Seen on Netflix
Oct. 10th, 2019 09:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jyrgenn(This is a slightly edited and updated version of an article I posted earlier this year in some Other Place.)
For quite some time I have been wanting to write about that stuff I have seen on Netflix, but kept pushing it off. So, now, info (or rather, opinion) dump, all in one piece.
With the view history download feature, I could not even forget a thing, but I don't remember everything well. I omitted the shows and films I dropped fast because I didn't like them at all.
With most others that I dropped it wasn't a conscious decision. It was just that other shows appealed to me more at some point in time, and after some time I noticed I had forgotten the one I was watching originally.
Star ratings are out of five, with occasional pluses or minuses where I couldn't quite make up my mind. They reflect just my totally subjective liking of the film/show or not, and no attempt of assessing any qualities objectively.
Also, some of this is a while ago in between, so I may have forgotten details or even important aspects. Bear with me.
Being George Clooney ⭐⭐⭐
US documentary film
About the men who speak George Clooney's voice in foreign overdubs. Decently entertaining.
Better Call Saul ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US dramedy crime series
The prequel series to Breaking Bad. It's not Breaking Bad, and if you expect something like Breaking Bad, this may be a disappointment. I liked it a lot for its own qualitites. The dynamic between Jimmy and Kim is great (less so with Jimmy's brother), as are the Mike (also in Breaking Bad) and Nacho characters. Jimmy himself is cringe-worthy at most times, but that makes it so more life-like. Loved it, and hope the missing season(s) will come some time. (There is still quite a bit of the Jimmy ⇒ Saul transition to go through.)
The Big Bang Theory ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US sitcom series
Also something everybody knows, right? I saw this on German TV before, where TBBT runs with eternal repetitions several episodes a day. Here I could finally watch them in the original English sound, which is so much better. Already when watching them in German I could identify and in parts reconstruct the jokes that simply don't work in a translation. Netflix always hasn't the latest season, but then by now it is good that TBBT will come to an end. It was super fun in the beginning, but the recent seasons seemed a bit forced in places.
(Update: Lowered score from ⭐⭐⭐⭐+ to ⭐⭐⭐⭐ in hidsight.)
Bill Nye saves the World ⭐⭐-
US popular science series
This is the guy that makes Neil deGrasse Tyson look brilliant. The idea to bring people the real scientific facts that affect our lives and global situation is laudable, but he does it all wrong. The simplifications are unbearable, and the presenting is awful. Obviously I am not the target audience, but still.
Black Mirror (a few eps.) ⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
The episodes in this series are fully independent, with no overlap with or connection to the others. Each episode highlights a particular feature of a future vision of society and technology, often in a dystopian way. They are well thought out and made, but somehow I didn't stick to it. Maybe because there are no characters to warm to.
The Blacklist ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime thriller series
One of the "10 most wanted" of the FBI turns himself in and makes a deal to help the FBI get others from their most wanted list. His own interest is not just not the obvious immunity, but he also gets the FBI to go against his enemies and competitors. Also, the young female FBI agent with whom he seems to have some history, has unexpected problems of her own. The premise is not totally convincing, but this is still an intelligent suspenseful thriller series with quite a few unexpected turns. Really good cast, in particular the leads James Spader and Megan Boone. To my chagrin, Parminder Nagra's character is replaced in season 2.
(Update: dropped in season 2; it seemed a bit repetitive by then.)
Body Guard (a few episodes) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British political thriller series
This one has been talked about here. I watched it together with my wife in German, so I guess the translation takes away some of the immediacy. No humour, but gripping and suspenseful. Like it so far.
(Update: haven't watched it for several months.)
BONDiNG ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US comedy series
College student hires her former high school classmate – and briefly boyfriend, but he has come out as gay in between – as assistent for her dominatrix business. Less sex than could be expected, good lead characters, funny and entertaining.
Brave ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US animation fantasy film
Disney. In some medieval (or so) scottish fantasy world, the adventurous and strong-willed Merida, daughter of a laird, doesn't want to give in to conventions and refuses to be married to one of the suitors chosen by her parents. Her equally strong-willed mother insists. Complications follow. I found the story not as strong in the second half as in the beginning, but the characters are great, Merida is eminently lovable, and the visuals are wonderful. Merida is voiced by Kelly MacDonald, whose Scottish accent I already loved in Gosford Park.
Burn after Reading ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US spy comedy film
What a cast: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, and so on. Hilarious comedy, not of the very memorable kind (I nearly forgot it, and it was just 10 days ago), but still good fun all the way.
The Captains ⭐⭐⭐-
US documentary film
William Shatner interviews the other Star Trek captain actors up to Chris Pine. (This is older than Discovery, I guess.) I barely remember this; apparently I am not Star Trek fan enough to fully appreciate it. I found For the Love of Spock much more interesting.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US fantasy-horror comedy series, based on a comic
Teenagers and dark magic, not as serious (or as good) as Buffy, but still not bad. Kiernan Shipka (Don's daughter in Mad Men) plays the lead, and as I expected she has become an interesting actress. First season was fine, but the second seems to have lost a lot of the momentum.
(Update: considered dropped.)
(Update) Colombiana ⭐⭐⭐⭐
French action thriller
After a 10-year-old girl's family is killed by a drug cartel boss, she takes revenge 15 years later. Somewhat one-dimensional, but beautifully filmed, with a strong and charismatic lead character.
Cosmos (some) ⭐⭐⭐+
US natural science documentary series
Neil deGrasse Tyson is a weird guy in a way, and I don't like his charisma very much, maybe because he seems a bit full of himself. Still he knows his stuff and can put a competent and mostly interesting documentary show together. Here and there I learn something new, because I either missed it when I learned about all these things (mostly as a kid), or it has been found out recently and I haven't heard about it yet. I should watch more of it.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US musical comedy series
This is the work of Rachel Bloom, of "Fuck Me Ray Bradbury" fame. And this is much like it, a kind of sometimes romantic, sometimes sexy, sometimes super cringeworthy musical love story comedy, sometimes hilarious, but with a lot of truth re personal and particularly sexual-romantic relationships. Took me a while to fully warm to it, but somewhere in season 2 it took off for me. In the third season it turns into an educational program about borderline personality disorder, but curiously that makes it no less entertaining. Don't watch it if you cannot stand the cringeing, but if you can, definitely give it a try. Ah, and yes, it is a musical in the original sense, people just break into a song at some suitable (or not) moment. Some of the singing is even remarkably good. Love it!
The Crown ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British drama series
That series about Queen Elisabeth II, starting at her early years. Quite interesting if you like such stuff (apparently I do), and quite well played. While it is oriented on historical events, most of it is of course fiction, except for that which happens in public. Still, interesting. Later seasons to come, I understand.
Daredevil ⭐⭐⭐+
US superhero series, based on a comic
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU); decently entertaining if there weren't that superhero mumbo-jumbo. The acting is pretty good in parts, but I lost interest after the second season. Also, the female sidekick, played by Deborah Ann Woll, is far more interesting than the main character in my eyes.
Dead to Me ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US comedy series
Very black comedy about a woman who tries to take revenge after her husband has been run over and killed on the street. There are some surprises that shed more light on what has actually happened. Christina Applegate (once in Married With Children) and Linda Cardellini (ER) are excellent together in the main roles and get some great lines. I totally loved it.
Derry Girls (a bit) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Northern Irish sitcom series
(London)Derry in the 80s, a bunch of teenage girls and their families. Quite funny (and great accents), but I got a bit tired of it and didn't make it far. The general flair is a bit reminiscent of The Commitments.
Update: Watched again and loved it more, in particular the second season. Upgraded to a solid 4 stars.
Disenchantment (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US fantasy animation satire series
Matt Groening did this, poking fun at fairy tale clichés. Quite funny, but I wasn't crying my eyes out when season 1 ended. May watch in-between released season 2 some time.
Elementary (S1-5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime / police procedural series
Now, everyone knows this, right? When I saw it on German television, I watched an episode now and then, but I also wasn't overly enthusiastic. This changed once I watched it in original audio. I really, really love it, probably to a large part because the voices and accents are so much better – Holmes, Watson, Bell, Gregson, Holmes Sr., all so good –, also the script when not toned down by a lukewarm translation. It is an intelligent show made for intelligent viewers. Also, I love Lucy Liu. She could wear a garbage bag and I'd still be delighted to see her. Her charisma and physical presence alone are amazing. Unfortunately the newer seasons are not (yet?) on Netflix.
(Update: Have started with season 6, not on Netflix.)
Falk ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
German drama/comedy series
A smart, but quirky lawyer who had stopped practicing due to mental problems steps up again, only now with a refreshing nothing-to-lose fuck-you attitude. He is wicked. Now this is a rare beast: a German TV show, even made for one of the public TV programs, that is not just watchable, but has actual, original charms and a charismatic male lead. It does have some of the clichés so often seen on German TV, but only to a bearable amount.
Firefly ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US science function series
This is one of the most interesting TV series at all – small suprise, it was done by Joss Whedon. Non-clichéd stories, interesting and complex characters, romance and action, all done so well. I join the lament of the fans that it hasn't been continued past the first season. Had seen it on DVD before, but here it was in HD. Followed by the feature film Serenity.
