blankyblank Reviews

The Handmaid's Tale (2017–2025)

I have no idea where this is going and I'm not too interested in finding out

[4/10 · 25 May 2024]

Another dystopian nightmare, we love those. The odd thing is -half of this show is happening outside of Gilead. A harrowing (and cautionary) tale that was supposed to keep us on the edge turned into politics and dull maneuvers.

June gained simultaneously too much and not enough power. She somehow stumbles in all the right places. Her ploys aren't even well thought out, she's extremely lucky for the most part. The story wants to argue that June Osborne is a strong influence and a leader but doesn't do enough to showcase her transitioning into one. It is comical how many escape attempts she went through. I really don't get why she's still alive.

Too much focus is on dictatorship minions for my liking. I want them out of the frame, not slow melancholic music over sad backstory footage. I will not care for any wife, commander or aunt and yet the show runners want me to have feels for several of them

The Handmaid's tale should've been cut in half culminating in long awaited (and well planned) revenge. We got the diluted version unfortunately. Somewhere between season 4 and 5 I genuinely didn't understand what was happening anymore.

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

I appreciate the approach but it was a very dull experience

[2/10 · 30 March 2024]

Flashy, overdramatic and way too complicated murder mysteries are so overdone anyway. I was intrigued by the summary and the prospect of psychological battle which I find much more interesting

The problem? I don't know why this movie was made. The only reason to sit through 2.5 hours is the "promise" of some insane twist. There is none. We begin and end more or less in the same way. The son isn't really facing the dilemma of what to do (more being 11, partially blind, scared and unsure of his memories), the mother remains the same for the whole film and the courtroom doesn't really bring suspense or shake things up.

The truth is up to interpretation and prosecution loves to fill in the spaces. But you already knew that. It's not wrong to base entire work around that but please make characters interesting and make them do questionable things, make them grey and muddy, make us question ourselves here and there.

Russian Doll (2019–2022)

A lot of interests ideas that went nowhere in the end

[5/10 · 20 March 2024]

Time loops. Helping another soul. Intergenerational trauma. Human life. All done before so I've counted on Russian doll to add a twist, a dilemma, an unique perspective. Turns out we got none of that. Well known conflicts with messy execution and unsatisfying resolution, truly a dissappointment. I've had hopes after season 1 but season 2 was a cluster of ideas that were supposed to lead you somewhere but we were always back to square one, like it never happened. All the characters introduced in first half were wasted and the most intriguing relationship between Nadia and her mother (and her mother) wasn't even explored properly and ended in a very abrupt, kind of contradicting way.

Natasha Lyonne is the reason I've kept watching till he end and by all means do give it a binge, just don't expect an intriguing plot. Don't ask questions, don't make theories, it will all pass.

The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (2024– )

Started decent but lost a lot of that steam in few episodes

[3/10 · 19 March 2024]

I'm fine with completely made up adventures of Dick Turpin. He's a vegan crafter making his name as highway man. Perfect. Some silly fun. The problem lies in the overall emptiness of the show. Besides Dick Turpin not much of interest is going on. For episode 1 he's enough to set the tone but eventually you get tired of it (he's not that funny to carry the whole show), the world around him has to be interesting as well. I'm finding it hard to connect with the rest of the gang and the villain is plain and boring. 4 episodes in and the product seems lazy with jokes that belong in a cartoon honestly. Horrible Histories made one song about Dick Turpin and I think it's more worthwhile than this whole series.

One Piece (2023– )

Looks good, feels good, is good 9.5/10

[9/10 · 5 September 2023]

My only complaint is the length of the episodes, standard 50-60 minutes don't work well here. Some episodes feel long and heavy and others have to slap together a few different plots to fill the time. 30 minutes per episode would've made the run more dynamic

I can't emphasize enough how good everything is. I went in completely blind, not too interested in pirates or action. And now - I'm obsessed. It's unreal how nice everything looks. Ships are stunning, landscape is beautiful, costumes are great. Translating wacky super powers into our world was done very very well. I don't think there was a character I didn't enjoy and I am convinced Godoy is Luffy in essence, a drawing came to life and there is no other explanation. I'm still shocked at how good the fighting scenes were, so smooth and exciting at the same time. I was glued to the screen to not miss any move.

