a belter of an episode this one is.
Beat (2018)
I Even Liked The Bad Guy!
This mini-series has been sat on my "probably watch, one day" list for ages. I'm really glad it made it to "yeah, ok, let's tick that one off".
It sometimes takes me a while to get into a show, even if it's pretty good. This one had me hooked within minutes. It's gritty, mostly realistic, and doesn't end up going in quite the direction you first assume. Is it a spoiler to say that the criminal activity concentrated on isn't what you first think it's going to be? And that the one it is isn't usually featured, or is only seen on the periphery of a main plot?
Right up until the final minutes there were plot twists that I didn't see coming, and when it was over I found myself wishing that it wasn't. Should there ever be a follow-up series continuing the story, it won't make it to my 'someday' list ... I'll watch it immediately!
My only quibble if I had to raise one, and it's minor, was with the subtitles. Often, to keep up with the pace, it was necessary to show dialogue from two different characters on the same frames. It took a while, and needed to be mentally noted each time, that all that separated one person's speech from another's was a dash. Would have been a little easier if, for example, dialogues were shown in different colours.
Very much worth a watch, "if you like that sort of thing".
Resistance (2020)
Leave Your Baggage At The Door
I have absolutely no idea who Eisenberg is, and consequently watched this film with no preformed opinions or expectations. Only afterwards reading others' (mostly) negative comments did I realise that (I assume) he's better known for different types of role. Well, without the baggage and preconceptions, I think he gave a pretty good performance. I found it believable and nothing struck me as being either over- or underdone.
That being said, give it a few days when I'll have forgotten most of the specifics of this film, and I will probably once again have no idea who Eisenberg is. It's not an OSCAR-worthy performance, but it's acceptable.
The story itself I found engaging, all the better for being based on true events, and I have no regrets at having made the time to watch it. I probably won't watch it a second time in a few years, once it's a distant memory, but that's more to do with having lots that I do want to rewatch, and (probably) not enough time left to fit them all in.
Can I, though, take a moment to give 10/10 to the reviewer who commented "So Marcel Marceau was a Resistance fighter, huh? He kept that quiet." :-) Best one-liner I've read in ages!
Barbarians (2020)
OK, I'm Hooked {EDIT: 25/11/20}
I've only watched three episodes so far, so I might need to revisit this review when I'm done, but so far I'm hooked. I've watched the three episodes back-to-back, and am only stopping now because I'm really tired and need to sleep. As soon as I wake up I'll pick up where I left off.
There are probably historical inaccuracies (saw one review that mentioned stirrups) but so what? If you want accuracy and fact, watch a documentary on the History Channel. So long as it feels about right, that's good enough for me. I'd probably draw the line if they were driving BMWs rather than walking or riding horses.
Have to admit I love Roman era stuff. I'm happy to root for them - Rome, Gladiator, etc. - or to recognise what a nasty bunch they really were and cheer when they get their just desserts - Britannia, Spartacus, etc.
And it's in German and Latin. This is a good thing because I don't have to keep turning subtitles on and off because they've subtitled the English dialogue as well as whatever foreign language is being spoken, and write things like "{Sound of running water in the background}". Not everyone using subtitles has hearing difficulties or is watching with the audio muted!
If historical fiction floats your boat, ignore the nay-sayers and watch the first episode at least. You don't have to watch the rest of the series if you don't get gripped, but I'll wager that most will.
Anyway .... {yawns} ... like I said, time to sleep enough to see me through the rest of the episodes. :-)
* * * * EDIT / ADDITION
OK, watched the rest, very enjoyable. A couple of instances of dubious acting didn't put me off. Or maybe it was good acting and the other person was just really gullible? I have though downgraded my rating to 8* from 9* mainly as a result of it.
If there's a second season, I'll definitely watch, if only to see one particular character get what he deserves!
Raised by Wolves (2020)
13:49
13:49 is the time in episode one when I really started to doubt whether I should invest time in watching this series. That's the time at which the female android, mourning the loss of one of the children, kneels down and howls like a wolf.
