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Stock Struck (2022)
Good watch
First off, this is 12 episode. That was a really good decision.
This is kdrama so "Sarang" is mandatory.
The concept that I found novel was that some people *love* trading stocks for sake of it. Maybe it is true may be it is not. But I always thought it was thrill or money or desperation for money that made people deal is stocks.
A question I got from one of younger generation relative was this: If you say you can't win against house (and you can't), how come there are people who gain lot of money through stocks?
My answer was the profit they make has to be compensated by losses everyone else encounter.
This thought or variation of it, is not present anywhere in the show.
This is the only reason why I had to give 5.
Other than that, great watch.
Last Light (2022)
Thought that comes in too late
You would watch this and start with "Oh, this is one of those world ending apocalyptic shows".
Then you realize "Oh, this is one of those middle east centered shows and some white guy or girl is going to be culprit in the end" (the worst thing about every single show that centers on middle east is music. Stop using middle eastern-ish music. That isn't cool anymore. It never was.)
You continue to watch and then realize "oh this is one those potential
"world ending" tv series with one family taken as case study".
All of these are true and none of this is true.
They have tried to make it original and maybe if it was 20 years back, it would be but sadly it is not.
For those who know climate change, and for AGW they might secretly or openly agree to it.
For those who oppose it, they would brand it as justification of eco terrorism.
No matter what your view point is, a valid thought, which comes in last 5 minutes of last episode is this: technologies that could be developed and being developed are taking backseat or plain ignored or even worse suppressed would only be possible if oil went away. So far, and it's COP27 now which means it's been 27 years since we started to try to do away with oil, we haven't had any luck. In fact energy demand of world is increasing.
The *infrastructure* that is ready for that demand is only one - oil and coal. That begs the question, what do you do?
If you were a smoker and your arteries are 70-80% blocked, would you reduce smoking or stop it?
The choice world has is this: should be do away with oil\coal in next 20 years and salvage what we can or rely on technologies that are not ready yet (carbon removal from air) and hope for best?
The Swarm (2023)
Enjoyed
This is a good sci fi. It has science and it has fiction. And not much else.
While watching it few times I was reminded of "The Abyss". It's not exactly that but it's not not exactly that either.
Each character gets enough time. I found the main character "Dr. Sigur Johanson" to little over the top emotionally.
There are relationships involved but if you are looking for *science* fiction then you could close your eyes and let that scene pass. And there aren't many of that sort.
The big question, how do you portray other civilization is still not solved. So it has taken the only path it could. It's not satisfactory (at all) but no matter how would author choose to portray it, mainly their physical appearance, would fall short. So it's understandable.
Oegye+in 1bu (2022)
What was this?
Of course I watched this after watching 2521. Had great hope. Especially for Kim Tae-ri. She is talented. But they ruined, I mean completely and utterly ruined whatever this was.
They got two awards though - best art direction (huh?) and best visual visual effects. I suppose I should be happy about that?
From the start it doesn't just find ground. It flies, so do the actors and actresses, in the movie.
The scenes are stitched, badly. I was watching disaster in motion (picture).
What minimally they could have done was give a consistent and simpler narrative. Not include twists that didn't make sense. But alas.
Eulachacha Waikiki (2018)
You think you won't laugh but..
You do. A lot.
Situations are not even forced. They make sense. And funny. As hell.
If you want to laugh I mean just laugh, without having to worry about whether you will find next scene funny or impossible, watch this.
Season 2 is just as funny.
Don't worry about character development or story development. Just watch. And laugh.
Hyeob-sang (2018)
"The Negotiator" this is not.
Hyun Bin gives good enough performance but it's just that. But Hyun Bin's character is simple. Almost two dimensional. So even if he wanted to do more he had very less chance.
The gap is much more with Son Ye-jin character. The absolute absence of conflict in that character. If there was conflict between the character and reality of it's surroundings she could not portray it.
If you watch "The Negotiator" (1998), you can compare notes.
