Now having watched S1 and S2 twice in preparation of S3 and having been done with S3, I can definitively say, this is easily my top show of all time. Unfortunately it's not perfect but I can attest to the sheer quality in every single aspect of it's production and writing.
This show could have been a 10/10 contender for me and up until S3E7, it was. It was making it's way to be the perfect show but the ending is not as satisfying as I'd hoped because it doesn't live up to the promise the show establishes. Before I discuss the ending, I must assure you that almost every single mystery and question you might have had till S2 is resolved and answered. What follows is a complete spoiler for the ending so DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU WATCH ALL OF S3
Until S3E7, the show establishes that the universe the show takes place in is utterly deterministic and I loved it for that. They even tease a non-deterministic possibility only to turn it on it's head and cement even more that it definitively is. But then S3E8 comes and forces a "fix" to the whole timeline that does actually make a lot of sense with the established world. When the characters were operating on the duality of worlds, it was only obvious that if everything else operated in threes, why not the worlds? But then the resolution and the whole fix and the unnecessary scenes in between to make it a sci-fi ending doesn't pull it off completely. I love sci-fi endings and stuff like Arrival, Annihilation, Interstellar, 2001 and the game Observation are my bread and butter. But this show has established itself too much into a certain way of the universe operating that the ending seemed to fit way too clumsily into a "happy" ending. I wish the authors had established a far more bleak ending of a never ending cycle simply continuing and looping into itself to tie all the characters into their respective dooms for eternity.
That said, a somewhat weak ending doesn't ruin 25 episodes of near perfection. The show deserves a 9.5 but alas a 9 is all I can give
There is no way to expect an anime that is this unabashedly violent and gory has everything, absolutely EVERYTHING which includes the animation, music, voice acting, characterizations, all supporting the quiet moments, the calm moments, the moments of the eye surrounded by the storm. The show revels in these moments in a world surrounded by brutality and death. Having read the manga, I wished they'd covered more in the first season. I now see that thinking that way was an utter mistake. The show takes its time, shows us the beauty in life, the things we should be enjoying such as the food, relationships and things we take for granted
Before they're all ripped apart in the high speed blades of a Chainsaw
This show will probably grace the walls of TV history on the same level as something like Chernobyl. Masterfully written historical fiction with compelling characters, a dense narrative and excellent pacing. As with something this incredible, there's really not much else I have to say. The usual stuff like visuals, music, set design etc are all superbly executed and everything comes together in every single episode. I'm incredibly happy that TV like this is being made today.
The thrilling, breathtaking science fiction movie of this generation. Characters were a bit stilted and the pacing was a bit off at times. Other than that, I can find nothing to criticize. Jaw dropping cinematography, excellent acting, amazing special effects and a score to wrap it all in mystique. An almost perfect movie and leaves you thirsty for the next one. This deserves to be watched in the theatres
Edit: watched it a second time in 2024 before part 2. What a movie oof. Simply superb
It's terribly sad to see comments that are taking the "story" for what it is worth at face value and outright dismissing the movie entirely
As loathe as I am to watch "arthouse" movies, this one certainly struck quite a few chords. The journey of the young, unsure, foolhardy knight and his misplaced sense of honor and the turn he takes into fully accepting his destiny was one I enjoyed very much. The visuals and the sounds did play a large part in it, completely selling the atmosphere of a magical kingdom with swathes of unknown and unexplored mystery. The performances, too, were excellent and Dev Patel was very convincing as Sir Gawain
