Avwillfan89

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Reviews

Wicked Little Letters
(2023)

The full on comedy is let down by its tonal inconsistencies.
While this film is absolutely hilarious in parts, it doesn't manage to fall under the category of comedy. Nor does it do that good a job with its historical accurancy.

The real life story of the Littlehampton libel letters is a much more complex one, a darker tale full of flawed, unlikeable characters. The movie version soft-pedals certain events in order to tell a story about the oppression of women at this certain time in Britain. The sexual discrimination Police Officer Gladys Moss suffers is mirrored with the domestic abuse Edith suffers at home at the hands of her cruel, misogynistic father Edward. While this does lead to some revelations about certain characters - this dark tone contrasts with the hilarious vulgarity of the dialogue in other scenes. And sadly it doesn't always balance out.

Timothy Spall's character is very one- dimensional. He is far too cartoonishly evil and therefore doesn't have any nuance.

While the character of Moss shows what hardships women had to endure when they took on "men's work", in real life she was not Indian, which would have added a whole new layer of difficulty for her in that time and place - even though Anjana Vasan is really fantastic in the role.

The two leads Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley are fantastic as ever in this. And their chemistry radiates, which does help the film a lot.

The interesting thing about the swearing is that when it's used as a dry joke, and in the letters, which are very peculiar, it's funny. But when it is used by men to put women down and abuse them, it absolutely is not.

Overall not quite the funny romp I was hoping for, but still enjoyable in parts.

Love Lies Bleeding
(2024)

Bad gays go everywhere.
This is such a unique and electrifying premise. The subject of a film noir, featuring female body building and gay women is something that is incredibly exciting.

While Rose Glass's first film Saint Maud showed a lot of promise, this film pretty much cements the director as talent to watch.

Kristen Stewart is as brilliant as she has ever been in this role. It's one she's clearly very much at ease with. Katie O Brian also truly shines in this role that seemed to be tailor-made for her. Especially given the fact that she not only was a body builder at some point in her life, but she also worked as a police officer for seven years.

As for the lesbians going wild about this film, there are a lot of passionate raunchy sex scenes between the two leads, and it is HOT.

It also should be noted that NONE of the characters in the film are good people, not even the two lead women. It was a very welcome change to see two gay women in a mainstream film be incredibly flawed and make stupid, and I mean STUPID mistakes.

Which brings me to the crux of the film: Careless, obsessive love costs lives.

The "Love is like a drug" theme is done extremely well here. The unconditional love, the messy love, the destructive love, and the "love will hurt you the most" love.

There is also a lot to be said on how this plays on bodies. You have Jackie, who was teased as kid for being fat, bulk herself up to the max and be larger than life. In contrast, there is Lou who chain-smokes and eats ready made meals, and Daisy, Lou's possessive and suspicious off again, on again girlfriend who rots her set of teeth with sweets.

It's a great little twist on the western noir genre.

Daisy Jones & The Six
(2023)

More of this, please!
The book that this series is based on absolutely blew me away. The characters, the relationships, the troubles and the feelings that run high, the chemistry and of course the music - all of it is perfect!

Riley Keogh is a perfect Daisy Jones and she is absolutely who I pictured in the novel. Sam Claflin as Billy Dunne I was a little less convinced - however Claflin played him extremely well.

This has a few differences from the book - such as Simone, Daisy's friend, having a much bigger role as a disco singer coming to terms with her sexuality, as well as Camilla's role in the episodes expanded.

The messiness of falling for someone in the famous band is on full display here. The heartbreak, the flawed dynamics, addiction and mental health. You absolutely do believe you are witnessing the rise and fall of an actual band (this one being particularly inspired by the career and lives of Fleetwood Mac)

Taylor Jenkins Reid's library is full of gems like these, and I can't wait to see what they do with the rest of her novel adaptations.

The Zone of Interest
(2023)

Zone of discomfort
There isn't any onscreen violence in this film. And yet the implication of what you see is far more disturbing than any gore or physical stuff.

