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Yekatman
Reviews
Clean It, Fix It: Episode #1.2 (2021)
Not Sure These Young "Professionals" Deserved the Help!
The "Clean It, Fix It" team did an amazing job as usual. But I was absolutely revolted by the pigsty these young people had allowed to form around them. I lived with eight other students in a house when I attended university, we never let the place get so completely out of control.
I would love to see BBC create a way for viewers to provide feedback on these shows. One of the things I am regularly baffled by is the question of how the people living in these houses or apartments could have allowed things to spin so completely out of control. I think a discussion about that could be quite useful!
Vera: Fast Love (2024)
A Welcome Cast Shake-up for Season 13
Vera had seemed a bit stale the past season or two. Aiden never seemed to develop as a character, and Vera's interactions with the other members of her team were predictable and uninspired.
As this first episode of Season 13 opened my wife and I had been commenting how Joe Ashworth's departure had left a bit of a hole in the show, when lo and behold, he shows up! Before long Joe has Kenny opening up about their boss, and he also manages to draw out other characters on their feelings about working in the office who had seemed one-dimensional in earlier episodes.
We look forward to seeing how the relationship between Joe and Vera evolves given Joe's higher stature now.
Traitors (2019)
Fascinating Portrayal of Espionage in Post WWII England
I love the focus on two women - an older woman spying for the Russians in the British Cabinet, and a younger woman recruited by the Americans to sniff out the Russian spy they are convinced is working there.
My only quibble is the atrocious music chosen to run with the credits at the end of each episode.
The Morning Show: In the Dark Night of the Soul It's Always 3:30 in the Morning (2019)
An Interesting Parallel To Matt Lauer's Firing on the Today Show
Would sure love to know how that event influenced the writing for this show!
Coisa Mais Linda: Águas de Agosto: Waters of August (2019)
More Secrets Revealed as the Club Finally Opens
The opening clips are a massive tip of the cap to the iconic Brazilian film "City of God."
Deti Arbata (2004)
Small screen version of epic Soviet novel
"Children of the Arbat" caused an absolute sensation when it first appeared in serialized form in a popular Soviet magazine in the late eighties. It was the heyday of "perestroika," when for the first time in 70 years Russians were enjoying the opportunity to speak freely about their troubled history. "Children of the Arbat" portrayed both the idealism of the generation building communism in the thirties, and the brutality and repression of the Stalin years that terrorized Soviet citizens. The magazine carrying the installments of "Children of the Arbat" usually sold out immediately, sometimes disappearing even before the news stands officially opened.
This made-for-(Russian) TV version of the trilogy faithfully captures the mix of idealism, suspicion, and terror that permeates the novel. The main protagonist, Sasha Pankratov, comes across exactly as one would expect, I found the female lead, Varya, a little less convincing, appearing on occasion almost hysterical and too rough around the edges.
In the almost two decades that have passed since the publication of the novel, much has changed in Russia, and the broadcast of this 15-part series did not cause anywhere near the sensation that the novel did in the eighties. That is certainly a good sign that Russia has become a more normal country, in which its historical legacy can be freely and openly discussed. In any case, the movie provides an excellent overview of a critical period in Soviet history.
Doctor Zhivago (2002)
A great interpretation of a classic.
I'm a big fan of the David Lean original version of the film, and when I heard about this update, wondered why one would even bother to try to top it. It was a very pleasant surprise to see how well this version turned out.
While the original still has the upper hand on cinematography, musical score, and sheer star power, this update devotes more time to exploring the various family relationships of the main characters, and in some ways may actually do a better job of capturing the poignancy and complexity of the Pasternak novel. A must see, both for those already familiar with the novel and for those looking for a good introduction to one of the classics of Russian literature.