gharbinour Reviews

The White Lotus: Ciao (2022) Season 2, Episode 1

All thanks to the amazingly funny Jennifer Coolidge

[9/10 · 4 November 2022]

Very funny first episode. The sex scene between Tanya and Greg was hilarious. Jennifer Coolidge cracks me up, she's amazingly funny, the scene with her assistant at the restaurant was also memorable. It's enough to see her to know you'll have a good laugh.

I was afraid of the Italian cast, italian actors are not the greatest, but they were all pretty convincing, especially Sabrina Impacciatore, she made me laugh more than a few times.

The plot is very simplistic for now, we'll have to wait a little more to know if the season is worthy, but the tone of the first season is still here, it's fun and full of dark humour. Also the sicilian location is an interesting choice. I'm curious to see what will happen next.

House of the Dragon: We Light the Way (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

House of the boredom

[4/10 · 19 September 2022]

This is the first time I fall asleep watching House of the Dragon. You can't write a full episode where nothing is happening (the wedding scene was way too long), and then put a cliffhanger at the last minutes. It's not the way to please an audience, it's too easy and too manipulative, especially coming from HBO.

I loved the pilot and I kinda liked the other three episodes, but this one was really boring. And by the way where did Daemon go when the fight began? I was waiting for his move, but then he just disappeared.

Anyway let's hope it's gonna get better because for now it's not Game of Thrones at all.

Better Things: Rising (2017) Season 2, Episode 2

The beach scene

[10/10 · 16 May 2022]

I've just discovered this show, it reminds me a lot of Californication. I'm loving it so far. This episode was amazing, the awkward yet hilarious breakup, the trip to Santa Barbara, the emotional ending at the beach, all beautiful.

Outer Range: The Family (2022) Season 1, Episode 6

The Outer Limits it ain't

[6/10 · 4 May 2022]

What is happening to this show? The first episodes were great, this one was really boring. The plot is moving like snails, there are too many questions and not enough answers. I hope it will get better, like the first two episodes which were amazing and promising.

Skyggen i mit øje (2021)

One of the most powerful last thirty minutes I have ever seen in a movie

[10/10 · 6 April 2022]

This film is no masterpiece, there are too many characters and the plot is a bit messy, but I have to say that the last thirty minutes are very, very powerful and heartwrenching. Only for that the film deserves a solid 10.

The Cursed (2021)

Great horror movie all around

[10/10 · 20 March 2022]

There is no doubt about it... this is a great horror movie. It's gory, scary, intense, original, technically brilliant and the actors were great. If you are a true horror fan there's no way you won't like it. For me this was the big surprise of 2022 and definitely, for now, the best horror movie of the year. I really like Sean Ellis and his previous works. With Eight for silver he proves he also can do great in the horror genre.

1883: Racing Clouds (2022) Season 1, Episode 9

Father, mother and daughter in the land of the dead

[10/10 · 24 February 2022]

This episode was really something. I was disappointed by the previous episode, but I understand it a lot better now and why the writers wanted so much focus on Elsa and her desperate need to fall in love. She probably knew her day would come, even at an unconscious level, and this is it people, the end of Elsa.

Two specific scenes broke my heart. The scalped woman crying and fighting to stay alive and the final conversation between James and Margaret.

All in all this is surely one of the best episode of the entire series and I'm kinda sad it will end soon.

Euphoria: The Theater and Its Double (2022) Season 2, Episode 7

Mesmerising episode with Italian cinema vibe

[10/10 · 22 February 2022]

This is probably the second best episode of season 2. Great fun and absolutely amazing direction from Sam Levinson. This episode doesn't really move the plot forward, but it's very entertaining and funny. And congrats on the music! The soundtrack was incredible! Closing the episode with Cannibal Holocaust theme was a gift from heaven.

1883: The Weep of Surrender (2022) Season 1, Episode 8

Elsa with the endless love affairs

[7/10 · 15 February 2022]

Definitely the weakest episode so far. Even though the ending was intense and moving, focusing the entire show on Elsa is not a very good move, it is becoming too much of a love story. I hope Elsa will back off a little and let the other characters flourish.

Euphoria: You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can (2022) Season 2, Episode 4

Back on track

[10/10 · 1 February 2022]

Finally Euphoria is getting back on track closer and closer to the awesomeness of season 1. I was very disappointed by the previous episodes, except for the first one, but this episode was great, dark and intense like it should be. I was afraid Euphoria was going to become some regular teen show, but I don't anymore, I have regained hope. Keep it up.

