marfcord Reviews

Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)

Absurdly overrated mediocre show

[3/10 · 23 February 2015]

I love science fiction, and the more 'out-of-the-box' it is, the more I like it. I also enjoy a good character-driven drama, once I believe deep, believable characters are essential for a good show. Moreover, I am not into action flicks, so I don't care about amazing special effects, electrifying soundtrack, explosions, etc.

My friends know my tastes, and so they recommended me to watch Battlestar Galactica. One of them even said it was the best sci-fi show he has ever watched. I decided to read some IMDb reviews and the sentence 'the best sci-fi show ever' was written in many of them.

Of course I got excited. Of course my expectations were very high -- and I know that high expectations often lead to higher disappointments... And I must say: I got really disappointed.

At first, naturally, I tried to blame pm my high hopes. As the episodes progressed, though, I started to notice that it was not my fault. This show is actually pretty lame and pretentious, and the fandom created by this series puzzles me. I think I just watched it until the end as a failed attempt to understand why people actually enjoy this.

I will try to make my point without spoiling anything, as a warning to other newcomers.

1. It is clear that the characters were supposed to be complex and believable, but they are just inconsistent, irritating and, in some cases, hateable -- and I am talking about main characters, the ones we were supposed to care about;

2. I know people are sometimes contradictory, but in Battlestar Galactica they are way too often. Someone just changing his or her mind is a recurrent used artifice for a plot twist, which is really cheap, to say the least;

3. The backstory of most characters is very inelaborate and badly explored;

4. Battlestar Galactica is a battleship, and it's got the worst army the universe has ever seen. These soldiers don't follow orders and entirely lack proper discipline. They keep on fighting with each other, partying, having sex (there are men and women in the army), playing cards (including a variation of strip poker), and getting drunk with whiskey (where the hell do they get all of that?);

5. Most annoying romances ever;

6. In most cases, the plans of action are pretty pathetic and laugheable;

7. There are some moral, religious, and political debates. I usually would enjoy that. Unfortunately, most of them are pretty lame and almost dumb;

8. Direction is not as phenomenal as stated by some reviewers. In addition to several notable continuity issues, some really important plot revelations were done in a very sloppy fashion. And I don't want to be picky, but the appellant exaggerated facial zoom in is quite annoying;

9. The main plot is interesting, but more predictable than I expected. Interestingly, all unexpected things are so senseless that they are just left unexplained;

10. At least for me, the notably Americanized culture doesn't fit well in the plot. Kudos for the original 1978 series;

11. The soundtrack is different, which is a good thing. However, it is forgettable and, at some moments, it doesn't fit the mood of the scene;

12. There are too many unimportant episodes;

13. It is scientifically inaccurate.

However, there are some positive aspects:

1. There are some really talented actors (and sometimes I felt really bad for them);

2. Aesthetically, there are more positive than negative aspects, despite cylon taste for high fashion and that every piece of paper is octagonal (what a waste!);

3. As I stated before, the main idea is pretty interesting (even though the key elements are not exactly original). I wish they didn't move away from it so often.

I probably forgot some things, but these are my general impressions on Battlestar Galactica. Just watch it if you are really curious and plenty of time. I also suggest you to look for some guide containing which episodes are skippable (there are some around the internet).

Ink Master (2012– )

Meh

[3/10 · 26 May 2014]

If you intend to watch this show to see some amazing tattoos, don't waste your time: search for them on Google Images. Believe me, you will be saving a lot of time. "But what's so bad about it?", you might ask. Well, I can summarize it.

1. The time given to actually show the pieces is very short. F*ck, it is supposed to be a tattoo show! Show the goddamn tattoos!

2. The majority of the episodes focus on little stupid quarrels among the competitors. It's just like watching some grown-up people acting like children in the kindergarten. Sometimes it is very hard to avoid the thinking that it is planned. It is just annoying and embarrassing to watch.

3. The judging is ridiculous. Needless to say, it is unacceptable for a competition show. Here, it is clear that it is not only the tattoo that is being judged. There's usually a favorite of the judges, and this person will magically stay among the best of the day repeatedly. It does not matter if the tattoo doesn't meet the criteria of the challenge or if it plainly sucks.

I always had complaints about this show, but kept on watching it for the tattoos... But now I realize it is not worthy. Just go for it if you enjoy watching some bizarre human behavior and twist endings.

The Descent (2005)

Simple and enjoyable

[8/10 · 21 April 2014]

This film is very simple and straightforward in many aspects: there is almost no backstory, the character development is very sketchy and there are no moments dedicated to give explanations. Even the scenarios are simple, as almost everything takes place inside a dark cave. Interestingly, this is what I enjoyed the most about it. It's what I would call a casual horror film.

The direction is very good, the acting is very convincing and the ambiance is very claustrophobic. Thereupon, even though the film doesn't give reasons to fall in love with the characters, it's hard not to feel somehow evolved in their struggle for survival. The tension is very well built and some moments are very intense. Overall, this film delivers a good amount of tension and gory action, resulting in a very enjoyable experience for those who are into this kind of thing.

My advice: don't expect an intricate script full of revelations and overturns or it may not work for you. It's all about some women stuck in a cave with some monsters who want to eat them. Simple as that. So open a beer, take a seat, watch it, and most importantly, have fun.

The World's End (2013)

Original and hilarious

[10/10 · 21 April 2014]

If you are looking for a comedy film with coherent story and plausible happenings, you probably will not like it. Here, not even the characters convince as possible human beings, once their line of reasoning and dialogues are absurd, to say the least.

If you are open-minded and find humor and amusement in the nonsense, keep on reading, because this movie might be for you! Back in the 90s, 5 teenage friends failed to accomplish "the golden mile": going in 12 pubs in a row and drinking a pint of beer in each of them. 20 years later, in their adulthood, they are gathered again by the only one of them who really still cared about finishing the challenge.

To this point, OK. A regular comedy film could have this premise. But in the most abrupt fashion, everything becomes a mess - but in a really good way. I won't write more to avoid spoiling the experience, but a very interesting feature of this film is that the script unfolds in a pretty peculiar pace, with many sudden and nonsensical overturns. This element by itself already made me laugh out loud many times - not to mention the many silly quick-witted dialogues. The acting and the directing are also brilliant, and the special effects are quite impressive. I also enjoyed the soundtrack, which sometimes brought me back to the 90s.

That said, I guess the whole experience will depend on your sense of humor - and I particularly loved it! That is a truly remarkable comedy film to watch drinking beer with some good ol' pals.