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I might have underestimated this series a bit, at least in its first season because some of the events of S2 had me staring at my screen blankly after finishing an episode, in a good way. I was reminded of just how well-made this is and how much further it would improve from S1 in many ways like acting, SFX, and suspense. Especially in comparison to other shows that I’m watching simultaneously to this like that tragedy “The Acolyte” which I was foolish enough to look forward to. Although I wish the pacing of S2 at least sped up a bit because after sitting on my thoughts, this season felt prematurely cut off.
I can't get over how cool the dragons are, the little noises that Caraxes makes in the distance before you even see it is a masterclass and makes dragons feel like characters. Also a big shout out to Rhaenys (Eve Best) for being one of the strongest and most consistently incredible characters in this story.
This season had its moments to be excited for and I hope the next will be better.
Yet another reminder of how boring earth is.
It is a shame it took me this long to finally watch this, procrastinating until i just so happen upon HBO and was reminded that i added this to my queue in the first place. After briefly skimming the 1st episode, i was compelled almost instantly by this fascinating world and binged the series. I wonder what a second season of this would look like, even though this ended where it did, i think there might be more of this story to tell.
I might’ve made a mistake by not watching a recap of the last seasons and procrastinating until i finally got around to watching S4 but, this season felt so strange. Even without watching them, it feels like an unfocused and clumsy season finale to an otherwise fantastic show that i remember heavily enjoying.
I guess if i ever rewatched Sex Education i need to skip S4 and remove its stain on a good series.
Oh no. Netflix has done it yet again and made me root for and feel somewhat sorry for a criminal, bravo guys. Prior to a few days ago, I had never heard the name Griselda Blanco. That was until I saw that a new Narcos-like show had started on Netflix that, surely enough, had some of the same writers behind the lauded Narcos (2015). It shows too because in its opening minutes, it feels like competently made TV. It's difficult to explain but after a while, you can kinda tell if a show is going to be decent or not by the way it feels. The way it's shot and the atmosphere is something that you can differentiate from a show that has a paper mache budget from one that doesn't, and Griselda certainly has that HBO-like blockbuster feel that you can see in its set designs, clothes, acting and overall composition.
Speaking of acting, a lot of it is good, but the star of the show is Griselda and watching Sofia Vergara (who like Morgan Freeman and others doesn't seem to age at all) struggle to her rise to power and slowly lose it all left me conflicted to say the least. The power to change your life doesn't often come easy, especially in her case. The fear, blood, looking over your shoulder always and betrayal that comes with her life is something I struggle to understand if it's worth it in the end. Her come up made me sympathize with what people from other parts of the world go through to just live, let alone survive, and how some of those same people look to a country with plenty of problems as their way out.
I might have to finally check out Narcos because if I was this impressed with Griselda, I can't imagine what's in store for me there.
Nah this shit is heat.
I had initially thought that this alternate history revenge tale was going to be some forgettable Netflix "Anime", but fuck am I glad to be wrong. From the beginning, I saw the markings of a competently told story that gradually made me want to skip other shows in my queue to continue this as it got more compelling. Revenge stories are a dime a dozen and whatever could be done has been done already, what matters most is the execution and Blue Eye Samurai excels in this regard. The stellar art is the first thing I noticed, with its hand-painted backgrounds and 3D-CG character movements masked with 2D art, reminding me heavily of 2021's ARCANE, which is praise in the highest regard. The choreography for fights (sword or not) here is delicious, smooth, clear, and simple, yet quick and complex. If you're not paying attention you will miss the slightest movement that flips a battle on its head. This animation style extends outside of its fights as well, giving smooth movement to every scene to where if you were to put it in front of CG haters, they likely wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Episode 5 is where I was convinced that even if this show falls flat on its face by the end, it'll still be one of my most highly rated of the year. It's one of the best single episodes I've seen this year easily and could be watched almost entirely out of context without issue to draw someone in, It's that good. The way its story is interwoven into a play happening in real-time, which also provides much needed context to the main character Mizu's backstory is nothing short of directorial genius. Everything great about this series is cranked up 10 fold in this single masterpiece of an episode.
It's safe to say Blue Eye Samurai is one of the best this year and a safe recommendation for people into revenge stories or Japanese settings (Alt history or not). Incredible animation and art complement a compelling character's journey that further complements a multi-character story arc that feels like it was made by competent people. And apparently, this story isn't done yet so I hope its 2nd season is at least half as interesting as the first, because either way I'll be there day one.
Yea, I don’t know about this one.
I’m puzzled as to what I watched here for several reasons that I don’t think I can put into words at the moment but one thing is for certain, this series was not worth the time spent on it.
