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Reviews
Code 404 (2020)
Overacting in pilot due to directing, writing, actor?
Head banging satire or subtle humor infused with knowing irony? It can't make up its mind.
Showboating & histrionics in ep 1.
If all eps are this far over the top I won't be continuing.
Hoping not to find that a fine cast including the incredible Anna Maxwell Martin is woefully wasted.
The quieter, darker more serious elements are better w less showy, Ironic humor. Banging heads w their so-called wit: not so much. Too much Benny Hill.
The obvious stupidity of the typical "stupid" American & their tech are humorous but also over the top.
Holding final judgment until I slog thru more eps.
It's on probation for now.
Das Fernsehen unter dem Hakenkreuz (1999)
Not enough due diligence: no real translation of the material
Instead of providing truer and deeper insights, they shrugged off any sustained, true historical value since very little is translated.
Sure the images are 'new' material but they do the audience and history little of appreciable value by having such minimal translation of German to English.
So I found it really annoying and in enlightening that any true historical value other than some unseen images were provided of all the nazis, their kowtowing to the maniacs, all the pomp & circumstance included among the TV show clips. No translation of interviews, dialogue of the clips themselves. It's as if the filmmakers of this super short documentary want to retain the mystique and simultaneously bore their audience.
Too bad. And no telling what they left out.
Sebastian Fitzek's Therapy (2023)
Much better in original German with English subtitles!!
I was initially super disappointed in the awful English dubbed version until I finally figured out how to change the audio language to original dDeutsch / German while switching on CC in English.
SO MUCH BETTER! The nuances and emotions of the actual actors come through - the intentions of the writers & director so much clearer to follow.
It is a psychological drama rooted in Greek tragedies & traditions, with modern flourishes and Noir underpinnings.
If you watched it stopped watching because you thought you were stuck with the atrocious English (or any) overdubbing, give this a second chance.
Also turns out some characters who seem uni-dimensional are in fact more complex and in that way, also more contemporary and thus made more human with our greater awareness of what can make people tick and make them atypical, yet more worthy of compassion than we would have initially guessed.
WORTH IT in German w English subtitles!
Payback (2023)
Paint by numbers all the way.
Mostly cliches, uni-dimensional characters, unoriginal waste of time.
DEFINITE SPOILERS TO EP 1 if not more.
There is very little remotely original in episode one for sure. Starts out ok if not completely, utterly predictable. Things happen predictably 'quelle coïncidence!' and voila: she encounters obvious bad /suspicious guys, one of whom gives her his number.
Then she finds a secret phone with only that number that she has just that day had been given. She knows he's a bad guy. But she's so stupid she dials it anyway then hangs up. But not before the bad guy can see the secret phone has called him back!!!
Then she leaves it lying around so her little kid can find it and not only that, it's on so the little kid answers it and hands it to mommy - bad guy now in charge in case she had any previous doubts. Yegads.
Cops are predictably dense, lazy, clueless & obnoxious, save the model minority hero who has little to do. I'm sure he'll burst through the door in one of the last scenes to save the day!
Lots of coincidental little "how convenient" contrived and forced moments - an indication of lazy/lame storytelling / writing.
So I guess not only do I hate stupid characters, I hate stupid lazy writing that insults my intelligence.
I've already paid for Britbox so I guess I'll start ep 2 and hope for the teeniest improvement.
And now I'm into ep3, and it's still awful. Worse with every passing scene. Ugh.
Main character: even more loathsome as are all the others -- no internal or logical or consistent development. These characters are matchstick puppets, strings fully pulled by the writers & directors with little thought to internal character motivation. Super stupid plotting & barely any depth of development.
So many other better options in Brit/Scottish/UK series - this is so disappointing so far.
Watch Morven Christie in the Bay or Grantchester where she is so very much better. She basically sleepwalks with an almost embarrassed expression in this one. And I can definitely see why.
Payback: Episode #1.1 (2023)
I hate stupid characters
DEFINITE SPOILER TO EP 1
There is very little remotely original in episode one. Starts out ok if not completely, utterly predictable. Things happen coincidentally and voila: she encounters obvious bad /suspicious guys, one of whom gives her his number.
Then she finds a secret phone with only that number that she has just that day had been given. She knows he's a bad guy. But she's so stupid she dials it anyway then hangs up. But not before the bad guy can see the secret phone has called him back!!!