I'm sorry to say but the story is very, very obvious. As with these "artsy fartsy" movies, the way it is told is what elevates it and here, I feel it was justified and used to great effect. Instead of giving us the straightforward story of Sir Gawain in the ballad, something that has been told for centuries (and something I looked up afterwards because I'm not British or European at all), this movie instead attempts to recontextualise and shroud the entire thing in an air of magic and I found myself enraptured by it
It's the classic tale of a straightforward story told in a convoluted way. As King Arthur says at the very beginning, it was always just a game. What mattered was the journey Gawain took that changed him into someone who would accept what was coming because of his honor. The fox and the mansion were distractions and tried to keep him from achieving his destiny. The sash, given by his mother and returned by the witch in the mansion, was to prevent him harm but it prevented it by making him a coward. What happens after the Knight swings his axe is just the future that awaits for him for his broken oath. He removes the sash, thus letting go of all fears and the Green Knight, satisfied with the man he sees before him, lets him go. The Green Knight was never truly harmed and there was never a reason to harm Gawain either
I loved this movie. It blended the mystical and made for an enthralling journey through beautiful lands and forests and was something truly unique that I appreciate and left me wanting more
What the hell is wrong with the comments here? Goddamn culture warriors "bravely" fighting against... I really don't know but keep up the great fight on trakt comments you morons
The first season was pretty good. Thankfully the show isn't holding out on all the mysteries for future seasons. Most of the big questions were answered by the finale with some teases for the future. Even if the show wasn't already renewed, I think I'd be mostly satisfied with what we have so far but let's see how the next season shapes up. Pretty good writing, great references to the games, good characters and acting, great sets honestly and decent production values. The power suits are probably the weak link in terms of looks and it's kind of a coin toss whether they look great or kinda shabby. There's enough here to at least look forward to the next season with how much has happened so far.
With the steep decline in the quality of TV and literacy in the world, Garth Marenghi is the one light in the darkness that brings the quality back making it a cultural masterpiece. Marenghi shows us how it's done with this gripping, thrilling, and yet tender story of a hospital where, at one time, an eyeball monster assfucked a patient who then gave birth to another eyeball monster child who was adopted by the lead, Dr Dagless . Stellar writing and performances assure that with this piece of art, Marenghi has changed the world
A pretty entertaining and funny mystery. The ending was a little weak but the movie was mostly great. Great performances all around
I'm going to pretend that I know nothing of what Alex Garland himself has said about this movie and his motivations while writing it. All I've heard is vague bad misinterpretations of what he's said anyhow and I have no interest in doing any further research.
I have a different interpretation of this movie. I don't think it's trying to be "apolitical" or be a centrist stance on anything. I'm not even sure it's trying to be much of a war movie as such or be a study of the United States and divisive politics. I don't even feel like it's a look into "war journalism" and I'm sure actual journalists would be fairly appalled at how they're portrayed and I'm reasonably certain that this is in no way accurate whatsoever. Obviously the movie isn't trying to be left or right wing and is certainly vague about party affiliations but it is also thoroughly unconcerned with trying to explain what happened that led to these events beyond vague, hand wavy concoctions. To me, the ending very much comes across as "you can try your hardest to not care but you will be forced to". I don't think it ends abruptly because it ends when the story does. There's nothing more to discuss because what would inevitably happen happened. The characters are forced to come to grips with what the maelstrom around them as they wade through the muck in the quest for their own brand of thrills. This is simply a character study of a unique set of individuals in an unusual and dangerous situation with the setting simply as set dressing.
