Reviews

So first of all - turn on the subtitles not because you have trouble with hearing, but because they insist of whispering. Can't hear a damn word no matter how loud you turn it up.

The cast is fantastic and the breadth of characters even better. If you aren't marginalized you may not understand the importance. But believe me it is. Still need to impose acceptance of some relationship structures rather than make them a 'freak' attraction - an astonishment. Yes, us poly's do exist.

It is quite idealistic in terms of health sector operations vs values, which can be a little tiring, among a feeling of being lectured to.

Nevertheless, worth a casual watch.

This is one I could take it leave. It's corny in an American-ex-defence-force manner (please, give me one that doesn't get into fights), with humour which stops make laugh if acted and written better. Both have room for improvement, but nothing would save the acting.

Thankfully, there's a decent plot and great bodies to perve on. If only they came with some measure of talent.

If you want to not think, watch some credible hand-to-hand combat, and see some good bodies, then yes, you will likely enjoy this.

If you want to lose yourself in the story, or discover new talent, or perhaps relate to characters, find something else.

A fantastic cast with a first class storyline, salt cancelled as a result of gender bias.

Viewers aren't used to mum's as fighters, mum's who save their families with the skill of an undercover operative. This is not the first of its kind, not the first cancelled due to viewer bias, and sadly went be the last.

A woman at the helm adds welcome relief to the tirade of men dominating such storylines, and the perfect answer to the popular Taken (which I loved).

Perhaps with the shift change in Marvel this will be revisited - I can only hope.

Thanks Ashley Judd. Don't stop fighting and I won't stop watching.

This was an absolutely riveting story about a reluctant Nazi forced into service, and the woman he was sent to kill.

The ending, which I won't detail here, satisfied my preference for not romanticising genocide. We must acknowledge that every Nazi, reluctant or not, was complicit and guilty of attempted genocide, and I cannot stomach tales to the contrary.

Back to this miniseries.

Fantastic characters including Lived Experience regarding disabilities, who is nothing short of a hero for her role in the resistance.

It was good to see House in a new role, and a brilliant one at that. Perfect actor for the role, I believe.

Fantastic.

A futuristic world of stolen bodies (sleeves) and wins to be made right.

There are many threads to this complex tale, but enjoyable even when I lost the plot (due to ADHD not poor production).

The main characters are a cop with a fiery persona and a newly awakened criminal of epic proportions.

The attention to detail in mortice and world building were fantastic and well thought out.

Fantastic multilingual characters, religion vs science vs justice, fast paced action, humour, mystery and nudity. All the facets you need for dystopia.

The second season didn't rock my boat, but after season one was anything going to stand up? Probably not. Will I watch season three? Absolutely.

The perfect counter for the American "sex, drugs and rock and roll", with a health dose of politics and intrigue.

Set in the period leading up to the years of Hitler's reign, 2 lives collide: a woman trying to survive in a multi generational home, her life spanning the streets of the underworld and the police precinct in search of income; a man on a mission and trying to stay above board where custom is to the contrary.

Flavoured with gender diversity in a flamboyant, normalised manner that counters American populace media. Indeed, a world away from the years to follow that Hitler stole from the world. You can see it brewing, bubbling, striking upwards below the surface.

The music is tantalising and true to era, politics dripping in intrigue, a masterful creation.

Sometimes you just want an action packed movie that you don't have to think too hard about. You don't want complication, you dint want romance, just kick back and watch the blast.

This is that movie.

Incredible chaos with perhaps a sole 30min without action. Betrayal is a feature, and who can't resist a heart throb that defies orders in favour of their own morality?

The best part though is the stripped back audio. There is very little music, in favour of focusing on raw scenes capable of delivering captivation and suspense in their own right.

This is an aspect many directors could learn from - and an amazing departure and delivery by a debut director.

I could have, and should have, stopped watching after season 1.

Season 1 was the solo operation, a single-minded, fairly straight forward endeavour to clear his name and protect his family.

In doing so, he crossed legal boundaries to hold to his own code of justice and sense of morality.

Action is a prominent feature, peppered with a little mystery.

Season 2 introduces a team, which does not bring the same level of veiwer satisfaction (for me at least). But what sealed the deal on this being a failure was the complexity and introduction of religion.

