aherdofbeautifulwildponies Reviews

Sailor Moon: Crybaby Usagi's Magnificent Transformation (1992) Season 1, Episode 1

The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

[8/10 · 23 November 2023]

The original Sailor Moon series (1992-1997) included 200 episodes, which means that for most of the show Usagi Tsukino and Sailor Moon were one and the same. It is all the more curious to go to the very beginning of the story, when the then fourteen-year-old protagonist is granted her magical powers.

The recipe for the show's success was right there: from the start, there is a combination of the most mundane and daily experiences of a student (Usagi oversleeps, fails a test, would rather stop by a video arcade than go home) and the magical and supernatural events that are yet to be explained, but include talking cats and horrible demons. The contrast is also visual: some of the most striking imagery is that of the Dark Kingdom, suitably Gothic in its style. In comparison, the transformation sequence - Usagi turning into Sailor Moon - is made out of light, stars, ribbons, and a fresh manicure.

Much of what is seen in the first episode grounds the heroine - we meet Usagi's mother, younger brother, best friend Naru, classmate Umino - but will not have a lasting presence. Yet, Usagi also encounters Mamoru Chiba (and the conflict between the two is immediate), while Sailor Moon meets Tuxedo Mask (who is supportive and charming), thus establishing one of the core plot-lines of the series.

There is a promise of romance, there is adventure, there is mystery. There is a fascination with jewellery and empowerment; both being key themes for the show. There is a fair bit of complaining and screaming, with 'crybaby' Usagi coming in sharp contrast with Luna, the little black cat who is now the girl's companion. Luna has limited patience and a no-nonsense attitude. She is here on a mission, after all.

Structurally, the first episode establishes the 'monster of the week' pattern. In terms of its atmosphere and imagery, the instalment is true to the rest of the series; seeing it again feels like coming home.

The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)

Seeds of Suspicion

[9/10 · 23 November 2023]

The Draughtsman's Contract (1982) is a picture crafted with such exceptional skill that any thoughts of what one has just watched, any analysis of the film, any contemplation of the cinematography or writing - all of it calls for further appreciation of the work.

Set in rural Wiltshire in 1694, the film is concerned with the pastimes of an aristocratic circle and an artist invited into it. The latter is Mr Neville (played by Anthony Higgins), the draughtsman of the title. He has arrived at the Herbert estate to produce a series of drawings - those are intended by Mrs Virginia Herbert (Janet Suzman) as a gift for her husband. While Mr Herbert is away, his wife should have no trouble fulfilling the contract she entered with Mr Neville in its entirety: in addition to the money and the board, Mrs Herbert has agreed 'to comply with his requests concerning his pleasure'. How perfectly, deliberately scandalous!

At the heart of it, The Draughtsman's Contract is a country-house murder mystery, but not in a way that is typical; nor is that the only puzzle to be solved.

Much like Mr Neville's drawings (in reality, made by Peter Greenaway, the film's director), the movie contains no accidental decisions. Each line of dialogue, each frame, the development of every seemingly inconsequential plot-line - all of it is deliberate, infused with symbolism, symmetrically arranged, and presented in the most elegant and ornamental fashion. The acting is superb, the music written by Michael Nyman is absolutely perfect, the wigs and outfits are even more elaborate than their historical prototypes, and the ending remains astonishing. Passions, it would seem, are complementary to extreme restraint.

Only Murders in the Building: Hello, Darkness (2022) Season 2, Episode 8

Stumbling Along

[5/10 · 11 September 2023]

After Episode 7 of the second series, 'Flipping the Pieces (2022)', I speculated the show was turning into a melodrama. I stand corrected: as of Episode 8, Only Murders in the Building (2021) is closer to pantomime - in the British meaning of the word.

The dwellers of the Arconia are plunged into the dark, as the Upper West Side suffers a power outage; hence the episode title 'Hello, Darkness'. Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) return to the building, having just learned that Charles's not-quite-adopted-daughter Lucy (Zoe Colletti) is inside, while the murderer remains on the loose.

One may expect a sense of urgency - after all, this is a literal matter of life and death. There's none. The episode meanders along, unconcerned with any questions previously posed by the show. (What was the meaning behind the painting of Charles's father? Is Oliver biologically related to Will? Somewhere within the Arconia, there are Amy Schumer and Cara Delevingne, with their plot-lines suspended. Not that I miss those characters, exactly; however, the great Shirley MacLaine - who briefly appeared as Bunny's mother - definitely does not deserve such neglect.)

