I enjoyed the first episode, the cinematography was flawless, music on point, etc, etc. But here's what I kind of disliked: The character, Matt Caldwell is a caricature of a human being, a trope. He's cartoonishly written; an archetypical mega-rich jerk jock.
Reviews
31 Reviews
Season 11 continues to disappoint
9 November 2021
Great episode apart from one thing
2 November 2020
One of the best episodes of Succession, no doubt. However, one thing I enjoyed yet at the same time did not particularly like was Kendall rapping near the end of the episode. I dunno about the rest of you but to me it seemed a bit out of character.
The Americans
(2013–2018)
Brilliant series apart from a couple of issues
15 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The Americans is unarguably one of the best series FX ever produced. It is entertaining, engrossing and very intriguing. If you can look past how awful season 4 was, the countless divine interventions utilized by the show to create suspense, and the terrible Tuan/Pasha (season 4) storyline I think you'll enjoy The Americans.
On a side note: Stan and the Jennings' confrontation was somewhat disappointing due to the brevity of the scene.
On a side note: Stan and the Jennings' confrontation was somewhat disappointing due to the brevity of the scene.
Season Review: The worst season of The Americans so far
29 May 2020
This season has been hugely disappointing to me. Not sure about how it was received by other viewers, but to me it was the weakest season so far. The plot is pretty much uninteresting and rarely moves forward. It was a fairly very slow season, and not sure if others have also noticed, but this season every little scene was over-dramatized. The major story-line of this season is filled with plot-holes, and it is overall not interesting at all.
Hopefully season six would not be as bad as this one.
The ending ruined it
21 December 2019
What an utterly disappointing ending. Couldn't image a more goofiest and cliched ending.That ending didn't just ruin the episode, but season as a whole. How could the writers ruin the first season with that ending? It's baffling
The Irishman
(2019)
Brilliant. A masterpiece by Scorsese.
29 November 2019
I've had it with people whining about this movie's running time. 3 and a half hours are definitely a long time, but I didn't mind them. On the contrary, I enjoyed every single minute. It was slow at times, to be frank, but nonetheless, I thought The Irishman was as good as Scorsese's Casino and Goodfellas.
One thing that really irritated me a bit was Al Pacino's overacting. His performance was quite shocking in terms of how melodramatic he was, and at some points it looked as if he was overacting. His performance wasn't as authentic as I've expected it to be
One thing that really irritated me a bit was Al Pacino's overacting. His performance was quite shocking in terms of how melodramatic he was, and at some points it looked as if he was overacting. His performance wasn't as authentic as I've expected it to be
Terrible season
27 November 2019
Jamie & Quinn and Dexter & Hannah: The corniest couples on TV.
6 September 2019
The scenes in which either Jamie & Quinn or/and Dexter & Hannah appear in are incredibly corny and cheesy. Especially Jamie and Quinn, whose relationship literally adds nothing to the show but unwarranted sex scenes.
Sloppy writing
16 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This episode felt as if it was written by an amateur. It is astonishingly sloppy and unrealistic. Dexter, for instance, was represented to us from the very early episodes as someone who has no sex drive at all, as depicted in his relationship with Rita. So how the heck is he going around sleeping with random people? It just doesn't feel plausible.
One more thing: Listening to Rock and Roll, drunk, and shooting around? Eh, I'm not buying this.
One more thing: Listening to Rock and Roll, drunk, and shooting around? Eh, I'm not buying this.
Just Let Go
14 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is not the first time that characters act quite irrationally. Why would Leo, upon seeing plenty of cops outside his home, take out his shotgun and start shooting around, although it is evident that that would only result in his death? It just doesn't make sense.
Out of Town
14 July 2019
Although this episode was a bit slow at times, it is much better than the season two premiere, whose episode was agonizingly slow and out of touch. I really enjoyed the flashback scenes of Don's mother giving birth and his step-mother's in vain attempts to conceive a child. I would not mind at all if the following episodes are to have similar flashback scenes.
Meh.
25 June 2019
One of the best
23 June 2019
Meh..
21 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This season has been a bit.. meh.. A good episode, followed by an abominable one, followed by a slightly better one, followed by a bad one.. I miss the old Sunny when each episode was impeccable and hilarious. This season's episodes (apart from few ones) have been really bad and humorless.
