I’m a big fan of most things created or written by Sally Wainwright, just check out her filmography to find many award winning productions. This did not disappoint, even though Fantasy isn’t usually in her wheelhouse. The characters were endearing. The premise was creative. The casting was perfect. I give this series a high 7 (totally entertaining) out of 10.
This past week, twice, I've been challenged to consider, from totally different sources, if I had lived in the culture of any historical hero would I have stood up for truth, or a victim, as that particular hero did. We live in a culture in which 90% would agree that what happened under Hitler was evil, so we are inclined to think we would have stood against it. Likewise, if we were part of the crowd who watched Jesus drag a cross through the city streets or if we stood at the foot of the cross, we would not have been among the mockers. This movie meticulously sets up the culture in which a man and his wife have to count the cost to stand against an evil force and lays out why many didn’t. Because the film is so long, many will not take the time to watch or consider an act that they feel, in this modern context, was an easy choice. I was concerned about the length of the film, but once I let myself relax into it, I found that it gave me time to ponder the range of arguments hurled against Franz and Fani who were just counting the cost and following their conscience. The performances of August Diehl (Franz) and Valerie Pachner (Fani) are brilliant and the cinematography of Austria is beautiful. I don’t know why they didn’t subtitle the German. There is enough English in the film to understand the important bits but so much German is left without subtitles and left to be interpreted emotionally. *I am going to break my own rule of only rating a film higher than 7 if I would watch it again, because, watched once, drenched in the emotion of this story, should allow you enough time to process all the questions these real life decisions had to answer. I give this film a 9 (important) out of 10. This movie is so much more than this, already too long, review.
I looked in all the usual places to find these specials. Who knew Disney would have gobbled them up from the BBC?! What a bridge from the 13th to the 15th doctor! The return of David Tennant in the titular role with Catherine Tate at his side and Russell T Davies in the writer’s chair. I had such high expectations of intelligent, clever premises and scripts, favourite performances and delightful entertainment, all of which were fully met. All the old feels were back. I give this grouping of 4 specials a 9 (classic modern WHO) out of 10.
This was terrible! The only good thing was seeing Tim Hortons (:flag_ca:) in Thailand?! The premise was old but not developed in any unique ways. The story line is inevitable (even the villain) but it drags its feet getting there. I lost all hope for the series when the character’s subplot (Jelly) becomes completely ridiculous. I faithfully watched the show to completion but felt it was the waste of a day. I give the series a 4 (poor) out of 10.
I liked the way it played with sensory memories all the way through. It captured that undefinable imprint people have on your life. I found the Parker character difficult to like at the beginning which caused some disconnect for me but I like how it ended. I give this film a 7 (sensate) out of 10.
This is a student film and I wish the creator every success. It has a very little time to tell a story, so the beginning, middle and end needed to be more defined. The actress who played Sun was good. I sympathize with the actress who played Polaris, learning lines was always my biggest challenge and we could see they edited around you needing to ask for your next line. Keep making films. Learn from your mistakes. I know you can do it. All the greats started off rough. I give this early film a 6 (potential) out of 10.
The description of the story in Trakt is not completely accurate so ignore it and take time to see this short film. The story is compelling and the performances are excellent. It I s just a little window into the lives of two people who love each other and the love of a mother. It’s really quite beautiful and a story of transcending love. I give this film an 8 (beautiful) out of 10.
This is a teen comedy turned on its head. They’ve done some lovely things with the old time travel chestnut. It plays with the idea of a 30 year old inhabiting her life as a 19 year old, knowing that some pretty catastrophic things are in their future but “Time” edits any revelation of the future that she tries to share. She also shifts back and forth between her past self (18-20) and her present (30+) and encounters the anomalies in her present that the past has manifested. All these are balanced beautifully with tension and comedy. The leads have great chemistry. The characters are appealing. My only complaint is that the comedy, carried mostly from the supporting cast, can be over the top and unnecessarily breaks up the pace. But, that may be my personal bias because the consensus ratings elsewhere are 8s and 9s. I give this series a high 7 (great chemistry) out of 10.
This is more than just a romantic drama. It is a deep dive into the Chinese American subculture of Flushing, New York. Winner of several Asian and GLAAD awards, it faithful portrays the forces at play in bending cultural norms. The performances are great. The characters are endearing. I give this film an 8 (noteworthy) out of 10.
This 5 episode series follows a roller coaster ride of betrayal for a woman just wanting to cut a middle path through career, life and ultimately love. The writing is good. The performances are good. I give this Indy series a 7 (good) out of 10.
This series is episodic, “crime of the week” fare, but is the characters that draw me to the franchise. The characters in PD and their personal struggles and victories have always made this my favourite of the CHICAGO franchise.
It has always been hard when actors leave the show. But, now…Goodbye, Tracy Spiridakos. Will the show ever be as good? I’ve followed this Canadian’s filmography from the beginning and was thrilled when she joined the Chicago franchise in 2017. She brings an intensity and dynamic performance to any character she portrays. Her character’s chemistry, first with Jessie Lee Soffer (who is still an off screen partner) and, then, her father, daughter relationship with Jason Beghe have always been my glue to this show. Can I make another transition? I give this series a 7 (dynamic relationships) out of 10.