The building stairs are revealed to be the true enemy. Martin Short bravely carries the bulk of the episode (and a bag of dips) on his shoulders, while the show continues to be largely well-acted and so, so poorly written.

Amanda (II) (2022)

Stand By Me

[8/10 · 21 August 2023]

Amanda (2022) easily fits the canon of girlhood in film as established by The Virgin Suicides (1999) and Ghost World (2001), but also echoes the listless coming-of-age exploration of Les quatre cents coups (1959). A character study, the film follows its eponymous protagonist, while Amanda (played by Benedetta Porcaroli) stumbles through life with the wide-eyed grace of newborn Bambi. The setting is that of a town in northern Italy, with the narrative taking to the streets, stopping under a bypass for a rave party, making observations in the darkness of a cinema theatre, and at the dinner table of an aloof bourgeois family.

What sets Amanda apart from the aforementioned pictures is the age of the heroine: twenty-four. As she is continuously reminded by her family, by now Amanda really should know how to make friends, or pay for her own place, or get a grasp on life. In the course of the narrative, it becomes apparent that her inexperience is not for a lack of trying - yet, her very nature is often at odds with her ambitions.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, this story of loneliness, of characters whose lives often shrink to the size of their bedrooms, of overthinking and interruptions, of one's most candid relationship being with the virtual assistant that lives in your phone - all of that has become relatable to audiences for whom the experiences would otherwise remain foreign. On par with Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021), Amanda is among the most considered explorations of forced solitude, such as those exist in the 2020s.

Friendship, romance, family, and self-determination are examined in Carolina Cavalli's directorial debut with a lot of style, thought, and humour. Much like in life, no conclusions are offerred, but the film creates an engrossing atmoshere and plenty of suggestions. Music choices and casting (so many interesting faces!) are noteworthy, as are the performances by Monica Nappo as Sofia, Amanda's mother, and Benedetta Porcaroli, who lends her force and charm to the protagonist.

If the real treasure is the friends we make along the way, Amanda makes a convincing argument about the value of relationships that do not happen: they inform our other choices. That may seem wistful, but the film skillfully balances its meditative quality with the unrelenting optimism of its heroine, for whom all roads remain open.

Accident (1967)

The Middle Pinter-Losey Collaboration Is No Accident

[8/10 · 3 August 2023]

In comparison with Harold Pinter's plays, the film Accident (1967; written by Pinter and directed by Joseph Losey) is a much more languid and considerably less absurdist experience. The shared quality can be found in the dialogue, very direct and, at times, witty; and in the existential dread felt by the protagonist. The latter is Stephen, an Oxford professor of - suitably - Philosophy, played by Dirk Bogarde.

The principal cast is made of Bogarde, Stanley Baker (as Charley, Stephen's more successful colleague), Michael York (as William, a young aristocrat tutored by Stephen), and Jacqueline Sassard (as Anna, another student of Stephen's and a romantic interest of all three men). Sassard, a French actress in the part of an Austrian princess, is a notable exception within that company of players: where the rest bring their sparcely-written parts to life, inhabit them and create figures that are interesting, if not quite sympathetic, Sassard's lines are read with determination in place of skill.

Her share of the dialogue was purposefully simple, as the actress was not fluent in English, but the result is a well-dressed but empty figure. Which, of course, makes for a curious object of desire: where other female characters (Rosalind, Stephen's wife, played by Vivien Merchant; Stephen's lover Francesca, played by Delphine Seyrig; or Charley's wife Laura, played by Ann Firbank) are rounded and astute, Anna reveals very little of herself - you are left wondering if there was much to be revealed in the first place.

At its best, Accident brings to mind A Handful of Dust, the 1934 novel by Evelyn Waugh. The tragic resolution is inevitable, the poor decisions made by characters are in their very nature, and beauty and repulsion can co-exist. At its worst, the film is uneven in its acting, with picturesque but distracted cinematography. Nevertheless, it provides an immersion into a world of tradition and establishment; one, where men have the power but lack the awareness, and women's lives are inextricably linked to the bitter understanding of the status quo. The observations are measured and accurate, and a sense of thoughtful unpleasantness lingers long past the end credits.

Accident can come especially recommended if you care for a quick tour of Oxford colleges: the film was shot across half a dozen. Do not, however, attempt to match the characters drink for drink - much like with Withnail and I (1987), that will only result in hospitalisation.

