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Keallach
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try again'Time is nothing when you've nothing to lose'.
Reviews
Underwater (2020)
Aliens Under the Sea ft. Cthulhu
Expectations were LOW, but a disappointing knockoff nonetheless - essentially Aliens Under the Sea with the usual formulaic action-disaster characters and special guest appearance by Cthulhu. Yawn.
I guess there was some intention of upping the "girl power" factor, but Kristen Stewart is just sooo flat - one more iteration of the same alternating mouth open / lips pursed perpetual consternation as always. Yawn.
Visually uncompelling as well. Yes, the ocean floor is dark and murky, and the probable intention/hope was that would create tensions... but it didn't. Frustrating watch, even on a ginormous screen.
If your pandemic watchlist is getting sparse, and it's available for free... kill some time, I guess. Otherwise, PASS.
La casa de papel (2017)
A disjointed melodrama masquerading as a caper
We've only watched the first 2.5 episodes of S1, but it looks like that's going to be it. The premise promises a thrilling caper type series, but it's just not that. It's more melodrama and bungling, which isn't what we signed up for or intriguing. We just don't care about any of these characters or believe they could pull off such a heist.
Her Take: I feel baited and switched. I hate that.
His Take: Too many scenes feel like they were included just because someone wanted to film them. It makes the plot disjointed, unengaging and unbelievable.
Ozark (2017)
Some minor flaws, but solid
Netflix has been suggesting this for what seems like forever, so not sure why it took so long to give it a go... but we were hooked right off!
Marty is kind of a darker version of Jason Bateman's "usual" character (who I typically enjoy). But it's a pretty dark series, obviously - money laundering, Mexican drug cartel, the backwoods Ozarks and all the characters who live there. It's going to be dark, and there's going to be violence.
Joint take: It can be a touch slow at points, and Ruth's cursing is a bit much (literally every other word sometimes), but overall, the characters and their development and intersections make for an engaging watch. Marty, don't be soft on Wendy!
Lost Girls (2020)
Lifetime movie by Netflix
An interesting true unsolved crime, but a woefully uncompelling telling.
El hoyo (2019)
Like being beaten over the head for 90-mins
Her Take: I was a little wary of the food aspect going in, but the general concept sounded up my alley, and then all the accolades... but I did not enjoy this. No subtlety or nuance whatsoever. Boring at points and painfully over-contrived at others. Tried waaay too hard to make a point for my tastes, which kinda led to it failing to make any point.
His Take: Was hyped to see it and maybe had overblown expectations. Didn't hate it, but didn't enjoy it. Could've been done better, and has. Disappointing.
Westworld (2016)
Tried, but it's a HARD PASS.
Really don't understand the high ratings or all the buzz. This show vacillates from overblown cheesy/lame to mind-numbingly boring... it's unwatchable.
It's been on my watchlist for awhile, so it was one of the first we thought we'd binge when isolation/quarantine started... but that list is long, and the need for stimulation is even higher than normal. Under current circumstances, there is NO place for anything that makes time feel like it's moving any slower.
My quarantine/viewing buddy was done after two episodes ("this is dreadful"), but I wanted to give it one more - three is the magic number, and third time's the charm, and all that. I was wrong. The three hours we spent trying to watch Westworld felt more like six... three wasted hours of life we'll never get back, instead of just two. I kinda feel guilty for having squandered more of his time, as well as my own. My bad.
Gisaengchung (2019)
The hype is warranted.
I've wanted to see this awhile, but the consistent rave reviews actually made me hesitate and put it off, for fear of disappointment...nothing is ever that good... but I genuinely and thoroughly loved this!
The themes are common enough, but told in such a way, and with such a unique story, to be legitimately fresh. The subtle nuances of performance can sometimes get lost in subtitles, but not in this case - each actor transcends language in conveying their character. The plot twists and turns between random chuckles and stark darkness from the start to the shocking, sad and satisfying finish.
The hype is real - definitely one of the best movies of the year, and of recent years. Don't miss it.
Us (2019)
Irredeemably AWFUL
I guess I didn't log/rate/review this when I watched it last year... probably because it was sooo bad, I was just happy to be done with it and to put it behind me. The outrage over this not receiving Oscar noms is flabbergasting - it was easily the single worst movie I saw all of last year.
The premise was touch-and-go, but might've worked out alright if any part of the execution (production or acting) hadn't been so painfully over-contrived and... just bad. It was difficult to stick it out to the end, with all the plot holes, failed shock attempts and cringe-worthy performance moments... it was a bona fide relief when the credits finally, mercifully, rolled.
The Academy may have a "diversity problem", but this definitely isn't a victim of that - it's just a really, really bad movie.