Reviews

That's it, I'll keep it short. Simple action with condensed story, could be watched on its own or treated as a continuation of the first part equally well. Hemsworth and Farahani are absolutely stunning, fights are decently orchestrated and enjoyable to watch. There's no depth in the story, more personal motivation is present this time, but the formula remains the same and it's quite successful for now. It's quite obvious that we will see more of this franchise and I'm pretty sure that with time it will get worse, but judging here and now is definitely in Extraction's favor. No secret societies, no nonsense, just mercs and a lot of fights.

The show is all over the place moving from France to Japan, but it makes little to no sense. First two episodes were hard sell with thin intrigue, predictable turns and very, very poor characters producing second tier drama that is not interesting to follow.

Creators made sure that the picture is perfect, but that's not enough - story seems to be close to non existing and the initial premise is so comical that it's actually hard to believe. It's not really helps that you can't root for any of the characters - they seem two dimensional and immature. It feels like there is a backstory for them, but it fails to develop within the time window when you could actually care about it. And there will be a lot of wine talk, so unless you like that kind of thing it will feel weird and forced. It's a miss for Apple TV for sure.

Flat, boring, unoriginal and based on a non-story this another attempt of American TV makers trying to be social while keeping us entertained. Failed on both fronts: completely two dimensional characters who act like children and premise that could have been used for a mediocre full length feature film or rather short. Most of the runtime is filler content and it's ridiculously generic from mise en scene to score. Neither story value nor the visuals are holding up. Shot in the most unoriginal manner without showing any character it can't in any way deflect our attention from the empty story. Sadly, this is a complete miss.

I was born in Georgia and just discovered the wonderful director who have made this movie, what an experience! Amazing, timeless picture with subtle nuances, authentic characters and strong, interesting story. It's not for everybody, you need to be relaxed to enjoy how events are unfolding and it leaves a very bittersweet aftertaste in the end, but it's a very remarkable movie. I won't spoil it, but one of the creative solutions, although quite simply done cinematic-wise, was a final icing on the cake for me and elevated the movie even higher. Small details matter and some of the could be treated as symbolic too, in my opinion. Although the storytelling is fluent and most of the events are packed closer to the ending of the movie, the earlier part of the movie will reward attentive viewer with warmth.

It's supposed to be a feel-good movie, but sadly it is not. Actors are doing good job, but the story is lost somewhere before production. The best character is probably the influencer woman, because entire movie feels like it was sponsored by some social network: all glitter on the surface and no substance at all. While flashy clothing, parties and evening events are presented okay, the job of the nurses seems like nothing in this movie which is insulting to real professionals who can barely lift their hands at the end of their shift. The spirit of carelessness is fake in this one and it's clear that we're looking at shallow facade.

No character depth, no development, no chemistry, no background.

I think the satire is kind of cheap, to hide the meaning of your production in plain sight and laugh about it while someone is watching it. It's okay to do so while you're keeping your viewer entertained, but people spend both time and money to watch cinema, so there should at least be some effort. There is none in this film.

Occasional visual sparks are quickly dying in endless, pointless, overlapping conversations, producing... white noise. Which is literally uncomfortable to hear for prolonged period of time, so with ridiculous runtime of 2 hours 12 minutes it is exhausting experience. There is nothing witty, intellectual or thought provoking in this thing, it is just plain dull. If you're looking for some 80's suburban vibes, want it to be American and want it to be interesting, go watch Donnie Darko instead and avoid this failure.

If we imagine for a moment, that this show would have been called differently and the name of Richard Hammond would be omitted from it, would it hold? Because we are lead to believe that Richard knows nothing about business, can't plan anything and discovers absolutely primitive business details from another meet with his accountant one bite at a time.

Seriously, it's too over the top in portraying Richard as incapable businessman because he is not. It's plain stupid to portray him as he's on the verge of bankruptcy because he is not. I believe the entire 'business' angle is wrong for petrolheads because we are not seeing enough wrenching, enough cars, enough meat to chew on. The show in its current state lacks the identity and I honestly expected season 2 to be better, but it is not: Richard is still being 'half broke' and as illiterate as he could be in business terms. It became so annoying, that I've stopped watching as I saw him purchasing business books. If this thing ever wants to evolve to be liked by car crowd, this entire business angle needs to go. I somehow believe that Richard meeting with famous Youtubers who are working on their cars would have been a better idea.

Too slow, too predictable, too boring and too unoriginal Le patient fails on all levels even if you consider it as a time filler. It's not entertaining, not though provoking and the ending could be guessed from first couple of minutes if you're observant enough and do a couple of logical conclusions. Cinematography is unoriginal, score is basic and forgettable, although characters are doing okay work given the lackluster screenplay and entire idea.

Speaking of the idea, Piège pour Cendrillon is the one you want to watch/ read to understand how similar events could be described to keep you on the edge of your seat, that's underrated classic while this movie is a waste of resources.

