davenullstein Reviews

The Blacklist (2013–2023)

Disappointing

[4/10 · 5 November 2013]

If you take Silence of the Lambs and replace Anthony Hopkins the serial killer with James Spader the terrorist financier/traitor (or whatever the hell he's supposed to be), Jodie Foster with a bland, generic actress, and the FBI with a bunch of morons who seem to enjoy letting Spader screw them over in every episode, you end up with The Blacklist.

On the purely superficial entertainment level, the only thing this show has going for it is James Spader and it's not nearly enough.

On a slightly deeper level it's agitprop for the anti-terrorism security state: to beat them you must join them, and you can break any rules you like in the process. Not much new here.

World Without End (2012)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 6 September 2012]

I greatly enjoyed the "Pillars of the Earth" miniseries without having read the novel and was then inspired to read World Without End which I loved. However, having watched the first episode of "World Without End" miniseries, I am dismayed to find a greatly altered beginning, minor characters transformed into major ones, and drama that just didn't occur in the book. I'm also not thrilled with some of the casting choices.

Otherwise, the production looks pretty good. You will probably enjoy it if you haven't read the book. Be prepared for possible disappointment if you have.

I supposed I should go and read Pillars of the Earth now and find out what I missed.

Mirror Mirror (I) (2012)

Bottom of the barrel

[1/10 · 26 May 2012]

If there was ever any magic and romance in the story of Snow White, this movie has completely destroyed it. My first complaint is with the look of the movie... gaudy and utterly fake. Perhaps this is on purpose but nonetheless it was a huge turn off. This style sort of worked for the 2004 movie Ella Enchanted which, while Saturday morning kid's fare, still bests this movie in every way. With Ella I think it was more of a budget issue. Mirror is just tacky.

And then there's the script.... oh god, the script... not funny, not cute, not original. Where the art direction seems aimed at children, the script is aimed at cynical adults, and misses by a mile.