My annoyance with live actions comes from the question - why do you exist, what's your purpose (other than money). And I think netflix hit the jackpot here. Manga (and anime)'s length and unusual art style have made them less accessible to some people. This is a fine bridge to help you cross into the world of frightening 1000+ episodes and I'm certain new fans will be born in subsequent days.

Mask Girl (2023– )

Nothing new (except streamers)

[4/10 · 22 August 2023]

I genuinely don't know how to wrap up what I've just watched. Feels like every revenge plot ever. Some cool ideas but that's it. The novelty of masked internet celebrity dies quickly and the story starts to drag in usual patterns. People are awful at times. Bullying is bad. Murder is also bad. Pretty much everyone involved has harmed someone at some point, you can't root for anyone. I was hoping the finale would save it by having Mo-Mi come with some convoluted but smart plan but that didn't happen. Watched till he end to see the resolution (which you could accurately predict from a mile away) and wouldn't recommend it.

The Great (2020–2023)

It's a fairytale and not a well written one

[3/10 · 12 August 2023]

I've endured until mid season 2 and realized I should just move on to something worthwhile. Historical inaccuracy isn't the problem, the show states these are only sometimes true events, fair and square. But the events and characters should at least make sense in their chosen time period. Any time period really. These people don't even work as people

Catherine the So-So doesn't know where she is, who she is and what she is doing. Peter the Maniac is part horror part comic relief, a combination that gets old quickly. Their plans are silly, and not in a good way.

This should've been a witty haunting comedy, filled with clever plans and jokes. It worked in the beginning but fell flat at some point, leaving you the viewer wondering if you should just watch a documentary, tragic period drama or disney movie instead. The Great doesn't achieve anything and I got tired of waiting.

Only Murders in the Building (2021– )

It's mildly entertaining, the twists are so-so

[6/10 · 8 August 2023]

After season 1: I've enjoyed this more at beginning than towards the end. It was more endearing following true crime aficionados getting things hilariously wrong, while lying through their teeth to their tight-knit buddies. Branching one mystery into three was too ambitious and the branches resolved in sort of predictable ways. Each story was cut abruptly as a result. The trio got too competent (or lucky) to my taste, saving the day all by themselves. Some parts were funny and some were forced. I also wasn't entirely swept by acting. The characters never break their mold. Selena is too mild for snarky young woman set on uncovering the truth.

Silo (2023– )

Season 1 asks many questions and offers only the most obvious answers

[3/10 · 30 July 2023]

The suspense is only present during the first two episodes and it's all downhill from there. I can only imagine how long this will drag on with two more seasons to come

The premise got me hooked - people living in the underground tube. So many questions. Reasonably the answer to "why" will have to wait but we can't even grasp clearly how they are living here. World building is done through small talk mostly. Viewers are thrown in this apocalyptic scenario and have to connect the dots from tidbits of random background information, chaotically placed. I've learned that there is a spelling bee version of so-called "pact", that one character won it 4 times but I have no idea what is the pact exactly. I can comfortably say that after 10 episodes I understand about 10% of how silo operates, who are these people and what they are trying to do

Characters are dull. Their motivations either unrealistic or messy. Too many of them as well. Behave on impulse, shocked when there are consequences

The plot twists are the worst part, blatant and visible from mile away. I don't even feel like tagging them as spoilers. Oh no the reactor is badly damaged and if we don't fix it everyone dies!! (Ofc they fix it). Oh no the obviously evil people are doing evil things. Oh no the oppressive rulers are being oppressive. Oh my god there is something outside (ofc there is, otherwise the show wouldn't exist).

I haven't read the books but sitting for hours only to be rewarded with twists I've seen since episode one is terrible experience. Especially combined with uninteresting cast and failure to capture the setting.

The Glory (2022– )

Waiting for part 2, it lost me in the middle

[7/10 · 2 January 2023]

So the series starts well, as well as revenge story can go. After the first episode you find yourself both excited for some deserved belated retribution and horrified at what you've just witnessed. The plan is in motion, even if it takes 18 years.