First of all, the story. It is as implausible as unoriginal, the entire idea of this movie screams drama and it's not at all entertaining. It's bizarre to see events of this magnitude of stupidity in such settings, usually it happens in reality shows or in some soap dramas and as a filler sequence between something more meaningful. Yet, there it is: an entire movie from a soap opera subplot. There is no intrigue, events are very predictable and the only saving grace of the movie could have been the excellent casting... But no, actors are doing such a great job that the story looks even worse.

Carole Bouquet is an absolute star of this movie and pleasure to watch, which makes the whole experience quite painful: her character doesn't deserve this treatment, not even close. She is also the only reason to ever consider watching the movie, she is that good and steals the show completely.

There are pacing problems and some sequences are negative in value, but the ending really takes the cake. It is as anticlimactic as it could be and movie should have been cut short couple of minutes earlier to make it fair.

Likeable and relatively deep characters, plausible plot, tolerable pacing are the driving forces behind this show. Stallone is good being the main protagonist, but I like Andrea Savage and her character a lot, very nice performance. I respected a lot that Stallone is not trying to look younger when his character Dwight honestly mentions his age and how it could affect his relationships with younger woman.

Cinematography and music are nothing to write home about, both are good enough to help keep the show entertaining, but not really adding value and not standing out. My review make the show look pretty average, yet I'm rating it at 8/10 because it is a solid entertainer, not a TV/ Cinema masterpiece or tour de force.

First of all, it's not really an adaptation. If you read carefully even here on IMDB, you will find out that Harriet Warner, who have written the first episode, was merely inspired by the original story. So it's more like a story based on the characters rather than adaptation of the classics, which could be enough for some people to skip it. The story in the series is so different that it actually puzzled me at first: what am I even watching? Character names are known, there seems to be the same period as in the novel, but that's where resemblance ends and it is in a bad way.

Don't be fooled, that's just another attempt to make money on the story with fancy name with the hope that viewer had never read it. Because if you did, there's no other answer to the omnipresent question: why diverting so much from the original novel while keeping character names and the name of the story?

Picture is good and there seems to be an intrigue, but once again, this is not original de Laclos writing and competing with him while keeping the name of his novel seems insulting.

I have only seen the first episode of the show and will not continue with it. If you have never read the story, better read it or watch one of the many successful films: Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Cruel Intentions (1999) or more dated French version from 1960.

Over the time Olivier Marchal created his own sub genre of gritty French movies and some of them could be treated as niche classic. The formula of success was quite simple: down to Earth cops who often forced to work with the criminals in one way or another to stop the bigger evil, dark story, complete disregards for happy endings and visually dark cinematography. You can find sun in some of his movies, but it always feels like a dark cloud forms above the character on the screen even if action is set in Nice or Marseille.

Sadly, this one is never going to be one of his best films, neither will it be even close to pieces like MR 73 or 36 Precinct. First of all, story. It feels like the script was made from some leftovers and it lacks common sense. Criminals could be stupid, but organized crime, the focus of this movie, usually is not. Their complete disregard of operational security, useless violence, reckless behavior are only serving as reasons to provide the viewer with dramatic, clip-like scenes of fast cars and automatic weapons in action. While some action scenes are quite decent, the story feels nonexistent and the script feels incoherent to the point of discomfort and total disbelief. I will not spoil the story, but it is as unrealistic as it even could be and any Marchal fan will spot it after first 10-20 minutes of runtime.

If you are in the market for a good French action, check out Stronghold (2020), Les Miserables (2019) or Athena (2022): all of them are doing better what Marchal have started while maintaining a good, believable story.

The only reason Overdose exists is to make cash to its creators and you can do much better with your time.

Although not pretending to be historically accurate on the documentary level, this show succeeds in the entertainment department. Smartly paced and nicely packed as a limited series of 6 episodes it develops a story exactly as good mini series should: conclusive, without cliffhangers.

This is not an anti-war medium, nor is it pro-war, because we're not really looking at war in a conventional way, through the eyes of a regular soldier. Sufferings are present, deaths are gruesome, but it is not trench warfare or D-day depiction. C Characters are the best part of this show: colourful, with backstories, daring and interesting from every angle they deserve all the attention you could provide. I enjoyed accents and banter quite a lot and it is very appreciated to see Sofia Boutella presenting beautiful and interesting female character in predominantly male story.

Some may say that the show changes tonality closer to the end, but I disagree: gambling with death and playing against the odds was present from the start, but later stakes are just getting higher and nothing changes in principle.

Only reviewing it after the pilot, but it's dark, punchy, very interestingly paced and overall attractive. Camerawork and music are good, some moments where past blends with the present are especially notable because of that like the one In the second half of the pilot, where our protagonist is visiting his mother. It does sound like an interesting story, but it's also nice to watch. Hard to tell how it will develop further, but start is very, very promising. American Gigolo presents very specific, dark vibe that is lasting after you have finished the episode. I will follow this show and even if it loses momentum, I recommend watching the pilot for this very vibe.

