Change Your Image
Felix702
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Bosch (2014)
Season 6 - I felt like something was missing when I finished watching
Still a great series, great actors, great cinematoraphy, great score.
But by the end of Season 6 I kind of felt unsatisfied, it felt like a cheap finish to a very lazy written main story line that made no sense whatsoever. The side stroies with Edgar's Haitian crime investigations and Bosch's cold case were decent an felt real und thoughtful (altough the ending in Edgar's storyline begs some questions, as it's not quite clear what really happened or what is his "official" story for internal affairs).
But the main storyline had some major issues. First of all am I the only one that saw the nod of the female FBI agent to her partner, as if she wanted him to draw the gun, and he did so in an obvious understanding with her to get killed?? It was quite clearly implied that she was in on the whole thing with that, but in the end it didn't seem to matter (or it will in Season 7?).
But besides that in the end motives, logic and story in generel were unfortunately pretty lazy writing in my opinion. An experienced FBI agent (he reports directly to the regional boss) can only come up with the dumbest plan in history to get his lover out of her marriage and save her money?
If they just wanted him to commit a crime to break the prenup, the only way they could come up with is to make him steal radioactive material with a staged kidnapping, and then blame it on some radicals to prompt a terror threat alert for L.A.? Jesus!
And if the only goal was to make him commit a crime, which is questionable if that holds up in court when he was forced, then why kill him still? Because when killing him was the goal all along, why come up the those elaborate shenanigans in the first place? The fact that he hid the caesium didn't matter, he did already steal it, so their deal was done...and if they wanted to kill him the caesium didn't matter.
Not to speak of the ending with the bomb, which was sursprinsingly unrealistic for Bosch standards, I mean he was only a couple of steps away from that explosion and walks away with some scratches only a couple of minutes later.
Generelly I had the feeling that a lot of themes and stories were introduced just to fade out quickly or have them not matter at all.
A few examples: 1) the helicopter theme was obvious (as a symbol of the looming threat) but the threat went away and so the helicopters, they had no impact on the story whatsoever. 2) The "virus" theme, really eary in times of a global pandemic, but since this was filmed before, obviously a coincidence. But maybe it was cut or edited in that way later to fit the current situation. Meddie's doctor boyfriend says in the beginning that everything goes crazy in the hospital, and nobody knows what it is, but so many sick people, and in last episode we can hear on Bosch's radio that an illness/virus outbreak happend somewhere but was contained. Still, that all plays no role whatsoever in the story. 3) the radioactive material, the big threat, is just discovered very early on...and the threat ist gone just like that. 4) Chief Irving's major run storyline is just dropped by the end of the season by a simple threat. 5) Edgar just goes to the big drug bosse's house and kills him, pretty simple and silly.
All that hust leaves you with that "was that all, did I miss something" feeling by the end of the Season, which is kind of a shame, because I still really like the show. Hopefully Season 7 will be better.
How I Met Your Mother (2005)
Great Show - But the Finale Ruined It For Me Forever
Yes, this is a hard thing to say for me about a show that I really enjoyed watching over the years, but I simply can not enjoy re-watching any of its episodes (and there are plenty of great ones), because at the beginning of an episode where Ted explains how this story/ episode is in context with him meeting the mother, you know you are being cheated.
It's like you wanna shout at the screen: "not Ted, this is not the story how you met the mother...this is the story how you wanna bang Robin again after your wife is already dead!".
They could have even killed the mother off and it still would have been enjoyable to re-watch the whole series, even with a extremely sad ending.
But clearly explaining (in a horrible scene with the kids) that the story was never about the mother, but a desperate attempt by Ted to get his kid's approval to screw Robin again (for the hundredth time) over the dead body of his wife ruins it forever, sorry. Especially that one scene with the kids was like a giant slap in the face for the audience in my opinion.
It's not that this ending, as many have pointed out, may not be realistic in real life (it definitely is realistic). But that's not the point, the point is flushing down the toilet the whole premise of the show in the last 20 minutes, just because you can't let go of your own "lovechild" (which is the "clever" ending they already shot is Season 2). Needless to say this ending wouldn't have even worked in Season 3 or 4, but it for sure didn't work after 9 Seasons.
Unless you shipped Robin and Ted hard, and always thought the whole show was only about the two of them, re-watching it is just painful and meaningless.
