paulr1978

Viewers on the right hate what they view as anti-police propaganda generated from woke Hollywood tailored for viewers on the left who feel this episode illustrates a good representation of ongoing race-based murders at the hands of law enforcement. In a country where the Congress is too bought off and too cowardly to step up and enact or enforce any hint of racial justice reform, or even admit that systemic racial injustice exists. That's why the poets, songwriters, filmmakers and TV shows are going to make more and more of this stuff until the reality of what's happening every day is coming at you from every direction. This episode quickly gets its ripped-from-the-headlines parody out there (read: shooting of Philando Castile) which is what Dick Wolf does with every production; the guy loves morality tales. Then it moves on to a pretty standard CP action/intrigue joint. But there's no denying the creator wants his audience to form opinions. Atwater character challenges his partner not to run away from facing the subject of color in America. That's the point of the whole episode.

So often after stunning first and second seasons of unique groundbreaking series Netflix decides to squeeze out a dire third season when they should have quit while ahead. Ozark breaks the rule with a well-directed superbly acted thrillscape equal to seasons one and two and no less tense. The married lead characters have dug a hole so deep that getting back out of it has quit being possible long ago. Protecting their own children even seems to be questionable at this point. In fact, it seems the only redeemable characters in the whole cast are the children, even though they have adopted some of the adults' characteristics. Ruth Langmore is possibly the most truly noble person in the entire play although she is regarded as low-life by most of the rest, and she relies entirely on street instinct for her survival but, her motives are entirely to protect others that she loves and on close observation, she is the only completely unselfish character in the cast. Well, maybe Jonah, too. And Wyatt. And Three.

I'm a bit disappointed in the development of Helen's character. Earlier, her one dimensional character was steely and emotionless and we hated her. In S3, she wears more makeup and shows a little sense of humor and this seems dopey; maybe this is because her mother role is introduced but, it makes her less intriguing as a villain. The one huge flaw I couldn't forgive the whole third season was Ben's terrible accent. I'm no expert on the wide variety of Southern accents but, I know North Carolina. Why his accent coaches couldn't teach a real North Carolina accent is a major insult to the folks of that state. His muddled drawl was a mix of Texas, Arkansas, and a few other places and it didn't help his quirky character get a foothold. Not much else to complain about. Darlene is wicked as ever and evil. Love her.

Heavy on atmosphere: lots of dark underground tunnels, haunted buildings, scary woods. Vacant on substance: a series of murders, abductions, buried bodies, a crash at the go-kart track--for each event the FBI/Boston PD joint force, without benefit of evidence, brilliantly chooses to blame Emily who must always run her own solo investigation to solve the mystery. Yawn. Katic's acting is stellar at times; too bad her story is stupid. Many of the the supporting actors have nothing to go on so they can't be blamed. Her Bureau husband is so emotionally disabled that he can only make stunningly wrong decisions but the FBI has him lead the case, fergodsakes! A bright spot: the guy who plays Charles in Ep. 9 for a minute is off-the-hook crazy--that guy should get a show!

Ten for originality. Looking for boilerplate studio formulas, this is not for you. A simple vengeance plot is meticulously displayed with many nuances and luckily for us the twists compound on each other. What I like is the attention to detail and the creators' choice to throw some rules right out the window. Anachronisms don't exist because the period is damn impossible to pin down. Flip phones, texting, and computers are in use, but music references are from the 70s mostly, cars from 50s, ratrods stretching about 5 decades, retro barn entertainment imitating the 30s, and best of all fabulous, fabulous burlesque which, on its own, is reason enough to watch this show. Using a constant pull between soft dialogue and brutal violence creator Josh Corbin has succeeded at making this a tension masterpiece. Like Hitchcock, not every scene is blood-spattered, but you feel the horror of drawn out anticipation. Acting is top notch. Lea Delaria is wicked and a bit androgynous. I want to be Rory Cochrane's character in my fantasy. But my award for excellence in all categories goes to Madison Davenport who could have just relied on knockout looks but instead acts like someone who studied Bette Davis movies all her life. The show makes a simple plot very clear and very entertaining. In other hands it would have ended up looking like trashy kitsch. Instead, this is as close to opera as Netflix can get.