By season 3 he crosses ethical boundaries. He is no longer the good guy in his relationship. His wife is crying out for help, his daughter is suffering, and he offers no kind word to appease their fear and confusion. He also walks away from a child being abused.

Watch season 1 and ignore the rest.

Matt Walsh delved in a patriarchal perspective of genders and is a fantastic study of the bigotry evident in today's society.

Indeed, watching elitist privilege unfold in a society attempting to erase gender diversity and such persons from existence is fascinating.

Not least all, the thought that one man's bias is a valid global perspective.

Yes, you will now say, "but he interviewed a range of demographics". Well, no. Like all journalists Matt Walsh hand-picked scenes from demographics he hand-picked, to present a 1 sided view. And like a good politician, pumped up his ego until he felt worthy of rolling the world.

Note: the rest of the world does not think he's an alpha male, a respectable journalist, or even a decent human being.

Spencer and Blunt are superb.

Everyone and every side has prickles and bruises and no one is innocent. Most of all: The English. Righteous and ignorant they raze the land and divide First Nations communities.

Being white and of English decent I may well be overlooking something, but it certainly seemsto paint an accurately violent history of the formation of America.

"There's just something about this country" is a line that fairly well sums it up, and much better than the advertising (which hides much of the carnage the storyline ambles through).

There's a lot of suspense - enough so it borders on an amiable thriller.

Not for the faint hearted, or the bigots.

The concept was great, but marketed as a mix as drama, mystery and action - which it is not. It's pure action and nothing else.

They spent insufficient time on his new life, which is a component of the character's life, such meant we can't relate to the character; we don't know what he's feeling, no sense of his connection to his family.

There was a fleeting moment of "do we tell him?" but the lack of build up (e.g. Hints) makes it entirely underwhelming.

If you like pure action with a dose of forces humour and overacting, you'll love it, but I didn't.

These characters had created new lives, they have something to lose, there is an opportunity for internal conflict and character development. But no.

All in all, badly written and directed.

This is a show that stems from a great concept, has decent storylines, but lacks the polish which would make it unstoppable.

Baker is a fantastic actor given a great character with room for character development. There's a reason he's the star of the show.

The balance of characters are 2 dimensional. They lack personality, character development and backstories, though to the credit of the actors they do well with such deficiencies.

Police procedure is lacking (e.g., oh look I just found drugs in someone's car - let me pick that up with my bare hands).

That said, is great to see a crime show stripping outside of the procedural (e.g., intricacies of law).

Good to have on in the background.

It's the kind of show where you don't know where the twists will end. Sound good? Yes and no.

There's no doubt a lot of planning when into crafting the twists given the setups and omissions, and for that, the writers are due accolades as they are for concept execution.

The downside is: the viewer can lose their way by the 6th or 7th twist. That's the point I turned away.

Up until then, however, great character development, great interspersment of sex and love (not overdone), low on suspense but high in intrigue is an unusual combo given the series sits within the crime genre - and I wild have liked more suspense, particularly given the humour.

The inclusion of court cases outside the main thread is great, though I stayed do miss the classroom scenes as the series went on.

Who didn't want to watch a gorgeous mother-of-one thrown back into the world of spies, kicking arse after so many years?

On the plus side, it's twisty as hell. The daughter's developing adult personality (no, I'm not telling you) and the last episode - great ideas.

But turning this into a leather-clad romp (1 episode only) made me gag, as does her choosing to sleep with the target rather than take the out. The sexualisation of the character conflicted with the earlier (very welcome) look at my age, look at my c-section scars, look at my flaws. That latter characterisation was what hooked me, the fade back into the past what kept me, the fade-back-into-trope-of-sexy-assassin what kept me playing with my phone throughout.

Needs a new director and new script writer to fix it up.

There's a few tropes broken with this one, and I love it.

For a start, we have a 50+ mother as the star, though I wish we saw more of her. She's a conflicted characterisation; on one hand an ordinary woman complete with abusive past, having fallen prey to an older man. Thankfully, they didn't use this to turn her into a professional fighter / assassin etc. Instead, she is admirably flawed and just trying to protect her daughter (and without sudden inhuman powers to deliver).

Her daughter is thrust out into the world alone, and I'm pleased to say not a ditsy 20s kid we usually have to tolerate. Instead, she's a 30yo woman with a mind of her own, untrusting and drawing on her life experience, curiosity and desperation to find the truth. Plus of course: disobeying the instructions of her mother. A very honest role.

