1. The Falcon & The Winter Soldier - So I've only watched the first two episodes so far, and man, are they fucking boring. I'm really hoping it picks up - but it's only six episodes in length so a third of it is already terrible. I wasn't expecting to like it considering how much I hate Bucky (both the character and the actor). But I do really like Anthony Mackie. And I do like Falcon, even though I barely remember his existence in the Avengers movies aside from his big moment at the end of Endgame. I think the ideas behind this are interesting - especially showing how Falcon is treated in the "real" world. I also like the idea of someone else being "appointed" the new Captain America. However, so far, none of it is capturing my full attention. And the therapy scenes are so fucking awful and pandering to the particular Marvel fans that care more about their favorite non-existent "couples" than actual plot. So annoying.
2. It's a Sin - Such a heartbreaking show. I think Russel T. Davies is most famous for Doctor Who and Torchwood (at least in America), but Queer as Folk was a huge part of my college life. I remember so vividly my roommate and I eagerly awaiting every episode and even scheduling our life around it (you know, back in the day before DVR). We would even record the episodes (on VHS) and watch them multiple times. I feel like this miniseries is almost a prequel of sorts. It creates the same drama, mixed with devastating real-life heartbreak. This series takes place just as the AIDS epidemic started to grow into a full-blown crisis, especially among gay men in the 80s. It does an incredible job at creating this really energetic atmosphere of hope, while still having this underlying sense of doom. The characters are all given time to shine - we see them grow as individuals and as friends, we see them falter and then succeed (and sometimes falter again), and we see this disease destroy everything around them. Just heartbreaking. The main cast all are fairly newcomers (I know Olly Alexander has a strong fan base, but I have never seen him in anything before this), and all are perfect for their roles, but the standout is Lydia West. I can't wait to see her in more projects.
3. Debris - I was really hopeful with this - it stars one of my favorite actors, Jonathan Tucker (for real, I've been a fan since Sleepers) and it has sort of a Fringe vibe (which is one of my favorite sci-fi shows). The concept is really intriguing and Tucker is great, but unfortunately the rest of the show falls flat. I think I'm 5 episodes in, but pretty much by the middle of the second episode I lost interest. They try to build this "bigger" mystery within each episode (kind of like...no wait...exactly like Fringe did), but none of it is working. And I don't really like that the main two characters (Tucker and Riann Steele) don't really trust each other because it takes away from their chemistry - maybe if this whole concept started later in the season it would have worked, but instead, I'm already taking sides (Tucker, always & forever). I'm not ruling it out completely, yet, but I was able to break away from the similar themed Manifest, and I'm so happy that I did because it's on like season 4, I think, and the ads look horrendous. It's been easier for me to give up on shows, so this better step up, or I'm done.
4. Genius: Aretha - I realize that this is the third season of Genius, so it's not exactly new - but since it's an anthology, I'm going to treat it as its own thing. I also read that there was a "boycott" of it because the family didn't approve, but I couldn't really figure out why? I watched this for Cynthia Erivo. I'm a big fan, and I was hoping that this would be a huge success for her so that she could get the Emmy that she deserves (and would only be missing that Oscar for an EGOT). She was so great in The Outsiders (and I can't believe I forgot about this performance during the Emmy awards - and apparently everyone did. She definitely deserved some recognition. It's one of those cases where the show is so mediocre that the performances sadly get ignored). Unfortunately, this show is so much worse than mediocre - it's downright awful. It largely focuses on Aretha's relationship to her father, played by Courtney B. Vance, which I think was a mistake - one or two episodes would have been sufficient, instead it's the ENTIRE series. Honestly, it felt like it was more about him than her at some points. I did learn some interesting things about Aretha since I never really knew anything about her personal life (like that she had a baby at 12!!), but the series focuses on really odd things that are not really interesting and then keeps repeating these things. Also, while Erivo and Vance are fine, the rest of the cast is embarrassingly bad. And the opening credits are laughable. And I don't understand why they ended the series with her performing at the Grammys as if that was the defining moment of her career? What a load of BS.
5. Behind Her Eyes - There's no way in a million years that I would guess the twist for this mini-series - if I was expecting a twist, that is. I was expecting it to be "shocking", but I was not expecting a full-out what the fuck is happening ending. I had a feeling it was going to go into "supernatural" territory (groan), but I never expected this. I haven't decided yet if I absolutely hate it or if it's kind of genius? As for the rest of the show, I was definitely invested in the entire thing - which I find increasingly harder for me. I really like Eve Hewson in this - it's just a perfect role for her because she has this very mesmerizing energy to her. I also think that Simona Brown did a wonderful job at being the soul of the show. I think the male lead could have been someone with a stronger presence since it is extremely necessary for this man to be charming. He's just sort of blah, but the women around him did a great job as selling him as a catch, so to speak. I'm surprised that they are limiting this to one season (as of right now) because the idea could keep going, although it may not be as interesting now that we know what's going on. But, I sort of really want to see how it continues especially with the young son being suspicious of his mom's actions. Could be really interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment