Steve B

I watched part of this movie because it looked really bad and for some reason that piqued my interest. I couldn't finish it. The first half, I mean. They even failed at making a watchable bad movie! The portion I *did* watch was numbing, and I felt sorry for the actors with recognizable names. I'm guessing the positive reviews are failed attempts to be funny, so perhaps that is fitting.

I did not enjoy this film at all. I would give one star if that was all I was rating, but I will say the acting is good and there's not much wrong with the technical aspects of the production. Some reviewers here were troubled by the sexual content, but for me that was just another of the film's excesses that made me feel increasingly detached from the experience as the story wore on. And on. Though I knew little about the movie going in, most of it felt rather predictable (both visuals and narrative). The ending was awkward, but welcome nonetheless. The theater was *freezing*, which added to the numbing experience.

I really enjoyed this series. I've actually streamed very little since watching Detectorists a couple of months ago since it's difficult to go back to watching the usual productions that pervade the streaming channels. I'm not saying all other shows suck, but so many feel like they are the product of the "business" side of show business. The writers are sometimes very skilled, but they're hired, and the stories feel "hired out," for lack of a better term. I thought Mackenzie Crook was great in the original The Office, but I wasn't even aware that he written and directed his own show. Even so, I wasn't that excited about starting the series, having passed it over on several occasions while browsing for something to watch. That quickly changed, and my housemate and I had to start rationing our viewing so we wouldn't run out of episodes too quickly. The story is small and patient, so I can imagine it won't appeal to everyone, but it's also genuinely funny at times. The writing doesn't feel hired out. It feels like something written by someone who wanted to share something. Not just a story, but a feeling. The opening song suits the series perfectly. Sound in general played a significant role, at least for me. I looked forward to hearing the sound of being outdoors as they searched the fields for treasure and meaning. I miss it.

The first two episodes of Silo were interesting, but the series starts falling apart in episode 3. All scenes that are even peripherally related to the failing generator are truly awful. They are laughably inaccurate technically and devoid of any originality in their attempt to create heightened tension and drama. It was so bad that it almost felt insulting. Episode 4 was perhaps a little less silly than 3, but the dialog was clumsy at times, enough so that some of the actors seemed to struggle to be convincing. I'll probably watch one more episode to see if they can right the ship, but I'm giving up if episode 5 is anything like 3 or 4.

I did not enjoy this film at all. It felt *way* too long, particularly with the frantic editing. The humor might have worked in a more slapstick movie, but here it often felt out of place and forced. The multiverse story line was neither particularly creative nor engaging, whether taken as an allegory or more at face value. The production quality and acting were fine, but for me they amounted to very little, and I was honestly relieved when the credits (the real ones) ran. I know people who wouldn't like this movie because it wasn't typical Hollywood, but I prefer independent films. They tend to be more thought-provoking, observant, and often more quirky. This one just didn't do it for me.