akshunhiro Reviews

The Calling (2022)

Wow! I'm blown away so far.

[10/10 · 11 December 2023]

I really enjoy shows like Law & Order. Shows that allow you to follow a story that is tied up at the end of the hour. I watch TV to escape from heavy thoughts and feelings, so a police procedural is just the thing. I tend to avoid shows that build tension and suspense...

I thought The Calling would be an easy-to-watch show because of David E. Kelley's other credentials. It's really not like his other stuff at all.

This show demonstrates a mastery of storytelling. From the start, we are drawn into the lives of a number of characters that revolve around a missing teenage boy. As the episodes go on, we come to learn more about the boy and what significance these people had to the missing teenager, what is going on in their lives that might have culminated in his disappearance.

We've all seen police shows where the lead detective is some kind of savant, dedicated but deeply flawed. It gets to be a bit of a tedious and overused trope. But Avraham Avraham, the lead character, draws you in with his unique perspective on humanity and unique approach towards the questioning of persons of interest. He's mysterious, yes, but in a fresh and interesting way.

The supporting characters are coming into their own three episodes in as well and the acting is very good.

I'm really enjoying this ride into the unknown. Very keen to see this show continue.

Gary and His Demons (2018–2023)

This is brilliant

[10/10 · 14 February 2023]

I love really well done dark humour and this show definitely has it.

If you can imagine that Al Bundy, Ren (from Ren & Stimpy) and Ash from Evil Dead all morphed into one person, you'd get Gary, the Chosen One.

Yanked out of high school as a teenager, Gary is the Chosen One, the ultimate fighter of demons (who happens to be a foul mouthed, middle-aged asshole who has nothing left in the world to live for and is not even allowed to retire).

You can't help but invest in this character. He's funny as hell (pun intended).

Gary and His Demons is proof that you don't need a whole lot of fancy production budgetry to get an awesome story. The art is definitely one of a kind but it's minimalistic, which is all you really need when you have a great concept.

The show has it's moments of poignancy too.

Well worth it and I could sing that power-up song of his all day long.

Bunk (2012– )

This is a game show for psychopaths

[1/10 · 23 December 2022]

What have I just watched??

This show has the kind of cheery veneer that a serial killer might use if he were trying to blend into polite society.

That aside, successful game shows have a clear concept, particularly those that involve celebrity comedians as contestants. This show has no concept at all except to permanently destroy the careers of anyone involved in it.

The host has the most annoying 'plucky' TV voice, so much so that he comes off like a psychopath having a meltdown. Virtually every minute of the first episode (which was all I could stomach, frankly) delivered something distasteful or offensive.

I'm not sure who spent money to make this, but I can't help but feel that they were drinking with friends one night and someone dared them to throw money away in the most creatively unpopular way they could think of.

Rosaline (2022)

This is actually really good

[10/10 · 14 October 2022]

Anyone ever wonder what happened to poor old Rosaline after Romeo dumped her?

In this innovative romantic comedy, for once we see the other side of the epic drama, told in a modern, accessible voice.

Rosaline is a modern woman in a time where women are still bartered and traded in marriage. She's in love with Romeo, a poet (and let's face it, a bit of a sap and a twit), but he's just as forbidden for her as he is for her cousin Juliet, who soon comes along to steal Rosaline's boyfriend's heart.

While the Shakespearean tragicomedy plays out on the sidelines of Rosaline's frustrated grief (events occurring in part because of her attempts to get Romeo back), enter Dario - a tall, dark and handsome suitor whom Rosaline's father has arranged for her to marry. While Rosaline could not be less interested, they nevertheless team up to try and undo the mess she has made.

Purists of Shakespeare will absolute hate this modern take on his most well-known play, but everyone else will love the snarky humour that creeps up on you, the excellent acting and the fun and creative storyline.

Let's face it. We're already struggling to get young people to read modern books, let alone classic plays written in old English. This is a fresh and fun way to introduce youth to the literature stylings of the bard.

