nxfeb Reviews

The Most Hated Man on the Internet (2022)

The Taking Down of a Vicious Narcissistic POS and Abuser - Hunter Moore

[9/10 · 2 August 2022]

Excellent factual story telling. Superlative production values, cinematography, soundtrack, editing, research, interviews, direction (Rob Miller)... Well worth the 3 episode watch, all the while, providing just how damaging social media can result in, especially when young. I also have a greater appreciation for Anonymous and their collaborative efforts; no matter how meager their call to action may be. I imagine Hunter Moore was abused in prison, in the same manner he encouraged his demented followers and victims; nightmares for a lifetime.

Coneheads (1993)

Absolutely Loved It !!!

[10/10 · 7 July 2022]

I believe this was just utter hilarious genius... The story, EFX (for its time) all hilariously entertaining. Based upon a SNL skit, decades old, they managed to weave significant substance into this storyline. Writing, direction, cast... everyone and everything is an absolute pleasure, truly entertaining. It's also heartfelt, dealing with so many differing aspects of our human psyche; prejudices, love, perceptions... It can't help but pluck at your heartstring's. Roll a fatty, get seriously baked and be prepared to truly enjoy yourself. It's a fantastical journey, to say the least ;-)

And as always, comedy as well as art is in the eye of the beholder... Enjoy.

Severance (2022– )

Breathtaking in its Scope and Creativity

[10/10 · 7 July 2022]

I doubt you'll find anything quite like Severance; I know I haven't. Its originality is well beyond the scope of norm. Season 1, conceptually, is minimalistic in its presentation, while the human elemental aspect's are truly what this production is all about - deeply intriguing; drawing parallels to a well known cult/theological aspiration (but indirectly related) we're all seemingly relatively familiar with. Writing, direction, casting, sets, production values, cinematography ... coupled with Theodore Shapiro's scoring (and theme) is utterly entrancing, and an absolute essential part of this production's ambience; all of it being exceptional, contributing ecstatically to the overall storyline. Apple+ is to be commended for commissioning such an exceptionally unusual and challenging production.

Halo (2022– )

Fascinating Conceptually

[9/10 · 3 June 2022]

First and foremost, I'm not a gamer, therefore I could careless about the incessant bitching and moaning going on here; grow up - it's a spin-off, not a Bible. The show has extremely highly impressive production values, CGI, directing, excellent casting, phenomenal sets, costumes, etc... and written quite well (S1:E7 could have been crafted a bit better). Overall, Halo is quite engaging, entertaining with an evolving multilayered plot. I look forward to more...

Tehran (2020– )

Fascinating & Intriguing Multilingual Israeli Spy Series

[9/10 · 29 April 2022]

Whereas the script isn't always perfect, with its occasional pitfalls (whatever is), it does manage to carry itself, with all its twists and turns and deceptions (by both Israel and Iran). It's objectives and complications are quite conceivable. Production values are high, cinematography impressive, casting is very good, especially the Iranians; the Persian is indistinguishable. How they've managed to create Tehran without actually filming there is both impressive and utterly fascinating. Season 2 has already been greenlighted by AppleTV+ for next season - looking forward to it.

Ted Lasso (2020–2023)

Humanity & Human Nature

[10/10 · 22 March 2022]

I found this series more about understanding the spirit of human nature, compassion, companionship... than anything else. It's funny, heartwarming, tugs at your heartstrings... with lessons on life. With that said, Ted Lasso is one of the most surprising series I believe I've had the pleasure to watch. Wonderful production values, writing, casting, acting... Well worth the binge. I hope you'll find it as motivating as I have. Enjoy.

The Green Knight (2021)

Visually Stunning, but difficult to describe...

[8/10 · 18 December 2021]

Much of this story appears implied and/or requires imaginative interpretation, based upon fable and/or poetry. It is thought provoking, worthy of viewing. Be prepared to be challenged, and at times; use your own judgement and imagination in assessing visionary aspects. I personally enjoyed the journey. I believe it was worth the time. It is unquestionably beautifully filmed, casted, produced...

