fuljah Reviews

Remembrance (2011)

Painfully emotional

[11 June 2023]

Maybe this movie is not a masterpiece but it is painfully emotional. It is not romantic, i dont think so. I did not even think that the main characters loved each other. It is just responsibility to another person on the Polish man's part under very hard conditions. I read that the director died a very sad death at a very young age after directing this film. I dont wanna search over google because this move was already full of melodrama , i dont wanna put myself under further pain. I think everybody shall watch this movie. It is about human condition, history and life. The German name is The Lost Time not Remembrance and it reminds us the responsibility to live a responsible life.

Der Schatten (2023)

How not to make a production

[4 June 2023]

To be honest, i thought that the novel this series is based on was compelling. However, all the intriguing and provoking material in the novel is not reflected in the series. Setting in Vienna is good, actors are plausible, but somehow it does not work. It does not flow to hook the audience to binge all the episodes.

From the beginning there is this urge to open the 6th episode, watch the ending and get over with it. In the book there was this bomb in the middle of the pages that was ticking. Will she commit what she is set to commit or not? What is happening?? It was a good thriller.

I am afraid to say the series is fairly boring. The suspense is not there. You just want to turn your eyes and move onto something else. Too flat. I am a fan of Keshet and I am proud they are producing material for the European audience but both. Rough Diamonds and his ne dont fly like the Homeland did. Sorry.

Yesterday We Were Still Children (2022)

reminds me of the Revenge

[1 January 2023]

I am an international viewer yet I speak German and I watched this one on the ZDF. The first episode was so good, I was instantly hooked. But by the second one, it was already sliding down the hill and very quickly it became a B rated thriller with mad people, prom nights etc. All the cliches, that ever existed was sprinkled here and there. To be honest it does not feel like German, they successfully created scenes that look like the UK or Canada. If dubbed it may get modest international attention. Unfortunately, the script is very weak, though. Germans cant put together an eye catching story - there are always holes here and there. One exception was the Billion Dollar Code - which was a hit last year. I hope that German story writers learn to pull out stories that dont sink so fast. Watch it if you wanna kill time with something that is so - so. Did remind me of the American series, Revenge. Not as grasping as that - but still trying.

Inside Man (II) (2022)

Highly Enjoyable

[4 November 2022]

I dont understand why the negative reviews? Moffat developed a tongue in the cheek thriller. I think that people who gave this series 1 star dont understand the quirky, playful script behind it. They take it all very seriously and dont grin as the the story develops.

It is not a drama, it is not a thriller that will make you sit at the edge of your couch. Did you guys watch "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window"? Did you think that was a real crime show? This is a implausible but playful TV series that will hook you to Netflix for four hours because everything that sounds very illogical will tie to a ending and everything will work out. And your heart will pound to know what will happen in the end!

Relax, just sit and enjoy the show. Dont take everything too seriously! This one will make you disconnected from the world over the weekend! Quite good and very enjoyable light series!

Only Murders in the Building (2021– )

Only negative thing in the series is..

[11 July 2022]

This series is superb.. The locations, the building, the decorations are impeccable. Martin Short and Steve Martin are veteran actors, I am just having euphoria as I am watching them - they are just delivering the outstanding performance that they delivered for decades. Supporting actors are all veteran theatre actors. They are just delivering a craft as well - just masters of their work. But why on earth Selena Gomez?? Whose idea was it to select her for this role. A robotic fridge would deliver the same cold, inhuman performance as well. I would vote it 9 if it was not Selena Gomez in that role. She is such a performance killer. She is so poisonous. She is just killing every scene she is in. Such a terrible performance..

Anatomy of a Scandal (2022)

Post #metoo era - meaning of consent

[15 April 2022]

This series is about toxic virility. It portrays a politician starting from his university years to his maturity years as a family dad and a minister in modern Britain. With various back and forts in time, we see the construction of the toxic male in Britain - excess boozing, vandalizing, assaulting women, entitlement and group aggression. Our protagonist is sometimes a witness, sometimes a bi-stander, sometimes a participatory and sometimes a critic. Finally, ending up being accused of rape, himself. I understand the subtext of the series too well, and it was really very well directed, however, it is all to didactic. Nobody wants to watch a moral discourse for hours. There are also side plots, like the women prioritizing marriage as an institution over truth, self realization etc.

I am sorry I did not find it very interesting / engaging and there is a very condescending tone. I would not recommend it.

Inventing Anna (2022)

why all the so negative reviews???

