talfrenkel-54888 Reviews

Sex Education (2019–2023)

I am depressed

[6/10 · 6 March 2024]

This is a review that only covers season 4, but I do remember really enjoying the past 3 seasons and I do recommend you watch them.

Anyway, back to the current season(which I may or may not have forgotten it exists for the past 6 months) I had some really high expectations as sex education was always very unique to many other shows and always delivered exponentially.

Addressing the positives, it was still very well written and the characters were all very relatable and developed, and the editing and music choices were very good.

But as much as I wanted , I really couldn't feel the same about this season. It was depressing, very depressing, and it was caused by a couple of reasons.

First of all, it tried to combine many different storylines into one explosive ending that would finish off the story, which is understandable, but with so many stories to follow and so many characters unrelated in any way to others, the show just felt like it had many disconnected pieces trying to form a puzzle unsuccessfully(although the ending was ok, and the last episode was pretty much the best one of the series).

But throughout the season, there was so much to follow and keep track of that just felt like it wanted to give off everyone's "happy ending" in some way, but it really could have been engaging and with different characters interacting more with each other.

Secondly, the show felt slow and grueling to watch. While I actually though it was a nice, light quirky watch over the weekend turned into two weeks of on and off watching, because there was nothing motivating me to watch it, there wasn't any character I wanted to see in the screen, because there was only so much depression and sadness and problems for everyone. Now I get it that's part of the purpose which is to actually show the struggles of sexual problems and finding identity. But it felt like to much, because everyone were so depressed and everyone had so many problems and nothing was going well, for about 7.5 episodes(which is insane) which is why it felt so depressing to watch because as much as the show is light hearted, the characters were all so heavy and complex it just made myself feel depressed(but at least I'm glad everyone got their happy ending and closed the show off nicely)

In conclusion, it should have been closer to what we remember in past seasons and be more quirky and less heavy, as it's quirkiness was the strongest point. But of course if there is ever else related to it I would still obliged to watch it because I still remember it so positively.

TLDR: I would say you should watch it and find out for yourself, it's very rough at some points but feels like there will be people who'll enjoy this and every individual should decide for himself. And if you are any kind of fan you should definitely watch it.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

A bit of a mess, a bit exhausting, but I can't wait for more

[8/10 · 20 February 2024]

TLDR: the show is really good and I still thoroughly enjoyed it, but there are some problems with pacing and with a bit too many parallel stories, but still watch it if you are a fan of the franchise or even if you are a curious fellow :).

Lord of the rings is one of my most beloved franchises, and the movies are all so well made and can make me feel enchanted just with their presence on my screen. So nauturally, I had very high expectation from a tv show bestowed upon me by this glorious film series.

Now, it's definitely not the movies, and it's better that it's not, because they have their own place.

First of all, The filming and the camera shots are still very much there, and they are doing incredible job at showing the jaw dropping scenery of New Zealand, with each set more beautiful than it's predecessor, and combined with very well made CGI and special effects, it's almost a reason to watch the show on it's own, as it wraps around the package and truly expands it's effect and keeps the viewer enticed at all times,

But, if I were to take a look upon the foundations of the show, there are a couple of problems I would like to highlight, the first of which is the writing: The dialogue itself really is no problem, and actually does a really good job adding some dramatic flair to every episode.

But the problem is the way everything is organized, at all times you follow a large amount of stories, with a massive amount of unique characters and unique personalities, and it's very difficult to keep up with so many stories parallel to each other, and I even found it exhausting at some points, which is why it took me almost a month until I was able to finish the final episode(which, to their credit, actually made the entire show, as it was really well done and set up very good climaxes to be expanded on in the future).

My suggestion would be to cut down the length of each episode(to maybe about 40-50 minutes) so they can also stay at a reasonable amount of time, but also be able to focus the entire episode at most on 1 or 2 stories slowly build up towards the finale, so that every character can get more screen time, and maybe be able to learn more about the character's backstory, personality or actions that made them unique.