We are following Dong-Eun as she climbs step by step towards her revenge and all is well. She makes the contact with her targets, you wait with baited breath for her next move. And then - the action slows, threads get intertwined and more and more characters have something to say. It's harder to make mental notes of what our protagonist is trying to achieve and a bit wild that noone is really pulling the strings to stop her so far. Everyone has a hidden story and it's getting messy keeping the tabs on all of them. At times it seems they are walking in circles and waiting. At times it's a bit confusing too. I've found myself speeding up to get to the end only to find out that it's not the end at all. Always check if the series you're bringing is finished.

I hope the second part will be better. It seems like they are capable of very dark things and I got the impression that's where we're headed. I just found myself dissappointed at how muddy the middle part got and I really hope the script will be sharp and crisp for the next part. This series has a potential for exceptionally twisted story, otherwise it's another dull revenge plot.

Knives Out (2019)

We get most of the reveal way too early and it could've been better overall

[5/10 · 1 January 2023]

For a 2 hour movie I did not expect a whodunit reveal to happen so soon, which killed the vibe for me. I was less interested in the way of which the truth will come to light. The psychological thriller of investigators closing in was lost on me. I'm not yet sold on detective Blanc, he gets the job done but he's nothing extraordinary. That final explanatory sequence was pretty convenient and over the top.

All in all it's a murder mystery, it's following the necessary steps but it's nothing outstanding or unique. Bunch of people with motives, bunch of mistakes resulting in unfortunate events and one keen observer with a particular way of speaking. The base is there, it just needed something more to be better and more memorable.

Ghosts (2019–2023)

Simple comedy one situation at a time and it's great

[9/10 · 2 October 2022]

It's the cast of horrible histories and they're back at their old tricks. Are jokes simple - yes. Are they very entertaining - also yes. You have a bunch of stereotypical people from various time periods, they all have their typical quirks and they can't do much besides going through walls and annoying each other. They are still endearing. I've binged entire series in 3 days, time well spent. I don't even know what more to say, it's 30 minutes per episode, give it a try

The only problem is that there's no place for expansion. Since characters are frozen in their time (and place) there's not much you can do with them and I think we've seen most of it in these 4 seasons. Maybe one more with a nice ending but that's it. New house, new ghosts or new project entirely. Leave while they're still laughing.

Monster (2022– )

A victims' pov true crime documentary with huge misconduct from creators

[7/10 · 29 September 2022]

Essentially this series has two "parts" -a retelling of the well known horror (which is what you would expect) and harrowing tales of those that lived on, which isn't something that we usually see in detail. First part leaves you in fear and shock while the second makes you numb

1) The "what happened" montage So acting is top notch but I have the problem with overall tone of episodes. Firstly - it is too slow, movements, dialogues, music, zoom ins and outs. The creepy atmosphere is exaggerated. The scary part isn't titular monster being a walking red flag and staring at you, it's the fact that you don't know it's a monster until it's too late. Subtlety would've made this 10/10 since we know how this is gonna play out, we don't need every possible visual or musical cue to be on the edge. Would've preferred the chronological order of events

2) The story of survivors is what made this exceptional and something I honestly didn't expect. Somehow it felt like I was there, alive at that time and place, staring in shock and dissappointment at the world until there was nothing. This would've been a great opportunity to collaborate with the families, to be their voice, to inspire people to do better but none of that happened. They apparently weren't consulted at all. Ironically, Netflix did the same thing people in charge did back then and completely ignored them making way for their own project. It poses a question - how ethical is the true crime genre if all we're doing is satisfying our own curiosity and making profits of destroyed lives? There always needs to be a reminder that this is real life and not entertainment

As a mini series this gets 9/10, props to the actors, cons to extremely slow pace. Netflix gets 1/10, a silver lining being them not making titular monster into a sensation. Combine that however you will.