[12 February 2022]

I have seen that the series got so many poor reviews. I dont understand why. I think they are deliberate or they are unfair.

I cant comment on Julia's accent because I watch the series in another language than English. However, I would comment that Anna Chlumsky is delivering a decent performance - pregnant journalist who is going through a lot of pain and who recently has had a job related trauma. Julia is also superb. She is aloof and full of herself - I watched video recordings of Anna Sorokin from the court proceedings, she is also like that.

I like the series because everyone seems genuine. Anna Chlumsky has very strong facial gestures, and she is outside of standardized beauty norms. Julia looks like a childish girl in old women dresses. The lawyer is relatable. Neff is sympathetic but has to fend for herself. Everyone seems like people we know. It is not like they are acting.

My only negative comment would be that it is too long. 9 episodes is too long for this series. They could patch it up in 5 - 6 episodes.

Faking Hitler (2021)

ReNazis ReHitler

[30 November 2021]

Germans revisit their national trauma topic: WW2, Nazis and Hitler. There are many series, films on the post war trauma. This one comes with a refreshing plot, though. An art forger starts to "produce" Hitler diaries and ultimately a Stern journalist falls for them. Then it develops from there with a few side stories that lead to the finale to merge everything with the main storyline.

The story is set in 1983. I thought they captured the details of that era very well. Directing, acting and script - all well managed. Nothing dull.

I give it a 7 stars because in 2021, I watched better dramas namely: Billion Dollar Code, Harry Quebert Affair, Un Avion Sans Elle, The Club, Chicago 7 etc. They were all better (not meaning Faking Hitler was bad, just others were better).

Just a small criticism. In the past German dramas had a certain feel - they were German and average. Now German dramas are much more better but they sound and feel American - not German. This one also sounded / felt American. I wish they could raise the quaility without so much Americanizing their work.

I would recommend this series to everybody.

The Good Liar (2019)

absolute garbage

[5 August 2021]

Absolute garbage.with legendary actors..

weak scenario, weak performance by the actors..

netflix made it popular again but i feel like 1,5 hours of my life was ripped off from me..

Rebel (2021)

Wanted to love it but it is a flop

[10 May 2021]

This is a very cheesy show with unreal and exxagerated dialogues and characters.. Despite all the stars and their talent, it sounds cheap and unworked.. I want to watch and enjoy it, but I just cant get in and flow with the cast and the script. It is so unreal..

The Undoing (2020)

Nicole Kidman's Vanity

[19 December 2020]

I think that this series is a very good one. The script, the directing and all the actors are very gripping.

However, I give it a 6 stars because Nicole Kidman spoils the series. She is such a bad choice. I think nobody wants to watch an actor who is so vane to have multiple plastic surgeries. Whenever I watch her, I cant pass how she played with her face. She is not natural. Also, I find that wearing a wig in each and every movie she acts in is very disrespectful to the audience. Wish another actor was chosen for her role.

The Capture (2019– )

the lead actress

[27 October 2020]

I think that this series is quite watchable.. it is engaging and keeps on the suspense.. it is not a master work but it has a much higher standard than the most of british tv series..

the plot and the direction is no stranger to the average tv audience that watched previous british crime / political thrillers..

yet i give it a 6 because the lead actress spoils it so much that it becomes inplausible and somehow disturbing to watch at times.. at least for me.. first of all, i think she had a lot of small plastic surgery opeations her face is very blank.. her lip had some plastic operations.. and the camera focuses on her face as she is emotionless.. so she is not natural.. but all the other actors are very natural.. it is as if the other actors are in their natural settings in their daily routine and only she is acting.. she spoiled the series a lot for me.. i watched it only for the suspense.. i will not start the 2 season..

edit: after writing my review i googled the actress and i found out that she indeed had many plastic surgeries.. she had a puffy face, she had it slimmed, had her chin sharpened, had her upper lip toned etc.. i think cosmetic surgeries kill actors.. their face become so dull, so emotionless.. gestureless.. also a doll like face belongs to different type of movies.. not to a crime / police thriller.. better casting next time..

Tehran (2020– )

Binged it

[25 October 2020]

Once you start watching this series you cant stop watching it and binge em all..

It is very fast paced and makes you sit at the corner of the sofa..

I felt very bad for the Iranians.. It is as if, they are being scolded here and there by the police, government officials etc.. It seems to be a cast system.. The rich and the security forces are on top of the caste.. Women seem to have no power..

I hope the world becomes a more equal place soon..

