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galston73
Reviews
Top Boy (2011)
Excellent, say less
This is up there with the very best, I'm thinking Breaking Bad, Soprano's, The Wire. I feel like I entered the world of Summerhouse estate, and had these characters in my life for the last few weeks. And what characters, so well drawn, so authentic and the acting by the whole cast is uniformly brilliant, not a mis-step at any point.
The brilliance of this show is in the moral nuance. Yes, drug dealing at the top boy level creates murderous lust for money and power, but these characters are not "evil". Their loyalty to family and friends is compelling, inspiring, heartwarming and at times heartbreaking and for me the ultimate power of this show is how it still resonates with me weeks later. Especially, when I think of Jamie and his brothers, I still feel a gut punch that could bring me to tears.
The ending is a masterpiece too, again up there with the genius of Sopranos.
Ted Lasso: Signs (2023)
The emperor isn't wearing any clothes
This show is in free fall. I'm actually starting to wonder if it's always been garbage, or whether it's just become that way. Was I previously part of some mass hypnosis thinking this was heartwarming and funny? Probably not, but it's now turgid, thin, plotless rubbish. There's also something deeply unpleasant about it, as it now seems to just rely on swearing for laughs. Not funny and definitely not heartwarming.
Nate's storyline trajectory doesn't ring true, Ted and his sidekick are just annoying yanks now as the homespun philosophy wears thin and Ted has strangely still learnt nothing about football. This has to be the last season. It's thin gruel. It needs to end.
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019)
Why the haters
I was late to GOT, only binge watching it in the last few weeks. It is absolutely some of the best tv ever made. All the while I prepared myself for that notoriously dreadful finale. Only to find, there wasn't one. For sure, there is a drop in quality in season 8 and the battle scene episode is too long and confusing a watch, but overall the narrative arc did make sense. Daenerys' having the genes of her mad father, the insecurity of her current position and witnessing the horror of Melisandre's beheading it was not unreasonable for her to became the despot she was supposed to be freeing the world from. This results in the beautiful juxtaposition of brothers/sisters embracing together in death (Cersei/Jamie) and another where Jon embraces his sister before causing her death.
The series had to end, the finale was superbly thought through and acted. A fitting end, kudos to all involved.
French Odyssey: Mort to Marseille (2005)
C'est magnifique
Oh the joys of French cuisine, Rick is in his element here, enjoying the degustation and retracing some of Van Gogh's old haunts. My mouth was watering. There's also a delightful appearance from Mr. Creosote.
Guilt (2019)
Mixed bag
The first series is good, darkly comic and great chemistry between the two brothers. The second series starts well but then feels rushed and it loses its way very badly.
Mr Inbetween (2018)
Eliminate the negative
Being an expat living in Melbourne, I find most Aussie drama (and comedy) parochial at best and pretty amateurish at worst.
Mr Inbetween however, proves it's possible to represent Australia in a wider human story and as a result, this show is a stone cold masterpiece. The premise is inspired, a likeable, laid back, philosophising hit man beset by real life worries and concerns, whilst trying to make a living by taking out the trash.
The writing and acting are faultless, as is the natural arc of the story and whilst people demand "more content", I feel that the three seasons were perfect and a fourth season might start to stretch things unnecessarily.
If you haven't seen this show yet, you're in for a treat.
Being Flynn (2012)
Fine movie but why the rushed ending?
I mainly enjoyed this movie. It felt like an authentic tale of how a life could unravel to leave someone in the very depths. Likewise, it also captured how parents can affect their children for both good and bad. There's a great Philip Larkin poem about that.
The characters are strong and as you'd expect from De Niro and Dano the performances are excellent too, with De Niro once again, on top of his game.
What lets the movie down is the last 20 minutes. If there is an authenticity to how the protagonists fall into hard times, the treatment of their journey towards light and redemption does not feel the least bit genuine. Instead it feels like a rushed effort to slap a happy ending on a film that really deserved a whole lot better.
The Summer of Rave, 1989 (2006)
Misses the target
There's a great documentary to be written about acid house, it's genesis and it's impact, but this definitely isn't it. It tries to cover too much and a lot of what it covers is just bland and irrelevant. The BBC podcast "the battle of rave" is the genuine article, this however is just a blancmange, a mess.
Peaky Blinders: The Shock (2019)
History repeating
This is brilliantly acted, with a wonderful set piece speech by the dangerously charismatic Moseley. To all the Americans who think it's about Trump, the world is bigger than the US of A. Oswald Moseley is an ACTUAL historical figure, go and google him. Moreover, if a parallel is being drawn, it is with the current state of the UK and the dangerously charismatic figures cheerleading Brexit. America, you're welcome to watch, but do please remember... it's not about you.
Black Mirror: Fifteen Million Merits (2011)
Something very special
Completely plausible as a view of the future and utterly horrifying