Don't know what prompted me to watch this movie, and I'm still not sure. It feels like an excuse to make an adult film, because the narrative holds no weight. The entire movie revolves around one wanting to be dominant and "punish", and the other wanting a relationship - with the former's tendencies never being explained or dove into. The only redeeming quality of this movie is Dakota Johnson, because her native charm adds levity to some scenes and genuinely makes you love her character. Yeah, skip this one.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Avatar
I've only seen Avatar once before, over a decade ago, and watching it again with a new set of eyes makes me appreciate Cameron's vision that much more. The breathtaking world of Pandora couldn't have been done better by anyone else, and the primary cast of Worthington, Saldana, Weaver and Lang are absolutely fantastic. James Horner's music brings life to the lush fauna and flora, and I think of Avatar more as an experience than a film. The only thing that lets it down a bit is the narrative - it's a classic action / adventure / romance with a very predictable plot, and while it's not a dealbreaker, it takes a lot of the anticipation out of the experience. The Extended Cut adds more detail to the surrounding world, and is definitely worth a watch.
Avatar
Candy
I do enjoy true crime, but this series fell short for me. Jessica Biel and Pablo Schreiber's performances are great, but this is one of those "meetings that could've been an email". There's a large amount of unnecessary dialogue and scenes that feel invented for the programme (than what happened in real life) - but my main issue is the quite anti-climactic ending. I do realise that the events of the final episode happened in real life, but what I would've liked to see is the aftermath. We'll see how HBO's "Love & Death" fares, since it's about the same story.
Candy
Baby Reindeer
Baby Reindeer
Unbelievable
I found it a bit "unbelievable" that this show, which started with a great premise, began to tangent into a different route than what I'd expected. I was hoping to see a drama about a woman who found herself inhabiting a wildly different world after her claims of being sexually assaulted and raped, but instead Kaitlyn Dever's incredible talent gets sidelined in favour of something akin to an American police procedural. I did thoroughly enjoy Toni Colette's performance along with the other folks, but this limited series doesn't explore the darker side behind such a trauma.
Unbelievable
The Grand Tour (2016)
The trio from the best programme in motoring history are back, and they do not disappoint! Clarkson, Hammond and May continue their hilarious and outlandish adventures in the world of cars, occasionally jumping into boats and blowing things up. I'm extremely happy to have seen them have the massive financial support from Amazon, as their specials are a blast to watch and rewatch over and over again. With "One For The Road", I'm sure everyone, along with myself, shed a tear to say goodbye to the shenanigans our favourite presenters have gotten into, but it was the best while it lasted, and continues to be the best among everything else out there.
The Grand Tour (2016)
Michael
Unbelievably spectacular. Jaafar Jackson perfectly nails Michael's mannerisms, and Fuqua does an excellent job at recreating the spectacle of Michael's life and legacy. The iconic dances and tracks are incrediblly recreated, and so much of Joseph's influence is highlighted - which average people like me wouldn't have been aware of. Very excited for the sequel, as I think this first film covers the sensational rise of Michael, but ends as it begins to explore his eventual, unfortunate descent.
I went into Vice Principals without much expectation, and boy was I proven wrong. McBride and Goggins make the dream team of comedy and this show is hilarious to the core. My only gripe is while the first season was wonderful, the second season took a more serious tone and lost the momentum. Not saying comedies can't have serious moments, but it started to warp the purpose of the show, and didn't feel like it stuck the landing.
Vice Principals
Fawlty Towers
I can't believe I hadn't watched Basil and his over-the-top antics till now, because this is British humour at its finest. Cleese and the cast are so good at the kind of slapstick and dry comedy that makes this series so funny, and it always stays fresh and hits the mark with every single episode.
Now this is an absolutely spectacular and stupendously funny series with hilarious characters and scenarios. Compared to Lucas and Walliams' Little Britain, Come Fly With Me is their magnum opus, and I do wish there was another series of it. But, maybe it's good that there isn't, since every joke feels perfectly done and fresh.