This "spinoff" really doesn't feel like one. When I hear people say the word spinoff, I expect some forgettable show barely anyone will watch or talk about that's highly unlikely to get a season two. So when I heard that a spinoff of one of my favorite superhero franchises was coming I shrugged and said "Cool". I had the same thoughts as I did when "The Boys Presents: Diabolical" was announced and released, I didn't even know, and when I found out I didn't bother watching it. So to my surprise when I gave this a shot, it genuinely impressed me with how good it is. Out of all the things I'm watching concurrently with this, including the shows that air on Thursday, I see this before anything.
It flows so simply from the end of season 3 of The Boys, that I'm surely going to be confusing GEN V as if it's season 3.5 of The Boys before the actual season 4 releases. These characters are excellent too, and I say this as a person who's not into characters as much as others. GEN V really does love its characters, and it's felt through almost every line of dialogue. I feel myself becoming so quickly invested in them, even the ones I expected not to care at all about.
On a side note, It's kind of weird how consistently The Boys' universe is up to date with current times and social trends. It gives me a very small amount of whiplash when I hear a conversation that clearly references Wanda vision or one of the side characters being a blatant but tasteful trans allegory, especially when that's the current "bad thing" as being gay was in whatever 2000's era of society.
While this didn't have the cleanest ending (kinda rushed and the writing wasn't as consistently strong in the final episodes) I'd still recommend it to people who like The Boys as something worth seeing while waiting for a new season or as a fun show for the whole family :)
I never thought I would actually start One Piece. Being part of the anime community for as long as I have of course I heard of the series, but never had any desire to watch it, at least until it was concluded, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Naruto was my proper introduction to the anime medium and itself alongside Bleach and One Piece, often discussed together as the "Big 3" were constantly compared and often argued about ad-nauseam. I'm not entirely sure if these constant comparisons are what caused me to not even attempt to watch the other two, or if my complete uninterest in Bleach and One Piece in general are what put me off for so long.
Out of mild curiosity, I decided to just peek at the first episode, and to my surprise, it wasn't terrible. Before watching I read no reviews or critical reception so I didn't have that influence my opinion either way in how I felt about this adaptation. From my non-fan perspective this seems like a well-paced introduction to the vast and ever-expanding world of One Piece I hear so much about through osmosis.
It has that cringe that I expect out of any anime being brought to live action would have, it's simply a consequence of the medium and how anime stories are told, but even that didn't ruin the experience. I haven't read the One Piece manga, so I can't speak to how faithful an adaptation it is either but, knowing how positive fan reception to the live-action is so far and how the people behind this adaptation are apparently super fans of it, I'd assume there's little to worry about.
I don't think I'd mind seeing this continue.
Had to drop this one, not interesting enough to continue especially since i’m watching too many good shows at the moment.
From what I’ve seen, this seems like a scuffed PG-13 version of Euphoria but without its compelling protagonist.
There seem to be a dime a dozen of these counterterrorism, Middle East simulator type of shows or movies every year, and most of them are either comical in how poorly made they are, forgettable at best, or just awful timewasters doomed to the obscurity of the bottom of a Walmart DVD bin.
I expected Lioness to be the same but out of mild curiosity I chose to watch one episode after seeing an ad on Twitter, and after that premiere that curiosity turned into interest.
Its plot seems like simple CIA propaganda, a terrorist (or supporter of one) is bad so you need someone to go under deep cover to kill them.
In all honesty, the strongest part of this show is its character acting. At no point did it feel like I was watching some shoestring-budget first-timers production. Zoe Saldana is wonderful as always and does her thing effortlessly (even if the addition of her family didn't add much to the plot), but the star is by far the main character, Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira). From the start you understand her miserable existence in an abusive, unstable household until she decides to take her chances and run, of course not before having her abuser meet the end of a frying pan with his face. Cruz begins her new life when she stumbles into a marine recruitment office and from then on is put through training, whether proving to others or herself that she is much stronger than she looks/thinks, but even the strongest among us fear something and she's no different. Her vulnerability is what I think made me stick around until the end.
I don't think there's much else to say other than the fact that I enjoyed my time with this and didn't feel like it was wasted, which is something I can't say for other shows released this year.
This is definitely one of the Sam Levinson shows of all time. It had a beginning, middle, and an end I think?, still debatable cause this show seems like it was cut short prematurely. As I sat in my room watching this travesty late into the early morning with no sleep in between episodes (which I don't recommend), I realized something.
This now canceled (by HBO) waste of time served no purpose. Well, it did give me two new songs to put on my music playlist. That's something I guess. Other than that I struggle to think of any net positives of this series' existence.