A boy examines several gold teeth - we know where they came from.

A nazi officer wipes away blood from his shoe - we know what happened.

A woman tries on new sets of clothing - we know they belonged to someone else.

Skulls and ash - we know who the victims are

The sounds of screaming, shouting and occasional gunshots - sometimes loud enough, other times mixing with other sounds - we know what is going on.

This is a masterclass in subtlety and depiction of the banality of evil. The casualty in cruelness and indifference towards what is literally happening on the other side of the wall is palpable. It makes you super aware of your surroundings.

Not always a pleasant watch, but an important and brilliantly made film.

Poor Things
(2023)

Enter the colourful, wonderfully weird world of Bella Baxter.
This film is delightfully gorgeous to look at. Emma Stone is not only physically mesmerising, but her character arc is one of the most incredible to witness. And she completely embraces the character without any shame or reticence, and it's just simply amazing.

Like Lanthimos's last film, The Favourite, which was considerably a lot more than "Mean Girls with high stakes", this film is also considerably a lot more than "Feminist retelling of Frankenstein". It has a lot of philosophical ideas about the human condition, about mankind's cruelty towards others and the role of women in society. It's like a brilliant collection of weird, fancy chocolates all in one movie.

Delightfully bizzare, unabashedly forthcoming and bravely experimental, this is nothing short of a triumph.

Lanthimos and Stone have done it yet again!

The End We Start From
(2023)

Motherhood and social disasters collide.
While I don't know what it's like to have a baby, this film certainly paints a pretty accurate picture of what it's like to have your world turned upside down by the arrival of a newborn. Only this time, it happens just as the country is almost completely flooded and society has been thrown into chaos.

The book that this film is based on reminded me of both The Impossible and The Handmaid's Tale - dystopian horror mixed with motherhood and the effects it has on women.

This film takes a rather different approach to the story. It reminded me of the Covid lockdown, how the whole world was in chaos and how greedy people can become. This story is centered almost entirely on Jodie Comer's character's relationship with her baby, the effects it has on her body and mind, and all the while dealing with terrible tragedies.

It features a warming, delightful cameo by Benedict Cumberbatch, along with a sweet relationship the MC has with a fellow mother (Katherine Waterson).

Although I would have liked a little more insight into the world building, this is a really beautiful, devastating and intimate indie film about the upheaval of motherhood and environmental nightmares, the latter of which sadly could very well become our reality.

Wish
(2023)

A terrible way to celebrate 100 years
This movie is Bland with a capitol B.

It fails at so many aspects, it's difficult to pinpoint which one is the worst.

For a start, it completely misses the point of how wishes in media work. The conflict arrises when Magnifico refuses to grant Asha's wish - which is really her grandfather's wish. Saba wants to "inspire the next generation" which Magnifico describes as too vague. And he is right. He keeps most of the wishes to himself, due to a trauma in his past and so the wishes don't spin out of control. A perfectly sound reason. What if some people's wishes involve killing a relative to get money? Or getting revenge on someone in a horrible way?

But no, the film doesn't go any further than that, other than saying 'he's a meglomaniac with fascist ideology and dismisses the heroine as too young and naive to understand.'

Which brings me to Asha.

She is one of, if not the most, blandest Disney Princesses I've ever seen. Mulan disguised herself as a man and fought hard in the army to save her father from death. Tiana scrimped and saved every penny to open a restaurant in her late father's honour. Relatable goals, correct?

Well Asha quite literally has no agency of her own except that she wants the best for her people and her family. This would have worked if there were real stakes involved. But when Magnifico crushes wishes, all the people do is get a little bit sad.

All of my favourite Disney movies are the ones who have a bit of darkness to them, beloved character deaths, mature themes and hard life lessons. Watching this and knowing so many ways it could have improved is incredibly disappointing.