Also, it is like Israel is like an example to all the middle eastern countries.. they live next to each other and Israelis live like in the West and Iran is in some dystopia.. at least the series suggest so..

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

growing up with Sacha Baron Cohen

[25 October 2020]

I grew up with Sacha Baron Cohen characters.. it is very hard for me to watch him when he is not Ali G, Borat or Brüno.. When I was watching the Spy, i felt like he is gonna say high five any second and he will confess he was trolling us by playing Eli Cohen.. i get very anxious when he is out of chacter and trying something new..

But i also know it is so tired now.. i mean everybody recognizes him.. i watched the movies 1000 times already.. i watched the Ali G VHS tapes so many times that they are squeaking in the video player..

Despite all the negatives Borat 2 was very engaging and refreshing. I was jealous of the Bulgarian girl and did not want her in the movie at first.. but they blended in so well..

i watched it in 1 go.. i did not stop it start doing something else and return back to it etc like i normally do..

Borat 1 is stronger.. Borat 1 shows the American traversy very strongly.. Dilemmas of the culture, the stupid beliefs in the rural towns etc are better portrayed.. Borat 2 is lighter in terms of social commentary..

That is why I give it a 7..

i am shocked that people laugh at Borat.. I can only cynically smile.. How can they laugh at something that shows very strong, very radical social commentary??

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Alan Sorkin back in the courtroom

[16 October 2020]

This film is realeased on Netflix today and I watched it asap because I am a fan of Sorkin. As a non American viewer, 2 things are ahead of the rest for me:

1 - It gives a perspective of the American left historically; 2 - The movie puts the upcoming / ongoing American elections in context;

As the movie develops, the conflict between free thinkers like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and the Judge Julius Hoffman and other state administrators unfold as well. But there are intances where law abiding characters like Tom Hayden and prosecutor Richard Schultz have internal conflicts as well. What path will they choose?? Will they follow the known path and stay within the "system" (as Judge Hoffman calls it at the end of the movie) or will they do what is right?

So this dicothomy unrevels during the rest of the movie. There is a close distinction between "those that wear a uniform" and those that do not. State employees are puppets who have sold their mind and soul to the "system" and others are free thinkers who look at things intellectually and make free choices or they dare to be unconventional.

Even though this is a 2000 year old pattern, regardless of the fact that Alan Sorkin is Jewish himself (i dont know if he describes himself so), there is also the visible pattern of Jewish identity in the courtroom. Abbie Hoffman,Jerry Rubin, Lee Weiner are Jewish members of the Chicago 7. Judge Hoffman is Jewish, defense lawyers William Kunstler and Leopold Weinglass are Jewish and prosecuter Richard Shultz is Jewish as well. Once a Rabbi at a Frankfurt Synagague in Germany has talked about controversial thinking history in the Jewish Religion. It reminded me of that. And the left though and Jewish intellectuals who contributed to that.

I did not know Tom Hayden was Jane Fonda's ex husband.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie so much. I hope Americans vote for the progressive intellectual politicians in the upcoming elections. And they burry the clown in the office to the ground.

Mirage (2020)

Too bad cant continue

[27 June 2020]

In the trivia section of this series, following information is given:

"The first TV series produced and released as part of The Alliance, a co-production agreement announced in 2018 between European broadcasting groups France Télévisions (France), Rai (Italy) and ZDF (Germany) in order to pool resources and fund ambitious productions to compete with original productions from American streaming services such as Netflix."

if these European giants come together to produce something that is too hard to bear like this one, they shall as well close the shope and leave..

it was tooo bad..

i watched it french dubbed.. it was even more bad.. i assume in the english original some parts are in english, some parts are in french.. so what they did is they only dubbed the parts where english is spoken.. by a dubbing artist other than the leading actress!!! so what happens is suddenly her voice changes as the scenes flow as she swicthes from english to french and vice versa..

and the production, script qualities match the dubbing quality.. such an epic failure!!! such a big flop!!

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (2018)

keeps you watching

[5 June 2020]

This show reminded me of old tv series that were based on page turner novels..i remember series like the laces, return to eden, les yeux d'helene, riviera, revenge etc.. there is no technology, existential trauma, modern society etc.. at times it is like a soap opera but the suspense burns on until the end.. if you like the genre it will keep you entertained, if not just skip it.. also it was shot in north america (canada and the US) i think but there is this european feel to it, maybe because the director is Jean Jaques Annaud.. i wonder if this is a peak or a low in his career, though..