Sadly, the pacing of this tv show made everything feel jumbled up and also made the cutouts seem a little out of place, and just the whole experience made me feel not as drawn in contrast to other shows with a similiar theme (for example game of thrones)

In conclusion, this is still a very good show,i can't deny how wonderfully produced it is and how pretty and slick everything looks(because at the end of the day, it's lord of the rings, goddamnit) but i do hope that the future of this show is different and they will hire some people to truly let it shine.

Thanks for reading! :)

Hazbin Hotel (2019– )

Loved it so much

[10/10 · 12 February 2024]

I was honestly really out of the loop with this show, only after finishing it I saw how much hype and anticipation there was from it's fans.

Thus, I entered into the show completely blind and watched it only because it spawned out of nowhere in my Amazon prime, but still, what an enjoyable ride it was.

I will start with the pilot, which was released on YouTube about 5 years ago(which I also had zero idea about) and it honestly really did give off a very web series vibe of being not the most proffesional but having some really great ideas and a plot to really get invested in and I immediately saw the hook and the reasons people talked about this show for so long. It was fun, unique and felt really unstrained(in a positive way). And it really sprung my curiosity to watch the actual show.

And I'm happy to report it was even better.

The animation was honestly a spectacle, as a person who adores animated movies and tv shows, it was really well done and very polished, it felt really great watching the improvement made from the pilot.

The characters are really relatable and the theme really complimented it, because it really allowed the scriptwriters to go all out with dialogue and character development.

In conclusion, it was a really fun ride and I had to hold myself from finishing it all in one day, and I am really looking forward to a great season 2.

Anyway, go watch it if you are an animation fan, or if you are just a person who watches tv.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

definitely everything, everywhere all at once

[9/10 · 13 November 2023]

I had pretty high expectation knowing this movie has won so many Oscar's for so many different categories.

What I did not expect is my brain going on fire(in both a positive and negative context) please don't watch this movie when you are tired as it requires a very high level of concentration.

Don't get me wrong though, the movie is fantastic(mostly) and it got me really excited to see what the future of cinema is going to be like.

First of all, you can't seriously doubt the visuals, as they were stunning and the main puller of this movie, from the special effects to the props to traveling across the multiverse, they were captivating in every single aspect and it would probably be the main reason that I will watch this movie again.

As the second largest positive, we have the storyline, and to be fair, it does get messy sometimes. It starts off really slow and eventually just turns into a ballistic missle, but even along that mess, you can still feel the heart of the movie and the reason this is all happening, because in the end, it's just about a crumbling family which wants to be together again. And you get that message still thoroughout the whole movie, So even though the movie reaches levels of insanity I couldn't dream off, I still felt it in my soul. The actors also play a massive part of it, as their perfect human reactions just help us understand that and connect with them.

If you are an enjoyer of science fiction,this movie might not be a pinnacle of the genre, but it is very worthy and all around an incredible experience(but I still instantly went to bed after this because my brain went insane trying to understand it). So even though it has flaws throughout it's complexity, it's a lot of fun and even if you get lost in the middle, just buckle up and enjoy the visuals.

8.7/10 my brain is crying out for help.

Mean Girls (2004)

Do not let this movie be forgotten

[9/10 · 10 November 2023]

I think I watched this movie an unreasonable amount of times and i think now would be a good time to talk about it

In my opinion, it's probably a prototype of pretty much every high school movie, and none of them will probably ever surpass it. It's just as equally clever as it is edgy, the characters are wild but also written very well. The theme is just what would you expect out of this movie but also kind of not, and that's also what makes it always good and always a great rewatch, as it just feels like it's making a parody out of high schools and it's hilarious.

To conclude, this movie deserves to be remembered, and besides the characters being slightly too icky and wild it still is a legendary movie, and it needs to be a cult movie eventually.

9.3/10 still probably a rewatch at least 3 times a year.

Spy (2015)

So much fun

[9/10 · 3 November 2023]

I didn't have a lot of expectation walking into this one but it seemed decent from what I read so I decided that it was worthy to give it a go, and i was very pleasantly surprised.

