Everyone in Spain (and many Latin American countries) knows who Cristina "La Veneno" (Poison) was, to a greater or lesser extent. Many will remember her for her famous intervention in the long-gone "DEC" hosted by Jaime Cantizano on Antena 3 and the iconic phone prank she was played there, in which a woman posing as her neighbor insulted her to piss her off. I certainly recall the times in which she faced Nova, another trans woman who criticized Cristina for not standing up for Trans rights. Others may remember her for her appearances on "Esta Noche Cruzamos el Mississippi" (Tonight we cross the Mississippi), Pepe Navarro's well-known program thanks to which she came out of her anonymity.
From her first appearance on television until her death in 2016 under strange circumstances, many things have been said and published about the life of Cristina Ortiz, but the truth is that they have never been told with such sensitivity and respect for her figure. Cristina worked as a streetwalker, one of the few outlets that hundreds of trans women in Spain were forced to go to in order to make a living.
Inspired by the book of her memoirs: "¡Digo! Ni puta ni Santa: Memorias de la Veneno" (I Say! Neither a whore nor a saint. The memoirs of La Veneno), "Veneno" is much more than an autobiographical show about the life of Spain's most famous trans woman. The mini-series, of 8 one-hour episodes, paints a faithful portrait of the skeevy, homophobic, and ultra catholic Spain of the late Francoism that mistreated and humiliated anyone who did not meet or fit certain standards. The series is a work of great maturity that mixes comedy, tragedy, and kindness in just the right doses to create a cocktail that, as a whole, is balanced and satisfactory.
One of the highlights of "Veneno" is in the successful cast of actresses who give life to Cristina throughout her life (from younger to older; Jedet, Daniela Santiago and Isabel Torres), as well as Paca la Piraña (played by herself), a mythical friend of Cristina's, who provides the comic relief of the series. Special mention should be made of the young Guille Márquez and Marcos Sotkovski who bring to life the Cristina of childhood when she was still known as Joselito; and of course Lola Rodríguez and Mariona Terés, two actors who grow up and shine even more with the course of each episode.
This new series by "The Two Javis" (Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo) is certainly the most original and groundbreaking work they have done to date, both in terms of script and production. The fact that a series like "Veneno" has managed to see the light (and even reach the big screen) is a milestone in the Spanish audiovisual scene. Because although it is true that we see more and more gays or lesbians or bisexuals in series and films, we finally find a series that features transgendered people as the main event. Equally or more important is the openness with which the series shows and raises awareness about this reality that is so important and so mistreated: transgender issues.
"Veneno" is an unprecedented revolution in the Spanish audiovisual industry. It gives us sex, violence, and insecurities without any concealment, with all the rawness with which it is sometimes associated, without leaving room for imagination. Probably, this series has also achieved more than any public awareness campaign promoted by many NGOs.
But the important thing is that "Veneno" exists and is necessary. You should see it, regardless of whether you like the character of La Veneno or not. Cristina Ortiz is just one more example of how much trans people suffer throughout their lives, of how difficult it is for them, physically and emotionally, and of the challenges they face every day. And so I would like to end by congratulating Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo for making this series that brings to light a reality that, unfortunately, many still see as taboo.
It's been a long time since I haven't been hooked on a Spanish show like I'm with this one. Very well produced with a great script and actors.
I’ve only watched two episodes and I’m hooked. While the acting isn’t the most salient thing about it, the characters are all very strong. I like the way in which the story unfolds around them. Maybe it’s because I’m also a teacher, and I’ve seen many things shown in the series. I think it’s a bold series that isn’t afraid to tackle a very complicated issue.
The second season starts off well. The group of teens poses a bigger challenge than the first season, but… there’s always a but. The episodes go from bad to worse. By the end of the season, the story loses its course and the writers even include earthquakes. Dunno, I almost didn’t even care how it ended.
This show should’ve had 5 episodes. It has so much added stuff that makes it go so slowly. The acting is great. Evan Peters and Niecy Nash shine above anything else, but the show gets quite boring. Sorry but I wasn’t convinced by it.