I'll always wonder why Hollywood could waste talent when given opportunities so golden. The raw talents of much of the cast here was completely undercut by an abbreviated, romanticized script only faintly resembling historical events. Audie Murphy, so young in this case, significantly outperforms the cheesy part he's given, sometimes acting profoundly with just his eyes and body language. His trademark speech patterns, recognizable in much of his other work in my opinion ranks equal with Gregory Peck in terms of depth and sincerity. Other young actors rise to meet his level acting above the quality of the thin and barely cohesive plot.

Secondly, the director of photography deserves praise for skill and editing, but the studio gets raspberries for location. I've been to Kansas enough times to know the erratic boulder, pine, and fir strewn mountain ridges seen in this "kansas" are nowhere in reality. California is diverse enough to provide ample locations and, I know politics and money rule, but why the heck couldn't the Central Valley be considered? With the obvious well-endowed budget this film got it just appears the studio assumes its audience was too stupid to know better at the time. I hope not.

As commented by others, it's regrettable that the writers forfeited an opportunity to correctly document a basic record of the Quantrill gang and its opportunistic co-opting of the Civil War for its own gain. Inventing the early conversion of an idealistic and noble Jesse James and gang and making a fictional romance the focus of the story seems consistent with how Hollywood made money then and to a larges extent, now.

By comparison, it's a tightly edited, almost too-well edited movie. I wished some things were better developed. But, it's not dopey like so many from the period. And, the photography, as un-Kansan as it is, is beautiful.

Based on Alyssa's Drag Race performance I checked this out. What a shock to find out that her majesty's excellence as a Queen is possibly only exceeded by his natural professional talent as an educator and businessman. I am a dance dad from about 25 years ago, and I recognize all the drama, intrigue, and thrills I saw on this show. Those moms--wow! People might criticize Justin how he handles people here and there, but man, he is a leader of people and knows exactly how to combine both his masculine and feminine sides to inspire the talent in his people while growing his business. The guy is my idol. In a few years my little granddaughter will be starting dance and I pray there is a Justin out there for her.

The additional spots with Justin as Alyssa Edwards commentary are pure fun--can never get enough of her. Seeing her in performance with her fans and entourage is exciting but, most of all, seeing her in her home and with her own family is vulnerable and touching. I hope Justin is willing to take us further and Netflix spends the cash.

While I'm new to French crime tv, I'm quickly becoming schooled. I'm just afraid that if this is standard stuff, I can't imagine much else being this good, let alone better. Nevertheless, I'm afraid that the inexplicable translation from Zone Blanche to "Black Spot" (in the US) could result in missed viewers who came up with wrong programs in their searches. This was my favorite discovery of 2017.

The assortment of characters are blended into a very believable ensemble as not one single one of them plays a disposable role. Some, who seem passive throughout, turn out to be critical antagonists eventually--it's a neat trick. The combination of the fantastic fog and woods environment coupled with an overt, but not overplayed, paranormal presence gives the viewer no shortage of suspense and chills. Watch it in a dark room without distractions.

This is what early Twin Peaks was. Undoubtedly, Lynch takes no credit as inspiration for and presumably has no connection with this production but, being a number one Lynch fan for 35 years now, I think this show's creators have outdone themselves and out-Lynched David, himself. This time. 9 stars.

EDIT: Having added S2 I note the following changes. Interpersonal relationships between main characters intensify playing out mostly good. The oddball Siriani tends to gradually grow into his inevitable acceptance of life in Villefranche while Sheriff Weiss and Nonours experience turmoil and threats to their curious buddy-cop relationship. More notable is the much heavier handed treatment of the supernatural component in this season compared to S1. In S1 the ghosts were delicately treated here and there in the landscape, never overdone, but, in S2, producers have ramped the monster arc and Weiss' accompanying obsession onto center stage, which has taken time away from the single episode plots involving the very strange and entertaining curious Villefranche local folk. There is also a short mythical historic arc about first century Roman occupation of the locale intended to tie the paranormal business into current day Villefranche. This doesn't provide much. In all, I feel producers aimed to compose all the various threads to support the main arc of Weiss chasing her monster. This changed the show from an anthology with underlying connecting threads to a single long movie split into episodes. I liked season 1 better. Still, I love the characters, and hope for more from these writers.

It's yet another sample of the influences Lynch had on writers and directors 25 years after his first foray into tv land. Those who felt inspiration to indulge in their own rendition of the psychic-police procedural are too many to count, and in my opinion most are not worthy of counting. Kettering is a beaming exception to those. Whether it was by accident or intentional, the creators of this play have succeeded in correctly capturing the eerie cool that the original Twin Peaks once had.