Barbie (I) (2023)

A Hot Pink Mess

[6/10 · 26 July 2023]

Before making Barbie (2023), Greta Gerwig single-handedly directed two films: Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019). Both were about girls on the precipice of adolescence, both had nuanced and layered portrayals of mother-daughter relationships, both combined imaginative visuals with clever dialogue. Both were very, very good. Given those credentials, one may expect Barbie to be as intelligent, convincing and amusing a picture - and, well, it isn't.

The fantasy comedy begins in Barbie Land, a place where Barbie (played by Margot Robbie) is having the best day every day, in the company of other Barbies and, occasionally, Kens. The designs, costumes, and cinematography do an excellent job re-creating the Mattel vision in its pink plastic perfection. The introduction is referential but not overtly reliant on what is external to the film; it is smartly self-aware and presents a world where Barbie can be anything - a President, a Physicist, a Journalist, a Lawyer, or a Mermaid. Much like with the original toys, Ken (Ryan Gosling) comes as an afterthought and 'only exists within the warmth of Barbie's gaze'.

The plot is set in motion when Barbie begins having thoughts about death and, normally suspended in the state of standing on the balls of her feet, she feels her heels hit the ground. What follows is The Wizard of Oz (1939) journey in reverse (the parallel is explicit) and, ultimately, a Pinocchio storyline of the doll in the Real World.

If Barbie was fully dedicated to that conceit - as promised by the trailer - it could be an interesting exploration in the way of The Truman Show (1998) or Stranger Than Fiction (2006). Instead, the film chooses to introduce a handful of conflicts, threats, and plot-lines that are never fully realised. What is the nature of the connection between a Barbie and the girl who plays with the doll in the Real World? What would happen if Barbie were put back in the box? Why is Gloria (America Ferrera), the receptionist at the Mattel headquarters and, later, Barbie's Real-World companion, depressed - and how is that eventually resolved? Why is Gloria's daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) cross with her mother? Why does the board of Mattel spend one third of the film hiding in the bushes? Most importantly, the crux of the third-act conflict - set in Barbie Land now renamed 'Kendom' - contradicts what had been previously established about that world and its inhabitants.

Towards the finale, the production evolves into explicit commentary on gender roles. One side is presented as clueless and attention-seeking, while the other is manipulative and vengeful. The film repeatedly takes offence with 'mansplaining', yet behaves in a blithely patronising manner towards the viewer. Much of what is declared is not supported by what has been shown, and the picture relies on the presumed prior experience of the audience, rather than on storytelling. While the denouement includes one of the film's highlights, the musical number 'I'm Just Ken', the ending does not resolve (or acknowledge) much, and the final scene is reductive to the point of being offensive.

Barbie is very easy on the eye, and the acting ranges from competent to inspired, with praiseworthy performances by the leading actors. Margot Robbie is pitch-perfect as Barbie, and Ryan Gosling shines as her counterpart, often stealing the show. Situational comedy and slapstick mostly land, while some of the bon mots are funny, yet hardly plausible when spoken by the characters.

If only this were better written. If only the joyride in the pink convertible did not leave you with blond hair in your mouth.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Creation and Destruction

[9/10 · 26 July 2023]

Oppenheimer (2023), directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy in the titular part, is that rare production where everything - everything - works.

J. Robert Oppenheimer (called Robert, called 'Oppie', never called Julius) is the central figure of a story that is larger than any person; the heart of which beats at the temperature of approximately 300,000 degrees Celsius; the successful resolution of which threatens to swallow the world. Making a film that doubles as a biography of the atomic bomb and of its 'father' is a tall order, yet Nolan does the subject justice.

Covering the expanse of thirty-seven years, from 1926 to 1963, the picture presents a non-linear sequence of events. The narrative moves to and fro between two hearings: that where the matter of Oppenheimer's security clearance is debated; and that where Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) is to be confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of Commerce. The latter plot-line may be unexpected, but it serves to expose the political machinations at work and, ultimately, links Oppenheimer's roles as a scientist and laboratory director to his personal life and his legacy.

The performances by Murphy and Downey Jr. Are outstanding, with the rest of the ensemble cast (Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh et al. Et al.) shining in their parts. Damon, in the role of General Leslie Groves, the officer directing the Manhattan Project, provides a welcome foil for Murphy's Oppenheimer, with the two sharing some of the best dialogue in the film. Pugh and Blunt, in the roles of Oppenheimer's lover and wife respectively, are striking and memorable in their own right.

The cinematography by Nolan's frequent collaborator Hoyte Van Hoytema effortlessly oscillates between the minute and the colossal. The decision to forego computer-generated special effects - in favour of practical methods and recreation of historical settings - lends the picture authenticity that is rare in the CGI-saturated world of Hollywood blockbusters. The original score composed by Ludwig Göransson is the nerve of the story, skilfully guiding the audience from 'the highest high, to the lowest low'.

Oppenheimer is a work of cinematic art. It may deal with one of the darkest chapters in American history, yet its effect is that of profound enlightenment, of an experience surpassing one's immediate life, of an immersion into a world that is supranatural, arranged, distilled, concentrated - yet real. It is best seen at a theatre; perhaps, multiple times at that.

Only Murders in the Building: Flipping the Pieces (2022) Season 2, Episode 7

A Memory Game

[6/10 · 24 July 2023]

The first series of tt12851524 contained Episode 7, 'The Boy from 6B (2021)'. Told from the perspective of Theo Dimas (James Caverly), a notable resident of the Arconia and a suspect at the time, it was an ambitious and fantastically delivered instalment that had almost no dialogue. Theo is, after all, deaf.

In this episode, 'Flipping Pieces', the younger Dimas is, once again, playing a prominent part - except the delivery is not to the previously established standard at all. Instead, his perspective is half-acknowledged, and Mabel, who shares scenes with Theo, spends a while talking at him. That does not work well in terms of logic; it works even less in terms of acting: Selena Gomez is delightfully cynical when her lines are given in response to those spoken by Steve Martin and Martin Short. When left to carry the dialogue on her own, the actress's speech turns unmodulated and grating.

The story remains unconcerned with questions posed earlier: who is Will's biological father? Has Alice left Mabel's apartment - and do we care that the former is dangerously duplicitous and obsessed? When Detective Williams (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) went on maternity leave, did she take the rest of NYPD with her, since the well-recorded and publicised stabbing on the subway has not prompted any arrests or questioning?

Instead, the episode introduced more questions. Such as: Why wouldn't you be wearing gloves when committing theft at winter-time? How many new products are in the Gut Milk line? And, at which point does the required suspension of disbelief become too great, and one has no choice but to treat the show as a melodrama? Asking for a friend.

Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure: We Wanna See Our Mom (2022) Season 1, Episode 9

The Pause Before the Reveal

[6/10 · 24 July 2023]

In the search for their mother, a hen called Julia, Gudetama and Shakipiyo have come full circle and returned to the restaurant they escaped in the first episode of the series. There, they are greeted by the Lazy Head Chef (played by Masato Kawamorita), who points the heroes in the direction of a nearby farm.

The episode bears the markings of the story reaching its culmination: there is a flashback montage, Gudetama and Shakipiyo declare their commitment to the cause, and the conclusion of their adventures is so very close. In fact, because of how close it is, another last-minute setback proves frustrating and repetitive in its nature.

Most of the episode takes part at night, and the series uses the reduced light and the countryside location to its advantage. There is a rather beautiful scene with fireflies, and the darkness, with its unexplained rustles and noises, easily makes for a thriller atmosphere - at chick scale, at least. Another notable moment is Shakipiyo climbing a utility pole. There has not been a scene of that kind and that much dedication since Mulan (1998).

Fast-paced and visually engaging, this episode ('We Wanna See Our Mom') nevertheless comes across as a filler. There are no memorable lines, the threats are an echo of past experiences, and the cliffhanger is but a déjà vu.

Only Murders in the Building: Performance Review (2022) Season 2, Episode 6

Spinning a Yarn

[7/10 · 18 July 2023]

Although the previous episode ('The Tell (2022)') ended on a cliffhanger, the question of Will's lineage does not get resolved in 'Performance Review'. Instead, the plotlines become even more tangled, and a fair amount of suspicion towards Mabel is both engineered and warranted.

In a now-familiar fashion, 'Performance Review' is largely delivered through a minor character: this time, it is Poppy White (Adina Verson), the assistant to the true-crime podcast host Cinda Canning (played by Tina Fey, inspired by Sarah Koenig). Poppy's part is done well enough, given that she is neither at the centre of events - emotionally or narratively - nor does her character's change of allegiance necessarily call for sympathy.

'Performance Review' likely marks the end of Jan's (Amy Ryan) part in the series; if so, it was handled elegantly. The same cannot be said of the investigation as undertaken by the main trio. Here, Mabel, Charles, and Oliver are portrayed as distracted and inept. Luckily for them, the police force are even more so, and our heroes might still be the best-suited party to solve Bunny's murder.

The episode features stunning coats, more Cara Delevingne (that particular plot development has just taken a turn for the unhinged), and enough complexity to double as a law proposal. Let's see if this ball of yarn can be untangled in time for the grand finale.

Bank Holiday (1938)

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea!

[7/10 · 9 July 2023]

Director Carol Reed's most famous creation is The Third Man (1949). Made just over a decade earlier, Bank Holiday (1938) is set on the other side of the Second World War, and the difference in the atmosphere of the two films is stark.

Bank Holiday takes place in August, as Londoners hurry to the seaside to enjoy a long weekend. The gallery of characters includes a young nurse (played by Margaret Lockwood), her lover (Hugh Williams), a family of five - with the mother (Kathleen Harrison) fashioning outré outfits and the father (Wally Patch) taking every opportunity to disappear into a pub - and a duo of girlfriends (Rene Ray and Merle Tottenham), travelling to attend a beauty pageant. Although she is supposed to be enjoying a romantic get-away in the fictional town of Bexborough (that part is acted out by Brighton), Lockwood's Catharine is preoccupied with the thoughts of a patient's husband (John Lodge) and the tragic case she left behind.

In its delivery, Bank Holiday is light-handed, playful, and non-judgemental. Characters frequently side-step expectations and norms, be it a misguided attempt to appear cosmopolitan, an extramarital affair, or theft. Yet, every single person is given space to become human, sympathetic, and complex; whether one is trustworthy is never truly called into question, and the police sergeant (brilliantly, memorably played by Wilfrid Lawson) will happily take a criminal on his word.

Without lingering on any conflict - and so stopping short of melodrama - Bank Holiday provides a realistic, if understated and codified, view of relationships and emotions: those often run their course, can be fleeting or shallow, but that is not an indictment on anyone.

Another curious aspect is the semi-documentary quality of the film. (Actual documentary footage of King George V and Queen Mary riding in a carriage during the Royal Silver Jubilee celebration of 1935 is included in a flashback, but the fictional narrative, steeped in the everyday life, also doubles as a faithful historical depiction.) One may discover that the Boots logo is still the same; that train journeys nowadays are - incredibly - an improvement on those conducted in England in the 1930s; that the modern ideas of comfort and luxury are quite elaborate in comparison to the ones enjoyed by Reed's characters. Unable to find 'room at the inn', hundreds of holiday-makers spend the night on the beach, under the open skies - in their usual clothes, with suitcases for pillows.

There is an ease to decisions, contrasted with a lingering unease in the background. The front page of a newspaper declares: 'War Clouds Over Europe'. A line of dialogue goes, 'Besides, you never know what is going to happen in the world nowadays. You got to try to be happy while you can.'

Try they did, and we get to see a glimpse of it still.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

A Web Has Many Threads

[8/10 · 21 June 2023]

Five years after the picture's release, the story of Miles Morales and co. Holds up beautifully. The longevity has been built into the movie that accomplishes the near-impossible: telling an origins story that is respectful of the exisiting narrative, but sets its own course.

Visually, the film is stunning (with the exception of the occasionally indistinct faces of 'extras' - the animated asphalt has more definition). The style often references comic book conventions, but is also innovative and unfalteringly clever: the use of colours normally associated with 3D designs comes in handy when depicting cross-dimensional anomalies, while the fight in the birch forest is striking in the way normally reserved for wuxia.

In contrast to so many recent reinterpretations, from Little Women (2019) to Scream (2022), Into the Spider-Verse incorporates the familiar version of the events into itself - instead of using it as an external reference, ironically or otherwise. Here, the complexity comes from moral dilemmas faced by characters - and from the many ways the questions of loyalty and courage are answered - rather than from influences borrowed elsewhere. Where Marvel live-action features work as parts of a mechanism, with some of the instalments having little intrinsic value, Into the Spider-Verse is a single fully-formed and self-standing superhero movie.

The style and the plot are complemented by sound dialogue, with a gallery of carefully (re)imagined characters coming alive - each in their own way. And while this Spider-Man film retains the common element of tragedy, ultimately, it is a thoroughly good-natured movie with a sharp sense of humour.

