Barbouzes

I can't say I liked the odd and artsy cuts in the movie (long pauses with a red screen or black screen and only the sound behind to let you know the movie is still going on, and it is not a malfunction of the projector. Too precious and not meaningful cinema in my eyes) but I liked everything else. The choices behind the crisp visuals, the acting, the rhythm of the story, and this incredible choice of point of view with only the background sound to let you IMAGINE and reflect on what this story is really about. The choices or compromises people make in war, deliberately or forced by circumstances. The horror of a system where millions lose their life or lose their soul.

Love it. It is soap opera with lofty aspirations. Sharp dialogues, characters we want to kill or embrace, and OMG the costumes! OMG, the dresses, the tassels, the hats, the mansions!!! I bet the actors had fun doing it (except maybe when it comes to fitting into the extreme corsets. Trim waistlines galore!) Me, I have great fun watching and even my husband drinks the show like sweet milk. We actually never miss the opening credits at the beginning of each episode: the CGI visuals unfolding in that lush 1 minute sequence are enchanting. Julian Fellowes: fine job getting the money to film this plethora, and great job on the script. We love it.

Viewer, is the show is worth your time? Watch the show, enjoy the bonbons and go to bed dreaming. Total guilty pleasure.

Loved the cast of characters and the 4 first seasons. (for those reviewers who cannot fathom the Taylor Mason appeal, here is my question: you don't like intelligent human beings solid with ethics and courage? Me, I do. She/they is the moral relief among the disgusting old boy bastion that Billions makes a point of shoving in our face- hello Charles Rhoades senior! (this said, this elderly reprobate is a lot of fun to watch.) The show is fun and thrilling, well constructed and well dialogued...until season 5. By season 6 onward, the situations and characters tumble into a crazed washing machine drum, up and down and recycle: a circle of unbelievably fast plot twists and a repetitive format of snappy dialogues that all sound written by AI. No character after season 5 can utter a sentence without throwing in it a sports or pop cultural reference. Since sports and pop culture are not my bag at all, these references went over my head, or under my feet, leaving me annoyed and bored. (Now real quotations from Voltaire or Kierkegaard or Seneca...might have been more appreciated.) The whole crew turns into one-dimensional cartoon clichés- Wags, Spyros, Dollar Bill, MaFee, Kate Sacker, Dave,Wendy and Chuck Rhoades, Ryan, Bonnie, Mike Prince and even Bobby Axelrod. To add injury to insult, by the time he is written back into the show on season 6, Bobby Axelrod seems to have had the fire extinguished from him (in real life indeed, Damian Lewis' wife died between 2 seasons, and for all Lewis' great talent, I read that tragedy in his eyes and body language. I feel for his pain, sincerely.) Otherwise, it had been a fun ride with Paul Giamatti& co while it lasted.

I saw this movie twice- once when it came out (loved the atmosphere and the amazing sets with their mid century depraved flourish. But I did not remember much about the story afterwards except I had a good time at the cinema. And,oh, there was blood). I just saw the film again 5 years later via a friend's blue ray DVD on his roll down home screen with a top notch projector. (It felt like being in 1957, with much better technology!) Wow. That film is visually stunning, and I actually loved the script: the layers of back stories for each characters all make sense and are brought in on their own pace; I did not think the pace was slow- I thought it was just right. The Manson cult sub plot, J Edgar Hoover obsessions, diverse degrees of sexual harassment for all the women involved, and the Vietnam war context- with a great music soundtrack that keeps the beat going. The violence has a meaning and has moral consequences. This is no Tarantino vacuous plot, dudes. There is meat, crimes and redemptions, and a lush pleasure for the eyes. Plus great actors. A solid piece of entertainment worth seeing more than once, on par with old Bogart films or Chinatown.

Naw. Did not work for me. The characters are cliches, cardboard cut-outs who look and act like stock photos from the 1980s, and the situations are all contrived and expected -with swelling& sad music to bring them on and on and on. I did not feel a speck of genuine emotion in this film. If you have seen Cinema Parasido, the 1980 Italian film , also using a local cinema as the mirror for the locals' modest lives' tragedies, the difference between forced emotions- that's Empire of Light- and real pathos -the sublime Cinema Paradiso- will hit you in the face you like the difference between a fresh ripe strawberry vs a cheap chemical strawberry flavor.