The costumes, while not extravagant, are probably pretty accurate to what they wore. The movie is set in truly gorgeous scenery - most likely in Italy even. It has a modern soundtrack and the script is well-written and well-acted.

I had hoped people would be more lenient with their scoring for this movie on imdb, but since I think its overall score has short-changed the quality of the film, I give it a 10 to try and coax that average back up again because it is a far better film than people are giving it credit for.

Love, Death & Robots: Jibaro (2022) Season 3, Episode 9

Wow!

[10/10 · 28 May 2022]

Visually stunning. Incredible soundtrack. There aren't words to describe how beautiful and disturbing this short film was. A simple idea (deaf man + deadly siren) spun out into an epic masterpiece. This director's work (see also The Witness in season 1) is just transcendental. Even though I know it will haunt my dreams, I want to see more. Cleverly twisted concepts in his characteristic highly-reflective visual style coupled with sinuous movement that is just beguiling, like a cobra you know is going to kill you yet you can't look away. It's both visceral and synthetic at the same time, in the best way possible.

22 July (2018)

A tragedy that needed to be seen up close

[9/10 · 22 May 2022]

After the attacks, I read about what happened. Even far removed from it, both physically and emotionally, the horror was consuming.

Time heals wounds but also distances people from events that we need to remember. As painful as this dramatisation would have been for the survivors of Utoya, the rest of the world needed to see it up close so that they can ensure that nothing like it ever happens again, to understand just how much damage a single person slipping through the cracks can do.

We live in an increasingly apathetic world. If it isn't happening directly to us, we're starting to not care. This is why movies like this are important. We have to be reminded that we have empathy, sympathy and a strong moral responsibility to take care of each other.

The work on this film is very real, very visceral, no moment more so than with Viljar on the beach begging his brother to run and then left alone dying in pain. The counterpart to this gut wrenching scene is the moment Viljar says his piece to the courts, the moment he decides that he is everything and Breivik is nothing.

I can't be sure exactly how much of the film has taken artistic license, but it follows what I have read of the events very closely and with no overly dramatic flourishes. My only criticism would be that the movie didn't really reflect just how long Breivik terrorised the island, how long the children tried to survive and how long help really took getting there. I understand it was choice not to sensationalise the violence, but the impact of the shootings was undercut because of it. Breivik traversed the island shooting victims for nearly an hour and a half before help arrived on the island. Mistakes were made, the response time and procedures utterly inadequate, and the injured survivors lay there for hours before medical attention arrived. That said, an attack like that could hardly have been anticipated. On hindsight, there were signs. On hindsight, it was clear that more could have been done to get there faster, but the Norwegian government could hardly be blamed for any of it.

I have nothing to say about Breivik except lock him up and throw away the key.

Final words: it's a powerful film everyone should see.

Ghosts (2021– )

A thousand times yes!!!

[6/10 · 11 November 2021]

Ghost meets The Money Pit - comedy gold! I love this show. It is surprisingly deep in parts but always very amusing.

This young couple, just on the cynical edge of idealistic, have lucked into inheriting a rundown manor house that is crammed full of ghosts from all periods of time. Alison, the new owner, after an unfortunate fall and a blow to the head, can now see and hear them all. Hilarity ensues. Sounds like it's been done before? You'd think so, but then it's all new as far as I've seen.

Some familiar faces on the British Comedy scene and everyone pulls their weight beautifully, making this ensemble comedy an easy-to-digest, highly entertaining evening binge.

Bring on more seasons, BBC! This one is a winner!!

Sex Education (2019–2023)

I'm completely in love with Asa...

[10/10 · 20 July 2021]

One of the things that genuinely makes a genius actor is their willingness to commit to a role and put themselves out there, humiliating or no. The only other actor I've seen do this to such a degree that I'm left gobsmacked, besides Asa Butterworth in the role of Otis in Sex Education, is Josh Hutcherson in Futureman.

