TL;DR – This might be the
most joyous, charming, and a little bit absurd series I have seen in a very
long time.
Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Comedy is one of those genres that is so difficult to get right. Sure it is not
hard to make people laugh uncomfortably at gross-out jokes and the like. But
for something to be truly funny you have to care about the characters involved.
This is how shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine,
The Good Place, Parks and Rec, and Futurama
(to name but a few) work. Today I get to look at a show that did all of that
and more, but it did it in only 8 minutes.
So to set the scene, we open in Western Sydney in a carpark of the local
doughnut stand Double Dee’s. Bonita (Monica Kumar) and her friends are getting
ready to go out to the city when a mixup at the shop leaves her doughnuts with
Sokhey (Sophea Op). Hoping on over to her car to sort it all out she gets left
behind by her friends and decides to wait there while her Uber is coming. Which
is the point when Nashrah (Tasnim Hossain) gets kicked out of her learner
driver lesson and then there was three.
TL;DR – A strong follow up at
the start of the season with some really powerful moments.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
We continue our look at the final chance to save humankind and … well … it’s not been going well so far. With the clock both figuratively and literally running out for both the character and us the viewers it makes even the smallest set back feel larger and that is only the first few minutes.
So to set the scene, at the end of Part 1, we got a bit of a reset with The Bad Place’s mole being discovered. However, all the problems still remain, Simone (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) still thinks this is all the figment of her imagination and is acting accordingly with chaotic abandon. Also Brent (Ben Koldyke) is a mediocre white man from privilege, so of course he thinks the world revolved around him. It is a tough nut to crack but at least Eleanor (Kristen Bell) has the backing of the team … right … Just a reminder that we will be looking at the episode at the whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – This is and continues
to be the gold standard to adaptations of literature, capturing the heart of
the books, even if it does not hit every plot beat along the way.
Score – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
I mentioned back in my look at the New
Golden Age of Science Fiction that The Expanse is one of the best adaptations on TV at the moment. Here
in Australia, I got to watch the first two seasons on Netflix and was
constantly entranced with just what a good job they did of bringing James S. A.
Corey’s books to life. The third season has been tricky to find but today I was
able to hunt it down on Amazon and gave it a watch. Well, how does it do? Well,
I can tell you that I watched the entire first arc of the season in one
session, being so completely engrossed that I didn’t realise how late in the
evening it had gotten … so that it is always a good sign.
So to set the scene, we open in the aftermath of season two and the turn that
put Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) from a position of absolute power
to her running for her life after being betrayed by Sadavir Errinwright (Shawn
Doyle). Stuck on a ship that has just been fired upon by her own side there is
not much hope for escape but then that is why she brought Bobbie Draper (Frankie
Adams) a former Martian marine along. They manage to escape, but they are still
under pursuit, and while they were gone the whole solar system has erupted into
war and the Jupiter planetary system is ground zero for the conflict. Meanwhile,
on the Rocinante the crew are dealing
with two big problems, the fact that Naomi (Dominique Tipper) lied to them, and
they have done nothing really to help Prax (Terry Chen) find his daughter. With
everything falling apart the question is: will James Holden (Steven Strait) going
to step in and help stop this war, or is he going to sit back and let others
make the tough calls?
TL;DR – This an interesting
spy series which is unfortunately held back a bit with inconsistent pacing and
the flow-on effects from that.
Score – 3 out of 5 stars
Review –
One of my goals this year has been to expand my global cinema intake from
places away from the traditional English speaking countries that I am used to.
I have not been as successful as I would have liked, but when a new Indian spy
thriller drops on Netflix you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Now I have
finished it, wow, is this series a lot, and I think it might also have lasting
repercussions.