As for the songs, they don't fare any better. Ariana DeBose certainly has an amazing voice, and Chris Pine can also definitely sing, but the lyrics and their placement are all over the place. The "I Want Song" This Wish is uninspiring. This Is The Thanks I Get doesn't do the thing villain songs is supposed to. At All Costs sounds more like a romantic ballad than the villain and the heroine singing to the wishes. And I'm A Star is utterly disposable.

It's clear the creators were more interested in putting in easter eggs of other Disney creations rather than making something wholly original and memorable. They just kept playing it safe at every turn.

Very, very disappointing.

Anatomie d'une chute
(2023)

Fantastic and fascinating legal drama
This is so much more than your average trial film. It is a deep dive into themes of memory, of domestic drama and fallouts from traumatic incidents.

This film also has the distinction of switching between both French and English. This is the first film I've seen that properly deals with what it feels like to be bilingual, and how one feels more at ease with one language than they do with another. Samuel is francophone, but Sandra is German, yet fluent in English, and cannot express herself as precisely in French. This, along with accusations of plagiarism and infidelity, as well as the difficulty of raising a blind son, leads to extreme conflict within the relationship.

The concept of memory is also invoked. A character tells another: if you are not sure what is true, then you must tell the truth that you are the most comfortable with.

All of this makes for a hypnotic film that leaves you glued to the screen. All the actors involved are absolutely brilliant, even the dog!

Incredible work from all involved. :)

How to Have Sex
(2023)

The Hangover for girls: the real deal
Men who behave in horny, hedonistic ways on holiday can continue to do so well into their old age without consequences. Women do the same, and they become victims.

That is the message, I believe, that comes out of this coming of age film, where three British girls let off some steam before exams come, with excessive drinking and partying and trying to get laid.

It portrays a hangover perfectly: What may have been absolutely awesome the night before, turns into a dull or even nightmarish affair the day after. Its depiction of how consent tips so delicately into one balance or the other is really well shown.

I think this is one of my top ten films of the last 10 years. The movie has a great flow and natural feel to it that I really loved. Everything was so realistically captured: the feel of youth, the uncertainty, the awkwardness, the loud drunkenness and the feeling that some things will not always last forever, like friendship and innocence.

What If...?: What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?
(2023)
Episode 9, Season 2

How to ruin a series and a great character.
Well this was a colossal disappointment in every sense of the word. Supreme Strange, who had redeemed himself at the end of the last series by saving the multiverse, has turned evil again and tries to destroy it in order to resurrect his own world.

Yes the writers, for no discernible reason whatsoever, have completely reversed the growth and arc of my favourite character, just so two overpowered female characters can save the world.

Just when I thought Marvel could sink no lower, they create one of the ultimate writer faux pas and retcon a character arc. And it didn't even end up being a good story. It was boring, unoriginal and completely pointless.

I liked Captain Carter in the beginning of this show, but now she has become so overpowered (think G'Iah in Secret Invasion) and annoying (her arrogance does her no favours either) that I no longer care about her.

I am officially done with Marvel. Destroying and killing one of my favourite characters was the last straw.

The Marvels
(2023)

Lower, Further, Slower
This film is somehow way more depressing and worse than Ant Man Quantumania. We honestly thought Eternals was bad, but that was only the beginning. It was only going to go downhill from there.

Watching this movie felt like watching a beloved friend in a coma fighting for her life. It was sad, frustrating and ultimately hopeless. So much potential squandered right before our very eyes.

Much has been said about the Girl Power aspect of this story, but it doesn't mean jack when the characters are so thinly written. After the big character tension build up between Carol and Monica, with the latter resenting her for not coming back, their fractures mend themselves very quickly. There is no chemistry between the the two at all.

The villain is Bland with a capitol B, and highly forgettable.

Nick Fury is actually pathetic in this movie. He doesn't at all act like the Fury we know and love. He was more in character in Far From Home when Talos was impersonating him!

I don't think I've ever had this much of a bad experience with a film since Cats. And it is telling that there actually features a ludicrous scene involving baby flerkens and the song Memory.

What the actual hell, Marvel?

