Change Your Image
hurricane_san
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Kaamelott - Premier volet (2021)
Extremely disappointed.
First, to answer English reviewers who believe something was lost in translation. Well, no. Maybe something was lost but the film is not good in French either.
I'm a native French speaker. I've loved the TV show and I find this move to be just boring and generally not very good.
In a nutshell:
The music is good.
The story doesn't make sense.
The characters actions and motivations do not make sense.
The costumes are awful.
The humor is flat and empty.
I ... got ... bored : something that I find unthinkable when it comes to Kaamelott.
If you have seen the TV show, don't watch this movie.
If you want to watch this movie: don't, just watch the TV show.
WandaVision (2021)
An interesting start that got ruined from the show's fourth episode.
The pitch of WandaVision is basically two supers living in a small town with some Twilight-Zone vibes.
During the first episodes, the surreal atmosphere and the old-shows references is quite appealing. That alone could have held up my interest for a while but I was also eager to see each next little mystery happen.
Of course, it doesn't take a genius to guess the broad lines but thankfully there were hints, threads and questions dropped here and there to flesh-out the fine detail.
I really had some hopes for the show. After The Mandalorian maybe Disney finally decided to stop making crap. I should have known better.
All of it lasted three episodes.
From the fourth episode, the tone changes as a few new characters are introduced : most of them are basic archetypes, a couple are insufferable.
Why is it the writers had to put a woman as a high-ranked scientist (whose qualifications should have nothing to do with the situation at hand) but depict her as a toxic creature best to be avoided?
Why is it the writers didn't care to check if the "techno-babble" they make her say doesn't sound incredibly stupid to anyone with a basic understanding of the words she uses?
The writers could also do with more subtlety in their "military guys stupid and bad", "military women thoughtful and good" routine. There are so many cues it stings.
I could rant on an on, but not without spoiling.
In a nutshell, from that point forward one half of the show becomes shallow, childish, naive and stupid. The other half is falling apart.
What a disappointment.
Paradise PD (2018)
Dimwitted failure.
Yet another show that seems to try to lay on recent iconoclast shows like Archer and Rick & Morty.
But unlike these gems, the show has only two cards: "sex" and "violence".
The writers seem to have missed whole concept of humor and intelligence.
Every measly attempt at these is phoned-in, expected, slow, falls flat and, to add insult to injury, is repeated several times over the span of a whole few minutes.
Worthless.
Travelers (2016)
Yet another incoherent show driven by Macguffins and stupidity.
Time travel is hard to do right. This show tried and failed, not always miserably.
If you have a good memory and cannot stop doing basic reasoning on what you hear or see, you will not enjoy it.
We follow some agents from the future that are here to save humanity. (No pressure)
They have to follow some rules that make more or less sense and are sworn to obey the intelligence behind the great plan.
The intelligence itself has to follow some other rules (because it's "the good guys") and sending somebody back can only be done under some specific conditions. For example it has to know the exact position a few seconds before the time of death of the recipient, It can never use somebody that was not about to die. (Of course there rules are broken when it suits the plot, and coherence be damned)
In almost every single episode, the champions of humanity are acting like your everyday naive idiot. An example ? A member of the team gets some medication from some very suspect woman to keep him from hard drugs, allegedly. The MD will barely raise and eyebrow and days later, after the "cured" guy acts like even more like a violent junkie looking for its next fix, the "wise guy" of the team, the oldest soul, will only make a comment to the crazy teammate but nothing more will be done to get to the bottom of what looks like some very dangerous and very suspect situation. (Knowing they have enemies)
There is a made-up rule that say one cannot send a traveler earlier that the last one that was sent because of some ripple effect. Which is nonsense (even in this context) as the future is allegedly always fixing by incremental changes and can kill any adult by making it a phone (making a possible problem disappear). It is clear this was though-up to induce a weakness in the plan, and this is actually said in one episode "we get one go at this, there is no do-over"
Speaking of which. The arch-nemesis of the serie is an insult to the intelligence of the viewer. The first traveler ever refused to kill himself (because, reasons, don't even try to make sense of it). The guy was on one of the tower of 9/11 and we have to believe him exiting the building alive was not caught on the always spying eye of the future ? That in the years that followed he never was close to a device that could spot him ?