Invasion (2021–2024)

This appears to be mesh of Lord of The Flys meets Days of Our Lives

[4/10 · 10 November 2021]

Conceptually this is horrible; lifting subject matter from Lord of The Flys, melding it with a shitty soap storyline; just how pathetic does this storyline have to be? To literally begin the series with infidelity, and to continue to dwell upon it, making it utterly the main on going focal point is not only annoying, it's detractive, an absolute waste of production. Scripting, production, direction, blocking, casting... is underwhelming; it's difficult to relate to the characters with either their overacting or simply unrelatable; could care less. The inclusiveness, multilingual characters is intriguing, but isn't done in a relatable manner.

Perhaps Apple needs to distance itself and allow producers to do there jobs. As it stands, this is coming off as a cheap TV series destined for cancelation, yet ready green lighted for a second season.

Let's hope it acquires new legs in the second season...

Dave Chappelle: The Closer (2021 TV Special)

Comedy is Art, Plain and Simple

[10/10 · 26 October 2021]

There's no safe haven from Chappelle's humor, nor should there be; it's his art, and in it, EVERYONE is fair game, including trans. The very idea trans people continue to accuse Chappelle of trans-phobia is utterly laughable. And anyone who continues to assert such posturing obviously hasn't seen, The Closer, in its entirety.

If we can't laugh at ourselves, no matter who or what we are, then it is likely we are the problem. Don't like what you see or hear, don't listen. But all this hate being put forth by some in the trans community is unquestionably self-defeating and may end up providing a basis for blowback.

Art is always in the eye of the beholder while Chappelle's craft likely draws the most diverse audience in comedy history, resonating with unthinkable appeal, like no other comedian in history.

And if you really want to see how a proud, unencumbered trans people truly live their lives, take look at guitoy's in Thailand; they don't ask to be treated any differently, they are absolutely everywhere, and for the most part, accepted in society because they don't see themselves as objectfied nor request special treatment.

Dune (2021)

Spectacular in its Scope and Breadth

[9/10 · 23 October 2021]

One can only wait, with baited breath, anticipating Chapter Two... Visually breathtaking; script, direction, production, costumes, sets, CGI artistry... Dune is extremely difficult to portray in a satisfying manner. Denis Villenueve's vision is such a departure from Lynch's, as it is more relatable, while Lynch presented a more surreal phantasy, of sorts. Bravo.

Foundation (2021– )

Initially It Had Inconsistent Production Values, Was Somewhat Chaotic, Unsexy Sex Didn't Help, But It Has Evolved Into Something Rather Facinating

[8/10 · 4 October 2021]

UPDATE: The production values were rather inconsistent initially; writing, direction, editing... But the story is coming together and production has appeared to find its place. I'm not prudish by any means, but I'm finding the sex unsexy, somewhat detractive from the storyline; filler fodder. The music scoring has been lackluster in fluidity, richness, appropriateness, maturity; but then again, this too appears to have settled or I've simply grown to tolerate it. Perhaps the pilot (S1:E1) wasn't as defined as it could have been.

Foundation appears to be assembling itself into a viable storyline. I was expecting something along the lines of a deeply intellectual sci-fi series; Perhaps we'll see more continuity, next season, and I am, without question, looking forward to the story continuing...

Vacation Friends (2021)

An Absolute Non-Stop Hilarious Adult Adventure

[8/10 · 7 September 2021]

This was basically a non-stop laugh from beginning to end. Writing, production, casting, direction along with pacing was commendable; I honestly can't remember the last time I laughed so hard for so long. It's quite unfortunate some found this film unentertaining, understanding art as well as comedy is in the eye of the beholder. While this is no Academy contender, it was well worth the time, especially if you can relate to some of the most hilarious moments - And if not, you may possibly be missing some of the most pleasurable aspects of life's joyful experiences.