So to set the scene, in Balochistan, Pakistan, a group of Indian deep-cover
spies are in a lude video internet café using it as a cover as they upload
important information back to New Delhi. However, before they can finish, they
are captured by the local Taliban. Before they can be executed the Pakistani
Intelligence forces intercede and save then, not to keep them alive, but to
kill them at the right time and place. Back in India, one of the chiefs in
India’s Intelligence bureau Sadiq (Rajit Kapur) feels that something is odd so
he seeks out Kabir Anand (Emraan Hashmi) code name Adonis but there is bad
blood between them over what happened last time in Pakistan. He instead sends Isha
(Sobhita Dhulipala) to retrieve him, however, Sadiq is murdered in his home and
Adonis is framed, and only he might be able to save the agents because there is
a mole in the Indian government and he does not know who they might be. Now
from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole so there will be [SPOILERS]
ahead.
TL;DR – A great start to
propel the season forward.
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
Well, it is time for all good thing to come to an end, in this case today we
are looking at the beginning of the end as we explore the first episode of The Good Place’s fourth and final
season. As much as there is sadness, there is also a certain joy that at least
the show will get to go out on their own terms. Indeed, from what everyone has
said it was a creative decision to end the show at this point and I will always
respect that. Well let’s dive into the weird and quirky world of the ever
after.
So to set the scene, in the Season Three finale Pandemonium,
The Judge (Maya Rudolph) gave everyone a chance to show that the point system
is broken by creating a new neighbourhood to test it out with new people.
However, The Bad Place, devious as ever, did not pick the worst people in the
world, just the worst people for the team, including Chidi’s (William Jackson
Harper) ex Simone (Kirby Howell-Baptiste). Knowing that he could not remain
impartial Chidi has his mind wiped of everything including his love for Eleanor
(Kristen Bell). Now they have one chance to show that everything is wrong and
it is not going to be easy. Just a reminder that we will be looking at the
episode at the whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – This is an
interesting concept, with some powerful performances, but I am not sure three episodes
was enough time to really show it off.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Netflix as the premier multi-national streaming juggernaut (for the time being)
has been doing a lot of experimenting in recent years. With Black
Mirror: Bandersnatch they gave the world a choose your own adventure in
cinematic form and with Ultimate
Beastmaster they produced different versions for each of the countries
participating. Well today we get to take a look at the next experiment with
Criminal a series that produced four different versions for France, Germany,
Spain, and the UK. Well today we are going to take a look at the UK version to
see how this experiment works out.
To set the scene, we open in on DI Natalie Hobbs’ (Katherine Kelly) team as
they begin an interview with the suspect of a murder. For you see her team are experts
in interrogation, so they are used when there is a time crunch or a serious
case that needs their attention. The first of these involves a doctor (David
Tennant) that is accused of molesting and then murdering his step-daughter. The
interview has been going for hours and time is running out because if they can’t
find some way to get him to crack he could walk free. Now from here, we will be
looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS]
ahead.
TL;DR – This is an
interesting take on the End-Of-The-World genre
Score – 4 out of 5 stars
Review –
When I say to you Zombie Apocalypse, I think for many people the first thing
you would do is suppress a sigh. As a genre, it has been used multiple times
and these days one could say that it has been done to death as long as they immediately
followed it up immediately with ‘pun not attended’. However, every now and again,
a new show will use the setting to explore something new and today we get to
look at just such a show.
So to set the scene, we open in on Day 42 with Jack Sullivan (Nick Wolfhard)
the only known survivor in his town. 42 Days ago portals opened up over his
town and monsters and zombies came flooding out attacking the town. Some escaped,
some were rescued, but more still were turned into zombies to roam the streets.
Abandoned by his foster family, Jack survives by hiding in his foster brother’s
treehouse and using that as a base of operation. He is trying to find his best
buddy Quint (Garland Whitt) and rescue his flame June (Montse Hernandez), but
first he needs to survive being hunted by a monster angry because Jack poked
its eye out.