Hannibal (2013–2015)

S1+2 were great and I can't make up my mind about S3

[7/10 · 19 August 2022]

Disclaimer - I didn't read the book(s)

Season 1 is what you would expect from description and themes, pretty linear, pretty straightforward. There is a criminal of the week, crimes were over the top but interesting to follow. Hannibal is a looming shadow in the background until some realizations are made and the tables are flipped, not the most original idea but it works well

Season 2 is essentially in-prison and out-prison bargaining, and I wished it lasted longer honestly. With some more criminals of the week to fill up the space and some shocking moments, topped with a finale which is rightfully rated as the best episode of the show. 9/10

So Season 3 imo was the weakest of the three, 5/10, here's why:

• there were no more villains of the week, but rather villains of the first half and second half of the season and the latter was just a waste of time and space from start to finish, no one could've made that look good, the main reason why I watched last 5 episodes or so on double speed, and even that wasn't enough

• there is a lot of dialogue, not much from what was said really resonated with me. Lots of psychoanalyzing, seemed superficial and a way to fill up space. There is a lot of standing, sitting and talking, a jarring contrast to dynamic pacing of both previous seasons

• in s3 there were too many characters to keep track of - Italian police and the rest of Italians, Chiyoh, Verger household, Molly and her son, Reba, Dolarhyde plus everyone previously introduced, it's a lot and really nobody got a conclusive story here and I still have lots of questions. Half of them served very little purpose, not one interesting person was introduced

• Characters repeat the same mistakes over and over?

• so the finale. I laughed, I actually laughed. I lost patience with whatever's up with Will Graham somewhere around half of this season and didn't feel like diving deep. Needless to say, the final episode didn't really strike a cord here, except Hannibal's (and Will 's honestly) final (?) threats. An open ending, something I usually find not liking very much

All in all, Hannibal Lecter gives this show a 5 solid stars and the plot shifts for the last season, some loved it, I didn't. One final pet peeve - for a show filled with horrors people survive a lot of injuries with little to no consequences.

Moon Knight (2022)

A story which leads absolutely nowhere and I want my time back

[4/10 · 19 May 2022]

The description made me expect something completely different. Without spoilers episode 5 is the pivotal moment in this miniseries, completely changes the course of the story, which I liked, interesting take on superhero story. But there are two massive problems:

1) it takes 4 episodes to even get there and the plot is incredibly confusing. That's nearly 3 hours wasted for something that doesn't even matter in the end

2) final episode did absolutely nothing, resolved nothing and still left gaping holes behind

All in all I sat through these 6 episodes waiting for some kind of conclusion and none came. Besides pigeon God, Oscar Isaac and nice imagery there is nothing worthy of attention. Especially skip if you're expecting a superhero story for it is not.

Enola Holmes (2020)

It's a fun movie if you don't dig too deep into the message(s)

[6/10 · 31 March 2022]

Enola Holmes is charming, teenagers are played by actual teenagers, it's fun overall. But movie plays around some serious topics such as revolution, change, oppression, position of one young girl in unforgiving world without properly exploring any of these themes. Problems of various social groups are only superficially presented to move the plot along and the things supposedly resolve on a whim. It's as real and nuanced as Disney's retelling of Cinderella. Main characters could've died at least 6 times, it's a miracle they turned out fine. Fiction can be all fairytale-like but why integrate very real issues into it?

Another problem is how useless everyone else is. Holmes brothers are mr. Dumb and mr. Dumber, they amount to absolutely nothing in the end. Eudoria's plans weren't explained in the end and it's unknown whether or not she will proceed with her (supposedly violent) schemes. Tewksbury's family just follows the lead of their teenage son, very open-minded people apparently. Police is severely incompetent. Lestrade is a bully now?

Sherlock and Mycroft are almost nothing alike to their canon representation. I know this is not retelling of ACD canon but why even include these famous characters if they are completely different and in background anyway?

And finally the biggest issue for me is how the movie ends with a 16 yo girl all alone in Victorian London and that is a good thing actually. It's not.

Don't Look Up (2021)

Dare I say cringe? It's not funny, smart, suspenseful or a good portrayal of sOcIeTy

[3/10 · 23 January 2022]

I got to the half and couldn't go on anymore. Felt like a waste of time. I usually skip reviewing stuff I didn't finish but this just ticked me off so I had to.

This was as insightful as your average tik tok video. Shallow commentary on complex matters such as human nature as a whole with attempt at humor that is truly cringe worthy at times and to top if all a mass 100% imminent extinction of everything and everyone, no less. Excellent formula for compelling could-be-true story. No one, absolutely no one would hear that from multiple reliable sources with a proof and go "haha viral internet challenge go!" It's an obvious mockery of various conspiracy theorists during this way too long pandemic but what the creators of this masterpiece forgot is that people took matters pretty seriously in the beginning. Then the guidelines got messy, data didn't add up, two weeks stretched into two years and people got fed up with it all. People are arrogant but they're not that stupid. Also I refuse to believe that any scholarly person would go to the USA president when you absolutely need their help and go "Dur hur I despise you" passive-aggressively. It's childish even.

