Great show. Very entertaining. I really love the idea behind Quibi's 6-9 seconds show. It makes sure that the episodes are really action packed throughout without having a boring middle part. This format is perfect as an accompaniment to my daily workout routines such as walking up stairs. Keeps me engaged while my body loses calories. Want to see more thriller shows in Quibi.
Reviews
5 Reviews
The Soderbergh experience
29 May 2017
Neither the trailer nor the plot line had interested me too much but all that changed when I found out Steven Soderbergh has been directing. Being a Soderbergh enthusiast and with some free time in my hand, I convinced myself to try it out, even though I was a little apprehensive (even Soderbergh have had his dull moments). Five minutes into the first episode and the Soderbergh signature is unmissable.
The Cliff Martinez soundtrack comes in as the doctor protagonist shoots cocaine in a horse carriage on his way to the hospital and all that Traffic, Contagion sense memory comes back. Nothing more exciting than a dark gripping Soderbergh thriller. He is just such an exciting director, he can go into any familiar territory and make something extremely unconventional. The hand-held camera aesthetic when most period pieces are shot steady, the Cliff Martinez psytrance score in place of classical music, the camera angles, the acting, the blocking everything just builds up the most gripping television experience I have seen in some time.
Everything is just so nuanced; the dialogues are realistic, the characters believable. None of that over the top witty exchanges between characters that pretends to be more intelligent than it actually is. The gore is not overdone and perfectly builds up the tension. Corrupt civic institutions, the hypocritical church, sickly immigrants, racism while at the same time the progressive social workers and the men dedicated to furthering science, perfectly paints the picture of a city that is grappling with its troubles but there is hope in the future.
The Cliff Martinez soundtrack comes in as the doctor protagonist shoots cocaine in a horse carriage on his way to the hospital and all that Traffic, Contagion sense memory comes back. Nothing more exciting than a dark gripping Soderbergh thriller. He is just such an exciting director, he can go into any familiar territory and make something extremely unconventional. The hand-held camera aesthetic when most period pieces are shot steady, the Cliff Martinez psytrance score in place of classical music, the camera angles, the acting, the blocking everything just builds up the most gripping television experience I have seen in some time.
Everything is just so nuanced; the dialogues are realistic, the characters believable. None of that over the top witty exchanges between characters that pretends to be more intelligent than it actually is. The gore is not overdone and perfectly builds up the tension. Corrupt civic institutions, the hypocritical church, sickly immigrants, racism while at the same time the progressive social workers and the men dedicated to furthering science, perfectly paints the picture of a city that is grappling with its troubles but there is hope in the future.
The Sugarland Express
(1974)
A must see for Spielberg fans.
28 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Notable for being the first theatrical release of Steven Spielberg "The Sugarland Express" definitely displays the early signs of a maverick filmmaker who would go on to entertain millions around the world and wow movie buffs with his technical prowess. In keeping with his style of creating events that take on a grand scale, this is a story of two fugitives hijacking a police car while holding the police officer hostage, that goes onto become a major phenomenon of massive fanfare and pompousness with even 200 cars following them at a time. And for the director this means setting up grand shots of outstanding complexity which are an exercise in crowd control. And Spielberg pulls them off with outstanding realism and fluidity while creating shots of striking blocking complexities. And talking of shots the movie boasts of an innumerable amount of extraordinary shots including a 360 degree pan inside a moving car which also happens to be the first ever (imagine the car attack scene of Children of Men but of lesser complexity).
Other notable things worth mentioning are Goldie Hawn's comic scenes as the naive desperate mother Lou Jean Sparrow Poplin and John Williams' score.
A must see for Spielberg fans along with his TV movie "Duel" to understand the birth of this unique voice and chart his growth as a director who goes onto become an industry in itself with a career spanning over four decades.
Other notable things worth mentioning are Goldie Hawn's comic scenes as the naive desperate mother Lou Jean Sparrow Poplin and John Williams' score.
A must see for Spielberg fans along with his TV movie "Duel" to understand the birth of this unique voice and chart his growth as a director who goes onto become an industry in itself with a career spanning over four decades.
That Evening Sun
(2009)
An extraordinary film that may be forgotten in time due to its unusual third act...
