I was going to abandon watching it after the propaganda-style beginning, but I'm glad I continued watching, as all the remaining part of the movie was unexpectedly original and devoid of clichés. The naked bodies and the love / sex scenes are beautifully filmed. The main actor does a terrific job, showing a very wide range of feelings, from ironical debonair nonchalance to despair beyond tears. The entire cast is quite good, the cinematography recreates a believable atmosphere of the years in which the German people were beginning to realise they were going to lose the war, in spite of all the methodical atrocities they perpetrated or merely witnessed. Quite an unexpected ending...
Reviews
33 Reviews
If there is a point of agreement...
20 November 2022
... that seems to be that Season 5 is mainly characterised by miscasting. Some people criticise a certain choice of actor or actress, others another, but they all agree in general that whoever was in charge of casting this time did a very poor job. The leftist bias that had already become obvious in the previous season is getting even more acute here, and I suppose it will make the next one almost impossible to watch for a rather large part of the members of the public. Woke preaching, even when allegedly coming out of the mouth of members of the royal family, would have been more appropriate in a working-class story.
Condor
(2018–2020)
Season 2 is the best!
1 November 2022
I usually have reservations about remakes. Season 1 is rather good, apart from the character played by Brandon Fraser, who happens to be a much better actor than usually credited for, but here he verges on something so painfully terrible and in poor taste that you are ashamed to watch.
Season 2, on the contrary, is a very pleasant surprise. It no longer has any connection to the original movie, and the screenplay is very good. New story, new actors, some of them very good looking, especially one of them, who is so likeable that you would even think of inviting him for dinner, or rather dessert.
Needless to say, the actors give very good performances, with the one exception I mentioned.
Season 2, on the contrary, is a very pleasant surprise. It no longer has any connection to the original movie, and the screenplay is very good. New story, new actors, some of them very good looking, especially one of them, who is so likeable that you would even think of inviting him for dinner, or rather dessert.
Needless to say, the actors give very good performances, with the one exception I mentioned.
Poppy Field
(2020)
Unequal movie, convincing characters
1 June 2022
A difficult topic, the story of a gendarme leading a double life, whose secret is on the verge of being revealed. The background of a real-life incident in which a controversial movie projection was interrupted by a group opposing the subjectmatter of the movie is a pretext, and yet it gets too much time in this movie. This is what leads to an imbalance. There is too much noise, and "noise", and that makes it rather unfair for the psychological drama of the hero to unfold. Apart from that, the characters are very convincing, especially the gendarmes and, of course, the main character. What is nevertheless puzzling is the title. Why is it called "Poppy Field" in the first place?
The Tenth Man
(1988 TV Movie)
Simply terrible!
24 May 2022
I was almost ashamed to watch this. It beggars belief how such illustrious literary and cinematorgraphic names are put together and the result is such rubbish. The scenario is like some Swiss cheese long after its shelf life had expired, the décors are cheap in every possible way, and the acting reminds one of some provincial town local amateurs' painful output.
The proof is in the pudding
4 April 2021
Watching the entire series again, now, in April 2021, I cannot help wondering about Dana, as a character. Whoever had the idea of inventing her must have been rather sadistic, to say the least. She is by far the most annoying, irritating and obnoxious character I can think of. She embodies to perfection the current-day model of young people, claiming to care only for the general good, and who could not be bothered to give a damn about what disastrous consequences their actions can have on their closest relatives or friends. Posing as victims, they terrorise and turn into real victims everybody who is unfortunate enough to be around them.
The Dig
(2021)
A thing of beauty...
20 February 2021
I have been hesitating whether to give it 9 or 10 stars, and perhaps 10 would be closer to the truth, were it not for the rather slow first half of the movie. The understatement as an art is what we deal with here, and perhaps we should get more opportunities to do so. To be reminded of the fleetingness of life, of the importance of a kind word and gesture. The archaelogical dig is a pretext for a clinical examination of human passions and relationships. Enjoy!
The White Crow
(2018)
What has he done to deserve this?...
20 February 2021
The movie is moderately good, but it suffers tremendously from what I could only describe as an orgy of flash-backs, that make it very hard to follow. I watched it on Netflix, and although it was theoretically in English and with English subtitles, in fact at least half of it was spoken in Russian, with no subtitles at all, so I was forced to resort to the English commentary for the blind in order to be able to follow the dialogues. The acting is good, even very good, but the direction and editing are serious drawbacks, which is quite a pity.
Bridgerton
(2020– )
Enjoyable soft porn in period costumes!
30 December 2020
Apart from the "woke" lenses through which this series is made, and which I have simply ignored, there is a certain unity of style that keeps one glued to the screen. Taken as a fairy tale for adults, it is most enjoyable, at least as long as you don't really take it seriously. Very witty dialogues, superb costumes and very sexy actors and actresses of all sexes, races and life-styles, if you pardon my French!