First of all, the comedy plays a massive part in this movie(which is originally a parody) and it really didn't disappoint and was one of the best parts about the movie.

The writing is also superb, as the plot twists in this movie were absolutely wild and there were so many of them and so much uncertainty and intrigue, which really adds to it being a movie based of spies.

The main problem is that some stuff is pretty poorly explained and there were some nonsensical event who didn't make sense, but they didn't take a lot off it so it was ok. It was also maybe slightly too graphic for the genre and it should be alarmed better(I mean they didn't even try to hide anything lmao).

But a very fun experience and I'm glad I watched it, I would also argue it deserves a sequel.

8.8/10 great movie night.

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Still great, Still Kung Fu Panda

[8/10 · 2 November 2023]

I love the first two movies and watched them religiously throughout my childhood but never really remembered the third installment. So it felt like time to finally begin digging into it before the release of the fourth.

First of all, it's a great movie, maybe not as incredible as the first two but very worthy, the story is nice, the animation and music are awesome(like dreamworks know how to do). The main problem is probably a bit of overdoing, there was loads of action, which really compliments the franchise most of the time, but there were some points when it felt like they just wanted to be slightly "too epic". What I mean is that they just wanted to catch the audience with the fighting scenes, and they did, they are very impressive, but it feels as they just wanted action and cared less about what's around it(which they did perfectly at the second movie) there wasn't the personal involvement I loved in the past and more raw action. But in the end I seriously can't deny that raw action is always fun.

The only other problem is the comedy reliefs, which felt pretty forced, i still laughed, but they were way out of the situation and there was way to much of it, it could've been much more balanced and less awkward(which they did perfectly in the second movie).

Besides that, the characters are really fun(even arguably better than the second) although they did lose some of their personality from previous times, but I can accept that(especially Shifu ,they probably went slightly overboard with him).

In conclusion, a very fun and still visually spectacular experience and I seriously cannot complain, I do fear for the fourth movie and hope it doesn't go downhill from here(sadly dreamworks know how to take things downhill, how to train your dragon as one example) but I do have hope the franchise will be awesome and i hope it will be an opportunity for the children of today to witness awesomeness in it's pure form :)

8.3/10 had a wonderful time, awesomeness for the whole family.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Probably better than it's predecessor

[10/10 · 1 November 2023]

This is probably the tenth time I'm watching this film until I finally decided to describe my thoughts on it, this franchise was one of the main ones who shaped my childhood the most, when i was young I definitely remembered it mostly for the epic fight scenes, which there are plentiful of and are top notch and contain loads of fun. But watching it as an adult is an entirely different experience,the message about embracing your past and accepting it is heartwarming and fantastic, and is delivered exponentially that I got shivers through my whole body, I love that they expanded on the emotional field so much without taking a fraction of what this movie is for children, and the darker and gloomier theme definitely suits it.

The movie also does everyrhing a sequel needs, it shows character development, didn't revolutionize to much and expanded on the plot and the universe of the film.

In particular po's and tigress's relationship is genuinely beautiful throughout the franchise, the combination of a warm and joyful panda combined with Tigress's composure and warrior personality genuinely provide wonderful moments together when they begin embracing the other's emotional compartments. And their relationship is a blessing to the franchise. Also the music is top notch like you would expect from 2 top notch composers.

This franchise(and in particular this movie) has a very special place within my heart and I will love it forever, I feel so lucky to be born at the same time as the golden age of cinema.

10/10 will forever remain as one of the greatest sequels to any movie.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Still legendary

[9/10 · 30 October 2023]

I remember watching this movie about 12 years ago and was actually one of the first movies I ever watched, and I loved it. I watched it again now to dive back into the franchise before the new installment and clearly I wasn't dissapointed.

It's insane thinking this movie was released 15 years ago as the animation was way ahead of it's time and it's absolutely stunning, and is one of the main treats of watching a dreamworks movie, and it helps it be completely timeless.

Po's character development is incredible, from becoming a dreamer into achieving beyond his wildest dreams, and he is general a joy of a character to watch.