(Update) First Blood ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US action film (first of the Rambo films)
To put it mildly, it took me a while to get to watching this film. All my adult life, it was there, a legend, a cliché, an archetype of a film. Everybody knew what it was, including me, although I had never watched it. Now finally I did. To my surprise, it wasn't even bad. Clichéd from today's point of view, sure, very 80s, totally US, but a really good film.
For the Love of Spock ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US documentary film
Documentary about Leonard Nimoy and his role of Spock, done by his son Adam. Entertaining, interesting, and moving in parts. Has a nicely done cross-over with The Big Bang Theory, where Adam Nimoy interviews Sheldon Cooper. Leonard Nimoy must have been a very nice guy.
Game over, Man! ⭐⭐+
US action comedy film
Three wannabe video game makers have a day job in the service at a large hotel. When a large party in the hotel, among it their prospective investor, is taken hostage by gangsters, they try to save the hostages. Not the best example of its genre, but I managed to watch it to the end.
Going in Style ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US heist film
A heist film. The original idea here (if it weren't a remake) is that the ones doing the heist are all old men, and you just love them. And sure, what's not to love about Alan Arkin (who plays it just like in The Kominski Method, even some of his lines could be in both), Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. Three retired steel workers get (legally, apparently) robbed of their pensions by the new owners of the firm, with the help of their bank, so they decide to take it back from the bank. Quite predictable in parts, but still big fun. Very good John Ortiz in a supporting role. (He was the reason I later watched Kong: Skull Island, but his role there is nothing to write home about.)
(Update) The Good Wife ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US legal drama series
Watching this completely, from the start, and in the original English proved to be much more rewarding than an episode now and then in German translation. Really good TV! But the last two seasons seemed like the writers had run out of steam, and the show became a bit tiring (despite some good ideas).
Good Witch ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US fantasy comedy-drama series and films
Fluffy candy-sweet idyllic family series with some fantasy-magical and lots of rom-com elements. The series is a sequel to a number of feature films that I also got (not all on Netflix) and watched. I don't know why, but I got addicted to this stuff. This is the only show of which I have even regularly watched an episode in the morning before work. But it is sacchariney fluff, and you are fully entitled to not like it. I don't know why I did, honest.
(Update) The Haunting of Hill House ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US horror drama series
The Crain family has a business model of buying a fixer-upper, fixing it up while living in it, and then selling it for profit. So the Crain parents and their five children move into Hill House, a mansion in New England. Hill House turns out to be a failure, and not just due to the unexpected repairs needed. I found it a bit difficult to get into the story, as it alternates between several time limes (not just two, as Wikipedia says). But untangling all this turned out to be part of the fun, and in the end this was a very satisfying show, a really intelligent horror story with lots of interesting details and quite a few hair-raising moments. A second season, The Haunting of Bly Manor, is planned to be released 2020.
Heroin(e) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US documentary film
Short documentary about people fighting against the opioid epidemic in a small town in West Virginia. Interesting, intense.
House of Cards (ong.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US thriller drama series
Everybody knows this one as well, or has at least heard about it, I guess. If not, welcome out from under your rock. Well constructed, and unfortunately highly believable if not outright convincing political drama. I wish politics weren't like this. Its main deficit: few likeable characters, particularly not the leads. Very good or even excellent, but so intense I don't often go for it.
(Update: dropped it consciously when I got back to it after a pause and noticed I didn't care any longer what happened to those people.)
(Update) How to Get Away With Murder ⭐⭐⭐+
US legal/crime drama series
A brilliant, but demanding as well as troubled law professor/lawyer takes on five students as assistants. While they have a law case over one or two episodes, they get themselves involved in an increasingly complicated crime drama themselves. At first I found this quite fascinating, the fast pace, and the differently angled views on the supposed events, but found the ever increasing complications tiring und no longer overly believable. Got stuck in season 2, may not continue.
I'm Telling You for the Last Time ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US standup comedy film
This is Jerry Seinfeld in 1998, and he is good. (Pity the Seinfeld series isn't on Netflix; I have seen only parts of it on German TV, and that is as good (or rather awful) as it can be expected.)
Into the Inferno ⭐⭐⭐
Documentary film
Documentary about active volcanos and active volcanologists by Werner Herzog. This film shows IMO extremely fascinating things, so it just cannot be bad, but the film as such is a bit weird. As is Werner Herzog when he speaks English.
Iron Fist ⭐⭐
US superhero series, based on a comic
MCU series. It had a few nice qualities, but I found the lead character annoying and that superhero mumbo-jumbo more awful than in other shows of the genre. Dropped it after or even in episode four.
Isn't it romantic ⭐⭐⭐+
US romantic comedy satire film
The lead character suddenly wakes up into a world where everything works like in a romantic comedy. Plays nicely on some of the related stereotypes, but in the end it wasn't more than decently entertaining.
The IT Crowd ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British sitcom series
That sitcom about the IT department pariahs and their newly appointed manager in a quite surreal company. Everybody here knows this, right? Not quite consistent in its quality, but totally hilarious and spot on in parts. I had seen most of it before, but still I liked to re-watch it. Not for cringe-sensitive viewers.
iZombie ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US horror comedy thriller series, based on a comic
In some incident, some people are turned into zombies and live unrecognised among humans in the normal world, with their main problem the supply of brains without raising too much suspicion. One of them is the lead character; she uses her senses that are heightened by her being a zombie for criminal detective work. Became boring in the third sesaon IIRC.
Jackass: The Movie ⭐⭐⭐
US "reality" comedy film
This one is weird, intentionally. I know the Jackass series only from hearsay, and this is some kind of "best of" or so. A number of clips of people doing weird shit and in parts disgusting things. Of the less disgusting stuff is how they give themselves paper cuts, so that could give you an idea. But on the other hand it is so surreal that it has some strange quality anyway. Certainly not for everyone, and I watched it only because when it was new and I still routinely read film reviews, the highly reputed and extremely competent catholic FilmDienst found that some of these stunts in their absurdity actually reached the level of performance art. In a way they do.
(Update) Jane the Virgin (started) ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US telenovela spoof
This is a telenovela spoof and a telenovela in its own right, which makes it quite self-referentially ironic. A charismatic and loveable Gina Rodriguez in the main role, really good supporting cast, and a genuinely funny script make this a very entertaining show. I don't know how far this will carry, though; I am currently in season 1, and there are 5. As for now, I am having fun.
Jerry before Seinfeld ⭐⭐⭐
US comedy documentary film
IIRC this film follows Jerry Seinfeld as he returns to the place(s) where his career began, and shows old takes and new routines. I do like Jerry Seinfeld, but this wasn't very memorable. I think I liked it, though.
Jessica Jones (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US superhero series, based on a comic
MCU series with some superhero mumbo-jumbo. In the places where that mumbo-jumbo isn't too bad it is quite good and gripping. I liked it a lot, but the start of the second season put me totally off. Pity – the beginning of season 1 was one of the best film noir things I have seen recently. Also, I like Krysten Ritter.
Jurassic Park ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US science fiction thriller film
Now that is a classic in between. Wealthy entrepreneur builds a theme park with real live dinosaurs bred from fossil DNA and misunderestimates the consequences. I saw it in the cinema when it was new – yes, it is that old. I still went to the cinemas then (and didn't have a TV at home). Re-watched it recently to try out the new loudspeakers, and yes, this one really makes things go crash and boom. (And those new speakers are good.) But it is also a truly excellent film of the pure entertainment genre.
Jurassic Park III ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction thriller film
This one had escaped my attention before, second sequel of the Jurassic Park story, obviously, after The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Not as brilliant as Jurassic Park, but solidly entertaining and fun.
The Kominski Method ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US sitcom series
Two old men, friends, one mid-70s (Michael Douglas), one mid-80s (Alan Arkin), deal with loss and other partly age-related crises and lead their life in general. Despite him undoubtedly being a good actor, I haven't been the biggest fan of Michael Douglas in the past. But here he is wonderful – so genuinely funny and, above all, so relaxed how I wouldn't have thought it possible. Alan Arkin is great, too, as well as the supporting cast. Excellent script. One of the best TV shows I have seen, immensely funny and entertaining. Season 2 has been announced, ¡yay!
Kong: Skull Island ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US monster film
Another take on the King Kong theme. I could have lived without it, but I found it well done, thoroughly entertaining, and visually quite compelling. It is part of the genre, I think, that it is a bit predictable in parts, but not worse than the other King Kong movies.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction thriller film
First sequel to Jurassic Park. After the amusement park has gone down, on "site B", another off-coast Costa Rican island, there are still lots of other dinosaurs, for which different people have different plans. Not as good as the first one, I found it awfully disappointing the first time, but now, many years later, not so much. Actually it isn't bad, and I liked it a bit better than Jurassic Park III now.
(Update) Love, Death & Robots ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US animated sience fiction anthology series
This a series of short films (all under 20 minutes) in very different animation styles, from traditional drawings to photorealistic computer animations. While most have some SF theme, they range over widely different topics -- horror, crime, dystopia, farce, martial arts, some in a surreal way. Some supernatural elements. I liked the few I have seen so far, all good for a small entertainment snack in between, with interesting ideas and good visuals.