Being an inconsistent combination of suspense, drama, acton and mystery may drive some people away, so please make sure your a fan of all 4.

Like all movies, on occasion it defies commonsense but these are momentary lapses that I can forgive on account of a solid plot.

This isn't intended to be a true story of women's rights within the legal sector, though neither does it underplay reality.

The cast was well-selected and do the crafted script great justice.

I wish I could tell you about the ending, as I was very much relieved it wasn't what is ordinarily delivered, and perfect. Though perhaps that is owed to departing from UK period pieces (not an insult - they all have their place).

European period pieces are not so prom and proper when it comes to sex, which can be a breath of fresh air. The duo play to the common love triangle (which is rarely a triangle, by the way, as you would find better represented in LGBTQIA2+ scripts) but played better than most I've seen.

I very much recommend this beautiful miniseries. It will leave you wanting more, which is why it should end as it does. Enjoy the poignant emotions towards this series.

I'm writing this still watching it.

The first episode was good but not fantastic. But it was entertaining enough that I kept watching of course, as Brigerton is always well written.

Then came the moment the actors coaxed compassion and empathy from my core, shock bringing tears when only a moment before I was on fits of laughter.

As a woman who lost her love and felt that lost future, the confusion, the unsteadiness far from mourning was spot on, and viewed from many angles (but I won't spoil your discovery).

I cannot applaud their acting enough - characters both old and new - and how the script makes other Brigerton shows shallow and dull by comparison.

Please more prequels.

I put off watching this as I loved the books as a kid, then hated how Sanderson finished them. But then there was Madden so I had to give it a chance.

I loved it!

The vast range of characterizations is largely due to the diversity of the cast. It made it more relatable, yet those with bias favouring "neutral" (reality: American) accents and style of dialogue and acting will be disappointed. I loved it. So much more dynamic.

It's not easy to work in visual magic, which is why some fantasies are disappointing to watch, but I was very happy with how they portrayed it here.

Don't expect it follow WoT books exactly - but that's where the fun lay. The plot remains, but the characters are deeper, flawed, and beloved.

Moving away from A-list actors gives an opportunity for others to shine, and for us too find new favourites, and revisit some familiar faces in a new light.

WoT did not disappoint.

In a stunning display of condescion, the writers construct a narrative whereby a newly appointed, experienced Diplomat is coerced into a marital arrangement she was leaving.

Whilst contending for a place of Vice President, the disturbing question is raised of how manipulated she stood be in that position - by her husband and aide, no less - all the while making it appear she is incompetent.

This goes beyond the reality of a professional woman's life and instead becomes a fantastical concoction playing to the bias faced by such women in real life.

The writers should be ashamed of this appalling platitude to the patriarchal masses.

Concept is fantastic, but lacks execution. Maybe they're the wrong actors for the part, or maybe it's simply a byproduct of average directing, but for a show with a decent budget is hard to connect to the characters.

I tried to push through, thinking the first episode is a pilot and maybe later episodes were better, but it wasn't the case.

Unnatural performances, lack of smooth scene flow, jarring inserts of commentary and lack of subtlety in imagery and juxtaposition do nothing for the tempo of the show.

I've seen some of the actors in other roles and was impressed by them, so this was very much a let down undeserving of the budget.

A remake is in order.

I wasn't a fan of The Castle, so much so it would have put me off Aussie movies if not for Two Hands. But back to the movie that's so Aussie the gangsters are on Jenny Craig.

Mum and I were flipping channels, bit bored, nothing interesting, then- "What the?!" There's David Wenham (who my mum has had the hots for since Sea Change) running down the road I his tiny whities, thongs and mullet.

This straight-to-tv movie didn't stop there.

It's non-stop, chock-a-block, full of laughs and some very familiar (and incredibly talented) Aussie faces and arguments.

Who pays the bus fare I just don't know, and I'm equally unsure whether Ford or Holden won (I'm on the side of Holden) but one thing's for sure: that's a Sweet boat.

Okay, so I always like a good body. I won't lie. But not all bodies can act. Diesel was never a crash hot actor, but get his kit off, put him with a decent Director, give him a decent script, surround him with talent, and he can skate by on the skin of his pseudo-acting.

Turns out, his directing is no better than his acting. Then there's his writing. Yes, Deisel did all three, which does explain the lack of financial backing.

