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Biohackers (2020)
10 out of 10
I was pleasantly surprised when I found this tv show on Netflix. It has ticked all the boxes:
- Excellent plot, it was intense and interesting to follow. There was enough of action, romance, and humour. I laughed quite a few times, and I cared for the characters.
- The characters are believable, their stories are not boring. I genuinely like the cast, and enjoyed watching their acting, especially main characters such as Mia, Lorenz and Jasper.
- I liked the atmosphere, the music, and general vibe of the show, as it leaves a pleasant aftertaste, the one you have after a night of talking and drinking with university friends, and then you walk home with the early morning sun, and you know that you have a whole life ahead, and that everything is possible.
To note, I only saw Season 1, and didn't see Season 2.
Derren Brown: Sacrifice (2018)
Boring propaganda
I liked the idea and the trailer looked promising. Derren Brown has quite pleasant and convincing energy, and is interesting to look at / listen.
However this entire show was a piece of boring one-sided propaganda. I wanted to like it, as I enjoy the topic of physhology, and I tried to close my eyes to their obvious bias, but I couldn't. They were literally telling the guy in his face "your worldview is bad, we have to change it". I wish this was done in a different, more suble way, e.g. Let him explore the ideas, question them, swing to the left and right, and make own choices.
The show was a manipulation of the viewer, too. The moment with a folded out map was almost screaming something along the lines "we are all children of the world".
Execution wasn't great either, they constantly showed flashbacks of something about to happen, which was annoying, as if they were begging "don't turn it off, the best is yet to come" because it wasn't interesting enough.
The Lost City (2022)
It is a silly comedy, and I love it
The film sets the tone straight away: it is ridiculous and full of unrealistic situations happening in unrealistic ways. It lowers expectations immediately, but at the same the film is honest and doesn't pretend to be something it is not: it's not a historical film, not a serious drama, and it does not have much philosophy (maybe a tiny bit). It is an honest c o m e d y, something to laugh at while sipping a wine alone or with friends, and it leaves a positive aftertaste.
The film has a vibe of similar comedies from early 2000s, it even felt somehow like an older film, made in the new contemporary setting.
The conversations between characters are enjoyably funny, and I thought that whoever wrote them was good.
While I had no expectations, the film pleasantly surprised me, and actually made me laugh.
Also, Sandra Bullock and Da'Vine Joy Randolph are gorgeous.
Past Lives (2023)
Film that makes us think and feel
The film "Past Lives" scores 10 / 10.
It has a simple but intriguing story that keeps viewer's attention. The story touches the topics that many people find relateable - immigration, languages, career, family, relationships, love, life. It has realistic characters that are interesting to follow along their journey. It has beautiful photography-like shots of the city and nature, with excellent light and accompanying music. It has inspiring dialogues that will become favourite quotes for many people. And - the film is able to make us think of our own lives, past and future; of our own love, lost or found. It makes us think and feel it all.
American Fiction (2023)
Deceived by the trailer: this film is not about writing
I was intrigued by the film trailer and thought it will discuss struggles of contemporary writers and raise important issues. But the best moments related to the topic of w r i t i n g were shown in the film trailer. There was nothing else of interest in the film. I felt deceived.
Then, it is not a witty comedy. Family drama takes up most of the screen time. In this drama each individual is unrelatable and heavily stereotyped. I had little interest in development of the characters except for the housekeeper; they should have made a film about her.
One star goes to actors, as the cast was great, and did a good job.
In overall, it felt like I was watching two films at the same time, as comedy / drama connection didn't go well, and both lacked depth.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Shallow in comparison to book
Of course, the book is much better. The book tells us a story of these rich people - of how they and their country gained wealth. The book is full of detailed history - on architecture, design, food, traditions. It made me want to visit Asia and discover it myself. It laughed at rich people and so did I.
The movie, however, is quite shallow. There is no history / background information on Asia or even the main characters. The movie tells us a simplified version of Rachel's life, with insuficient drama or emotion.
On the good side - the actors were great, the landscapes (wish there were more), and some beautiful interiors and outfits.
Ready Player One (2018)
Exceeded expectations
The movie was much better than I have expected. It had solid continuity, the thread of the story did not break, and although it was long - I was not waiting for it to end, just wanted more and more.
The characters were well developed, and it was both interesting to see them "in game" and in real life. There was quite a good balance between the two as well.
Although I thought the movie would appeal more to the younger audiences, I found out that older viewers (e.g. parents) enjoyed watching it too. It's defo one of the movies to be re-watched one day.