Killing his wife making her a messenger to basically ask him to kill himself was a better plan than, say, sending somebody inside her (still killing her, mind) to
do the job ?
But given the number of stupid mistakes this Deus Ex Machina does (so something bad can happen, lazy storytelling 101 a.k.a Macguffin) this is not really a surprise the spectator can come up with a better solution in a couple of seconds while hanging the laundry ...
I could go on and on and on ... and this is only about the laziness of the writing.
I will barely mention the situation where a tiny skinny girl beating up a group of violent guys (maybe they were particularly ticklish) and other accidental comical situations.
The show is not all bad though. Sometimes, every few episodes, there is some scene that made sense and looked properly prepared to unravel slowly. Some scene that would make me smile. It was always ruined in the next five minutes though, but still.
I don't have anything bad to say on the acting, the effects or the music so they are probably adequate, at the very least (not that I had my eyes on the TV : I've endured this to have some "noise" in the house while doing various chores
The one show that I've seen completely was the last episode of season two. Probably one of the worst episodes when it comes to coherence and rationality. I may not be the most feeling-oriented guy on the planet and may be surprised by reactions based on them, but what happened there was just ... artificial, irrational, uncalled for. And of course you will have to forget all that was said for two seasons stop yourself from screaming at the screen.
With these champions, if they ever do a third season, I foresee a tragic ending.
Little Evil (2017)
The only evil here is the time lost in utter boredom.
I don't know what this show is supposed to be. It's certainly not funny, even if I can spot a few moments that somebody devoid of talent and humor may miscast as a joke. It's certainly not frightening and I certainly hope it was not what was aimed for.
What it is is boring. I've watched its first episode trying to hold on any thread worth following up, any dialog, anything really. But all I see is a sequence of images or people saying things taken from a check- list based on statistics from the content of good shows by people not understanding what made these good.
If in a couple of years, I learn shows like these were made by an artificial intelligence in training, I would not be surprised at all. That would explain the absence of feeling.
What it would not explain is why somebody thought it was a good idea to expose us to the result. Or maybe it's the real Little Evil here, eroding our souls one chip at a time.
Sherlock: The Six Thatchers (2017)
Awful fourth season.
So far, I found Sherlock episodes to be mostly enjoyable despite having quite a few flaws.
But on season 4, I'll find difficult watching further than "The Six Thatchers". The episode starts in a very unconvincing manner. The scene where they make up excuses to "pardon" Sherlock is reminiscent of the story a 12 year old would make up playing with his toys. It was not a good sign. The next 15 minutes are quite watchable but when the main course really starts, it falls flat.
If Sherlock is the only man capable of solving a mystery that is guessed in about 5 seconds by the viewer, the show needs a better writer. Still, I endured a bit further. That is until I a professional agent asks a very stupid and irrelevant question to a comrade in front of an enemy. Without this MacGuffin, that particular story arc would not have existed. A plot that moves mostly by the childish behavior, naivety or sheer stupidity of the protagonists is not worth following.
I'll remember fondly the good episodes of the first 3 seasons and forget there is a fourth one. You may want to do the same.
Ender's Game (2013)
Kind of enjoyable, but feels rushed.
I've read the books years ago (and should have stopped at the first one, but that's beside the point.) The movie managed to show most of the key points of the story. The parts that, in my opinion, are the steps marking an evolution to the next level. This is impressive given the movie is not even two hours long, but of course there is a cost. The biggest reproach I have is the lack of build-up. Everything feels rushed. The genius of the book, beside the twist(s), is the psychological development of Ender, the manipulations he is the subject of, the monstrosity of the adults and of the other children and ultimately his own. Where is the cold revelation of a few hidden deaths ? Where are the mysteries surrounding a weird trainer, and the very smart reason this Mr Mysterious, once revealed, is not too old? All gone.
On its purely technical qualities, the acting was good. Harrison Ford of course but also the children that I didn't find annoying like I usually do. The image and special effects were good and measured and the music from Steve Jablonsky was very enjoyable.
In my opinion, the movie is probably not very good for whoever didn't read the book first. But for me, when all is said and done, it was a kind of lazy trip through the memory lane of one of the best book I've ever read.
Iron Fist (2017)
Yet another ticket-bus sized plot series.