I went for a chronological order viewing experience. Even so, I realize that it was the right thing to do for me because I would’ve learned what happened to everybody (Pink episode) before watching the actual heist (White episode) and none of the characters really stuck up to me to really care about what happened to them. I think the concept of choosing your viewing order experience is interesting and I could watch a second season provided it’s a different story, with better character development. And please, stop forcing situations just to benefit a certain storyline, I hate it when writers make characters do “convenient”, but IMPLAUSIBLE things just for the sake of stirring drama. I can smell plot twists from a country mile when the do that.
This show is freaking joke… hahahaha such bad writing, bad acting… I don’t even know where to begin. The protagonist is a freaking disaster, she doesn’t even know what she wants to do with her life. I guess majoring in Psychology didn’t help her that much. I can’t even believe I went through all the episodes. And the ending? It’s the cherry on top. It’s an absolute WASTE OF TIME!
Just finished the first season. With all the time they’ll take to bring season 2, and the mixed feelings I got from the season finale, I’m not sure if I’ll continue. I gave it a 6/10 because there are things that can be salvaged. But despite knowing very little about what happened during the first half of the Second Age, meaning that writers had quite a leeway to take their licenses, they decidedly wanted to screw up the timeline we already know. I wasn’t expecting the creation of the 3 elven rings of power so soon. Where is the storyline with Annatar? I sincerely felt robbed of seeing Sauron act as The Lord of Gifts in a possible second season. Then the destruction of Numenor in the third season, the creation of Angmar and the fall of Minas Ithil in the fourth season to finish with the Last Alliance battle in the fifth one. Dunno… I feel cheated.
I know I said in a previous comment that this show was ok, that it was quite faithful to the spirit of the comics. How...eeeeeever... this is literally going nowhere. They had to bring Matt Murdoch in the last episode (#8) to inject a little action and life. Kevin Feige is kind of losing his mojo because Moon Knight and Ms Marvel were a hot mess.
Take it from me… I’m Venezuelan. This second season is an absolute waste of time. I can accept that it was entirely filmed in Colombia, but the story and the way they portray Venezuelan culture is preposterous. It’s evident they didn’t do ANY research. Reyes’ accent is all over the place, at times he sounds Colombian and at others, he sounds Cuban. It’s just lame, lame, lame.
It’s obvious that Paraíso draws from the same nostalgia used by Stranger Things. It’s set in the early 90s, which is roughly a time comparable to the 80s in the US. It’s a group of kids that want to unravel a mystery, paranormal forces but that’s pretty much where similarities go. The circumstances and events unfold quite differently to the point of giving this show its own personality.
The series has some great elements: the acting is decent, the photography is good, the soundtrack is the best part. Mecano and OBK were THE bands to follow in those years. The fact that the producers brought Mecano’s lead singer, Ana Torroja, to sing the title song was a great touch. The song is named after the show, and the tune, which was created especially for this, even seems like it was created by Nacho Cano himself.
In terms of the story, I like the general feeling and the original elements it has but I think the twists are sometimes too contrived. There are characters that take you nowhere and storylines that need a bit more of background. The gay storyline was a bit shoehorned, considering that I’ve always loved the inclusion of LGBT stories, especially among teenagers, I believe that it needed more justification.
All in all, it’s very watchable and if it has a second season (by the looks of how it ended…) I hope the writers offer a bit more answers.
I’m four episodes in and quite frankly, I don’t see this show getting any better. At least Wandavision picked up after the third episode. Those people saying this is the best MCU show so far must be on crack.
UPDATE:
Now that I've finished watching all the episodes, I still feel a bit shortchanged with this show. I do think Oscar Isaacs did an incredible job all through the season, but I still feel it's terribly paced. Even though the last episode was awesome, I had already lost much of the initial interest. Ethan Hawke's character falls flat for me. Marvel films have created great villains with powerful motivations to justify what they do. Damn! I still think Thanos had a very good point! If Hawke was supposed to be Marc/Steven's foil, he came across as a bland bad guy who wanted to be bad because Khonshu is a trickster god who lied to him (we still don't know exactly how). Had his history arc been developed thoroughly, it would've opened more complex layers in the story. Also, they boast they got an Egyptian director who knew his way around Egyptian mythology... but... the show was quite lacklustre on that regards as well, IMO. Now we're left with a cliffhanger that hints at a second season. Oh my...
