UMirxa12 Reviews

The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)

Really Well-Done Vampire Fiction

[7/10 · 20 December 2023]

The Vampire Diaries is one of the best vampire-related/fantasy properties ever produced for the screen.

It doesn't make a mockery of the genre by having vampires glitter in the sun or other idiotic stuff you see in films and TV.

The casting is generally brilliant, the writing is mostly fantastic, and the overall ambiance of the show is near-perfect. The sound-track too is magnificent.

More than anything else, I loved the in-universe mythology. The origin of the species, in particular, is fascinating as depicted here, and the Original family of vampires is simply magnificent.

However, there are missed opportunities here, especially in later seasons. Characters sometimes seem stuck in loops, making the same choices and decisions over and again, apparently having entirely forgotten what they experienced/suffered in previous seasons.

Personal Ranking of Main Characters: (Excluding 'The Originals' because they got their own show)

01. Damon Salvatore 02. Stefan Salvatore 03. Alaric Saltzman 04. Caroline Forbes 05. Lorenzo St. John 06. Bonnie Bennett 07. Tyler Lockwood 08. Katherine Pierce (Katerina Petrova) 09. Kai Parker 10. Elena Gilbert 11. Sheriff Liz Forbes 12. Jenna Sommers 13. Anna Zhu 14. Valerie Tulle 15. John Gilbert 16. Rayna Cruz 17. Sheila 'Grams' Bennett 18. Lily Salvatore 19. Liv Parker 20. Matt Donovan 21. Jeremy Gilbert.

Wednesday (2022– )

An Absolutely Woeful Delight!

[8/10 · 16 February 2023]

Wednesday is a feel-good, breath-of-fresh-air, wonderful little delight which is entirely and absolutely, fantastically even, full of woe.

Jenna Ortega's Wednesday Addams is a sullen-faced, anti-social, and witchily woeful treasure to whom they should simply hand over all the awards now, and she has been admirably supported by rest of the cast, including Hunter Doohan (Tyler), Emma Myers (Enid), Jamie McShane (Sheriff Galpin), Joy Sunday (Bianca), and the forever lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams).

The story, writing, direction, and cinematography are all excellent, and remarkably consistent across the eight-episode first season. Simply put, the wait for the second season to release will be long indeed!

The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022)

So Much Potential Here ... Nearly All of It Wasted ...

[5/10 · 27 December 2022]

The Witcher: Blood Origin is a monolithic (See what I did there? You'll see) disappointment.

It has none of The Witcher's depth, grace, majesty, wonder or horror. The story isn't well-crafted but feels as if someone put together some plot points in a hurry, and then the showrunners have rushed through what little they did have.

None of it makes a lot of sense, if at all.

The show, the story are shallow. The writing is weak, dialogue amateurish and needlessly littered with filth. Most of the characters and their motivations make no sense, and some have been included ... well, because they are.

The ragtag group of heroes is led by "The Lark" because ... she sang a few songs of hope? There are better warriors in the group, more powerful companions, and better strategists too.

The greatest swordswoman in the world ... and all she does is kill a few soldiers.

The dwarf is there because she has nothing else left to do.

The villains are pathetic. A "lowborn' mage's greatest motivation is that people consider him "lowborn". Really? The "Empress" wants to write her own story, so ... she destroys everything. Right! And the commander of their armies? A pouting, whining child-man who changes alliances because he had a drunken one-night stand with another elf.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Fitting Tribute to a Legend

[8/10 · 19 November 2022]

Wakanda Forever does perfectly what it needed to do above everything else: it pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman in heartfelt, respectful, and worthy manner. Ryan Coogler, his team, and the movie's cast have pulled it off admirably, and fortunately without any silly MCU jokes (of which I had been afraid since I watched the travesty that was Thor: Love and Thunder).

The movie is a welcome return to form by Marvel after, I'll say it again, the horror show which was Thor: Love and Thunder (easily the MCU's worst offering since The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2).

It has its lighter moments where necessary but nowhere are comedy and humour overdone, and for the most part, the movie hits all the right notes. The direction, acting, cinematography, and writing are all excellent, and the film score is absolutely breathtaking.

Letitia Wright (Shuri) and Danai Gurira (Okoye) are exceptional here, and supported brilliantly by Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda), Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia), and Winston Duke (M'Baku).

Tenoch Huerta's debut as Namor is exquisite in its portrayal, and the folks over at DC should take notes on how to properly and effectively portray an underwater kingdom and its super-powered king.

