Okay so let's talk about episodes 5 and 6.
Ron Pearlmen was an utter delight. I can't not say that. He always is. Just is. Even here in this lackluster role. That said the second half of the season is a noticeable upswing. I really like even this episode and what it's doing character-wise. Plot-wise it was nonsense but it's not like it's going anywhere anyway at least now I'm starting to enjoy the ride. The interplay between our leads is interesting even if the again the fact that they are spies is not. What I find fascinating is that there's more narrative flow and consistency in the titles and descriptions than there is in the show. It's like they prepared the show with the titles and synopsis long before they started filming. Because this
Couples Therapy (Naked & Afraid) - Oh, John. Oh, Jane. Our pair have been oh so bad at sharing and caring. Time to call in help -- John and Jane, get ready for: COUPLES THERAPY, what a gas!
Is an entire different level than what even this episode is. This is fun and goofy and comical in a way that not even at it's best the show is. Maybe on a scene by scene basis you might find something worthy of the type of gassing in the title/synopsis but most of it is very different. It's lazier, more laid back, less invested. Which to say yet again I don't put on Maya and Donald. They're solid but the writing and directing just don't care. It's weird to look at this show and say "Well at least True Lies the TV Show tried." I mean the True Lies show bombed like 70-80% of it's run time but at least they were going for something. The jokes were sometimes dumb but they came (a little too) consistently.
As for episode 6? Well honestly it's my favorite episode so far. It's fun in a way that few episodes have been until now. Holy snap it just occurred to me. Part of it is the missing intrigue. As I've said before this is a show with zero guile. I mean they're spies but spies in this world is a gig job. Anyone signs up anyone gets in and the AI runs you like an uber app. It's dumb and boring and uninteresting. But here... here they have to lie. They have to explain translate and keep things up in front of a therapist who, imo, Sarah Paulson made utterly adorable "Yeah! Whatever DID happen to Mya?" I died. She was hilarious. It's amazing how just getting the formula right finally lets everything shine. The spycraft is minimized but it doesn't matter because I'm having a ball watching Maya and Donald rehash their relationship. A relationship I actually care about this episode. "The therapist episode" shows the potential of this series.
This show is fantastic. Severance is a narrative of how we live our lives constantly battling between work and life and what that balance should look like. It uses a unique science fiction storyline to dive deeper into that imaginative idea while using what some may perceive as mundane, but who are very realistic characters. This show does a great job at marrying reality with impossibility, which is what the best sci-fi books, films, and shows do. The actors are all great (Especially Adam Scott) and anyone who truly appreciates the art of acting and directing, or film in general, will truly appreciate this show.
Listen, Not every show or movie is for every person. But the people who are giving it one star are stuck in TikTok reality where their attention span is limited to less than 10 seconds. That’s not real life. This show is closer to real-life in an office than it is to TikTok (unless of course, you’re an “influencer”). Not every show or movie needs to have someone blow up or die in the first 5 minutes. And the ones giving this show a low rating because of characters have no understanding of the development of plots through the evolution and growth of characters throughout a storyline. And those who don’t like the actors don’t know good acting.
This is a psychological thriller because it makes you think, as long as you have that capability. Take a break from your phones, relax, and enjoy this unique show that tells a story, that has build-up, anticipation, and allows you to be excited about the small details that occur because you know eventually it will lead to crazier stuff. And allow yourself to actually use your imagination to contemplate this crazy alternate reality and your mind wander. You’ll likely enjoy it.
If you stay to the end, you'll understand this comment. It needed to start with the way it finished, and it would've been a 10. I'm saying 9.5 but can only give it a 9.
The main issue is unless something is wrong with you, like you're a total racist sh1tbag, you're going to walk away from the movie feeling disgusted on so many levels. I felt like we, as in Americans, have so much to atone for, and even more disgusted by half of a "white America" that all thinks sweeping this kind of garbage under the rug is the way to handle it. This garbage happened because "white America" never wants to take responsibility for the hate we have allowed.
The film is spectacular in the settings chosen, but also loved how Scorsese invoked that Orson Wells camera views to illustrate some of the later scenes better. Very Citizen Kane-esque. Just fantastic cast, acting, directing, costumes.