Iron Fist is sold with a synopsis that is nothing new (assumed dead comes back in society to take his rightful place, or something of that effect).
The first episode opens with a few kung-fu training scenes and a bum-dressed guy entering a big building asking to speak to some specific guy at the top. Obviously the receptionist calls security and he is thrown out. If it was the real world, the bum would flash a passport, identify himself, got to the city administration to put things in order or wait for the guy to get out or in, ... But since we are targeting a certain type of audience, instead out raggedy guy forces his way out and fights security with some badly portrayed martial-art.
Seriously ? Or maybe it is to point out in a no-subtle-at-all way that the main protagonist is a moron ?
Of course, if coherence is not your chief concern and are able to easily suspend you disbelief, this will not be an issue for you.
You are in for the fights, right ? I can relate, gave the benefit of the doubt and put the above to a uninspired start. Well sadly there is nothing for you there either. The fighting is so badly choreographed you can see the pauses in the movements waiting for the other actor's next attack before he even starts to move.
If I wanted to see a weak plot and bad fighting I would watch some Super-Sentai. At least I would not have any expectation for it.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)
If you like weird silly nonsense à la "Douglas Adams".
I've read the reviews saying the show is not true to the books, but I certainly recognize a "Douglas Adams"-like silliness. If the books are better (and they usually are) I simply need to read them.
I'm currently in the third episode and I'm still amazed at what I see. The way distinct weird events are happening then progressively linked together is just interesting.
Maybe I'm being fooled and it will end with a cheap script stunt. Maybe it's just distracting me, leading nowhere and the bad reviews are right. That's for later : so far I'm enjoying the ride and that did not happened for years.
Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song (2015)
Awful
Cheap unimaginative plot full of holes. What did happen to Dr Who ? Over the years the stories got progressively worse. Or maybe most of the money has been funneled from "script" to "special effects" ? On this season, only the "Heaven Sent" episode was okay-ish (ruined by a stupid ending)
Is there any writer out there that want to keep the protagonists "in character", respect the lore and write consistent plots base on anything else than cheap feelings?
It's a bit sad that Capaldi got served such bad stories. The few good scenes showed he was perfect for the role.
In any event, avoid.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Harry Potter and the School of Spies
I expected this movie to be a slightly humorous spy movie.
I was wrong.
This spy-themed mix of Harry Potter, X-Men and Men in Black is clearly aimed at teenagers. The acting, image and sound are OK, and a couple of action scenes are very nice and that's all I found positive about it. Said action, and some brief nudity, may not be suitable for children depending on your cultural background.
Alas, the story does not makes sense, repeats itself, and progresses with twists that completely disregard the "souls" of its characters. There were also blatant product placement so out of place I completely lost the thread (losing my patronage for at least a year)
Not my cup of tea, but not terrible either.
Looper (2012)
Pointless waste of time.
Pun intended.
The movie makes no sense. It has one of the worst use of time travel I've ever had the displeasure to see.
The basis of the story is so weak it's a wonder it was produced.
_ Time travel exists (okay, go on ...).
_ It's forbidden (rightly so, probably by international treaty).
_ But "cheap" enough that mobs can use it. After all it takes only what looks like a bit of junk amassed in a roughly 3 meters wide empty ball. (What are the power requirements ? More or less than a fridge ? What about a microwave ? Is it "green" ? This makes absolutely no sense.)
_ It seems you cannot kill in the future (development please ? This is pretty shaky as it is.)
_ Mobs are instead using an incredibly convoluted way of getting rid of people (Because ? They are law-abiding citizen ?)
_ The movie shows that the machine allows travel through space as well (as it should be actually, given that Earth moves through space at roughly 30Km/s) but dropping bodies in the emptiness of said space does not seem to cross the mind of these mob geniuses. Volcano, bottom of the sea, the kernel of the Earth, into the Sun ... seem to be out of question also.
_ Time travel being illegal if a "looper" still lives when time travel is invented he must be sent back to be killed (Why ? It is clear "loopers" are not time travelers. They are "only" assassins garbage nobody should give a damn for. They don't break any time-line until they are sent back to be killed. Is there a rationale behind this ? LSD much ?)