Before I go any deeper into my thoughts that are filled with spoilers, I'll give my spoiler free opinions. This was an incredible movie but not without its fumbles. The dialog is not always good and some lines come across as quite goofy. But when it hits, it very much hits it right out of the park. The battle scenes are tense, the music choices are excellent and the performances are absolutely wonderful. Kirsten Dunst is obviously a highlight but Cailee Spiney was a revelation, not having seen her in anything else before this. Jesse Plemons' small role has already been memed into oblivion but with good reason because it certainly is one of the most memorable sequences I can think of. The movie is shot beautifully and it very much is one of the most gorgeous, well shot movies I've seen in recent memory. All that said, it's so hard to recommend this movie to anyone. It's not straightforward or plot driven like most of Alex Garland's previous works (barring Men that I have not watched as of writing this review) but to me, this would certainly count as required viewing if you want to watch a movie unlike any other with fairly unique subject matter and for a masterclass in building tension. Watch it if given the opportunity but do not go in expecting payoffs and action set pieces. This was an extremely thought provoking piece but I don't think it was for the reasons I was expecting. I think I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
Now with the spoilers:
The moment it became clear to me that the movie wasn't trying to be apolitical was when they went arrived at the town out of time. Joe asks the cashier if she knows what's happening around them to which she says "we're trying to stay out of it". This clearly initially comes off as the naive and arrogant retort of someone privileged enough by geography to afford to say that but soon after, the movie shows that the town has taken the violent steps to keep it that way and it did not come about by accident. The town is no apolitical anachronistic paradise but a haven that is enforced through guns and blood spilled conveniently off screen. In a similar vein, none of the characters by the end remain neutral or disconnected from what happens around them. Lee is clearly shaken and can barely do her job in the moments leading up to the invasion of the White House. We do know that she is not immune to the affects of her work but what changes through the runtime is her affinity for Jessie and protecting her as she figuratively passes the torch to her. Lee tried to move with the times and keep herself focused as she adopted the digital camera, struggling to upload her shots through broken wifi, as the new generation comes in with the old film camera to take up her mantle. Joe and Jessie can clearly no longer stay neutral in the conflict as they leave behind Sammy and Lee's corpses and direct their ire towards the President who they probably feel is the reason for their colleagues' deaths and they take satisfaction in almost joyfully covering the President's final moments. "War is bad" seems almost like a trite message to have to be covered in 109 minutes but ultimately that is what I feel the movie is about. It does not matter how many photos you take, the moments that will deeply affect you will remain in your mind forever, needing no reminders and war is a powerful force that will leave an indelible mark on anyone
I'd recommend watching this with subtitles
The story is of course not an original though it's been slightly changed here with some additional characters, some plots removed and some added. Still, not much to talk about the story itself since it's one for the ages and adapted a hundred times. But here it's executed beautifully, dripping with style and incredible performances by all involved, especially Frances McDormand who does a stellar job as Lady Macbeth. It's a classic tale, told well and with panache and flourish
Season 1 was fine. They did interesting things with the timelines (which were a tad unnecessarily confusing) and they had some decent political intrigue and fun "short story" episodic plots. It tied up fairly neatly at the end.
Season 2 was pretty great. A lot of dangling threads are introduced in the first 4 episodes in very frustrating ways and most of them are tied up incredibly neatly in the final two. There's a lot more focus on the characters and this is primarily Ciri's story, not Geralt's or Yennefer's though they do have major roles to play. Jaskier comes in the clutch to deliver some much needed levity and pulls it off with some great scenes. Music is as good as always
I hope they end it at a neat and tidy Season 3. I'm not sure if they will considering the popularity but I still want it to be something they round off by the end of the next season in a bow all gift wrapped with a solid conclusion.
"How you know I wasn't some Boy Scout looking for his tent?"
"Your teeth glow in the dark."
An extremely well written contemporary western series. Compelling characters, great writing, witty dialog all come together to make for a classic series that does so much right that something that you don't think would work as well as it does works so perfectly
So many action set pieces where I am in complete awe at even trying to think of how it was accomplished. A non-stop intense thrill ride that starts at 60 and only stops at the very end.
Another work of visual and aural art par excellence by the famed Studio Ghibli. Do not come in expecting linear, standard plot or narrative because the movie does not bother with it. It is entirely based on vibes and is mostly an allegorical tale of overcoming grief and sparing the next generation the sins of the past and leaving them to build themselves a better future. A lot of the themes beyond the personal struggles of a young, lost boy are fairly explicitly anti-war and anti-nationalism with the writer pushing for the new generation to imagine a world beyond what the ancestors of yore struggled created.
The pacing could have used some tightening since almost all of the first half is very slow setup that soaks in WW2 era countryside Japan which is only tolerable because of the beautiful, signature Ghibli aesthetic. The second half picks up and never really stops until the very end and this could have been two thirds of the movie with a shorter runtime. I can't say I was ever really bored but I did find myself wondering when the movie would move to the next major plot point for a significant chunk.