The only good thing is that it is mercifully short, and Iman Vellani does seem to be enjoying herself in the role.

Once a great studio, brought crumbling down on itself. If I could give it zero stars, I would.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
(2023)

Not worth the wait.
There are some prequels or sequels that no one asked for, but end up being happy that they happened anyway.

This sadly isn't one one of them.

I was already upset by the fact that many of the core voice actors were being replaced. Mel Gibson I could understand for obvious reasons, but the excuse for Julie Sawalha's exclusion was not acceptable. I do believe the real reason was because Sawalha is no longer famous, while Thandi (or Thandiwe) Newton, her replacement, is a big name in the industry. This is a growing trend in modern animation where famous actors are favoured to voice cartoon characters rather than actual voice actors.

At one point Ginger fearfully says "that voice!" before the reveal of the return of Mrs Tweedy. It would have been extremely awkward if Miranda Richardson was no longer voicing the villain.

The story itself is a little too similar to the first Chicken Run and the animation looks too shiny and CGIed, despite most of it being clay-animation. The stakes were not really as high, and the characters were not as fleshed out as they were in the first film.

My favourite character is still Fowler, as he was still hilarious. And unlike the new voices for the other main characters, David Bradley does a great job here.

The humour in the first film was intelligent and witty. But despite most of the film still being proudly British (even including a chicken character with a Scouse accent) , the magic and the passion found in the first film has dampened down quite a lot here.

Kids will no doubt enjoy it. But after 23 years, I wasn't all that impressed.

Killers of the Flower Moon
(2023)

The foxes in the hen's coop.
This is an incredibly moving, tragic, grim, dark story about an attempted genocide committed against the Osage people at the turn of the century. One that everyone should have known about for years, but sadly had been swept under the rug. Because Native people were not deemed as important as white people when they were killed in masses. As one character puts it: a man had more chances of being convicted of killing a dog than an Indian.

In regards to its excessive runtime, if anyone can make a very long movie feel much shorter, it's Martin Scorsese.

His films are always so well paced and written that, that , unlike many other films of today, it makes the time pass quickly because it's so immersive, captivating and fascinating.

This film brings home all of his common traits: greed, corruption, incompetent criminals, narration, and murder. This is the first time, however, that a female character gets Scorsese's narrative treatment. Mollie Burkhart (played brilliantly by Lily Gladstone) is the movie's beating heart in a sea of horrific sabotage and slayings. In many of the director's other movies, there is a problematic trope of women being portrayed as nothing more than gold-diggers with pretty faces. In this film however, it's reversed. Leo DiCaprio wants to marry Gladstone's character for her money. It was another nice little change that I appreciated.

This film could, potentially, have also done well as a miniseries (expanding on the story and the background of its setting and characters) but I'm still really glad we still get to witness the mastery of Scorsese's genius directing and storytelling.

May December
(2023)

A lot of problems. Not what I was hoping for.
Maybe I had too many high expectations for this film. But the script is all over the place and many of its plot points raised more questions than answers.

First of all, why would it only be the lead actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) who is spending time with the family her film is focused on? Surely that's for the director and the screenwriter to unpack? I understand she wanted to get into her character and meet the woman she would be playing. But then she does something completely innappropriate, and there are no consequences for it.

With Gracie, in the end, there really isn't much more to unpack than what we already know from the beginning. She is a sexual predator and a child rapist who ended up marrying her victim and had kids with him. That's it.

Joe, on the other hand, is probably the most interesting part of the film. His character goes through a lot and is the most conflicted out of all of them. He slowly realises that the decision to stay with his abuser and raise a family was done out of naivety, youth and possibly grooming. Now that he, as well as all of his children, have grown up, he starts to mature and question his life.

So perhaps the film should have been only from his point of view and not Elizabeth's, as she was very undeveloped and vapid.

In the end, not that all impressed.

The Holdovers
(2023)

A sweet, 70s themed movie perfect for the holidays.
Finally, Alexander Payne has made a worthy follow up to his (in my opinion at least) masterpiece Sideways.