Also, the characters have a really "weird" behavior, especially in the way they relate to each other. It feels a lot like if they were all raised somewhere in Asia (Japan or Korea, not China). The most obvious ones being the "boss" of the "loopers" and the "kid" man that wants praises from him. If you watched a lot of movies from these countries you probably understand exactly what I mean.
Writers unable to keep a coherent line through their story should avoid working in science fiction (if at all). I'll be certain to remember "Rian Johnson" in order to avoid such ordeals in the future. And I just saw that he was doing the next Star Wars. Good : it hardly can go worse than "Awakens" (for a Star Wars movie I mean, not for a "zap zap" "boom boom" "emo cry" pop-corn selling show.)
You have been warned.
He Never Died (2015)
Undeserved low rating
Netflix has predicted I would like this movie. Because of all the awful reviews I found I've waited for months until I finally played it. I'm here to offset the score a bit.
This dark anti-hero tale has been interesting from the beginning to the end. I found it consistent, unpredictable and well acted. As violent as it can be, I curiously found it subtle on some layers. Reminiscing, I don't remember many special effects which means, in my humble opinion, they were used with measure and when appropriate.
If you can watch a movie without something cheaply exiting or exploding at the screen every few minutes and without every detail spoon-fed you may want to see this one.
I will definitively recommend it around.
Deadpool (2016)
They did it!
I've read every Deadpool publications I could put my hands on on Kindle (that's quite a lot). Needless to say, I like the character and the humor of the stories. All this to say I had of course some doubts about this movie. For once, I'm not disappointed.
This really-not-for-children film reflects almost perfectly the soul of the comic. Ryan Reynolds owns the role of Deadpool.
The (dark) humor feels unaltered compared to the comics. I almost choked a couple of times. It's raw, violent, sexy, sadistic, cruel, gore, ... all of this.
The image, effects and presentation are very nice. I liked the soundtracks too.
It's quite difficult to describe this one without spoiling.
Go see.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
I cannot believe I almost skipped this gem.
Good movies are an exception nowadays; in my humble opinion of course. So many films are a bus-ticket-big story full of plot-holes and incoherences serving as an excuse for loosely linking action, special effects and general showing-off. None of it here. If the above is your kind of movie : move along. You'll feel bored. I also assume most of the bad reviews are from that kind of public. (After all, there is no accounting for taste)
The movie, served by the music of Master Morricone, is a perfect homage to the spaghetti-western, but also its own beast. Visually, the snowy outdoors are beautiful; the costumes are very nice and the decors nicely detailed. The dialogs and interactions, delivered by very good actors, are well-written and add color and depth to the characters. Tarantino shines particularly at this. The story, simple and complex at the same time, unravels at a very nice and well-mastered pace. I could not, like I'm sadly used to, guess instantly what would happen and when. I've not been bored for one second during this almost three-hours movie.
Warmly recommended.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Shallow, lazy and weak nonsense for cliché teenagers
Let's put what's good out : the rendering is pretty. There are a few scenes that really feels like Star Wars. Usually involving exclusively the original cast. This is less bad than the previous 3 abominations, but that's not saying much. That's about it.
The Force Awakens feels like a Twilight-level cliché of Star Wars. Everything feels heavy, forced, unnatural. You know that whatever scene with a nonsense behavior is there to tell something to the viewer with a complete lack of subtlety.
You can expect everything to be overblown, overcliché, overkill. I would speak of plot holes, but I would have to recognize there is enough plot to put holes in it.
What will you see if you decide to throw away more than two hours of your life ?
Bigger Death Star! Capable of destroying a whole solar system by ... eating the sun. This is so wrong. As if destroying one planet was not enough. I predict that in episode 8, the new Death Star will destroy whole galaxies by consuming the super-massive black hole at their center.
Dear reader, please sit down. The Darth Vader replacement is worthy of Space Balls. I certainly did not expect that the equivalent of the Sith Lord (now with a new cool name for the new kids) is a stupid Emo kid:
"Wail, wail, feel the power of the dark side, oh, I feel a bit of the attraction of the light, please save me grand-father."
or something of that effect. I'm sorry to say that the actor has the aura and charisma of a dead snail. If feels as wrong as having generic-teenage-looking-actor-for-chick-flicks playing Rambo.
And that's not the worst they do.