Come Fly With Me
Little Britain
Little Britain's not a bad series and has some great sketches / characters, but reuses the content so much to where it starts to feel stale after a while. It's got the same hilarious sense of humour we love Lucas and Walliams for, but really does fall apart quick.
Don't know what prompted me to watch this movie, and I'm still not sure. It feels like an excuse to make an adult film, because the narrative holds no weight. The entire movie revolves around one wanting to be dominant and "punish", and the other wanting a relationship - with the former's tendencies never being explained or dove into. The only redeeming quality of this movie is Dakota Johnson, because her native charm adds levity to some scenes and genuinely makes you love her character. Yeah, skip this one.Fifty Shades of Grey
I've only seen Avatar once before, over a decade ago, and watching it again with a new set of eyes makes me appreciate Cameron's vision that much more. The breathtaking world of Pandora couldn't have been done better by anyone else, and the primary cast of Worthington, Saldana, Weaver and Lang are absolutely fantastic. James Horner's music brings life to the lush fauna and flora, and I think of Avatar more as an experience than a film. The only thing that lets it down a bit is the narrative - it's a classic action / adventure / romance with a very predictable plot, and while it's not a dealbreaker, it takes a lot of the anticipation out of the experience. The Extended Cut adds more detail to the surrounding world, and is definitely worth a watch.Avatar
I do enjoy true crime, but this series fell short for me. Jessica Biel and Pablo Schreiber's performances are great, but this is one of those "meetings that could've been an email". There's a large amount of unnecessary dialogue and scenes that feel invented for the programme (than what happened in real life) - but my main issue is the quite anti-climactic ending. I do realise that the events of the final episode happened in real life, but what I would've liked to see is the aftermath. We'll see how HBO's "Love & Death" fares, since it's about the same story.Candy
I found it a bit "unbelievable" that this show, which started with a great premise, began to tangent into a different route than what I'd expected. I was hoping to see a drama about a woman who found herself inhabiting a wildly different world after her claims of being sexually assaulted and raped, but instead Kaitlyn Dever's incredible talent gets sidelined in favour of something akin to an American police procedural. I did thoroughly enjoy Toni Colette's performance along with the other folks, but this limited series doesn't explore the darker side behind such a trauma.Unbelievable
The trio from the best programme in motoring history are back, and they do not disappoint! Clarkson, Hammond and May continue their hilarious and outlandish adventures in the world of cars, occasionally jumping into boats and blowing things up. I'm extremely happy to have seen them have the massive financial support from Amazon, as their specials are a blast to watch and rewatch over and over again. With "One For The Road", I'm sure everyone, along with myself, shed a tear to say goodbye to the shenanigans our favourite presenters have gotten into, but it was the best while it lasted, and continues to be the best among everything else out there.The Grand Tour (2016)
Unbelievably spectacular. Jaafar Jackson perfectly nails Michael's mannerisms, and Fuqua does an excellent job at recreating the spectacle of Michael's life and legacy. The iconic dances and tracks are incrediblly recreated, and so much of Joseph's influence is highlighted - which average people like me wouldn't have been aware of. Very excited for the sequel, as I think this first film covers the sensational rise of Michael, but ends as it begins to explore his eventual, unfortunate descent.Michael
I went into Vice Principals without much expectation, and boy was I proven wrong. McBride and Goggins make the dream team of comedy and this show is hilarious to the core. My only gripe is while the first season was wonderful, the second season took a more serious tone and lost the momentum. Not saying comedies can't have serious moments, but it started to warp the purpose of the show, and didn't feel like it stuck the landing.Vice Principals
I can't believe I hadn't watched Basil and his over-the-top antics till now, because this is British humour at its finest. Cleese and the cast are so good at the kind of slapstick and dry comedy that makes this series so funny, and it always stays fresh and hits the mark with every single episode.Fawlty Towers
Now this is an absolutely spectacular and stupendously funny series with hilarious characters and scenarios. Compared to Lucas and Walliams' Little Britain, Come Fly With Me is their magnum opus, and I do wish there was another series of it. But, maybe it's good that there isn't, since every joke feels perfectly done and fresh.Come Fly With Me