I really related so much to all three of the main characters, who all come from different backgrounds. Paul Giamatti, brilliant in almost anything he does, plays a grumpy, alcoholic, sour professor who does not suffer fools and doesn't cut his privileged students any slack. Dominic Sessa is troubled teen with a dysfunctional family and mental issues. D'Avine Joy Randolf is a grieving mother stuck in a job wanting to make ends meet for her family, by her choice.

This movie has great character development, a wholesome story with flawed yet lovable characters you can root for and terrific, funny dialogue. Simple, yet perfect. 9 out of 10.

In the Cut
(2003)

Stopped watching halfway through
Some critics seem to prefer this film over Jane Campion's masterpieces such as The Power of The Dog or The Piano. I honestly don't know why.

What Campion tried to do here was an attempt at an erotic thriller/murder mystery. And it just doesn't land. It just didn't excite me in the way it was supposed to.

While the cast is mostly good in their roles (Mark Ruffalo as a sleazy detective and Jennifer Jason Leigh as a troubled yet free spirited sibling) Meg Ryan is terribly miscast in this role. It made it clear to everyone that she was not that good of an actress to pull off a complex role such as this one. Her bland emotions and wooden acting does the movie no favours at all. Nicole Kidman was meant to be cast as the lead, but she was in a bad time in her life and didn't want to push herself too hard.

I honestly believe Campion is at her best when she is making period dramas. And what with this film and Holy Smoke not leaving that big of an impression on me, I think she should stick to them.

Milli Vanilli
(2023)

A tragic cautionary tale hopefully not repeated
This is an incredibly sad story about the evils of the music industry, and how human life is disposable as long as there is money to be made.

People lip-sync all the time. It's not a big deal. What Milli Vanilli were accused of in the press was overtly dramatised and unfair. Sure they were naive and impulsive to not read their contracts, but the man behind all of this, Frank Farian, got off absolutely scot free, while Rob and Fab payed the ultimate price, simply because they were the face of the product. While Fab was able to bounce back, start a family and re-ignite his career as a solo artist, Rob descended into horrific drug addiction, getting arrested several times, and ultimately passing away due to an overdose.

The worst thing about this is that Rob and Fab actually COULD sing and rap. They just weren't allowed to. And despite Rob and Fab arguably not being able to speak much English at the beginning, that could have been been easily arranged. They could have sung in German, made some money, and then worked on their English and released an accessible album for all and still be successful.

There have been many instances where artists were not allowed to sing on their own tracks and were just put there for show because they 'looked good'. (English R&B girl band The Honeyz being one) Human artists were seen as products. And because they they were not what they appeared, the public took it out the product. This was one of the most famous examples of greedy studios using artists as puppets for their own gain. Yet it still happens in various different ways to this day.

Loki: Glorious Purpose
(2023)
Episode 6, Season 2

A step in the right direction for Marvel.
This episode was excellent. It not only brought home high stakes and made me feel scared for the characters involved, but there was also highly strong themes of controlling one's fate, the power of friendship and sacrifice.

Loki goes through such a brilliant character development, akin to Doctor Strange. From someone selfish and tyrannical wanting to control everything, to a loving God willing to do the right thing for everyone.

After the bland, samey awfulness that was Quantumania, and the lacklustre nonsensical, underdeveloped travesty of Secret Invasion, it was very nice to see a Marvel project with a long-lasting returning character live up its hype and deliver a moving finale.

If Marvel can focus on character develepment, a good story and great action set pieces, instead of creating bad movies and TV shows just so you can look forward to future projects, that would be brilliant.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
(2023)

A newer, better and cheaper way to enjoy a concert
Not only were Swift's tickets expensive as hell (700+ for a VIP. What?) but I would have had to travel to a different city and stay the night in a hotel to see the concert.

Not worth it.

So I was really pleased when Swift announced a movie of her 3 hour long concert for theaters.

And boy was this amazing.