Ridiculous movie with, as usual, the high-school level cinematic "tricks" of Godard. Thank goodness for Bardot: she is the only reason to see this film. And to think she is in this film only because Godard's producers wanted a big box office attraction and forced her casting over the overrated hack director's wishes. The plot is less than zero. Really: a grown couple tearing each apart for 2 hours with the communication skills of 12-years olds?? The rest of the "action" is gobbledygook & navelgazing about the plight of the filmmaker as auteur and genius. I saw that movie twice now -could not remember the plot, only Bardot's beauty- and was checking it again for the shots in the Casa Malaparte on Capri. Confound me: the movie was even more inane and boring the second time around! By the by, the Blue Ray DVD is not an upgrade on the standard version: the film remains grainy and visually inconsistent, and the sound is awful. Frankly, even Brigitte Bardot cannot rescue a Godard movie. The man is a bore, and a misogynist imbecile to boot.

I love, love, love Donkey Skin. It is an insane premise (though coherent from a Freudian point of view, of course) with insane visuals, but the beauty in this concoction of cinematic art is unbelievably fun to watch. The songs by Michel Legrand: insane. The colors and costumes: insane. Chambord as the requisite fairy tale castle: glorious. The beauty and youth of Catherine Deneuve, Jacques Perrin and Delphine Seyrig : to cry for. By what luck did Jacques Demy found money to make this insane and glorious film?

I watched it as a child many times, then as a grown up in art and essay cinemas, then I bought the Blue Ray DVD edited by Agnes Varda, widow of Jacques Demy. Bring it on: a never ending pleasure.

The first GOTG was fun and fresh: loved the humour and the banter between the insane characters. In this 3rd installment, the raccoon was doing the best acting...and yet he is a CGI puppet!!! Need I say more? His backstory was compelling and well brought on, although certainly and forcefully designed to bring on tears. I was surprised to hear kids in the theater where I saw the movie: this film is dark in substance, amazingly violent, sometime disturbing (the mangled animals -as CGI as they were-, distressed me greatly) and the many scenes of "friendly" characters screaming at each other instead of having a conversation, far from being humorous, were tedious and upsetting. In short, it is too violent for children, and the plot is too childish for adults. Time to retire the series. Enough with the green screen and the galactic universes with guns and a thousand explosions. Bring on real writers and real characters.

Husband and i did not expect much from this small movie with unknown (to us) actors, but we ended up quickly roped in by its theme and how cleverly it develops. A Groundhog Day idea unfolding on another plane- this story is of an inoffensive enough but flawed man discovering what and who he is about to lose, and what his benign neglect will cost him. We watched the film in Italian with subtitles to not miss the local flavor, and discovered a great story that unfolds subtly, yet at a crisp pace. On a background of -basically- the tragedy of modern life-, the story goes from funny to hugely emotional without ever being cloying or pandering. And no pat ending either. This script is brilliant and original, and the 2 main actors are a joy to watch. Loved it,

I do not speak Turkish, I have never been to Turkey, but I am watching this show in the original Turkish (with English subtitles) because 1-I like to be taken to another place- 2 I don't mind being taken to another time 3- the story line is playful and the characters grabbed me. Sure, like all time travel tales, there are big plot holes (because it is time travel, people!) and historical details that might not be accurate. But the 3 main leads are compelling companions in this wild ride. (particular kudos to the actor who plays Halit- he is smoldering under his mysterious persona.) I'm not taking this story too seriously, but I am very pleasantly surprised and entertained. There is exoticism, glamor, moral valor, unexpected friendships, unexpected passion, and a surprising blend of real emotions that transcend the silliness of the plot.

I watch Italian series for entertainment and to learn Italian (I watch all shows anyway in the original language with English subtitles). This series is meticulously put together, and features solid locations, great set designs, and an interesting choice of music (Italian pop hits from the 1990s, is my guess). The characters are all intriguing, and are presented for our viewing through the eyes of the main protagonist, diffident teenager Giovanna- hence the "mystery" or "alienation" about them some viewers say they could not cope with: these characters are as mysterious to Giovanna as they are to us. She is 16, curious, and she discovers, searches, experiments, and in the process hurts herself and others. But she wants a life worth living. It does not matter whether we like these characters or even Giovanna: everyone in the show feels real, and the ride is compelling (almost too short- 6 episodes only!)