Barbarians (2020–2022)

Fascinating Look at History (Don't Watch Dubbed)

[9/10 · 31 August 2021]

I truly enjoyed this historical drama's first season, as I thought the writing was well crafted, direction, casting and performances were quite superlative. I'm looking forward to forthcoming seasons (although I became quite attached to some of the characters who perished in the first season; I see continuation, challenging).

As with any project, I highly recommend watching everything in its original production language with subtitles, especially with this bilingual production, as it is in both Latin and German, and while Latin does share relationships with Spanish as well as Italian and other languages, German shares many associated cognates, as English is a Germanic language.

Dubbing robs so much from the director's and actors perspectives; it's analogous to letting the air out of a ballon.

An accurate translation may be feeble in attempt, misrepresentative; many German words are unique and unparalleled in representing complicated compound-words, thoughts, ideas... and therefore represent extremely challenging descriptive phrases in dubbing.

Then there's the struggle of attempting to maintain lip-syncing / timing, pacing, tempo, all the while attempting to remain in character, in the moment, etc, when dubbing, which places enormous constraints and restrictions on available, useable vocabulary...

So, those who find themselves unsatisfied with dubbing, should honestly attempt subtitles, for all the aforementioned reasons.

While it initially does take some effort, you'll soon come to find, you won't be able to tolerated dubbed productions, ever again.

Hope to see a bump in budgetary constraints on costumes and sets.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Batsh!t Crazy, But Entertaining!

[10/10 · 14 August 2021]

Wow! An absolutely enormous amount of energy went into developing this completely off the wall production. What I most appreciated about this film was its unpredictability (other than some of the heroes would survive for the next sequel). How can they possibly top this?

• Enjoy.

War of the Worlds (2019– )

Enjoyed Differing Storylines

[7/10 · 25 July 2021]

Enjoyed this version of the classic as they threaded the story through a different eye with significant plot twists. Bilingual casting and direction made it even more encompassing. - Enjoy.

Loki (2021–2023)

Unequivocally Beyond Expectations

[10/10 · 1 July 2021]

There's absolutely nothing to which Loki can be compared to; with its superlative production values, writing which truly thinks so far out of the box, sets and scenery which are crafted in spectacular fashion, breathtaking special effects, it's conceptually engrossing, exceeding expectations, utterly engrossing, vastly entertaining while difficult to predict - Bravo.

Pennyworth (2019–2022)

Bloody Good Fun

[10/10 · 25 May 2021]

Well crafted with excellent production values, this witty, well casted, written and directed series is set in, (a what of could have been) a dystopian society based upon popular fascists ideologies of the period, with their ultimate struggle for power, and attempts at overthrowing the United Kingdom's government.

Savages: The Interrogations (2012 Video)

What a Waste of Talent

[5/10 · 30 March 2021]

So predictable, poor direction... The script could have been so much better.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Well Done

[8/10 · 30 March 2021]

Enjoyed the darkness and energy level; the extremely detailed back/story presented in the directors cut +reshoots and castings and SFX as opposed to the somewhat disjointed, boorish, cynical juvenileness of the original Justice League. Zack Snyder's Justice League, in my opinion, represents a far more serious approach at storytelling (I also thoroughly enjoyed Man of Steel). My only gripe, I really didn't appreciate Snyder's use of the 1.33 : 1 format. Whilst understanding the desire of Snyder's wishful IMAX presentation, such framing can still be accomplished shooting widescreen. 2016 industry statistics indicated less than 2% of all theater screens globally were PLF (large format screens, ie: IMAX). Given COVID we're living in a new reality and with that it isn't likely many will be returning to theaters anytime soon - coupled with bedbug infestations, price gouging, unscrupulous distribution agreements and the like, the theater experience has become a buzz kill for quite some time... I'd honestly rather experience HD/4K films at home in DD and DTS where it's defiantly safer, cleaner and unquestionably cheaper.

