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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
This episode had me glued at the screen. It's a huge homage to Sam Peckinpah's films, and clearly sets the mood for a great season finale. This is what really makes Star Wars great: it made deeply care for the characters and I felt despair with every single loss and setback they experience. And the ending... Oh, my gosh. It broke my heart. This is going to be a very long week until the next episode!.
Something very interesting happened between the time I did stream this pilot from Amazon Prime for the first time, and eight months later, that I'm checking it out again. In the weeks following the premiere, writer Agness Kaku complained about that many of the japanese signs in the show were utter non-sense, like the word "Respect" written all over the place, an ad for "Viper Pharmacy" hanging in a place of honor in the Aikido dojo, the fact that naming San Francisco's International Airport as "Hiroito" and the bus station as "Imperial" violates Japanese naming customs and Joel de la Fuente delivering a line that was apparently written using Google Translate ("Yes, let us go then, you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky. Ta, my good suspect!"). Well, the producers made a different cut, that's the one available for streaming now: the scene with the badly translated line was cut entirely, and several signs on the street (and the one in the dojo) were digitally changed for something more realistic. The Hiroito International Airport and bus station stayed, oddly. Also the Blade Runner homage in the Sunrise Cafe was cut short, and the pilot now has a different narrative, adding more bits here and there, and a whole different ending, with more scenes mashed up to add exposition and increase the story's relationship with the I Ching (as in the source material). Isn't a bad cut at all, and it feels different, probably better than the original.
Just a comment regarding the SAC op. The radios issued in these ops are always rugged, waterproof models, at least IP67, and that means being under salt water for 60 minutes. So there's no chance the "electronics are wet" becomes an issue, but I understand that it's meant to advance the plot, making Bishop leave the boat.
In true George Lucas fashion, there are 3 different versions of this Kevin Burns documentary, produced by Prometheus Entertainment. The first, running at 2:31:00 (in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio framed as 4:3), available only in the original 2004 Special Edition DVD release, in monoaural audio. A second version, intended to be broadcast on A&E to promote the release of the Special Edition DVD trilogy, that cuts down 1 whole hour of content, yet has commercial breaks planned, a fast paced beat, it retains only key interviews, and features a 2.0 Dolby Stereo track (that actually kicks-ass), and the framed 4:3 aspect ratio. The third version is available on the US version of the Blu-ray 2011 release (those box sets with the extra content disc), and it only cuts half-hour of the original content and yet adds some new visual snippets and bits (like some shots featuring world-class swordsman Bob Anderson without the Darth Vader mask in the fencing sequences, a role that Lucas never acknowledged he performed until Anderson's passing), but sadly isn't available on HD (Burns used a 720p Hi-Def video camera for the archival interviews and made a 720p cut, but Lucasfilms had the dumb idea of cramming 8 hours of content on a single dual-layer Blu-ray, so they had to keep it at 480p with 2.0 Dolby Stereo), but it restores the original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The original 2004 version is an excellent general-interest documentary (a must-see for anyone interested in the art of filmmaking), with the added bonus of being mastefully narrated by Robert Clotworthy (Jim Raynor in Blizzard's StarCraft video game series, Marshall Law in Tekken 5 and the soothing voice in the otherwise crazy History Channel's Ancient Aliens). Gosh, I would love to watch a 720p 1.78:1 version of it, some day.
Even when it's not 100% historically accurate, this movie is still relevant, and one of my favorite Cold Ward flicks of all time. It gets the message across, making you wonder about the hard, hard choices that Kennedy had to make in that given period of time. The development of a new diplomatic language, rules of engagement and nuclear policy as we know it today. The tension and thrill feels real (the low altitude fly-by and the U2 scenes are just great), both as a testament of those cold warriors and the way policy is made, to this day.
One of my favorite shows. It was engaging, and it made me care so much about the characters and their evolution as people, not just characters written in a script. Wonderfully cast.
This is one of my favorite comedies, for 3 reasons: it's so damn close to reality of American politics, the characters are down to earth and it's so well written. I'm so looking forward for next season.
