Probably the best Netflix series I've seen this year, and the best from Gaumont (I'm glad that they kept the same quality level from Hannibal), again shot in 4K for main photography and 8K for aerial views. From the production standpoint, it proves that José Padilha is one of the best Latin American directors & producers, as he kept most of his Brazilian film production crew, including Pedro Bromfman (his haunting music is excellent for this series). The fact that this series was mostly shot in Colombia (in some of the real locations where Escobar lived), is noteworthy, and the level of realism and fully transparent visual effects by Mr. X (via Technicolor) gives us a whole different sense of the unfolding drama. If you have seen the VFX breakdowns, you'll know that most of the streets and landscapes in this series are CGI-enhaced and extended. We all know already how this story ends in 1993, and despite this fact I'm glued to the screen in every episode. The Spanish dialogues are tweaked in a way that when translated the meaning is slightly different, so I'm pretty much sure that the whole series was written first in English. The whole cast is great, despite not many of them being Colombian (mostly Mexican, actually), and Wagner Moura's performance is spot on (probably an Emmy nomination would come his way soon) despite his very, very heavy Portuguese accent. Some parts I couldn't even figure out what he was saying, even when Spanish is my native tongue, so I kept the English CC active in every episode. Honestly, I can't wait for the second (and most likely the last) season. Their main achievement with Narcos was not glamorizing Escobar or the drug trade, but presenting a compelling, human story that everyone can relate to.
As someone who actually lives in Mexico, and has a 12-men strong Policias Federales group parked just outside my office with machine guns and a freaking tank (yes, a small tank with 2 50mm turrets), and my fair amount of dead bodies seen around in Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Sonora, many kidnapped (and lost forever) friends, this movie is one of the best I've ever seen about the War On Drugs. The third act is too constrained, but understandable as this is a movie made for an American audience. I wonder if you guys can tell the difference between Mexico City (where most of the Mexican scenes were shot) and Ciudad Juarez or Nogales, because you can't film there at all. The situation here is worst than anybody can imagine, and I just have to look outside my window. I'm looking forward for the next movie with Del Toro's character.
When I first heard the news that my favorite Neil Gaiman comic was set to premiere as a TV show, I was delighted. Later, I found out it was on FOX, and like those damned souls entering hell, I've lost all my hopes already. FOX has messed up/cancelled all the shows that I got to like in their programming. Every one of them. The change in showrunner isn't a good sign, and demoting Tom Kapinos (the series creator and main writer) is a bad move to begin with (please, he wrote the damn pilot they greenlit!). I'm sure FOX will cancel this series after the 10 episodes commitment, and call it "an event mini-series". This show belongs to Netflix, in both scope and theme. I loved the pilot (the nod to David Bowie made me smile), please sell it to Netflix!.
Beautifully written, perfectly acted. The layers and layers of complexity, reference to literature, philosophy, art, technology and medicine, all wrapped-up in a retro-future setting make for a delightful, loving experience about healing and hope. This is one of the best mini-series I've ever seen in a long time. It takes its time to deliver a perfect ending, that makes you wonder about everything you have seen.
I honestly tried to like this movie, mostly because of its great cast. But I couldn't stand their shallow motivations, egocentric attitude and silly, sentimental dialogue, that actually made me hate most of the characters (not to mention the cameos from known stars). What entirely lost me as a viewer and made me feel uncomfortable, was a rescue pilot that flees a disaster zone to fly to a far away location to rescue his daughter. I'm a medical professional and I have been a first responder in several critical situations, and I just can say that I truly hated The Rock's character so much after that stunt. After that, I couldn't enjoy the movie, despite the CGI, that I felt as outstanding. DON'T MAKE A FIRST RESPONDER THAT FAILS TO STICK TO ETHICS AND RULES YOUR MAIN CHARACTER. It's such an insult. If you disagree, I'll remind you whenever you need medical assistance and your paramedic, doctor or nurse has to leave the scene of your accident to check on her/his daughter.
This pilot is one of the most compelling, intelligent and elegant hours of television I've ever seen. From the cinematographic standpoint, Niels Arden Oplev brought us the same original directing style that he did use in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (the first film from the original Swedish trilogy), and hoped for his audience to be mature enough to digest a plot that evolves at every step, slow paced, gritty and edgy. Gosh, the sequence with Neil Diamond's song was as surreal as beautiful, and yet sad, evoking happiness. This is how you present technology to the public: with real information, explaining some stuff, keeping the plot grounded in reality (couldn't find anything too implausible or wrong in their technospeak). I'm a KDE guy myself since 1997, and I'm typing this review on my favorite Linux distro (that isn't Ubuntu, by the way), so I'm really looking forward for the rest of the season. Then again, I don't keep my hopes too high... Universal has a true innate talent to really screw up any good show that takes more than two neuron synapses to process (when they happen to own it), without exceptions.