At best it's poor misguided attempt at some insightful commentary of human race and at worst I side with conspiracies and say it's some kind of subliminal message about society and possibly related to the current matters with intent of drilling some hidden message into our heads.

Last Night in Soho (2021)

Interesting premise with serious frightening themes but the twist at the end left me with a confusing message

[6/10 · 23 January 2022]

There's music, there's dancing, there are ghosts and hallucinations, it's London in the 1960s apparently (don't know if accurate, I wasn't there). And well there's murder. Ultimately I wasn't expecting things to go the way they did. Tension slowly builds up, movie gets scarier by the minute as tragedy unfolds, tragedy which still happens in many dark city corners all over the world. They surely didn't shy away from the realness of it all, I wanted to slip through the screen and offer my help here and there. So I'm having, not good time but I'm definitely invested waiting for some justice to be served. And then the twist at the end kind of flips that. It starts on the right moral path (you were in a terrible situation but that was not the the right way to go about it) but the narrative suddenly slips and person who was wronged and is in the wrong realistically speaking is now a hero, almost. It doesn't help that this shift comes out of nowhere. It just ruined everything for me.

Necista krv (2021– )

They've connected every character Stankovic ever made into one rushed mess

[2/10 · 2 January 2022]

It was an interesting idea to create prequel of sorts to a well-known book. The first three episodes follow the story of the ancestors who started it all, Hadzi Trifun remains the most interesting character. Then the story moves to his sons, yes sons, there's three of them, instead of one. Each one of them has wives, mistresses, children, grandchildren, problems so by the 7th episode you need to keep notes in order to understand who is who and how are they connected to it all. Instead of focusing on one family with few notable members they've created numerous plot lines and twist thus making the story bloated and pointless. The original protagonist Sofka has the least amount of screentime, her tale is speed run in episode 9 and she simply exists through it all, mostly silent. Episode 10 is by far the worst. Instead of a neat conclusion we get one more plot twist - Kostana, a beautiful singer whom another play, now is a part of this story as well, seemingly only here because of writers' dedication to connect every piece of Stankovic's work into one messy creation. The only constant is the suffering of various women, maybe even worse than the tragedy Stankovic described 100 years ago.

When in doubt they use nudity to draw attention. The authentic way of speaking is depicted with a few accentuated words similar to stereotypical comedy, the rest of the speech is identical to how people talk in Belgrade in 21st century. Although they deserve points for inclusion of Turkish. Costumes and cinematography are well done but this series has little else to offer.

Watch the first three episodes and skip the rest.

A Man Called Ove (2015)

I'm crying and smiling right now

[8/10 · 30 December 2021]

It's not often that I tear up at movies but this was an exception. It's beautiful, nicely done and the story got to me. I haven't read the book so perhaps it's a core issue but I wanted the found family part to last longer. It felt like the movie took too long to get to that feel good tear jerking part, the introduction to Ove and his past is slow but necessary. It would be great if we could get more from "big-hearted" good neighbor Ove, since I'm in the mood to happily cry some more but 3 hours would be too much for some. All in all a wonderful experience.

Landscapers (2021)

Great acting, nice visuals but the story wasn't that captivating for me

[4/10 · 17 December 2021]

Mistake was made on my part - I thought this would contain more crime elements and some dark type of comedy. It's a drama about a couple who are being investigated. That's it. Focus of this short series is on their relationship, not the act itself. This isn't about interrogation or murder investigation, the only truth trial brings up is - they love each other. I'm not entirely sure what even happened there. Emotional, with great acting but confusing. We never get the truth, the couple in question keep up their story even during flashbacks, while police tell a completely different story and that's it.

The rating is a reflection of my personal enjoyment of this miniseries, not it's quality. It's nicely done for what it is but I mistook it for something else and didn't have a great time. If you're into feelings and deciphering images you're shown then give it go, just don't expect CSI type of show with answers neatly presented and crimes coherently explained.