House of Cards (2013)
S5 - Or How The Show Jumped The Shark (too much)
First of all I think this is overall still a great show compared to many others that are out there in the drama genre.
Generally I was disappointed with S5, because I had hoped they would take the show in another direction, namely showing how Francis Underwood would undermine the system of checks and balances to achieve almost absolute power (and maybe, or not, his downfall in doing so).
Instead the election and aftermath against his opponent was, though politically interesting, dragged out way to long. But it was what happened after that, which was really sloppy and uninspired writing.
Towards the end there where two moments where the show massively "jumped the shark". Firstly Francis pushing Durant down the stairs, I mean wtf. How was he supposed to know she would end up unconscious? Plus she was going to testify against him and then "falls down the stairs" after meeting with him, not suspicious at all! Secondly Claire killing Thomas, I mean he was living with her in the White House, everybody there knew that, and suddenly he is missing or will be found dead somewhere then, please!
I mean one could argue the killings of Zoe and Peter were unrealistic too, but as for the character Francis Underwood it made sense to take the risk at the time, a suicide by Peter was realistic for the public, and nobody knew Zoe and Francis where involved, so dramatically it made sense. But not this time, these to moments where just nut and bad writing.
I hope they conclude the series in S6, it would be a shame if it went further downhill from here.
Sense8 (2015)
To Much Focus on Sex And Sexuality
I'm not conservative, nor do I have any problems with homosexuality, bi-sexuality, trans-sexuality or the depiction of any of these in a TV show.
But a generally good TV show is nearly ruined here by an excessive focus on sex and sexuality, to a point where I seriously (after the Christmas special) start thinking about stop watching it for good, and I really enjoyed it.
But seriously, how many orgies where there already between all of them? And why should I care about it? I'm not prude at all, that's not it, I'm just annoyed.
You have the transsexual character and her story, OK, that's good, why not. Then you evolve hours and hours around the gay guy's coming out, the Indian girl's story is also almost entirely about sex with the German guy or her husband, and the German guy needs fresh girls all the time. And I could go on and on, there is one sex scene after the other.
Until then all merge to the next orgy again, oh wow, how great.
It's a shame, because it's generally a good TV show.
13 Reasons Why (2017)
Controversial - Worth Watching, But Some Nonsense Too
This is one a the few series I have mixed feelings about. So maybe this is a good sign, or a bad sign, I don't know. You should definitely watch it, but you have to live with major story and character flaws, the acting is great though, but let's get to the point.
So the series starts out really strong in my opinion. We get to know Clay and Hannah, and the first tapes reveal the first incidents leading to Hannah's decision to end her life. Every of these first events alone would never been enough to explain her suicide, but you start to get a picture, and you wonder where her story will go from here, you want to know how and why it happened, you can't imagine, and that's tense, that's good.
Also Clay's role is in the dark, in what way is he responsible? That of course adds to the suspense as he is a very relate able character, a nice guy. How on earth could he have done something so horrible?
And there is Tony, that mysterious guy, watching everybody, the man behind the tapes, I was excited.....and very disappointed how the story of those two characters plays out. It is one of the great minus points of the show.
Because of course there is a twist with Clay's tape, and in the episodes leading up two it you could see it coming from a mile away, I guessed it right. Clay didn't do anything at all to Hannah, it was the other way around in fact. Which doesn't stop Tony from telling him the episode before, he killed Hannah, wtf?
It also makes the whole Tony story line ridiculous and nonsensical. Why didn't he tell him beforehand, Clay almost killed himself, and why did he stalk him every step of the way in the beginning to watch the tapes, in a story he didn't really play a major role whatsoever, why would he ever threaten to release the tapes, why would he even care? Obviously he didn't even know Hannah that well. I can just shake my head on this.
The second really questionable thing in this show is that some of the kids on the tape didn't do much at all, which is, I know, kind of the point, not knowing how many little things can push somebody unstable off the cliff, so OK. But why the hell would people like Alex, Zach, Ryan or Courtney have a need to conspire because of these tapes, or think their lives are over, when the tapes show nothing but the usual high school crap, which again, is kind of the point, and an important one nonetheless. It doesn't make an sense at all, and Alex even shoots himself because of this in the end, again wtf??