Very nice and authentic period drama focusing on living and growing up in Germany during the ninenties. Young people from different backgrounds are discovering themselves through hip-hop, while battling with common teenage problems: educational success, self identification, relationships with the parents. Good acting and convincing visuals are bringing very warm 'feel good' vibe, although drama is present and palpable. It's remarkable that almost all of the characters are equally present in terms of picture time. Highly recommend it if you want to experience the vibe or interested in how hip-hop influenced youth during that period in Germany.

You rarely watch these movies by hazard, you need to be initiated first and know something about the director, but for me it was a pure coincidence. Approachable running time packs tremendous visual punch and some messages you will be unpacking for quite a while. It's rather a collection of vignettes than a coherent narrative. Some will disagree with this statement, but the beauty of this movie is that you can choose what to make of it while enjoying the visuals. A true cinematic experience, that leaves you thinking. It's graphical, it's 'pulp', it's borderline uncomfortable sometimes, but it's magnetic and uniquely mesmerizing.

This movie is seriously under appreciated and without a serious promo it risks to stay under the radar. Shame, because leads are great and age-appropriate, story is solid and camerawork is interesting, especially with Angouire Rice character breaking the fourth wall. Her character, Honor Rose suspiciously resembles the one of Lindy Botth's Dodger from 2005 movie "Cry wolf" not only in style, but in cold-blooded calculated moves aimed only to achieve her goal. Gaten Matarazzo is a nice addition with his experience in Stranger Things, but he fails to become second lead as other characters are equally interesting. There's a distinct Breakfast Club vibe going on in this movie and if you're looking for more of the same, this one will do you great. Nicely paced with a fluent edits, this movie is a hidden germ of 2022.

It starts amazingly and actors are performing exceptionally, story feels intriguing but it loses momentum around episode 4. Too much buildup, but actual conversation between Jimmy and Larry are not as gripping as I though they will be, entire 4th episode is a letdown with a prison riot absolutely irrelevant to the plot: too many unfamiliar faces are being beat down, but not a single known character is affected. Why was it even here, for running time extension?

Probably, I'm too spoiled by Mindhunters and I expected similar experience, but it's not on par, sadly. Don't let my review fool you, it's a very good show, it's just not a GREAT show.

The problem with action movie reviews is that people tend to overestimate insignificant movies like that while labeling them as 'good fun' and that drags entire genre to the bottom like an outlier in a non-weighted average. Action movies don't need to be 'simple' or 'dumbed down'. There are great action flicks over decades that are praise-worthy and some of them are even defining sub-genres of their own like Heat or Bourne series and some are just standing alone like Ronin or John Wick and ageing like a good wine.

Sadly, The Gray Man is neither of these things: it's not going to define any new genre, it's rather exploiting the well-established one and it won't stand the trial of time. It's rather algorithmic crowd pleaser that ticks familiar boxes, but while watching it you feel like you have seen all that before in a hundred of different places. It's not a bad movie per se, it's just ridiculously unimaginative although it packs some visual punch.

Based on the same source material, this adaptation brings nothing to the table. Neither actors nor the camerawork are remarkable and if someone felt that 1999 movie was too old and we need smartphones to make it look modern, then this thing could have a right to exist. We have enough adaptations and this is not the one to pay your attention to.

Want a modern one? Cruel Intentions hits it pretty good. Want something more like the original story? The one with Malkovich from 1988 is sublime. Somehow you want it to be French? You're covered: the one from 1959 features Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Louis Trintignant. All of the above share the same name, be it in French or English and they share not only a story, but a critical reception over time. With a competition like this, this new show must be good, but sadly it's not even close to any of the movies above. Maybe we will see a nice TV show made out of the original story and we could definitely use one, but this is absolutely not the one.

Good acting performances, good fights and choreography, but thin plot for 8 series and awful color grading. I can't recall anything made past 1960s that was physically hard to watch, this one hits the jackpot: everything is ridiculously underexposed.

Main problem is that the plot is not interesting enough to follow it for 8 episodes and action is too thin spread between the episodes to justify watching it just for the fights.

It feels like another algorithmic series that viewers should like because it ticks most of the boxes, but it lacks soul, presentation and momentum.

If you have not seen the original Assayas movie from 1996, try watching it first. You will understand more about the idea behind this series. In short, it's just more of the same 1996 movie, but with enough details shuffled around to make it interesting to watch even if you have seen it before.

This is a remake of a movie that was telling about shooting remake of an old movie from the beginning of the 20th century, that was actually a 7h long series!

It's not for everyone, but you don't need to be neither patient nor intellectual to appreciate it. If you love cinema and love French cinema, you will appreciate this modern take on how chaotic tournage is.