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Reviews
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Brilliant!
This mockumentary about four vampires sharing a house in Wellington, NZ is one of the funniest films I've seen in years.
At first I was skeptical. When I read the storyline it sounded dreadful; unoriginal, too similar to "Being Human", so I put off watching it. Then, after a couple of friends recommended it, I thought I'd give it a chance. I'm so glad I did. It was hilarious, and the dialogue and delivery is spot on. It captures the documentary "look" perfectly too.
I think "What We Do in the Shadows" is to vampire movies what "Shaun of the Dead" is to zombie flicks. It's brilliant.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
Slick and addictive
This has got to be the best TV series this year so far. It's funny and looks great! It's well written and made. Every character is a gem. This truly is a quality drama/comedy and I can't wait to see season two.
Romper Stomper (2018)
Compelling and disturbing
The series was better than I thought it would be.
It's not without it's flaws; the portrayal of the anti-fascist group as violent provocateurs was fanciful, and the acting from some of the younger cast members was so wooden it was distracting, but once you get over that, it's a pretty compelling watch. Once I started, I continued to binge.
It's nicely shot and put together. I've read other reviewers criticising its pace, but I think it's spot on. It maintains a sinister atmosphere throughout and, although that can become tiresome in some cases, it works well in this series. It's disturbing, as it should be.
Cast from the original film (Dan Wyllie, John Brumpton and especially Jacqueline McKenzie) are excellent and David Wenham is, as usual, brilliant.
I'm looking forward to a second season.
Grace and Frankie (2015)
Wonderful and addictive
I was recommended this series by a colleague so I gave it a go. I'm so glad I did and now I'm completely hooked. I was a little surprised watching the first episode because, knowing the person who recommended it, I was expecting to be sitting there laughing my head off. I didn't. Yes, it's a comedy, but not a "roll around on the floor laughing" comedy. Once I was in the swing of it, I loved it! It is funny but it's also real and very touching ... without being corny. Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) are two very different women forced to share lives and living space when their husbands Robert (Martin Sheen) and Sol (Sam Waterston) declare their love for each other. It's about ageing and adapting to change later in life ... and it's wonderful. All the characters are brilliant and believable. I've just finished season one and can't wait to get into season two.
Legion (2017)
What a mess!
I could only get as far as episode seven and gave up. This show is a complete mess! I'm not sure what it's trying to be, but it's trying really hard at something, and failing miserably. Character traits are inconsistent, the acting is hammy, the story is silly and goes nowhere. They've used every trick possible to create atmosphere and it doesn't work. It's obvious and overwrought. A couple of episodes go off into some poorly executed surreal scenario that just drags on and on. It really feels as if they're padding the story (whatever that is!) out. If you're going to halt the (already slow) story for a couple of episodes of nonsense, at least be visually stunning or groundbreaking or something. Nope! No more of that, thank you. I'd rather watch grass grow.
Bedlam (2011)
Too many clichés
This has got to be one of the worst ghost-themed TV series of recent years. I truly struggled to get to the end of series one. The script is terrible. REALLY terrible. There are subplots that go nowhere and it's one cliché after another; flickering lights in basements, little girls appearing down long corridors, doors opening and closing by themselves, white skinned ghosts with black contact lenses ... honestly, they were one step away from having ghosts floating around in white sheets with the eyes cut out. Basically, the story is about a group of flatmates living in a new luxury apartment block that had been a mental asylum. The apartment block is haunted by former patients and each week a new ghost terrorizes the residents. The property is owned by a man and his daughter (Warren and Kate) whose family have owned the building for generations. They've called it "Bedlam Heights" ... eye roll here. The Kate's cousin Jed turns up, having just been let out of a mental hospital himself, and moves in to the new apartment building. Jed sees ghosts. The only creepy thing in this series is that the two cousins have the hots for each other. I don't think I'll waste my time with season two.