Luke Cage (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US superhero series, based on a comic
MCU, so with some superhero mumbo-jumbo, but relatively little, most of the time. Therefore, I found it not only bearable, but actually very good. The characters, including the lead, are the tiniest bit clichéd, but still on the believable side. While the story isn't the greatest, they paint a picture of Harlem that is intense, interesting, and quite moving -- and I hope at least semi-accurate, atmospherically. Great cast, besides the lead Mike Colter also Rosario Dawson, Mahershala Ali (also in House of Cards), Simone Missick, and Alfre Woodard. Oh, BTW, what I liked was all in the first season. The season 2 turned out to be unbearable in the first or second episode.
(Update) Mad Max: Fury Road ⭐⭐⭐
AU/US post-apocalyptic action film
I watched Fury Road after Atomic Blonde, when it was recommended as another interesting recent work of Charlize Theron. That it is. Although to get to that insight, I had to wade through a lot of film that I didn't find overly enticing at first. During the first third (or more) of the film I was close to letting it just be, as everything I saw was, while certainly made by a strong will to shape, rather unappealing. Ugly. I broke off watching this a number of times, and when they got to the oil swamp (or whatever it was), I was close to giving up. And then it became interesting — to some degree, after all enough to continue watching. So, well, yes, for Charlize Theron alone it is worth watching. Still, not my thing overall. The visuals are strong, but the plot is nothing to write home about.
Mad Men ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US drama series
The first bigger thing I saw on Netflix, and what a start! This series about the advertising people in the 60s is one of the best pieces of TV art I have seen, ever. I don't know where to start, so I just let that stand. Only one thing: how the visual aesthetics of the depicted times are presented is wonderful. From the modernity of the 50s and 60s (which I happen to like a lot, as it is what I started to grow up with and still vividly remember) to the colorful designs of 1970, it is all there. And thinking about it, I also feel some more childhood memories inside of me resonate with this series.
Mindhunter ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime drama series
A small group of FBI agents start to systematically dig into the minds of serial killers to better investigate and prevent new crimes; based on historic events. A bit cerebral in parts, but with suspense and some blood and gore. Good and interesting.
(Update: season 2 is out, but I don't know if I will get around it.)
Monsters, Inc. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US animation comedy film
Cute and funny and, for the first time IIRC, excellently animated furs, and I mean every hair. Millions of them. Good fun, lots of little visual jokes, very solid entertainment, although funnier when viewed for the first time (which I did when it was new).
Mord mit Aussicht ("murder with a view") ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
German crime comedy series
Another rare beast of the "good German television" kind: A police inspector from a big city is transferred to a small and seemingly idyllic town far out on the country, and now leads a force of three, herself included. Murders happen, hilarity ensues. I saw this before, when it was new on TV, but it bears re-watching quite well. Totally funny, not only in the script, but also in all those little details. Great fun, very enjoyable cast (including the excellent Bjarne Mädel, also in Stromberg and Tatortreiniger), and really well played.
Ein Mord mit Aussicht ("a murder with a view") ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
German crime comedy film
The series wasn't continued after three seasons, but a concluding feature film was made. It takes a slightly different approach than the series (which is firmly in sitcom territory), and that doesn't work quite so well. Still watchable and entertaining, although maybe a disappointment for some.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (a few) ⭐⭐⭐+
US talk show series
David Letterman talks with very famous guests. I saw the episodes with Barack Obama, George Clooney, and Tina Fey. Wasn't so interested in the others. Rather interesting and entertaining if you know the guests, not so if you don't; for instance I have barely heard of Howard Stern. Obama, on the other hand, is someone I could listen to all day.
Narcos (some) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime drama series
Based on historic events, about the rise of the Colombian drug cartels and the fight of the DEA against them. Quite gripping crime drama, interspersed with narration and some pictures of the historic events, more than with its sequel Narcos: Mexico. This is a bit irritating sometimes, but I still like it. Also, that bit of history is interesting and gives me some background to the current situation re drugs in the Americas.
(Update: dropped. Turned out not to be as captivating as its sequel.)
Narcos: Mexico ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime drama series
Like Narcos based on historic events, same story, only in Mexico. Less narration, which gives it a better flow IMO. Compared to Breaking Bad, which didn't make any effort to be overly realistic, this one does. Less glamourous, much grittier, and the sense of "it could have been this way" makes it quite gripping even if the outcome is known.
Norsemen ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US pseudo-historic comedy series
Viking-age vikings do viking things (fighting, pillaging, etc.), but behave rather like today's people, discussing everything with psychological analysis and things. As I have heard, the original cast did the Norwegian as well as the English version, but the latter with their strong Norwegian accents, of course, which adds a lot to the fun. Other than the dialogue, visuals seem quite authentic. This is great fun, totally hilarious.
(Update) Orange is the New Black (S1 + some) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US prison drama series
A 30ish white middle-class woman goes to jail for a crime long past and gets to know a very different world. Among the other inmates, she meets her former girlfriend and partner in crime. Complex and interesting drama, although I found it hard to watch in places for all the injustice shown. Currently on hiatus in early season 2.
(Update) Pain & Gain ⭐⭐⭐+
US "True Story" dark crime comedy
Inspired by actual events, a story about three bodybuilders who try to break out of their meager existence by crime. While their plans aren't the best to begin with, they are also too stupid to pull them off with real success. Not the greatest of films; just so saved by Dwayne Johnson and Tony Shalhoub.
Penn & Teller: Fool Us ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US stage magic show series.
After a short introduction, each participating magician performs a trick in front of famous US magician duo Penn & Teller (and an audience), who try to find out how the trick was done. If they cannot, the candidate has "fooled us!", gets a trophy with a giant "F U", and the invitation to perform with Penn & Teller in their Las Vegas show. After a few candidates, Penn & Teller show a trick of their own at the end of each episode. And boy, are they good. Not just brilliant magicians, but what a showmanship! Nicely presented by Jonathon Ross, and big fun if you appreciate stage magic.
Penny Dreadful ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
British-US gothic horror drama series
In the late 19th century London, all the classic horror figures play a role in this series -- Dr. Frankenstein, Dracula, Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll, and so on. This sounds cheesy, but is actually quite well done. Lush and compelling visuals. Timothy Dalton (yes!), Eva Green, and Josh Harnet (whom I didn't know before) are excellent in the main roles. Second season is set mostly in the US west, third in England again. Very captivating. I totally loved it.
The Protector (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Turkish fantasy drama / thriller series
Despite some magic mumbo-jumbo, this thriller series works really well. One thing: it shows, for a change, Turkish characters as the normal people, not as "the Turks", as we are used to it from German television. While the plot is at least as full of holes as the magic shirt sometimes worn by the main character, the cast is very good, charismatic and convincing. Also, great views of Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia. Particularly noteworthy performances by Hazar Ergüçlü and Mehmet Kurtuluş (also seen in German TV productions) in two of the main roles. To be continued.
(Update: didn't start with season 2 when it came out.)
The Punisher (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US thriller series, based on a comic
While this is also in the MCU, there is no superhero mumbo-jumbo in this one. While that is refreshing, it is immediately compensated by a (bigger) lot of violence, and I mean a lot. Could have done with less of that in my opinion. Still I liked it, because there is a plausible (although not necessarily likeable) main character and a relatively well thought-out plot. There is more than one surprise that turns around the viewer's understanding, and that is well done. Don't watch it if you don't have at least some tolerance for a lot of violence and brutality. S2 is out.
The Queen ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British historic drama film
The death of Princess Diana puts the British royal familiy in an unexpected difficult situation. The events in this film, which to a large part take place in the privacy of the royal family, are of course fictional, but not unplausible. Interesting! Also, anything with Helen Mirren bears watching.
(Update) Raising Dion
US superhero series
This is a superhero show from the perspective of the mother, who tries to raise her son as a normal child despite his emerging "super" abilities, and to solve the mystery how this is related to the death of her husband. I stumbled across it a few years ago (via a rone tweet), when there was nothing but a trailer and an introductory comic book, and liked the idea. The show that has been just released seems to be a bit darker than the early trailer and the book. After watching the first two episodes, I see it has its own charms, but I am not yet sure if I will stick to it.
Relatable – Ellen DeGeneres ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US stand-up comedy show
After many years, Ellen DeGeneres does a stand-up show again. Now she is one of those American celebrities of which I have heard the name for many years, but known little of all the time. This show is mostly based on events of her own life, so I got to learn quite a bit about that. Also, she is good. And – relatable.
(Update:) Robin Hood: Men in Tights ⭐⭐⭐+
US musical pseudo-historian comedy
This is Mel Brooks, need I say more? Hilarious and silly take on the Robin Hood legend. Some fun; otherwise not particularly remarkable.
RuPaul's Drag Race (a few eps.) ⭐⭐⭐+
US reality competition series
Came to this by an article in the Guardian at the start of season 7(!). Never thought a drag queen competition show could be so entertaining; still it wasn't enough for me to stay on it. But it definitely has its charms, and I am glad that I watched some of it.
