A very interesting portrayal of the banality of evil. The horror is not in what’s shown, but what isn’t. The compartmentalization, the routine. While gunshots and screams echo and smoke billows, they have their idyllic little life, better than they dreamed. Anything that brings too much attention to the other side of their life is an intrusion, an annoyance, like the mother who can’t stand the flames. The droning score and the bright colors underscore this, banging at the door to be let in and acknowledged and shut out by this family. Most striking of these was Rudolf under a blindingly white sky while a soundscape of death paints the picture, and a close up of the flowers of their happy garden while the ashes of the people they’ve murdered rest in the soil.
The revulsion the film inspires with Rudolf sharing how the only thing he could think about at a party was the logistics of how to gas them all, as if it’s a fun thought experiment and anecdote, is impressive. As is Hedwig’s entitlement towards her idea of a perfect life and her lashing out at the Jewish servants when it’s threatened. Or the eldest son playing a cruel trick on his younger brother, licking him in a greenhouse door and imitating a gas chamber.
It’s all so innocuous to them. Just background noise of their life. The repetition is as droning as the score, leaving you desperate to escape this mindset and terrified of the ways that we too suffer from it.
That was such an incredibly sad but perfect and correct ending.
I don't understand people who didn't like the ending because their favorite character didn't win. After 4 seasons with these despicable characters did anyone expect the Roy kids to unite and defeat the bad guy with the power of love and friendship? It was never going to end that way.
The three siblings just could never get over their egos. They all proved, through the 4 seasons, that they’re basically useless and the only reason they were ever in the discussion to be CEO is because Logan was their father. They'd rather destroy everything than have only one of the trio take the upper hand. Shiv just could not let her brother have a win, even if it meant her losing as well. Perfectly summed up their whole family dynamic and the show as a whole.
The siblings are so entitled and self-absorbed they never saw Tom coming. They’ve never had to work for a damn thing. I don't like Tom, but it makes sense for someone like Tom, who worked his way from the ground up and earned himself the position he was in.
The scene with the siblings making that awful smoothie and them watching their dad reveal yet another side of himself was so nice among the insanity that came in between.
That penultimate shot with Shiv and Tom in the car was phenomenal. Complete shift in the power dynamic. After marrying him specifically because she thought he was weak enough to keep holding power over.
Kendall not winning every season. That’s rough.
Willa revamping Logan's apartment with a cow print couch.
In the end Conor was the only one to have any kind of a relationship with Logan, the other kids are never shown having moments with him like he did at the recorded dinner.
Greg translating the Swedish in real time is the smartest thing he’s ever done. Four seasons and I cannot for the life of me understand why he would put up with that. His uncle offered him $250mil to get away from the firm.
But the biggest thing for me coming out of this episode is Kendall’s son isn’t really his. It really came out of nowhere and seemed more like a fact than a rumor the way everyone reacted to it.
All in all, Succession stuck to the show’s core till the end. In a way it’s a predictable ending but because it’s television and we expect some twist where a cool character comes out on top we don’t expect the expected. The outcome is pretty much what you’d expect from all the characters knowing their faults
Mixed feelings as a book reader.
I like how they stuck to source material for the Wallfacers bit, even quoting lines from the book verbatim. It was kind of like an apology for episodes 6 and 7 being 100% original material, not in the books, and both episodes sucked...
Spoilers from this episode below - - - - - - - -
Ok, I'm really confused what the writers were thinking. They made up the entire brain rocket plot, only to have it fail. Why make up a bunch of dumb shit up only for it to be entirely inconsequential? Were they trying to make it more emotional? The book was plenty emotional if they didn't strip away all the depth and nuance in their adaptation. Also, the author goes into detail about how nukes don't work in space, so they can't just nuke the alien fleet. Then these moron writers make an entire plot line around nukes in space. While writing adapting the very book that says that's impossible.
I'm glad they at least included the bug scene at the end as a nice way to wrap up until next season. Like, ok, maybe we are bugs, but we still have hope for survival.
I think this was a reasonably good episode overall, it somewhat brought the spark back after extinguishing it in episodes 6 and 7.
Now I'd like to see the show directors forced to write "Stick to the source material" on a chalkboard 900 times before they work on Season 2.
"Those are... flamingos."
