fmfernan Reviews

The Boys: The Instant White-Hot Wild (2022) Season 3, Episode 8

Yet another TV show with plot armor

[5/10 · 16 July 2022]

Why is it that every great TV show starts super real, with characters that can die at any time and then, after a couple of seasons, they start to make some characters survive when there's absolutely no point.

In this case, Maeve was dying a total hero. Let her die! Her survival makes it feel we are watching a DC movie instead of a dark parody of it, so frustrating.

Time Out of Mind (2014)

It will make you understand homelessness better with a beautiful story (just don't miss it)

[8/10 · 16 September 2015]

One time I visited San Francisco as a tourist, and the one thing that stroke me about that city was the big number of homeless people asking for money everywhere. I thought: how is this possible in one of the richest cities of the world?? Somebody told me that they are all mentally ill people, but I doubted... isn't it maybe that they just can't or don't want to find a job? I would rather believe in this explanation, because I couldn't grasp mental illness at the level where you prefer to be sleeping in the streets and wandering around instead of getting the simplest job to live with dignity.

Time Out Of Mind made me understand it. I see now that there probably is a large part of homeless people (specially those that remain in that status for a long time) whose main problem is mental sickness, not lack of skills or will.

The main character (George) is a mentally troubled old man. He has been homeless for 10 years and he is "fucked up" in his own words. The only relative he has in this world is a daughter who he loves but can't connect with because of his own mind.

The style of the film is very passive, to the point some people think there is no story in the movie, but that is not true, it just happens very smoothly.

The movie is about a delusional man who tries to overcome his own mind to be able to regain his daughter, who is about to leave the city. It contains an interesting message, and a beautiful story if you don't miss it (hint: try to figure out who is real and who is fictional in the movie).

I rate it with 8/10 because I think the movie could have been clearer/more direct without sacrificing its good parts. It could have been more explicit in the climax, more evident, and still keep the realistic portrait of the mentally ill homeless.

State of Play (2009)

Entertaining to watch, silly ending

[6/10 · 14 February 2010]

State of Play is a great name for this movie. It presents the story of several people playing fighting for different things, but because of the same motives: money and prestige.

You have reporters holding evidence to make a good story before giving it to the Police. While the evidence is held, people die for it. You have a big company apparently killing people to frustrate the good intentions of good congressmen. You have congressmen attacking the big company to earn prestige, or working with them to earn money.

Everybody is playing a game, and winning that game is more important than doing the right thing, consistently. The title "State of Play" is a reference to the relationship between the State and all these games being played at the same time.

The movie is entertaining as any good thriller. Unfortunately, they ruined it by introducing a not credible twist in the story a couple of minutes before the end. It was unnecessary and sadly executed in my opinion.