Santa Clarita Diet ⭐⭐⭐-
US comedy horror series
Timothy Olifant and Drew Barrimore alone are reason enough to watch this... so I thought. It tries to be a hilarious spoof of the zombie genre – family woman becomes a zombie, and she and her husband try to get her enough to eat without totally disrupting the neighbourhood – but it isn't. While it is watchable to some degree, it is also annoying, and I dropped it after the first season. Timothy Olifant was so much better in Justified (which unfortunately isn't on Netflix – would love to watch that again).
Serenity ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US science fiction film
Serenity is, kind of, a prequel to, or the backstory, of the Firefly series, done to promote a continuation of the series, but it failed that. The film is great, though. Can also stand alone if you haven't watched the series.
Sex and the City: The Movie ⭐⭐⭐
US romantic comedy film
After I had seen all of the Sex and the City series and enjoyed it a lot, I just had to watch the movie. The Mr. Big story continues, but while it is decently entertaining, it just doesn't have the charm of the former series. Maybe this material is just better suited to the episodic format.
Sex and the City 2 ⭐⭐
US romantic comedy film
Of course, I also had to watch this. While I made it to the end, this one is a bad film. So, if you don't have to, spare yourself the inevitable eye-rolling.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
Of all the Star Trek series, I liked this one best. The characters, the plot, the dramatic development, the humour – this was the best. I guess the main reasons are the complexity of the characters and the plot, which slowly changes from an episodic format to a continuous development, and that is done well. Pity that the picture quality was so disappointing; while TOS and TNG were scanned in HD from the original film material, this wasn't available for DS9, as postprocessing had been done on electronic (SD) video, not film.
Star Trek: Discovery ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
What a fresh and powerful dramatic take on the Star Trek theme! Gripping, fast-paced, confident, and with lots of new ideas. It has been criticised by many, but I totally like it. There is no episodic structure left at all – each of the two (currently published) seasons is one coherent piece in a number of parts. The second season has some delightful references to the original series – Captain Pike, NCC-1702, the uniforms, and things. Now there isn't everything fantastic about this, like, of all persons, the main character seems to have a supply of mostly two facial expressions, suffering and more suffering. But there are other, wonderful characters, like Tilly, Saru, L'Rell, and that engineer Jet Reno (but then I tend to crush on the lesbians anyway). Also, Michelle Yeoh!
Update: Found the third season a bit disappointing, also in hindsight some of season 2. Down to 4 stars now.
Star Trek: Enterprise ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
STE seemed a bit calmer to me, less excited, and less artificial than the series before, especially Voyager. I liked it, although not everything about it. Why they had to kill off a main character right before the end remained a mystery to me – for lack of having killed one earlier? That temporal cold war theme was wasted on me, too. But I liked the slowly growing chemistry between T'Pol and Trip, for instance, and the unwavering optimism of Dr. Phlox. On the other hand, this is for people who like the Star Trek thing despite all its illogical holes, and if you are not one of these, this is not for you.
Star Trek: The Next Generation ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
Other than TOS, this one was new to me. I had watched much of the original series on TV when it was on in the early 70s in Germany, but when TNG came, I had no TV set and also wasn't particularly interested. After re-watching TOS now, which I found so-so, I was a bit surprised how good I found TNG. Much better developed characters, more complex stories, and things. But there were also things that I did not like, for instance everything with Q. In my eyes, Q is a bad idea and should have been left out completely. Data was a nice idea, but Data's genesis including Dr. Noonien Soong wasn't a brilliant story. Whoopi Goldberg, on the other hand, how nice to see her there, and with such an interesting character! Some untapped potential there. Anyway, as I found I like TNG, and much more than TOS, I was curious about the other Star Trek series and took it on to watch them all in production order (except Discovery season 1, which I watched in between, when it was new).
Star Trek: The Original Series ⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
The original Star Trek series was one of my childhood icons, one of the early major things I saw on TV at all. When I discovered that it was available on Netflix, I set on to watch it, although not continuously. To be honest, I wasn't so thrilled and watched it mostly out of historic curiosity, an episode now and then. Only later I switched to a steadier pace. Still, while some episodes are quite entertaining, a lot of TOS feels so plasticky and artificial and isn't quite my taste.
Star Trek: Voyager ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US science fiction series
After the delightful DS9, Voyager was a bit of a disappointment. Except for the start and the end, Voyager was back to the "alien and/or phenomenon of the week" format. As that, it wasn't bad, but in between I had seen better. Solid, but unexciting entertainment.
Stranger Things ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction horror series
This is remarkable not only because it is set in the 80s, but mainly because its main protagonists are twelve-year-olds (13 in the second season). When one of the round of young table-top-RPG players vanishes, his friends and some adults go and search for him. They encounter, well, stranger things than they could have imagined. Besides the young main characters, all brilliant, I also liked the performance of Winona Ryder a lot, and that is a first for me.
(Update: didn't start with season 3 yet and maybe won't.)
Stromberg ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
German sitcom series and film.
This is a remake of The Office, although it diverges from the original in some areas. As I haven't seen The Office, that doesn't matter much to me. The protagonist Bernd Stromberg is a department manager in an insurance company, a truly pathetic figure who compensates a severe lack of professional and interpersonal skills with manipulative and macchiavellistic behaviour. He is not at all above bullying people for his personal goals, but with some kind of joviality (including a stream of offensive jokes) he still manages to keep his staff somewhat loyal most of the time. Very, very cringeworthy, but brilliantly played. A later feature film is similar.
Supergirl (S1-3) ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US superhero series, based on a comic
Other than the MCU superhero series, the Supergirl approach seems to be a bit more lighthearted. Yes, here, too, are the supervillains who want to enslave or destroy earth, but after the drama of each episode the protagonist returns to her delightful circle of friends and everything is fine. Believability of the overall plot isn't a goal here, but there is some truthfulness in the depiction of personal relationships that is quite nice. Melissa Benoist is good in the main role, but I especially like the performances of Calista Flockhart, David Harewood, and in particular Chyler Leigh. So nice to see her in this strong role, after the mostly annoying "little Grey" in Grey's Anatomy.
(Update: saw season 3, which has a more story arc structure. Still, everything above holds.)
Tatortreiniger ("crime scene cleaner") ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
German comedy series
This series follows a crime scene cleaner to his work assignments, where he unfailingly has some unexpected and mostly bizarre encounters with others. Always funny and very thoughtful, with the brilliant Bjarne Mädel in the lead role, who also played major roles in Stromberg and Mord mit Aussicht (see above).
Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour ⭐⭐⭐+
US concert film
This is one concert of Taylor Swift, nothing but that. I was a bit curious how such a thing is done today. I never went much to the big concert events myself; first I didn't have the money, then I wasn't so eager to immerse myself into huge crowds of people, then I mostly lost interest at all. So I don't have a lot to compare this to, but it is, for such a thing, done very well. Taylor Swift is a very good performer – she has interesting songs, she sings well, she entertains, and her interaction with the audience is excellent. They love her, and she loves them back. This is not my favourite genre of music, but it is one part of my perception that contrary to what people (always) say, modern pop music is anything but worse than the one of previous decades. Sure, there is a lot of garbage in the charts, but that has always been the case, and there is also a lot of truly good music. Taylor Swift's is clearly part of the latter – again, not totally my taste, but definitely good, and I appreciate that.
Tidying up with Marie Kondo ⭐⭐⭐+
US reality series
Marie Kondo comes into people's homes and helps them tackle their mess. Sounds strange, but it has some entertaining qualities. Her method of first putting everything out to see, then taking back only those items you need or that "spark joy in you" and bid the others farewell, has something to it. She is quite charismatic in her cute and super-polite way, and it looks like she actually helps people. I watched only a few episodes so far, but may watch more once and again.
Trainspotting ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British drama film
When this one was in the cinemas (and I went to the cinemas then), I didn't find the trailers enticing enough to watch it. After Elementary, I wanted to see it because of Johnny Lee Miller, but also because I had over the years heard that the film might be good on its own. And yes, it was. But wow, what a ride!
True Lies ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US action comedy film
Arnold Schwarzenegger is best when he is funny, and here he is at the top of his game. Same for Jamie Lee Curtis. This has long been one of my favourite films of the pure entertainment genre, and seeing it is on Netflix made me watch it again. I know there have been some allegations of racism, but, ah, I don't know. There are Arab characters in it that are taken seriously, so I think it is just the Arab terrorists that are depicted as somewhat cartoonish and not so likeable. And I have not yet heard any complaints about that from the direction of Arab terrorists.
Wine Country ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US comedy film
To celebrate the 50th birthday of one of them, a formerly close-knit group of middle-aged women go to Napa Valley for a few days, but the trip turns out to be not just the expected party and drunken nostalgia. Funny, moving in parts, quite lifelike. Very nice. Also Tina Fey in an enjoyable guest role.
The Women ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US comedy-drama film
Remake of the 1939 George Cukor film, and like that one, with an all-women cast. Speaking of which, a huge number of super celebrity actresses including, to my joy, Bette Midler and Carrie Fisher (albeit in smaller roles). Solidly entertaining, although not as fresh and convincing as the original.