What in the nonplussed, haunting soliloquy was that?! Went in completely blind and that was the right choice. It felt like watching an M. Night Shyamalan movie. It's essentially a psychological drama comedy with a "mysterious event" happening in the background—a great mix! The characters are interesting, the drama works because of this and some well-placed sharp comedy. It's weird, creepy and the mystery is intriguing.
This was actually my first time seeing Julia Roberts in a movie and she was hilarious. Really good acting from everyone. Myha'la is a newfound favorite. Simple yet effective suspenceful score, artistic visuals, nice camerawork and editing. The back and forth between two suspenceful scenes technique is done really well here. Incredible how many themes this movie tackles, there's always something to disect on-screen.
Some weird nonsensical character decisions that are a bit frustrating at times. Too long of a runtime which would make a rewatch difficult, it was totally possible to trim down. Favorite moments are the boat scene and the Tesla scene—on the edge of my seat! I thought the ending was perfect. There are sooo many clues and hints dropped throughout the movie that there's no way it could feel unresolved at the end.
I've never watched Friends
Despite the glowing advance reviews, "The Flash" is not the best superhero film of all time, the year, or even the month. But it is definitely a good movie overall. The humor is mostly spot on, the effects are impressive, and Ezra Miller is consistently convincing in the lead role. Michael Keaton still fits the Batman mantle pretty well, and Sasha Calle also delivers an excellent first impression as Supergirl. On top of that, of course, there are some neat cameos.
The pacing of the film isn't bad, either. It starts with a really entertaining sequence before the time travel plot picks up speed. The plot is comprehensible throughout and, above all, not as overly convoluted as in many other genre representatives. However, "The Flash" also has the usual problem of similar stories, that the fate of the characters never really gets to your heart, since it is not crucial for the "canon" anyway. But there is no such thing in the dying DCU anyway. In addition, there is not really a good villain, but then again, none was really needed here.
Overall, I would say that "The Flash" is neither a good conclusion to the old DCEU nor a good transition into the new DCU. You can still have a good time at the cinema, though, as the film works on its own and should appeal to fans of old DC works as well.
Round 3 of Gareth Edwards proving he’s a great visual director that doesn’t know how to breathe life in his scripts. Its best asset is easily the worldbuilding, combining influences from other science fiction material to create a new world that feels fresh. The technical execution is also really well done, with its cinematography and CGI being among some of the most visionary stuff I’ve seen since Avatar 2. Unfortunately, the sci-fi concepts this is working with are stale, it’s all stuff you’ve seen before and the movie doesn’t know how to put its own creative spin on it. Add to that a bunch of characters that aren’t written in the most compelling way (as well as bland, understated performances that will keep everyone questioning whether JDW is actually a good actor), and you have a movie that’s already pretty dull from the start. Now, a big saving grace of Rogue One and Godzilla were their strong climaxes, however that’s not the case here. Instead, The Creator starts to rush to the finish line, which leads to the big emotional beats not hitting the mark. It’s like the pacing of this movie is constantly either rushing or dragging, annoying my inner Terence Fletcher in the process. Overall, while I’d love to champion this as the savior of original science fiction, there’s not much more originality here than a typical franchise film. I don’t want to call Edwards another Zack Snyder, because I think he’s certainly more talented, but he’s suffering from the same problems and doesn’t seem to learn from his previous mistakes.
5/10
Adored this movie. Solid performances, amazing screenplay, and McDonagh’s most gorgeous looking film to date. All of the actors were fantastic in this. This has to be my favorite film of the year.
One of my favorite moments of the film was Siobhan correcting Colm about Mozart. It shows that Colm was not as smart as he appeared to be, and cracked open his wise old man facade. He was being truthful to about his reasons for tanking the friendship, but his methods for doing so are still bullshit. He is wise, but also bitter and stubborn, and that so he thinks that the key to breaking his monotony is by suffering.
Colm resents Pádraic for being content with his simple life and not being concerned with having a legacy or being remembered beyond those he cares about in life. Colm, due to his frustration with his own existence, concludes that the only reason Pádraic is so content and untroubled is because he is dull and stupid.
Ironically I think Pádraic is actually Colm's muse, after each encounter with an impassioned Pádraic Colm seems to progress with his work on his magnum opus 'The Banshees of Inisherin'.