Caliphate (2020)

captivating with loopholes

[19 March 2020]

This series is very capitvating.. you binge it..

however, there are many loopholes..

i am sure sweden is very multicultural but i cant believe that security office is run by an arab.. also, it looks as if sweden does not collect data on her citizens who travel to syria etc.. albeit these loopholes in the scenario, i believe there was a realistic understanding of the minorities and how they coped with their children being radicalized..

i binged it.. but i did not buy the whole of it..

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)

First film was good, not this one

[15 February 2020]

I am sorry to say they lost the freshness of the first movie. First movie was enjoyable and nice. This one is a flop.

The Five (2016)

10 Episodes too many

[14 February 2020]

I am not a Harlan Coblen fan or anything but I watched all the Harlan Coblen series. Even though he is American, he works with Europeans. Initially with French and recently with British.

Truth be told, i prefer his French productions better than the British ones.

Coming to The Five, contrary to his usual 6 episodes, this one has 10 episodes. So the story has alternative stories within the main storyline. During the 3rd 4th episodes, we are focused on another crime and some story with homeless girls and some music producer and a hacker lady etc. Later, we are swiftly back into the main story. This shift is just a production plot to increase the number of episodes.

It is all well but the quality of series dimisnishes and it becomes a bit chaotic as a result. Also, the main storyline is not as complex and as crimeful as the side story.

Yet, I love the quirky characters. It seems like they are ready to do very weird small things very unexpectedly - Mark's father in a kimono in one scene, the transvestite secretary also the guy with dimentia having an erection beat the monotonous usual crime flows.

All in all, if you have nothing better to do, you need some light thriller at the back as you are on your treatmill etc this will work for you. Otherwise, you can skip it without regrets.

Your Name. (2016)

full of grace

[12 January 2020]

This is a very delicate, gracefull way of movie making. it is full of nuances, human feelings, recognition of loss, recovery of interaction etc.

i dont think it can be remade. i dont think the director of spider man can understand it and live in a world of heart of glass. all he could remake would be colossal, rude, krass mcdonals hamburger.

i am really said to learn copyright owners sold its rights to the US.

Truth Be Told (2019–2023)

It starts big, ends small

[11 January 2020]

It starts really big.. Scenario is initially very engaging, you want to binge it..

But after 3rd - 4th episode, it starts to introduce all the cliches that were ever produced on TV.

Also, I am not sure if law works that way. A podcast producer playing with incriminating evidence and acting as a one woman police force? People getting into prison with testimonies etc?

These facts damage the plausibility of the series. The writer of the work that the series is based on is a lawyer, I can understand playing with itsy bitsy legal details for the sake of story telling but all in all, the method damages the quality.

After the Crash (2019)

very engaging mini TV series

[19 December 2019]

I dont understand why nobody commented on this series yet. i believe it is due to the language barrier - i assume it was not marketed into the English language speaking countries.

this is a very well directed, well scripted mini TV series. the story is mostly set in 1998 and clothing and cars from the era as well as the nokia 3310s are so well incorporated into the series.

the lead actress is so cool. she is really living every moment as she is acting. i could not just give up watching it. i binged all 4 episosed in one sit.

it is available in french & german.. i hope it is also dubbed in english soon so that the greater audience can enjoy it as much as i did.

it is a cool thriller..

Marriage Story (2019)

Scarlett Johanson was a mistake

[16 December 2019]

I liked the movie. I had seen the squid and the whale when it first came out and i think that Noah Baumbach revisits paralell stories.

However, I give it a 6 stars because watching Scarlett Johansson was a torture. She does not fit into the movie. She is not acting naturally - she never does. But one can tolerate her when she is the bimbo in a Hollywood action movie. Yet, in the occasions when we expect real acting, she is like this "vulgar, rude, grotesque" giant in the film, that disturbs you all the time somehow. She does not flow with the scenario, she cant develop a character, she cant show emotions.. She is always in the "look at me i am acting, i am doing you a favor, because i allow you to watch me, i am so great" mood.

I wish Greta Gerwig was in the movie. She is a delight to watch.

Better casting next time Noah.

Instinct (2018–2019)

many better precedents

[11 December 2019]

This show has many way better precedents before it.. name a few: monk, the psyche, mentalist, the bones, castle etc..

i started watching it for alan cumming.. he is failing the show.. this role is not for him.. he was really cool for eli cohen in the good wife but in this role he is weak..

also some of the storyline is illogical.. also casting is weird, the actor playing alan cummings father maybe 10 years older than him..

dont waste time on this one..