For quite some time I have been wanting to write about that stuff I have seen on Netflix, but kept pushing it off. So, now, info (or rather, opinion) dump, all in one piece.
With the view history download feature, I could not even forget a thing, but I don't remember everything well. I omitted the shows and films I dropped fast because I didn't like them at all.
With most others that I dropped it wasn't a conscious decision. It was just that other shows appealed to me more at some point in time, and after some time I noticed I had forgotten the one I was watching originally.
Star ratings are out of five, with occasional pluses or minuses where I couldn't quite make up my mind. They reflect just my totally subjective liking of the film/show or not, and no attempt of assessing any qualities objectively.
Also, some of this is a while ago in between, so I may have forgotten details or even important aspects. Bear with me.
Being George Clooney ⭐⭐⭐
US documentary film
About the men who speak George Clooney's voice in foreign overdubs. Decently entertaining.
Better Call Saul ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US dramedy crime series
The prequel series to Breaking Bad. It's not Breaking Bad, and if you expect something like Breaking Bad, this may be a disappointment. I liked it a lot for its own qualitites. The dynamic between Jimmy and Kim is great (less so with Jimmy's brother), as are the Mike (also in Breaking Bad) and Nacho characters. Jimmy himself is cringe-worthy at most times, but that makes it so more life-like. Loved it, and hope the missing season(s) will come some time. (There is still quite a bit of the Jimmy ⇒ Saul transition to go through.)
The Big Bang Theory ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US sitcom series
Also something everybody knows, right? I saw this on German TV before, where TBBT runs with eternal repetitions several episodes a day. Here I could finally watch them in the original English sound, which is so much better. Already when watching them in German I could identify and in parts reconstruct the jokes that simply don't work in a translation. Netflix always hasn't the latest season, but then by now it is good that TBBT will come to an end. It was super fun in the beginning, but the recent seasons seemed a bit forced in places.
(Update: Lowered score from ⭐⭐⭐⭐+ to ⭐⭐⭐⭐ in hidsight.)
Bill Nye saves the World ⭐⭐-
US popular science series
This is the guy that makes Neil deGrasse Tyson look brilliant. The idea to bring people the real scientific facts that affect our lives and global situation is laudable, but he does it all wrong. The simplifications are unbearable, and the presenting is awful. Obviously I am not the target audience, but still.
Black Mirror (a few eps.) ⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
The episodes in this series are fully independent, with no overlap with or connection to the others. Each episode highlights a particular feature of a future vision of society and technology, often in a dystopian way. They are well thought out and made, but somehow I didn't stick to it. Maybe because there are no characters to warm to.
The Blacklist ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime thriller series
One of the "10 most wanted" of the FBI turns himself in and makes a deal to help the FBI get others from their most wanted list. His own interest is not just not the obvious immunity, but he also gets the FBI to go against his enemies and competitors. Also, the young female FBI agent with whom he seems to have some history, has unexpected problems of her own. The premise is not totally convincing, but this is still an intelligent suspenseful thriller series with quite a few unexpected turns. Really good cast, in particular the leads James Spader and Megan Boone. To my chagrin, Parminder Nagra's character is replaced in season 2.
(Update: dropped in season 2; it seemed a bit repetitive by then.)
Body Guard (a few episodes) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British political thriller series
This one has been talked about here. I watched it together with my wife in German, so I guess the translation takes away some of the immediacy. No humour, but gripping and suspenseful. Like it so far.
(Update: haven't watched it for several months.)
BONDiNG ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US comedy series
College student hires her former high school classmate – and briefly boyfriend, but he has come out as gay in between – as assistent for her dominatrix business. Less sex than could be expected, good lead characters, funny and entertaining.
Brave ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US animation fantasy film
Disney. In some medieval (or so) scottish fantasy world, the adventurous and strong-willed Merida, daughter of a laird, doesn't want to give in to conventions and refuses to be married to one of the suitors chosen by her parents. Her equally strong-willed mother insists. Complications follow. I found the story not as strong in the second half as in the beginning, but the characters are great, Merida is eminently lovable, and the visuals are wonderful. Merida is voiced by Kelly MacDonald, whose Scottish accent I already loved in Gosford Park.
Burn after Reading ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US spy comedy film
What a cast: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, and so on. Hilarious comedy, not of the very memorable kind (I nearly forgot it, and it was just 10 days ago), but still good fun all the way.
The Captains ⭐⭐⭐-
US documentary film
William Shatner interviews the other Star Trek captain actors up to Chris Pine. (This is older than Discovery, I guess.) I barely remember this; apparently I am not Star Trek fan enough to fully appreciate it. I found For the Love of Spock much more interesting.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US fantasy-horror comedy series, based on a comic
Teenagers and dark magic, not as serious (or as good) as Buffy, but still not bad. Kiernan Shipka (Don's daughter in Mad Men) plays the lead, and as I expected she has become an interesting actress. First season was fine, but the second seems to have lost a lot of the momentum.
(Update: considered dropped.)
(Update) Colombiana ⭐⭐⭐⭐
French action thriller
After a 10-year-old girl's family is killed by a drug cartel boss, she takes revenge 15 years later. Somewhat one-dimensional, but beautifully filmed, with a strong and charismatic lead character.
Cosmos (some) ⭐⭐⭐+
US natural science documentary series
Neil deGrasse Tyson is a weird guy in a way, and I don't like his charisma very much, maybe because he seems a bit full of himself. Still he knows his stuff and can put a competent and mostly interesting documentary show together. Here and there I learn something new, because I either missed it when I learned about all these things (mostly as a kid), or it has been found out recently and I haven't heard about it yet. I should watch more of it.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US musical comedy series
This is the work of Rachel Bloom, of "Fuck Me Ray Bradbury" fame. And this is much like it, a kind of sometimes romantic, sometimes sexy, sometimes super cringeworthy musical love story comedy, sometimes hilarious, but with a lot of truth re personal and particularly sexual-romantic relationships. Took me a while to fully warm to it, but somewhere in season 2 it took off for me. In the third season it turns into an educational program about borderline personality disorder, but curiously that makes it no less entertaining. Don't watch it if you cannot stand the cringeing, but if you can, definitely give it a try. Ah, and yes, it is a musical in the original sense, people just break into a song at some suitable (or not) moment. Some of the singing is even remarkably good. Love it!
The Crown ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British drama series
That series about Queen Elisabeth II, starting at her early years. Quite interesting if you like such stuff (apparently I do), and quite well played. While it is oriented on historical events, most of it is of course fiction, except for that which happens in public. Still, interesting. Later seasons to come, I understand.
Daredevil ⭐⭐⭐+
US superhero series, based on a comic
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU); decently entertaining if there weren't that superhero mumbo-jumbo. The acting is pretty good in parts, but I lost interest after the second season. Also, the female sidekick, played by Deborah Ann Woll, is far more interesting than the main character in my eyes.
Dead to Me ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US comedy series
Very black comedy about a woman who tries to take revenge after her husband has been run over and killed on the street. There are some surprises that shed more light on what has actually happened. Christina Applegate (once in Married With Children) and Linda Cardellini (ER) are excellent together in the main roles and get some great lines. I totally loved it.
Derry Girls (a bit) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Northern Irish sitcom series
(London)Derry in the 80s, a bunch of teenage girls and their families. Quite funny (and great accents), but I got a bit tired of it and didn't make it far. The general flair is a bit reminiscent of The Commitments.
Update: Watched again and loved it more, in particular the second season. Upgraded to a solid 4 stars.
Disenchantment (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US fantasy animation satire series
Matt Groening did this, poking fun at fairy tale clichés. Quite funny, but I wasn't crying my eyes out when season 1 ended. May watch in-between released season 2 some time.
Elementary (S1-5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime / police procedural series
Now, everyone knows this, right? When I saw it on German television, I watched an episode now and then, but I also wasn't overly enthusiastic. This changed once I watched it in original audio. I really, really love it, probably to a large part because the voices and accents are so much better – Holmes, Watson, Bell, Gregson, Holmes Sr., all so good –, also the script when not toned down by a lukewarm translation. It is an intelligent show made for intelligent viewers. Also, I love Lucy Liu. She could wear a garbage bag and I'd still be delighted to see her. Her charisma and physical presence alone are amazing. Unfortunately the newer seasons are not (yet?) on Netflix.
(Update: Have started with season 6, not on Netflix.)
Falk ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
German drama/comedy series
A smart, but quirky lawyer who had stopped practicing due to mental problems steps up again, only now with a refreshing nothing-to-lose fuck-you attitude. He is wicked. Now this is a rare beast: a German TV show, even made for one of the public TV programs, that is not just watchable, but has actual, original charms and a charismatic male lead. It does have some of the clichés so often seen on German TV, but only to a bearable amount.
Firefly ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US science function series
This is one of the most interesting TV series at all – small suprise, it was done by Joss Whedon. Non-clichéd stories, interesting and complex characters, romance and action, all done so well. I join the lament of the fans that it hasn't been continued past the first season. Had seen it on DVD before, but here it was in HD. Followed by the feature film Serenity.
