jrtone-49357 Reviews

Tokyo Vice (2022– )

A show worth watching to the end

[6/10 · 25 October 2022]

It took a few episodes for me to get into this. The initial few episodes are very much, 'look, it's a different culture!' and 'look, we're in the 90's!', but that soon gives way to a more fulfilling story, albeit it with some issues.

On a positive note, the development of the Japanese characters was well done and satisfying. Sato's motivations are clear and the conflicts he has with himself are explored in great depth. The same goes for Ken Watanabe's character, although it did feel like he occasionally wasn't performing to the best of his abilities.

The American characters, Jake and Samantha, weren't fleshed out nearly as much and they often seemed to be developed as much as a forgettable side character, despite them supposedly being the leads. Their motivations are changed to suit the direction of the story, and this had an impact on the pacing of the series.

Technically, the show was shot well and the neon signs of Tokyo provided from some breath-taking cinematography.

Down to Earth with Zac Efron (2020– )

Thoughtless celebrity drivel

[2/10 · 25 October 2022]

The arrogance and, almost offensive, lack of a basic understanding of how the world works, made this show incredibly difficult to watch for as long as I did.

It's a programme purely about a group of rich and entitled Californians and their travels across the world - which, of course, they don't have to pay for - and their snobbish treatment of the people that they've come to learn from.

Some segments from the show had me wondering if it was a dark comedy, but it eventually becomes evident that they are as culturally stubborn as they seem.

If it had been marketed as a show for young children then I wouldn't be so harsh, but unless you still don't know that water is good for you and single use plastic is bad for the planet, then this isn't worth watching.

Barry (2018–2023)

Death by repetitive writing

[4/10 · 24 October 2022]

Some of the story elements are especially creative and the cinematography saved many of the episodes on its merit alone. Gene and Hank, played by Henry Winkler and Anthony Carrigan respectively, were welcome comedic relief, and a highlight amongst an otherwise poor cast of characters.

Conflicts are repeatedly and unexplainably forced on the characters throughout the show so frequently that it loses my attention as there is no point to focus on a conflict when its outcome will be meaningless and soon replaced by the next one. Fuches and Sally's characters were frustratingly annoying and seemed to be stand-ins to move the story along to the next pointless development. It gets to a point where I don't know if the show is still taking itself seriously, or if it is mocking itself.

Severance (2022– )

A show with lots of room to grow

[7/10 · 24 October 2022]

A rarely unique show telling a refreshing story given the vast quantity of reskinned sci-fi and fantasy shows that there are at the moment.

The way that the world is built by slowly unveiling small details in each episode is very satisfying, although it can lead to some frustration if you're trying to navigate the deeper story, as the answer to a minor question can be left so vague that it almost wasn't worth putting in. There is also many parts to the story which were presented as unimportant footnotes, but could have been much more interesting in the main story if they were fleshed out a bit more.

All the cast play their character perfectly and are completely believable in the world that they live in.

Arcane (2021–2024)

Phenomenal!

[9/10 · 24 October 2022]

This truly incredible animated series leaves you always wanting more.

Characters are written and developed in a way that is so natural and believable, but that is also so unexpected, that you feel emotion towards them and care (or not so much) for their place in this fictional world. There are moments where a lesser show would take the easy way out and change a characters motives to fit a story, but this (fortunately) isn't one of those shows.

The world building is incredibly thorough, taking heavily from the canon which has been developed over the last decade. There's a feeling that the story takes place in a world where there are many things going on, rather than in a world where all the background characters are just that - in the background.

The animation throughout the duration of the show is excellent in it's attention to detail. Each environment is crafted in such a way that even without a narrative exposition, the tone is set in each scene.

Kim's Convenience (2016–2021)

Starts strong, soon burns out

[5/10 · 24 October 2022]

The show starts off charming and wholesome. Characters are fun and the chemistry between them feels genuine. Episodes are connected through low stakes stories which progress each episode and develop the characters in a very satisfying way.

However, the charm soon becomes stale and all the effort made to generate authenticity is tarnished. Throw away bottle episodes soon become so frequent that the show becomes difficult to watch in the later seasons. Eventually all of the main characters become one-dimensional vehicles who lose all purpose as a cost to tell increasingly more boring and pointless stories.

Feel Good (2020–2021)

S1 good, S2 not so much

[6/10 · 1 September 2021]

Hits all the emotional beats, but the fast pace leaves little room to be immersed in the relationship. Repetitive and stale in the second season.

Parks and Recreation (2009– )

Solid throughout

[7/10 · 17 May 2021]

While it takes time to find its feet, the second and third seasons are of the best bits of comedy out there. Season four loses it's way briefly as characters unconvincingly change their core personalities to fit advancement of a particular storyline, but the show picks up again and end's on a solid note.

The Office (2005–2013)

Great for a time.

[6/10 · 17 May 2021]

One of my all time favourite comedy series. However, once Steve Carrell leaves, the quality severely drops off and becomes what you'd expect from a US show imitating a UK show - there's no personality.

I like to think the series finale is 'Employee Transfer' S05E06.

The End of the F***ing World (2017–2019)

Unique

[7/10 · 17 May 2021]

From the music to the shooting style, the aesthetic is unique and refreshing. The first season was so neatly and satisfying tied up, that the second season did feel unnecessary.

Raised by Wolves (2020–2022)

So much potential..

[4/10 · 17 May 2021]

This is just a series a thoughts I had about the series:

-Even in the universe that the show created, Mother seems to be too strong and some of her powers suspend belief. How can she be defeated?

-Strange continuity errors throughout.

-Terrible acting from all the child actors. Especially Campion - who was the worst.

-Poor character development for the majority of the cast.

-Some nice story arcs, but not without flaws.

-Good world building.

-The story takes a turn in episode 8 and undoes all progression that had occured so far, making any dedication to the show pointless.

-The ending was rushed and didn't make sense compared to the plot that was set out at the start of the season. Nothing was resolved, just new storylines set up for future seasons.

Home (2019–2020)

Home

[8/10 · 4 August 2020]

Hilarious and heartwarming. Youssef Kerkour is amazing

Attack on Titan (2013–2023)

Attack on Titan (S1 only)

[4/10 · 25 July 2020]

Each episode has an eventful opening and closing scene, but the majority of the middle is just filler and painful exposition. The monologues were agonising and everything was over explained. It was very rare that an episode was entertaining throughout. The latter half of season 1 becomes heavily repetitive and boring.

Snowpiercer (2020–2024)

Snowpiercer

[7/10 · 25 July 2020]

S1 - I lived for the world building, but the story was all over the place, and characters often seemed to make random decisions that was completely out of character. Some of the earlier VFX shots also felt quite lazy and their social commentary petered out before the season ended.

S2 - One of the greatest turnarounds I've ever seen between a first and second season. The introduction of Sean Bean sets the bar for acting and character development. Almost every character has been refined, which has created a significantly more interesting show.

Dark (2017–2020)

Dark

[8/10 · 15 July 2020]

The story telling in this is amazing. The end montages reveal information in such a creative way and often have the perfect soundtracks to accompany them. The S3 finale felt a little stretched out, and it felt a bit flat compared to other episode endings, but ultimately it was tied up satisfyingly.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

[7/10 · 13 July 2020]

Diving deeper into the political landscape of Panem, Mockingjay Part 2 shows that among the hope and fear are still many individual stories. I love how in depth some of this story gets, even when it takes it's darker turns. While the very final scene isn't necessary, it's a very satisfying end to the franchise.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

[8/10 · 13 July 2020]

Moving from the arena, this exert from the franchise focuses more on the larger game, and how the sum of small actions can grow to something much larger, whilst still following our main character. The themes of hope and fear become much more prevalent here, and lead to some of my favourite scenes in cinema - the dam and forest scenes. Editing becomes a larger part of this film over it's predecessors as we no longer just see the world through Katniss' eyes.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

[8/10 · 13 July 2020]

This is a very influential film to me personally. I still remember seeing the ending for the first time and watching this story open into something much larger. I find the film to be stunning from a production point of view too; the effects and lighting were marvellously done and the aspect ratio change to mark the act changes around halfway through was very impactful.

The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games

[6/10 · 13 July 2020]

A solid start to one of my favourite franchises. It does lack pace in some scenes, and the acting isn't flawless, but it leads the way for what is to come.

Uncut Gems (2019)

Uncut Gems

[6/10 · 13 July 2020]

A second watch of this still entices anxiety and anger towards Adam Sandlers' character - which adds the the excitement and annoyance in viewing. Despite this, the unique way in which it is filmed makes repeated viewings worth it.

The Old Guard (2020)

The Old Guard

[5/10 · 13 July 2020]

Quite a lot of this felt like a YA action film with more gore. The exposition was lazy and just told to us rather than shown, there were conventional story arcs and expected plot twists and the ending was shameless. However, a female lead made this played-out story more refreshing and although it didn't always work - the music was unique for the genre.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

BlacKkKlansman

[6/10 · 13 July 2020]

While I'll never have a full perspective of the political messages in Spike Lee's movies, I still try to enjoy them on a more basic level. This film was much better than 'Da 5 Bloods', with a more coherent story line and fewer story jumps and style changes - however, there were still some. There were also several moments when the voice dubbing wasn't edited in correctly and stood out in conversations where we couldn't see the characters face. The ending was unsatisfying (although that may have been the point), but the final dolly shot was excellently done.

Enemy at the Gates (2001)

Enemy at the Gates

[6/10 · 13 July 2020]

This tense war epic is engaging and enjoyable to watch, however, it's heavily dramatised, and the spotty structure and bewildering accents stop this from becoming a more notable film.

The Pianist (2002)

The Pianist

[7/10 · 13 July 2020]

Great performance by Adrien Brody, but the 2nd act felt repetitive and could have done with being shorter.

The Aviator (2004)

The Aviator

[8/10 · 13 July 2020]

An amazing performance by DiCaprio and spectacularly shot throughout. The VFX was dated, but it didn't detract too much from the overall quality of the film.