Damages
(2007–2012)
7 only for the acting
6 December 2020
The acting is very good, but the flashbacks are beyond irritating. I'm over the middle of Season 1, and it's getting more and more unbearable. Most of the characters are despicable and disgusting, with the top counter-distinction going to the character played by Ted Danson. His lawyer's allegedly Southern accent is so contrived that I feel like switching off the sound while he speaks. Glenn Close is the main reason I have started watching this show, but I'm not sure how much longer I can cope with the nauseating flashbacks.
Extremely annoying
3 November 2020
I take this series as an image of contemporary society in the U.S., and it is extremely annoying. Endless innuendo and hypocrisy, people never saying what they actually mean, families living on a huge heap of deceit and hollow appearances. I am a recent fan of Nicole Kidman's acting, but here, especially as she is supposed to be a psychiatrist, I find it very odd that she has to behave in such an erratic manner. Ok, she is shocked that her husband is a consummate liar, but walking around in the middle of the street while babbling on her mobile phone as if trying to get herself run over by a passing car, or rummaging like a madwoman among his shirts and underthings, etc. do not seem to belong in here. And the flashbacks have become so cheap in recent years that they seem to trigger in me an instant reaction of rejection. Seriously?...
Rebecca
(I) (2020)
Worth seeing...
23 October 2020
At least for keeping pace with present-day remakes...
I like the first version, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. and I also like the 2 television versions I've seen so far.
And I have read the books written by Daphne du Maurier.
Armie Hammer is surprisingly low-profile for most of his presence on-screen, but he does make a good reappearance for the finale.
Lily James is a youthful heroine, and I dare say she tends to attract the viewers favourably.
By far, Kristin Scott-Thomas is the most striking presence here, but the entourage of second characters is quite good, servants, villagers, policemen, etc.
Splendid landscapes and seascapes, and a gorgeously opulent country manor, where the recreation of 1930s' elegance is magnificently brought back to life.
The musical score is a bit disappointing, but the other positive elements more than compensate.
Homeland
(2011–2020)
To be continued (I hope)...
6 August 2020
An excellent series, whose only fault I can find is that is has come to an end. But on a very high note, so congratulations on that! I've recently discovered a surprisingly good French series, "The Bureau" /"Le bureau des légendes". Do try to watch it! Brilliant acting and no P.C. Gallows humour at its best. If you miss "Homeland", then do go to "The Bureau"...
A ridiculous starting point
14 June 2020
Aside from the now obvious political bias of the series, the starting point for this episode is ridiculous. How is it possible for someone in his late 30s not to know whether his birth certificate is genuine, and consequently whether he does have indeed U.S. citizenship or not? With all due respect for the political bias of the producers, this beggars belief. Apart from that, one can enjoy the good acting of the cast, as usual. But they and we deserve better screenplays!
Jack Ryan
(2018–2023)
Series 1, good! Series 2, ridiculous!
15 April 2020
The acting is good throughout. Series 1 provides good entertainment, great landscapes and a reasonably believable plot. Series 2 brings a totally ridiculous plot. Venezuela is under a right-wing dictatorship, and the CIA is struggling to bring about the victory of a leftist presidential candidate of the opposition. And, the cherry on the cake, one of the main CIA operatives is Muslim, and he prays to Allah a lot. What more can you ask for?... lol Summing up, it is regrettable that present-day producers take us all for fools with their "political correctness" agenda, that sticks its ugly head anywhere and everywhere.
Berlin Station
(2016–2019)
Avoid Season 2
3 April 2020
Season 1 is captivating. Dark, merciless, realistic. Very good acting! Interesting story, surprising twists and turns. Season 2 is best to be avoided. Very biased. Everything is seen through a left-wing lense, and that makes is very hard to watch. Cheap propaganda wrapped in an unconvincing story. The actors themselves don't seem very convinced about what they are saying. Hopefully Season 3 will be better. The overall score is mainly related to Season 1.
Vincere
(2009)
Disappointing in more ways than one
22 September 2019
Aside from the fact it is a blatantly leftist propaganda movie, that is what I tend to dislike most in contemporary cinema, there are too many inconsistencies to make it even mildly palatable. The two main actors are good, but the screenplay and the direction makes a complete waste of their talents. The documentary scenes that crop up especially in the second half of the movie are most annoying. The real-life Duce is quite ridiculous, while the actor impersonating him is quite likeable. Also from an ideological point of view the film is rather nonsensical. The message it claims to convey is how inhumane the dictator is. But the victim is so foolish that it is hard to feel for her. She only hates him because he refuses to recognize her as his wife. In other respects, she would love to be shown off as the country's first lady. So the worst sort of champion for the left-leaning members in the audience.
The Girl on the Train
(2016)
Mediocre feminist propaganda movie
10 August 2019
Rather slow and boring movie, with occasionally interesting scenes, overwhelmed by the mediocre way in which it conveys the feminist propaganda, namely that men are pigs, while women are saints. Only that here the women are not quite saints either. One is a pathetic alcoholic, while the other two are willing adulteresses, who only mind it when the man is cheating on them too, while enjoying his favours when they are cheating his first wife, the poor alcoholic. The actors waste their acting, given the lifeless performance of the director, as well as the annoying way in which the chronology of events is deconstructed, like a knitting that is losing its stitches with no real motivation.