NOTE TO TV EXECS / WRITERS ET AL: Can you PLEASE make sure at least one of the writers you use has the b.... bottle to ask "Why would they do that?" Too many shows are completely ruined by characters doing things that are so stupid / out of character / unrealistic. Some are obvious but very poor and trite plot devices. Others, like this event, just defy rational explanation.
I gave it another ten minutes or so for something really good to counterbalance this inexplicable moment, or at least to attempt to explain it, but there was nothing.
Consequently, came on here to read some reviews to see what others thought. If this is a 'good start' and it goes down hill from here, I'm giving up now before I waste any more time!
Multiple Choice (2009)
Brilliant!
Nothing much to add. The pay-off is well worth five minutes of your life!
The Orville: Old Wounds (2017)
Great Reminder To Rewatch Babylon 5
With hundreds of thousands spent on shows like this, and an army of support staff, surely studios could afford to employ just one person to question some of the more obviously dumb plot devices?
In this episode, for example, why would someone who has worked at the Research Station for a year wait until the exact moment a Union ship has arrived and a landing party stands in front of the newly created device to try to steal it and call in his Krill friends to come and help?
The 'comedy' is attempted way too often for a claim that it's trying to be serious with comedic moments, and is mostly too lame to claim it's a comedy in a sci-fi setting.
If nothing else, though, it has reminded me how well the presumed target effect was achieved in Babylon 5. I'll give another one or two episodes a chance to grab me, but failing that I think rewatching B5 will be far more rewarding.
Dark (2017)
I Think My Head Will Explode Soon
Season three has, I'm afraid, dragged my rating for this show down to 10/10.
After a brilliant opening season, which I had to watch virtually nonstop, I spent a year impatiently awaiting the next, which didn't disappoint.
I'm now halfway through season 3, which hasn't grabbed my attention quite as much. I usually pride myself on being able to follow the most complex of stories, but trying to remember which version of which person is in which time and place is just getting so very difficult. Perhaps that's why I'm taking breaks between episodes with this season ... to give my mind time to process everything!
I love this show to bits. Well acted, well scripted, surprising and thought provoking. I do hope, though, that this is the last season. I don't think I'd be able to process another season like this without a mental meltdown!
The Mandalorian (2019)
Move along please, good people, nothing to see here
I was planning on giving this a three or four star rating, but seeing the idiotic 9.2 (at the time of writing) felt I needed to help bring the average down a bit. Perhaps the people who've given this ten stars have never seen a television before, perhaps even electricity, and were overwhlemed with enthusiasm.
It's nowhere near as badly acted as many of the low scoring reviews here have claimed. I'm guessing those people have never actually seen truly bad acting. Watch a few minutes of 'The Lair'. This will instantly bump your appreciation of acting on other shows up a couple of notches.
However, the dialogue's poor, the scenario for each episode a {bad!} plagiarism (e.g. episode 4, think 'Seven Samurai' or 'Magnificent Seven') and there are so many times the writers just haven't thought things through. For example: Mandalorian armour is virtually impregnable, right? Time after time Mando's is hit yet the shots bounce straight off. Yet when he returns to their base he finds all but one, wearing exactly the same armour, have been killed. The metal that makes this armour is, we're given to believe, extremely valuable. Yet having killed all these Mandalorians, the victors leave it lying around for the one survivor to gather up. Really? OK, small point in the scheme of things, but there are only so many similar examples one can let pass by before it becomes painful!
On the plus side, more than 10% of each episode is taken up with end credits, so you'll have the relief of what you're watching ending far sooner than you expected.
The West Wing: The Fall's Gonna Kill You (2001)
What you're missing.
If you've just stumbled on this review, and haven't watched the show yet, just read the quotes section for this episode here.
Imagine an hour of listening to dialogue like that. Now imagine a whole season's worth! Twenty-four hours of fast-paced, clever, witty dialogue. Then multiply it by all seven seasons.
That's the West Wing.
The West Wing: In Excelsis Deo (1999)
The Best Episode of the Best Show Ever
More than twenty years on and I'm just starting to rewatch the show, whjich I do every year or so. There are so many really good bits in so many episodes that it can be hard to decide which one is best ... and then I watch this one again.