What about the Force ? Do you remember it ?
That power that links everything ?
That power that an apprentice learns after years of training (even Luke).
That power you only used sparingly if you were a Jedi, and a lot, with permanent physically destructive effects if you were a Sith ?
Well, now the Force is instant, intuitive, and far more powerful than before. Freezing blaster shots in mid air without even looking at them ? No problem. Darth-Emo does it without breaking a sweat. The same mind trick used by the master Obi-Wan to give an order to a storm-trooper is used. The first problem is first that's it's done wrongly: "you will" instead of "I will". The second is that it's done by a girl that did not even knew the force existed for real in the first place. But don't worry : she first fails then really tries with her eyes and all and succeeds.
That's not all she does. She seems to know how to fix any piece of hardware in a ship (she used to collect garbage pieces of rusted ships for a living in a desert ship-graveyard planet, so I guess that's OK in the mind of the writers). She also fight as good as a trained Dark Force user (Darth Emo) and, when she realizes she is actually using the force (because he tells her), she take a serious-but-calm face and beats him.
Do I need to add all the statements like "the planet will explode in 2 minutes" that lasts at least 15. Which is, granted, said by the Rebels that just admitted they knew nothing of the new Death Star but still magically learned they are the next target and can now detect the state of the machine accurately enough to know when it will fire.
I could go on and on but I'd rather forget that unfortunate event.
Stay away, or don't.
You, Me and the Apocalypse (2015)
Disappointing but not the worst I've ever seen.
The show follows a handful of group of people a few days before an announced apocalypse. The stories have ups and down and are a bit boring, except the "religious" one that I found intriguing.
Overall the show was promising : the general idiocy and nonsense was bearable, resulting in a generally good entertainment. But they had to ruin it in a fated moment where criminal stupidity is used as a lever for the plot, several times in one episode (I'll explain in a paragraph).
In summary this is not the worst I ever seen and if you have high resistance to unbelievable, weak, idiotic plots with their share of holes, you may still enjoy it.
Spoiler about what I mean follows:
It happens the day where the survival of humanity is put in the balance, just a few days before everyone is expected to die in case of failure. a cop basically tells one of the protagonist trying to save the world: "0K, I'll let you save the world but first you have to tell me where your criminal sister is" (the girl is basically a nobody). And puts him in jail when the guy does not talk. This is wrong on so many level : the general behavior of the characters, the priorities of everybody, the fact that important people for the future of the human species are not guarded 24/7 because anything could put said future in jeopardy (virus, car accident, food poisoning, stupid cops, maniac wanting to kill the last hope, ...)
And the "geniuses" tasked to save the world are passing for clowns : only an idiot would measure time not only from a central clock but worse : in a unit affected by time savings.
On another hand, something a bit like that has happened a few years ago. A rocket has been lost (self-destructed) because of units incompatibilities between parts of the machine (Imperial vs Metric).
The Americans (2013)
Smart, coherent, well written.
I find there is mostly crap on TV and on the theater : bad, lazy, shallow, stupid. Well : not this time.
This spy story is not Manichean, which is especially surprising considering it's about Russian spies in the USA. Both sides are bad, both sides are human. No need to suspend your disbelief here : everything feels horribly true. The world depicted is not very nice. There is quite some sex, psychic and physical violence. This is definitively not for children or easily impressionable people. I also find the acting to be very good.
It's a pleasure to see each episode, even if they are a bit raw sometimes.
You must definitively see this, if only to know what quality looks like.
Once Upon a Time (2011)
Yet another show full of dumb people
I had big hopes for this show. There are a lot of actors I've seen and liked for years in it. The theme was interesting (an is kind of reminiscent of the Fables comic book) So, what went wrong ? Where to begin.
The unraveling of the story is flat and boring. Not a good sign on something supposed have a hint of old magic in it. But one could hope it improves with time.
The characters are wrong on annoying details. I could write on an on about why but the worst is Mr Gold. Saute-craneur (french name) was easy to identify. Hearing him present himself with his most prized secret (his name, the tool of his destruction) to Cinderella was worthy of a face-palm. But this alone is only a minor issue.