Tigress and Shifu in my opinion are also beautiful characters to watch.

The movie takes a much more serious tone then most animated films, as it's writing orients it towards inspiring the person watching the film, and I really appreciate that tone as it adds to it's great storytelling.

The only slight problem is the pacing, which slightly hampers it as the movie sometimes doesn't feel continuous to it's previous scene even though you can still understand the general telling of events so it isn't too impactful.

In conclusion, the movie is still a joy and a treat, especially for me and my generation, I was so inspired and touched and I will never forget this movie series.

I am so happy that another move is coming after so much time, and I just need another animated how to train your dragon film and dreamworks are well on their way to fulfill their redemption arc :)

Solid 9.3/10.

Dragons: Race to the Edge (2015–2018)

Perfection

[10/10 · 26 October 2023]

I was slightly skeptical whenever I decided to watch the show, I love the franchise with my whole heart so I just had to see what they have done, most of the tv shows of famous franchises always feel very different from the movies. But it's definitely not the case here.

First of all, the writing in the show is absolutely top notch(arguably even better than the movies), every single character of the show has so much depth to him and it really helps showcase more the supporting characters of the movies and fill them with personality. In addition, it's hilarious and the humor is outstanding to pretty much most of the tv shows I have ever seen.

One thing I really love about it is that every episode feels like an entire adventure of the characters and every two parter is just almost a movie on it's own, truly fleshing out the franchise in it's full glory.

The second point is the animation, even though you can somewhat feel the lower budget, it takes absolutely nothing from the glorious battles scenes and the good parts of the animation are really not forgotten.

To conclude, this is now my new comfort show for probably forever and I just can't get enough of it, in my opinion every single person who remotely likes the franchise can have an absolute blast watching this show.

So go watch it now, you won't regret it.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)

Too many questions unanswered and one dreadful character

[7/10 · 26 October 2023]

Watched it after really enjoying the first movie and what it stood for, I remembered liking the second one as well but decided to give it another go just to see what do i think of it today.

First of all, I really can't say I didn't like the film, it was sweet and still had a lot of spirit from it's predecessor with some very nice messages and impressive animation. But it really didn't live up to the hype compared to the first movie.

First of all, the new characters introduced are pretty bad, Rex is just pretty dreadful and literally somehow was the most annoying character in the movie for absolutely no reason, and I think the writers could have done way better with him than the finished result and he was really a downer for most of the films(even to the scope that the parts i enjoyed most were when he wasn't there).

The queen is also pretty weird and the musical choice is definitely... interesting(as a person who loves musicals). She did feel like the Lego spirit as she is a symbol of creativity and thinking outside the box, but I also think she is slightly a shadow of what could have been.

If we talk about the storyline, it somewhat diverges from the first film in probably a worse way, as the worldbuilding mostly relies on you understanding the connection between the two worlds. And as much as it can be nice(although I would appreciate relying on it less like the first film) it led to situations that I had to calculate what's happened in the real world while the story was happening, which is probably not something you want to do in a children's movie.

In addition, think that also the supporting characters in this movie pretty much felt like waste, because they were basically just there to look at what was occurring,they could have had so much more depth and be so much more interesting and meaningful than what they were treated with. Which is something the first movie did way better than the second.

One interesting question though is if Lego figures can survive in the human world(hinted by Rex) and a third installment fleshing it out can be very interesting.

To conclude, this still isn't a bad movie and I am still inclined to see what's on the horizon for the franchise but with slightly lowered expectations.

Hoping to see a step forward in the future :)

6.3/10.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

If there was one franchise in my life i could make infinite

[10/10 · 25 October 2023]

This franchise is absolutely magical, there is literally no other way to describe these movies, the animation is good yet feels nostalgic, the battles feel legendary,the characters make my eyes wet every time i see them on screen and a journey that takes you to the corners of the world to discover new lands and new species.

This movie is absolutely no different from the first, really the obnly thing separating them is the magic of the beginning(which clearly doesn't matter since i still cried my soul out). It's clearly one of the best made sequels i have seen my life and it had everything i wanted and more.

