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David_at_Houston
Reviews
Invasion (2021)
Great except for one episode
I liked the slow pace and the back and forth among the different groups of people. I knew that, somehow, their stories would merge at the end. Since the "end" didn't happen this season, we had to settle for only a small reduction in the confusion. I am looking forward to a second season, although I know from experience it may be disappointing.
The one episode I hated, and I know other reviewers liked it, was #6. I am not a horror fan and, for me, it was just a tired old story of the monster in the dark house killing off its inhabitants. Who is going to survive and how? If you want to see the alien, you can skip this and get a slightly better look in #7.
Asia (2020)
What a surprise!
I had no idea what this movie was about. I had seen Shira Haas in Shtisel and Unorthodox and knew she was a rising star. I was glad I had not read any reviews and a short trailer I saw didn't give away the main plot. The movie starts a bit slow, but really grabbed my interest. Both Alena Yiv and Shira Haas are excellent.
The Red Tent (2014)
Based on the book, The Red Tent, not the Bible
All of the negative reviews ignore the reality that this miniseries is not based on the book of Genesis, but the book The Red Tent. Anita Diamant wrote The Red Tent as a feminist Midrash. (Wikipedia defines Midrash as "a method of interpreting biblical stories that goes beyond simple distillation of religious, legal, or moral teachings. It fills in gaps left in the biblical narrative regarding events and personalities that are only hinted at.") She wanted to expand on The Rape of Dinah, a chapter in Genesis. What was Dinah's life before and after that brief chapter? In addition, she asks whether women were totally subservient to men or did they stand up for themselves and wield their own power? Since the people who wrote down the Bible were all men, did they omit or edit out important contributions of women?
My critique of the miniseries is that the portrayal of Jacob is too positive, compared to the book. I think this was done to lessen criticism from Orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Christians.