The IDOL has got it all, specific events happening then being quickly forgotten about the next episode with no follow-up, which was most likely the result of a rewrite or the aforementioned premature cancellation of the show. Cringeworthy dialogue that would make a victorian child cry blood. The classic weird HBO nudity that doesn't really need to be there to get the point across for a scene, but is there anyway. It seems even worse with Levinson involved, almost like it's a clause in his contract to show me a cock & balls against my will.
Like any other awful anything, if it was made with at least some care in mind then it'll have its bright spots and The Idol is no different. The following is a list of the only redeemable and slightly enjoyable aspects of this show: anything involving Destiny, some of the songs, and specific singers like Izaak and Chloe.
I think I'll take back what I said about the show having no purpose. If no other lesson can be drawn from this show, its that Sam Levinson either needs to be restricted by a court of law not to come within 10 feet of a script or that he desperately needs a FUCKING WRITERS ROOM.
A great show that i took far too long to finish, that’s unlikely to get a 2nd season.
Originally became interested in this because of the art style, but other than that this disney-like kids show is neither good nor bad.
Out of all the TV shows i saw this year, this is among the more interesting ones, at least in concept. Not as much in execution since it tends to go on for a bit too long at times, as if some episodes feel like they can be skipped without consequence after finishing them.
Silo explores another post apocalyptic society surviving in an enclosed space. Their struggles and secrets, laws and traditions, and how people cope with wondering exactly what’s beyond the Silo. But unlike those other series such as 2023’s, Heavenly Delusion, i’m not likely to watch a 2nd season of this because i’m not sure i was given enough to chew on as motivation to return for more.
In my life i have now seen two productions depict marriage as an absolute pain in the ass to everything in between and after reflecting on this, I feel even more justified in wanting to steer clear of it entirely.
In any other show, if you put a variety of vain, self-obsessive, obnoxious and generally unbearable characters near each other and send them on a vacation to a luxury resort, I wouldn’t have paid any mind to it. I would have passed this off as some 10+ season TLC show upon seeing the trailer let alone watch 2 seasons of this.
note: The above comment might age very poorly because I'm currently watching Succession (2018).
The thing with The White Lotus is for some reason this show has kept my attention for longer than I thought and I don’t really know why.
The only reason i watched this was for Charlie Cox, and while he was decent, the show as a whole is a largely forgettable quick binge that i was expecting a little more from.
Interesting show, would probably watch a second season, but definitely need a recap before that.
Do my eyes deceive me or has a Star Wars property with competent writing that doesn’t treat the audience like they have a cognitive disability finally been made?
No, surely that can’t be true, can it? Because It seems to me like the first Disney+ series that feels like an HBO show in overall quality.
I would have never thought that after one of the worst Disney Star Wars creations I had ever seen Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), Andor would come along and I would pay any mind to it. Especially when it involves a character from Rogue One that I thought nothing of when I finished the movie. Imagine that.
Things may not move fast in Andor but they move with purpose. To the average person, this may be a detriment to the series but I don't think it is. Andor makes sure it prioritizes proper setup and payoff for its 3 episode arcs, which means that not every episode contains a mind blowing revelation but that's fine because they make it work.
Andor has managed to do what I thought impossible for anything Star Wars that aren't Mandalorian adjacent, telling a competently told story (despite being a prequel of a prequel) that feels like it has stakes, that the end will justify the means and the lives lost along the way would have been worth it in the end.
Andor portrays what I sometimes imagined in my head what a Star Wars rebellion would look like but never thought could be pulled off knowing the competence of modern Star Wars writers.
And for that, I'd say it's well worth the watch.
It would seem that the Game of Thrones is back with the origin and demise of house Targaryen. While this is good it’s clearly just the beginning of what will ultimately be a
long war, with the necessary politicking and
groundwork being set using this 1st season.
It will be interesting to see where this goes.
For some reason people act like She-Hulk is going to kill their newborn child when it isn't even close to being the worst Marvel thing in existence currently. Watching internet discourse for it was quite funny. What wasn't funny, however, was having these weird YouTube videos of mostly dudes who have likely not felt the touch of a woman in decades, incoherently rambling about the female takeover of the MCU and "THE MESSAGE" clogging my recommendations.
As I continued watching this, I felt myself caring less about what happens each week, struggling to recall events that just occurred in an episode that I watched a few minutes ago. She-Hulk isn't very good and will likely age poorly in a couple of years or maybe even a week from now.
I don’t really know what I expected aside from it being fun, but what I got was corny jokes, fourth wall breaks, and minor sibling rivalry wrapped up in a cameo-filled lawyer comedy that I admit isn’t really on the funny side. It has ups and downs like any Marvel property (mostly down) and good moments (Daredevil and the meta final episode), but they are few and far between and aren’t enough to justify paying any more mind to this than I have to.