There are four versions of this: 2014 Korean, 2017 Filipino, 2019 Thai and 2022 Japanese. I’m reviewing the original 2014 Korean version (which, based on the remakes alone, was very popular).
Besides being a SciFi drama, it reflects the cult of celebrity and its impact on the person behind the persona. Oh, and there is a ruthless killer. And, oh, there is a 404+ old alien waiting on earth to go home. The premise is SciFi and sets up the drama which held my attention for 9 episodes but the comedy became so ridiculous that it spoiled the pace for me and the focus on nothing but unrequited love spoiled the chemistry for the next 5 episodes. I definitely had issues with the pace, and the lack of consistently quality writing but there were episodes that were undeniably 8s.
Overall, the acting was spot on, the characters interesting and the premise fun. I give the series a high 7 (enjoyable) out of 10.
By accident, I stumbled into a bad edit of a series (12 x 0:45 episodes) turned into a “movie” (2:35:13) on YouTube, but despite the hack job, the plot and the performances so intrigued me that I felt in my bones that this must exist in another form, so I researched and found the series. This is a review of the series.
The premise is unique: finding safety (and unlikely friendship) in an unexpected place. The plot twists and turns so quickly you don’t have pause to be bored with its combination of mystery, crime, action and drama. The characters are beautifully cast and performed. The two females at the heart of this tangle have wonderful chemistry which bring joy, fun and growth to both of their lives. The writing, cast, acting, music and rewatch values are all top tier. I give this a hearty 9 (unexpected treasure) out of 10.
It’s not because I’m a masochist that I watch JEOPARDY (I’m fully aware of the limits of my knowledge). It’s a little bit patriotism and a little bit appreciation of intelligence and a little bit of curiosity about the world (and occasionally I get the right answer).
This second tournament was especially exciting because the two new Masters gave the alumni a run for their money. I was rooting for Matteo, but was very pleased with the outcome. I give this series a 10 ( great for the grey matter) out of 10.
(Upon faithfully watching until S6 E9). I’m not going to watch this series any longer. What started out as clever social commentary has lost its edge, and frankly, I’ve become bored of it. I’ve given the series a 7 (witty) in the past but now I’d only give it a 5 (meh, or mildly depressing) out of 10.
21 May 2024, I finished watching Season 18 of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. I gave this season a 6 (fair). Here is my review:
Broadcasting on Fox. {Why I watched it? Huge fan of the series} English [Dance Competition]
I didn’t like the new format which catered to the commercial nature of being a professional dancer in videos, on Broadway, in films, on tour and selling brands. It ripped away the things I like most about the series, getting to know the dancers, their personalities, their adaptability to the many styles of dance, the partnerships and pairings, the vast auditions, the boot camp, and working with SYTYCD alumni. I give this season a 6 (fair) in a series that I’ve always given a 10 (perfection) out of 10.
I didn’t like the new format which catered to the commercial nature of being a professional dancer in videos, on Broadway, in films, on tour and selling brands. It ripped away the things I like most about the series, getting to know the dancers, their personalities, their adaptability to the many styles of dance, the partnerships and pairings, the vast auditions, the boot camp, and working with SYTYCD alumni. I give this season a 6 (fair) in a series that I’ve always given a 10 (perfection) out of
I didn’t watch this series for the PatPran story line but for the InkPa chemistry which launched the GL series 23.5. I give the InkPa part of this series a 9 (subtle chemistry) out of 10.
I didn’t expect this to be such a compelling drama. I came here following two young adult performers from a light-hearted, high school Dramedy (23.5). 10 YEARS is full of pleasant surprises. The small children actors capture your heart from the beginning with wonderful performances. The POV is sympathetically told by the boy murdered in the first episode.
The metaphors about films can feel a little heavy handed, at first, but can be quite profound by the end.
The premise is an interesting look at a microcosm of society, the writing is good, the performances are spellbinding, the ensemble work is solid. I give this series an 8 (great drama) out of 10.
By the amount of episodes (50) I’m going to guess this was broadcast as a soap with the genre’s urgency to churning out episodes quickly. This would explain and affected the quality of the production. The first episodes’ production values were pretty rough- people hiding in plain sight, little explanation of the motivation of the characters, a heightened sense of dread without character development to make the audience invested.( I don’t think they spent much time in dailies with retakes of scenes with obvious errors).
It took a few episodes to get going but by episode 4 it’s a 7. The young actors are very good. Things really settle in when Lee Yo-won’s character, Kang Ji-nyeong, arrives in episode 5.
With the quality of the performances, and the trajectory of the plot, it usually outweighed the production flaws. The thing that held this back from being a great show, for me, was the lag in pace. It relishes replaying the character’s memory of scenes (my response was, “we were there, we saw it the first time!”). There are times when it slows to a crawl as every grouping of supporting actors’ reactions are aired before they move on from that one plot point. But this is not something that cannot be remedied by a skillful use of the fast forward button.
