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nicopallas
Reviews
Beef (2023)
Good, but...
Can't say enough good things about the first part of this series. The two main characters are relatable and contemporary; they face the frustrations and challenges that real people do today and do their flawed best to navigate them despite "not being good people". Their Asian cultural backgrounds are explored in a believable, realistic way, as is the California setting with its vapid here today-gone tomorrow entrepreneurs and difficult housing market.
However, the key conflict is essentially resolved around the 7th episode. It almost seems like the series producers had to fulfill an order for 10 episodes, so things start getting weird. After a slightly awkward conflict reboot, things rapidly descend into the typical hysterics that plague modern TV. Unnecessary criminal violence happens, the immoral rich receive their come-uppance, and in general the show abandons its down-to-earth premise and takes off into outer space. We go from pondering the immigrant journey of Korean-Americans to imaginary gang warfare, kidnappings and broken bones. It's too bad the show runners felt they had to do this, as they had a relevant message which gets diluted by the "hardcore" nonsense. I would still recommend watching, but can't help but think the two main characters could have gotten their karmic payback in a less insane - and increasingly played-out - way.
Paradise Beach (2019)
Not that bad
This is basically a shlocky crime film so don't expect anything else. However, the setting and the characters' backgrounds spice things up a bit and there are some decent twists.
The prologue sets up a clash between petty French criminals and Thai society, polarised as it is between permissive appearances and conservative elites. Despite having pulled off a bank robbery many years ago, the gangsters are basically losers. They are shown to be in over their heads, having lost most of the money and getting pumped for whatever is left by the local Thai authorities - who despise them through both social and racial animus (the gangsters being mostly Arab- and African-French).
When the brother of one of the criminals arrives looking for his share after spending 15 years in jail, their fragile balance quickly falls apart and violence erupts within their group, with other local gangsters and with their Thai handlers. Loyalties shift rapidly as the underlying conflicts come to the fore. Who will make it out alive?