Great ending, apart from one thing
20 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Great ending to a fine first season. However, there is one story-line that really baffled me. Yes, you've guessed it correctly.. Peggy's pregnancy. How could she not know, for nine bloody months, that she's pregnant? I mean, yeah, Peggy's not the slimmest of the bunch, but still, she felt nothing? It was really baffling how this story-line just came out of the blue. It is really baffling.
Did that really happen?
20 June 2019
The Shield
(2002–2008)
Groundbreaking cop drama, yet very problematic
13 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The Shield is groundbreaking in the sense that it challenges and breaks the formulaic and conventionalized cop genre. We're presented with morally corrupted and rogue police officers, who despite of all that, are pretty much the most efficient bunch in the department.
What makes The Shield distinct, in addition, is that we're no longer fed with prototypical and archetypical "good" and/or "evil" cops, but, as aforementioned, a mixture of both whose motives are ambiguous and ambivalent.
To come to the problematic part, there are quite a few, but I will discuss the most evident ones succinctly. Many of the subplots in The Shield are ridiculously simplified and streamlined in order to get the plot moving smoothly. I won't go into specific plots, but one is bound to be baffled at how some issues (in those plots) are conventionalized in order to conclude them. For example, a murder takes place, and a few scenes later the suspect is somehow unmasked without going into details how the suspect was entrapped.
Another problematic issue of The Shield is the way it dealt with the story-line of a conservative and churchgoing police office who was outed as a homosexual from the very early episodes of season 1. That police officers attends sexual reorientation therapy organized by his pastor, and after a few sessions guess what happens.. he's "cured" from (as presented by the show-makers) that disease. The culmination point of that story-line is him marrying a female and having a kid. That story-line is wrapped in season 2, and from mid season two till the very last episode, there's no mentioning of it at all. This "homosexuality as a disease" exhibited to us through The Shield is incredibly unsettling.
And on top of all that, the show is incredibly xenophobic when it comes to Middle Eastern and Latino/Black characters. I am not going to get into that as this egregious issue is unusually conspicuous from episode one.
PS: David Rees Snell (Ronnie Gardocki) is a terrible, terrible actor. I honestly have no clue why they kept him for seven seasons. And as for the shaky camera, I wasn't really bothered with it at all, I actually found it a bit innovative.
What makes The Shield distinct, in addition, is that we're no longer fed with prototypical and archetypical "good" and/or "evil" cops, but, as aforementioned, a mixture of both whose motives are ambiguous and ambivalent.
To come to the problematic part, there are quite a few, but I will discuss the most evident ones succinctly. Many of the subplots in The Shield are ridiculously simplified and streamlined in order to get the plot moving smoothly. I won't go into specific plots, but one is bound to be baffled at how some issues (in those plots) are conventionalized in order to conclude them. For example, a murder takes place, and a few scenes later the suspect is somehow unmasked without going into details how the suspect was entrapped.
Another problematic issue of The Shield is the way it dealt with the story-line of a conservative and churchgoing police office who was outed as a homosexual from the very early episodes of season 1. That police officers attends sexual reorientation therapy organized by his pastor, and after a few sessions guess what happens.. he's "cured" from (as presented by the show-makers) that disease. The culmination point of that story-line is him marrying a female and having a kid. That story-line is wrapped in season 2, and from mid season two till the very last episode, there's no mentioning of it at all. This "homosexuality as a disease" exhibited to us through The Shield is incredibly unsettling.
And on top of all that, the show is incredibly xenophobic when it comes to Middle Eastern and Latino/Black characters. I am not going to get into that as this egregious issue is unusually conspicuous from episode one.
PS: David Rees Snell (Ronnie Gardocki) is a terrible, terrible actor. I honestly have no clue why they kept him for seven seasons. And as for the shaky camera, I wasn't really bothered with it at all, I actually found it a bit innovative.
Undone by a stupid, and frustrating ending
29 April 2019
All in all the episode was good, not great, and miles off The Battle of the Bastards or even The Battle of Blackwater.
The ending was outrageously frustrating. Lazy, lazy writing. Ten years of building the story-line of the white walkers culminated in a disgraceful fashion. What is also frustrating that it was somehow predictable. This episode, is by far, the most frustrating episode in the history of Game of Thrones. It feels like we've been cheated of a great ending to the white walkers' story-line which would've only been fair, considering that it took, what, 10 years, for their story-line to culminate.