I am only on episode 2 but I don't think I will go on. This "historically-based" show is slack not just with events but costumes and dialogues. These women should all be wearing serious corsets, people! (why, this was the era of 18-inch waistlines with murderous corsets, pups) and they definitely are not: they are strutting about loosely and running around amok- those are not bodies restrained by corsets. Linguistically, the dialogues (I happen to be French, so my complaint here is not about the dubbing since I am listening to the show in French, and my husband is reading the English subtitles for himself) are grotesquely not period-correct; In the first episode already, at least 3 characters -all social origins confounded- bark "Y'a un probleme?" for alternatively "what's wrong?" or" If you don't like what you see, move over". "Y'a un probleme", baby, is 2019 ubiquitous slack TV-speak, not 1885 urban dialect. No Emile Zola inspired work here: it is lazy writing, and that doesn't bode well for the rest of the script. Compare the shlock Bazar dialogues to the polished writing the BRIDGERTON series offers . Bridgerton's language respects and uses the intricacies of 1770 speech for our delight, because it actually adds fun for us, 21st century viewers, to marvel at the contrast between the modernity of the characters' actions and their antiquated language. Bazar, at the opposite end of this viewing experience, is a flat lazy mess.

Silly sentimentalism and flagrant absurdities. I am on episode 6, so I cannot say that I watched the whole series, but after episode 3 already, husband and I already felt that the coincidences, the crowding of off kilter characters and seesaw events signaled a poorly cooked soap opera plot that unfortunately destroys the otherwise laudable efforts of production. Solid actors, great costumes, gorgeous photography and decors, but the characters are cartoonish, the dialogues often clichés (I speak French, but my husband does not: we are watching the show in French with English subtitles.) and anachronisms abound in this ridiculously pompous stew. A FRENCH VILLAGE, the WW2 French series whom some reviewers compared this show to because of the presence of Audrey Fleurot in both shows, is far superior on all fronts: realism, compelling characters and a believable plot. This Women At War thing is simply not believable -period.

Loved the season 1: gorgeous actors, compelling characters, an unusual mix of evils under the Roman sun: politician, mafia, flamboyant gypsies and even the cardinals in the Vatican are rotten to their core. Note: I am watching it in Italian with English subtitles: bathing in this Roman succo and loving it!

Season 2, however becomes a caricature of a plot: the characters change directions so often in each episode the viewer gets a whiplash trying to remember who promised what to who, and why are they still discussing how to kill Samurai and not succeeding? La bellissima Sara Moneschi goes from sweetly solicitous one second then spitting venom and threats in the next second, and 4 scenes later, these two characters ( a cardinal, Cinaglia, Lele etc) go through the same circle and no one seems to notice this has been done already and why are these people still speaking to her anyway?

Season 3 just started: it looks caricatural again, but.. too late: husband and I are hooked to Suburra. Sospiro!

The show grew on me as it unfolded. Big time. All the characters are engaging (and superbly acted, because I forgot I was watching actors) and the setting is believable in its daily grind yet exceptional happenstances. It is fun to watch, fun to see what happens, and often very funny. It is, above all, very well written: no clichés in the dialogues or the usual pablum linked to family dramas. Husband and I are watching it in French with English subtitles: the "couleur locale" is part of the charm or fun in the foreign shows I watch. We always turn on the original version with subtitles: better immersion.

Oh, such a thoroughly enjoyable version of the classic Austen novel! I loved, I bathed in its pastel atmosphere and delightful wit. Dakota Johnson is proving to be a heck a fun actress to watch. The choice of the director and writers? Keeping the era, its costumes and its societal codes, but adapting the dialogue to our time without dumbing it down (I thought it was actually quite witty how the script writers managed) and mixing races as the TV series Bridgerton did without making a fuss about it (and why not? Everyone knows this racial mix is not historically correct, but does this matter in telling this tale of love lost and found again?). I think it is a phenomenally gutsy choice and... it worked like a charm for me and my husband!

It is addictive, well produced, exotic (I love the Hebrew/Arabic linguistic switches) and for all the tragic background and the basic horror the viewer is confronted with, it is great entertainment partially because the actors are likable and there is not a dull moment. But by season 3, you realize the battles are too skewed for that show to be honest or to be taken seriously. Frankly, season 3 is a cartoon: we are to believe that 3 or 4 shaggy Israeli aging superheroes kill 30 Palestinians per episode in 2 seconds. Forget all attempts at fair representation at this point: the Palestinians exist on screen only to die for the glory of our special unit. It is too bad: the first 2 seasons were tightly written and tried to show the pathos on both sides, but by season 3, it is all reheated thrills and ridiculously unrealistic situations.

Oh boy....Only historical interest can keep the viewer awake in this painfully slow story. I have seen a lot of silent movies in my life (the art & essay cinema in my college town plays silent movies with a live piano accompaniment.You bet!) I have seen many 1920s engaging scripts, gorgeous black&white contrasts, comic and tragic stories that still resonate as such in 2020. (Fritz Lang's Destiny, 1924, comes to mind, for instance) But Sunrise...is not it. Sure, I can admire the camera moves and sets creativity, but the acting here is THE tragedy. OMG, we are drenched in full-on Silent Movie Era pantomime for over 2 hours! Not everyone in 1927 was as caricatural as George o'Brien shows himself to be here (Louise Brooks, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Ivan Mosjoukine: these actors could emote without bugging their eyes out.) His tedious pantomime (and that of the "evil city woman" equally) is what dates the movie more than anything else. There are movies that transcend their time, and movies who don't. Sunrise transcends only as an archeological artifact.