I'll be completely honest: I am a little disappointed
To get it out of the way, in terms of presentation, this movie is impeccable. The visuals, sound, music, acting, everything is perfect. The experience of watching the movie was exhilarating on every level
All my complaints lie with the pacing and the plot. Without spoiling anything, this is the second part of a trilogy and it shows. The pacing in the first 2/3rds left me wondering how much would happen in the last third and my fears were not unfounded. There's a lot that is skipped over and rushed through and some plot points make no sense because there is no time to go over any of it. The movie ends clearly setting up a grand finale and while the tone is perfectly conveyed, it is still quite messy and leaves much to be desired in terms of delivering a more structured and cohesive journey for Paul.
I look forward to the next installment and will do another rewatch of the two movies but I genuinely wish I liked it more. The presentation was enough to gloss over the flaws but I like this less than the first one
S1 was great in most respects. Incredible art and action, beautiful music, great VA, good writing and dialog and a very interesting twist to the standard revenge plot. I'm just not too sure where they're taking this plot from here. S1 ended at a really weird spot with a somewhat underwhelming finale so I'm hoping future seasons stick the landing more with me but I'm still interested in seeing where this goes. Even if it ends badly, S1 is definitely an easy recommend right now
I love it so much. Sure there's parts where it doesn't hold up to the original comic series but for the most part it's a faithful yet gripping adaptation with a lot going for it
incredibly funny, uniquely brilliant and quite poignant. As usual, with most movies like this, it's about love and family and other sappy stuff. But wrapped in a bunch of complete nonsense that's hilarious and like nothing else
As with all Mike Flanagan stuff, this is a show about the human spirit, about love, loss, all things held dear and about the humanity in us. Wrapped in a veneer of horror. The finale was a bit drawn out and preachy; the show could have been 6 episodes but I appreciate what it's trying to do and it pulls a lot of it off. If you like Mike Flanagan stuff, don't miss this
For anyone who liked this one, I highly recommend the anime Shiki which does a lot of what this does and very well but takes much longer to get there
A somewhat meh third act does not ruin the fact that this film is genuinely funny throughout, unrepentantly gory, irreverent in so many ways and truly defines the "Suicide Squad". A well written, raucously fun romp through some excellent action, memorable anti-heroes and some of the most self aware comic book nonsense we've ever seen. I don't want to blithely bring Marvel into this but this is definitely the refresher that we need
Definitely a Coen Brothers thing. A bunch of dark comedy "shorts" with a vague sense of the supernatural all ending unexpectedly and randomly without any firm answers or conclusions. Pretty original and worth a watch if you're already a fan of the Coen brothers
This is a really dumb movie. Funny as hell. Enjoyable for when you really don't want to think
All the people watching this and commenting here have attached themselves to the idea of Mr & Mrs Smith from 2005 with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie when this IP is far older than that and has historically never been as action packed as the 2005 one. This is a similar take on spies and love when forced to be with one another but is far more similar to Donald Glover's other project Atlanta. There's shades of magical realism, bold faced satire into modern life and a lot of dry humour but dialed back on the "magical" a fair bit. The show is not meant to show these hyper-competent super assassins, it's a look into two people navigating a torrid relationship filled with ups and downs. The spying is background noise and mostly pure setup considering how ridiculous it is and how clearly incompetent everyone involved in the org is despite all the cloak and dagger. It's also hilarious.
People truly are missing the point by asking for "more action" and one idiot calling it "woke" and other nonsense. It's not for everyone but I'd say give it a chance, especially when it's just 8 fairly short episodes.