Disgraceful. Lazy writing, the writers took the easy way out.
The ending was outrageously frustrating. Lazy, lazy writing. Ten years of building the story-line of the white walkers culminated in a disgraceful fashion. What is also frustrating that it was somehow predictable. This episode, is by far, the most frustrating episode in the history of Game of Thrones. It feels like we've been cheated of a great ending to the white walkers' story-line which would've only been fair, considering that it took, what, 10 years, for their story-line to culminate.
Disgraceful. Lazy writing, the writers took the easy way out.
After Life
(2019–2022)
Meh..
6 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Watching Ricky Gervais' After Life is pretty much like watching any of his stand-ups, especially Humanity. I liked both, but it becomes pretty much tedious and a cliche when his actual views/perceptions are identically contrasted in a character he created/played (with regards to his perspectives and ideas about humanity/religion/etc).
I am not sure what After Life's supposed to be, it has neither decent humor nor touching moments. The flash-back scenes, especially the pranks Tony pulled on his now deceased wife, has to be the corniest flashbacks I have recently witnessed. There are tons of methods to portray Tony's fondness and unconditional love to his now deceased wife, and as a as a both loving and a prankster husband, but for some reason, Ricky/the writers use the corniest and cheesiest way possible to do so.
The series is about a grieving husband that has recently lost his wife after a long and tiring battle with cancer. Tony has taken his wife's death really horrible and her death has transformed his attitude from a caring and lovable guy into a devil-may-care behavior. From the very first episodes till the fifth, he is depressed, suicidal, impulsive, and so on, till the very last episode, and out of the blue, he recognizes that life's worth living and starts to somehow making up for the trouble he's caused the others. That doesn't really sound like a grieving process, does it?
I am not sure what After Life's supposed to be, it has neither decent humor nor touching moments. The flash-back scenes, especially the pranks Tony pulled on his now deceased wife, has to be the corniest flashbacks I have recently witnessed. There are tons of methods to portray Tony's fondness and unconditional love to his now deceased wife, and as a as a both loving and a prankster husband, but for some reason, Ricky/the writers use the corniest and cheesiest way possible to do so.
The series is about a grieving husband that has recently lost his wife after a long and tiring battle with cancer. Tony has taken his wife's death really horrible and her death has transformed his attitude from a caring and lovable guy into a devil-may-care behavior. From the very first episodes till the fifth, he is depressed, suicidal, impulsive, and so on, till the very last episode, and out of the blue, he recognizes that life's worth living and starts to somehow making up for the trouble he's caused the others. That doesn't really sound like a grieving process, does it?
The Insult
(2017)
An accurate portrayal, but not-so-great a film.
21 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The Insult accurately depicts the tension between the native Lebanese and Palestinian refugees. This issue is somewhat a taboo in Lebanon, or the Middle East in general, and I think that only through a somewhat partly plausible and realistic film like The Insult foreigners could grasp the complexity of such a tension.
The insult -fu***** pr***-may seem, and because it actually is, a very common and not-that-offensive one, but when it is put in such a political and racial context where each part of the conflict has had enough of repressing their anger, it turns into a political and racial turmoil that could lead to street violence and possibly divide the Lebanese/Palestinian community.
However, although the message or purpose of the film is well delivered, there are several things in the film that somehow overshadow it. I mean, for instance, there are many, many other ways to show how important and intense the court hearings were potentially going to be, but unfortunately the writers succumb to the cheesiest and a very hackneyed option by turning it into a master vs. apprentice and a father vs. daughter scenario.
The film was heading into a great direction when suddenly and unfortunately it turns into a cheesy, and melodramatic court drama, full of trashy, unconvincing, and inauthentic moments.
The insult -fu***** pr***-may seem, and because it actually is, a very common and not-that-offensive one, but when it is put in such a political and racial context where each part of the conflict has had enough of repressing their anger, it turns into a political and racial turmoil that could lead to street violence and possibly divide the Lebanese/Palestinian community.
However, although the message or purpose of the film is well delivered, there are several things in the film that somehow overshadow it. I mean, for instance, there are many, many other ways to show how important and intense the court hearings were potentially going to be, but unfortunately the writers succumb to the cheesiest and a very hackneyed option by turning it into a master vs. apprentice and a father vs. daughter scenario.