As for the ending, well that's very disappointing too. You wait for some kind of big revelation, twist or conclusion, and get served with kind of nothing at all. The may, or not, bust the rapist, and Clay finished listening to the tapes, like he could have in a few hours like everybody else...you know without going insane, if Tony had told him he is just on the tape, because Hannah was in love with him too. ^^
It was also a little too convenient in the story line to let the rape be the reason for her suicide, because basically the rape washed all the other reasons away in my opinion, as Hannah herself described how she "dies" during it. That reduces the story to Hannah got raped, couldn't get help, was destroyed by the trauma and committed suicide. I mean, who knows, maybe she would have even without all the other things, she still could have been there at that place and time without all other 11 incidents leading up to it.
Still, and although I agree that Hannah's character is annoying at times, and much drama, I don't agree with many comments here blaming herself or hating the series because of the character. Suicide is always, besides in situations of objective desperation with no way out at all, a "selfish" and irrational decision.
That's the point of the show, Hannah may be oversensitive (of course only up to the part where she is actually raped), dramatic and weirdly thinking the world is always against her, and yes sometimes annoying because of this. But that's exactly the type of personality that can be pushed to her limits by little, seemingly meaningless things, one after the other, and then when trauma really hits, not seeing a way out but to end it.
That's what everybody should have always in mind, and makes the show still worth watching, with all its flaws.
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Please Come to an End! - Decline in Quality
First of all let me say that I really love the show in general, especially the first couple of seasons.
But one has to admit that the main story arc of the show ended in season 8 (at the latest), and that was "will Penny (the hot girl) and Leonard (the nerd) end up together". And we are stuck ever since.
You can clearly see they don't know what to to with both of the characters anymore, breaking them up again would upset everyone, as it would be more of the same all over again, but otherwise they have no story at all anymore, which is the case at the moment.
Same goes for Howard and Bernadette, yes the were able to pull some obvious jokes off regarding them having a baby, but that's sitcom 101, basically their story has come to an end too, and is super boring.
And don't get me even started on Raj, such an annoying story line, what an annoying character he has become, and what a really bad actor Kunal Nayyar is (sorry but it's true), they should get rid of his character asap.
Only Amy and Sheldon are still at some level able to remind you of the good old days when this show used to be super funny.
I'm rather sad to hear that they already announced a season 12!, yeah money makes the world go round, it's a cash cow for everyone, especially the actors, as they make a real fortune out of it.
But I'm very much afraid we are on our way to the late Two And a Half Man, this show deserved better, but I guess that's just the fate of all of Cuck Lorre's shows in the end.
The Walking Dead (2010)
Where Do We Go From Here?
Let's face it, even a show like TWD, as good as it was throughout the years, has to come to an end at some time. We are in Season 8 right now, and you can't carry on forever, I mean the show has maybe 2 or max. 3 seasons left, before it becomes an endless cycle of a story becoming meaningless.
And that's my great issue with the show at the moment. Only 2 or 3 seasons ago I would have given it 9 or 10 stars, now I'm down to 5, because I feel in a sense we are already kind of half way there when it comes to endless cycles.
Again, there is a new community, a kind of sanctuary, and again it is not as great as it seems at first, and again there are rivals groups and new villains, again there will be fight and bloodshed, again we learn about different (more or less) crazy ways to cope with the apocalypse.
In this context I have to say the show is given way to much credit by die hard fans all over the internet for portraying the fight for survival in an apocalyptic scenario, and how "inventive" it is as a great "social experiment" of human behavior, and how humans are the real danger in such a scenario, not the "walkers". Well, you don't say!^^ Almost every post-apocalyptic movie or show is kind of about that, that's no selling point to me.
And when it comes to realism, well I don't wanna go into that, because that's not a strong point of TWD either. In fact I don't really care much about realism, all I care about is a consistent story line, believable character development and drama. And TWD fails in the first two categories for the last few seasons unfortunately.
It feels like we are kind of stuck with the characters in their apocalypse, there is no moving forward, there is no vision where the show and the characters might go, another set of walkers, another villain, another community, it feels exhausted.
And as much as I like the charisma of Neagan, in the end he is just a pointless villain with an all to obvious expiration date, just portraying an even purer evil as before, that's all. The whole Saviors thing is annoying to me, because it's not very clever writing, nor are the saviors and Neagan that clever as characters, as they are just begging for an uprising of any or all communities. I mean if you are under constant danger to be killed for almost no reason, and face the problem that you know you wont be able to "deliver" one day, then two options are obvious, fight or flight, staying is not an option, it's a no brainer and inevitable. A clever kind of new "Maffia" wouldn't act that way, nor should it be written that way.