Naeil (2022)
Don't go by trailer
This is serious stuff. I mean _really_ serious. It involves mainly depression and suicide. It does have humour, and good one, just like (almost) any other kdrama but that is not main content.
If there was warning about subject matter, there should be. Much more stark.
Watch but with care.
Channeru wa sono mama! (2019)
want to laugh? until your stomach hurts?
Watch this. That woman is genius. And I think it's all her. Because with same script, one who would be even tiny little bit self-conscious would have ruined it. Only reason for giving 9 and not 10 is they made just 5 episodes and no second season.
Beuramseureul Joahaseyo (2020)
Amazing music, bad last episode
Based on search on net, both actors played many pieces. And the music is amazing.
But it's a kdrama. So, it has to have 16 episodes. But was infuriating was, even though actors did what they were told, story or maybe studio execs broke fourth wall, especially in last episode.
How much can you stretch? At one point you begin to realise even those who love to watch tearjerkers
on sofa with body pillow would know that this much stretching was unnecessary, that female lead almost seem to be fishing for compliments from other characters. She cannot be anymore naive, typically mistaken for innocent in kdramas. I mean it's not humanely possible.
And then she says "we can no longer be friends". And then long pause. At that point I had to curse the worst phrase I could think of. To the writers and to studio. Yes, we know. Get on with it already.
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
Hope this isn't the end
Jurassic Park was a phenomenon when it came out. Even for people who weren't into dinosaurs. After first generation of actors got old but audience was infused with young, they fortunately found Chris Pratt. But then came Marvel\DC and all the superhero movies. What seemed like amazing visual effects in 90s in Jurassic Park Movies now were almost nothing.
The Jurassic Park films held on because of storytelling and character chemistry. But in this they tried to do too much. There were way too many people in it. Nobody had enough time, even though movie is 2h15m.
The main threat in the movie is still very novel and correct. But even pursuing fixing that threat had to put on the back burner because otherwise big dinosaurs won't have time in addition to actors.
Perhaps they will learn the lesson and have better focus next time unless this one has killed franchise.
Should have been 5 but 6 just because they didn't copy paste background music that has become so ubiquitous in superhero\creature\fantasy movies that you would skip a movie just by that criteria alone in trailer.
Rubikon (2022)
Relevant
If you are into sci-fi that can become food for thought, this would be for you. But there are some conditions:
1. You need to be worried about Climate Change (the main catastrophe event described in the movie and shown in the trailer is possible if you consider geoengineering so nothing incredulous about that)
2. You should have experienced horror of resource hoarding (aka Capitalism) and numbness, callousness it injects in people, typically ones part of thing called "higher management" (incidentally this movie achieves in one dialog which "Don't Look Up" required stellar cast)
Sanae matseon (2022)
Corporate kdrama that doesn't make you recoil in disgust
Every south Korean corporate kdrama makes you cringe if you have been disillusioned by business\corporations and role they have played in destroying\ruining this planet. This one doesn't. This one keeps the the focus laser sharp. It doesn't stray away from love story and confusion that produces hilarity. Of course there are very very improbable coincidences. But they work. Really well.
Se-Jeong Kim has done an outstanding job; this was my first TV series of hers to watch but amazing! Every time she smiles awkwardly, as in the poster, it's beyond funny.
The transformation between two characters played by Se-Jeong Kim is almost convincing. I think the lesson here might be "bangs" are way to have double life.
One thing that becomes sore sport in _every_ episode is place in intro where Ahn Hyo-Seop just _couldn't_ seem to smile. It's so weird that it had to become part of review.
But apart from that, thumbs up.
Sijipeuseu: The Myth (2021)
If you wanted south Korean scifi
This is as close south Korean scifi as i could find. There are few out there but nothing like this. Of course being south Korean anything, love story is a must and that too childhood\first love but that does not take entire content of episodes. But you could, if you wanted to, skip few minutes in episode if the time for great & enduring love is in your past.
There aren't many contrived coincidences which are oh so common in every south Korean tv series (that would never happen).
Park Shin-Hye as lovely as she is, has played strong female lead, not just physically but mentally as well - to the maximum extent south Korean studio execs would allow a woman to play that is unfortunately.