Sex Education is a genius concept very cleverly done. Otis is an unassuming teenage boy, brilliant but shy, who's mother happens to be a sex therapist. Poor Otis has a host of issues relating to this, but his mother's profession has soaked in over the years, and so when an opportunity to become an under-the-table sex therapist at his school falls in his lap, Otis takes up the mantle.

Sex Education is an hilarious commentary on teenage sexual health and the complex relationships between lovers, friends and families. The subject matter is handled very cleverly, serious when it needs to be and ridiculous when pushed to the limits. Anything a teenager would want to know about sex with nothing left on the table.

Gillian Anderson surprised me in this role as Otis's mother Jean, brilliantly acted, and Ncuti Gatwa playing the role of Otis's flamboyantly gay best friend steals the show.

I wouldn't watch this with your parents, but do watch it. It's bloody good.

The Gentlemen (2019)

Hugh Grant is the very best thing about this very good movie

[8/10 · 1 July 2021]

Guy Ritchie has a pretty good track record with me. I won't say he's perfect because I haven't loved everything he's done, but I have liked everything he's done and The Gentlemen is no exception. A very finely told tale of blackmail and drug running on an epic scale, Guy Ritchie knows the art of storytelling.

I won't spoil it by giving a synopsis, since I'm sure everyone else has done that and some people don't like to know how a story goes before they see/hear it. But I will say that, despite overusing the c bomb in the script and a highly unpleasant projectile vomiting scene, what I enjoyed the most was the back and forth between Hugh Grant and Charlie Hunnam, who are the real stars of this film. The dialogue is genius, punctuated by some genuinely funny moments. It's nice to see Michelle Dockery transcend Downton Abbey and Matthew McConaughey gets it done. There's a fine line between good acting and annoying with McConaughey and I'm pleased to say that this performance is the former.

A good film. Thumbs up.

Lucifer: Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam (2021) Season 5, Episode 10

Weirdest episode ever

[7/10 · 7 June 2021]

Can you say Once More With Feeling? Buffy fans will get this.

Ready or Not (I) (2019)

Really good movie

[9/10 · 13 April 2021]

I'm not a fan of survival horror or horror in general, but I'd say this ventures more into black comedy and really well done black comedy at that. Grace is a brilliant actor, pulling off the role beautifully. Too often in films like this, the protagonist seems to just readily accept the messed up situation, or they suddenly turn from normal person into action hero. But Grace was appropriately scared from start to finish and I believed her performance. That's partially due to the script as well for giving enough space to develop genuine character moments. It's just a really good movie. Kitschy and retro, beautifully shot, great script, great acting. Well done, filmmakers! Well done.

The Rookie: The Hunt (2020) Season 2, Episode 20

Awww man... I HATE cliffhangers!

[10/10 · 24 March 2021]

This show just keeps getting better. I'm very impressed. I'm a huge Nathan Fillion fan and this is another fine notch added to his belt. But gahhhh! I hate ending on a cliffhanger and not knowing when I'll be able to see the next season!

UPDATE: Wow! Looking at all the negative reviews here. I don't understand what their beef is. Doing what Nolan did is absolutely a progression of the character. He's on the cusp of being more independent as a cop and having the cockiness to make moves of his own but still not having enough experience to be able to see all the angles. The show even alluded to the thirty day push as foreshadowing of how hard it was going to be, just not the way we expected. And it's not like Nolan planned an elaborate operation on his own; he made one move - breaking into the guy's flat.

Nyla's inexperience as a training officer and over qualification as a detective has failed Nolan. She's thinking like a detective, not a training officer, and so she encouraged Nolan down a different path, instead of the one she should have. I thought the replay from Armstrong's perspective was some brilliant filmmaking. They did it just right. It's an insight into how three different cops fell into the corruption hole in different ways, how easily it could happen when the right circumstances line up. The world of cops and criminals might be happening in our own back yard, but it's just as much of a war as one fought by the military overseas. Both sides try to recruit informants, and everybody in the middle has an agenda.

Props to the creators of the show! This is some great work and love the way you're breaking away from format.

Calls (2021– )

Wow!