Moral of the story, in my opinion, is that men create meaningless conflict for contrived reasons and that leads to innocents being hurt (kind of like a civil war).
[8.2/10] One of the most interesting questions to ask, both about real people and characters on television, is why they choose to do things they don’t have to. Life and circumstance often force a person’s hand, causing people to do what they feel they must. But there are situations in which there’s no external force, no rules or sticks or carrots, just a raw choice to be made. It’s these sorts of choices that can reveal who a person is, and what they’re going through, in a way that’s clearer than for choices muddied by need and force and inertia.
Those are the types of questions that “Breathe” is interested in. Why is Gus Fring not only trying to keep Hector Salamanca, a man who inflicted unspeakable pain on him, alive, but also moving against those who tried to kill him. Why is Kim Wexler attending a meeting to determine Jimmy’s share of Chuck’s estate when Jimmy himself is blowing it off? Why is Mike Ehrmantraut determined to run his “security consultant” routine on all of Madrigal’s outposts over Lydia’s objections? And why is Jimmy McGill ready to sabotage himself out of a job offer, one he’d just hustled like crazy to earn?
It's the first question that interests me most – why Gus would go to the effort and expense of trying to ensure Hector survives when, as his lieutenant notes, it would be far easier, and perhaps more just, for Gus to let him die.
I write most of these reviews assuming that the average Better Call Saul-watcher is at least roughly familiar with Breaking Bad, and I suspect Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, and the rest of Better Call Saul’s creative team work in the same way. There’s too many hints and callbacks and Easter eggs (see also: the Salamanca twins) for that not to be the case. But oddly enough, Gus’s story here makes the most sense if you haven’t seen Breaking Bad.
Without the prior series’s flashback to Gus’s first encounter with Hector, you might assume that Gus and Hector are just standard issue rivals in a dangerous business. You could read Gus’s preservation of Hector’s life as him protecting the cartel from what he suspects to be an outside attack. You can read Gus as disliking Hector as a rival who treats him with disrespect, but not wanting his erstwhile ally dead. You can read him as a man of principal, who believes that the captain of an organization should be protected, even if he’s not especially fond of one of his peers.
But if you have seen Breaking Bad, Gus’s behavior is all the more puzzling, precisely because you know exactly what Hector has done to Gus, and how easy it would be for him to let Hector perish. Keeping Hector alive, let alone with the help of someone from a renowned medical facility, is absolutely something that Gus does not have to do, especially when mere inaction would allow this dastard to meet his maker without Gus having to take the risk of enacting his revenge himself.
Lydia has a similar, if not quite the same, sort of confusion about what’s motivating Mike to inspect the Madrigal facilities as part of his made up job as a security consultant, and maybe that helps shine a light on Gus’s perspective as well. Despite my sharing a similar puzzlement over Mike’s behavior in the last episode, Mike explains himself here – telling Lydia that this is a way of covering his tracks, of making sure that if anyone asks about this “rounding error,” he’s been seen. Lydia (gently but firmly) encourages him to reconsider, but he won’t be deterred.
When she raises the issue with Gus, he’s not exactly sympathetic. Instead, he inquires as to whether Mike’s causing a real problem, and when she admits that Mike isn’t, he leaves it at that. Gus and Mike are birds of a feather, who recognize something in one another – a combination of a particular sort of honor, a meticulousness, and a sense of pride in their work. “The man has his reasons” seems to be Gus’s thought process, and if he deems that good enough for Mike, he may deem it good enough for himself.
Or maybe it has to do with wanting the chance to do right by someone. That seems to be Kim’s motivation for representing Jimmy as Howard is administering Chuck’s last will and testament, something Jimmy himself seems to have no interest in. As a final insult, Chuck leaves his little brother $5,000 dollars, enough to let any reviewing judicial body that Jimmy wasn’t overlooked, that he wasn’t disinherited in a way that would leave the will open for Jimmy to contest, a way to make sure that his good-for-nothing little brother doesn’t get anything but the most meager slice of Chuck’s estate despite how much time and effort and love Jimmy put into looking after his brother.