Overall, the subject matter is interesting, the story is epic, there are great characters, performed well. I give the series a high 7 (very engaging) out of 10.
What if your physical appearance matched your inner self, your soul? (This is the premise of this series that has been kicked around before. Remember Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?) This series plays with the concept of the value we give to physical beauty (ironically, in an Asian Culture that has extravagant standards for beauty). Oh, ya, and there are serial murders.
“An abyss (orb) revives the dead into the form of its soul.” Some who are physically beautiful are revived less attractive because their souls are unattractive. And vice versa, an unattractive man revives as a drop dead gorgeous man because his soul is beautiful. (I wonder how the actor who was cast as the pre-revived character felt when he is repeatedly referred to as ugly.) once the premise is established, I became very weary of the series. Everything that happened is predictable. The primary actors are great in their roles but the writers didn’t give them much to work with except a romance. I didn’t want to judge the series too harshly, so I watched all of it, but most of it was “meh” although the last few episodes rose to “fair”. I give the series a low 6 (too little plot) out of 10.
An emotional rollercoaster, from laughs to gasps, tender to treacherous, infatuation to heartbreak, joy to grief. Great premise. Impressive writing. Superb cast. Now that it has completed its broadcast, I would suggest you binge this. It was excruciating to watch it episodically. I followed two actor’s (Kim Ji-won, Kim Soo-yeung) filmographies here and will now be following the filmography of the Creator, Park Ji-eun. (She has created some classic series (ie. CRASH LANDING ON YOU - horrible title, but a perfect 10 of a series). I give this series a 9 (superb) out of 10.
People compare plots to roller coaster rides but I think I’d compare this to a series of Grand Pre qualifiers. It goes from 0 to 200 in 30 seconds, several times, and leaves the track hot, hot, hot. The casting is great and believable. However, I think I got distracted between qualifying runs. It just seemed to lose momentum too many times and stalled when it got to the end. (On a personal note, I enjoyed seeing my favourite talk show featured, THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW.) I give this movie a 7 (short burns) out of 10. [Music, Drama, Romance]
This series needs to pick up the pace. It spends too much time replaying scenes.
I just watched the first episode that featured Milk and Love. It’s really just an hour long commercial for a drink. It was nice to see the girls work so effortlessly together. I have the episode a 6 out of 10, but I have no desire to see the other two commercials.
I appreciate this film more, now that I’ve seen the featurette CREATING A UNIVERSE -THE MAKING OF REBEL MOON which follows REBEL MOON - PART TWO on Netflix. The world building is complex. The cinematography is up close and personal. The casting is stellar drawing from a global pool of talent, with some new faces, as well. The storytelling for this first instalment is multifaceted with both personal stories and epic universe histories planted as a backdrop. I give this film a 7 (ambitious) out of 10.
It started off SO slow that I wanted to fast forward through the narrative (and I usually love narratives), but, when the action began, it was full on. A Zack Snyder Universe (don’t miss the featurette CREATING A UNIVERSE -THE MAKING OF REBEL MOON which follows the film on Netflix). Great cast. Good storytelling (eventually). Incredible special effects.
I thought I had posted a review for REBEL MOON - PART ONE: A CHILD OF FIRE. I should circle around and do that, but, if I remember correctly, I liked the storytelling better, than this Part Two, especially as we are introduced to the members of the team.
It appears that the production team wants this to be 6 Netflix movies set in this Zack Snyder imagined universe. No word from Netflix, yet, on a green light for a third.
I give this film a high 7 (Redeeming Action) out of 10.
The plot doesn’t have enough depth so the pace moves too slowly for it to be a great show. It depends solely on romance to capture it’s audience, but I found the chemistry fell short. My fault, though, I didn’t notice the genre just said [Romance] not RomCom or RomDrama.
Jeju island will always be a stand out, beautiful location to film.
KDramas always teach me something new. This one features Jeju Haenyeos, women divers who harvest the ocean without mechanical equipment. I found it interesting that these women regularly make these dangerous dives well into their 80s. I give this series a 7 (okay) out of 10.
WOW. There are few shows that plum the depths of profound friendships as this one does. It’s not a watch for the faint hearted. This story revolves around three women who have been close friends for 20 years. The characters are beautiful written and perfectly cast. Although there are romances, what struck me was the depth of the friendships. It gives the drama a depth that turned this series from an 8 (touching) to a 10 (extraordinary) out of 10.
The Healer and The Soldier, is there a meeting point between those who took an oath to save lives and those who took an oath to take life to protect lives. I liked this drama right out of the gate. The juxtaposition of the big city ER and the battlefield. The stories are well conceived. It was straight 8s from the beginning.
The chemistry between the characters is wonderful. The supporting cast is stellar in itself. The primary roles are brilliantly acted. I followed Kim Ji-won’s filmography here, to find her playing a second story line and was delighted to find Song Hye-kyo in the leading lady role, whose filmography I also follow.
There is an element of action adventure in the film that sometimes stretched the limits of reality, but when I thought about it, doesn’t all action adventure stretch those limits.
After mulling over how much I enjoyed this, I decided the series deserved a 9 (perfect genre blend) out of 10.
