Reviews

I watched this because of the presence of Eun-bin Park, even though I know nothing about baseball.

What struck me was the plot similarities with Ted Lasso: a struggling sports team bring in a manager with no knowledge of the sport because the owner wants the team to fail. The one thing missing was Ted Lasso himself. Here the manager concerned is much more cold and calculating, with the heart provided by the character played by Eun-bin Park.

Nevertheless, it seems that this series was made first and perhaps Ted Lasso took it as inspiration.

I was moderately entertained as I watched this, whereas I thought Ted Lasso was very good. So the absence of that character did suck something out of the entertainment for me. Perhaps baseball is just too alien to me also, whereas football is all around me, even though I don't follow it myself.

But hey, I was moderately entertained and Eun-bin Park is always worth watching.

I enjoyed this film. There is enough stirring action to keep you watching and sufficient political shenanigans to help you believe that the film portrays truth as well as fiction.

But I was always aware that I don't know enough to sort the truth from the propaganda.

PM Modi is a very divisive character. I was in India earlier this year and heard a lot of praise for his policies addressing India's poverty and social problems. By contrast GB news media focus on his supposed growing authoritarianism and Hindu nationalism, neither of which were part of the perception of the man I heard in India. Presumably all these facets are part of the man and his government.

Any film that takes sides in an ongoing political issue, let alone supporting one party during an election campaign, should be viewed with caution. Certainly a quick bit of on-line research suggested that the Kashmir "problem" is far from solved.

It is a shame that the makers of this film did not present a more even-handed picture of the problem and its solution while entertaining me so successfully.

First the health warning on this review: I have never been a fan of star wars. I thought the original films were aimed at a younger audience and I was pretending to be an adult when they first appeared!

Then came Rogue One. The only Star Wars film I would rate, with mature storyline and an explanation for the ridiculous notion that the Empire would build a weapon of such power and leave it vulnerable to a fighter attack.

Then came Mandalorian, which I surprised myself by enjoying.

This is better than all of them. The world it creates is very believable, with excellent special effects and meaningful characters.

I particularly enjoyed the prison spaceship, which was superbly realised, visually and conceptually. Plus the meaningful character portrayed by Andy Serkis added so much to the depth of this realisation.

I do hope for another series.

I do love reading historical fiction, but was not grabbed by the Shardlake books. I only read the first. However, the books have many fans and perhaps I would have been won round had I ventured into subsequent volumes.

With all that in mind I watched this with some hope. I was not convinced. The story seems rather slight, with major events in British history reduced to a foggy murder mystery. Stephen Saylor showed how to use this genre to shed light on history with his Roman novels. Now, a series based on those would be worth watching! Rory Clements did the same with his Tudor series.

I won't attempt a second series, should one be made.

.... then you may well like this.

Certainly, I liked this series in many ways. The main actors all perform well. The child actor is delightful. Some of the stories moved me to tears. And I wanted to know how the characters would find their way through their difficulties.

But it is just too long. The fantastical concept at the heart of the drama is too flimsy to support a story wallowing so deeply and at such length in its emotional moments. In consequence, my emotional engagement was continually challenged.

Nevertheless I stuck with it to the end. The final episode epitomised the lengthy wallowing I have mentioned, with an hour and a half of tears for the audience to sit through. I did come through that not regretting my perseverance, which is all credit to the strengths in my opening paragraph.

I guess pretty much all cinema and television thrillers have holes and inaccuracies in their plots. The search for excitement and entertainment is not generally constrained by accuracy and lucidity.

The best thrillers carry you along willingly for the ride, such that you don't even notice the moments that might have punctured your enjoyment.

This does not achieve that.

Nevertheless, if you are able to focus on being entertained by the twists and turns you can still enjoy this, even as you scoff at the latest unlikely event on screen.

That enjoyment is helped along by the character played by Jing Lusi, who grew on me as the series progressed.

Let me start by admitting that I am not a lover of Star Wars. I found the original films seemingly targeted at a younger audience. The only Star Wars film I would actually rate is Rogue One.

So imagine my surprise as I was won over by this series. Series 1 was good enough to warrant watching series 2. I guess this is due to the winning character afforded to Grogu, who is a triumph of the designers.

Series 2 and 3 are even better. Budgets seemed to grow as the series progressed and some of the later special effects are top-notch. Katee Sackhoff also brings a compelling character into the story, allowing us to move beyond the problem of the Mandalorian himself being faceless and the Mandalore religion being too shallow to be credible.

Overall, I was highly entertained, despite the issues highlighted above.

Ninjas rampant in modern-day Japan, with dead bodies mounting up at speed, is hopefully a fantasy?!

The action is very well presented, with the fight scenes as excellently choreographed as you could hope.