At the end of the day, She-Hulk is another unmemorable Marvel show.
It’s safe to say that I'm obsessed with Arcane.
From countless reaction and analysis/breakdown videos to unhealthy fanart consumption, there aren't many shows in existence that elicit this kind of response from me.
One of my most anticipated shows of 2021 turns out to be absolutely fucking incredible in nearly every way. I imagine some people had concerns or pessimism because of the well-known curse of videogame adaptations, with them being shit or forgettably average most of the time. In my case, I chose to remain cautiously optimistic and it looks like I chose right.
The setting and intoxicating atmosphere are complemented by Arcane's art style, the story is great, the music is wonderful, and the animation is LITERALLY flawless. When people mention "every frame a painting" when describing cinematography, they will now be able to pull any frame from Arcane and hang it on a wall, It’s that beautiful.
There are very few shows I could confidently call a Masterpiece on this planet, especially since most of the things I see rarely score above a 6 or 7, but Arcane is easily a Top 5 tv show nearly but not quite edging out Avatar: The Last Airbender (which is a big deal because that's my #1) and solidifying itself as the best animated anything I've ever had the blessing of seeing.
It will be a herculean task to top anything done in this season and while I pity the staff knowing the pressure they must feel on accomplishing just that, I have every confidence that Riot Games and Fortiche Production will be able to do it and do it well, if not better.
This show is alright but overstays it’s welcome and i’ll likely not remember even watching it.
Will most likely not rewatch or see the sequel if any.
A season that’s more good then bad. A few standout episodes as always.
This series has never been bad and only keeps rising to one of the greatest superhero shows ever made with every season. This season is no different, incredible stuff.
The best season of Stranger Things yet. Highly suspenseful and filled with incredible moments and big reveals. If season 5 can bring this story full circle and close on a high note, Stranger Things will go down in history as one of the greatest TV series of all time.
After 21 years my man Master Cheeks finally gets laid , God bless.
The Halo show is what I thought was next in store for good video game adaptations after Cuphead, Arcane, and Castlevania. Instead, I got the most average and poorly-paced video game adaptation I've yet seen.
Feast your eyes on Kwan, a character that will (if not already) give some of you PTSD by the mere mention of that dreaded name. A character with possibly the ugliest female hairstyle in television, and a character so unnecessarily dragged through this story once her purpose is served it will almost feel like these writers are trying to piss off their audience on purpose.
Master Cheeks:tm:, king of nude shots and remover of the FUCKING HELMET in every other scene throughout the show, actually now that I think about it these dumbass spartans really need to keep those things on for fucks sake, they keep getting socked in the head at every available opportunity.
Cortana, a surprisingly enjoyable and witty character that I thought would weird me out, then quickly grew on me once I got passed the odd-looking model after seeing other versions throughout the games. Of course, there are others but they made no discernible impression on me so let's move on.
Halo overall is what happens when you get people that want to do their own thing with a blockbuster series that still has cultural value and a semi-dedicated fanbase (for now) to it. Ass. Absolute ass is what you get because what happens when a person who never heard of Halo before comes across this as their franchise entry point and either hates it or thinks it's forgettable at best. One less Halo fan that's what.
Take away the Halo skin and as a Sci-Fi/Action show it's mediocre and cheap feeling in some areas, put it back on and you have another poor video game adaptation with all of the above that serves as one of many examples of what not to do only for future writers to ignore.
Pretty good revenge story that I found compelling enough to make me prioritize it in front of other shows I was watching at the time.
A cooking show that is intense, hectic, and often compelling without the reality tv feeling or as i like to call it, Gordon Ramsification.
It also reminds me heavily of the movie Birdman(2014) for some reason.
Pretty good all around, wouldn’t mind a second season.
I feel the need to start this by saying I'm not a super fan of star wars in any way, I just think it's cool enough series that I occasionally watch what looks interesting. I thought Obi-Wan was going to be one of those cases but it wasn't.
Instead what followed was an absolutely silly show filled with forgettable scenes that could be removed with little consequence, comical at best writing, Scooby-Doo chase scenes, and that one two kids in a trench coat meme. This shit is not only stupid but feels cheap in a way that makes me think it was somehow low priority among live-action projects.
I liked The Mandalorian and comparing the two feels like a night and day difference in terms of overall quality.
At the end of the day, an average star wars show won't make me lose any sleep however, I might be upset if The Acolyte is fucked up because that's the one thing I'm genuinely looking forward to.