The show’s ok. As a stand-alone series, it isn’t very strong, but just because it’s connected to the MCU, it automatically becomes better. By the way, I truly hope that the musical stays in this series… good lord! It’s cringeworthy!
I actually had to force myself to finish this… and it’s only 6 episodes. Not even the final battle between Ben and Anakin, and Liam Neeson’s cameo made me change my mind. I’m not going to continue.
This looks like a Sy-Fy show... cheap effects and all. And yes... it’s kinda meh!
This is Guy Ritchie doing what he does best: shitty, boring films.
This move should’ve been called: Janet Van Dyne’s Adventures in Star Warsmania.
Quantum Physics has so many incredible theories and hypothesis that could be explored and Marvel decided to take us to some random Star Wars planet / galaxy.
The jokes weren’t even that funny.
Seriously, I can’t understand why people complain about this show. I thought the pilot was cool. Quite fun and entertaining, in the best spirit of the original comic.
Denzel Washington is just killing it as Robert McCall. That man could read the phonebook and still be captivating, but here he's upping the ante with every fight scene. I didn't think it was possible, but the brutality level actually went up a notch, and I was all in for it!
The pacing had its slow moments, sure, but it wasn't a buzzkill for me. It's like savoring a fine wine before you get to the fireworks; you appreciate the explosions even more when they come. Plus, the total running time felt just right, you know? Kept everything on an even keel.
And let's talk about Dakota Fanning! Loved how her role wrapped up in this installment. It felt like the story threads finally wove together into this complete tapestry. Kinda gave me that "Aha! So that's where it was going!" moment, and I live for that in a trilogy.
The cinematography? Spot-on. Very slick shots, it all pulled me deeper into McCall's world. And those fight scenes—they were few, yes, but, come on! It's like watching a dance, if that dance could incapacitate you in five seconds flat.
So, yeah, I had an awesome time with this one. It's like the film grabbed me by the collar and didn't let go until the credits rolled. If this is how they're closing out the trilogy, then bravo! They stuck the landing, 100%
This is one of those films that, after watching the trailer, you think it’s gonna be quite shitty, but you watch anyway because you like the actors and the director has made one or two decent films, but once the action starts, you tell yourself… yep! It’s a shitty film. I should’ve trusted my gut feeling.
Just coming out of the Madrid premiere. Mmm… I really wanted to like it, but I’m afraid it’s messy at times and many lines are cringeworthy. There’s way too much exposition in the first act. It’s supposed to be brutal but they make the constant joke that Adam kills indiscriminately and in the end the joke gets kinda tiring. But it’s true that Dwayne Johnson was born to play Black Adam. My favorite was Doctor Fate and even Hawkman, despite his obnoxious black and white view of heroes and villains. I don’t even know why he’s the leader of the JSA. But his wings are something else!
Cyclone and Atom Smasher… a bit forgettable.
The post credit scene… it’ll make everything worthwhile.
Just watched Atlas on Netflix, and while Jennifer Lopez did her best with the material, the film fell short in several areas. The plot leans heavily on the outdated “AI as the enemy” trope, much like the old Cyberdyne Systems/Skynet narrative, without bringing anything new to the table.
One of my biggest issues was the cringeworthy interactions between J-Lo’s character, Atlas, and her AI companion, Smith. Instead of sophisticated mental exchanges that could illustrate a seamless human-AI integration, we got overly explanatory dialogue that detracted from the film’s potential.
Atlas’s character was also a bit off. For someone with a deep distrust of AI and a high level of intelligence, she was portrayed as overly emotional and sociable. A more reserved, introspective portrayal, similar to Antonia Scott from Juan Gómez-Jurado’s novels, would have made her character more believable and compelling.
The film missed a significant opportunity to explore deeper themes, like the ethical and existential implications of integrating AI into human biology. Instead, it settled for a straightforward plot without delving into the potential awe and fear that advanced AI brings to our current era.