[9/10 · 21 March 2021]

I'm not entirely sure if this series was borne of COVID or not, but what a great format and concept! It was bone chilling!

I know that there are a lot of people complaining that this is no more than a radio play, but first of all, what was so bad about radio plays? For those with imagination, you can conjure up visuals in your mind far more horrifying than a filmmaker can. Let's not forget that War Of The Worlds created panic in the streets when it was first aired on radio.

Secondly, it's not just a radio play. The visuals are very subtle but they do a lot to tell you who is talking to who and without them, it would be confusing. You may not have realised but the visuals also subtly tell you what condition the callers are in, what environment they're in. That in and of itself was creepy AF. As the conversations progress, even though you can only hear, you can see that some of the callers are deteriorating, dying horribly. Others are in extreme distress. Some are cool and collected. It's really genius.

My one quibble is that I felt as though it should have had the *other* ending, leaving the series on a extremely disturbing note rather than how it did end. But, I'll say that at least there is room for season 2, which I fervently hope there will be.

I think this marks a new genre in film, one that can be used extremely effectively with intelligence and imagination. The horror genre has almost been ruined by ever increasing gore and the temptation to show the audience just that little bit more for shock value. There's only so many ways you can kill a person on screen. There's nowhere left for filmmakers to go. Except here, to the world of Calls, where all things are possible again. With the technology of today, the audio play format can be pushed as far as it can go. This has huge potential, was probably created in people's houses and for far less money than other productions.

We have almost lost the capacity to imagine and to visualise, taking for granted that everything we want is always right before our eyes. We've gotten lazy. But if done right, a clever filmmaker can make you scare the absolute crap out of yourself by doing something very like what was done with Calls.

Bad Eggs (2003)

Classic Aussie Comedy

[9/10 · 19 March 2021]

I had forgotten how great this movie is. From the opening scene to the end, Mick Molloy and Judith Lucy demonstrate once more what comic geniuses they are.

Aussie comedy is pretty dry and for those who like it that way, Bad Eggs is as dry as it gets.

Valley Girl (2020)

I was pleasantly surprised!

[8/10 · 15 March 2021]

This is quite a contemporary and relevant film for a remake. Done very well and I'm not usually a fan of musicals but this one was pretty good.

The Watch (2020–2021)

I give it 2 for trying

[2/10 · 5 January 2021]

I had no idea what I was watching and I'm a huge fan of the books. From the very first second it was confusing and horrible. All the characters were botched, storyline botched, script botched, editing botched. I liked the idea that Ankh Morpork was some sort of neo-punk medieval city, but that's all I liked because from the very first second, I was confused about what was happening (and this is from someone who has actually read the books several times).

This is a hard pass for any Pratchett fans as this will only make you angry. And I'm afraid that anyone else will have absolutely no clue what the hell is happening.

Fuller House (2016–2020)

Max is the entire reason I watch this show

[7/10 · 16 October 2020]

We all watched Full House back in the day, but it didn't age well, let's face it. It was a product of its time and meant a great deal to us back then.

So I was curious when it was rebooted. I wanted to know what they would do with it. I was pleasantly surprised that everyone came back - no substitutes - except for the Olsen Twins, who the show cleverly calls out occasionally for not being part of the new series.

But it's not the older generation so much that makes this show good, but DJ's kids, with Max being a standout. The full belly laughs come from him. The sweetest moments come from him. He's the heart of the show and also a very capable understudy for Young Sheldon.

On a whole, Fuller House is more relevant and contemporary, occasionally taking on some serious issues. It's entertaining, if a bit trite sometimes, and a good show for imparting family values.

But really, watch it for Max ;)

Upstart Crow (2016–2020)

Brilliance.

[10/10 · 5 October 2020]

I know everybody has great memories of Blackadder but it really didn't age well, so comparing it to Upstart Crow is rather pointless. Upstart is nothing like Blackadder; it is an extremely well-crafted series based on the life of Will Shakespeare and the research that has gone into it is impressive. Every character (except Kate) has been accounted for in William Shakespeare's history and brilliantly reinterpreted for modern entertainment.