(Update) First Blood ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US action film (first of the Rambo films)
To put it mildly, it took me a while to get to watching this film. All my adult life, it was there, a legend, a cliché, an archetype of a film. Everybody knew what it was, including me, although I had never watched it. Now finally I did. To my surprise, it wasn't even bad. Clichéd from today's point of view, sure, very 80s, totally US, but a really good film.
For the Love of Spock ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US documentary film
Documentary about Leonard Nimoy and his role of Spock, done by his son Adam. Entertaining, interesting, and moving in parts. Has a nicely done cross-over with The Big Bang Theory, where Adam Nimoy interviews Sheldon Cooper. Leonard Nimoy must have been a very nice guy.
Game over, Man! ⭐⭐+
US action comedy film
Three wannabe video game makers have a day job in the service at a large hotel. When a large party in the hotel, among it their prospective investor, is taken hostage by gangsters, they try to save the hostages. Not the best example of its genre, but I managed to watch it to the end.
Going in Style ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US heist film
A heist film. The original idea here (if it weren't a remake) is that the ones doing the heist are all old men, and you just love them. And sure, what's not to love about Alan Arkin (who plays it just like in The Kominski Method, even some of his lines could be in both), Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. Three retired steel workers get (legally, apparently) robbed of their pensions by the new owners of the firm, with the help of their bank, so they decide to take it back from the bank. Quite predictable in parts, but still big fun. Very good John Ortiz in a supporting role. (He was the reason I later watched Kong: Skull Island, but his role there is nothing to write home about.)
(Update) The Good Wife ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US legal drama series
Watching this completely, from the start, and in the original English proved to be much more rewarding than an episode now and then in German translation. Really good TV! But the last two seasons seemed like the writers had run out of steam, and the show became a bit tiring (despite some good ideas).
Good Witch ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US fantasy comedy-drama series and films
Fluffy candy-sweet idyllic family series with some fantasy-magical and lots of rom-com elements. The series is a sequel to a number of feature films that I also got (not all on Netflix) and watched. I don't know why, but I got addicted to this stuff. This is the only show of which I have even regularly watched an episode in the morning before work. But it is sacchariney fluff, and you are fully entitled to not like it. I don't know why I did, honest.
(Update) The Haunting of Hill House ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US horror drama series
The Crain family has a business model of buying a fixer-upper, fixing it up while living in it, and then selling it for profit. So the Crain parents and their five children move into Hill House, a mansion in New England. Hill House turns out to be a failure, and not just due to the unexpected repairs needed. I found it a bit difficult to get into the story, as it alternates between several time limes (not just two, as Wikipedia says). But untangling all this turned out to be part of the fun, and in the end this was a very satisfying show, a really intelligent horror story with lots of interesting details and quite a few hair-raising moments. A second season, The Haunting of Bly Manor, is planned to be released 2020.
Heroin(e) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US documentary film
Short documentary about people fighting against the opioid epidemic in a small town in West Virginia. Interesting, intense.
House of Cards (ong.) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US thriller drama series
Everybody knows this one as well, or has at least heard about it, I guess. If not, welcome out from under your rock. Well constructed, and unfortunately highly believable if not outright convincing political drama. I wish politics weren't like this. Its main deficit: few likeable characters, particularly not the leads. Very good or even excellent, but so intense I don't often go for it.
(Update: dropped it consciously when I got back to it after a pause and noticed I didn't care any longer what happened to those people.)
(Update) How to Get Away With Murder ⭐⭐⭐+
US legal/crime drama series
A brilliant, but demanding as well as troubled law professor/lawyer takes on five students as assistants. While they have a law case over one or two episodes, they get themselves involved in an increasingly complicated crime drama themselves. At first I found this quite fascinating, the fast pace, and the differently angled views on the supposed events, but found the ever increasing complications tiring und no longer overly believable. Got stuck in season 2, may not continue.
I'm Telling You for the Last Time ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US standup comedy film
This is Jerry Seinfeld in 1998, and he is good. (Pity the Seinfeld series isn't on Netflix; I have seen only parts of it on German TV, and that is as good (or rather awful) as it can be expected.)
Into the Inferno ⭐⭐⭐
Documentary film
Documentary about active volcanos and active volcanologists by Werner Herzog. This film shows IMO extremely fascinating things, so it just cannot be bad, but the film as such is a bit weird. As is Werner Herzog when he speaks English.
Iron Fist ⭐⭐
US superhero series, based on a comic
MCU series. It had a few nice qualities, but I found the lead character annoying and that superhero mumbo-jumbo more awful than in other shows of the genre. Dropped it after or even in episode four.
Isn't it romantic ⭐⭐⭐+
US romantic comedy satire film
The lead character suddenly wakes up into a world where everything works like in a romantic comedy. Plays nicely on some of the related stereotypes, but in the end it wasn't more than decently entertaining.
The IT Crowd ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British sitcom series
That sitcom about the IT department pariahs and their newly appointed manager in a quite surreal company. Everybody here knows this, right? Not quite consistent in its quality, but totally hilarious and spot on in parts. I had seen most of it before, but still I liked to re-watch it. Not for cringe-sensitive viewers.
iZombie ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US horror comedy thriller series, based on a comic
In some incident, some people are turned into zombies and live unrecognised among humans in the normal world, with their main problem the supply of brains without raising too much suspicion. One of them is the lead character; she uses her senses that are heightened by her being a zombie for criminal detective work. Became boring in the third sesaon IIRC.
Jackass: The Movie ⭐⭐⭐
US "reality" comedy film
This one is weird, intentionally. I know the Jackass series only from hearsay, and this is some kind of "best of" or so. A number of clips of people doing weird shit and in parts disgusting things. Of the less disgusting stuff is how they give themselves paper cuts, so that could give you an idea. But on the other hand it is so surreal that it has some strange quality anyway. Certainly not for everyone, and I watched it only because when it was new and I still routinely read film reviews, the highly reputed and extremely competent catholic FilmDienst found that some of these stunts in their absurdity actually reached the level of performance art. In a way they do.
(Update) Jane the Virgin (started) ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US telenovela spoof
This is a telenovela spoof and a telenovela in its own right, which makes it quite self-referentially ironic. A charismatic and loveable Gina Rodriguez in the main role, really good supporting cast, and a genuinely funny script make this a very entertaining show. I don't know how far this will carry, though; I am currently in season 1, and there are 5. As for now, I am having fun.
Jerry before Seinfeld ⭐⭐⭐
US comedy documentary film
IIRC this film follows Jerry Seinfeld as he returns to the place(s) where his career began, and shows old takes and new routines. I do like Jerry Seinfeld, but this wasn't very memorable. I think I liked it, though.
Jessica Jones (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US superhero series, based on a comic
MCU series with some superhero mumbo-jumbo. In the places where that mumbo-jumbo isn't too bad it is quite good and gripping. I liked it a lot, but the start of the second season put me totally off. Pity – the beginning of season 1 was one of the best film noir things I have seen recently. Also, I like Krysten Ritter.
Jurassic Park ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US science fiction thriller film
Now that is a classic in between. Wealthy entrepreneur builds a theme park with real live dinosaurs bred from fossil DNA and misunderestimates the consequences. I saw it in the cinema when it was new – yes, it is that old. I still went to the cinemas then (and didn't have a TV at home). Re-watched it recently to try out the new loudspeakers, and yes, this one really makes things go crash and boom. (And those new speakers are good.) But it is also a truly excellent film of the pure entertainment genre.
Jurassic Park III ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction thriller film
This one had escaped my attention before, second sequel of the Jurassic Park story, obviously, after The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Not as brilliant as Jurassic Park, but solidly entertaining and fun.
The Kominski Method ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US sitcom series
Two old men, friends, one mid-70s (Michael Douglas), one mid-80s (Alan Arkin), deal with loss and other partly age-related crises and lead their life in general. Despite him undoubtedly being a good actor, I haven't been the biggest fan of Michael Douglas in the past. But here he is wonderful – so genuinely funny and, above all, so relaxed how I wouldn't have thought it possible. Alan Arkin is great, too, as well as the supporting cast. Excellent script. One of the best TV shows I have seen, immensely funny and entertaining. Season 2 has been announced, ¡yay!
Kong: Skull Island ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US monster film
Another take on the King Kong theme. I could have lived without it, but I found it well done, thoroughly entertaining, and visually quite compelling. It is part of the genre, I think, that it is a bit predictable in parts, but not worse than the other King Kong movies.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction thriller film
First sequel to Jurassic Park. After the amusement park has gone down, on "site B", another off-coast Costa Rican island, there are still lots of other dinosaurs, for which different people have different plans. Not as good as the first one, I found it awfully disappointing the first time, but now, many years later, not so much. Actually it isn't bad, and I liked it a bit better than Jurassic Park III now.
(Update) Love, Death & Robots ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US animated sience fiction anthology series
This a series of short films (all under 20 minutes) in very different animation styles, from traditional drawings to photorealistic computer animations. While most have some SF theme, they range over widely different topics -- horror, crime, dystopia, farce, martial arts, some in a surreal way. Some supernatural elements. I liked the few I have seen so far, all good for a small entertainment snack in between, with interesting ideas and good visuals.
