The caliber of the production is far above average and from viewing point of view was a real treat visually To my mind the storyline wanders from the novel and is confusing. The confusion is due in large part to the use of captions In my opinion the biggest disappointment was the use captions on the Japanese dialogue. The captions turned off people. Considering the amount of money spent producing this series why wouldn't you give the viewer the option to select language as does Netflix on foreign.films. When it's possible to offer different language why would you not? Cast was excellent. All things considered, a lost effort.
Reviews
84 Reviews
Fool Me Once
(2024)
Long and Boring
6 February 2024
This is the third Hoban Corbin story I have watched........a mistake I will not repeat in the future. Firstly the plot line is beyond believable. So, in my opinion what you have here is. A story that is unreal, boring which is enhanced by dead end twists in plot, meaningless sub plots which are apparently designed to lengthen the series to 8 episodes rather than a more realistic 4 episodes. The cast for the most part is does ok. You can be overwhelmed by the number of characters unless you pay close attention.i have not read any of Corbin's novels but hope his stories are more interesting than hie adaptation on screen plays.
Griselda
(2024)
Typical Drug Story w/ Woman as Boss
30 January 2024
The story follows the familiar illicit drug trade with the twist being a woman is the head of major drug operation:Griselda. The acting by the star was very believable. To be honest I hardly recognized her from her role on Modern Family. The supporting cast was also very good. The major negative was the constant use of caption's. Why Netflix felt this was necessary is a big question mark. Netflix releases numerous foreign productions giving viewer the option to choose what language it wants with or without captions. In my opinion, the captions greatly dimish one's ability to e joy the program.
The English
(2022)
Pretentious
9 August 2023
This falls into the western , but it's really just a very pretentious story on what the BBC views as as a
"Western ". The acting is at times comical, particularly the villains. It is amazing how a British Lady , ew the Wild West is able to become a regular "Annie Oakley" I.e., can shoot, drive a covered wagon at top speed over the prairie, shoot a bow and arrow.......all with a straight face. As for production values" the start of the story is at a desolate location with the existing structure being a hotel. There is no town, no railroad, nothing , just this one structure the hotel which is painfully obvious that it's a film prop. The lighting in night settings whether indoor or outdoor are so dark it makes it difficult if not impossible to see what is going on. In fairness, the overall cinematography is quite good.
If I was involved in the production , I would be embarrassed.
If I was involved in the production , I would be embarrassed.
The Diplomat
(II) (2023– )
Ridiculous
28 April 2023
Netflix spent some sizable dollars undoubtedly and got in return excellent lead actors supplemented by a secondary cast of mediocre caliber. The storyline is totally ridiculous and writing enhances the stupidity of the storyline. The lead actors are wasted on his drivel. The secondary cast appears to be aimed at being politically correct to check all the right boxes. The dialogue is needlessly crude and laced with profanity of the lowest level. The intended comical efforts falls flat undoubtedly due to lack of understanding of the writers of the overall subject matter. In short this is time wasted from this viewer's perspective.
The Watcher
(2022– )
Waste of Time
21 December 2022
An excellent cast wasted on this series. Writing is particularly bad! No thought given to real world situations e.,g., hailing a cab in deserted run down street? How many cabs cruise for fares in effectively an alley? The family is financially pressed to buy the house. Immediately after purchasing they launch into major renovations. .....where the money come from? Aside from obvious holes in writing,, the storyline is one that basically been told over and over I.e., new family buys a house where strange start happening. The story then proceeds to drag out to fill out necessary time to fill 8 episodes. It's watchable, but only if unable find something better.
Ridley Road
(2021)
A Masterpiece Not!
26 May 2022
This offering is in my opinion way below Masterpiece standard. The storyline is contrived , enhanced by poor writing, cheap production values, sub par direction. Masterpiece is obviously cutting corners here and it shows.
Outer Range
(2022– )
Could not get into this
9 May 2022
Several things wrong here: it was filmed for the most part in very dark scenes."...difficult to understand what was happening, storyline difficult to follow given darkness of filming scenes. Lastly, at the very start of program a notice is thrown up on the screen for roughly 5 seconds....impossible to read message.
Windfall
(2022)
Another cheapee from Netflix
24 March 2022
Aside from the scenery and the cast, this has nothing to offer. It's slow slow and storyline is thin. The failure here in my opinion is really the writing. This could have worked if if had been amped up and given oven better direction. Netflix i its quest to supply content needs to do a better job of the valuating quality of product being delivered.
The Gilded Age
(2022– )
A Disappointment
21 March 2022
Considering cast, writer/producer I found this series a disappointment. Starting with the storyline which was somewhat convoluted, sets were painfully obvious at times and dialog appeared forced. Characters were unlikeable for the most part.
In short, this effort is not in anyway on a par with Downton Abbey.
In short, this effort is not in anyway on a par with Downton Abbey.
Stay Close
(2021)
Generous Rating
10 January 2022
There is really nothing in my view to warrant a recommendation. I rated basically as an alternative to nothing to watch. This is just another Netflix time filler. 8 episodes could easily be reduced to four, but the object here is to fill up time. The most ridiculous episodes involves a totally unbelievable lunatic couple that involves dancing in the street. After thinking about it further, I reduced rating a notch.
Yellowstone
(2018– )
CORNY,CORNY
18 December 2021
But still it does offer diversity from cops and robbers or simplistic non scripted tv shows in general. The cast here is good, the writing is at best mediocre and borders at being ridiculous in some situations. Compared to a somewhat similar series 30 years ago,"Dallas" this series pales in comparison. It certainly watchable, it is questionable as to all the rave reviews..
Narcos: Mexico
(2018–2021)
Season 3 Disappointing
8 November 2021
Perhaps the storyline has run its course. This seemed to be the same thing over and over again. Approx 60% of dialogue is in Spanish. Why Netflix did not avail itself of dubbing as it has lately on most foreign films is major error. My rating dropped from 8 for first two seasons to a 5 for season 3.
Kevin Can F**k Himself
(2021–2022)
A return to the 70's
27 June 2021
This has all the elements of 1970's comedy, laugh track, a set that looks like came from all in the family and a dialogue to match. Found nothing here of interest.in my opinion a waste of the female lead talent. Too bad.
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