Such a story might have been moderately entertaining, but here the family dynamic provides a much needed moral core and significantly adds to the excitement generated by the action, as you care what happens to the characters. A love story is interrupted. A dead son offers uncertainty. Granny remains enigmatic throughout. So many avenues yet to explore.

A second series is clearly planned, as so much is left unfinished. I look forward to that.

As a lover of the book I was slightly disappointed with the last TV adaptation. So I had my fingers crossed that this would be better. And better it is.

What makes it better is the courage the makers showed in focusing on depicting a society so different from ours while trusting us to persevere through cultural differences that are not always easy to understand. Given that focus, John Blackthorn is less dominating as a character, with more time given to the Japanese characters. The love story with Mariko is still central, as Mariko herself is so fascinating.

Those changes meant that this is even better than the book. A fabulous series.

This is a highly believable depiction of the medieval world, blessed with stirring action, fine acting and great direction.

But it is the fact that it is thought provoking that dominates my view of the film, which is something of a surprise. After-all we all know that the medieval world treated women very poorly. Those antediluvian views and actions are clearly depicted. But I did not expect them to carry so much relevance to today. We have moved on, haven't we?

What was challenging is the thought that we have not moved on as much as we should. That part of our society continues to treat women poorly. And that those of us who think we are better have not completely lost every one of the attitudes we would like to have discarded. Being better than we were does not make us good enough.

Joseph Bologne is a fascinating multi-stranded character, living in a momentous time period, with an exciting story to tell. Unfortunately this film fails to tell that story. Nor does it even seem remotely interested in doing so.

Instead his life is pillaged for a Mills & Boon love story, which may or may not be based on truth, a racist sub-plot, precocious musical genius and a bit of revolution to spice things up. Such an approach might be forgiven if the result was entertaining enough to make you forget to be disappointed. But the film does not get to grips with any of these strands sufficiently to generate any traction, let alone engage your emotions. None of the characters seem real, even for a moment.

So - a disappointment. It does have a saving grace though: it gives you an opportunity to discover Joseph Bologne and go and find out more, as I have done.

This is a great film in many ways. But it also has its problems. In the end it is saved by a wonderful performance by Madeleine Yuna Voyles, who draws you into her character and makes you care.

On the plus side the story is interesting, the cinematography is amazing and the special effects are all you could wish.

Unfortunately these strengths are somewhat negated by difficulties hearing and seeing what is on the screen (I watched this on television and also struggled with the accents and mumbling at times). Such problems following the story were aggravated by events on screen that did not always make obvious sense.

But then along comes Madeleine Yuna Voyles and every reservation is forgotten and the fate of the world on screen is focused down to the fate of her character in your mind.

So be forgiving of its problems and you will find this well worth watching.

I lived in Sierra Leone for 2 years before the nightmare of this civil war. So for me the strength of the film is in it's recreation of the country. I could feel, see and smell it.

Djimon Hounsou gives a magnificently compelling performance as the father determined to get his family back. That story is the heart and soul of the film. Particularly his son's journey to child soldier and later back to his family.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly give sterling support. Despite a shaky accent there was emotional resonance in the former's soldier of fortune finding his way back to a degree of humanity.

The action is superbly mounted too. But Hollywood has given us a film about Africa that attempts to tell us a truth beyond entertainment.

If you haven't seen this film then do so.

I particularly enjoyed this series. At its core is a complete performance by Jang Dong-yoon as the not so bright Ssireum wrestler whose life has been on hold since his first love left the village. His is a very likeable character indeed, putting others first with kindness and forgetting himself in the process.

You cannot but support his journey towards a brighter future.

I also enjoyed its depiction of the world of Korean Ssireum wrestling. Having watched Sanctuary, about the world of Sumo, the comparison was interesting. Ssireum may lack the semi-religious ritual of Sumo, but I found the wrestling itself more exciting.

Series 1 was just good enough to carry me to series 2, encouraged by the higher audience rating on Prime. I would score it a 6.

Series 2 is very much better, meriting an 8 or better.

Both series display very high production values. The fantasy world is superbly presented, with different cultures carefully delineated. Rosamund Pike carries dignity and power that is the key driving force of the drama. Daniel Henney, who I have not seen before, is very effective too.

The younger characters are not always as convincing, although some do grow into their roles as series 2 progresses. Also, Natasha O'Keeffe adds real bite in series 2.

The other key difference between the series is probably the way everything comes together to culminate in an epic battle in series 2, whereas the conclusion to series 1 spreads the characters into different battles.

Series 2 has left me keen to see more!

This romantic comedy pairs two great actors: Ji Chang-wook and. Shin Hye-Sun. I have seen both a number of times and they have always been excellent. Shin Hye-Sun, in particular, has the talent to glow on the screen while delivering emotional scene after emotional scene with sincerity and truth.

