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Undercover (2019)
Starts very good and turns to garbage
There are plenty of viewers who are telling it like it is. Season 1 is good. Season 2 is horrible. I didn't make it to Season 3.
The problem is the central point of the whole series. Two Undercover agents infiltrating a gang. This limits the scope beyond maybe a 1 season series because how can you drag something like that out? The folks behind the production attempted to and failed horribly. On a side note it highlights how horribly bad Netflix chooses to renew its own productions. There is no rhyme or reason other than initial viewership hype. Back to this in a minute.
Since "Undercover" is limited to these two protaganists, the writers included some very implausible scenarios to keep the series going. For instance, the major bad guy they are going up is named John. John is surgical in that he eliminates anyone he just suspects of being a snitch. He shoots them down. When he found out that the main male protaganist is a cop (Peter), instead of surgically eliminating him with his gun, he decides on a knife fight. I immediately knew the writers were killing his character off. They included this implausible scenario to keep Peter going.
Season 1 wrapped up the initial case against Ferry Bouman. The writers had to come up with scenarios for a season 2. This included introducing some bad guys and their scenarios that nobody cares for. This included adding Peter's daughter into the mix. She goes out and investigates who Peter's partner is because she is suspicious that Anouk (his partner) and her dad are lovers and the reason that her dad and mom are getting a divorce.
Anouk is killed off and the writers introduce her "replacement" female undercover agent. Peter is then thrust into some implausible scenarios with her. Its a mess. Don't bother with this series if you want completeness.
Back to Netlfix. Netflix will kill off many of its good series after 1 or 2 seasons that DO have the right material to keep going. Its a stark contrast to "Undercover' which doesn't have enough material to justify a season 2, let alone a season 3.
El Secreto del Río (2024)
A sentimental masterpiece
Let me start off by saying you have to have a mature mind in order to properly digest this material. That means looking beyond the obvious and concentrating on the nuance on display here. The main characters are like oil and water; but at the same time, they are the same. Again, In order to fully comprehend what is on display here requires a very nuanced mind.
The writing and acting here is just a masterpiece. The writing is balanced and consistent with very small hiccups here and there. The young protaganists also are just fantastic. They display a range in acting that is perfection. The project also includes a fabulous musical score, fantastic cinematography and on location filming. This is just flat out a masterwork. Its a must watch.
Ratched (2020)
Its more than a stylistic piece
Lets get this out of the way. Ratched is more than a stylistic period piece. It has the 1940s clothing, automobiles, etc. Down pat. Thats just the surface. The writing here is top notch. Its kind of quirky but it works. I'm not familiar with the novel its based on so I can't say whether the screenplay is better or worst than the novel. I can say that the screenplay does work. From start to finish the writing is pretty even and solid. Nothing came off as cheesy or pretentious.
Sarah Paulson is billed as the lead character nurse Ratched but its Sophie Okonedo who steals the show as the character Charlotte Wells. Every moment she is on screen turns this whole affair up a notch and makes it very intriguing. Not that Sarah didn't do her job, she did, but Sophie took it to another level. Overall this is a must watch.
Blood Sisters (2022)
Better than most Hollywood agenda driven crap
Most movie and television viewers in America are soo used to the trivial, Hollywood agenda driven fare that they automatically dismiss productions that are not made in Hollywood. Blood Sisters is just as good if not better than most of the crap made in "Hollywood".
The story is well written. Its full of nuance. It has attention to detail. The on location filmin is superb. The acting is superb. The music is superb. Sure, its not perfect and you can see some flaws but if you can believe John Wick can survice 80 fights and 100 cars crashing into him and he still wins at the end, then you can ignore the minor flaws here. Its a must watch production out of Nigeria.
Blood Legacy (2024)
This gets better as it goes along
You've seen pretty much everything here but it is done very well. The acting, plot and cinematography are top notch. The on location filming is superb. The series does take a while to get going. Its 20 episodes long at a half hour each but doesn't really kick into gear until around episode 10. The early episodes mainly set up the plot and characters.
I really like well done African and South African projects in particular because they take you away from the usual Hollywood fanfare. There is less agenda driven garbage forced upon you. Like Bollywood its great to have this alternative. It might not be for everyone but thats not a problem. Netflix should continue to make these original series.
That Dirty Black Bag (2022)
A modern Western done like a modern Western and thats not good
I grew up on Hollywood and television Westerns. Its one of my favorite genres. Westerns capture a old West based on a mixture of fact and fiction that goes into the heart of the what and why America is what it is. The land grabs, the ruthlessness in society that placed greed over morality.
