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wscurran
Reviews
True Detective (2014)
54yr old white male considers this the best season of the True Detective series
I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous three installments of True Detective. And so it was inevitable I was going to watch season 4.
Early in the watching season 4 I had two reactions.
First, I started growing concerned about the direction of the story. I found myself having to suspend my disbelief more and more, and growing anxious that this was going to be some sort of voodoo magic explanation to the crime.
Second, at the same time, I was devouring my popcorn, eyes wide, captivated by the diversity of characters, relationships and the stellar acting by Jodie Foster (as well as John Hawkes and Kali Reis). If Jody Foster does not win a ten foot tall award for this performance - I give up on the world.
And then suddenly I was watching the final episode, which came surprisingly quick (I was expecting the typical 8 episode vs 6). The final episode was the capstone to some epic storytelling that took me on an emotional journey through fright, excitement (actual cheering), and tears (from sadness to joy). And what I realized between the last scene (which I won't spoil, but it is a quiet, endearing moment) and the credits was this:
We needed this (female) version of the young-women-brutally-murdered-crime-story trope. What I mean is that we have watched/read hundreds and hundreds of stories where 1) one or more young women are brutally killed, 2) the results of which are explicitly shown as a form of entertainment, 3) a mostly male cast of characters is chasing down the 3) deranged male killer whose motives are typically described (again) in explicit detail as a form of entertainment.
True Detective season 4 complete busts this trope in an epically satisfying fashion!
I the 4th season of True Detective, we have layers and layers of female characters, relationships, their often uniquely female experiences, all of which contrast to the established trope. This is a story that I (and I argue we as a culture) needed to hear/see. And while I am still processing this latest True Detective story, I know that I want more of these female centric stories, just as much as I want more of these incredibly well acted, well told stories that are true gems in the vast sea of current streaming content.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Breathtaking Tolkien Storytelling!!
The creators have really nailed the atmosphere, characters and epic nature of Tolkien's world. Fantasy Opera at it's best!!
+ Amazing costumes
+ Incredible depictions of orcs (better than Jackson)
+ Great dialogue
+ I love how every episode has some artistic cinematography to capture mood. Like Galadriel in the ocean with the Wyrm or riding a horse on the beach.
+ The use of a Tolkien style map of Middle Earth to track where various scenes are taking place.
+ Brilliant casting! I love how both of the actors playing Galadriel and Elrond channel a bit of the mannerisms from the actors in LotR (Jackson's version), but also make the characters their own.
+ Hobbits!! I am OK with breaking from canon and working from the cast palette that Tolkien provided to create new stories within the second age.
Roman Empire (2016)
Glaring Mistakes
It is generally entertaining, but the depictions and descriptions of the battlers are not accurate and miss some of the pivotal details. But worse is the depictions of Roman fighting style - Roman infantry fought in tight formations and stabbed with the Gladius! They really needed a military historian on this show. Instead you see Roman infantry hacking and slashing like some Hollywood depiction of ancient warfare - groan.