Luke Cage (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US superhero series, based on a comic
MCU, so with some superhero mumbo-jumbo, but relatively little, most of the time. Therefore, I found it not only bearable, but actually very good. The characters, including the lead, are the tiniest bit clichéd, but still on the believable side. While the story isn't the greatest, they paint a picture of Harlem that is intense, interesting, and quite moving -- and I hope at least semi-accurate, atmospherically. Great cast, besides the lead Mike Colter also Rosario Dawson, Mahershala Ali (also in House of Cards), Simone Missick, and Alfre Woodard. Oh, BTW, what I liked was all in the first season. The season 2 turned out to be unbearable in the first or second episode.
(Update) Mad Max: Fury Road ⭐⭐⭐
AU/US post-apocalyptic action film
I watched Fury Road after Atomic Blonde, when it was recommended as another interesting recent work of Charlize Theron. That it is. Although to get to that insight, I had to wade through a lot of film that I didn't find overly enticing at first. During the first third (or more) of the film I was close to letting it just be, as everything I saw was, while certainly made by a strong will to shape, rather unappealing. Ugly. I broke off watching this a number of times, and when they got to the oil swamp (or whatever it was), I was close to giving up. And then it became interesting — to some degree, after all enough to continue watching. So, well, yes, for Charlize Theron alone it is worth watching. Still, not my thing overall. The visuals are strong, but the plot is nothing to write home about.
Mad Men ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US drama series
The first bigger thing I saw on Netflix, and what a start! This series about the advertising people in the 60s is one of the best pieces of TV art I have seen, ever. I don't know where to start, so I just let that stand. Only one thing: how the visual aesthetics of the depicted times are presented is wonderful. From the modernity of the 50s and 60s (which I happen to like a lot, as it is what I started to grow up with and still vividly remember) to the colorful designs of 1970, it is all there. And thinking about it, I also feel some more childhood memories inside of me resonate with this series.
Mindhunter ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime drama series
A small group of FBI agents start to systematically dig into the minds of serial killers to better investigate and prevent new crimes; based on historic events. A bit cerebral in parts, but with suspense and some blood and gore. Good and interesting.
(Update: season 2 is out, but I don't know if I will get around it.)
Monsters, Inc. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US animation comedy film
Cute and funny and, for the first time IIRC, excellently animated furs, and I mean every hair. Millions of them. Good fun, lots of little visual jokes, very solid entertainment, although funnier when viewed for the first time (which I did when it was new).
Mord mit Aussicht ("murder with a view") ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
German crime comedy series
Another rare beast of the "good German television" kind: A police inspector from a big city is transferred to a small and seemingly idyllic town far out on the country, and now leads a force of three, herself included. Murders happen, hilarity ensues. I saw this before, when it was new on TV, but it bears re-watching quite well. Totally funny, not only in the script, but also in all those little details. Great fun, very enjoyable cast (including the excellent Bjarne Mädel, also in Stromberg and Tatortreiniger), and really well played.
Ein Mord mit Aussicht ("a murder with a view") ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
German crime comedy film
The series wasn't continued after three seasons, but a concluding feature film was made. It takes a slightly different approach than the series (which is firmly in sitcom territory), and that doesn't work quite so well. Still watchable and entertaining, although maybe a disappointment for some.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (a few) ⭐⭐⭐+
US talk show series
David Letterman talks with very famous guests. I saw the episodes with Barack Obama, George Clooney, and Tina Fey. Wasn't so interested in the others. Rather interesting and entertaining if you know the guests, not so if you don't; for instance I have barely heard of Howard Stern. Obama, on the other hand, is someone I could listen to all day.
Narcos (some) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime drama series
Based on historic events, about the rise of the Colombian drug cartels and the fight of the DEA against them. Quite gripping crime drama, interspersed with narration and some pictures of the historic events, more than with its sequel Narcos: Mexico. This is a bit irritating sometimes, but I still like it. Also, that bit of history is interesting and gives me some background to the current situation re drugs in the Americas.
(Update: dropped. Turned out not to be as captivating as its sequel.)
Narcos: Mexico ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US crime drama series
Like Narcos based on historic events, same story, only in Mexico. Less narration, which gives it a better flow IMO. Compared to Breaking Bad, which didn't make any effort to be overly realistic, this one does. Less glamourous, much grittier, and the sense of "it could have been this way" makes it quite gripping even if the outcome is known.
Norsemen ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US pseudo-historic comedy series
Viking-age vikings do viking things (fighting, pillaging, etc.), but behave rather like today's people, discussing everything with psychological analysis and things. As I have heard, the original cast did the Norwegian as well as the English version, but the latter with their strong Norwegian accents, of course, which adds a lot to the fun. Other than the dialogue, visuals seem quite authentic. This is great fun, totally hilarious.
(Update) Orange is the New Black (S1 + some) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US prison drama series
A 30ish white middle-class woman goes to jail for a crime long past and gets to know a very different world. Among the other inmates, she meets her former girlfriend and partner in crime. Complex and interesting drama, although I found it hard to watch in places for all the injustice shown. Currently on hiatus in early season 2.
(Update) Pain & Gain ⭐⭐⭐+
US "True Story" dark crime comedy
Inspired by actual events, a story about three bodybuilders who try to break out of their meager existence by crime. While their plans aren't the best to begin with, they are also too stupid to pull them off with real success. Not the greatest of films; just so saved by Dwayne Johnson and Tony Shalhoub.
Penn & Teller: Fool Us ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US stage magic show series.
After a short introduction, each participating magician performs a trick in front of famous US magician duo Penn & Teller (and an audience), who try to find out how the trick was done. If they cannot, the candidate has "fooled us!", gets a trophy with a giant "F U", and the invitation to perform with Penn & Teller in their Las Vegas show. After a few candidates, Penn & Teller show a trick of their own at the end of each episode. And boy, are they good. Not just brilliant magicians, but what a showmanship! Nicely presented by Jonathon Ross, and big fun if you appreciate stage magic.
Penny Dreadful ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
British-US gothic horror drama series
In the late 19th century London, all the classic horror figures play a role in this series -- Dr. Frankenstein, Dracula, Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll, and so on. This sounds cheesy, but is actually quite well done. Lush and compelling visuals. Timothy Dalton (yes!), Eva Green, and Josh Harnet (whom I didn't know before) are excellent in the main roles. Second season is set mostly in the US west, third in England again. Very captivating. I totally loved it.
The Protector (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Turkish fantasy drama / thriller series
Despite some magic mumbo-jumbo, this thriller series works really well. One thing: it shows, for a change, Turkish characters as the normal people, not as "the Turks", as we are used to it from German television. While the plot is at least as full of holes as the magic shirt sometimes worn by the main character, the cast is very good, charismatic and convincing. Also, great views of Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia. Particularly noteworthy performances by Hazar Ergüçlü and Mehmet Kurtuluş (also seen in German TV productions) in two of the main roles. To be continued.
(Update: didn't start with season 2 when it came out.)
The Punisher (S1) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US thriller series, based on a comic
While this is also in the MCU, there is no superhero mumbo-jumbo in this one. While that is refreshing, it is immediately compensated by a (bigger) lot of violence, and I mean a lot. Could have done with less of that in my opinion. Still I liked it, because there is a plausible (although not necessarily likeable) main character and a relatively well thought-out plot. There is more than one surprise that turns around the viewer's understanding, and that is well done. Don't watch it if you don't have at least some tolerance for a lot of violence and brutality. S2 is out.
The Queen ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British historic drama film
The death of Princess Diana puts the British royal familiy in an unexpected difficult situation. The events in this film, which to a large part take place in the privacy of the royal family, are of course fictional, but not unplausible. Interesting! Also, anything with Helen Mirren bears watching.
(Update) Raising Dion
US superhero series
This is a superhero show from the perspective of the mother, who tries to raise her son as a normal child despite his emerging "super" abilities, and to solve the mystery how this is related to the death of her husband. I stumbled across it a few years ago (via a rone tweet), when there was nothing but a trailer and an introductory comic book, and liked the idea. The show that has been just released seems to be a bit darker than the early trailer and the book. After watching the first two episodes, I see it has its own charms, but I am not yet sure if I will stick to it.
Relatable – Ellen DeGeneres ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US stand-up comedy show
After many years, Ellen DeGeneres does a stand-up show again. Now she is one of those American celebrities of which I have heard the name for many years, but known little of all the time. This show is mostly based on events of her own life, so I got to learn quite a bit about that. Also, she is good. And – relatable.
(Update:) Robin Hood: Men in Tights ⭐⭐⭐+
US musical pseudo-historian comedy
This is Mel Brooks, need I say more? Hilarious and silly take on the Robin Hood legend. Some fun; otherwise not particularly remarkable.
RuPaul's Drag Race (a few eps.) ⭐⭐⭐+
US reality competition series
Came to this by an article in the Guardian at the start of season 7(!). Never thought a drag queen competition show could be so entertaining; still it wasn't enough for me to stay on it. But it definitely has its charms, and I am glad that I watched some of it.