Upstart Crow is a perfectly blended commentary on life in both contemporary times and 16th Century history, with frequent hilarious nods to the works of William Shakespeare.

I understand that to many, without a familiarity of Shakespeare, the series may not make as much sense, but it's still pretty bloody funny and quite genius in the development of its own unique language. Cocksnobbled folderols and saucy prancings, puffling pants and bolingbrokes, Upstart Crow is simply a very clever comedy.

Thumbs up for intellectuals.

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

This beautiful documentary shows you how life on earth should be

[10/10 · 18 September 2020]

Humans are the only species on earth that doesn't live in harmony with its surroundings. We've done almost everything we can to separate ourselves and perhaps we've lost our way as we tread rather clumsily and disturb fragile ecosystems.

My Octopus Teacher is a very charming and educational look into what happens when a human willingly immerses themselves into the world of another creature, makes the effort to understand them, empathises with them totally, and is willing to live *their* way.

So often, we are amazed by what animals can do, but if we actually took the time to listen, to observe, to immerse ourselves, we wouldn't be surprised at all by how magical and spectacular they are.

This is a lovely story, easily relatable, beautifully shot and I freely admit that I cried near the end.

Well done to the filmmaker and thank you for telling a critically important story that we all need to hear.

The OA (2016–2019)

Like nothing else I've ever seen

[10/10 · 7 September 2020]

I couldn't have predicted where this series went because it's just not anything that's ever been done before. It's weird and strange and not for everyone (which is why there are reviews that aren't positive). But it's a powerful, original story and Brit Marling brings a credibility to a role that is tricky because nothing like it has come before.

It's a really dark, mystical fairytale from modern times. How often do we see a modern fairytale? Something that isn't derivative from stories of the past reimagined into modern times. This isn't Cinderella in the present day. It's not Game of Thrones in an alternate world. It's our world that we know.

Give it a chance :)

Criminal Minds: Reflection of Desire (2010) Season 6, Episode 8

I have no idea what's happening in this episode. Whatsoever.

[1/10 · 23 June 2020]

First of all, I'm dismayed at the sudden and drastic drop in quality for Criminal Minds in this season. It used to be a show that focused on the methods of criminal profilers and we could see each logical step the investigators took. Now, it seems like the team make these outrageously specific leaps of 'logic' in seconds that point directly to the people they're after, really obscure and illogical connections that would take a real life investigator years to realise, if they ever did. But no, Reid can look at a piece of paper and a photo and immediately infer that the unsub is obsessed with the 1950s, and Garcia can look at a black and white photo and tell how her makeup was done? That they used greenish powder? Come on!!

Couple that with the melodramatic background music, all the sobbing and boohooing of our main team of characters when JJ is reassigned (seriously??? The woman just got promoted to one of the most integral roles in the US government, that will give her more time with her family and better pay, and she wants to stick around and deal with mutilated corpses?? And the team act as if they'll never see her again!), plus the most utterly ridiculous episode plots and this has to be one of the worst seasons I've ever seen, with this episode the worst of the worst. And I don't say that lightly because I will give a TV show a lot of leeway before my criticism kicks in.

What a waste of a Robert Knepper appearance! Knepper is an incredible actor and an iconic bad guy. In this, they've made him a wet lettuce with bad lines.

The Good Fight (2017–2022)

This has to be one of the best TV shows ever made

[10/10 · 23 May 2020]

The Good Fight is one of the few spin off shows that manages to outdo its predecessor. At its fundamental core, it's a legal drama, but that's almost secondary to what's really going on: a commentary on the absolute insanity that this world is becoming. No topic seems to be off the table for TGF, and the show's creators are intelligent in presenting all this controversial content in a very tongue-in-cheek way that challenges us to try and see the madness.

Contrary to popular belief, The Good Fight seems to take as many pot shots at the Left as they do the Right, though they are subtler and more satirical in their portrayal of the Left and more obvious for the Right. The show does follow characters who are left wing, but in doing so, it shows that neither side are completely saints or sinners.

