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Reviews
In Fabric (2018)
Absolutely pointless
There is no real story here, just a series of washing machine mishaps with minor gore. The film isn't funny, scary, thoughtful or meaningful. The makers of this film have wasted their time, the actor's time and the crew's time. They managed to waste my time, please do not let them waste yours.
Part of the problem is that there's no point or pattern to the curse. There's no message, no meaning and no underlying story to make any of the events on screen be compelling, they're simply awkward and vulgar. I do remain baffled as to how such a talented bunch of people made something so dreadful without one person managing to add something worthwhile.
The Righteous Gemstones (2019)
Insightful Portrait of a Dysfunctional Family
The Gemstones are awful, they are instant hate figures of entitled, arrogant, snobbery and selfishness while being heads of a global mega grift, yet what makes Gemstones endlessly watchable is that they're not bad people, they are genuinely trying to be better, they're just really bad at it and everything else.
Some of the best moments in the show are speeches from McBride's character, he's clearly written these for himself and I can see why, they are incredibly poignant and meaningful, always surprising from a character that is so deluded, deranged and self obsessed. Come for the comedy, stay for the drama, love the writing.
Breakers (2019)
Gets so much better
Please persevere with this. It's bad at the beginning, almost to the point of being deliberate. The colour is off, the camera work shoddy and sound design unpleasant. As the series progresses, it all gets better. I am trying to work out whether this is deliberate, as if until he 'finds his story' the world is bland and pointless. If this wasn't intentional.... no idea why, but it really does become worth it further in.
StartUp: Seed Money (2016)
Writers Did No Research
The woman playing the coder was not believable at all and the writers gave her no chance of being believable. Every time a technical term was used, I cringed. Bear in mind that Angelina Jolie managed a better job at this in Hackers.
If you're going to write about something, try speaking to people who can tell you whether you're at least vaguely in the ball park.
On top of that, lazy dialogue, lazy tropes and a lot of lazy sex scenes.
Soulmates: Layover (2020)
Fun to Watch, Some Subtlty
One of the few episodes in the series that actually worked well. The essential concept of Soulmates is that there is one person you'll love most, that doesn't mean they'll make you the happiest or make you the best person.
Bill Skarsgård's character is awkward, disconnected and emotionally closed, to the point where it's difficult to watch. He slowly changes and becomes more likeable, more engaged, more of a person.
There's a lot missing here, such as a bigger apology from Jonah and an explanation as to why the crystal ball was such a big deal, but ultimately it was about the difference between perfect love and a love built on shared experience and the potential to change one another for the more interesting (even if not necessarily for the better).
Perpetual Grace, LTD: When Doves Cry (2019)
Mysterious Pa is the world's best marriage counsellor
The best part of the episode comes when Hector and Pa start working together. We are constantly told Pa is a bad man, yet he doesn't hurt Hector's family and gives him the two best pieces of advice he's ever had; his novel is dreadful and his wife loves him. I'm curious to see where his character goes from here, but his people manipulation can be used for both good and evil, we've predominantly seen good.
The Tick (2016)
Best Superheroes Show at the moment
The Tick was always a parody of superhero tropes and was always irreverent without quite breaking the 4th wall. This is the first incarnation of The Tick that is also truly sincere, Tick's entirely pure intentions finally get pitted against the real world and he doesn't flinch.
It carefully skates the line of sentiment without being mawkish, action without being tedious and superhero without being formulaic. All the actors do a splendid job and the dynamic between Serafinowicz and Newman fits perfectly.
New Amsterdam (2018)
Making me sick into my own scorn
This is once of the most hackneyed, trite, paint by numbers, recycled snooze fest I've seen in a long time. Everything is so obvious it's the writing equivalent of auto-tune. If you want a bland hospital drama, please go ahead, you have been warned. I have no idea how this reached its current rating.
Dream Corp LLC (2016)
Visually Bewildering Thematically Engaging
The tone is somewhat absurdist, with world building being incidental, but the character exploration is both crass when Dr Roberts simplifies but nuanced and subtle with both visuals and occasional insight from the qualified intern.
The show is unlike anything else, with little coherence and I think intentionally so. What the show is about and what happens is less important than the experience, or maybe it's not.... it's a mess, a beautiful mess. Enjoy it however you want.
Logan (2017)
A Fitting But Painful End
Unlike many Marvel fans, I knew Wolverine before Hugh Jackman and didn't get to see the first X-Men in the cinema. I have always had a huge love of the X-Men comic franchise and in all the ups and very deep downs of the films, Hugh Jackman has been a consistent pleasure. Despite knowing the Wolverine character before Jackman, he was my Wolverine and can never be replaced.
This film works as a fond farewell and an entirely standalone, non-cannon story; it is rich in humour, subtlty, meaning and emotion. Few films have left me as affected. We will always want more, we will always want things to be different, but we need to learn to be okay with enough.