(I spent most of the movie wishing we could have had the joy of watching Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa share the screen with Huerta. It would have made for some legendary scenes).

Dominique Thorn's debut as Riri, I felt, fell slightly short of the mark, and she might perhaps have been better introduced in a movie which did not have so much else going on. Still, I look forward to seeing more of her in Iron Heart and other MCU projects.

Martin Freeman's Everett Ross, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Val, and Michaela Coel's Aneka are little more than footnotes here but they do set up some interesting ideas for future MCU projects, including 'The Thunderbolts'.

Ancient Apocalypse (2022)

Sensationalist Nonsense

[5/10 · 12 November 2022]

'Ancient Apocalypse' is an often confused, and generally arrogant, attempt to sensationalize history through one person's insistence of a rather ridiculous idea, and his desire to pick a fight with archaeologists, historians, and scientists.

Graham Hancock insists, on the one hand, how archaeologists and scientists all around the world have locked themselves into this one idea of human history, and are unwilling to change their perspective in light of new archaeological evidence.

On the other hand, he takes all the evidence, the myths and legends of diverse cultures, and any facts, hints, and suggestions he can find, and twists them all to fit into his own idea of an incredibly advanced, forgotten ancient civilization while doing exactly what he constantly accuses academics of doing: not being willing to accept anything which defies their own perception.

He has visited some amazing places, found some fascinating links between separate cultures across history, and maybe even come up with a few half-decent ideas about why we need to continue extensive research into our past to better understand our ancient ancestors.

However, the biggest conclusion he has drawn is largely nonsensical. The way he keeps implying ancient humans could not have progressed as they did, to discover agriculture and build large monuments and structures, without the help of some advanced civilization forgotten by history is plain arrogant, insulting, extremely annoying, and rather hypocritical given he accuses archaeologists of the very same arrogance he displays himself.

Hasan Minhaj: The King's Jester (2022 TV Special)

Comedy Worthy of a King!

[9/10 · 4 October 2022]

'The King's Jester' is not quite the 'Homecoming King' but it is brilliant nonetheless.

Hasan Minhaj is a master storyteller, an excellent comedian, and the way he holds onto your attention--never to let it go--is a rare ability indeed.

He has weaved the personal with the politic here again, the satire with the sincere, and the ecstatic with the horrific. You learn when you listen to him, and you laugh, you cry, and you feel. You feel all the joy, the anger and the grief, the irony and the stupidity, and everything and anything else he wants you to feel.

I loved this piece nearly as much as I loved his 'Homecoming King', and I cannot wait to watch and listen and learn when he does another special. Here's hoping he does it soon.

Sicario (2015)

Frustratingly Short of Greatness!

[7/10 · 28 July 2022]

Sicario is a good movie. A really good movie with excellent direction, cinematography, and tight-knit action which is never overdone. Every actor plays their part to near perfection, and the story is beautifully told--with barely any fluff and.no useless extravagance.

It could, however, have been a truly great movie if Emily Blunt and Daniel Kaluuya's characters were not in it ... or if they had been given different roles. Both actors did fine jobs ... but both their characters were quite simply pointless.

Kate Mercer (Emily Blunt) adds nothing to the story except a needless--and quite half-hearted--moral compass who cries, whines, and delivers empty threats while contributing nothing to the investigation.

Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya) does, if possible, even less. He is an arrogant, holier-than-thou, uninvited tag-along voice of reason who insists on being present without ever giving any real reason for it, and seems far too interested in his partner Kate's bra ... and her general appearance.

Left to Del Toro and Brolin, with the time wasted on Blunt and Kaluuya instead being spent on greater plot development, Sicario could have been a much better movie!

Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King (2017 TV Special)

Truly Awesome!

[9/10 · 5 December 2021]

Homecoming King is a masterpiece in storytelling and stand-up comedy by Hasan Minhaj.

The way he has interweaved the extremely personal, such as childhood, dating, love, marriage, and sibling relationships with larger, global issues such as ethnicity, racism, immigration, discrimination, and politics ... and still managed to tell it all in an incredibly hilarious way ... is simply brilliant.

I hope he does another special soon!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

A True Gem of British Cinema

[8/10 · 25 November 2021]

One of the most brilliantly written comedy movies I have ever watched.

If one must create a parody of such subject matter as King Arthur, Knights of the Round Table, and the Quest for the Holy Grail, then it should be done like this ... or not at all.