Wong Francis

I am a fan of Ryan Murphy, his AHS, Feud and Pose were brilliant! I had high hopes for this one since the enigmatic Sarah Paulson is he lead, plus a Stella cast of fine actors and actresses such as Judy Davis and Sharon stone, what could go wrong? I thoroughly enjoyed the series up until episode 5 (which for me was one of the finest episodes), from episode 6 I got confused and felt the storyline was falling apart and even got silly. They packed a lot in the last 3 episodes, also left many loopholes. I don't want to be a spoiler here, so I urge you to see for yourself. The cinematography, sets, the use of colors, all were brilliant! However, Ms Dorothy Herrmann, daughter of the original composer Bernard Herrmann, complained that they used the music of her father (which was from Hitchcock films) without giving credits, you can find her review here which is 2 stars. Upon checking i must say that's true, and a huge oversight of the producer!? I enjoyed the use of that music very much, was wondering who wrote that? I only hope they can correct that as soon as they can. In short, it's hard to relate this “Ratched” as the original one from 1975, just watch it as a new series I think is better. If you try to relate it as a prequel to “One flew over the cuckoo's nest”, you may be as lost as I am. A series 2 is announced btw.

Being quite familiar with Japanese culture (in many ways similar to Chinese), i can understand more thoroughly than from a westerner's standpoint. It's a brilliant film that shocks and begs to ask many questions about what it's like to be powerful, what is it about being a male in the society etc.? (Expectations, reality) If you're disturbed by extreme violence, gore, sexual abuse etc. Proceed with caution as this film does go all the way! Similar level to the French film “Matyr”. Some scenes are difficult to watch, and the sex that took place were bizarre and sadistic. It's loosely based on a true event that took place in Saitama province (which is near Mt. Fuji). The cast were very well chosen and did excellent job, especially the main man Syamoto and Murata. The contrast of weak and strong m the victim (at first) and the bully. I enjoyed this film very much, and liked the fact that it was thought provoking. When a weak man went through so much humiliation, personal dissatisfaction, and pushed to the extreme limit, he really could snap! And when that happened, all hell broke loose...