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channellius
Reviews
Dansegarderoben (2023)
Loved it
This series really impressed me. It centres around women who join the Circus Revue (a kind of seasonal form of live comedy and dance entertainment) as dancers, and tells their stories in a masterful way.
I feel like this show really speaks about challenges women faced in a past era, but in a fresh way. There is humour, but it doesn't feel forced. Almost all the characters feel real, with motivations of their own, and there are very few 2-dimensional-feeling side characters, just perhaps some of the protestors in the latter part of the show.
I like that this show invites you to make a quick instant judgement about each of the women, but then shows more depth to their characters as you go on. Some of the chorus girls I thought would be painful and annoying, I definitely really liked by the end, which I didn't expect. The women have flaws, but they are figuring things out and growing. It was empowering and really interesting. This is a series that shows different women's journeys and challenges in subtle ways, with the Circus Revue as the crossroads in their lives.
I also really enjoyed the dances that were featured in this show. They're not just dances for the sake of having a dance, but they also speak to the story of the characters performing them. It is an artistic move by the writers/directors that could've cheapened the drama of the show, but is in fact pulled off very well.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
It was all right
I watched this in the cinema with my younger sisters yesterday, all of us having reasonably enjoyed the Hunger Games books and bits of the movie series before this.
I think there were a lot of nice points about this movie - the setting felt pretty believable, the acting was generally good... but I think the story itself was a bit weak, and for some reason I was really turned off by all the singing bits.
In terms of the story, it was fascinating seeing the main character grapple with his concepts of what he knew was right and wrong, and what FELT right and wrong to him, but I think the female lead didn't really have any real development or much actual likeability - she felt like a pasted classic "good folk girl" kind of character, except for setting snakes on people?? I didn't really sense much chemistry with her and Snow's characters, because it didn't seem like they even any notable spent time together, and her disappearance at the end, leaving the snake to attack him, felt so strange. Why did she waste time setting up a nasty trick like that, if it wasn't going to kill him, and serve just to slow her escape down, and also make him hate her? Was she just trying to make some kind of risky point? I don't know, it just didn't really make sense to me.
And the singing... I can't say exactly what bothered me about it, but it just felt weird. I found the singing scenes long and kind of painful - I guess it didn't feel like someone in that setting sincerely singing, but someone from 2023 singing for a 2023 movie and pretending to add a folk kind of twang to it. She's a great singer, I'm not denying that, but it didn't feel like it fit with the setting somehow.
Overall, I guess the movie was somewhat interesting, though I wouldn't say "enjoyable". I wouldn't recommend it to friends, but maybe the book's pacing is better? I don't expect I'll be reading it though, unfortunately.
The Whale (2022)
An incredible watch
I was so impressed by this film. I went in with high expectations after seeing the trailer, and amazingly, it met those high expectations.
I think the main incredible thing about this film is the characters. They're raw, real, and they're not just black and white. Unusually, this isn't a movie that saves the main character. This movie saves a supporting character, in fact. But the characters are so well-written and the acting is superbly executed. Big kudos to the cast.
I also feel that the filming itself was done very well. The lighting, composition, the small suggestions, all amazing. Things didn't get spelled out - thankfully this movie doesn't treat you like an idiot. It paints a picture for you subtly, with great motifs. I have a meta feeling of wanting to write an essay about this film. But with honesty!
Interestingly, this film simultaneously made me feel hopeless and hopeful at the same time. The direction leads you to make certain assumptions, and at times will challenge and break those images you had begun to solidify. It was awesome. Refreshing. Upsetting. Thought-provoking.
I have a lot of takeaways from this film, and I'm sure I'll watch it again in the future. I think it's absolutely worth a watch.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016)
True to Gilmore Girls
Personally, I think the revival really was true to what Gilmore Girls was and represents. I think a lot of people want to perceive Lorelai and Rory as super wonderful and perfect, particularly just remembering all the good stuff from the early seasons, but one thing I appreciate about this series is that it shows they are very flawed, they do screw up, they develop, and like normal people, they sometimes go backwards.
Of course, I prefer the fun moments with the community of Stars Hollow etc more than the main storyline drama - I think Lorelai's actions are often so ridiculous that it feels like they were written just to stir up maximum drama, much like in the original series (so... it certainly feela true to what it used to be). The supporting actors are all so good though, their dialogue and moments the stuff I look forward to the most. And controversial opinion, but I loved every second of the musical. It was so entertaining, and true to the comedic and clever writing that this series has often exhibited.
I really liked this revival overall, though for me, the drama of the last episode left a bit of a unsavoury taste in my mouth. I would've liked more of the town, more small moments, rather than all the "big" stuff.
Overall, absolutely worth a watch. Great mini-series, with great writing a lot of the time.
Derry Girls (2018)
Well-written, entertaining, cracker show
It's hard to describe how much my fiance and I enjoyed watching this show. Firstly, the quality of the writing really exceeded my expectations. The thumbnail had never caught my eye but I figured I'd give this show a watch, and the storytelling, pacing, angles, everything was done so well.
On top of that, the casting and acting was awesome, music choice top-notch, and overall it was such an interesting and entertaining show to watch. They handled the political unrest alongside the adventures and youthful fun of the girls really well, with excellent contrast that really gives the viewer pause.