But WARNING. you will have a feeling of filth of what these men did. The raping of these people's wealth is just one of many disgusting parts of American history that we can only atone for by acknowledging it happened and never allowing it to happen again.
This has everyone involved play to their strengths. It's another tale of Scorsese deconstructing the myth of the American dream, but with a thematic approach I found quite refreshing for him. The way that the film tackles racism, and how it's tied to issues of money, power, greed, trust and systemic injustice, feels authentic and well constructed. It's a movie that's unsettling and will leave a mark on your brain emotionally, you should know that going in. De Niro has a lot of fun playing a sinister crime boss with a wholesome facade, it's a performance that could be compared to Giancarlo Esposito in Breaking Bad. DiCaprio is always at his best when playing a pathetic dumbass, and he also shines here. It almost feels like he's in Tarantino mode, it's not similar to any of the previous work he's done with Scorsese. Yet, despite both of Scorsese's go-to actors having prominent roles here, it's actually Lily Gladstone who ends up delivering the most emotional, subtle performance. Technically the movie is pretty much flawless. The production design, lighting, cinematography and score are all immaculate, and despite the long running time, Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing kept me engaged for the entire runtime. However, the pacing is still somewhat of an issue. As Scorsese has matured as a filmmaker, the choices he's making are becoming more and more understated. The tracking shots and montages are still here, but they're less energetic and he's relying more on pauses instead. There's nothing wrong with that, given that the substance carries the movie, but with a movie this long I want a little more pop. There's one scene involving fire that'll stay with me, as well as another couple of haunting moments, but besides that he's not turning up the intensity too much. It would've been nice if the movie ended with an extended courtroom scene where all the actors get to really show off with some incredible dialogue, for example. This movie still ends in a pretty weird way, having some creative use of what are essentially ending title cards, but it involves a major tonal shift that didn't work for me. Finally, I thought Brendan Fraser's performance was flat out bad, showing up for a small part and overacting every line. All in all, while I do recommend this movie, I don't think it's a masterpiece. Martin 'this is cinema' Scorsese would probably hate me for saying this, but given the pacing issues, there's an argument to be made it would've worked better as a miniseries.
7/10
The most talked show of this year wasn't so overrated afterall, The Queen's Gambit was not only an amazing show but also an extraordinarily realistic tale about a fictional chess prodigy.
Based on a novel of the same name, The Queen's Gambit is blessed with a wonderful story. Its outstanding production effectively makes use of the compelling story to create such a masterpiece. No matter what genre you like, you'll definitely find The Queen's Gambit an extraordinary show. For me, any show set between the 60s-80s is enjoyable in terms of atmosphere and usually soundtrack. Hopefully both of this check out in this show.
Then comes the amazing cast, I believe what makes a story well portrayed is good choice of supporting actor/actress as well as decent enough choice of side characters(especially in shows) since they will in one way or another deliver important messages which if delivered effectively by the actor, can truly excite the audience. Fortunately in the case of The Queen's Gambit, the side characters are played by excellent actors/actresses who contribute massively to the emotional ride this show gives. Not forgetting Anya Taylor-Joy's unexplainably great performance of course, you'll definitely hear her name more in the future.
Since nearly everything in this Show is near perfect, let's talk about what stands out or was hard achieve at such perfection. I think what felt very different in The Queen's Gambit compared to most movies/shows is how realistic the characteristic and behavior of the side characters were, for example, you couldn't classify group them into good/bad, positive/negative or hero/villian. All of them were humans, acting like humans and doing what humans do in real life. This realistic touch is not only achieved by good cast but most importantly its by the amazing emotional writing and character design/development.
Another thing which also grabbed my attention in this show was that nothing felt forced, there was no character acting ridiculously stupid for a plot twist or forced excitement nor was their any character too good or too bad to be real(which falls back to point one). Furthermore, you don't notice any forced feminism,anti-racism or anything of those sorts either, which in my opinion is great since usually movies/shows which force these messages not only fail to have any significant impact on the viewer, it also ruins the viewer's experience and ruins the whole movie/show.
So yeah, long review but The Queen's Gambit is one of the two(other is Chernobyl) miniseries you must watch before calling yourself a cinephile.