That being said, whether mythical or not those old Hollywood and television Westerns were presented at a time when the viewer was protected from the carnage that you would see in war. Modern Westerns revel in it. They have become a mixture of horror and Western and I don't like it. There is no nuance, just chaos.
Quintin Tarantino had a very good "classic" Western project going with "The Hateful Eight" into it turned into a horror gore fest at the end. "That Dirty Black Bag" starts and finishes like a full blown Tarantino horror fest and that is not good. Modern Hollywood has two agendas: keep you dumbed down with bad writing and keep you in a low frequency with chaos and carnage disguised as entertainment and that is not good.
Your Honor (2020)
Surprisingly good New Orleans crime caper
I don't particularly care for Bryan Cranston because his projects delve into the very evil points of society and revels in it. I also don't like courtroom dramas because they reenforce the miseducation of Americans into thinking the current "court" system is honorable when its any but. That being said, Cranston's character in this project actually exposes a lot of the corruption. It exposes the lack of morality that is constant conflict with whats is right and wrong in America and the world at large.
The story here is intriguing in that it goes to the heart of what morality is and isn't. What you should do in any given situation. Its very well done with very good characters and very good subplots. A must watch.
Average Joe (2023)
A very good dark comedy, crime caper
This was unexpectedly very good. Deon Cole? You can't take a project serious right there, or can you? Cole and the other actors and actresses in this did very well. One of the protaganists is a Dave Chapelle look alike in both speech and comedic wit and timing.
The story itself is intriguing. Its a plot that could've fell flat on its surface but is executed very well here. There is genuine suspense here. Every episode is full of plot points that draw you in and make you either hate or like a character's actions. Netflix or whoever owns the rights has to complete this by coming out with a new season.
Ripley (2024)
The implausible moments derailed this project
I've seen the previous two adaptations of the novel adapted here (The Talented Mr. Ripley). Though I commend the attempt to drag this out into a television series the writing had too many implausible moments. There is one in particular that derails the entire project. Fans of the previous two adaptations will ignore that and give it a pass.
Where this series thrives is in its cinematography and filming locations. The Moorish (misnomered as Black, African, etc.) architecture (misnomered as Italian, Roman, Greek, etc.) is fabulous. Its a doorway to the old Moorish Empire which was dissolved into the present day nation states after the world wide revolutions of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The overall writing isn't bad and the cinematography is fantastic. Its very well worth a watch.
Baby Reindeer (2024)
A fantastic and emotional journey
First, the writing here is top notch. The nuanced and overt writing was very good. Second, the acting by the two leads was fantastic. The range of emotions by both was very spot on. Third, the soundtrack here was also fantastic. Every song fit into the range of emotions that was being conveyed in the story. Fourth, the series was both funny and sad. The writing exhibited a balance with both comedic and serious overtones that didn't make slight of the nature of the story. Every episode was very good though it was tough watching the episode that set up why the main protaganist had the feelings he had. The series is one of the best I've seen on Netflix and is very much worth a watch.
Crooks (2024)
A entertaining series held back by too many implausible plot devices.
Lets get this out of the way. This is a entertaining series. If you come into this expecting a lightweight by the numbers affair full of the usual cliches, you can't be blamed. It starts with the simple title of the series "Crooks". How can that be really entertaining? It surprises you with the fact that it is entertaining.
Its still a pretty much by the numbers affair but its done very well. I'm not dissappointed in the worn out cliches that are on display. The directors and producers actually took the usual cliches and made it entertaining and suspenseful. I'm disappointed because the series is held back by some very implausible plot decisions. It could have been better. That problem aside, the on location filming and musical scoring kept things moving along very well. The series is worth watching.
Kaleidoscope (2023)
It felt like about 20 producers were involved.
It felt like about 20 producers were involved because there were about 20 different producers involved. This was evident in the change of tone and uneven writing. A couple of the episodes were well written and a few were horrible. Overall the writing suggested that the series never really knew where it wanted dto go. The non linear plot paralleled the non iinear production ideas. You combine that with unlikeable characters and you had a mess.
Giancarlo Esposito has yet in my opinion found any material worthy of his stature since Breaking Bad. If you take him out of this series it becomes a total loss. Add this to the latest series that Netflix mailed home.
The Gentlemen (2024)
More overrated material from Guy Ritchie
If anybody has ever lived off of their past accomplishments its Guy Ritchie. The well worn forumula he used in his early films (smug, intelligent, mumbling characters, fast cuts, etc.) has thoroughly been played out in his projects.