But like I said: mute it. You don't notice the bad script writing, directing and acting quite so much. In fact, just hit pause when he takes his shirt off. That's probably as far as you really want to watch if you don't want it to spoil ever watching him again.

Crawford is the standout of the show, and I cannot express enough how connected I felt watching him lose his love, coming to grips with moving on, the inability to accept change, and the general spiral of loss. I've been there...okay, am there, and his acting was spot on.

The dynamics between him and Brewster (the psychologist) is perfectly balanced, the covering of men's issues welcomed, and the balance of diverse female characters greatly cherished.

Wayans over-acts which is an annoyance, and though Wlliam Scott could never live up to his predecessor, the combination of humour and action is always a favourite, William Scott makes the role his own and Sharp (Yrish Murtagh) compensates for Wayan.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of Crawford, Sharp and Brewster.

As much as I enjoy the English eliticism of Jane Austen and her cohorts, you can't appreciate what's missing until we get to the nitty gritty of Europe period pieces.

This is not to say there is no eliticism within The Empress, but in common European style we delve more into what the English hide behind close doors.

I'm not going to spoil it for you, and will only say: Austen would never dare write of these scenes preparing the bride for her wedding.

There are other reviews speaking about this not being historically accurate, but do care? I don't. License is taken with the relationships between the in-real-world Emporer and Empress, and their family to feed the storyline. I'm okay with that.

What they honour is cultural markers, rather than giving in to an English / American market, and that I do care for - wholeheartedly.

A wonderful period piece.

Each season is rated very differently, so bear with me.

SEASON 1 The intertwining of the 3 stories you will either love or hate. I love. The offset timelines and crossovers created depth which would otherwise be overt and, quite frankly, boring.

Season 1 opens with an action-packed sequence laced with subtle humour and revolving around a heart-throb. Screw Superman. A rough-cut Cavill with a surly, sarcastic demeanor better suits his voice and style of acting.

Joey Batey delivers a brilliant performance which offsets Cavill beautifully. The music score built for Batey was well-crafted indeed, complimenting his voice. Not quite 'Treme, you understand, but a worthy score nonetheless.

They were the stars of the show, in my eyes, everyone else fading into almost-obscurity. Ciri's repetitive acting wasn't a huge seller for me. I was quite bored watching that plot, and Yennifer's was so far-flung from the main plot she was wasted on me for the first half of the season.

The one-episide Princess, however, whose acting was absolutely extrancing yet her name is nowhere to be found - was fabulous and made that episode one I couple happily rewatch. Someone help! That was an actor deserving of a far bigger role.

SEASON 2 Great drama and character building for Siri, great play off between Geralt and Yennifer, but low on action. Hold on though, the sun does come back!

SEASON 3 First half Plot hole, plot hole, plot hole. You'll still enjoy it, but either the script writers need an overhaul, or the Director. Without spoilers, but to give you an idea:

1. Oh look, Ciri left her sword behind. Oh look, here she has a sword, but Geralt has his 2, so where did this sword come from?

2. "The code word is x." Okay. "Here's me using the code word." Okay. And... why did you need a code word? What happened? Oh, nothing.

3. Ciri in a village somewhere, and now she's in the middle of a forest being chased by x. Wait. What? How did we get here? Rewind...nope, didn't miss anything. But the Director did.

4. A promised Geralt they would look after Ciri. Ciri runs away. A...nope, doesn't look for her. Just moves on. Okay... and... yeah, no mention or justification for this. Just...forgot to put that bit in the story.

5. Here's Ciri's gift from S2 in full force. Need lead up. Nothing. Just... "let's drop in to save a backstory here." Cheap move, poorly done.

6. The time taken for travel is slipped and screwed up after the first couple of episodes.

7. "We have disguise ourselves." Oooh... how are they don't to look? Oh. Same as they did before. Well, low budget on the costume, and... they hide how?

Meanwhile, Ciri gets great character development, including her relationships to her pseudo parents (Geralt and Yennifer). The relationship between those 2 is fantastic and well planned out. Probably the only thing that is.

The time-skip episode was terribly structured. They word have had less boring repetition had they done his POV, then hers, but no. Let's just jumble this s*** up. Well done. And let's recycle costumes from previous seasons.

All in all, low budget for a profitable affair.