It looks great, better than anything on the recent trilogy. The lore is building up and the acting is on the dot. My only problem is the pacing and that the damn episode is too short. I was expecting a 1 hour show, but this is shorter even than network television prime time shows.
Well, it is promising as a new season opener.
I gave up on this dumpster fire of a show after watching the 4th episode's promo. When your promo clearly shows all the plot and ending in 45 seconds, why waste 45 minutes?. Hope it gets cancelled by next year.
"Most coders think debugging software is about fixing a mistake, but that is bullshit… its existence was no accident. It came to you to deliver a message. Like an unconscious bubble floating to the surface. Popping with a revelation you’ve secretly known all along… A bug buzzing its way towards me, to gum up the works, until it forces me to make a call — kill me, or embrace me or kill me; A bug’s only reason for existence is to be a mistake that needs fixing. To help you right a wrong, and what feels better than that. The bug forces the software to adapt, evolve into something new because of it. Work around it, or work through it. No matter what, it changes. It becomes something new. The next version. The inevitable upgrade". Elliot's monologue, his “debugging” metaphor defines the entire series as a whole, its evolution and ultimate goal. We are just as invested in this journey as Elliot, who doesn’t freak or lose his mind when something weird happens. He lets it play out, a backseat rider to his own life... and that's what makes this episode so memorable.
Watching this series in 1080p with DTS audio creates a whole new experience, quite different from the original broadcast and the DVD's. It's like re-discovering it in wonderful ways. After binge watching the first season, I can say the re-mastered version has subtle differences from the DVD's. The cuts are more precise, some scenes are dropped or shortened and the effects look crisp and clear. You can actually read some of the small letter text (hilarious in some cases), and make out the hull lettering in every Federation ship. Hey, I didn't even know the Enterprise had a side hull ID with the name, and a smaller lettering in the nacelles (that one is only there in the first season). If you haven't seen the Blu-ray release, you haven't seen this series at all.
It was so disappointing that this series got cancelled, without the chance of getting its foothold, huge continuity problems because the episodes got aired out of order. But I was willing to give it a try. Too bad the network wasn't.
This film was way ahead of its time. I love how it reels you in, and never lets you go.
The good about this episode: The New Republic is very serious about law and order, we get to see Twi'leks again, a very unrecognizable Clancy Brown and the cameos of David Filoni and the directors of all the previous episodes as X-Wing pilots. Also, we now get an idea how hyperspace navigation in the Star Wars universe is all bout. The ending with the 3 baddies on the cell alive made this episode very kid friendly, and I don't mind that. The bad about this episode: Zero planning for the prison break, and it shows. The Twi'lek make-up looks very cheap and the acting of both of actors is uneven. The X-Wings arrive more than 20 minutes after the beacon is activated. So, no troops?. Nobody is driving the prison ship anymore, so I guess that it's a death sentence for everyone aboard that ship when they run out of air, water and food, unless somebody gets to them.
I always hated Mel Gibson's Braveheart because it was Robert the Bruce the one who was called the Braveheart because his heart (years after his death) was taken to a crusade in the Holy Land and thrown at the enemy in the heat of a battle, that was won, by the way. The film isn't entirely accurate (I'm a history buff), but not to a point that bothers me, as this isn't History Channel, but Netflix. The Prince of Wales was in London when his father died, Edward's body wasn't buried in the field, and Robert's daughter was kept a prisoner for 7 years more after the date the films ends. But all this made it very entertaining for me, and that's what matters in the end. Game Of Thrones is based upon Robert's history, so it's proper to finally see a film about the first great kind of the Scots.
I couldn't believe it. To be honest, it feels like a pilot for an awful series. Star Wars truly ended in 1983.
This is a huge course correction that practically negates TLJ. It has its moments, and given what the director-writer had to work with, it's understandable how it ends with such a feeble whimper. This isn't a good film and shouldn't be mistaken for one. TROS is a very disjointed, clearly rushed, derivative experience, that shows its editorial seams, packed with callbacks to all the good things the original trilogy had to offer in order to make you up for it. The visual effects are quite good in most places (nothing stunning or eye opening), but some in the third act are not really at par with the rest of the movie. The plot could be written up with a crayon in a napkin, and I wouldn't be amazed if that was the case, as this isn't Citizen Kane. The amount of loose ends and plot holes this film has, are way too many to me. This is a $300 million plus film (without accounting for marketing, re-shoots and extra CGI) and yet, it doesn't feel as good on the screen as Infinity War or End Game, (very good films made by the same Disney company). After leaving the theater, I was not full of hope, sad or willing to buy another ticket or even willing to watch this movie ever again. I felt nothing but sorry for George Lucas and couldn't care any less about what happens to Ben, Finn, Poe and Rey. The problem with this film when compared with any of the original trilogy is that those felt timeless (grounded on mythical archetypes, Japanese samurai films, Westerns, Flash Gordon serials and the hero's journey) and this plot will look very dated by next year, I'm sure of it. Luke Skywalker took 5 years to master the arts of the Jedi, having two Jedi masters to introduce him to its philosophy. Rey has some old books and voices in his head to kinda learn in months a lot of fantastic new Jedi powers that made no sense. No matter how much it makes back at the box office, it will lose in long-term repeated viewings (one time is enough for me), Blu-ray and DVD sales, and of course, merchandise. It is a good thing we have The Mandalorian to keep the franchise in life support until the inevitable reboot comes along in 5 years. Edit: Forgot to mention that there were only 9 people on the first IMAX showing of TROS on this movie theater (this is a 3.5 million people city). Back in 2015, all the showings were packed for TFA the first 4 days.