But that’s not the insult Kim is worried about. In a powerhouse performance that, if there is any justice in Tinseltown, will help Rhea Seehorn get the Emmy recognition she’s deserved for some time now, she turns her recriminations on Howard. Kim is a little inscrutable in her motivations too. There is the sense that she means what she says when she chastises Howard for telling Jimmy about his theory that Chuck killed himself, for “putting that on” Jimmy. She’s seen the effect Chuck’s death had on Jimmy, the sort of hardship that he’s dealing with under his surface-level calm, and it’s possible she genuinely blames Howard, at least in part, for complicating Jimmy’s grief.
Still, while Kim isn’t necessarily mercenary enough to try to strongarm Howard into doing something more for Jimmy than Chuck did, there’s the sense that she’s also frustrated with Chuck, frustrated with this situation, and maybe even a little frustrated with Jimmy. But you can’t yell at a dead man; you can’t yell at a situation; and if you have a shred of decency, you can’t yell at a grieving man.
You can, however, yell at Howard Hamlin, who is, at best, an accessory to the ills Chuck suffered and caused, but who’s there and willing to take it. It feels like there’s more in store for Kim and Howard than this bitter rebuke. But for now, Better Call Saul leaves us to wonder why Kim chose to stand in for Jimmy in a meeting he himself blew off – whether it’s to stand-up for someone who’s been disrespected or wounded, or to let something out that has no other place.
Jimmy’s comparatively brief, but just as potent part of the episode sees him looking for an outlet as well, but in a very different way. With his suspension still in effect, Jimmy is hunting for jobs, and his first stop of the day is to interview for a position as a copier salesman. As usual, Jimmy gives the sort of brilliant pitch you’d expect from him, where he shows that he knows the inside and out of the product, ingratiates himself to the folks interviewing him with his affable charm, and wins them over with his powers of persuasion. And when even that’s only enough to net him a very positive “we’ll be in touch,” he doubles down, makes the hard sell, and gets the job offer.
A job offer he just as soon rejects.
Jimmy doesn't have to do that. He doesn't have to throw away an opportunity that he sold like hell to get. He doesn't have to build up his prowess as a salesman and a potentially valuable member of this company just to instantly self-sabotage all of it, and go so far as to shame his would-be employers for having the recklessness to fall for his schtick.
But Jimmy wants to punish himself. He wants to test himself. No matter what face he puts on, Chuck’s death, and his hand in it, has gotten to Jimmy. So when he walks into these places, he tries to be the silver tongued devil who could talk his way into anything, but he hears his brother’s voice in his head, the one that tells him that everything Jimmy’s ever done is built on a lie, that he doesn't deserve to have any sort of success, that what he does is dangerous and dishonest. This is Jimmy’s form of self-flagellation, of self-sabotage, and it’s a tribute to Bob Odenkirk and the show’s writers how well-constructed and well-acted and well-suited the scene is to tell that story.
And maybe that’s the lesson and the connection between Jimmy’s story and Gus’s strange decision. Maybe it’s a question of punishment and of control. The final scene of “Breathe” is the most frightening that Gus Fring has seemed since he threatened to kill Walt’s infant daughter. There’s a gentility to Fring (and in Giancarlo Esposito’s performance) that makes him plausible as someone who could pass without notice in the respectable world, but that makes him ten times as scary when he let’s the hounds of the chain and speaks in clear but unnerving threats and demands. His threat is implicit in the death he orders, in his statement to Nacho that he knows what was done to Hector and by who, and his demand comes earlier in the episode.
Gus tells his lieutenant that he when Hector dies: not a stroke, not some low level soldier, just Gus Fring and Gus Fring alone. Maybe he still believes that Hector is deserving of punishment, that he deserves to suffer, but he wants to be the one to dole it out, to decide when Hector has had enough, which might not come until Hector is forced to watch Gus conquer the Salamanca empire. Gus doesn't want Hector to die, but perhaps it’s not because of any sort of mercy or professional courtesy. Perhaps it’s because he has a plan for Hector, he’s playing the long game, and death’s too good for his enemy, at least right now.
So he does something that neither circumstance nor pressure forces him to do -- he spends his money to keep a rival from perishing, just as Jimmy undercuts himself, and Mike takes on duties no one asked him to, and Kim stands up for someone she cares about. In a show centered on a man who moves the world with his equivocations and manipulations, there’s a purity to these sorts of actions, the ones that aren’t required or forced. Instead, they come from what these people really want, and show what’s important to them, what’s bothering them, and what might be worth more to them in the fullness of time than what’s in front of them right now.
