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Reviews
Bangkok Breaking (2021)
Recommended compelling drama
Very enjoyable indeed with an absorbing storyline, great action, strong lead acting and readable subtitles. Wanchai (Sukollawat Kanarot) and Kat (Sushar Manaying) portray likeable and sympathetic characters with rounded personalities. The themes are topical and boldly-dealt with. It is a piece of Thai TV which will endure. It helps if you are used to Thai film and TV, but this deserves to appeal to people new to Thai international cinema/TV. Hard not to binge watch and definitely NOT a 'naam now' soap. We really liked it - good fun, good humour, well-produced, well-directed and a massive credit to cast, writers and crew. On the 'watch again' list.
Nochnye lastochki (2013)
Highly watchable dramatization of Russian women combatants
This is a very good drama series that draws you in with action and relationship dynamics. The script does credit to the Russian production and the cast acted convincingly so that you get immersed in the goings on. I had no trouble seeing past what are, at times, rather simple graphics of the aircraft and quickly accepted that as the style of the piece, while the overall drama was really absorbing. They could easily have spent millions more without any improvement in the real quality of the thing. The drama is a condensation of many separate, real events. It feels odd to be exposed to such fine actors as Elizaveta Nilova and Tatyana Arntgolts who have no other US/European exposure. It leaves you wanting more of the stars and another series. OK, its not John Wick or Private Ryan for violence - it brings in humour and romance. It isn't going to be every war film fan's cup of tea, but if you want something cerebral, based on an incredible piece of history, this will do fine.
Istrebiteli (2013)
Russian WWII fighter pilot action, homage to brave women combat pilots
I couldn't stop watching this and found the series massively entertaining. The action is gripping and has you shooting at the screen. I welled up all the time with the romance and tragedy and the cast were brilliant. Cleverly written and completely palatable for western European viewers' tastes. Ekaterina Vilkova is superb as the woman flying ace, hard on the outside and fighting her inner emotional needs. Mariya Andreeva gives a storming performance, too, displaying international merit in the production. The subtitles could be improved for grammar, spelling and nuances, but that is not a fatal flaw and far outweighed by the whole thing. Don't miss the sequel series Attackers: The Last Fight, which is even better.
Istrebiteli. Posledniy boy (2015)
Wonderful mix of edge of seat action, tear-welling romance, realistic tragedy and political tension
This is a thoroughly enjoyable few hours of escapism, well worthy of its place on Amazon Prime and engrossing. The characters are well rounded, and I do include the ousted aristocrat Lt Colonel Bes, acted by Dmitriy Dyuzhev, a strong lead as a restrained gentleman tough-guy. The lead cast is very well acted overall. It is an absolute delight to see the engaging performance of the superb Latvian stage and screen actress Svetlana Stolyarova in so many episodes as the lovely woman fighter pilot, Rita. Darya Belousova also acts finely in lead support as military nurse, baby's nanny, goat keeper and love interest. Anastasiya Vedenskaya is great as the lead flier, indomitable, mischievous and playing hard to get. The phenomenal bravery, especially of the young Russian women combatants, deserves this dramatization and wide exposure. The plot twists and cliff-hangers are a binge-watch magnet. Occasionally you need to do a single rewind click to re-read a subtitle, but that was not a significant flaw, and far preferable to dubbing in my view. I agree with the reviewer hopmah that this is even better than the first series. It does the whole production team and cast strong international credit.
Las chicas del cable (2017)
Beautifully-produced and very watchable international TV
Another superb Spanish TV series that soundly deserves its place on the Netflix platform. It is highly-original and draws you in with a combination of gorgeous production, high quality acting and a consistently-engaging plot. The pace has enough action to stimulate, balanced with humour, social awareness and plot tensions. Works very well to us as non-Spanish speakers in Spanish with English subtitles - reading them is effortless as the acting is so good. It would be very nice to see the stars of the series more in international film and TV. Brilliant.
Alta mar (2019)
Alta Mar - High Seas: Strongly recommended viewing!
We binge watched the three series several episodes at a time. It is a gentle combination of thriller plot twists, beautiful production and strong acting. Ivana Baquero, who starred in Pan's Labyrinth when she was 12, gives a knock-out engaging performance throughout every episode. She deserves to be on screen internationally much more. The costumes are superb. There is a nicely-crafted spectrum of detailed characters to love or hate with lots of originality. This genre of Spanish TV strikes a cord when it comes to gentle evening watching, at a level of action that keeps your interest. We found it perfectly easy to watch in Spanish with English subtitles, knowing only a bit of Spanish. You get your ear into it and the diction is very clear. High Seas' place on Netflix is well-earned.
Tiempos de guerra (2017)
A beautiful binge watch!
Set in an interesting and neglected episode of history, this series is a delight of nostalgia, action and romance. A group of very well-characterized nurses support Spain in Morocco in late a colonial 1920's rebellion. The acting is consistently strong, and the production is beautiful throughout. The plot twists are balanced, convincing, and engaging. Lots of interesting scenes draw you in. Superb costumes. The actors are little known to US and UK audiences but deserve to be seen a lot more. Alex Garcia, Anna Moliner, Veronica Sanchez and Alicia Rubio amongst others all give absorbing, entertaining performances.
Very good, relaxing, evening viewing. Sensitive to trans-cultural issues without being forced or cheesy about it. We found watching the original Spanish version with English subtitles to be easier than the American dubbing that spoilt it at times by being a bit rough. It was still perfectly-restful viewing reading the subtitles and a good way to brush up your Spanish. Please, please make another series of this great TV.