For reference, in the US this show is presented as an 8 episode series. Like Lynch, this first season ended with more questions than answers, leaving fans like myself hoping for more. Who, exactly, is crooked and who is genuine becomes at first clear, and then unclear. The environmental element is a unique subplot leaving doubts again as to how far the damage went, who stands to lose and who will gain everything. The police seem to be adept as forest rangers which is reasonable given the territory; yet, there are suggestions that corruption runs through and high up. The disappearance of the initial victim, Gillian, is darkened by a less than subtle suggestion of paranormal activity and, it waits to be explained to us. Characters who were antagonists eventually see each other in a better light; characters who seemed benign at first hold the keys to the real evil. Elizabeth Debicki's performance as Dr. Anna is outstanding. I'm unfamiliar with her work though I will eventually watch The Night Manager, just to see her again. Nothing about her specifically, and nothing she does in this role stands out as a single monumental achievement unless you consider her consistent and believable interpretation of a character who suffers from ostracism and persistent spells of lost time/blackouts. I found I couldn't take my eyes off of her in this role.

The final link to Lynch's original Twin Peaks is the excellent photography and the location. How the wooded area is filmed sets a perfect dreadfulness but, even more than that, how the characters are affected by and respond to the gloomy exteriors and landscapes is what makes the direction and editing of this show achieve its legitimate mood. 9 stars.

On the surface, a government contractor acts as a facilitator to reintroduce veterans with significant PTSD issues back into their stateside former lives, presumably to reduce or eliminate shock, self-alienation, and failure. The experimental approach involves a sleek, comfortable Florida setting complete with therapists who are unwitting of their actual role, and mind control by means of experimental drugs.

By the end of S1, it is not clear at all who is calling the shots at this facility as employees all seem to have an outsized opinion of their function when, in fact, they each perform as cogs in another more nefarious plan. What they are doing to the veterans becomes evident eventually. That's when the wheels fall off. Crises of conscience are suffered leading to illicit use of or dependence on the mystery drug.

Fans of Mr. Robot will probably love this. Viewers looking for more explicit action and quick pacing will probably be too bored to stick with it. Fans of Kubrick, Lynch, or in my case, Denis Villeneuve, will recognize the influences of these and other directors. But Esmail is no copycat. His use of the long shot is not as painfully suspended as Kubrick's. Whenever the camera hangs on long, the viewer can observe character development as the actor acts with their eyes and face. Esmail chooses the most arbitrary set details to linger on just barely long enough for you to begin to suspect a clue, or foreshadow, is being given (I just knew that pelican in the beginning had its own particular role in the game, beyond just posing majestically).

Symbolism is everywhere, but the use of if is woven into the background, never in your face, never overstated as is the case with so many of the most popular police procedural shows (i'm thinking of Law & Order SVU, NCIS, or anything involving Bruckheimer). By way of example, the contractor is named Geist which translates to "ghost" from German. Another one: at Geist headquarters where the various divisions are named after tree species, the division where Colin Belfast (played by Cannavale) resides is named after the Manchineel tree, a southern US native tree commonly called the beach apple, and everything on the tree is toxic. These are a couple of the most obvious cases. Less clear are tiny things like Heidi Bergman's (played by Roberts) rarely observed slight obsessive-compulsive disorder. What does that mean?

Esmail's fingerprints are unique and found throughout this series. Scoring and sound is used to identify certain characters and situations, much the same way as Esmail does in Mr. Robot, leitmotif. Birds eye view camera shots enhance the feeling of suspense/suspicion. The overhead-and-a-few-feet-behind camera trailing the slow moving car is ripped directly off the S2 final episode of Mr. Robot. It made me smile. One curious appropriation still has me spooked. A piano study is played through the ending of ep. 8 when Heidi Bergman is at her rock bottom lowest, having just discovered the true malice of her employer and what role she played in condemning the vets. The music, here newly arranged, is thematic music from a little seen old Coppola move, The Conversation, an excellent suspense noir also involving hidden motives, surveillance, and paranoia.

Esmail is outstanding in my estimation, and I believe we've only gotten the tip of his iceberg. He develops characters like nobody else today, and often with very little dialogue being used. Characters are sympathetic and complex, possessing both virtues and negative traits. At 30-minute episode pacing, this series is dangerously prone to binge material. And yet, in that short span Esmail conveys a level of suspense followed up with cliffhangers that one by one produce a heavy sense of dread. Kubrick usually needed two or three hours to achieve this.