Tom: "Do you want a deal with the devil?"
Greg: "Well...what am I gonna do with a soul anyways?"
Succession season 3 finale proved once again the importance of a satisfying ending because a reader/viewer's most long-lasting memory of your story will be its ending, thus making them to forget how the rest was bland. Succession's Red Wedding episode was amazing. It's obvious in hindsight that everything that happened this episode was going to happen, they have been setting Tom up for this since the beginning of the series, so I don't think it was shocking at all. It's brilliant but not shocking.
The devil works hard, but Logan Roy works harder. The man doesn't give a crap about anyone but himself. What's so ironic is Logan claimed he wants to see killer instinct in his children but the second they try to make boss moves he cuts them off at the legs. This should have been the moment he was waiting for - his kids finally realizing they're stronger together. But at the end of the day Logan doesn't want anyone to succeed him. He is also such a big hypocrite – while, yes his kids should've tried to succeed and made their own money, they can't because all of their lives Logan keeps them emotionally dependent on him. For all three seasons, he had them thinking they could finally win his approval, as long as they did everything he said, only to learn that it will never be enough. He was using his own children, only to throw them away once he saw the best deal for himself.
Can you really change the terms of the divorce that happened twenty years ago?
The scene with Kendall coming clean to his siblings was the catharsis he desperately needed. And the way it took all of Roman's strength to stand up to his dad, but then boom, Logan fucks them all as usual.
Connor repeating that he's the eldest son was funny. I sometimes forget there's a fourth Roy kid.
Tom stabbing Shiv in the back makes perfect sense after all the shit he put up with her. She was all shocked pikachu face because she is so unbelievably unaware and lacks any self-awareness. She kept underestimating how awful her relationship with Tom has become. The look in Shiv's eyes at the end was brutal - the anger and hatred of it all. I hope we are getting Gone Girl next year! Tom is probably the worst character on the show - the Roys were brought up by their terrible father and mother to be cruel and horrible, they don't know any better. But Tom worked to get here. Yes, he loves Shiv, but I do not think he would've kept swallowing her treatment of him if it wasn't for her rich family that gave him job, money, and status.
Roman looked so broken, practically in tears, when he asked Gerri for help but she betrayed him as well. I'm glad the writers didn't play into the shippers with them (they still went a little over the board this season) and actually gave us an interesting story there.
Season 3 was rather drowsy in comparison to previous ones, especially season 2, which is basically flawless. Not a lot really happened outside of the demise of Kendall (again). Season 3 never quite lived up to the plot it promised and the hype from the previous seasons. Season 2 ended so strong, set the expectation Kendall would become a 'killer', only to make him seem extremely incompetent and far from being ready to take down his dad. The whole thing has been as anticlimactic as they come. Jeremy Strong plays it well but at some point it's becoming tedious.
Season 3 has become so redundant. Every episode started to mirror the previous, and it was very obvious that the writers kept dragging the story, wanting to make the little progress in the final episode. All this build up and no execution. The senate hearing and Tom going to jail becomes ... nothing. The fed investigation - nothing. The search for new CEO - nothing. Search for the next president becomes...? Nothing there as well. During the whole season, they tee up these huge points constantly and then get cold feet approaching anything momentous.
I hope we see a more fast paced Season 4. This one was too much of a slow burn. I hope the creators do something with the plotlines they create next season, not just writing them off at the start of episodes in 10 minutes scenes. And most importantly, I hope they force the characters into highly unfamiliar territory.
"What's the worst thing you've ever experienced?"
Wow! What a great surprise I wasn't prepared for something so good and refreshing. This is a dark and gloomy crime mystery thriller with a touch of horror and sci-fi. It brings an array of interesting characters, well-built suspence and some highly emotional moments. I cried twice watching this which is a lot for me. The acting is great and so is the soundtrack that eerie music is simple but yet so effective. Brillant intro music and visuals also. The mystery is very engaging and makes the 6 episodes go by so fast. The last episode is pure acting masterclass!