Without spoilers, this is a very well constructed movie that I felt wasn't written as well as it thinks it is but it's still a good watch
Now spoilers:
I'm really not particularly a fan of "it was all a dream" endings and this movie seems to have been made in the height of that phenomenon following The Sixth Sense. Despite that, I suppose what elevates this movie significantly and makes the ending work is that the movie never really lies to you. It makes it very apparent very early on that it is a dream. The choices made by the director in the editing, the clever scene transitions and the easter eggs peppered throughout make it very obvious that all is not as it seems and it disorients you constantly
In that way, the movie is very well made. A lot of very clever choices were made and the movie tells a lot just by showing. For eg. for the most part, every scene set in a stairwell is always shown with the characters going down, the use of morph transitions occasionally makes you mistrust what you see and so on
I suppose my big problem is with the writing. Now I didn't really like that the primary POV, that of Doctor Sam was fake. It seemed quite disingenuous that we see Sam losing his mind more so than Henry who gets very little screen time yet is the one who is dreaming. The movie also gave itself away far too early. Maybe it's just me having watched so many movies but it was highly apparent from the first scene of the car crash and Henry walking away that that was what had happened. Any other attempts at trying to convince me, the viewer, that maybe Sam was losing his mind really made no sense and I was expecting Sam to be a figment of his imagination. This meant I was pretty severely disappointed that Sam was a bystander helping out the dying Henry. The ending of Sam asking Lila out was also a very contrived moment that I really disliked and would have worked better if they'd exchanged numbers as witnesses to an accident. The whole movie could have tried to be more subtle but I felt the writing was trying way too hard and going "YOU GET IT YET? YOU GET IT? IT'S A DREAM DO YOU GET IT?" at me without really earning it
First season was excellent
Second season devolved into soap level awful drama and rolled it easy back with the historical science fiction. I'm done. The quality dipped way too much and too many nonsensical plot points were added to make this entertaining anymore.
I have to admit, this did not grip me as well as Dark did initially. It was a lot of the "mystery box" type of overstuffed, underexplained hokey where Dark was relatively straightforward with a solid hook right at the beginning. But that finale... suffice it to say, bonkers and ridiculous as it was, I'm hooked. I hope for the Creator's sake that they land this cause this is quite a ride. Hope it's an enjoyable, smooth one rather than a car crash
This is honestly a really dumb show
But it's elevated a whole lot by an extremely self aware script and a stellar cast that really sell every part of the show. It's just a really shlocky and tropey action flick spread over 8 episodes but it's pretty tight and the action is really well shot, brutal and well executed. You can honestly turn off your brain and simply have a good time with this one cause there's not much fluff and distractions going on. It gets straight to the point with what you want and has a likeable set of characters that you want to see through
Edit: S2 was equally dumb and equally self aware as anything in S1 and therefore, equally entertaining. Frankly, I'm not sure how they've made it this consistent. I would definitely watch at least 2 more seasons of this
I'm not sure this really stuck the landing particularly well but it is a ridiculously entertaining and fun show throughout. A lot of the jokes don't really stick but there's always something to laugh at and a good sense of humor about the stupid things in comic books and I'm always up for some meta humor about how stupid these universes are. Great performances throughout too
I'm not sure I agree with all the 10s. Thought I'd find something far more compelling than what I got. It's not bad by any means and I enjoyed the show all the way through. Does it answer all the questions you have? Not really. But some of the answers don't really matter anyway and I didn't really care about them anyhow
But it's still not something I would really care to watch or recommend particularly. It's a love story at its core. Almost everything else is merely set dressing even if it's quite compelling. The mystery pulls you through but ultimately, I don't think I liked some of the characters enough to care about what they wanted or went through. Especially in the first season, almost every character is decidedly unlikeable and even by the final season, some of them remain quite selfish and arrogant. I don't mind the ending but the off-screen resolutions to most of the characters felt throwaway. I wish we'd got more at the end with everyone involved rather than just two of the characters cause even if they're unlikeable, I was still compelled to see their journeys
Not sure I liked this show as much as everyone else did but you don't have to believe me
Fairly simple romcom with some twists. It doesn't do anything particularly original but is simply a predictable but fun romp. Pretty damn funny at times. Instead of the usual meet-cute stuff it's a bit more of two mildly shitty people finding out about each other over some time. Fun and cute
