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Love & Death (2023)
Unnecessarily long
Although this was well done and detailed, I found myself saying, "Isn't this over yet?" and "How much longer?" I watched the other recent show about the same topic, and found them to be reasonably comparable. Like some others, I didn't really understand the point of two such similar shows released so closely together. Maybe it was poor corporate spying and one streamer didn't realize the other had it in production. Who knows?
My 30 year old daughter has also seen both (we just watched this one together) and she is a huge fan of both, as well as of the true story. I guess there's enough interest for the story to be a micro-industry.
Happy Valley (2014)
Diction, diction, diction!
I enjoyed this series. It has a great story line (albeit without much suspense), fine actors and good pacing (except the "tie up all the loose ends" in the last episode). My intense frustration was my inability to clearly understand the lead character and to a lesser extent, a couple of other main characters. It's not the accent (I'm American), as most of the actors were easily understandable. It's the mumbly, poor enunciation without enough volume. I don't appreciate having to turn son closed captions for a program in English.
I would have rated it higher if I could have simply enjoyed the show without working so hard to understand the lead, and having to do frequent rewinds to catch the dialogue.
A side note to all the reviewers who complain about "man bashing" - this is a police procedural! Most crime, especially violent crime, is committed by men, who also represent the vast majority of the incarcerated population. Watch other genres if you want to see more "good dad" characters.
Citadel (2023)
Dialogue suffers from poor diction from leads
I was lukewarm about the concept, but love the Russo brothers' work, and gave it a go. Aside from the plot weakness others have noted, I have a terrible time understanding all of the dialogue. I even turned on subtitles/cc at one point. DICTION is seriously lacking, especially in Richard Madden's speech. It isn't an accent issue - I watch loads of international video, particularly UK offerings, and all of GOT, and rarely have this issue. It's mumbly speech; I turned off the last episode I was watching midway through because it simply was too irritating to continue. There is so much excellent content available now that one doesn't have to put up with lesser offerings.
The Lazarus Project (2022)
Doesn't hold my attention; can't understand lead's dialogue
I recently watched Fringe for the first time, so I was geared up for the mental work of tracking the various timelines and time change repercussions. However, I was endlessly frustrated by the difficulty I had in understanding the lead character. I watch a lot of video from around the world, including a significant amount of British TV/movies. I generally prefer British to American shows because the people are more often like real people, not just the prettiest actors in the queue that American media churns out.
Usually, it takes me an episode or two to get acclimated to the rhythm of strong accents (and occasionally some subtitles). But what I cannot abide is actors who don't speak distinctly enough to be understood, regardless of accent. Essiedu's mushy, indistinct speech takes far too much effort to follow, and the show hasn't shown itself to be worth the effort. Other reviewers noted the whispery speech of some of the actors, as well. This seems to be an increasingly common element of many shows. Real folks don't walk around whispering all of their conversations.
Another frustration some reviewers noted is the overall darkness of the show. This, too, seems to be more common of late. It seems reasonable to actually be able to see what's happening on the screen without (or even in spite of) viewing in a dark room.
I have just rolled the frustration about a number of shows I've seen in the last couple of years into this show. It was the tipping point, though, because I couldn't understand so much of the lead's sloppy diction. Where are the vocal coaches??
Fresh (2022)
Just ok
Cannibal theme in another form. I am SO tired of fresh faced young 20 somethings being paired with 40 year old men in dating scenarios. It rings false from the start, no matter how hot Sebastian may be. The plot requires the woman to be incredibly stupid to get herself in a "situation". And it was written by a woman, even worse! It passes the time, but not quickly enough.
Settlers (2021)
Engrossing and thought provoking
There's clearly a divide in expectations reviewers had of the film before watching it, as evidenced by their reviews. I thought it was beautifully done, and having just watched it, am left with lingering thoughts to ponder. The pacing suits the environment and story line; it's definitely not a Sci-Fi action film. Kudos to all involved. (I was especially impressed at how Nell's eyes/expression seemed a natural continuation of Brooklynn's. Nicely done.)
Black Holes (2017)
Clever and creative with one major flaw.
I quite enjoyed this overall. Oddly loveable. However, the gratuitous female with a rich daddy and bulbous breasts (clothed and nude) added nothing. Indeed, it was a highly annoying distraction and will be a reason not to watch thIs. Highly disrespectful to your potential female audience.
Captive State (2019)
Might have been great if I could have seen what was happening
I get dark and gritty, but I am frankly getting tired of having to work so hard to SEE. Too many literally dark films of late that go past being atmosphere into squinting eyes and plain annoyance. I don't want to have to work to watch a movie. John Goodman great as always, based on dialogue.
Captain Marvel (2019)
Fun fun fun
Loved the positive vibes, joyous chaos of Captain Marvel. Young girls across America are well served by her. Awesome storyline. Great casting.
However, the CGI effects on Samuel Jackson's age were beyond distracting. And he kept changing, depending on the shot. Whoever thought this was an effective plan to knock decades off his age should have stuck with prosthetics and makeup.
The Ascent (2017)
A gem
This film is a great example of storytelling and filmmaking that doesn't require big $$ to compel the watcher and create a suspension of disbelief. I was engrossed start to finish. Kudos to the creators, cast and crew.