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Reviews
Nemesis (2024)
The Australian Lib government 2013-22 - the participants give their view
Most of the people involved in the Australian Lib/Nationals government from 2013 to 2022. A superb series for anybody interested in Australian politics, with input from two of the three prime ministers (plus a previous prime minister) interviewed, as well as many of the ministers and members of government. While none of the interviews is particularly long or in great depth, the range of people interviewed gives a great depth, and excellent insights as to what was going on inside the government.
Each episode covers the government of one prime minister - Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison.
Groundhog Night (2020)
Short but sweet (in a good way)
A very short film - but with a good mix of comedy, happiness, pathos and seriousness. It shows something of the hard work in caring for a disabled person, but one who is not marginalised in the family.
Alive Inside (2014)
Inspires hope
I saw the trailer for the film on YouTube. As I'm just beginning a new career in aged care, I've been inspired to use music with residents - recorded music, singing to them*, and involving them in community singalongs. While my experience has been brief so far, I have seen in some residents the transformation which music gives (though nowhere near as dramatic as Henry in the clip).
*I'm not much of a singer, but that doesn't make a difference if I can find the right songs.
Inspired by the clip, I bought the DVD.
It was one of the most positive films I've seen for a long time. It brought tears to the eyes seeing some of the transformation brought about by music. It was wonderful, seeing a way that some joy can be brought back to some people.
I know that a film like that will only show the most positive stories, and I've seen first hand that many more people will not have the reactions shown.
But there has been enough of a transformation in some of the stories shown to continue to inspire me to look for opportunities to give just a little bit of joy to some people.
Thank you so much to the filmmakers and storymakers for showing the possibilities.
The Mind, Explained (2019)
A good start, but deteriorated
The first three episodes were really interesting, and covered a good range of fascinating material. The episode on mindfulness wasn't bad, but relied more on practitioners and less on objective facts. But then, the episode on hallucinogens really pulled the series down. It relied on scant facts to pull together a case for further investigation into hallucinogens. Perhaps there's a case for this, but it didn't fit well into a series based much more on science and the mind in the natural world. There are so many aspects of the mind which could have been explored. This last episode also took away from some of what had been presented in the Mindfulness episode.
Charité (2017)
An excellent series
This was a compelling drama, with the drama of a hospital in Berlin, in the last years of World War 2.
I hadn't realised until the series was well in that many of the characters are based on real people - the head doctor Sauerbruch, Adolphe Jung, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and members of his family, and Hans von Dohnányi amongst others. This made the story much more compelling. It's good to have Wikipedia available when watching.
The final episode with the fall of Berlin, was especially powerful.
The use of colourised film clips from the time was well done.
A high quality, well done series.
Charité (2017)
An excellent series
This was a compelling drama, with the drama of a hospital in Berlin, in the last years of World War 2.
I hadn't realised until the series was well in that many of the characters are based on real people - the head doctor Sauerbruch, Adolphe Jung, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and members of his family, and Hans von Dohnányi amongst others. This made the story much more compelling. It's good to have Wikipedia available when watching.
The final episode with the fall of Berlin, was especially powerful.
The use of colourised film clips from the time was well done.
A high quality, well done series.
The Kindness Diaries (2017)
Mostly inspiring but...
I loved hearing the stories of other people who were trying to make a difference in the world, and to see their reactions to the gift they'd been given.
I really enjoyed seeing the different places he travelled to.
But I hated his apparent refusal to learn more than just a few words of Spanish. It gave an appearance of cultural imperialism - either you speak English, or you don't matter. Even his attempts at basic Spanish seemed to be an attempt to try Italian words for the Spanish words he didn't know. If one wants to get a free meal, one should at least know the word for "eat" in the appropriate language; "walk" was a step too much.
Ten out of ten for the content. Minus three stars the bad language.
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019)
The first sketch was ok ...
... but after the first sketch, there was barely anything funny. I watched it right through, hoping that there would be something good, but it never got there. Some sketches were almost unbearable.
I don't know if this is a cultural thing. I'm an Australian with a leaning towards English comedy, and I often find that people in the US laugh at different things. I guess this is one example.
Turn Up Charlie (2019)
Nice, not great
I have an image that all British comedies are great. This proved me wrong.
It's ok, a nice diversion. But it's a bit formulaic, the familiar story in an updated setting. There's a bit of a touch of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous which adds a bit of glamour to the viewing. But perhaps it's got enough American content to be called an American comedy - and on that standard, ok.
One Day at a Time (2017)
Sitcom with sensitivity
While this show has the standard format of a sitcom, it has somewhat more emotional depth. I enjoyed the cross cultural references, but especially the relationship of the absent father to his daughter's coming out.
A somewhat higher standard than its standard sitcom ancestors.
It's a real pity that Netflix has not chose to renew past the third season.
Shtisel (2013)
Very enjoyable insight into another world
I've really been enjoying this series. It's a fascinating look into another world, with sympathetic views of the orthodox world in Jerusalem.
Seeing these people in what appears to be a very strange way of dressing makes it appear that they are an entire world away. But this shows people who live in a very similar way to ourselves, and breaks down barriers between the "us" and "them". Rather than being a world away, they become real people, with just some customs different to what I'm used to.
I gather that they aren't ultra orthodox, in that many aspects of modern technology are acceptable, perhaps with some limits.
Not being familiar with Hebrew or Yiddish, I was surprised to hear some Germanic words. I found it worth while to read up on the use of the two languages in the series.
A minor niggle - some subtitles carried the original word which I wasn't familiar with, words which may have been familiar to Israeli viewers. I thought that Kotel was a hotel until I looked it up to find it meant something quite different (the Western Wall).
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Missing Dick Van Dyke's energy and enthusiasm
Like many people who saw Mary Poppins when we were children, I had very good memories of the original.
In the remake, the music was good, and the dance routines very well done. Emily Blunt did a very good job of Mary Poppins. And there were some nice cameos. (If there was a murder by balloon, somebody would have been on hand to solve it).
However, it really showed just how much Dick Van Dyke did for the original. The energy, enthusiasm and fun of Bert in the original movie is missing in the new version.
The musical production was good, but I didn't think that any of the songs were memorable in the same way as the 1964 version. But then, they might become memorable if repeated sufficiently.
We didn't go with kids.
Derry Girls (2018)
I couldn't like it
Over the top acting changed what could have been a good program into a cringeworthy one. I couldn't hang in there for very long, it was just so totally unrealistic with the acting.