Watchmen: A God Walks into Abar (2019) Season 1, Episode 8

Doctor Manhattan is the best superhero ever created

[10/10 · 29 June 2020]

This is absolutely the best episode of the whole series. Incredibly moving. The writing is masterful. Everything is connected in a very unpredictable way. Incredible. Doctor Manhattan is such a beautiful character, despite of his superpowers and his rational thinking, he is very sensitive, and like all of us, he is guided by love.

Gangs of London: Episode 5 (2020) Season 1, Episode 5

John Woo bend over

[11 May 2020]

As an actioner aficionado I have to say, I have never seen something like this before. The gun fight scenes are the best I have ever seen, and by far. The homage to John Woo is crystal clear, but I have to say, this is way better than anything the master did before. As long as the serie goes this is an incredible and tense gangster drama, well written and with a lot of bloody action scenes. I love it!

Hands Over the City (1963)

Political cinema at his best

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

I love Francesco Rosi cinema. He is actually one of my favorite directors. I was very sad when he died. I remember thinking: another maestro died today. But really he was not "another". He was maybe the best italian film director of his time. Le Mani sulla città is a one of a kind black & white film about real estate and politics. It's raw and powerful almost like a Steinbeck novel or a Sidney Lumet earlier film. I don't think this film will ever get old, simply because Rosi tells us in the most sincere way the universal and undying story of corruption. And leaves us with very bitter feeling about modern society and human nature.

The Ninth Configuration (1980)

Incredibly powerful storytelling

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

People who know me in real life know that my favorite horror film is The Exorcist. On the other hand, only a few people know that the author of The Exorcist directed both the prequel and the sequel of this legendary horror film, which are The Ninth Configuration and The Exorcist III. When I first saw The Ninth Configuration, I was shocked. It crushed me it was so beautiful. I consider it a hidden gem and one of my favorite films of 1980 along with several big masterpieces produced that year. It's a strange and mesmerizing film, deep and disturbing. The themes of the film are almost the same as in The Exorcist, except that there are no supernatural forces here, it's all very real. The director delivers us a poignant outlook on human condition focusing on an officer who discovers his own insanity through brotherly love and sacrifice. I am pretty sure that Dennis Lehane was inspired by this film when he wrote Shutter Island. The storyline is very similar, even the conclusion is the same. Anyway I don't want to spoil the film any further, but I assure you that it is worth your time. It's a solid masterpiece with a stellar cast and a very beautiful cinematography.

Straight Time (1978)

A masterpiece of social realism

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

I love 70's cinema. Straight Time is for me the best film about a guy wanting to go straight after being released from prison. It's incredibly well acted and written, the novel is from Edward Bunker, well known for The Animal Factory and for playing the role of Mr. Blue in Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. While watching the film, you can tell that the authors know what they are talking about. Bunker served years in jail and Hoffman and Grosbard, in the making of the film, studied for hours the behavior of real convicts. Dustin Hoffman is incredibile and his character is very touching in his pursuit of rehabilitation in a society full of prejudice. Straight Time has a lot of style. It's gritty, there is almost no soundtrack, it has grainy images, a slow-paced character development and a bleak but truthful aftermath. If you like movies from the seventies, or film like Taxi Driver and Fingers, you'll have to watch it, it's definitely an underrated modern masterpiece.

Clean Slate (1981)

Tavernier's best

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

Bertrand Tavernier is one of my favorite French director and Philippe Noiret is my favorite French actor. Having said that, it's pretty hard for me to remain coherent when I talk about Coup de torchon, simply because I love it so much. When I saw it for the first time, I wasn't expected such a slap in the face. The first Tavernier film I have ever seen in my life was L627 at the theater and I was only 12 years old. I didn't understand it because I was so young, but when I discovered Coup de Torchon years later, I said to myself that I had to watch L627 again, which I did, and I thought it was a great film also. Coup de Torchon is an adaptation of Jim Thompson's book Pop. 1280, a pioneer in the Noir genre, famous for The Killing, The killer inside me and The Getaway. Coup de Torchon is a very odd film. A strange mix of comedy and revenge thriller. A sort of Film Noir with a tad of comical and grotesque elements in it. Telling the story of Lucien Cordier in the historical context of a small French colonial town of Africa makes the film a lot more original and convincing, and takes the Film Noir genre to a hole new level of excellence. It's dark and violent, but it's also a really fun film to watch, maybe because Noiret and Hupper make such an amazing match. I love the scenery of the film, the dialogues and the surreal and jazzy Philippe Sarde soundtrack. I think this is an incredible film, probably one of Tavernier's best.

Black Cat (1968)

A masterpiece of japanese cinema

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

Today I want to talk about Kuroneko (The Black cat in english). For anybody who doesn't know about this Japanese classic, I want to say: what? Are you crazy? I'm just kidding, but seriously you cannot miss this incredible film. It tells you so much about Japanese culture and cinema. Kuroneko is written and directed by one of my fav Japanese directors: Kaneto Shindo. I know, he's not as famous as Kurosawa nor Ozu, but he's brilliant nonetheless. He's the mind behind Hachikô Monogatari, Hatchi with Richard Gere is the US remake of this touching picture. In his career, Shindo has written almost 200 films and has directed near 50 films. Unfortunately, he died a few years ago, at the age of a 100 years old. Kuroneko is a Japanese kaibyo eiga, it's the ghost cat film genre in japan, very popular and prolific during the 60's. It includes ghosts, murder and a black cat figure. Kuroneko is an avant-gardist horror film, ahead of his time, it's also very provocative, because it involves gang-rape and murder. It's eerie, atmospheric, scary, romantic, sad, and beautiful. The cinematography is simply amazing, every frame is like a painting. Kuroneko is definitely one of my all-time favorites. I urge you to watch it.

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Powerful and gritty horror/western movie

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

Bone Tomahawk is powerful. The last half hour must be one of the most violent I have ever seen on screen. It's shockingly brutal. The film belongs to the Weird West genre, a mix of western and horror. The last Weird West flicks I saw were the disappointing The Hateful Eight and the pretty cool Ravenous. My favorite in the genre is Se sei vivo spara by Giulio Questi. S. Craig Zahler is a newcomer, but he wrote several screenplays before directing his first picture. He has written The Incident by Alexandre Courtès. Bone Tomahawk is kind of slow, but never boring. I loved the scenery, the dialogues and the nice characters of the film. It has such a remarkable cast, Kurt Russel is far better in this than in The Hateful Eight, he plays the rightful strong silent cowboy. And I adored Richard Jenkins' character, I didn't recognized him right away. Bone Tomahawk has a creepy, but cool soundtrack that the director scored himself being also a musician. But for me, the biggest quality of the film is the cannibals. I enjoyed that we don't see them for almost the entire film, it creates expectations and suspense. They talk about them, they are a menace, but we don't see them for the most part, a little like Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now or the Cajuns in Southern Comfort. When you finally see them, they look so damn scary. They are cruel and soulless creatures. The design of their body is also very interesting. Anyway, it's truly one of the best horror I've seen this year.

The War Zone (1999)

Tough and profound film from Tim Roth

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

I saw The War Zone a long time ago, but the memory of it is still very vivid in my brain, like a bad dream I can't manage to forget. Films can affect you like that, and The War Zone is definitely the kind of film you don't forget. I didn't expect that from Tim Roth being a famous actor and all. I guess sometimes good actors do make good films. It's also the case for Gary Oldman with his controversial Nil by mouth. The tone of the film is sad and profound. The rain and the fog are always present and make everything grimmer. The complex characters and the desaturated cinematography reminded me somehow of Bergman cinema. There is a lot of crying, shouting and violence in the film. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted. It's a journey through human depravity and despair. I've never seen a contemporary film so heavy, it's heart-wrenching really. Ray Winstone is so amazing in this, he steals the show even if all the other actors are incredible. He has a gift for playing evil characters I think. He's the violent and abusive dad here. What comes out of the film is also a deep sense of loneliness. The family as a group is isolated as much as every single character is trapped inside his own drama. The Simon Boswell soundtrack is incredibly beautiful in his simplicity, it's a subtle and melancholy piano music. I can't tell you to watch it if you are living a cheerful day nor if you are sad, but if you are looking for something genuine and significant about a harsh subject matter, so yes, you'll have to watch it. I think it's important, even if we have to watch the world shreds itself into pieces all day long on TV. Cinema is an art form and Tim Roth really made a masterpiece of a film.

Submarino (2010)