YRF’s first web series is enthralling, engaging and shattering , buoyed by exceptional screenplay and performances
My Rating : :star::star::star::star: (86/100)
The Railway Men highlights the unwavering spirit and courage shown by the unsung heroes of the railways on the dreadful night of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The four episode mini series skillfully merges real pictures and snippets of the tragedy with dramatized visuals. The excellent production design exemplifies YRF was serious with the subject at hand and leaves no stone unturned. The inspiring cast is enough for you to just binge watch it at one go just like I did. The writing of this disaster drama is tight with ample moments of thrill, tension and emotions. The show isnt a masterpiece, but it certainly encapsulates tragic incident in a more mature way.
Kay Kay Menon is one fine actor and his versatility speaks louder with each of his performance. R Madhavan is outstanding and his presence itself gives positive vibes. With shades of Irffan Khan his son Babil deserves a special mention. Babil is fantastic considering he being a new comer. Divyendu Sharma is a fine actor and he does complete justice to his role. So refreshing to see the beautiful Juhi Chawla in an extended special appearance.
Overall, The Railway Men is definitely worth a watch simply due to its inspiring storyline, fantastic production, marvelous acting performances and gripping screenplay.
Instagram & X : @streamgenx
I’m sure we all agree that Pinocchio shouldn’t have any more adaptations, especially now that we finally got a nearly perfect one. Del Toro uses Pinocchio as a universal figure and manages to reimagine his own tale while retaining the spirit of the original. The setting has been changed to Fascist Italy, with Pinocchio acting as the spiritual opposite of Mussolini’s “Believe, Obey, Fight” slogan. The most abused puppet in literature questions everything, doesn’t listen to anybody, and is emotionally incapable of entering into a conflict. He will ultimately find out the true meaning of life and humanity, yet without having us go through the same episodes that we’ve already witnessed countless times in other adaptations.
Although the anti-totalitarian message is on point for most of the movie, it sadly loses its focus near the end. While I was expecting things to take a grittier direction and deliver the final message, the plot suddenly changes route to bring back the dogfish from the novel and leave the rest behind.
Other than that, I found the movie brilliant and capable of speaking to all kinds of audiences, often striking my heart with the simplest considerations about life. The production design is astonishing, even though it might scare off young children in a couple of moments.
Guillermo del Toro brings the best Pinocchio yet in this carefully handcrafted stop-motion adaptation. It feels very del Toro and you can see the love and passion that was put into it. The stop-motion animation is some of the most beautiful i've seen it has a distinctive appearance and the movements are fluid I forgot it was animation at times. Such an impressive cast they all did amazing and Ewan McGregor as Jiminy Cricket (or should I say Sabastian J. Cricket) was absolute perfection. It deals with father son relationships, family, staying true to yourself, self-acceptance and more mature themes like death and what it means to be human. The story is rich and layered and it's easy to get an emotional attachment. One thing they did right this time is they added so much backstory and context to how Pinocchio was created it really immersed me into the character and the world. Guillermo's usual aesthetics are felt and they make this even better I loved the sea creature and the darker themes. My only criticism is the songs could of been better and they weren't memorable but at least we got Ewan McGregor to sing. Overall a beautiful film I would definitely revisit. Did we get another Pinocchio this year I can't remember?
This is great! I loved it!
'Nightmare Alley' is a superb watch! I particularly enjoyed the beginning and end, which are truly excellent; the middle part isn't as strong, but is still top notch in its own right. I love the dark atmosphere it sets from the get-go, the sound design is outstanding - some bits are so striking and I love it! It has a quality, engrossing story to boot.
Bradley Cooper leads the cast with quality, though he isn't even the sole standout of the film. He is joined by a whole host of terrific performers: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn ... I could go on, simply phenomenal casting! I wanted more of them all, and yet felt I got the perfect amount too.
The 150 minute run time went by incredibly quickly for me; if I hadn't known it was on for that long, I would never have guessed its length to be anywhere near that. It's a slow burn, but a slow burn done tremendously. Guillermo del Toro - this is the first film of his I've seen - & Co. did a super job, I have no complaints at all. I was toying for ages between a 9 or a 10 rating, it just about creeps its way into the latter.
Just brilliant. Go watch!