The wit and humour is superb, a show that just as easily masters comedy as it does high drama. It's tackling real issues brazenly and boldly but in a way that merely observes the crazy phenomena rather than push any agenda.

This is a brilliant commentary on current affairs.

Penny Dreadful: Verbis Diablo (2015) Season 2, Episode 2

Everything you ever wanted from a Gothic Horror and more...

[10/10 · 2 May 2020]

Penny Dreadful, so named for the cheap pulp fiction booklets sold to the masses as entertainment in the 1800s, is a bizarre and beautiful mash up of all your Gothic horror favourites, twisted into an exciting tale of intrigue, violence, beauty and the occult fascination so prevalent during that time period at close of the 19th century.

Victorian London, a favourite setting for films, television shows, plays and literature, was a major turning point for man, both industrially and culturally. Mankind, having lived under the austere thumb of puritanism for so long, was breaking at the seams, giving birth to a hedonism that constantly battled with the propriety of high society. It was a time of great poverty and great wealth, and a wide gap in between. The emergence of science in its modern iteration, man making machine, right alongside a resurgence of mysticism, perhaps in outright defiance of the scientific unveiling of life's mysteries...

Penny Dreadful beautifully shows all aspects of this time period in all their glory. Eva Green's performance as the mysterious Miss Ives, in all of her forms, is quite stunning, and she's obviously the muse and the reason for this show. And yet, the rest of the cast beautifully support her award-worthy performance.

So what if Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley and Oscar Wilde sat down to tea and conspired to write a story like no other? Penny Dreadful would be the result.

I truly don't want to give away any of the plot because to do so would be to rob you of the experience of discovering it firsthand for yourself. Let's just say that if you're a fan of that time period, Penny Dreadful definitely won't disappoint.

Prodigal Son (2019–2021)

Quite compelling, a definitely binge watch for me

[8/10 · 24 April 2020]

I see a lot of reviews here saying Prodigal Son is derivative and the same concept has "been done before but better," but look at the horror genre and it's pretty much ALL derivative and yet it's a hugely popular genre where people don't seem to mind if it's been done before.

Also, I don't entirely agree that this concept has been done before. It's the first TV show I have seen that explores the impact on a family when one member is convicted serial murderer. Part of the theme of the show is exploring different aspects of the trauma visited on the families of serial killers. One character was oblivious to the darkness and carries the guilt of feeling she should have known what her husband was doing. One character was exposed to the darkness at a young age, was deeply traumatised by it, and then has to reconcile the loving father he had a relationship with versus the killer he came to know later. And one character was too young to be aware of any of it and has to explore what her feelings are for her father, a man she never really knew.

Granted, the first few episodes laid the melodrama on a bit thick, but I think it's just because the soundtrack was overdone. In later episodes, the soundtrack is dialled way back to where it should be and it's much, much better.

It's still over the top, but it fits; this is a quirky, darkly humorous TV show and I don't think it's taking itself too seriously, unlike Hannibal, which did take itself too seriously and that was its fatal flaw. Some of the characters in Prodigal Son are caricatures, yes, but that's part of the charm and the style of the show; it's not meant to be realism.

Looking at the other side of the show--the police procedural part--and all of us have come to expect a certain degree of pushing the envelope. Any TV series that showed the reality of most crimes wouldn't be entertaining; the killer would be identified in the first five minutes and that would be it. So we do expect that element of the fantastical. Prodigal Son gives us that, but never pushes that envelope too far where we're screaming "OH COME ON!!" at the TV. All the crimes are plausible-ish (it is entertainment after all), and that's a smart choice.

The overarching plot is compelling as we're taken on a journey through Malcolm's fragmented, repressed memories--a very clever plot delivery device. Malcolm is, by far, the most complex character in the series, but I'm holding out for more development of the other characters in future episodes.

I hope this gets a green light for more seasons as I'm enjoying it very much!