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Moonhaven (2022)
Kinder, Gentler Sci-fi
This series is rated far too low!
Warning: it doesn't have a lot of space war CGI, nor, apparently, a high budget for that type of thing. BUT -- in tone, to me, it is reminiscent of Firefly and other early SciFi series. It's based not in fighting but in human relationships.
Moonhaven is about a lunar society of happy hippies, guided by a brilliant AI called "IO". For three generations they have developed a fair and loving culture, sensitive to human emotions and their expression.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, the population has managed to destroy the planet almost totally through famine and war.
Now, as the series begins, Mooners, as long ago agreed upon, will travel to Earth in an attempt to heal its culture. And vested interests on both planets are dead set against that happening.
This show is well worth your time; give it a shot!
Gomorrah (2014)
Brutal, beautiful, dark and Shakespearean
If you can handle some violence (at least a couple of people are murdered in every episode), and you like archetypal characters like the ones in Shakespeare's plays, I highly recommend this series. It follows several generations of Naples' drug-dealing royal families, locked in eternal combat to control their turf in the poorest slums of the city. There are plenty of internecine wars, labyrinthine plots and Machiavellian strategies. The staging and art direction are utterly beautiful; each shot a masterpiece of color, lighting, atmosphere and composition. Much of the action takes place at night, in cars and on motorcycles in some of the grittiest industrial urban settings I've ever seen. If you're into fashion and/or interiors, you'll appreciate the wild, expensive and gauche Italian clothes and furnishings, all befitting the flashiest of Naples' nouveau-riche. The acting is stoic and great, with tons of attractive and memorable young actors, and a good many older characters, played to perfection. The main character, Gennaro, is the scion of a legendary drug family, but there are plenty of young and old contenders trying to take him down--and some of them succeed. His blood brother, Ciro, "The Immortal", is charismatic enough to have a spinoff of his own. A dark and gorgeous, frightening and addictive, epic TV series!
Maybe you could say it's like David Mamet dialogue meets The Godfather plot in stereo meets Bladerunner's scenery.
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Better Than Vikings--By Far!
Sorry to make such a harsh comparison. I struggled through most of Vikings which was not much more than Lords of Anarchy, except with swords. I watched as all my fave characters got killed off, and by Season 4 or 5 or so I lost interest altogether...and THEN: enter The Last Kingdom! Better story, acting, better everything! It's in the same world as Vikings and if you haven't seen it yet, give it a try and I'll wager you'll be hooked!
Knightfall (2017)
Not Just a Guy Show
Hey if you hate gore and sword fights--yeah, this has those. But it also has an interesting story line, great male and female characters, and I'd say is close to as compelling as The Last Kingdom in terms of historical dramas. Very enjoyable and not to be dismissed just because it has swords and blood & guts. Give it a try and I bet you'll enjoy it.
Cloudstreet (2011)
Better than O Brother Wherefore Art Thou
Same era with magic realism. A slow burner; give it a chance!
De 12 van Oldenheim (2017)
Good Old-Fashioned Mystery Whodunnit
Murder lurks under the surface of a small Dutch town. The plot is like a classic suspense movie's and brings to my mind Ten Little Indians, The Mousetrap and Murder on The Orient Express. If you pay close attention you might suspect someone--and things are a little too neatly explained in the final episode, but there are lots of quirky personalities and possible murderers in this village with idyllic scenery where everyone knows everyone else's business. Main players do a good job of acting. Very enjoyable!
The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
Bond. Jane Bond.
They've turned this into a franchise and it has lost a lot of its personality in the process. Too much glitz, cheesy Bond-esque music and visuals. I love 007 movies. But to make quirky Lisbet Salander into a super-heroine...? What were they thinking? Oh, yeah: $$$. Claire Foy was good, anyway.
The Leftovers (2014)
LOST the Plot!
If you really liked the last season of LOST, then this is the show for you! Personally, I hated the last season of LOST: it degenerated from a gripping mysterious story with great characters to a depressing, confusing, quasi-religious quagmire that seemed to have been concocted at the last minute. Same story with The Leftovers: It flirts with religion but ultimately has no answers. It shows seemingly as many horrific acts as the writers could dream up, i.e. what if you murdered a child? what if you shot a friend on purpose? what if you poisoned and buried someone alive? what if you blew up a lot of innocent people to make an anarchistic point? I felt used by the end of Season 2 and probably won't watch more. BUT The Leftovers really starts off well, as LOST did (Season 1 of LOST has to be one of the most epic, best first seasons of any TV show, ever!); thus the 5 stars. Wish writers would remember that this is supposed to be entertainment, folks! Not that it can't have sad, depressing and negative content, but it doesn't need to make you feel like going out and shooting yourself after watching it.