All in all I think that the show should come to an end in the near future, and taking serious steps to a conclusive story line, but knowing that the comics still carry on and that it's a cash cow I fear for the worst. What works for a comic reader, which is story after story with no ending, doesn't work for a TV audience, a TV show needs a conclusion and an ending.
Goliath (2016)
Good Acting - Bad Writing
Billy Bob Thornton delivers a really good performance as Billy McBride, although you have to admit he was a perfect fit for the role too, I mean the character is not for away from his true personality probably.
Apart from that there are many loopholes in the story, they try to dive into a detailed world of law, and kind of fail. The relationships between the characters and the world they live in are worth watching, but don't wait for much logic when it comes to the plot.
First of all, the whole Donald Cooperman vs Billy McBride fight is rather comical at times, as Donald Cooperman is portrayed as some kind of super villain hiding in his "fortress" the whole time, yet stupid enough to let the case go on despite the enormous risks and everyone advising him otherwise, and even jeopardizing everything just for a showdown with Billy, like in an odd mediocre movie. And even that showdown is ruined as he suffered a stroke.
Secondly the ending of S1 is just absurd and pointless. They build up the story with some twists in the middle, but in the end Billy is completely empty handed in fact, just delivering an emotional speech, and that sways the jury, again like in an odd mediocre movie.
I'm not saying that couldn't happen, a jury might still be willing to convict a large corporation, they are still just a bunch of ordinary people sitting there. But then again, that's exactly what the defense should have known, yet they were for some unknown reason convinced they would win it no matter what?!
And in the end everything goes so confidently like the CEO admitting everything after the trial, and of course he taped it, and of course everybody is arrested, well.
And to think that the great twist and surprise would be that Cooperman was the one trying to kill Billy, well, everyone watching it kind of knew that all along.
So I don't know what S2 would be about, and I'm not sure if I would be watching either.
Lucifer (2016)
Surprisingly Good - From an Atheist's Perspective
I hesitated to start watching this show, but I have to say without even realizing it in the beginning I stuck with it ever since.
Frist of all I like the idea of the devil in this show, because it's an interesting perspective, even for me as an atheist.
So, is the devil, or the fallen angel Lucifer, really the monster responsible for all evil in the world? Well, actually, if you take scripture very seriously, then the answer is, like portrayed in the show, a resounding no.
Actually God is the one sending Lucifer to hell, thus creating the balance between hell and heaven, good and evil. All Lucifer does, is to use people's desires to lead them on the wrong path, on the path to hell, but he can't interfere with their free will, they are still free to choose.
God on the other hand is the one creating and taking lives, interfering with the lives of people all the time, eventually deciding the fate of everyone, even the fate of Lucifer himself, as God is almighty, Lucifer is not.
And according to the Bible, God killed sinners for praying to false gods, and he is actually judging over your deeds after you die, which is deciding if you go to hell or heaven. Lucifer, on the other hand, did never kill anyone, actually only people do.
So I hope nobody get's butt hurt because of this thoughts, or is accusing me of being the advocate of Satan. :), but if you are a believer, then you should kind of think about it.
Secondly Tom Ellis performance is extraordinary. Charming, witty, on point, just great.
I think the setting of the show with solving a crime every episode is not very beneficial and boring at times though, there are plenty of shows out there with this concept, I don't want a CIS Lucifer here. The plot should focus much more on the relationships between the characters, and find a more interesting main story line, but I have to say that they are going in the right direction with that in the middle of S 2.
Mozart in the Jungle (2014)
Getting Worse
Entertaining show in the beginning, but losing grip every season.
The two main characters are, thanks to Bernal and Kirke, still able to care for and sympathetic, they give a great performance.
But the plot is kind of going nowhere, and dragged out much too long. Still enjoyable to pass the time, and if you don't get in touch witch classical music that much.
Season 3s absolute low point are the first couple of episodes with Monica Bellucci though I have to say. Such sub par acting from her part, it's really a shame, it gives her character a kind of (not funny) ridiculousness usually only to be seen in b-movies, and that's where she obviously would belong if she started her acting career today in my opinion, Lola Kirke outperforms her by a milestone.