It is easy on the eyes and displays great production value (ambiance, set designs, camera work, gorgeous images), but as endearing as the main characters are, they all act too dumb for the viewer to get involved into this shaggy tale. This is the classic bad writing issue of shows that grip you at first but peters out fast: no coherence in behavior or storyline. I am watching the series in French with english subtitles (yes, I can read and and hear at the same time) so I know this is not a translation issue. It is just bad story writing. I saw the 2 existing seasons, and I doubt a 3rd season can bring that mess to a reasonable conclusion. Oh, and I downgrade the show by 1 star for this: the guinea pig in the story is mistreated. No one should grab a guinea pig the way Nounours does (by its dorsal hair?! Are you insane or just too dumb, man???). And no guinea pig should be left in a tiny cage without a guinea pig mate to commiserate with.

It was made for French TV in the 1970s but the action takes place in the early 1800s and the historical context is firmly rooted and believable. Each episode in the series has great rhythm, good actors, and 3 recurrent characters that stand out in their personality or charm: Vidocq, inspector Flambart and the incomparable baronne de Saint Gely. in 2020, I think it is still good writing and quality entertainment for what it aimed to be : a TV family show with nothing offensive and plenty of suspense.

I love old movies, love Bette Davis and love Charles Boyer, but, by golly....this movie is one stinker! A snooze & sirup fest: it is utterly lifeless. Painted backdrops, laughable accents, ridiculous dialogues, every sentimental cliché in the book and all actors overacting like in a silent film melodrama. My husband actually declared it "the worse movie he ever watched" -partially because he started dozing off at 1h and 45 minutes, and THAT is when we both realized there was still 1 hour to go with that lifeless script. A scenario going nowhere, and building up to nothing, ever so slowly and tediously. In truth, husband and I both have seen worse movies in our life, but this one will count as a complete waste of our time!

I am utterly blown away by the talent and creativity in this show. The writing is superb, the script always unexpected, and the actors are all doing a compelling job (Bette Midler is a hoot in her part!). I am flying along with the plot, admiring every minute of that production. Text, visuals, color, costumes: I am a happy girl, and my brain is thriving too. Bring on season 3!

This show starts well with fun opening credits, great parodic music, good actors, and a seductive premise (it is a spy genre parody, and we can expect hilarity, right?) but, sadly, this is not on the level of OSS177 Cairo Nest Of Spies: the writing is inconsistent and the laughs are rare. I hung in there for 6 episodes and gave up: the main characters are idiots or nasty or both, some will appear and vanish for no reason, they all amount to sophomoric caricatures, the storylines are thin or scattered, and the jokes fall flat most of the time. The suit "joke" , for instance, is stretched for so long that it becomes irritating instead of being funny- it is bad timing or bad writing, or both. My advice to the producers of this series: keep the actors, keep the set designers and the music composer... but hire better writers.

So fun to follow "Piers and Caroline" engaging us viewers in these stunning residences. Personally, I find them to be classy hosts with plenty of wit and banter: Caroline brings the whimsy, Piers smolders with technical appreciation, and in my opinion they make a great team in this treasure hunt for crazy modern architectural wonders. Most homes are not necessarily my taste (not really live-able by my pedestrian standards) but all are stunners in their technical features, thought process and locations. (Somehow, I loved all the houses located in Switzerland!!!) This show is a delight to watch from beginning to end. Husband and I watched all available seasons, and we are eager for more!

Went and saw the film in a theater after it was re-released because of the Oscar win. And....like many reviewers here, I am baffled as to why this movie garnered so many accolades from Cannes to Hollywood. It is brilliantly filmed and well acted, but when it comes to its script, I can think of many more efficient, more subtle, less simplistic movies tackling class warfare with the purpose of entertainment. Indeed, Italian comedies of the 1960s and 70s were masters in that field, and they did it with fearless gusto, caustic laughs, perverse subtlety -and no artificial twists like in Parasite. I can watch over and over "Bread And Chocolate" (1974, with Nino Mandredi) or any Ettore Scola movie of the same period (try "Ugly, Dirty and Bad", 1976, for great fun!). I don't think i will remember Parasite in 3 days.