Cosmic Sin (2021)

Investors In This Project Were Clearly Duped

[2/10 · 11 March 2021]

Although this film isn't quite as bad as Ariels (2016), it's a very close second. Cosmic Sin is director and co-writer Edward Drake's second production and makes it appear most of the budget likely went to the actors, such as Bruce Willis and maybe Drake, himself. The highly recognizable and capable talent pool is obviously there, but a poorly crafted script, almost nonexistent production values and bad direction makes everyone and everything appear utterly amateurish. The cinematography is OK, but there's minimal green screen usage. It's as if they intentionally spent absolutely as little as possible on sets and props; literally a shoe string budget. A minimalist approach would have likely been more impressive than this. Investors in this project were clearly gaslit by producers. I'm utterly amazed this project was ever green lighted in the first place.

Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Painfully Inarticulate

[3/10 · 7 March 2021]

The idea of an extremely vulnerable geriatric character, Jean-Luc Picard would somehow be a leading focal point in this seemingly poorly implemented, portrayed and scripted series, it quickly became quite evident this highly anticipated series was absolutely unwatchable after only 3 to 4 episodes. While I've always enjoyed Sir Patrick Stewart's presence in Next Generation and in subsequent related films, as well as on stage, something was very much amiss in this series. Whether being attributable to its apparent minimal overarching budget, minimalistic production values, poor scripting and direction, none of it appealed to me and if anything, I found it entirely underwhelming, annoying. To say this was disappointing would be an understatement.

WandaVision (2021)

Not everyone's cup of tea

[5/10 · 6 March 2021]

Character development was arguably arduous in that it spent entirely too much time on the show within the show. Ultimately it boiled down to the last of a few of 9 episodes to get to the point of the story. And granted, the ending was a real emotional tear jerker. But for those who stayed through the entire closing credits of the last episode, much was revealed about the potential future of the series and forthcoming Marvel Universe. We'll have to see what the next chapter holds, but I honestly found much of the first season far too campy for me; direction flailing, annoying scripting, over acting with characters who didn't appear truly believable. Ultimately, one either buy's into WandaVision completely or is dragged through it somewhat resentfully. I being the latter. I would also like to see more emphasis placed on production values; as an example, some of the sets were less than optimal. I'm sure there will be those who will find my observations unrelatable, but remember, art is always in the eye of the beholder.

Dracula Untold (2014)

Phenomenal Story About One's Own Sacrifices For Others

[9/10 · 31 January 2021]

Those who feel somehow Dracula is gospel, need one remind you, it's just a story; the first, this one, True Blood, Underworld, Blade... They all take some liberty at telling a story from different perspectives. Whether you require the boring repetitiveness of the same, same story, countlessly told over and over again, that's your prerogative. But for those of us who enjoy a good story and are not bound by doctrine, we can appreciate the creation of a different vantage this film presents. It is a film which speaks of the honor of an individual who scarifies his very own life for the sake of others; about honor and values. Personally, I found the script, production, direction and cast superbly executed, coupled with phenomenal special effects. I have enjoyed it immensely, multiple times, since its release.

Dice (2016–2017)

Amusing and Entertaining

[9/10 · 1 September 2020]

It's unfortunate, for what ever reason(s), DICE wasn't renewed. Obviously, DICE wasn't everyone's cup of tea BUT I found the short lived series to be both enjoyable and entertaining - It had serious legs. IMO it worked and was Showtime's loss for not developing it further. Quality, well produced nitch programming helps draw a more diverse subscription base; something which is seriously lacking from their existing underwhelming lineup - Why would anyone subscribe? Much of what CBS Showtime produces, with the exception of HOMELAND and BILLIONS, as of late, are mediocre, at best.

Warrior Nun (2020–2022)

Strong Production Values / Extremely Juvenile Script

[5/10 · 27 July 2020]

I watched 2 episode and found myself genuinely impressed with overall production values but found the lead's characterization and use of its annoying overlaying narrative oppressive, extremely juvenile. Whereas this series could have had a much broader demographic appeal, I question if it will have the legs (and associated budget) to continue; its viewership will likely be too small to sustain production. The script and narrative aspect is more appealing to 13-15 year olds than the rest of the potential audience. If this is indeed their target demographic, they appear to be spending far too much on production aspects for this demo as they are far less discerning.