Santa Clarita Diet ⭐⭐⭐-
US comedy horror series
Timothy Olifant and Drew Barrimore alone are reason enough to watch this... so I thought. It tries to be a hilarious spoof of the zombie genre – family woman becomes a zombie, and she and her husband try to get her enough to eat without totally disrupting the neighbourhood – but it isn't. While it is watchable to some degree, it is also annoying, and I dropped it after the first season. Timothy Olifant was so much better in Justified (which unfortunately isn't on Netflix – would love to watch that again).
Serenity ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US science fiction film
Serenity is, kind of, a prequel to, or the backstory, of the Firefly series, done to promote a continuation of the series, but it failed that. The film is great, though. Can also stand alone if you haven't watched the series.
Sex and the City: The Movie ⭐⭐⭐
US romantic comedy film
After I had seen all of the Sex and the City series and enjoyed it a lot, I just had to watch the movie. The Mr. Big story continues, but while it is decently entertaining, it just doesn't have the charm of the former series. Maybe this material is just better suited to the episodic format.
Sex and the City 2 ⭐⭐
US romantic comedy film
Of course, I also had to watch this. While I made it to the end, this one is a bad film. So, if you don't have to, spare yourself the inevitable eye-rolling.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
Of all the Star Trek series, I liked this one best. The characters, the plot, the dramatic development, the humour – this was the best. I guess the main reasons are the complexity of the characters and the plot, which slowly changes from an episodic format to a continuous development, and that is done well. Pity that the picture quality was so disappointing; while TOS and TNG were scanned in HD from the original film material, this wasn't available for DS9, as postprocessing had been done on electronic (SD) video, not film.
Star Trek: Discovery ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
What a fresh and powerful dramatic take on the Star Trek theme! Gripping, fast-paced, confident, and with lots of new ideas. It has been criticised by many, but I totally like it. There is no episodic structure left at all – each of the two (currently published) seasons is one coherent piece in a number of parts. The second season has some delightful references to the original series – Captain Pike, NCC-1702, the uniforms, and things. Now there isn't everything fantastic about this, like, of all persons, the main character seems to have a supply of mostly two facial expressions, suffering and more suffering. But there are other, wonderful characters, like Tilly, Saru, L'Rell, and that engineer Jet Reno (but then I tend to crush on the lesbians anyway). Also, Michelle Yeoh!
Update: Found the third season a bit disappointing, also in hindsight some of season 2. Down to 4 stars now.
Star Trek: Enterprise ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
STE seemed a bit calmer to me, less excited, and less artificial than the series before, especially Voyager. I liked it, although not everything about it. Why they had to kill off a main character right before the end remained a mystery to me – for lack of having killed one earlier? That temporal cold war theme was wasted on me, too. But I liked the slowly growing chemistry between T'Pol and Trip, for instance, and the unwavering optimism of Dr. Phlox. On the other hand, this is for people who like the Star Trek thing despite all its illogical holes, and if you are not one of these, this is not for you.
Star Trek: The Next Generation ⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
Other than TOS, this one was new to me. I had watched much of the original series on TV when it was on in the early 70s in Germany, but when TNG came, I had no TV set and also wasn't particularly interested. After re-watching TOS now, which I found so-so, I was a bit surprised how good I found TNG. Much better developed characters, more complex stories, and things. But there were also things that I did not like, for instance everything with Q. In my eyes, Q is a bad idea and should have been left out completely. Data was a nice idea, but Data's genesis including Dr. Noonien Soong wasn't a brilliant story. Whoopi Goldberg, on the other hand, how nice to see her there, and with such an interesting character! Some untapped potential there. Anyway, as I found I like TNG, and much more than TOS, I was curious about the other Star Trek series and took it on to watch them all in production order (except Discovery season 1, which I watched in between, when it was new).
Star Trek: The Original Series ⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction series
The original Star Trek series was one of my childhood icons, one of the early major things I saw on TV at all. When I discovered that it was available on Netflix, I set on to watch it, although not continuously. To be honest, I wasn't so thrilled and watched it mostly out of historic curiosity, an episode now and then. Only later I switched to a steadier pace. Still, while some episodes are quite entertaining, a lot of TOS feels so plasticky and artificial and isn't quite my taste.
Star Trek: Voyager ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US science fiction series
After the delightful DS9, Voyager was a bit of a disappointment. Except for the start and the end, Voyager was back to the "alien and/or phenomenon of the week" format. As that, it wasn't bad, but in between I had seen better. Solid, but unexciting entertainment.
Stranger Things ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US science fiction horror series
This is remarkable not only because it is set in the 80s, but mainly because its main protagonists are twelve-year-olds (13 in the second season). When one of the round of young table-top-RPG players vanishes, his friends and some adults go and search for him. They encounter, well, stranger things than they could have imagined. Besides the young main characters, all brilliant, I also liked the performance of Winona Ryder a lot, and that is a first for me.
(Update: didn't start with season 3 yet and maybe won't.)
Stromberg ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
German sitcom series and film.
This is a remake of The Office, although it diverges from the original in some areas. As I haven't seen The Office, that doesn't matter much to me. The protagonist Bernd Stromberg is a department manager in an insurance company, a truly pathetic figure who compensates a severe lack of professional and interpersonal skills with manipulative and macchiavellistic behaviour. He is not at all above bullying people for his personal goals, but with some kind of joviality (including a stream of offensive jokes) he still manages to keep his staff somewhat loyal most of the time. Very, very cringeworthy, but brilliantly played. A later feature film is similar.
Supergirl (S1-3) ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US superhero series, based on a comic
Other than the MCU superhero series, the Supergirl approach seems to be a bit more lighthearted. Yes, here, too, are the supervillains who want to enslave or destroy earth, but after the drama of each episode the protagonist returns to her delightful circle of friends and everything is fine. Believability of the overall plot isn't a goal here, but there is some truthfulness in the depiction of personal relationships that is quite nice. Melissa Benoist is good in the main role, but I especially like the performances of Calista Flockhart, David Harewood, and in particular Chyler Leigh. So nice to see her in this strong role, after the mostly annoying "little Grey" in Grey's Anatomy.
(Update: saw season 3, which has a more story arc structure. Still, everything above holds.)
Tatortreiniger ("crime scene cleaner") ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
German comedy series
This series follows a crime scene cleaner to his work assignments, where he unfailingly has some unexpected and mostly bizarre encounters with others. Always funny and very thoughtful, with the brilliant Bjarne Mädel in the lead role, who also played major roles in Stromberg and Mord mit Aussicht (see above).
Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour ⭐⭐⭐+
US concert film
This is one concert of Taylor Swift, nothing but that. I was a bit curious how such a thing is done today. I never went much to the big concert events myself; first I didn't have the money, then I wasn't so eager to immerse myself into huge crowds of people, then I mostly lost interest at all. So I don't have a lot to compare this to, but it is, for such a thing, done very well. Taylor Swift is a very good performer – she has interesting songs, she sings well, she entertains, and her interaction with the audience is excellent. They love her, and she loves them back. This is not my favourite genre of music, but it is one part of my perception that contrary to what people (always) say, modern pop music is anything but worse than the one of previous decades. Sure, there is a lot of garbage in the charts, but that has always been the case, and there is also a lot of truly good music. Taylor Swift's is clearly part of the latter – again, not totally my taste, but definitely good, and I appreciate that.
Tidying up with Marie Kondo ⭐⭐⭐+
US reality series
Marie Kondo comes into people's homes and helps them tackle their mess. Sounds strange, but it has some entertaining qualities. Her method of first putting everything out to see, then taking back only those items you need or that "spark joy in you" and bid the others farewell, has something to it. She is quite charismatic in her cute and super-polite way, and it looks like she actually helps people. I watched only a few episodes so far, but may watch more once and again.
Trainspotting ⭐⭐⭐⭐
British drama film
When this one was in the cinemas (and I went to the cinemas then), I didn't find the trailers enticing enough to watch it. After Elementary, I wanted to see it because of Johnny Lee Miller, but also because I had over the years heard that the film might be good on its own. And yes, it was. But wow, what a ride!
True Lies ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
US action comedy film
Arnold Schwarzenegger is best when he is funny, and here he is at the top of his game. Same for Jamie Lee Curtis. This has long been one of my favourite films of the pure entertainment genre, and seeing it is on Netflix made me watch it again. I know there have been some allegations of racism, but, ah, I don't know. There are Arab characters in it that are taken seriously, so I think it is just the Arab terrorists that are depicted as somewhat cartoonish and not so likeable. And I have not yet heard any complaints about that from the direction of Arab terrorists.
Wine Country ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
US comedy film
To celebrate the 50th birthday of one of them, a formerly close-knit group of middle-aged women go to Napa Valley for a few days, but the trip turns out to be not just the expected party and drunken nostalgia. Funny, moving in parts, quite lifelike. Very nice. Also Tina Fey in an enjoyable guest role.
The Women ⭐⭐⭐⭐-
US comedy-drama film
Remake of the 1939 George Cukor film, and like that one, with an all-women cast. Speaking of which, a huge number of super celebrity actresses including, to my joy, Bette Midler and Carrie Fisher (albeit in smaller roles). Solidly entertaining, although not as fresh and convincing as the original.