The Man in the High Castle (2015)
A+ for character development
First of all I have to say that I'm stunned by the many (even recent) negative reviews, not because they are negative, but because of the reasons given.
Yes, the show is slow paced, so that's not for everybody I guess. But apart from that I think many people complaining fail to understand the main point of the show. They do an excellent job in character development, which is crucial, as it shows in a (at least in my opinion) believable way, how people's actions and even characters are largely influenced by the circumstances and experiences in their lives.
It show us that, even if we ridiculously believe that our never changing morals and our goodness of heart define us, that does in no way hold up to reality.
We see Obergruppenführer Smith, a former US soldier in WW2, who arranged himself with the new Nazi regime, making a career in the SS, and even coming to fully integrate the Nazi ideology into his life and family. And you could ask yourself, wouldn't you take the side of the winner, providing a life in wealth for your family? Or you'd think your morals would be profound enough to join the resistance?
Or what would you believe in, if you were brought up in such a regime like Thomas, would you doubt any of it's ideology? Or what would be your choice if you waited for the approval of your father your whole life, who is by chance a high ranked Nazi leader like Joe Blake's? Would you turn your back on him, or enjoy the tempting life in power and luxury in Berlin? How far are you willing to go if innocent people are about to die? What do your promises to change (to Juliana) mean to you?
And speaking of the resistance, they are not portrayed as angels and heroes alone, as an odd patriotic movie would, they all have a personal reason to fight, because the regime killed people they loved, and in some choices they can still be cruel an inhumane too, committed to their cause. And you could ask yourself, like many before, how much violence and death is justified to overturn an evil empire? Take Frank Frink as an example, he didn't want anything to do with the resistance, and just live his life, but then his sister and her children were gassed, Juliana got involved, and he was sucked in more and more into the resistance, becoming a real warrior in the end.
In the end only Juliana is special for being a constant in character throughout every parallel universe and outcome, which is why she is chosen by the Man In The High Castle to prevent disaster, and all the people evolving around her play a part in the chain of events.
If Frank doesn't blow up the Nippon building the Japanese general, preparing for war, would have survived and Inspector Kido wouldn't have been in charge to bring Tagomi's film to Smith. Smith would have not been able to go to Berlin if Juliana didn't shoot Dixon to protect Thomas. And Smith would not have been able to get to Heusmann if it wasn't for Joe, who also tried to prevent war.
What I really enjoy about this show is the lack of black and white, good and bad, it's not trying to educate you. That doesn't mean it's all just shades of Grey, the Nazi empire is still evil in itself, so is the Japanese empire. But that doesn't mean we are not allowed to feel and have empathy with people like Obergruppenführer Smith and Inspector Kido, not forgetting the cruel and inhumane acts they have committed, but sometimes also were forced to commit as part of their role in their regimes.
Yes there are some minor flaws in the show, like Nazis referring to themselves as Nazis, which seems a little funny. Or that they were not able to find German native speakers for the German roles in most cases, which is funny when you hear high ranked Nazis in Berlin speaking an accent, although compared to other shows those actors do a pretty good job, so American audiences probably won't notice at all.
And the thing with parallel universes, well people, it's a well know theory in theoretical physics that a infinite number of parallel universes exist, so I don't see a point in why this should be explained. You could argue that is an impossibility to travel between them just through meditation, but I mean come on, you have to give the show at least some kind of fiction to begin with.
So I hope there will be a Season 3, and I would definitely be there to watch it!
The Walking Dead: Hearts Still Beating (2016)
Good Episode...
....but seriously, how come that some of these characters made it that far in the apocalypse, and act that insanely stupid every time.
Carl, for example (I know not this episode), did really think he could just jump on a truck, hide until he arrives at the compound, and then just get out and kill Negan, because, hell, he is going to show in front of the truck for sure, or he will show himself to be shot once called, yeah, right. I mean I let that pass, as something that could really happen if somebody is filled with rage and foolishly blind, but OK.
Then Rick and Aaron find a house boat in the middle of a lake/river (not clear on this one), filled with walkers. So the reasonable man would think, they would figure out a plan (I mean it's not like every minute did count here) to get there safely. What's the shortest path, where are the least walkers, what to use, and so on.