The film was heading into a great direction when suddenly and unfortunately it turns into a cheesy, and melodramatic court drama, full of trashy, unconvincing, and inauthentic moments.
The Sixth Sense
(1999)
If it wasn't for the plot twist..
13 February 2019
If it wasn't for the 'shocking' twist at the very end of the movie, I believe this film would not be considered a "masterpiece" or whatever else many considers it. The plot twist makes up, in my opinion, for the slow-paced and mediocre plot. Apart from that, you have to acknowledge Bruce Willis and and Haley's terrific performance.
There are many subtle and obscure hints that, if attentive enough, one could deduce or eventually guess what is bound to happen. But, whether one could have figure it out early in the movie or at the end, you cannot shove aside Shymalan's thought-provoking ending.
Once again, if it wasn't for the plot twist, this movie's is but a mediocre.
There are many subtle and obscure hints that, if attentive enough, one could deduce or eventually guess what is bound to happen. But, whether one could have figure it out early in the movie or at the end, you cannot shove aside Shymalan's thought-provoking ending.
Once again, if it wasn't for the plot twist, this movie's is but a mediocre.
Oz
(1997–2003)
One of HBO's finest TV shows, but..
13 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I usually think of OZ as the starting point of HBO. OZ provides an accurate insight into the horrifying rehabilitation systems, where nobody or nothing is actually expected to leave that rehabilitation system rehabilitated and ready for the real world out there they once were deemed unfit to live in. I also really enjoyed Harold Perrineau's out-of-character appearances ant the beginning and ending of each episode. He was something of a voice of reason, in a place where reason especially is banished.
OZ has many ridiculously graphic scenes, and many genital nudity, but I think of that as one of the many reasons that made OZ, and HBO somewhat different.
But, as you watch OZ, at one point, you would doubtlessly question some scenes where the writing simply lets you down. For instance:
Jefferson Keane is sent to death row and executed for murdering an inmate, whereas Clayton Hughes, for instance, attempts to assassinate the governor, murders detective Johnny Basil, but he is sent to solitary.
After Nappa is moved to the AIDS ward, he starts writing his autobiography "in details" while he's pretty much a long way from death. Why would a mob boss, as vicious and original as Nappa, starting writing his autobiography and ratting his comrades out of nowhere, especially that he's aware what happens to rats.
Reverend Cloutier's disappearance from the prison's hospital. What a provoking scene and writing that was. Another inmate (Busmalis) is nowhere to be seen during one early morning's count, and all hell breaks loose. Whereas Cloutier disappears for almost a season, and nobody bats an eye.
Clayton Hughes, a troubled ex-guard who was fired for promoting hate and violence against the governor, comfortably bypasses the prison's security with a gun, and shoots the governor.
There are other many scenes when made no sense at all. But overall, OZ is good TV show, and could have been HBO's finest if some scenes or minor plots did not conclude in the way they did.
OZ has many ridiculously graphic scenes, and many genital nudity, but I think of that as one of the many reasons that made OZ, and HBO somewhat different.
But, as you watch OZ, at one point, you would doubtlessly question some scenes where the writing simply lets you down. For instance:
Jefferson Keane is sent to death row and executed for murdering an inmate, whereas Clayton Hughes, for instance, attempts to assassinate the governor, murders detective Johnny Basil, but he is sent to solitary.
After Nappa is moved to the AIDS ward, he starts writing his autobiography "in details" while he's pretty much a long way from death. Why would a mob boss, as vicious and original as Nappa, starting writing his autobiography and ratting his comrades out of nowhere, especially that he's aware what happens to rats.
Reverend Cloutier's disappearance from the prison's hospital. What a provoking scene and writing that was. Another inmate (Busmalis) is nowhere to be seen during one early morning's count, and all hell breaks loose. Whereas Cloutier disappears for almost a season, and nobody bats an eye.
Clayton Hughes, a troubled ex-guard who was fired for promoting hate and violence against the governor, comfortably bypasses the prison's security with a gun, and shoots the governor.
There are other many scenes when made no sense at all. But overall, OZ is good TV show, and could have been HBO's finest if some scenes or minor plots did not conclude in the way they did.
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