Sad to have finished it, but definitely feels like something I could rewatch easily!!
Tekken: Bloodline (2022)
Disappointing :(
I'm a big big fan of the Tekken games but I found this show very disappointing, and I did really want to like it. The art was OK-ish, but the writing was very cliche (I'm sure it could've been handled much better), there was no reason to care about many of the characters (for me nostalgia was the only thing pushing me through to the end), the dialogue was often very slow, literally, and the flashbacks were so overused, especially towards the end (it felt like so much of the first episode just got recycled in the last ep). I had high hopes after how well Arcane got adapted from League, but this... well, I think if I could turn back time, I'd give it a miss, and just google the character designs to satisfy my curiosity and save my time.
Still Game (2002)
A very enjoyable watch!
My partner and I were looking for something light and funny to watch during our dinnertimes as we eat, and I discovered Still Game and we gave it a go. I have to say, we were very surprised at how much we enjoyed it.
This show is really well-written, in my opinion. It's not hilarious slapstick, and it's not super clever, but it usually feels natural, and made us smile. Of course, a lot of references went over our heads as we are from New Zealand, and we needed subtitles to understand the accent in the beginning seasons lol, but we really grew to love this show and all its characters. I'm super keen to see Scotland now thanks to this show.
It probably won't suit someone who is a bit more PC, but if you're up for something that feels somehow relaxing and weirdly relatable, even though if you're not that old yet, give it a try.
Ojing-eo geim (2021)
Strong start and middle but...
I've seen my fair share of survival genre shows and games, so I wasn't overly interested in watching this series, but since so many of my friends had seen it, I figured I'd give it a try. To my surprise, the first few episodes were quite compelling and the characters felt more 'human' and less two-dimensional than many other shows/movies/games I've seen in this genre.
I think I was thoroughly enjoying this series up until I finished episode 6. Ep 6 was great, and emotional, but episode 7 onwards were just awful for me. Episode 7 in particular might've been the worst one. The challenge could hardly be called a 'game', and the VIP characters were unbelievably painful. I couldn't understand how the dialogue was so bad. The cuts to them and their cliche (and repetitive) dialogue made me lose that feeling of immersion I had with the other episodes. Episode 8 didn't feel like it really achieved anything, and episode 9... well, the 'twist' was quite unsatisfying. It didn't feel very believable, and there wasn't any closure with regard to the policeman and what he had attempted to send to the police when he got to the beach in the previous episode. It really just felt like there were some weird loose ends.
So, I would give this show even a generous 10 stars for the first 6 eps, but I really was so disappointed by the subsequent three that I can only give it 7 stars.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (2019)
A satisfying movie
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this movie. I think it was pretty well-made, and definitely much better than many other Japanese movies I've seen recently.
Siempre Bruja (2019)
All right
I did enjoy this series... at first it seemed really promising, but it did go downhill a bit for me. A lot of things happened that didn't really make sense to me, but hey, I definitely liked it more than the new Netflix Sabrina series.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Very refreshing if you're tired of generic movie formulas
This is the first Tarantino film I've seen since I'm not so good with violence, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this movie blew my expectations out of the water. In my opinion, it was well-shot, with great acting, and kept you wondering what's going on. As a viewer, I had no idea what direction the story was going in, and that, for me, was really refreshing. It felt like seeing an interesting snippet (albeit a long snippet) of a longer story. Personally, I'm sick of predictable same-formula movies, and I loved that I just didn't know what was coming, so I enjoyed every little bit for what it was.
Watership Down (2018)
A childhood classic retold well!
As a child, I watched the original film over and over and over and over. I absolutely loved it, and also read the "Tales from Watership Down" book, so the characters really meant something to me, and I was a bit nervous as to how this show would play out.
I think the storyline is spaced out well over the 4 episodes. The timing and ending of each leaves you hanging a bit, so I ended up watching them all over a period of 2 days.
I admit, the graphics were a bit disappointing, and this is apparent even from the trailer, but once you get used to them and just enjoy the story for what it is, it's definitely a great ride.
The storyline itself does differ a bit from how it went in the original, and I only read the original Watership Down book many years later so I don't remember exactly how things vary from that, but it all still generally followed the same plot, and a lot of the major events were similar. I wasn't a fan of Kehar's new accent in here, but in the end it worked well actually so I got over that haha.
I aaaalso felt like the romance was a little bit heightened in this, compared to the original movie. I wasn't a fan of that, personally, but it was done well enough I suppose.
But really, what a great story! I felt mesmerised during a lot of the really intense scenes, and really enjoyed seeing the character personalities coming out.
The Intern (2015)
Charming
I didn't have high expectations for this film, but I was pretty surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Even though it deals with a lot of modern-day ideologies and so on, it wasn't painful or cringy, in my opinion. Great movie!
Suicide Squad (2016)
Flashy but that's mostly it
This movie had a lot of special effects and action, but the plot was fairly poor, and there were a lot of things that didn't make sense. Characters didn't really seem to stay in character and made some strange decisions at times. I feel like this movie could have showcased the specific villains a bit more, especially with their powers and techniques.