Red Sparrow
(2018)
What a waste!
3 March 2018
It is yet another unfortunate example of how not to make a movie. A lot of good actors and actresses wasting their talent and our time and patience here. And I'm not referring to Jennifer Lawrence. If, as some people say, this is her best work, then she should definitely change profession. The basic idea is quite promising, but the way it is turned into practice is what the Germans call peinlich. Everything seems to be wrong. The plot, the acting, the atmosphere, the way the talk, the way the act - or rather pretend to - nothing holds together. What a waste!
The Line of Beauty
(2006)
The eternal longing of belonging
28 October 2017
One of the rare movies / series in which the romantic aspects of the novel get a perhaps superlative treatment as they deserve. Allan Hollinghurst's novel has a special significance to me, but that is beside the point here. The film has a special appeal, a nostalgia, a remembrance of things past to which the music deserves particular praise. There is no other film that I can remember that moves me to such a degree. Yes, I was there, in the London of those years. Yes, I was lonely and yearning for some human touch. Yes, it all comes back. It's hard to describe, for those of you who did not live those times. This is a true gem to be treasured and revisited whenever your daily life seems unbearable. Dan Stevens is the innocent hero of his life. He may have become a better known actor later on, but this is his defining moment and film.
Toni Erdmann
(2016)
Much too long and rather disappointing
10 February 2017
The idea of this film deserved much better. There are so many things that could have been done, but haven't. And it lasts for almost 3 hours. An interesting satire of contemporary professional success at the cost of one's own (un)happiness. That is what it was meant to be. But the message gets diluted, there are very slow paces and redundancies that spoil the enjoyment. Some gratuitous tricks that do not lead anywhere. Moments so embarrassing that one would rather be alone when watching something like this. The father - daughter relationship that somehow barely survives through the meanderings of the film. With a good editing and a more ballsy director, it would probably have been a good movie. As such, on the current trend, it might spoil the chances of much better films of getting this year's Academy Award.
To Say "Disappointing" Would Be an Understatement
27 December 2016
The perfect example of ruining an ideal story (or play). A complete waste of money and talent, the good actors and actresses not least of all. The idea of setting it in the 1920s could have worked, as well as the more naturalistic and sexual elements. But the current TV version lacks the basic element - life. It is still-born. It completely lacks liveliness, panache, you name it! It is flat, boringly slow, and drenched in a kind of smog. It is not only a betrayal of Agatha Christie's defining elements in writing, that can be accused of many things, but not of being slow or boring, nay, it is also an insult to the viewer's intelligence. All the pretentious psychological so-called motivations of the brutal murder remain - cinematographically - utterly and completely unsubstantiated. The screenplaywriter, the editor and the director should seriously look at themselves in the mirror, and consider performing harakiri, rather than go on butchering Agatha Christie's writings. Thanks, but no, thanks. Utter rubbish!
A Room with a View
(2007 TV Movie)
A very pleasant surprise!
31 July 2016
I should start perhaps by mentioning that I'm quite fond of the James Ivory movies, including the one by the same title. And still, I find this much more faithful to the original book. It better reflects the spirit of the writer and the age. It has an aura of authenticity, a natural flow and a je ne sais quoi that have made it quite endearing to me from the very beginning. The names in the cast are perhaps lesser known than those in the other version, and it is precisely the reason why I find them better suited to this television / cinematographic adaptation. They seem to be natural human beings, and not the caricatures thereof, as some of their counterparts in the more famous version. Other reviewers have been rather critical of the final few minutes in the film. I would be inclined to be much more tolerant, as the new ending, although perhaps questionable in itself, is yet so respectful of the spirit of the author in his novel that I tend to welcome it. It is a much more romantic view of the story, and the music by Gabriel Yared significantly contributes to it all.
Fortunes of War
(1987)
To be taken with a grain of salt...
10 July 2016
It is always difficult to judge a movie based upon a book without passing judgment on what it manages to retain and what it (un)intentionally leaves behind. Olivia Manning's books used to be banned in Romania during the communist régime, and that is probably the reason why this TV series has been shot in some locations in Yugoslavia at the time of its production (1986 - 1987). I find the acting excellent, and the atmosphere filled with nostalgia. Nevertheless, given the fact that the producers have included various black-and-white excerpts from WWII documentaries, I find it inexcusable that they haven't also included vintage images of Bucharest in the 1940's, and especially of the Athénée Palace Hotel. Using some lugubrious Ljubliana building as a stand-in is very hard to swallow, especially for someone very well acquainted with the splendours of interbellum Bucharest. The same could have been done about the Royal Palace. And this would have hardly increased the costs. Apart from that, I find this worth watching and re-watching. As one grows older, one sees things differently.
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