So I had high expectations when I started watching. And it was good enough to keep me watching through all 16 episodes. Disaster befalls Shin Hye-Sun early in the series and you are fully engaged in her subsequent struggle.

That emotional intensity gradually dissipates, unfortunately, as additional characters and storylines are introduced.

However, this is still have a decent romantic comedy for those of us that enjoy such things.

This is a fine film. Two fine actors give us believable characters on a geographical and metaphysical journey.

This story gains traction because it is based on truth. These characters did exist and did make the trip depicted.

It gains resonance because it addresses an issue that has been with us for generations.

America's history presents it with a very tough racism challenge indeed. My American friends leave me in no doubt that much remains to be done. But this film reminds us just how bad things were in the southern states in the early 1960s. Hopefully the improvements over the last sixty years are so marked as to offer hope.

Of course, racism remains a challenge just about everywhere. And within most of us.

I enjoy a good romantic drama, so I am easily disposed to favour shows like this.

My wife, however, gave up on it after a few episodes, complaining that it was too adolescent. But for me, that missed the point. These characters are learning how to live and love and make mistakes along the way. As did I when I was their age.

In any case, this drama found additional resonance in the character of Sae, who is powerfully portrayed by Kou Shibasaki. Her deafness, plus her musical genius, create a very sympathetic, yet highly challenging character. Watching Kai (Satoshi Tsumabuki) confront and overcome her demons is a joy.

If romantic dramas are your thing, give this a go.

Always interesting. Utterly original. At times darkly funny. Plus a biting social commentary.

But at times also uncomfortable viewing. Verging on horror, which I am not keen on. No individual character you can root for.

Clearly, for most the positives far outweigh the negatives. It is easy to see why it garnered so many awards. And to understand why so many viewers are so taken with the film.

But for me the negatives are real enough. Perhaps the biggest problem is that I cannot be on the side of any individual character, so I watched as a somewhat disinterested spectator. That lack of emotional investment also meant that I was unable to shrug off the other negatives.

Yet I cannot mark down too far a film that is so utterly original. That alone makes this worth your time.

This series is so unusual that it is always interesting and sometimes surprising. It also manages to find a degree of emotional resonance through the inter-relationships of the characters visited by Death, or rather by the person she is punishing.

Some of the early characters are vehicles for action rather than emotional resonance, which is fine. But as the series progresses its focus shifts and each life builds upon the previous ones in a way that sucks you into wanting to know what will happen in subsequent episodes.

I am sorry that my comments are so ambiguous, but I am keen not to say anything to spoil the surprises this series delivers along the way. Enjoy!

I enjoyed this drama. The fight scenes are as excellently choreographed as you could hope, but the greater entertainment arises from the familial relationships, as Bruce struggles with discovering just who his family are. Charles is great too, as the Bake-Off loving killing machine. To these characters, Michelle Yeoh adds her usual ballast. She is enough reason to warrant watching any show.

Bruce is the star, though, as he learns to bring strategic nous to bear on every crisis, as his father belatedly recognises. His brother is the killing machine, but beneath his confusion Bruce is the thinking machine.

This series puts it's characters through the mill, as a dysfunctional family is ravaged by crime, drugs and violence. But watching them eventually triumph over such pain and difficulty is a pleasure. That pleasure is enhanced particularly by the performance of Felix Cameron as the young Eli Bell. What a great young actor! For much of the series he provides the heart so central to the success of this show. Simon Baker provides very effective support as the alcoholic father whose life is suddenly turned upside down.

It's good to see Bryan Brown again too.

Not everything is believable, but suspend that disbelief and you will enjoy this feel-good series.

This film tells a truly dreadful story. All the more dreadful because it appears to accurately reflect the truth of the southern states during and after the American Civil War.

This tale of war, struggle and inhumanity is not told through the fighting, although fighting there is. It is told through the relationships and feelings of its protagonists. The acting is superb. Mahershala Ali is standout in an ocean of committed performances.

The production is also top notch, with every effort made to present the time and place convincingly.

But it's the story that lingers long after your have watched this. The being reminded of the grubby history we'd rather forget. And realising that these are battles we must continue to fight.

This series starts as a likeable light romantic comedy with a quiet message for tolerance of mental illness. So far so good. Then it metamorphoses into a powerful plea for understanding and support. A drama worthy of being taken very much more seriously.

Park Bo-young embodies this transition. At first she has little to do as an actress, but as her world darkens, so her acting becomes ever more impressive. I have picked her out as she is the lead character, but every other actor performs credibly too.

The joy is in the battle the key characters fight and their success in overcoming such challenges.