Hell no, they are going for the first thing they see, which is a boat with a looooot of holes. But instead of at least figuring out how to maybe somehow fix the mayor holes, well they just go for it, and Aaron almost dies of course, wth? And on top of that Spencer. I mean really? Who couldn't see that coming, it was a 100% clear Negan would kill him after that proposal. How could he think otherwise? And what would he have had to gain if Negan put him in "charge" instead of Rick, I mean they are both Negan's slaves at the moment, and Negan can't control who "runs" things anyway, whatever that would have meant for Spencer, while he is gone. I mean sure, he could have said Spencer runs things now, but Rick would still have been the respected leader in the shadows, so what's to gain for Negan? If he thinks Rick is too much of a threat, he just kills him, so he killed Spencer to make his point, obviously. He must have been out of his mind to try that move!?
Designated Survivor (2016)
Such a Great Disappointment
Way to ruin a really good idea, and an interesting story line.
This show jumps the shark at any moment, I'm sorry.
I had to stop watching at ep. 4, when the president is told they had the location of the terrorist who took out the whole government and legislation of the U.S., and he refused to bomb the place, because an undercover agent may be still inside, wtf?
In what alternate universe would that ever happen? The U.S. even weighs the risk of killing civilians when taking out terrorist with drones, and I'm not judging that in one way or another now, but it's the freaking reality.
Too much PC-nonsense in this show, no government in the world could even afford to put morals always first in every way in this situation, those are just the rules of power, no moral judgment here too.
All in all much wasted potential.
A Girl Like Her (2015)
Entertaining? Maybe - Educating? No
First of all I have to say that the performances of the young actors in this low budget production are pretty good, and they are absolutely capable of making you feel with them every step of the way.
Secondly the POV shots are a good idea regarding the topic, letting the audience experience the real terror of a bully.
Unfortunately that's about it for me when it comes to the positive things about this movie.
To me shooting it as a fake documentary didn't give it enough emotional depth, as the flow of the story line, and especially the victim's story was interrupted too much. This way the educational (or awareness) part was pretty dominant, which is my real problem with this movie, because it clearly fails in this category.
The movie portrays a stereotype of a bully that doesn't really reflect reality, but much more how bullying was received back in the day. Somenone from a troubled family, or with personal problems that copes with his or her frustration by bullying the victim. So kind of the classic "give me your lunch money", just on a higher level.
Not only is bullying clearly in most all of the cases a social behavior, that has a lot of group dynamics involved, which means a terror on the level that leads to suicide attempts is very often the result of active bullying from several people or a larger group. But bullying is not necessarily connected to personal problems of the bully himself.
I would even go as far as to say that the bully in the movie is not even a real bully, but would rather qualify as a psychopath, or someone with a personality disorder. She is almost obsessed with her victim, writing her hundreds of text massages online and via mobile, threatening to kill her, or suggesting her to kill herself multiple times, almost every day. That would be very unusual and alarming, and can never never be explained with some minor problems at home as in the movie, where the bully has a sudden crisis of conscience in the end, suggesting she is also just a troubled girl with the need for love.
Also they obviously throw in online bullying, but fail to really address the problem. Text massages or mails can be avoided, you can get a new phone number or mail address. What we didn't see was online shaming and harassment, often in connection with social media, almost always, again, a group thing. Often sexual orientation of the victim is involved, often pictures and videos of victims are used.
A whole movie from the perspective of the victim, no fake documentary, maybe with a lot of POV shots would have been better, showing how it comes to such a thing as a suicide attempt in more depth, in that case I wouldn't even have bothered so much with the educational part.
If I Stay (2014)
Yes, it's cheesy - but it touches you
It's not that I don't agree with many of the reviews, this movie is for sure not an award worthy masterpiece at all. And it get's cheesy to a certain degree, you can even argue if Chloe Grace Moretz was the right choice for the part playing the shy misfit (altough I think she did a terrific job).
But I have to admit, that movie got to me, I just couldn't hold back my tears in many scenes, that said being a married man in my 30s.
I don't know why, but I just felt the pain and sadness in it, especially when seeing the flashbacks that are beautifully build up.
The end is a little abrupt, maybe more than you'd expect and are comfortable with, but it makes sense in itself when you see the whole movie.
So, I guess this movie is not for everyone, but if you let go and feel with the characters it will touch you, and that's the most important part to me.
Orange Is the New Black (2013)
Stopped Wachting in S4 - Your Daily Prison Soap
It's a shame, because I initially really liked the show, the first season was so great, but I have to say that I stopped watching it in S4 (I just skipped many parts up until the finale).