Critics have pointed out that Atlas struggles under the weight of a script that feels artificially intelligent rather than genuinely clever. It fails to capture the complex and nuanced discussions about AI that are so relevant today. For a more thought-provoking take on AI, I recommend Sam Harris’s TED talk, “Can we build AI without losing control over it?” It offers insights that the film could have explored but didn’t.
In 2024, we need sci-fi films that trust their audience’s intelligence and show, rather than tell, the complexities of AI. Let’s hope future films rise to the challenge and bring the innovative storytelling this genre deserves.
I gotta be honest. I saw this because of Scarlett Johansson... but not even because she was in the film did I enjoy it. This movie is BORING... like that... in all caps. The raging hard-ons made me chuckle, though. I guess I should’ve watched a trailer before.
If you enjoy a languid two hours of Keanu Reeves relentlessly punctuating his enemies with a bewildering variety of firearms, then “John Wick 4” might just be your idea of cinematic nirvana. But for the rest of us mere mortals, it’s more like being held captive at a party where the only entertainment is the sound of a leaky faucet.
For starters, the killing scenes seem longer than a winter in Siberia, and I found myself pressing the fast-forward button with such regularity that I’m concerned I might have developed a repetitive strain injury. Perhaps in the next installment, the filmmakers might consider introducing some commercial breaks, so viewers have the chance to rest their fingers. But I hope they keep their promise and this is the last JW.
And let’s talk about the villain. Have you ever tried to build a sandcastle with dry sand? That’s how solid and compelling the villain was in this movie. They had about as much threat level as a half-deflated helium balloon and as much depth as a paddling pool in a summer drought.
The biggest tease of all? The all-knowing, all-powerful High Table. With each film, they promise us more, and each time we’re left holding an empty bag of revelations. In this chapter, we still didn’t get the payoff we’ve been waiting for. The High Table seems as elusive as Bigfoot, just with more tailored Kevlar suits.
And then we come to the stunts. I’m all for suspending disbelief, but there are limits. Even the dog was pulling off moves that would make a Cirque du Soleil acrobat raise an eyebrow. Next time, I fully expect to see it juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle on a tightrope.
All in all, “John Wick 4” has the depth of a kiddie pool and the subtlety of a sledgehammer. But if you’re a fan of endless gunfire, weak villains, and dogs that get hit by cars and come out of it unscathed, you’re in for a treat.
Is this the way a very promising story should end? After four installments, this not even disappointing… we’re way past that.
Just finished watching M3GAN, and it was an absolute letdown. The film suffers from one-dimensional characters, making it difficult to connect with their stories. The plot is disappointingly predictable, with no real twists or surprises.
M3GAN had the potential to be a thought-provoking exploration of AI dangers, but instead, it offers a superficial take on the subject. The film barely delves into the ethical and societal implications, leaving the audience wanting more.
The pacing and suspense are also subpar, making it hard to stay engaged throughout the movie. To make matters worse, the visual effects don't meet the standards set by other films in the genre.
M3GAN could have been a captivating sci-fi thriller, but it falls short in delivering a meaningful experience. A missed opportunity, indeed.
Boring, boring, boring… by the way… arepas ARE NOT Colombian. What a waste of time.
It’s not that bad when get inside the story. I had low expectations but I was happy to see how Lana managed to make sense of how things evolved. I feel, in general, the story advanced and even opened new ways in which the story can continue. They even made fun of the studio and themselves. I like it when moviemakers don’t take themselves so seriously. They knew it was difficult to continue with the old plots and characters, so the had to make do with what they had. I did enjoy it.
There’s a fine line between smart jokes and cheap play with stereotypes. The way the French are portrayed is simplistic and almost insulting. First episode and it’s the last for me.
I think it’s quite an enjoyable film. Despite its downs, it fulfills its purpose, which is to entertain, and it’s definitely NOT the worst movie of the year, as I read somewhere. I guess the movie is centered in the relationship between Daryl and Nick and the story develops from then on. I wish Ayer had delved a bit more in the mythology of the film, but if Netflix decides to give this film a sequel, it can be the main attractive.