The characters are so interesting and by far what I loved the most about the show. Jessica Raine and Peter Capaldi are at their best and every conversation their characters have together is almost poetic, stellar dialogue. Capaldi wasn't in the show as much as I wanted but his limited appearance makes you enjoy him all the more when he's there. Anytime he talks it's pure poetry, you just can't look away. Every good mystery show needs a cool detective character and we certainly get that Nikesh Patel as Det. Dhillon was truly great, the impersonnation of a good man I believe. My personal favorite is Isaac (Benjamin Chivers) the creepy kid. While child acting is always tricky to judge, every time he's on-screen I just can't look away. He doesn't show much facial expression but his look remains haunting and mysterious.
I would absolutely call this the best limited series of the year if Black Bird didn't also come out in the same year.
Didn't love it, didn't hate it, it was alright. Saltburn tries to do too much (subplots, themes, genres...) which leads to it not focusing on anything, enough. The end result feels messy but I appreciate how ambitious it is. It has some original shocking moments i've never seen before but the story itself is nothing original. The themes felt convoluted to me and the pacing isn't very good.
I really enjoyed the first act, it offers an intriguing mystery and interesting characters. The introduction to the Saltburn mansion was the strongest part of the movie. The story got a little boring for me after that but what kept me engaged was the characters. Then you get to the third act and it's a complete cringe fest of sillyness. They spoon feed you with a montage (the same ones they do in the Saw franchise once the twist is revealed). It's a good twist but I totally predicted it. After that our main character does some illogical decision making that'll get him arrested for sure. Everything is suddenly rushed and we get an immature last scene that means nothing really. The movie should have ended just before the montage... now nothing is left to interpretation.
A stellar cast, stunning set, shot extremely well, perfect needle drops, the boxed in aspect ratio gives the characters more proximity and the dark comedy was my favorite aspect of the movie. Barry Keoghan's character is one of the most interesting i've seen in a while and an Oscar worthy performance from him. Rosamund Pike was hilarious here, couldn't get enough of her. Archie Madekwe surprised me. Also, thank god for subtitles!
As someone who hasn’t read the books nor knew anything about this story, I consider this to be a solid show.
However I think it lacks depth and an emotional anchor. Who’s the main character? Eiza? Benedict? Jin? Like I get that the show revolves around a friend group but someone’s perspective has to stand out. I personally would’ve liked for Benedict to be the center of the show, but I get that would’ve made it more of a detective show, so I wanted more out of Eiza and Jin.
Also I feel like the show was missing something visually, if you were to choose 4 screenshots to represent the vibe of the show which ones would be? I think when Vera jumps inside that golden room, when her mom and tatiana are watching the sunset in china, when saul and that other guy are in the beach house and that’s it?
There was way more to exploit out of this show, more character develop needed, more world building.
Imagine if this was an HBO show! I can think of the Leftovers, that most of it was set in the suburbs, it didn’t need crazy settings or crazy effects but you could feel the show.
I’ve read some comments about how adapting the book can be challenging, but I feel like this was extremely digested for us, and everything was solved within the same episode, by episode 4-5 there wasn’t any mystery left.
All this aside, it’s an interesting and solid watch, hopefully we don’t have to wait 2+ years for a second season.
Funny how now the Empire Remnant has a secret underground resistance against the New Republic. How the tables have turned.
This episode was way better in terms of storytelling but it left me very frustrated. I know that the Mandalorians are not likely to win if they want to keep the mythology. But just for once I'd like to see them come out on top. Gideon has become a bit ridicolous. He's the archetype of a bad guy. He was more interesting when he wasn't flying around as a Vader look-alike. I hate to see Vizla die but I should've seen that one coming because I really grew to like him. Grogu inside IG ? Come-on, he's a Force user. Despite the fact he choose not to train with Luke he still has the ability, no ? And we still must have a monster, doesn't we ?
Now, those are personal and, yes, biased points on my behalf. Like I said it was a great episode as such. In the end I see it as a win for the author if he invokes those reactions from me. There were also moments that gave me serious goosebumps. Like when Bo told them what happened between her and Gideon and subsequent how Din told her why he's following her. The talk about Thrawn didn't surprise me. I expected that pretty much from episode one forward.
Only one episode left and I hope there'll be some silver lining.