Then she leaves it lying around so her little kid can find it and not only that, it's on so the little kid answers it and hands it to mommy - bad guy now in charge in case she had any previous doubts. Yegads.
Cops are predictably dense, lazy, clueless & obnoxious, save the model minority hero.
Lots of coincidental little "how convenient" forced moments - an indication of lazy/lame storytelling / writing.
So I guess not only do I hate stupid characters, I hate stupid lazy writing that insults my intelligence.
I've already paid for Britbox so I guess I'll start ep 2 and hope for the teeniest improvement.
So many other better options in Brit/Scottish/UK series - this is so disappointing so far.
Silo (2023)
Rebecca & several cast are great despite the flaws. Common is horrible. The pacing is worse.
Long drawn out, slow dreary. A waste of talented actors - except Common who can't act so he does not count.
It is a wonder more people in this dystopia don't commit murder of self and others.
I liked most of Yost's decisions in Justified but apparently he had some major help & talent behind him there that is sorely missing here.
Direction and dialogue suffer from a major lack of energy or cohesive vision.
Sets clearly influenced by aspects of desaturated Brit version of 1984 which was also deadened & soulless on every level.
So hard to care about these characters - Common ruins every scene he is in. Hard to give a flying flip despite the best efforts of Ferguson & the others.
They just don't get any help from the directors, script, overall material.
Wish it weren't so awful.
Smother (2021)
Backstabbing, two-timing, ulterior motives
Lots of layers, well written, on the money dialogue.
And a town / community/ family of mainly despicable, unlikable characters played by excellent actors. Like vipers waiting to strike.
It's sometimes hard to get through after the realization of how awful most of them are, all the generations - but so very compelling to watch because of the mystery (ies) and to see what new twists and turns the plot / plots will take. It really is well conceived and layered with multiple twists and turns. It is a family drama so writing it off as a soap misses the fact that some people are really this awful.
Even the characters who one theoretically might develop some compassion for after certain background elements are revealed make it difficult to feel much of that for them. But the actors inhabit them so completely they ring true as flawed, complex, mostly ugly-soul humans - truly they are so selfish and ungrateful ... the only characters who seem truly consistently concerned about others is the mom so fantastically played by the superior Dervla Kirwin and the daughter of her love interest.
Ungrateful, backstabbing, cheating, and FUN TO WATCH to see what outrageous behavior happens next.
Sharper (2023)
Ultimately predictable brings nothing original.
Grifters gotta grift / grifters shoulda seen it all coming. So not ultimately believable or entertaining .
With such a great cast, good cinematography, locations - all the look of something special- too bad it wasn't more original with a better script.
Direction of actors really dulled their stars too the longer the movie moved forward. Left out what should have been the delight of revealing all the puzzles & puzzle pieces like the far super Spanish Prisoner or even.the delicious Deathtrap. And of course Knives Out, Glass Onion by Rian Johnson. .The Grifters is also a great example of the darker versions of the genre and perhaps this movie was trying (too hard, too ploddingly) and very unsuccessfully to emulate that great film. Watch when there's nothing else on.
Deadline (2022)
Revenge fantasy hits its mark.
Against tabloid media. The kind exemplified by every Rupert Murdoch owned , tainted & infested atrocity - most of the rags in British & Australian media - and increasingly the despicable or cowardly elements of USA media - especially those owned by Murdoch & others right wing media outlets of every type: print, radio, television, YouTube, TikTok, podcasts, meta, / facebook, GQP ad Infinitum.
In that regard it's actually quite a successful series. Turnabout is fair play.
Interestingly it starts by building sympathy for several of the main characters & dropping red herrings all along the way so that it becomes difficult to determine who is deserving of the viewer's sympathy. I think it's actually quite brilliant in the end.
Summer of Rockets (2019)
Keeley Hawes alone rates a10+
Exquisite acting by Hawes. A great ensemble cast alone makes it worth watching but she is incredible. The spy & technology Cold War era components are icing on the cake. Enjoyed it very much / so far. Haven't finished but I am a fan at this point about halfway in. IF YOU LIKE SLOW HIRSES, I think you will appreciate this series.
Dealing with the unbearable ravism/anti-semitism is a timely reminder that we are still not that far from it - the series is set right after WW2 & biggest historical genocide & murderous tragedy of the modern era.
The cinematography, sets, settings, landscapes.are luscious- Downton Abbey fans will also appreciate.
Elements of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping if you look for it.
But again, Keeley Hawes- outstanding & lovely.