Enjoyable. The space skirmish feels like Star Wars. Then the return to Tatooine and the perfect sets for Mos Eisley. Notice that the droid sensors at the Cantina's door are not present, probably because the new bartenders are droids themselves. Wonderful desert scenes, lots of humor and things here and there to remind you the original trilogy. I like it so far, because this is a laid back episode and Mando made a friend, just as the previous one. I'm sure the last couple of episodes in this season will have a nice pay-off.
I have to say that after watching every single Star Trek episode available, that this is THE WORST series finale, ever (even TOS's Turnabout Intruder was better). Awful doesn't even comes close to describe it, as it's a complete let down after a better than expected season. Charles Tucker's death is totally unnecesary, and the last scene with T'Pol is less than stellar. The true final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise is Terra Prime, not this crappy bookend.
Hands down, the best performance I've ever seen from Jean Claude Van Damme. His comedic chops are amazing, and I wouldn't mind at all if Amazon decides to pickup this pilot as a full blown series.
This the best movie by Wes Anderson. It's charming, funny, sad and tender, yet magical. The ending... it's heartbreaking and sweet. A must-see for everyone.
Getting an invitation for a Marvel early screening was meant to be something great in the past. Sadly, I've just got it for this stinker of a movie, and lost two hours of my life. I'm a fan of Josh Trank's Chronicle, so I kept my hopes high, but not much so, as he's a competent filmmaker but more in tone with an indie vibe rather than a blockbuster, in my opinion. I'm so disappointed regarding this movie that I can resume the entire plot in the following few lines: a couple of kids (one a mild-mannered-mad-scientist-in-the-making and an honest-to-God-sports-jock) try for nearly a decade to create a functioning prototype of a phase-quantum-dimensional-shifting device (a teleportation machine, for the layman), getting the attention of a gifted scientist (who happens to have a politically correct bi-racial family) from a government-funded think-tank. Together, they spend HALF (yes, half) the movie trying to make the prototype of the device (now named "Quantum Gate") fully functional and open a portal to Planet Zero (a desolate generic CGI dimension that co-exist with ours), with the unwilling aid of Victor, a hacker-wiz kid who happens to be sadly in love with the only female character in the film, who in turn has a crush for Reed (as you might expect, Reed is utterly oblivious to her most of the film). The whole ordeal feels detached, procedural and boring, but has the very brief quality of portraying them as humans, with flaws. Anyway, as expected (because bad things do happen when you rush experiments), their visit to Planet Zero goes awry when Victor tries (as any scientist might) take a sample. The portal collapses, and Victor is left behind. I must dearly advise to you: it follows one of the most disturbing, un-glamours and painful transformation scenes I've ever seen in a Marvel movie. Their DNA is changed and they have odd molecular-phasing side-effects that can be characterised as "super powers". A great deal of the rest of the film is spent trying to - ironically - reverse the molecular-phasing disease, and we get to see a few neat scenes, while one of them is remorseful and contrite (hiding in South America) and the others begin to use their abilities to become military assets. This goes for a while until out of the blue, Victor (quite understandably bitter with them) decides to destroy our Earth using the Planet Zero portal. He's so good at it that he gets to almost destroy Earth without any complicated laboratory or technology. Then it comes the 10 minute studio-mandated battle where the characters become reluctant heroes (honestly, Reed a melee expert?) and obviously defeat Victor, who "disintegrates" (I don't believe that at all) while the portal finally collapses. After those 10 minutes of low quality CGI extravaganza, they get fully funded by the US Military, and decide to use their side-effects to protect humankind, while searching a cure for their disease (unlike the X-Men and most Marvel characters, the FF have always been in good terms with the US Government and NY authorities). In the end, I was baffled that there was not a single ounce of wonder or enjoyment from their part in their abilities, and that the characters feel underdeveloped, to the point of being hollow jokes compared to their comic book counterparts (especially the latest incarnation). With the exception of Michael B. Jordan and Red E. Cathey, the rest of the cast is AWFUL, their dialogues becoming wholly interchangeable. Really. Write down snippets from the dialogue, and any of the characters can deliver those lines. It's that bad. I'm sure I'll never watch this movie again, and I do hope the sequel never gets made. By the way: this movie isn't part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a good reason.