It's an episode that if anything gets better the more often you watch it, especially having seen the whole show at least once so you really understand the characters' personalities and motivations.
Maybe one day I'll be able to watch the closing scenes - a montage switching between a choir singing in the White House and the funeral of a homeless war veteren - with dry eyes.
The Last Ship: Somos la Sangre (2018)
Too Stupid to Live!
I was quite enjoying this series up to this episode. I was prepared to accept, for the sake of the plot, that senior officers would abandon their posts to go out in the field and put themselves in harm's way. I accepted when the writers gave up all pretence of there being a reason for this other than "well, he's the star of the show so we need maximum exposure". I grudgingly accepted that a minor character was a helmsman on the bridge one minute, then part of the assault team a few moments later, then appears with good ideas in the engine room. After all, the ship only has around three hundred people on it. No doubt every one of them is trained in every aspect, and it's important they get rotated around.
Now we're expected to believe that when the person responsible for crippling the US forces' defences in a cyber attack turns up at their headquarters 'to surrender herself', she's immediately taken to the hub of the command operation and the people in charge stop prosecuting the war to play nice with her. What a surprise when she becomes sick suddenly. Of course an ambulance is called. Of course the ambulance crew is waved straight through when they arrive. No doubt their hands will be held as they're led up to the Operations Centre. I don't need to watch the last three minutes to know what happens next. I don't think anyone on the planet would need to ... except the naval high command portrayed here and the writers of this episode, obviously.
I was going to rate this episode "one", but as another reviewer has said, in other respects - if you're a fan of gun battles, at least - it's pretty good.
When They See Us: Part One (2019)
Be Prepared!
It has just taken me about four hours to watch this one-hour episode. I had to keep pausing it so I could calm down!
Some of the negative criticisms about this mini-series claim it's only 5% true. I suspect that's just a number plucked from the air, but even if it's so, most of that 5% is unacceptable now and should have been then!
One critic suggests reading "the true facts" on Wikipedia. Well, I did. It doesn't have the gut-wrenching power of this dramatisation but even a bald reading of it screams 'Injustice!'
Felicity Huffman, btw, is a superb actress. No doubt she's a wonderfully nice person in real life, which makes her performances in roles such as she has here even more incredible. I guess it's because you totally believe that she totally believes she's doing the right thing.
Watch this. Even if you think it's all fiction, it's amazingly powerful.
Harrow: Facilis Descensus (2019)
The Overarching Plot
"... the Chester thing" is the underlying story of the whole season and has been bubbling away since the beginning. This is only the second episode when there hasn't also been an self-contained story unrelated to "... the Chester thing". The concentration on the main storyline in this episode brings things to a climax to be wrapped up in the season finale. [I'm guessing this last. Just about to watch the final episode of the season.]
The West Wing (1999)
Unsurpassable
Twenty years on and I've just finished rewatching the series, which I do every couple of years. Pretty much as soon as I've finished I start wondering 'Is it too soon to watch it again?' There are still things in every episode that make me laugh out loud one minute and cry the next!
Whichever facet you pick - story-line, characterisation, direction, acting, etc. - 'The West Wing' stands tall amongst the best of 'em. Put them all together, as happened here, and it becomes the greatest show ever produced.
If you missed this show the first time around, watch the first two or three episodes. You'll be hooked and, even though there are seven seasons of about twenty-four episodes each, you'll likely end up watching every one of them back-to-back!
Hmmm. Maybe I'll watch just the first episode again right now.
Origin (2018)
Oi, you. Wanna be a writer?
Great graphics, good (though by no means original) premise and most of the cast do well with what they're given. However ... I'm currently half way through episode four, and rooting for what's got on board to win. People this rude and stupid should not be allowed to breed.
OK, the 'A' team of writers can't be assigned to every show, but this really feels like someone has gone out onto the street and randomly grabbed passers-by to come up with a script.
Still, others here have rated it highly so I'll optimistically persevere. The good stuff may be just around the corner.