I still can't even begin to explain my anger on the studio for the installment as it just ruined this perfect franchise which is something i didn't even think was possible, but I'm just going to be glad that my childhood was made from the two better movies in the series and not the life ruining experiences of the future installments.

If dreamworld can make more movies like this and more tv shows like they did i will literally not need anything else in my life.

Still, a 10/10 is an understatement, my love for the franchise is still unwavering and i hope we can see more animated movies like this one day :)

The Lego Movie (2014)

Unique and awesome

[10/10 · 25 October 2023]

This movie was one of the main bases of my childhood movie collection and one of my favorites when i was growing up, decided to watch it again and remembered why it's so great.

First of all, the stop motion style animation really helps the message of what this movie is trying to make clear, the pieces building in stop motion to create unique setting and structures just really steps this movie out of the screen and into the real world. The message itself is delivered so beautifully on multiple occasions and the characters are so full of depth you can actually feel like you are connected to them. In addition, the movie itself is so much fun and action packed.

Lego was always my childhood and this movie helps explain why it was so important to it :)

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

An improvement from the first

[8/10 · 24 October 2023]

I really enjoyed the first maleficent overall and I wasn't disappointed receiving the same from the second movie.

The impressive visuals still remain as a great part of the movie,the acting is still great and on point.

The story is in my opinion an improvement from the first one, with greater depth into the main characters from the first film.

It's a fantastic movie overall and very recommended for families and adults alike.

The main problem with this movie is just that maybe everything feels a bit too unorganized , I think they should have tried to fit less inside the movie as there were some parts that felt very lengthy and some others which felt very fast going and confusing. But if we look at the final product it becomes less important

But overall it's still very reccomended and I enjoyed watching the movie.

Maleficent (2014)

Great movie but weird with the original

[7/10 · 24 October 2023]

I watched this movie when it came out and did not watching it's predecessor before it, so I thought it was really great. But after watching the original sleeping beauty, I decided to compare it with this movie because it's meant to be sort of a reboot and it was just weirdly very inaccurate for absolutely no reason. They could have stuck with the original without too much problem. Even though I appreciate new ideas, it felt strange.

Besides that, if we treat the movie as an entirely new story, it's enjoyable, the visuals are stunning, the acting is very impressive and the story does expand on one of Disney's most classic stories.

So my advice is to just go in fresh minded and treat this movie as a new experience and not trying to make a connection like me :)

Still a very nice experience and a 7/10 is thoroughly deserved.

Moana (I) (2016)

Perfection

[10/10 · 22 October 2023]

I watched it again recently after recalling how much I loved when I grew up, and I'm so happy it didn't disappoint me even after all those years.

The story is so interesting and fun, the Polynesian theme(which I don't know how accurate it is but I'll exclude it from this review) was adding a lot to the movie, the characters are so full of depth and emotionally complicated, the goofy moments also add a lot of humor and fun to the film, the Pixar animation is always a fun time and well, the music of the film is just of one of the best soundtrack of any movie I've seen as I still listen to the songs since I saw it for the first time.

I seriously cannot express how much I love this movie, this might also be because of some bias but it's not too bad, Just a fantastic film and experience.

The next challenge to not be ruined by the live action :)

Elemental (2023)

It's fun, but slightly disappointing

[7/10 · 22 October 2023]

Considering this film was in such a long development process, you would expect it to be better than what it was, but there are still loads of positives from the experience and enjoyed it regardless.

First of all, the characters themselves aren't pretty, which is actually a nice thing as you treat them all pretty equally, the animation is also stunning and another great positive from the experience. The characters also feel relatable and down to earth and the ending being another great positive (probably the entire last 20 minutes were just the best part of the movie with loads of emotional attachment)

The main problem with this film is that the story was slightly too boring and default in the end, it feels like for such a long time frame the story should be more than just about forbidden love from a cultural perspective and there was room to make something more from it.