The sets, the costumes, the lighting, the props and the videos were absolutely sublime and gorgeous to look at. The dancers and the backup singers gave it their all in their choreography and singing.

And then there's Taylor herself.

Her goofy, lovable personality was on full display, as well as her prowess and blooming confidence as she strutted the stage in hella sparkly costumes crooning out all of her best hits from all her albums.

Had I been there, no doubt my bank account would have been empty and I would have ended up being squeezed with a bunch of Swifties, barely catching a glimpse of the songstress. Instead, the camera focuses lovingly on Taylor from all angles throughout the show. And no extra charge for a pair of glasses. Plus I giggled as the ardent Swifties in the cinema got up from their seats to dance and form circles in front of their beloved.

Great choice to film and to share it in the cinema. :)

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
(2023)

Short sweet and cuddly, like a bedtime story.
This short, as well as the other Wes Anderson shorts on Netflix, is told in the form of a live action audiobook.

Characters speak out the dialogue and actions as though they were reading directly from Roald Dahl's (here played by Ralph Fiennes) and turn to the screen in a hilariously well timed fashion in certain scenes.

Henry Sugar (played wonderfully by Benedict Cumberbatch) takes instructions from a manual, written by an Indian doctor about a man who could "see without his eyes", in order to win money at gambling. Only he discovers that the money doesn't make him happy. And also finds out he is dying. So after causing a ruckus by flinging the money out of the window, he decides to invest in building orphanages across the world.

Not being a massive fan of Anderson (save for a few of his films) , I found this to be a welcome addition to his bright and aesthetically beautiful collection.

Oppenheimer
(2023)

Technically brilliant, but lacking in emotional beats.
Nolan's films are usually a hit or a miss for me. However no one can deny the brilliance of his filmmaking. This film takes its time and then some to tell its story, and I believe it could have benefited from a shorter run time.

Most of which is taken up by men talking in rooms.

Which will definitely not be for everyone.

One of the weird things about Nolan's screenplays and characters, especially with this one, is that most of the time, the people talk like they are characters in an epic novel. The extreme cerebral nature of their dialogue and interactions lack a certain emotional resonance, and it's left to the horror of its themes to make the audience sympathise with them.

Robert Downey Jr. Was absolutely brilliant in this, and I've forgotten how much of a great actor he really is, after seeing him only as Tony Stark in the Marvel films for the last ten years or so.

Nolan's female characters unfortunately don't get anything to do in this film, other than make the main character feel bad, providing some down to earth consequences of his misdeeds.

The creation of the atomic bomb and its eventual detonation is cool to watch. There is also a deeply frightening scene involving a cheering crowd, which is probably one of my favourite moments in the film.

But other than that, it's not the masterpiece that everyone says it is.

The Perfection
(2018)

Not quite the horror flick I was expecting.
The film has numerous twists and turns. And while there's nothing wrong with the twists, there's one thing that I found lacking in film that made it fall apart for me:

The lack of chemistry between the two leads.

Never mind that the two are a romantic couple, they don't even come across convincing as FRIENDS. Alison Williams is not that great in this film. She was better as the split personality chick in Get Out. Logan Brown was a bit better, but even then I felt a lot of beats were missing from her character. Although that was more the script's fault.

As for the queer/feminist competitive world plot, I felt like it could have gotten in a lot deeper. But maybe that was point all all along - to only do surface level stuff.

Green Street
(2005)

Football hooliganism beats common sense and decency.
The film seems to have ideology that if you engage in fist fights with rival football fans, you're a hero. If you engage in physical violence, you're a man. If you don't want to fight, then you're a pussy and not worth living.

This is the world of Green Street Hooligans. Where Frodo Baggins of Harvard very quickly gets involved with football gangsters who's primary objective is to support their favourite team by beating the living daylights out of the rival gangs. There is also of course, an underlining thread of racism, sexism and homophobia in both of the groups that I found very distasteful.