I stopped as soon as I heard the show has been renewed for a 5th 6th and 7th! season, and after S3 and S4 (altough S4 was indeed better) there are plenty of shows out there worth watching, and OITNB is not one of them anymore.
There are basically 2 main reasons for that.
The show basically has become a daily soap in prison, there is in fact no main story line anymore, I even would go as far as to say that there is not even a single real story line anymore in the show. It's daily life in prison, seasoned with a little drama that goes nowhere, it feels exhausting, it feels like you are stuck with the characters in prison, waiting to do your time. I don't see where the show might go in the following seasons, but I don't care about endless cycles of soap- or telenovela-style story lines with dozens of characters.
And that brings me to the second main reason I stopped watching, the characters. I S1 the show had a main story line and some main characters, we were getting to know Piper (if you like her or not, I know her character is controversial, to say the least) and her transformation as she spent time in prison. In S3 and 4 that is all washed away by adding more and more characters without getting rid of old ones. It's even hard to recall all the names, let alone all their stories that are detailed way to much in dozens of useless flashbacks, and again lead nowhere. It's like the showrunners are thinking: "Well, we don't know what to do with the story line anyway, let's throw in even more characters". Unfortunately I stopped counting, and I stopped caring about them, it's just to much, it's like and endless mix.
I get that the show touches some recently important subjects regarding prison life, and the system in general, but that's not enough for me, farewell OITNB, I'm sorry.
Revenge (2011)
Highly recommended, has its lows regarding writing, but still great
Highly recommended. If you are looking for a new kind of drama with a strong female main character, brilliantly played by Emily VanCamp, then Revenge is definitely your show.
Yes, it has its's lows in writing, and there is without a doubt a lack in realism and consistency to some degree that you have to overlook, but the show was originally classified as a Soap after all (although it's not a classic Soap or Telenovela at all, so don't be mistaken).
S1 was absolutely one of the greatest drama seasons I have ever seen, and yes, the show touches some soap clichés and "anything-goes"-writing to some degree in S 2-4, but the overall experience is great, if you once start watching, you will stick with it.
Cons:
- Inconsistency in storytelling to some degree
- Some unnecessary introduction of side characters and side story lines that lead nowhere
- Sometimes sloppy writing in S 2-4, where it seems they it was all too comfortable to explain some things away, because it's soapy already
Pros:
- Characters you can care about, or to root for
- A general premise that immediately allows you to connect with the main character and leaves you wanting to see one rich bastard after the other fall yourself, loosely based on the Count of Monte Christo
- Brilliant acting by Emily VanCamp (Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke), Madeleine Stowe(as vicious Queen Victoria Grayson), Henry Czerny (as ruthless patriarch Conrad Grayson) and Nolan Ross (as Emily's sidekick Nolan Ross)
- One of the most bad-ass female characters in television: Emily Thorne
- Emotional story lines, scenes and episodes, that will make you laugh and cry
- Twists and turns that will shock you, and leave you breathless (although some might argue that they jumped the shark with one particular twist at the end of S3, and they may be right)
- Very powerful final episodes in every season, and even better season finales that will leave you wanting more
- One of the best scores and soundtracks in drama television in last couple of years in my opinion, that really generates the perfect atmosphere and fits the emotional scenes perfectly
- The show has an actual ending, an ending you can agree or disagree with, but at least a conclusion, not like other shows that drive you crazy with shitty endings
Mr. Robot (2015)
Good pilot, strong main character, get's worse along the way, partly rip-off
I honestly have to say that I am stunned by the review average here, and even more so by the Golden Globe awarded to the series itself, and especially to Christian Slater.
But I suppose most of the reviews date back to the time of the pilot, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Hollywood Foreign Press didn't even bother to watch it past the first episode.
Overall the series is just average at best in my opinion, here's why.
Pros:
- the pilot is intriguing, and the general premise new and innovative
- the show has a strong main character you can relate to and care about, brilliantly played by Rami Malek
- the show is authentic with respects to hacking and IT in general, which is refreshing
Cons:
- besides the main character, the other characters and their character development are just a mess, in fact you have to wonder why they are even there in the first place, why you should care about them, or why they even have to be in the story, in which they play no essential role whatsoever
The whole Tyrell Wellick storyline for example is just a huge and very cheap rip-off of American Psycho mixed with a little bit of the Underwoods from House of Cards. Only that Tyrell Wellick is acting so stupid that you have to wonder why he even got his current job this way in the first place. If you wanna be CTO of a global company, and you are outrun by a competitor, just try to f*** his wife, that's the great plan? Jesus! And how was all of this relevant to the storyline?