The last 4 minutes make everything fit right in. Awesome plot twist.
We are only a few years away from the gamification of every activity. This is what meaningful television looks like.
Just like his previous film (Downloaded), Alex Winter creates a whole narrative stitching himself into the characters he's connecting. First, it paints an image of The Silk Road as a community whose main goal was to decrease the level of violence involved in drug-related transactions, to benefit the buyers (that rated both sellers and their products) thus creating an utopian libertarian free market experience. Second, it follows the case of the government and law enforcement agencies, their efforts to shutdown TSR and the ultimate futility of them, as several dozen drug markets appeared in the Deep Web as soon as TSR went offline. Third, it creates an analogy between the War On Drugs that has been going on worldwide for the past 40 years (to negligible effect) and how moving it into the DW will prove useless, given the vastness of the realm and new crypto technology that will arise from those angry against the US agencies involved into hacking a foreign server without a warrant, literally with nobody bating an eye. Lastly, it gives depth to Ross Ulbricht as both a gentle person and a free spirited thinker who was a believer of applying free market rules and 21th century economics into the drug trade. The toll on his person, his family and friends is felt in the last part of the film, humanising Ross and those around him. Ross Ulbricht was a very, very naive fool?... most likely. As a physician who has seen first hand the long terms effects of recreational drugs on patients, and its deadly outcome in many cases, I can't condone or offer any sympathy to Ross as a Deep Web drug concierge. He's a criminal who happens to be a nice guy. However, I'm very much against the way the government built its case, essentially breaking international law and precipitating a whole new level of drug trade that won't be excised by shutting down one of thousands of drug markets that have appeared with the demise of Ross Ulbricht. Nobody wins. Nobody.
Excellent series. The premise feels fresh, and there's enough humanity and sensibility in the characters to make me care for them.
This is one of the best episodes I've seen in a while. Breaking the fourth wall... that's wonderful. This episode proves that you need only a good story and keep it tight.
I have to say from the beginning, that I do truly hate the original Attack On Titan anime. But I do happen to love Japanese cinema, and was willing to give it a try, as many live-action adaptations take a very original take on their source material (like Death Note, Mushi-shi, Gantz and Rurouni Kenshin). I'm so glad that I did it. For starters, the story is now set in Japan (instead of Central Europe), the origin is told in less than 60 seconds, the focus of the story is now placed into another character (therefore the metaphysical/ideological/romance non-sense from the series was dropped altogether, along with the German names) and his main motivation was introduced in a way that it's totally credible. The Titans themselves are quite plausible as they come. There are clear objectives, set goals in the plot, without missing a beat. The movie doesn't even try to explain anything beyond the scope of the plot, and that's a blessing. Suddenly, the whole thing made sense, and ATOT became a stylish, visceral sci-fi horror movie, with plenty of action and very decent CGI (something that isn't common in Japanese live action adaptations, that are usually low-budget fare). What I like the most is the portrayal of the Titans, as they are surreal, menacing, but with a hint of sadness. I'll recommend you to enjoy this movie with an open mind, and embrace the visual chaos from the action scenes with a wicked grin. This movie rocks and kicks ass, for sure. I do respect that it dares itself to take a huge risk and create an original film and piss off the fans in the process. Now, I'm waiting for the second part (and the mini-series Attack On Titan: Beacon For Counterattack), something that I couldn't even fathom when I pressed the "play" button one hour and a half ago.
The opening of this episode was one of the best I've ever seen. This series is getting better every passing minute, and that makes me worry seriously about its longevity beyond the proposed 10 episodes.
As far as The Marvel Cinematic Universe goes, this might be the best entry up to this moment. It builds up from IM3, T:TDW and (specially) CA:WS, and you might enjoy it even more if you watch those movies a few hours before to remind you a few facts. It has the same vibe and humour you might expect from Whedon's encyclopaedic Marvel-knowledge, yet something goes very awry (story-wise) just before the third act (you'll notice right away). Thankfully, the movie recovers and delivers at the very end, barely. Ultron - as a character - feels underdeveloped. and the stakes never feel as high as they might be. This is compensated with blockbuster-grade action sequences and VFX that make you forget that, but the main villain's demise feels like a huge disappointment. You never feel invested into Ultron's innermost tragedy (a flawed vision/programming that creates the whole conflict) that comes from Stark's cutting-corners attitude. This movie feels like an in-between chapter in a great story?: yes. It sets a proper tone for the upcoming Infinity War?: no. At the end, it doesn't really matter: you'll love it, and when you think about it later, it feels kinda hollow.