"The Gentlement", his 2019 movie was bad enough and now Netflix gave him the keys to flesh it out into a TV series thats as bad as the fillm. Guy Ritchie fanboys say otherwise but there is nothing here...except... Giancarlo Esposito who doesn't get enough screen time. (At least through the first 4 episodes because I stopped watching somewhere around the 4th episode). The yardman has gotten more screen time than the best character in the show, Mr. Johnston, played by the always debonair and erudite, Giancarlo Esposito.
The lead character (don't even remember his name) is the first part of the new problems. He goes from being a police officer to being dropped into the criminal world instantly, no backstory of his character, no explanation on why he would do that other than " I want them off my land". The whole affair is one implausible situation after another with captioning overlaid across the screen to again remind you of how smug and cute the director and his material is trying to be.
I've wasted enough of my time reviewing this. Its not a must watch.
Champion (2023)
A British version of the American TV show "Empire" done better
You can't help but see the similarities of "Champion" with the American tv series "Empire". Both shows are centered on families involved in the music business. Both feature sibling rivalries and other external problems that both hamper and make their music better.
Where "Empire" got tiresome with the constant implausible family feuds, Champion brought more believable issues to the table and executed those issues very well. The writing is soo much better here. There is depth to the characters here. The music is fabulous also.
Overall I feel this is a very watchable series and I hope there will be at least one more season of Champion.
War: Wrath and Revenge (2023)
Not good
I'm on a big "African" foreign film kick right now. War: Wrath and Revenge is my latest foray. I come into these movies aware that the production and acting MIGHT not be on par with film industries that have existed for far longer and have bigger budgets in other countries outside of Africa.
That being said, I'm normally not that hard on the resulting product. In this case I have to go hard. This is bad in my opinion. Everything came off as low budget Hollywood. The acting wasn't good with some of the actors. The action scenes were worse. The main theme was ok but the execution was totally off. I don't recommend this movie.
Pax Massilia (2023)
Starts with a bang and goes downhill
I don't usually watch crime/gangster television shows that are told primarily from the point of view of law enforcement. The reason is there is the usual Hollywood cliches involved in the writing. Blood coast didn't fail to do exactly that.
That problem aside, the series got off to a good start by building up what should have been a epic showdown between the villians in the series. There was a huge build up of events that left you anticipating the climax, then the writers went in other directions. This leaves me to believe they might be setting it up for another season but it derailed what they had already done. Worth watching but not on repeat.
Shadow (2019)
Very Underrated
I've been checking out a lot of South African tv series and movies over the last few months. Shadow is one of them. The series starts a little slow as you adjust to the characters and the premise. It gets really going though and draws you in. The stoies themselves are fabulous. As a few viewers have said, the show has a lot of heart. I found myself emotionally drawn to the last two episodes in particular. The acting is very well done. The location filming is also excellent. The music is superb also. Its a must watch tv series. I really wish they make another season of this fabulous tv show. It has room to continue to grow with fun and very likeable characters.
Queen Sono (2020)
Interesting premise, confusing plot
I really wanted to like this series. I've gotten into South African cinema and really enjoy it. Queen Sono has excellent visual appeal, music and interesting characters. The problem for me is a disjointed, confusing plot. Everything seemed disconnected. To complicate the situation, Netflix didn't renew the series. Nothing was resolved in this series.
For some viewers the fighting scenes with Queen Sono herself might seem a little off. I thought so at first but then realized that her movements were more likely what would it would actually look like in real combat. There was no smooth over the top Hollywood style antics going on with her movements. Its hard for me to recommend this series because it left a lot on the table.
Rabo de Peixe (2023)
Uneven but watchable
I found the plot kinda uneven, even pretentious at some points. The first episode starts off very good. You are then taken to some character development with some of the main protaganists that felt like plot filler instead of being necessary to tell the story. Some of the actions of the main protaganists were repeated over and over and became annoying. The next problem is the main protaganist is waay too knowledgeable and slick about how to handle every situation that he incurs. The highlights are some good plot twists toward the end and some fantastic location filming. Taken as a whole the series is very watchable and recommended.
Gangs of Oslo (Blodsbrødre) (2023)
Better than the negative reviews!
I really like the foreign made gangster/crime genre whether it is movies or television. Most of the "Hollywood" formula is absent from these productions which is a good thing. Gangs of Oslo is no exception. It starts slow. In fact I couldn't really get into it until about the 3rd episode. It takes off from there and brings the nuance I like from productions that are outside of the normal "Hollywood" fare. Its not a over the top gangster show that tries to bombard with you with constant improbable moments which are suppose to surprise you and keep you engaged. No, its very well written. This is a must watch for cinemaphiles who look for nuance and fantastic writing.