And Angela does exactly what? I mean even she doesn't know obviously, and I don't know why she is even there. I know they are trying to play this whole "I was fighting the good fight, but now I'm stuck with this evil company I was trying to fight, and I kinda like it" ambiguity, but come on! Would be more realistic if she didn't start out in some kind of middle management position at an IT-Company to begin with.
- realism: while the hacking stuff might be realistic, the rest for sure is not. No, no global company would hire someone that somehow managed to expose their darkest secrets and put many of their former members of the board in prison potentially. No, no global company would survive having caused (or being the starting point) of a global financial meltdown of that dimension. No you can't just walk into your IT-security company and get passed security with the ID of your coworker, then log in with that ID, and then plant a virus into the system, they would know it was you (cameras anyone?).
-storyline: the storyline is basically one hack after the pilot. Whereas in the pilot we get to know the hacker Eliott and his view of the world, and the people he hacks, which is pretty exciting, all of that is kind of washed away by a drug/ psychic component combined with one great hack to change the world by a group clearly inspired by Anonymous in real life.
-twists and ending of S1: the great twist of S1 is unfortunately and disappointingly a big rip-off of Fight Club, and the ending of S1 is neither the closure of a chapter of a storyline nor a cliffhanger, it's just confusing and makes you wonder if you really want to watch a S2.
The 4400 (2004)
S1 and 2 top, after that steady decline in quality, upsetting ending
I just finished watching all 4 seasons on Netflix, and I have to say that S1 and 2 were really innovative and enjoyable Sci-Fi drama, with characters and stories you would care about. I also liked the idea behind the storyline.
Unfortunately the original storyline was washed away by adding more and more esoteric and religious nonsense in S3 and S4 , which amounted in the praise of a new Jesus (Jordan Collier) with a cult like movement willing to sacrifice half of the population of the earth because of some book and visions, a way that was hardly questioned in the end (altough it ends on a cliffhanger),and was indeed portrayed as good.
The whole mess started out when they added that rival group from the future trying to sabotage the 4400 with grown up Isabelle, instead of focusing on what really happens in the future (which was never made clear) and how the 4400 should prevent it, I mean set some milestones! By that time unfortunately a lot of plot holes started to emerge too, for example abducting Maia again and sending her further back into the past, or Tom committing "suicide" and being send back, Elena being abducted and send back further in the past too. I mean if it's just that easy to send everybody around in time and bring someone back from the dead into another dimension, what's the point of the 4400 anyway? Then everything goes, why not sending someone back to the ancient Romans and change course there, and if you don't succeed try again in the middle ages. ^^ They really should have focused more on the upcoming catastrophe in the future, on how and when it's going to start, how to prevent it.
Another frustrating factor were the relationships of Tom and Diana in S3 and 4. I mean I appreciate the fact that they for one time didn't do the obvious and brought Diana and Tom together, but their relationships seemed random and meaningless to the storyline, even Tom and Elana, but especially Diana and Marco/ Ben.
But the most upsetting part was the "let's bring god to earth" and "the solution for paradise is everybody on promicin" storyline. I guess looking back 2004-2007 was a time were evangelicals were on the rise in America and maybe that storyline reflects that a little bit, but it was unbearable to watch.
The idea behind this whole storyline alone contradicts everything we learned throughout the first 2 seasons, and that is that people with abilities are not automatically better human beings than people without. Just like the regulars some of them used their powers for good, some of the for their own sake or fraud, and some of them to hurt and kill people. I mean even the abilities itself were not in every case designed to do good, some of them were (like healing), others just caused destruction, chaos or violence.
That all was negated in S4 and especially in the finale, just do what some vision/ ability and an old book tells you (dumbest character of the series: Kyle) and give everybody an ability or let them die, because then you'll get heaven on earth, sure, no one out of billions of people will ever use an ability to kill somebody anymore, hallelujah, we are all reborn *facepalm*.
When you start skipping some scenes while watching to get to the end you know something has been lost in S3 and S4, and that's what happened when I watched. I'd still recommend it though if I have to rate all 4 seasons together.