marknisswand-38792 Reviews

Napoleon (2023)

Historical nonsense

[1/10 · 9 February 2024]

I can't remember that I ever got really angry while watching a movie, but this historical nonsense really drove me crazy. Scott should have called it 'Napoleon, 25 years of World History as an alternative Hollywood fiction - strictly for viewers who have never read a book in their lives'.

Apart from the many other errors, the scene where Napoleon is banned to Elba right after his return from Russia made me wonder whether Putin himself wrote the script.

Scott omitted the whole War of the Sixth Coalition, which lasted almost two years, with several dozens battles including the actual decisive Battle of Leipzig - which was by the way the largest battle in Europe in history before World War 1.

But who cares. Ridley Scott certainly not.

Don't Look Up (2021)

Entertaining, sad, and funny

[8/10 · 28 December 2021]

I found it so entertaining that I was really surprised to find out at the end that the film ran for over two hours. Not the greatest film ever, but definitely worth watching.

And for all those reviewers, who find the story so unbelievable: Just replace Meryl Streep with Donald Trump, and immediately the whole film turns from an unbelievable satire into a totally believable tragedy, which could have taken place at any time between 2017 and 2020...

Il cacciatore (2018– )

Feels very authentic!

[10/10 · 5 June 2021]

I have binge watched both seasons and I really got sucked into the 90's in Sicily. I have never watched a mafia series that felt so authentic. In parallel I read the Wikipedia articles about the main characters which obviously added to the authentic experience. It is amazing with what ease people were killed in those times - times which aren't even long ago.

You have to overcome the first episode which appears a bit confusing, at least for foreigners. Also, after a while I started to fast forward parts of the flashbacks, which weren't bad but I was much more interested in the current events, i.e. The manhunt. I don't think I missed anything important.

Overall a really great series. Bravo, Italian TV!

The Mauritanian (2021)

Very impressive

[10/10 · 3 March 2021]

I avoided reading about the real case, therefore the whole story developed slowly in front of me, and it was gripping. I think it doesn't matter whether all events were 100% accurate, the simple fact that anything remotely like this happend is an utter disgrace, not worthy of any civilized nation.

To me it one the best and most touching films I have seen in a long while. Tahar Rahim, whom I didn't know before, acted Oscar-worthy. I highly recommend.

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

Good until season 3, now I got a problem

[7/10 · 20 January 2021]

My critique refers mainly to season 3.

As a Start Trek fan for several decades, it hurts me to write this: But please scale back the emotions or I'll quit!

Character development is fine, and I'm a socially very progressive man and therefore I don't mind at all a majority female and LGBTQ crew, but this constant crying and whining, and the need for hugging, and the self-doubting, and the need to encourage crew members simply to do their job - it drives me crazy! Cry-babies in space - that's not Star Trek, at least not the Star Trek I'm interested in.

For All Mankind (2019– )

Please more!

[10/10 · 29 November 2020]

As a fan of space, real science, and science fiction this show is simply perfect for me. The alternative history makes sense, the actors are really good, the plot has twists and still makes sense. Even the unavoidable family drama, which usually makes me sick to my stomach, is limited to a agree even I can stand.

I just read the show will continue in February. Finally!

Avenue 5 (2020–2022)

I really wanted to love it

[4/10 · 30 January 2020]

I love absurd humour, I love sci-fi, I love Hugh Laurie, plus HBO's quality, I thought there was nothing that could stop this show from being great.

Unfortunately, after the first two episodes, for me it falls short. Mainly because the absurdity comes usually as pure stupidity, which is boring, and then there are several characters I find really annoying. To me tt feels like a stoner movie in space, not my cup of tea.

I'll keep watching it for now and keep hoping that it'll get better over time. If it doesn't I'll be out.

Chernobyl (2019)

Why do Russians have to have an English accent?

[5/10 · 21 June 2019]

I had given it 8 or 9 stars if the whole experience didn't feel so odd. Of course I know about the American obsession with accents. Anything older than 200 years or from a fantasy or fairy tale has to have an English, Australian, or Irish accent, for whatever reason. That's very nice for actors of those countries, who are much more in demand than they would be otherwise.

BUT COME ON: Hundreds of Russians, all with distinguished English accents? I thought for stretches that I was watching an 80s BBC series set in Birmingham or Wolverhampton. Partly it was really comical. Not to speak about my Russian girlfriend who couldn't stop laughing about the various English accents which came virtually from everywhere and everyone. Indeed she would have preferred all actors to fake a Russian accent instead of being "so English" - me too. But at least she confirmed that the written Russian was mostly correct, although simplified and sometimes redundant.

Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne (2019) Season 8, Episode 6

Gosh, these Super Fans ...

[6/10 · 21 May 2019]

Has any of the 1 star rating super fans ever wondered whether Bran becoming king and Dani getting mad was the ending GRR Martin has always planned and therefore revealed to the show runners? If that was the case, would they still rate it with a 1 star? I guess not.

Anyway. I rate the whole 8th season only with 6 stars because it feels unnecessary rushed to me. Intentially rushed, I assume, as I guess the writers were sacrifying character development, here especially Dani's, for simply shock and surprise effect when she suddenly burned down the city and its people. That was unreasonable, IMO, as with two more episodes they could have layed the ground and given some hints which made the ultimate event much more logical or at least believable. Pity, but I can live with it.

The First (2018)

The First -- of hopefully two seasons

[5/10 · 20 September 2018]

I have rated it only 5 stars and still hope for a second season. Why that?

I was hoping for a gripping space adventure. But I was sceptical from the beginning as I was sure that Sean Penn wouldn't jump into a space suit only to let the CGI guys run the show. Hence, I was kind of prepared for what was coming. What was coming was a family drama in great depth and, of course, Sean Penn running the show - a show which was of high production quality and with mostly good actors.

But about 80% of the eight episodes first season was mostly space-unrelated family drama, way too much for my liking. Yet, I could reconfirm something that wasn't so present to me anymore: Sean Penn is for sure the most talented actor of the past 20 years, no doubt. He was the only reason why I didn't fast forward big chunks of some episodes. But indeed I still fast forwarded parts.

The first season left me really unsatisfied as the space adventure barely took off at all. Hence, I'm hoping for a second season as the writers at least laid the ground for a good space story. Given the same production value it could be good potentially. But then hopefully with 80% space drama and only 20% earth drama. If it would be the same way as the first season I definitely wouldn't watch it. So for now I take it as a very/too long prologue for a hopefully very gripping main story in space in season two.

PS. Without Penn I'd given it 2 stars. It would have bored me to death.

Black Panther (2018)

I should have known better...

[5/10 · 7 May 2018]

Be warned: If you watch this movie with high expectations based on media buzz and reviews you will be really disappointed. It's a Marvel fantasy action flick without depth, just like all the others. Actually it's Iron Man reborn as an African King, nothing more. If you believe to have found an important message for mankind, or parts of it, you're reading something into it which simply is not there. For sure the makers of this movie were the ones most surprised of what viewers believed to have found in this film. Even worse, if you really wanted to find a message, then it carries a message of anti-democracy. I should have known better since whenever the American mainstream believes to have found something of cultural significance, it's most likely BS. Hollow through and through, but entertaining enough to watch it to the end, hence 5 stars. Unfortunately it left me disappointed, but this only because of the undeserved high expectations.