A far worse issue is the recurring stupidity of the characters. More sensible reactions from their part would give a very different story, granted, but at least not a stupid one. (And its the fault of the writers to have insufficiently exploited such a good starting idea)
I was just on this episode where an old unstable mine is collapsing. Two people are in the mine and the entrance collapses behind them. Nobody knows where they are in the mine. So, as far as the people outside know, the "victims" could be under the rubble, close to the entrance but unable to speak, or further in. What do these geniuses outside do ? Let's use explosives ! Please give a medal to that heap of drooling idiots. Of course bad things happens (noo, really ?) and a dog (yes : a dog) shows them there is a covered well nearby and that could be a more sensible approach. That was my cue to stop.
The Originals (2013)
Yet another over-acted cliché piece of trash for dumb teenagers.
I hoped for something dark, something baroque.
It looked like an interesting idea so I started it. The opening speech kept my hopes up, but quickly the first scene started and my expectation dropped.
The next couple of scenes are lame, cliché-riddlen and over-acted. The strongest feeling is a complete absence of subtlety. Everything feels quite superficial.
I think it's even worse than the Vampire Diaries : I was able to endure one full episode of this other dreadful series. I was laughing at the ridicule, granted, but still ...
I expect this to target very very dumb children or teenagers. This will not help to elevate them the slightest.
Doctor Who: Mummy on the Orient Express (2014)
First good episode of the season
Season 8 is so bad I gave up around the "Sherwood" episode.
But I've been told that this episode was actually pretty good, so I gave it a try.
Well, is it good. And by that I mean it has: a plot (surprise surprise), no obvious contradiction, no obvious plot holes, no sugar-coated puke-inducing Care-Bear-worthy crap, no painfully debilitating statements.
Moreover, I didn't guess the end instantly, or at all for that matter. (Which I consider very good when said ending makes sense)
I've noted the name of Jamie Mathieson (the writer) and hope that his next episode, "Flatline", will be at least as good. (Maybe his will be the statistically-expected two good episodes of the season.)
Doctor Who (2005)
Going bad ... again.
I've discovered Doctor Who with the reboot in 2005. It was cheesy and not very good (with a few good episodes) but there were some good ideas and concepts so I followed two seasons. Both the Doctor and its companion were interesting enough.
Waiting for season 3 I bought the old series DVD boxes. Honestly : a bit hard to watch, but historically interesting (to see how the writers minds worked at the time.)
Then season 3 happened. It got from not very good to bad : bar a few good episodes, it was unwatchable (I loathed most of the "Davies"). Childish plots with all the holes you don't want, childish adults, stupid peoples to make the story happen.
It got gradually worse until the Doctor's face changed again, along with the head writer.
I mostly liked the Matt Smith seasons. There was some kind of rhythm, of magic, in it at the start. The right kind of silly. The quality raised again with quite a few good stories. It was better than the first two seasons and the companion was interesting again. (Not to mention : impossibly beautiful). Granted, some episodes were just awful, but I tend to forget them. (Which shows how a bad run can lower your expectations). Then the Doctor face changed again.
With this change, for some reason, the plot got back to childish, uninspired and full of holes. We are back on a "it happens because everyone is stupid" case.
Although Capaldi has a great face and eyes for the role, the new Doctor persona that has been given to him is of a headless chicken with two hearts. Seeing him fighting like a child with "Robin Hood" ... that was the last drop.
And to add insult to injury : what about firing a golden arrow* to a ship taking off because ... it lacks gold ... in the making of the engine ... ? There is suspension of disbelief, and then there is moronic. And all these heavy gold plates* they were holding before would not have helped because ? And didn't the doctor said before all this it could not work because the ship was too damaged and it would just explode ? Hoy, it was late and I was sleepy but I was not dead. A dead brain is what you need to accept this utter nonsense.
One would though there is nothing left to ruin, but they managed to surprise me by adding some nauseating irrelevant honey at the end.
I'm now convinced they are only targeting children, even if they are only suited for the 1 to 4**, definitively losing all the adults.
I don't care about silliness, about weird cheap-looking gizmos. This is science-fiction, I can accept a set of rules, this can be fun. But I cannot bear to watch weak stupid plots that can only happen if nobody exist or act when not on camera***, if the characters are morons and if it only barely make sense when you consistently ignore what has been said 10 minutes before.
