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rmn_gonzalez
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Sinsawa Agassi (2021)
Enjoy the ride
There are a few things I have learned while watching K-dramas. They can be more or less summed up in two statements: Suspend your disbelief; Enjoy the ride.
(Maybe it helps that I grew up watching Brazilian soaps in the seventies, before my parents moved back to Europe)
The quality lies not so much in the high-level dialogues and brilliant acting, but in the unexpected plot twists.
This one is a classic rags-to-riches tale, with all the necessary elements: pretty poor girl - a bit on the very naive side - finds employment as the tutor of the three children of the rich just-widowed CEO. I don't think it is necessary to say any more than that.
As is usual in K-dramas, the evil backstabbing plotters are particularly loathsome and very often I was seriously tempted to jus fast forward (sometimes I really had to do it when I was in danger of throwing the screen out of the window).
The acting is not very polished, as is often the case with this type of 50 episodes drama (made for a national audience). Back in the day they were shot on a weekly basis, with very little rehersal, and new chapters written as the drama was already being aired. I figure this is still very much the case. It is quite different from the more modern dramas of 16 episodes (made for international audiences) that are being done these days, with higher production standards.
So, essentially, you really have to take this as it is: an enjoyable romp, where you can hate the villains and hope that the writers give you the happy ending you're hoping for.
Severance (2022)
something wicked this way comes
Every once in a while, you stumble upon true greatness. Coming off watching a few very mediocre series and one really bad one, I have now watched four episodes of severance.
And you know how to best tell that is really is THAT good? I don't notice time passing by.
This is a feeling that I haven't had since watching succession, which compares in stellar cast, top writing and great directing, not to mention the fantastic cinematography.
Contentwise, this feels distantly reminiscent of the Good Place, with a similar sense of a greater purpose and a feeling of incescapability.
The setting is byzantine and orwellian, the humour is pitch black. TV does not come any better than this.
The Stand: The Circle Closes (2021)
I am embarassed
This was so bad, it could almost have been good. But it was to bad, even to enjoy it for being bad.
Like some kind of fan fiction or something...
Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)
More fun than a basket of kittens
I had a great time watching this. Like some weird illicit child of David Lynch that has been hiding under the carpet. Rosa Salazar is top notch as the aspiring movie directress in deep trouble, but also the rest of the cast are wonderful.
This is original, it is well done, has a brilliant cast and great soundtrack.
More please.
Maniac (2018)
memories of "Brazil" come to mind
This is quirky and wonderful. I love the dark humor and the eighties style visuals in this alternate universe that remind me a lot of Terry Giliam's "Brazil" on one hand and the bizarre worlds of R.A. Wilson's "Schroedinger's Cat Trilogy" on the other hand.
Emma Stone and Jonah Hill are great in this.
Dark (2017)
Well, surprised after all
This show fits well into the wave of skaninoir series out there, but at the same time is well separated from them by it's - for lack of a better expression - germanness.
I am baffled that some people would seek parallels to a show such as Stranger Things. These two shows have nothing to do with each other. Maybe because also Stranger Things is a tale of adventure in the face of the overwhelming industrial behemoth that rips our reality apart.
But other than that, Dark's strong point and fokus is really the bitterness of the human condition, particularly in a small town. It shows wonderfully, how grudges are carried over generations and how nothing that we ever do is ever a standalone action.
Some of the bad reviews call out the amateurish acting. I suggest turning off the translation and listening to the original with subtitles. Also, here is a fenomenon that I have been very happy to notice over the last few years: as more and more series are shown in their original format, we realise just how much we have become used to the anglo-saxon stereotype of acting. Other culture, countries have different ways of expressing and acting and that is just a wonderful thing that our times have brought us (I think of the original "Humans", in contrast to the much inferior english version; I am also thinking of the superb "Suburra", so rich in its italian subtleties).
Well done overall. Loved it.
Troy: Fall of a City (2018)
Don't be fooled
Well, there seems to be quite a lot of 'hate' reviewing going on for this title.
The problem: the show has cast a multiracial cast for a show set in a time where purportedly all the protagonists had white skin.
Well, I could delve into the scientific data, that shows that things may not quite be as they are seen from our present day views, but I would probably bore everyone to death.
The question is: should we care that many characters were cast across expected stereotypes? For me the answer is clearly no. Yes, I was slightly irritated (especially by Zeus), but I like to look at content and acting rather than skin colour.
Saying that, I found the first episode entertaining and the idea of showing it all from the viewpoint of Trojans a very good one. Yes, the pacing is kind of touch and go and Paris is wooden at best. But this is the first time that I have actually found the whole 'Helena simply gets up and leaves with Paris' angle believable. Helena is played very believably and kind of looks the part. I also enjoyed Cassandra, although also here I found the attempts of the direction at horror and creepiness a bit laughable.
All in all an enjoyable romp, not quite up there with the greats, but certainly entertaining.
Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)
A beautiful adventure in the golden age of television
I have always been very happy to live in the times of peak television. So many doors have been opened in the past ten years... And every time I think "Wow, it can not get any better than this!" a series comes along that totally blows my mind, again.
Thank you, Mr. Lynch, for this beautiful study on the character of good and evil.
PS (this may be considered by some to be a spoiler, so be warned): I have a brother with a rare type of drug triggered autism. Having had my brother visit once a month at my home for Sunday dinner for the past 20 years, I can say that what Mr. MacLachlan plays as Dougie is so close to the truth, that it is simultaneously hilarious and painful to watch.