Arrested Development (2003–2019)

Had good time for the first three seasons and stopped watching after S4E3

[7/10 · 16 November 2021]

It's a funny little show, the story is interesting enough to keep you watching and you laugh here and there. Watching this nearly 20 years after it's original run I have to say some comedy bits are lost on me. But nevertheless it was funny and jokes felt natural. I laughed out loud a couple of times and that's rare.

Season 3 ended with a small cliffhanger because they were planning a sequel which didn't happen at the time and two seasons we got 15 years after the show ended are a huge disappointment. It bore me to death. The plot is also confusing a bit because they have to go back and worth since each episode revolves around one character. Also it seems to be the same thing from the beginning - money problems, family falling apart, a parent in jail. Only this time it's not funny and just looks out of place. I think I can live without finishing this.

Louise by the Shore (2016)

I expected some kind of overarching plot and there was none, I think?

[4/10 · 10 November 2021]

The movie is slow but that's not the problem, it's calm and peaceful, all in all a relaxing experience. Not everything needs to be action-packed but there has to be a point in there somewhere, a lesson, a message. An old lady adjusts to life in solitude, seemingly forgotten by her family. She can't remeber them either apparently. Halfway through the movie starts delving into her past and here I thought we were getting somewhere, there was something above the starter story of life in a makeshift cabin. And then a year has passed, people returned to the beach and she remains there? They don't mind her and she doesn't mind them. Her past doesn't matter, nothing matters, we're living like this now.

Small pet-peeve ~ she HAS a full functioning home already and entire small beachside town at her disposal. She's not deserted on an island where survival is extremely hard. There is something in her acceptance of solitude and her old age (even if there are discarded eyeglasses, magazines and painting kits on this beach when she convinietly needs them) but that's about it. Also we never learn why nobody came. Does she even have a family?

The ending left me very confused and tad dissappointed making this whole viewing experience useless. The dog is cute.

BoJack Horseman (2014–2020)

I'm not sure how long you have to keep watching in order to reach that well praised series

[4/10 · 22 October 2021]

I gave it half of Season 1 and I'm done. There is nothing in these episodes. There are many better ways to spend my time than waiting for this series to become watchable. I thought I could put it in the background but plain music is better choice

Most TV shows get only one chance at captivating the audience, I'm not about to sit through whole seasons just to reach some decent development. In order to even care about the relationships and the ways this story would go I have to first care about the characters and I just don't. All they do is whine about consequences of their own actions, while living relatively comfortable lives. Every major character is selfish and self-absorbed and in so does bad things to those around them, boo hoo. Imagine a bunch of rich bored people who only see their first world problems and will walk over anyone and everyone, there's zero loyalty and all the self pity. But as talking walking animals. Which is an attribute they don't utilize, I don't even know why they're animals. Real life is full of pretentious jerks as it is, we really don't need them in fantasy media. And even if they end up as moral goodie goodies I just don't care, they've annoyed me too much at the very beginning to invest myself into their journey.

Humor is boring and predictable, funny 1 in 34 attempts, even by 2014 standards Art style is tragic There's just no reason to keep watching. No beloved characters, it's not pretty, it's not new it's not even funny.

Squid Game (2021– )

It started great but got predictable and was wrapped up too quickly

[8/10 · 9 October 2021]

First six episodes are great - excellent introduction of characters and how they got here, careful world-building, clever and shocking games with increasing suspense up to episode 6 which is the peak of the show

By episode 7 there are about 20 players left, with a couple of "important" characters. That's where the show goes downhill:

• the fifth game is almost entirely luck based and running order practically determines who will pass. It also weeds out a lot of players giving us finalists out of nowhere

-the winner is predictable and almost all uncertainties are removed prior to the final game, that confrontation felt empty

• VIPS are abomination and ruin these last 3 episodes by a lot
• The cop - lost brother plot resolved in a very underwhelming way
• Front man is still a mystery - how he got to that position and why, his only redeeming quality is cool mask
• The host and the grand scheme are also very underwhelming and predictable
• the 1 year later epilogue is just depressing, maybe that was the intention

All in all, I feel it could've been better. It's like they've run out of ideas towards the end.