I always say, there is nothing wrong with depicting a distasteful world, as long as you make it clear that it is a cautionary tale, and that one shouldn't engage with that world, no matter how intoxicating it may seem. Even when it transpires that a young boy was trampled to death in a gang fight, they still continue it anyway, and make it seem like it's no big deal. Even though it ruins the lives of so many around them.

Elijah Wood's character's whole objective here is to be an outsider who has trouble standing up for himself, who learns to be more confident and brave, by being a violent football hooligan.

Despite its extreme male toxicity, the film is directed by a woman, and one of the few female characters gives out the best performance of them all. This is 100% a story told by an outsider's perspective.

There are many ways a person can be more confident and stand up for themselves. Engaging in several fights, causing the death of your friend and putting your brother in law in the hospital aint one of them.

Good Omens: Chapter 6: Every Day
(2023)
Episode 6, Season 2

A lackluster second season almost redeemed by its ending
I don't understand why there needed to be a second season of Good Omens. Other than its popular demand and the need for fanfic ships to become canon.

The pacing was all over the place. It's premise is incredibly weak and just not as entertaining or funny as the first one. I've said this numerous times before, but a character having amnesia is always a weak plot point no matter how you spin it.

The dialogue was also not up to par with what first season offered.

Sheen and Tennant are absolutely brilliant in their roles, and their enthusiasm for the parts is what kept me watching.

Now let's talk about THAT ending (Spoilers obviously)

The revelation about the secret romance between Beelzebub and Gabriel was a little too forced and out of the blue (hence the weakness of the amnesia plot).

Because this couple decide to leave heaven and hell and go off in the sunset together, there are vacancies in their jobs. And Aziraphale is offered the top job as Archangel. This is where Crowley finally confesses his love for Azi (they even kiss at one point!) But Aziraphale believes he can make changes within heaven in his command and choses to go back to heaven, leaving Crowley heartbroken.

This is probably the most powerful scene. As it showcases someone choosing an institution that they both know will be toxic for the human race, and the other wanting what the other couple did, which is to rid themselves of both heaven and hell, and have a life together on earth.

If only the rest of the second series was this interesting and poignant.

Better Call Saul
(2015)

The prequel no one asked for, but immensely lucky to have.
I honestly did not expect anything from this series. It is after all a prequel to one of the best shows ever created, and so it would be very hard to top it.

And while the show isn't as thrilling or exciting as Breaking Bad, over time, it developed into its own unique show with an incredibly enriching and compelling main character.

While BB is the story of how Walter White, a run down chemistry teacher turned into a drug kingpin named Heisenberg, this is the story of how Jimmy McGill, a struggling lawyer and accomplished con-man became the notorious, flamboyant and colourful "Criminal" lawyer Saul Goodman. And while Saul was mostly the one dimensional, yet likeable comic relief character in BB, in this one, he has far more layers than you would expect.

Jimmy desperately wants to become a good lawyer and make his older brother Chuck proud. But Chuck, who is jealous of Jimmy's charisma and sense of humour, as well as suspicious of his con artist antics, repeatedly sabotages him, while suffering from a condition that leaves him allergic to electricity. Meanwhile it also tells the story of how Mike came to be involved in Gus's organisation as he makes plans to take down the Salamanca family.

Jimmy is told over and over by the people he loves and admires the most that he is bad, is not sincere and will always be a lowlife conman. He's not a bad person, but if you're around bad people, you tend to pick up their bad habits. And he eventually becomes the friend of bad guys and criminals.

Walt was a bad man. Jimmy just wanted approval from the wrong people. And the more Breaking Bad went on, the less sympathetic Walt became. The more Better Call Saul goes on, the more sympathy you have for Jimmy/Saul.

Without giving away too many spoilers, the series is also about the different ways people deal with guilt. Either they fully accept what they did was bad and embrace the consequences, or they blame it on everyone else and brush it away.

In end, it's a more complex series than BB. It's an intense character study and the relationships between them all.

I really love this series more than I ever thought.

10 out of 10.

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