Harsh reality in a danish masterpiece

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

This is an intense Danish film, one of the best I've seen in a while. I love Dogma and especially Vinterberg, who is my favorite director involved in this cinematic movement. Don't get me wrong, I love Lars Von Trier too, but I prefer Vinterberg, I think he's a better storyteller. Submarino is an adaptation of a Bengtsson's book. It tells the story of two brothers who grew up with a bad mother in poverty and have to cope with the aftermath of a childhood trauma. Trauma is like a tumor, it grows inside you, and if you don't get rid of it, it takes over you and eventually kills you. This is exactly what the film is about. To avoid becoming a casualty of your own self, you have to deal with what's eating you alive. The characters try so hard to overcome their past and move on with their lives, but somehow, they constantly fail. The lead character is drawn to violence whereas his brother is addicted to drugs and becomes an irresponsible parent like his mother was. In a way, I think this film is very similar to Requiem for a Dream, it has the same fatalistic tone. Submarino is also the most accurate film I've ever seen about what a bad childhood can do to people. Vinterberg's style is raw and linear. The cinematography is dark and grainy with some remarkable chiaroscuro shots. The two lead actors are terribly convincing, especially Jakob Cedergren (Terribly Happy and Sorrow and Joy) who has a lot of charisma in his role. The film is well written. The characters are human and complex, their journey into self-destruction is never exaggerated and the ending of the film is beautifully tragic. I think it's a hidden gem and probably the best Vinterberg film since Festen.

Serie Noire (1979)

Amazing french Film Noir

[10/10 · 12 December 2019]

This is the second Jim Thompson adaptation I review here and it's purely coincidental. I really must love Thompson's style. I wasn't expected a masterpiece when I bought Série Noire in DVD, tho. I've always been fond of the late Patrick Dewaere, I think he is one of the best French actors ever, and I like Corneau's cinema, but Série Noire was unexpected and it is indeed extraordinary. It's daring, tense and plunged into harsh realism. It's the kind of film that stays with you once you've finished watching it. It shows how easy it is to lose control when society becomes a weight on personal identity. Série Noire is a different kind of Film Noir and probably the best French crime film among Le cercle rouge and Du Rififi chez les hommes. It has a ton of black humor and a bleak atmosphere. Corneau shoots Paris as if it was itself a character, a gloomy, grey and ruthless antagonist. The sordid locations and the moisty dirty apartments where the action takes place give a really weird and nightmarish mood to the film. The social pressure which the character is subject is huge and unbearable; it literally toys with him until he breaks. Patrick Dewaere shines like in no other films, he's brilliant as the neurotic looser who gets wrapped into this tragic vortex after the killing of an old woman. His downfall somehow reminded me of the dizzying Richard Widmark's runaway in Night and the city. Georges Perec's dialogues are just great, very similar to Michel Audiard or Bertrand Blier's style. The cast is perfect. Bernard Blier is excellent as usual and Marie Trintignant is mysterious and sensual. If you like 70's French crime films, you have to watch it, this is one of the best.

Fractured (I) (2019)

Heartbreaking and disturbing thriller from B. Anderson

[8/10 · 12 October 2019]

I loved it. This is not a perfect movie, but it was really well made and it keeps you guessing during the whole film. The story reminds you a lot of Spoorloss and Shutter Island. It's very sad and compelling. I don't want to spoil it, but if you like Session 9 and Brad Anderson you'll like this one. Good job Netflix.

Succession: Tern Haven (2019) Season 2, Episode 5

Best episode so far

[10/10 · 14 September 2019]

Tense and thrilling episode all the way. Character development reaches an all new level. There is so much in what it is not said, the silences are more powerful than any dialogues. The tension during the dinner scene is palpable, it's an interminable crescendo which implodes at the end in a very subtle way. Incredible acting and beautiful directing. I love Jeremy Strong's acting, minimal yet so intense.

Euphoria: The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed (2019) Season 1, Episode 7

A very important episode

[9/10 · 31 July 2019]

Tells you so much about depression and what it's like to be young and lost. Rue is truly an amazing character and her story is just so real and heartbreaking. Not my favourite episode but certainly one of the best. This show is just incredible. Thank you so much HBO for telling us these kind of stories... as always you are the best TV producer on the market.

Big Love (2006–2011)

A new approach of the family concept by HBO

[7/10 · 23 October 2006]

"The Sopranos", "Six feet under", and now "Big Love". Hbo offers us a totally new outlook of family, this time by describing the harsh quotidian of a successful polygamist. The family according to Hbo is always subject of greater afflictions than the regular family. In "The sopranos", the father's profession was the issue (the mafia), in "Six feet under", the father's profession was once again the issue (death itself), and in "Big love", the father chose to live against the rules of society, he chose to be a polygamist and that's a big problem because it takes a lots of responsibilities to have three houses, three wives and plenty of children. Somehow, in all these TV series, everything rotates around the problematic of being a father and in a larger sense HBO talks to us about MORALITY. The way of life of these men is really the main idea. "Big Love" is a really great and profound show. As always, HBO prefers the realistic treatment of his subject rather than the inner and comical sense of polygamy. The cast is unbelievable, and the score is great. In spite of the dramatic aspect of this show, I find it really entertaining. Anyway, if you like HBO's shows, you will love "Big Love".