VL BC – Google

[Spoilers] I wasn't a fan of all the actors and actresses, BUT they killed off much of them leaving us with just the husband whose acting is probably most atrocious. Thankfully we don't see much of him. What I liked about this series is that with every episode, there is a conflict. So it's not boring in terms of problems to solve. I liked how they encountered several alien species in their challenging quest. I liked how they even had a conflict with the A.I. onboard. What I didn't like were the character pairings. The love teams did not have any chemistry at all. I also didn't like all the convenient plot devices. How convenient it was that every planet was somehow human-friendly, i.e.,had earth-like atmosphere or earth-like food, or that the enemy itself was the key to an otherwise unsolveable circumstance? And how convenient was it that they could lose so many crew members but just wake spare ones up? To this day, I have no idea just how many sleeping crew members there really were. But then it doesn't leave too many plot holes, i.e., the Paula arc, conveniently closed off by the same random alien encounter that solved their ship issues. I also liked how they ended season 2. I think 2 seasons is enough. They've shown quite a lot and any attempt to add more episodes will just make interest hard to sustain. Whatever the case, I'm not disappointed. I'm not frustrated either. And that's saying something. I think this series could be a good introduction to the world of sci-fi and space travel for a kid. It's action-packed and very light, doesn't bend your brain as much as Interstellar.

I absolutely enjoyed this film. It's about a beautiful friendship between kids from different worlds. And whether this was intentional or not, it is also about how "generational hatred" towards groups are quite meaningless and how new generations can bridge age-old divide, share common ground and succeed together. The people were hell-bent on catching the sea-monsters, but not one of them were actually victims of the monsters. You could also see that there were photos and sculptures of sea monsters being killed by humans, representing historical accounts. Why were they killing sea monsters? It was unclear. And when you think about world history, why did any one group kill another? From a modern-day POV, it all seems so absurd. The villain, Ercole Visconti, represents "old institutions" that have been consumed by arrogance and narcissism, and bully those who do not fit in or refuse to "bow down" to his "superiority". The way he treated his friends or allies was abysmal--his success was hinged upon THEIR efforts, but throughout the movie, he takes credit for it as if he was the lone winner. And if they failed, he would hurt them. Can't help but think of that in the context of global politics. At its simplest, this movie is a great learning for kids on how to collaborate in a team and overcome differences. Pixar really does an amazing job with incorporating complex adult topics into their stories, like what they did with Up and Inside Out.

I didn't like The Walking Dead because it dragged on and on and on. {some spoilers ahead} I love Black Summer because it's fast-paced. There's always something happening--lots of running away from zombies and a ridiculously large amount of ammunition. That second one is a little unnerving (hopefully unrealistic), every single person is armed. Is that how much firepower exists in the US where this is set? And all that running. It must be very taxing to all those actors, so kudos! I also like the makeup. No expense is spared on the gore and the realistic grime when you haven't bathed for days. I wonder about the mom's lashes and lips though. Are those natural? If not, I can't see how one would have time to curl lashes and put lipstick on, and have that lipstick stay on even through all the stress. I thought it was clever how mom and daughter had created a communication system using a deck of cards. And while it puts others off, I like the format of them looking at events from the perspective of several characters. I also like that not all of them make it. It's more realistic that way, I guess. Maybe the only death I mourn though is of that black guy with the mittens. That was really heartbreaking because he was a nice guy. I LOVE all the actors and actresses, they are FANTASTIC.

I absolutely loved the opening scenes in Episode 1, the Metro Manila posh side vs the slums. The art was very beautiful and also a very accurate representation of extremes or the "other side" of MM, which is what the entire Trese plot is about. I also liked the ending song. However, I did not sense any character development. I was not attached to any of the characters, nor did the characters seem attached to each other, with the exception of the twins. I would have loved to see more of Trese, Sgt Tapia, Hank and the twins bonding after every episode. I would have loved to see more of how Trese and the twins grew up together, overcame adversity together. I would have loved to see more of Trese and her dad bonding as well, or even just mourning her mom's passing. I would have loved to see her dad's struggles with balancing being the lakan and being a single dad. The humanity, the emotional connections were absent. Obviously this is a horror series but it can't be denied--emotionality is what makes a show great. One movie that comes to mind is Train to Busan. They're only being chased by zombies fot the most part of the movie but there were few totally heart-wrenching moments around love and sacrifice that made it better. I wish Netflix gave them more time than just the 30 minutes and 6 episodes. I felt like they crammed the entire sub-plot into episode 6, into the long breathless speech of that one side character who was apparently, the all-important invisible hand all along. I hope the post-credits scene is a promise of a 2nd season and the makers of Trese add some more complexity and substance into the character relationships.

I loved how the plot unfolded in the way it did--gradually and confusingly. You are always left to wonder who the bad person really is. I have seen many a psychological thriller and I always love it when I am unable to predict endings. I loved that the ending was incredibly unexpected but for some reason, it did not feel satisfying at all. The protagonist, Louise, deserves a comeback. We can't all have been invested in her character only to have her end up like she did. This is worse than Ned Stark's death in GoT. Not a huge fan of the Adele character. The actress was GREAT, but Adele as a character just seemed a bit dimwitted with moments of cleverness, but now that I am writing and reflecting on it, it IS consistent with who Adele REALLY is. I hated it when she would say "I told you we had money". *Cringe* But again, character consistency. Some events felt like something out of a YA erotic novel and I had no idea that it WAS a novel before watching it. Typical boss-secretary-wife love triangle, steamy scenes, jealousy, revenge with some *surprising* and not necessarily pleasantly supernatural elements. Astral projection, really? Did this start in Wattpad? I have to commend the imagination of the writer though. It is always refreshing to see a worn-out trope have something unexpected thrown in.

How convenient and easy was it that there were two latina witches within reach that could fix the problem? They were literally one friend away. Every conflict in the movie is unoriginal--marriage slowly falling apart, mentally ill children, taking souvenirs causing hauntings, animals acting strange, a portal. The movie contributes nothing to the horror genre that hasn't already been done. I did watch it to the end because while the plot is predictable and basic, I like Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell. These two celebrities are great in horror movies but I feel like in this particular movie, the acting could have been better directed.

South Korea has mastered story-telling. One moment you're having an adrenaline rush, the next moment you're crying your eyes out. Loved this show. I have seen many horror movies, the good, the bad, the ugly and as a horrorphile I would definitely recommend this. HOWEVER, I will not watch season 2 if Lee Do Hyun (Eun-hyeok) is not there. He played a GIGANTIC leadership role in the group and it would be insane if he isn't.

I really like the premise. What if the Axis forces won WWII? Intriguing, right? But Juliana is a sad character. The actress is beautiful. But the acting is flat. She sees her sister for the first time in a long time, I thought it was just a friend the way she reacted. No warmth. Her sister gets killed and a few tears are shed. She just goes on to watch the films passed to her like HER SISTER DIDN'T JUST GET KILLED. She tells her BF her sister just got killed like it was nothing. As for writing--her recent (ex?) BF is getting tortured for her location and she is flirting with another man she just meets. All this in one episode. I can't get past the second episode. I want to give it a chance, but it looks like the character is in all seasons. Should have been written off.