They sometimes use french words. Here is one for the summary:
Pitoyable
(*) Do you have any idea of how heavy gold really is ? That arrow probably weighted 5 to 10 kilos. The plates 10 times more. But that's OK because this misconception is so common in TV and movies. (Fun fact: all the gold refined through history would take a cube with a side of 20 meters.)
(**) At 4 children can pass the Sally-Anne test. They would not be so easily fooled by this nonsense anymore.
(***) You know, that typical story crime ? Like when you have a guy alone killing a platoon one by one with all the other soldiers magically forgetting they have a weapon until they are on screen and it's their turn to die.
Prometheus (2012)
Rated for brain dead audience
Prometheus is the kind of movie where a few shallow characters change from persona to fit what one could pompously call the "plot". The typical bad case of going from aggressive hard ass to puny little girl (with pig tails) (or the other way around).
It's the kind of movie where they try to scare you with a noise and something jumping somewhere ... but you expected it for a while (if you didn't fall asleep already, that is)
It's the kind of movie where nothing surprise you except the sheer stupidity of the characters. You can almost see what goes into the writer's head : "okay, I want 'this' to happen, so this pawn and that pawn have to do that". And who cares about coherence ?
It's the kind of movie where something physically impossible (random non-movie related example: a crippled boy that would make a 10 meter jump because else ... well ... the few previous scenes are making even less sense than they already are)
It's the kind of movie I would I had never lost about two (very long) hours to.
Actually : it's the kind of movie that didn't deserved to be filmed.
Why 3 points then ? The renderings and effects are pretty nice.
Another hint about its worth: the comment in the theater at the end were all in the range of "bad, stupid or ridiculous" in English, French and Dutch.
You have been warned : avoid it.
The Walking Dead (2010)
Great first season, lame second season
Usually a TV show improves the first years (2 or 3) and then sustains and decline (or stops).
This show had a great, interesting first season. Great pilot, great story, setup, scenes, everything. I loved it trough and trough.
So imagine my surprise when I saw the episodes of the second season. The setup is the same. The actors are the same. Still, something is not right. It's boring, uninteresting, bland, empty. I stopped after two episodes and the feedback from my friends tells me it was the right move.
I don't know what they did change yet, but it was a critical part of it.
Fringe (2008)
Oh please, turn it off ! Have mercy !
Where to begin ? I've watched the "pilot" and the second episode to be sure it was not "bad luck".
"Fringe" is an insufferable show.
Its "pseudo-science" is so dumb, so clueless, so 1-bit IQ that it alone could cause a class-action law-suit for brain-cell genocide.
Electric signal frozen in the body by the usage of a sleeping drug ?
Rapid-growth/aging of a complex organism ? Where did the matter come from ? Void ?
Let's forget adults who can turn their brain off and accept this (to each his own). What will stop children that could still be saved to watch that nonsense ?
The reasoning in the investigations are nuts, stupid shortcuts.
An orange gel is found in the room where a dead woman (dead while giving birth, not murdered) The bed sheets have been changed. Immediate conclusion from the main investigator : it's a murderer that was killing women by removing a piece of their brains 5 years ago, and that was not arrested. Why that bold assumption ? He was using an orange drug to numb them and used to change the sheets to remove all traces of his passage.
First : a murderer who wants to remove all his traces makes the room and leave the sheets with his DNA in a desk in the room. He also leaves a fluorescent orange numbing drug on top a white sink. Not a genius obviously. And what could be said about an agent unable to find that criminal mastermind ? Come on : the writer(s) didn't saw that one when they were writing it ?
Next : there are lots of people using an orange gel for their hair that sometimes put their bedsheets in a box before cleaning. And most or them do not kill women by taking part of their brain out through their nose.
The link between that woman dead at the hospital and a series of horrible murder : orange paste and a bed ? In what plane of reality ? I just cannot believe somebody though it was an acceptable script.
Actually it's so stupid that the "genius" with the investigator asks "why such a conclusion" or something of this effect. But the writer's lantern does not cover planetary-sized plot-holes.
Do I have to tell anything about the acting going from bad to acceptable ?
Don't waste your precious time with the Fringe. There are better thing to do instead. Breaking your leg in a car accident maybe ? Granted it would be a minor improvement but its a start.