TL;DR – An ambitious series
drawing inspiration from multiple religious and mystical frameworks that while
pioneering in many respects, completely fails to stick the landing
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
Today I get to finally explore the third pillar of 1990s sci-fi anime with the
massively influential Neon Genesis
Evangelion. For me, this was almost a form of closure given how much I have
watched the other two pillars Cowboy
Bebop and Ghost in the Shell but
I never got to see Evangelion. It was
also interesting to see a show that has been massively influential to the genre
but watching it with 20 years of extra context on top of it. Well if nothing
else, the ending stinger to last year’s Desert Bus now makes sense. With
that in mind, let’s dive in and explore Hideaki Anno’s work of gods, and
angels, and science, and man.
So to set the scene, in the year 2000 a great calamity arouse across the world
when the second impact occurred in Antarctica blasting the icy continent to
ruin and melting all its ice causing extensive flooding across the world. The
UN authority declared that the cause was a giant meteorite impact, hence common
term of it being ‘the second impact’ (okay sort of, but also sort of not, it
gets complicated). However, this is all a cover, because what really happened
is that a creature of great power was discovered under the ice, this Angel was
called Adam and something the researchers did trigger him destroying
everything. 15 years later, Shinji Ikari (Megumi Ogata/ Spike Spencer/ Casey
Mongillo) is running through deserted streets to a pick-up location. The whole
area has gone into emergency lockdown for some unknown reason, and that reason
turns out to be a second angel that everyone kind of expected was coming. Just
before he is crushed, Shinji is rescued by Captain Misato Katsuragi (Kotono
Mitsuishi/ Allison Keith/ Carrie Keranen) and taken to Tokyo-3 where a
secretive organisation Nerv has their headquarters. The leader of Nerv is
Shinji’s father Gendo Ikari (Fumihiko Tachiki/ Tristan MacAvery/ Ray Chase) who
is at best distant, but a more fair description would be icy or even abusive.
However, Shinji does not have time to process that because he is announced to
be the Third Child, and one of only a few people that can pilot an Evangelion
which he has to do like now.
TL;DR – This is really a slow
burn but then it grabs you as all the different parts start to merge together
and you discover what is behind The Island and the number 39.
Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review –
One of my great joys is watching the TV Show Survivor where they throw a bunch of random people on an island and
subject them to the elements and every puzzle under the Sun. It is such an
interesting scenario, that I am surprised that we don’t see more people take
advantage of it narratively. Well, today we get to look at a show that does
just that, exploring a world where you can trust nothing and no one, not even
what you can see with your own two eyes.
So to set the scene, one morning you wake up, but you are not at home in your
bed, you are on a beach lying in the sand with waves crashing into you. To add
to this you cannot remember how you got there, or even who you are. As Chase (Natalie
Martinez) tries to get her bearings she stumbles across KC (Kate Bosworth) and
discovers that she is not alone. There are ten of them and no one can remember
anything bar waking up on the beach. As they try to find something of their
past lives, the reality of their situation dawns and soon the power politics
show their heads and worse. Now from here, we will be looking at the season
as a whole so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.
TL;DR – This was such a surreal
experience even if it might have been the most uncritical political interview I
have seen in a while.
Score – 3 out of 5 stars
Review –
It has been a long time since I have been able to catch an episode of Man Vs.
Wild. Back in the day it was this weird yet deeply compelling story of Bear
Grylls dropping himself into the wild (or apparently wild) locations and trying
to survive by consuming some of his own urine. Well if anything is going to get
me back into a show it is Bear Grylls going on a trip with the Indian Prime
Minister.
I was wondering how if at all the show had changed over the years and in the
first five minutes of the show Bear picks up and examines some elephant dung.
So the more things change the more they stay the same. Over the years, there
have been some contentions as to how staged the show is if at all. Well here
when you have a world leader in a place that he could get killed by a tiger so
there is no chance they would be allowed to walk around by themselves and I
liked that they acknowledged that the Secret Service is around.
TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis 