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bryanpsweeney
Reviews
The White Lotus (2021)
Season 1 was okay, season 2 is very good
This show is really unique. I don't know if I've ever watched something so cringe, yet fascinating at the same time, to the point where I have to know what's next. I do think that season 2 is stronger than season 1 though.
Season 1 was kind of frustrating, I think I'd give that closer to a 5/10. I get that hating the characters is kind of the point, but I disliked some of them so much that I didnt care what happened to some of them and moreso just wanted closure about the storyline, which didn't even come in a satisfying way for those characters. Olivia and Paula were unbearable, I hated them both and all the nuances of their relationship was not an exciting dynamic to see unfold, and ultimately felt like a waste of time following along with their story. Obviously hated Shane but he was at least so cringe that I was at interested to see how he'd react to whatever happened next in the story. His wife was very boring, and the end of their arc was very anticlimactic, same with Paula and Olivia. Armond was fantastic though, and I'm glad we at least got some closure with Quinn too. The dad and mom had some funny moments and a decent story as well. I guess I liked it enough to be curious what season 2 had in store with a different plot and new characters.
Season 2 I think has a much better story and cast of characters. The dynamic in the family of the 3 Italian men is interesting, Lucia is a fantastic character, and the dynamic between the two couples vacationing together is really well done. Not to mention the adventures of Tanya are much better in season 2, as well as her assistant Portia. A much more captivating story and characters overall in season 2. Very well written.
A couple good things that season 1 and 2 have in common is that the acting and production in this show are phenomenal. These characters feel very realistic (except for Paula and Olivia), and their way of filming almost makes you feel like you're at these resorts with them. Although I found season 1 a bit frustrating it was still good enough to see what story season 2 had in store in hopes that it would be better, and it didn't disappoint. I'd recommend this show to certain people, but not everyone.
Fallout (2024)
First 10/10 I've given on IMDb
Not that I'm a professional reviewer or anything, I just like good tv shows and movies and can usually find a small thing or two that I don't like about them.
For Fallout, I've got nothing. It really is a masterpiece. I never played the fallout games either so I'm not fanboying or having nostalgia here, but after watching the show I can see why people loved the games.
I've already read some articles and watched some youtube videos about Fallout lore because I'm hooked on this atomicpunk setting / scenario. What a cool concept, where nuclear energy develops faster than things like TVs and appliances, and a nuclear war actually happens, and now they're living in the aftermath. I could read about it for hours.
Even standing alone from the preexisting lore and knowledge that they were working with from the games, the show is really well done. The acting was top notch, Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell were fantastic. The story is super interesting, the show looks awesome, even the end credits are pretty dope. They do a great job early on of setting the two different tones between the vaults and the wasteland, then have the pacing timed perfectly for giving more information about the characters, the world, and the plot.
I think you get it now, this show rocks. Go watch it.
Can't wait for season 2!
3 Body Problem (2024)
It's a stretch, but it's pretty good
I think for the most part this show is good. Jin and Will are standout characters for sure, they feel very real and do a really good job with the emotional scenes and making us feel what their characters are going through. Some of the concepts are awesome to see too, I was fascinated by how each of the civilizations collapsed. With the sun shrinking in the sky as the planet gets pulled gets pulled away from it and freezes, or the gravity of the combined suns pulling everything off the planet... wow! That was super cool. The boat scene with the nanofibers was pretty wild too.
My biggest knock on this series is that even though, yes, it's science FICTION, it takes itself very seriously and I sometimes found myself thinking alllllright, really? They made the aliens a fairly complicated matter, with those things that fly around the earth and can be anywhere at anytime listening to everything...? Not to mention the plan of detonating 30+ nukes in outer space to propel a spaceship to lightspeed. They were disappointed that the tethers holding the parachute to the capsule break... but a literal nuke is going off in between the capsule and the shute over and over again. Not sure what they were expecting there. It all just seemed a bit ridiculous, and a show that started out feeling like it could be a realistic take on an alien encounter sort of turns into nonsense. Entertaining nonsense, though.
I also can't see Ser Davos as anything other than Ser Davos. He even sounds the same. Sam Tarly took a minute for me but he sold that role. Obviously a personal issue but other game of thrones enjoyers might feel the same.
Just to add: I thought Auggie was incredibly annoying. Every scene she was in felt like such a drag. Always negative, always moping and being arrogant. I would hate her in real life
Funniest part of the show was Saul insisting he doesn't need protection, and then walks outside and immediately gets shot.
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut (2024)
It was okay, a lot of fluff
There's some good information in here, but it's buried with a lot of unnecessary content and storytelling. The real life cases are useful but they waste a lot of time on presentation. The runtime is over an hour, but it feels like they could've had a better program if they cut it down to 40 or 50 minutes.
The parts with the little felt characters were easily the best. It's hard not to appreciate the amount of work that went into creating those, and those moments were definitely the most informative as they explain in layman's terms what's happening inside your gut, and how it all works. Just watching those scenes can give you a basic understanding of what's going on in there.
There's just so much pointless stuff in between the useful parts. I really felt for that lady that was having a hard time losing weight as a single mother of 3 and also had to care for her mom, but what was up with the motorcycle scenes? And that guy just laying on the floor staring up and smiling at an inflatable uvula? So pointless. Fair to say that some strange choices were made when making this.
One Day (2024)
Bruh
Holy crap. I went into this with zero expectations, just putting it on because it seemed like a feel good romance drama story with good reviews, so I thought why not.
Now I know. Goodness gracious I was not prepared for that. One Day has to be one of the most devastating shows or movies I've ever watched. It was brilliant though, with two incredible leads and a lot of meaningful lessons that can be taken away from it.
Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall are fantastic, they make the show. If they messed up that casting the whole thing would've been ruined but they got it exactly right. I think they have incredible chemistry on screen and both did an amazing job of conveying emotions. It felt real honestly, and that's exactly what you want.
This story is pretty messed up, but I can appreciate the message that it leaves you with, which I think is a rather positive and encouraging takeaway. Besides, it's just a show. I've gone back to rewatch some of the best parts of my favorite episodes in the few days after I finished and that helped.
All in all it was masterfully done in my opinion. I think the biggest drawback is that there are a few boring parts, the episode where Dexter visits Sylvie's house is particularly bad, but showing their time apart also had a great impact in showing what they meant to each other.
Now, I'm off to find some love like Dex and Emma's. Wish me luck!
The Choice (2016)
Didn't even bother finishing, cheesy at best
I thought this movie was very cliche and cheesy, and I ultimately just could not get into the characters or believe their romance. The beginning is pretty boring, and once they start showing some palpable romantic tension, it's not more than 20 minutes later that the guy is confessing his love for this woman and breaking down in tears in public, it just didn't feel real at all. Their beginning scenes made them seem like enemies and then all of a sudden there's interest and bam, they're in love... and at that point you're maybe halfway through the movie. None of it felt believable, the pacing was off and I honestly couldn't be bothered to care anymore after that scene at the dock bar where he sees her with her bf's family. Best part of the movie was the North Carolina coastal vibes and shots. That's really about it.
No Hard Feelings (2023)
Shocked by how good it was
I'm a 26 year old dude who probably leans a bit more to the introverted side (when it comes to women at least), so theres a chance I liked it more than others since I found the main character relatable, but i legitimately think its a really good movie.
I'm not typically into romcoms either, but I thought I'd give this one a try since I was looking for a non-serious movie to watch one day after work, and I was really pleasantly surprised not just by the story, but the acting and the humor. J-Law and ABF are both outstanding in this movie. The humor was actually funny and some of the scenes were outrageous, but in a good way. It's a satisfying ending, ABF also drops a fire cover of maneater halfway through. I think this movie in general is super underrated and deserves more praise.
(PS mom and dad if you're reading this, please set me up with Jennifer Lawerence)
Argylle (2024)
This movie has no soul
I was completely unmoved by this movie in just about every way. There were some good visual elements but overall it was pretty bad, for many reasons. To name a few:
1) The plot. The whole thing was ridiculous, with this secret agent whose memory had been erased but was still subconsciously writing out real life events as fiction novels, that are actually super popular!! But then other secret agents realize this, and good guys and bad guys rush to get her at the same time because they need to figure out what happens next in her fiction story to figure something out in real life...
It was just so dumb.
2) The copying. Holy crap did this movie seem like it was trying its hardest to be Kingsman. The scene near the end with all the outrageously colored smoke grenades made it blatantly obvious, they even had Samuel L Jackson in it. The movie just felt extremely artificial, nothing original.
3) The star power? Why is Henry Cavill even in this movie, or wait, was he even in the movie? His character feels a like the experience we got with Zendaya and Dune 1: on every single piece of the marketing, and in the movie for maybe 5-10 minutes.
I wasn't excited for this movie, but saw the marketing for it and that it was available on AppleTV so I thought, why not. Looked well made, looked like a fun Henry Cavill led spy thriller, and boy was I wrong. I feel like it's been a while since ive seen a movie that's so... glamorously bad.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
Best out of the five movies
For context, I would rank the series as follows: 1) This movie, 2) catching fire, 3) mockingjay pt 2, 4) original, 5) mockingjay pt 1. I had read the first 4 books before seeing the movies, but I haven't read the book for this one.
My thoughts on the first four are that overall they're fine, and follow the story well. Catching fire and the last movie are particularly strong. I think the series biggest setback is the acting. A lot of it just feels unconvincing and although Jennifer Lawrence is a good actress, I wasn't moved by her performance as Katniss. Same with Peeta, same with Gale... haymitch and Effie were the best constant characters. The first movie has a ton of cringe moments and the 3rd movie is outrageously boring.
Which brings us to this movie. To me, Coriolanus and Lucy Grey are a much more interesting duo than Katniss and Peeta. Not only are their stories better, but they're acted better and are overall more rewarding characters to learn about and follow along with. This movie has an advantage of being able to give the audience a new perspective as they explore what an early hunger games would look like, and how the changes came about that brought the games that we know from the first two movies. The style and delivery of this movie is visually satisfying, and it's a really interesting story if you're fascinated by the hunger games universe like I am.
Movie wasn't perfect though. Unlike the other movies, this one is clearly cut and presented as 3 acts, and it feels like it could be over after the 2nd one. The 2nd act contains the games and the entire climax, so by the time the 3rd act comes around it kind of just felt like the movie should be ending and I was ready for them to wrap it up. They eventually do, but instead of a 10 minute or so closing sequence, it lasts 45 minutes. The purpose of the 3rd act becomes clear by the end, which is to show how Snow becomes a villain and rises to power, and what the ending is to the story of him and Lucy Gray as lovers. Although it held my attention throughout, after 10 minutes I was sort of frustrated with the pace of the movie, but I wanted to know how it ended.
So overall it was good. If I had read the book I might've liked this less, I feel like not knowing how this movie ended is what got me through the 3rd act. I'm definitely gonna rewatch the first two acts, but I seriously might stop after that since the 3rd act won't be nearly as rewarding next time around.
Napoleon (2023)
Good movie, with one major issue
This film has the unique challenge of trying to satisfy two groups that are hard to satisfy: cinephiles and historians. Cinephiles want a good movie, historians want it to be accurate to the times and cover all the important events. Quite a challenge when you're asked to do both of those things in 2.5 hours, even more so when you're doing a movie about the reign of Napoleon.
I think they almost had it. A few adjustments and it could've been an absolutely amazing movie. The battles were insane. I think Joaquin Phoenix played Napoleon well and Vanessa Kirby was great as Josephine.
Therein lies the issue though, there was just way too much Josephine. I get that Napoleon's love life was important to him and is an important part of his story, but he's one of the most impactful humans that have ever lived, and they spend about half the movie telling us about his love life. That's really what the movie is about more-so than his military campaigns and battlefield successes.
Because of this, they leave out a lot of great parts of Napoleon's story. How can they just leave out the campaign when he crossed the Alps into Italy? And the battle of Lodi? They also don't really show any of him as a ruler, installing the Napoleonic code or anything like that. Major missed opportunities there in my opinion that I think would've helped the audience understand his rise to power and the impact he had, as well as evened out the pacing of the movie.
There are some dumb parts too. All of what they did for Egypt could be scrapped in my opinion. Battle of Borodino was only flashed on the screen for like 10 seconds.
Otherwise, they got most of the important stuff. I still left the theatre feeling satisfied. It's a hell of a movie, looking forward to seeing the directors cut so I can find out if any of what I mentioned above gets included. Again, it's a serious challenge to do justice to the reign of Napoleon in under 2.5 hours, but I think they did a lot with what time they had, and still came out with a good movie.
Suits (2011)
So much folder slamming
I agree with a lot of the reviews here, this show starts out pretty strong. Interesting enough concept that Mike has a photographic memory but no law degree and now works at this top notch corporate law firm. The other characters are interesting too. Louis, Donna, and Harvey especially are all great. Show looks great too, has a nice vibe overall.
My issue with this show is how repetitive it gets. The only thing that seems to change from season to season is the characters personal relationships, and who's name is up on the wall at the firm. Otherwise a lot of the cases and BS that the firm goes though for their actual jobs is very forgettable and tiresome. Plus their version of an intense scene gets EXTREMELY repetitive. If it's positive, someone will slam a stack of papers on someone's desk, that person will read one line and be like "wow, this is amazing!" If it's negative, it ends with someone being disrespected and told to get the hell out of their office. Like clockwork.
It just starts to feel unrealistic after a few seasons. So many people driving around the city to have these conversations that could be phone calls. Like these people literally work together, and will show up at a coworkers house at 10pm to have a 60 second conversation and then leave. I found myself not taking it seriously anymore so I admittedly haven't finished, but I don't have any plans to. Got through season 5.
Arrival (2016)
Awesome take on what an alien landing could be
So much alien lore these days involves aliens coming to earth with violent intentions. They want to destroy or take over the world in some facet, but what if that wasn't the case?
That's what gets explored in arrival. Instead of just having an all out war with the aliens, they try to communicate with them, and succeed! We also get to see the complications of facilitating an international response to such an occurrence, which I thought was pretty fascinating.
This movie was all around great. Great cinematography, acting, pacing, writing, it was all well done. Happy I watched this and would recommend this to just about anyone, because it combines science fiction with great filmmaking and real world scenarios.
My only real gripe with the movie was this scene where they recruit the main character. She's a language professor and they just show up at her office one day and play a recording of an alien growling into a mic and ask her to translate it. She says she doesn't know what it means and they're like "oh alright then if you can't help us we'll find someone else who will". What? It's an alien growling into a mic! Who on earth is going to be like "ah yes, alien growling, I'm fluent in this dialect." 😂 just thought that was silly. Otherwise awesome movie.
Annihilation (2018)
Really cool concept, weighed down by the characters
What I liked most about this movie was how "out there" it was. It's visually striking, and gives you this ethereal, almost transcendent feeling at times while the characters are in the shimmer. The shimmer is a fantastic concept, it looked really cool and even their explanations for how it refracts EVERYTHING is just mind-bending. I really enjoyed feeling like we as the audience were immersed in the shimmer with them.
That being said, the characters are so boring. The lady in charge is basically dead inside and is so annoying to listen to, and gives such a weird intro speech to Natalie Portman after they abduct her. The strong lesbian chick being the one who goes nuts is about as predictable as it gets. The only character I felt remotely interested in was Natalie Portman, obviously because she was the main character that they gave backstory to, but movies can still have interesting side characters that get introduced later, and it just doesn't happen here.
Some of the stuff is a bit inexplicable, like how the one girl just transforms into plants, or how the lady in charge just kind of blew up, but I'm willing to chalk that up to just being some shimmer craziness. The real plot hole is how this copy of Natalie Portman appears and mirrors everything she does, is apparently stronger than her and will even fight back if she tries to hit her, but then Natalie puts a phosphorous grenade in copy's hand, and suddenly it just stops. Why? What was the reason for that? Seems like a massive, convenient stroke of luck to get the main character out of a serious problem. Also kind of dumb how some of the characters have super adverse reactions in their bodies while they're in the shimmer, and basically nothing happens to Natalie. Whaddya know.
I would still recommend this movie to people because it's really cool looking and explores a fun idea, I think some people that are less critical than me will love this movie. Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac do well in this. Otherwise, the other characters are pretty boring and I found myself not really caring what happened to them and just wanting to see what was at the lighthouse so we could get the full explanation of the shimmer.
Also (side note), I thought the first death by the bear was kind of lazy. You're in the shimmer and have all these options available to you as to what could happen to the characters, and you choose a bear just nabbing one of them in the night? Lame.