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LeeLeeds
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American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024)
Well made but lacked the big answers
The first episode set up series really well, but ultimately I don't feel like we had enough answers or strong enough theories by the conclusion of part 4.
The show is really well made and had some interesting concepts and ways of telling the story including the recreations, the graphics, the fly-on-the-wall style calls and car rides. The soundtracks was great too.
But as mentioned we finish episode one thinking that this suicide might be something else and end episode 4 in exactly the same position. Even if we had a couple more answers, it would of left some sense of 'satisfaction' of investing 4 hours of watch time.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Great Send Off For The Guardians & The MCU
This film was a great way to end what was a really enjoyable trilogy for the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Now after having Peter's backstory earlier in the series, we shift to Rocket and while my expectations were low for whatever his 'reveal' was, they were totally exceeded by a beautiful, touching and heartbreaking tale of how Rocket came to be the angry hero we all came to know in the MCU.
It's a shame this film was released somewhat out of sync with an ideal release flow after end game. We could of done with this as a kind of 'encore' to the main story of The Avengers and not had to so sit through some of the other films released in between End Game and G3.
But Guardians 3 stays true to the original vibe of fun, ridiculous, touching, better than you expect cinema that started with the first film.
In terms of the MCU. It's done. Every film released since End Game other than this has been awful. So if like me you have gone from MCU fan to angry to now apathetic, use Guardians 3 as the send off and final instalment of what was a brilliant series of comic book stories.
Old Dads (2023)
A Tale of Two Halves
I feel like I watched two different films here: The first half of the film was funny, interesting, pacey and I really enjoyed it.
The second half of the film was the antithesis of all the above.
Basically our protagonist (admittedly flawed and in need of some change) attempts to fight back against things he doesn't believe in... an undeserving, talentless boss who fires people for simply being 'old', a fraud school boss who blackmails and embezzles money, a bunch of horrid side characters that range from selfish to psychotic... these people are the villains... yet our guy ends up apologising and bending to what they want!
It left me with a confused feeling of 'wait a minute, I'm sure they were the bad guys but somehow they still beat down our main character, this sucks'.
Just a convoluted mess in the second half of the film, but worth watching for the sheer fun of the first half.
Bodies (2023)
An interesting idea, but poor execution
When I first watched the trailer for Bodies, I was excited. It seemed like the perfect show for my tastes - stylish, sci-fi, crime and mystery, time travel... but alas, the trailer was better than the real thing.
It is hard to not compare this show to Dark and once you do this, Bodies pales in comparison. It takes inspiration from the Dark soundtrack, time-jumps (in terms of the edits and cuts) but has none of the character development, jeopardy or sheer atmosphere of Dark.
The good - Well shot at times. Great idea. Some decent performances. Some interesting moments.
The bad - The script is too simple and rammed full of exposition. The characters are not realistic. Too much time spent away from the core story... time that didn't help or add context to the core story.
The show is decent but it is no Dark... or Sherlock, or Utopia (UK) or The Alienist.
Such a shame.
Dark (2017)
A Very Special Piece Of Work
There are certain shows that almost achieve greatness but are let down by the ending, certain characters, changes to writers or simply running out of steam... Dark is the perfect example of how to create a magical story, viewing experience and then sticking the landing with the final chapter.
Without spoilers it can be hard to explain Dark, but rest assured this is a story that will take you on a journey through time, space, philosophy, theoretical psychics but somehow still retain a human, character-led centre that anyone can connect with.
It is a beautifully shot, brilliantly edited, expertly written, spine-tingly soundtracked, wonderfully acted piece of art, that I personally put in the top 5 shows I have ever watched.
Dark is a fantastic example of creating something new in a world of re-boots, re-hashes, safe sludge... and absolutely nailing it.
The makers of this show should be so proud and we as the audience should be grateful for the obvious love, obsession and attention to excellence that went into making it.
Shingeki no Kyojin (2013)
One of the most beautiful shows ever made
Attack on Titan is simply one of the most beautiful but tragic, exciting but philosophical stories ever brought to screen.
The characters are both heroic and flawed, complex but naive, strong yet vulnerable.
Without spoilers it's difficult to describe AOT, but be prepared for the fact that once you think you have figured this story out, it will shift, but not for the sake of shock value or catching out the audience, the shifts are brilliant and thought provoking, encouraging the audience to reevaluate what they have seen and what they presume comes next.
All in all, this anime, the characters and the story are truly beautiful and will stand the test of time as one of the best 'tv shows' ever made.
If only Hollywood valued creativity, artistic vision and risk taking in the same way!