27 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The film is brilliant and a must see as other reviewers have already mentioned. The acting is masterclass and together with the brilliantly written dialogue paints the characters and their interactions in the fewest strokes possible. No wasted dialogues that bring nothing new to the story. I will not waste time mentioning how good Hal Holbrook is in the movie since every other reviewer has already done that.
Instead I have to mention Ray McKinnon's performance as the troubled self-destructive alcoholic who s struggling to straighten himself out for the sake of his family. His portrayal both scares for being the dormant maniac that is at the edge of being unleashed at every stage and at the same time saddens for him being unable to reform himself due to a lot of external factors - him being unable to find a steady income , an old dude trying to snatch his family's home from him, his daughter dating a guy's son whom he detests for supposedly having stolen his grandfather's watch. The low lit sequences of him sitting in front of the television knee deep in self loathing and the weight of past regrets hanging over him is both scary and sad at the same time. At one point he tells his wife "People just can't understand that a guy can change". Ray McKinnon's Lonzo Choat is unforgettable.
The only issue I had with the movie was with its messy third act. I mean I can understand the story treading a little offbeat path in its final stage to bring about a certain sense of realism and a non- cliché end. But it was too off putting for me. It was abrupt and doesn't give a sense of closure. I had already invested so much time in the Choat family and was at least hoping to see where things go for them. But the movie just completely disregards their plight at the end showing us nothing of them whatsoever. My heart was yearning to know what happens to them afterwards.
But still a definite masterpiece with some brilliant shots and outstanding character studies. I'll definitely watch this a second time.
Instead I have to mention Ray McKinnon's performance as the troubled self-destructive alcoholic who s struggling to straighten himself out for the sake of his family. His portrayal both scares for being the dormant maniac that is at the edge of being unleashed at every stage and at the same time saddens for him being unable to reform himself due to a lot of external factors - him being unable to find a steady income , an old dude trying to snatch his family's home from him, his daughter dating a guy's son whom he detests for supposedly having stolen his grandfather's watch. The low lit sequences of him sitting in front of the television knee deep in self loathing and the weight of past regrets hanging over him is both scary and sad at the same time. At one point he tells his wife "People just can't understand that a guy can change". Ray McKinnon's Lonzo Choat is unforgettable.
The only issue I had with the movie was with its messy third act. I mean I can understand the story treading a little offbeat path in its final stage to bring about a certain sense of realism and a non- cliché end. But it was too off putting for me. It was abrupt and doesn't give a sense of closure. I had already invested so much time in the Choat family and was at least hoping to see where things go for them. But the movie just completely disregards their plight at the end showing us nothing of them whatsoever. My heart was yearning to know what happens to them afterwards.
But still a definite masterpiece with some brilliant shots and outstanding character studies. I'll definitely watch this a second time.
Arabian Nights
(1974)
Hard to believe this won the Grand Prix at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival.
26 January 2016
I would have accepted this movie for what it is, if it were to be from the 40s or 50s. But it is hard to believe this ludicrous piece of nonsense was made in the 70s. I was not present in that generation, but after watching enough movies from the time before my birth; I can tell for certain the craft of film-making had come a long way by the year 1974 than this movie implies. I have no clue which aspect of film-making the director was working on because every aspect of it looks clumsy and unplanned. There's no composition or framing whatsoever, the acting is laughably amateurish, the blocking complexity is that of a kid playing with his toys.
Its not uncommon to see such wooden direction styles in the period before the 40s when film-making was still in its novice stage. But to pull something like this in the 70s and get the Grand Prix prize in 1974 is puzzling to say the least for a movie buff born in the 90s. Which happens to be the same year the absolutely magnificent "The Conversation" got the PalmDOr and the very underrated "The Last Detail" was also competing for the same.
Its not uncommon to see such wooden direction styles in the period before the 40s when film-making was still in its novice stage. But to pull something like this in the 70s and get the Grand Prix prize in 1974 is puzzling to say the least for a movie buff born in the 90s. Which happens to be the same year the absolutely magnificent "The Conversation" got the PalmDOr and the very underrated "The Last Detail" was also competing for the same.
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