But overall, when you look at the positives it still was a pleasant experience and I enjoyed my time watching it, but I would love to see Pixar doing something new in the future.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

One of the cleverest and funniest I have ever seen

[10/10 · 21 October 2023]

I heard incredible thing s about this movie whenever I approached to watch it, and this movie absolutely blasted my expectations of the window.

Interesting plot, incredible characters, and probably the greatest humor I have ever seen in a movie as I laughed throughout the entirety of it, you can't even describe how clever this movie is. Even just the very beginning already made me know that I'm going to absolutely love it, and the animation style adds so much more to it as I have never seen such fluidity and emotion coming through animated characters.

Anyway, I don't think there is a need for me to elaborate much further, just go watch it with your friends or family to have a great movie night for all ages.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Just going to ignore the existence of this movie

[2/10 · 20 October 2023]

How to train your dragon is my childhood, I absolutely loved the first two movies and the first one was is one of the movies who made the greatest mark on me. I grew up mostly remembering the first two movies as that was when most of my childhood was, Recentky I picked up my love for the genre and the first two movies still were some of the best I've seen. And then I came across The Hidden World for the first time, and it's probably just an absolute shame for this franchise and a terrible way for it to end.

The animation being pretty much the only positive as expected from this genre, the ending felt rushed, the writing was very average, the music was much less memorable, and it felt as if dreamworks somewhat gave on the prospect of having a good end to the franchise.

I mean, are you seriously going to ignore the messages from the first movies and just move on just to force an end to the franchise? Really?

And I can write a whole essay why the last 10 minutes are awful, it's not as if it leads to a completion and satisfaction, it just leads to depression. As unlike the other two which I finished crying with tears in my eyes, this one just made me feel sad and depressed, like my entire childhood was a lie.

This movie might be canon, but it's not canon in my heart and I'll probably just ignore this movie as a part of the franchise until they scrap it and give us something else.

I can't explain how much I love this franchise from the bottom of my heart, but that just ain't it people.

This movie just gets 2 points for animation and that's it.

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Arguably my forever favorite movie

[10/10 · 20 October 2023]

I watched this movie once when I was just about 5 or 6 years old at the movie's release, i didn't really think much of it and moved on with my life, today I'm an 18 yo who came across it and decided to watch it once again.

I own a cat who actually resembles toothpaste(the black dragon) in some ways(she has a full black shiny coat) and watching the movie probably made my relationship with her so much stronger.

The movie's tales of friendship and trust just got me to appreciate how hard it is to win an animal over and how special is a relationship like that.

Combining that with the incredible animation, characters, character development, story, epic soundtrack and being full of positive emotion(and I probably still didn't list all of the positives) you got yourself an absolute cinematic masterpiece.

So, to conclude, if you feel like you want to go on an adventure filled with everything you want or you want to love your pet like you did once, do yourself a favor and go on one hell of an adventure :)

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Marvelous!!

[10/10 · 10 April 2023]

I myself am very fond of dungeons and dragons and was excited for the release of this movie. I went with to the movie with my family thinking I'm going to need to explain a lot of the lore and details. And I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't need to do so at all, the movie does a fantastic job at introducing and granting information on the world and it's characters that even my family(with no knowledge at all) could get immersed and enjoy the film, and even caused them to want to look deeper into it. And the movie itself was incredible, great story, characters,beautiful filming locations and amazing CGI. With a story that brought both laughs and emotion.

Probably the best movie of the year so far :)

Luck (I) (2022)

A relaxing and emotional evening

[9/10 · 6 April 2023]

First of all, the animation and overall graphics are incredibly good, flowing and entertaining. The movie does get messy at times but overall manages to deliver the main plot quite well and quaintly. A very good message that every person watching can get behind at any age and for the whole family. All of the main characters of the movie are written very well and are very easy to symphasize with and enjoy their jokes and their funny moments. Overall maybe wouldn't have given it a 9/10 throughout the entire movie as most of it still has it's low points and boring bits, but the ending left us wanting more and overall satisfied us and helped us realized why we watched the movie, so a 9/10 it is and would reccomend :)