All in all really enjoyable sci-fi.
State of the Union (2019)
Season 01: Very satisfying
Both have done outstanding job. The separate life they have developed, and the chemistry that once those _characters_ shared but now don't is portrayed very beautifully _with_ chemistry between actors.
Have to say it: Rosamund Pike. Divine.
Will watch again.
In from the Cold (2022)
Not what you think
For 40+:
This is not drama nor action nor superhero. Or rather should say not only. It's something else.
It takes two episode to realise you cannot even play this in background.
Just don't.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Grander and grander and grander
Until there is nothing else left. How much bigger can you make things? Doesn't mean they will be beautiful.
And characters as through have not aged or even aged backwards. The last scene is quite literally appalling. It's as though 20 year old in 40 year old body. And did they really have to even kill metaphors that were so beautiful in original?
Lost in Space (2018)
Stop mixing dramas with sci-fi
Please. When I started this, season 1, I was so excited.
Had watched "Lost in space" movie with Matt Leblanc and loved it.
The episode killed my excitement and again and again every time I watched it.
This is *not* sci-fi. A spaceship and a robot makes it drama in space, not sci-fi.
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
When you could separate senses
The only bit I didn't like about this was Martin Short's character's state of life; that plot has gotten old, in every sense of word.
That out of the way, everything else was just amazing.
The title of review meant that I could watch it thrice: once for chemistry, second time for drawings and third time for music oh so music.
Do enjoy.
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Funny; chemistry not much.
Action is great.
Both of them have done a fine job.
Could have kept it simple though. Didn't need extra complications. Because once you have them, movie refuses to end. I mean you still enjoy. Take a break. Come back. But then you are just waiting for it to end.
Red Notice (2021)
yes, there is a twist. No, it doesn't make it better.
Gal Gadot speaks. Well. But that's what she does. She may have amazing acting skills, but no chance in this movie.
Both guys - they are quintessentially same as in any and every other movie of theirs.
There is *NO* way you can tell the difference if scenes from this movie were to be copy pasted in their any past movies or vice versa.
They need to do different movies now. Badly.
Impulse (2018)
How is this sci-fi?
Yes, it is fiction. Which part is science?
So a girl gets superpowers, "the abilities". However she gets it, it still is come under miracle.
So where is science?
La Brea (2021)
He says all the right things, At exactly the right time..
.. But he means nothing to you And you don't know why
this is one of those TV series. It has ordinary people with surprisingly hidden interesting lives, it has affair that can be ambiguous enough that you would not be sure whether it is extra marital, it has a thief, a clairvoyant, three teens two of whom eventually would hook up with third of Indian origin and is geek, it has police officer whose intentions are entirely professional, and so many more things that you would expect.
You put that in a blender and you expect whatever comes out is going to be tasty. Sadly it isn't.
Scarlett (2020)
Nice one.
Didn't think this would go anywhere but pleasantly surprised.
Everything is almost logical; you will find some gaps but they are no more glaring compared to others.
Fights are pretty nice. Melanie Stone does bring force to those punches. I liked acting too. There isn't much chance for emotional layering but wherever there is chance she has done a good job.
Apart from her being full grown adult in real life, I sincerely thought she could have had a chance to get action star status _if hollywood could get over stereotypes of how female badass should look_. But sadly they didn't and won't.
To Catch a Spy (2021)
Good one.
Never thought I would watch a hallmark movie. Glad i did. Logical. Both main characters have done their jobs well. Story develops. And because I think this is going to be new mystery series (I think), relationship between two evolving slowly. I do hope if there are subsequent mysteries, the main character grows out of the "bubbly and innocent" persona without losing the charm.
Afterlife of the Party (2021)
Surprisingly good
I was not sure whether I should watch it. I thought it would be one more of those social media things. Turns out it actually deals with young girls going through stuff - friendship mainly. Both actresses have acted pretty good. You can see the chemistry. Even the end is quite appropriate.
Enjoyed.