Only Murders in the Building: The Tell (2022) Season 2, Episode 5

An Oliver Twist

[7/10 · 23 May 2023]

The second series of tt12851524 continues to feel uneven in comparison to its antecedent. Episode 5, 'The Tell', is burdened by the many suggestions and plot developments it contains - some are bound to be red herrings, but the overall effect is distracting rather than engrossing.

If the previous instalment focussed on Charles (Steve Martin), this one pays most attention to Oliver (Martin Short). His son Will (Ryan Broussard) provides narration that frames the events of the episode: at the beginning, we learn of a family secret; in the end, we learn what it is. The revelation is bound to cause ripples - and it may be the most sobering experience lived by a character yet. Betrayal often is.

The most enjoyable part is the-party-within-the-party: Mabel (Selena Gomez) and her girlfriend Alice (Cara Delevingne) are entertaining an artistic crowd at the Arconia - at the crime scene, but we do not focus on that. As Oliver introduces the guests to expired drugs and a game of Son of Sam (a version of Werewolf), the scene is transported to the 1970s. The outfits are outrageous and glorious.

Any appearance by Jan (Amy Ryan) is a joy. She and Charles have much better chemistry than Mabel and Alice - but then again, so do Oliver and Greek yoghurt.

Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure: Give Up Already (2022) Season 1, Episode 8

Now You See Me, Now You Don't

[6/10 · 23 May 2023]

In contrast with the rest of the series so far, Episode 8, 'Give Up Already', focusses on human characters. Gudetama has been captured by Director Inoue (Akiyoshi Nakao), as the latter is trying to create a new show based around the anthropomorphic egg. It appears, however, that the Director is too high-strung to observe Gudetama in their true form and sees the protagonist as just a raw egg instead. Assistant Director Suzuki (Serena Motola) - her enthusiasm matching Gudetama's - serves as the go-between for Inoue and his would-be star. The result is a game of Chinese whispers and a grotesque pitch delivered to a senior executive. The humour, for most part, feels both primitive and forced.

There is an underlying message akin to 'hakuna matata' of The Lion King (1994): to see everything that there is, one must forget the worries. That may be related to the notion of child-like wonder: how, when experiencing the world for the first time, we are fascinated by all of it, and how adults tend to operate under a burden of expectations that often limits their views. Gudetama's lazy and passive nature can be seen as wise and unperturbed. Really, both descriptions apply.

The episode has very little Shakipiyo, but, by the end of it, we are as close to finding the mother hen as we have ever been.

Only Murders in the Building: Here's Looking at You (2022) Season 2, Episode 4

The Walls Have Eyes

[7/10 · 16 May 2023]

It has been established earlier on in the series that the Arconia - the 'Building' of the title - had been planned to include secret passages and at least one private lift. Both had been designed by the architect, used by his descendants, and gradually discovered by the youngest inhabitants of the Arconia, generation after generation.

This episode, 'Here's Looking at You', suggests that the secret passages are more the size and breadth of servants' corridors, connecting all parts of the large building, and wide enough to allow groups. Further disbelief is invited when we are shown the same stretch of a dimly-lit passage, scene after scene, as the characters navigate the hidden networks. tt12851524 can be inventive and sharp; it can also double as Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969).

Lucy, a previously-mentioned character, is introduced in person. Her part is beautifully delivered by Zoe Colletti, but has little consistency: fluctuating between a wise guide and a caricature of a teenager, Lucy is less a person and more a practical device that either advances the plot, or serves to better define the main trio of characters, with emphasis on Charles (Steve Martin).

There is a bloody knife stuck in the ceiling. Neither Cara Delevingne nor Amy Schumer make an appearance. Nathan Lane delivers an inspired speech in a come-back of Teddy Dimas. Altogether, the episode may not be a highlight of the second series, but neither is it bad.

Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure: How Many Eggs are in that Omelet? (2022) Season 1, Episode 7

The Plot Thickens

[7/10 · 23 April 2023]

At the start of the episode, our two heroes Gudetama and Shakipiyo - in the company of detective Hard-Boiled - have been detained by the Egg Mafia. The boss (a Sicilian-style omelette, he proudly clarifies) demands the stolen bags of desiccants are returned, or a cruel and unusual punishment awaits the trio. Of course, the problem is that Gudetama, Shakipiyo, and Hard-Boiled had not succeeded with the heist and someone else had got there first. To return the missing bags of desiccant to the Egg Mafia, the heroes must first find the culprits.

To complicate matters further, the TV producer introduced in Episode 2 (played by Akiyoshi Nakao) is back and on a mission to find Gudetama, so that the talking egg can feature in his show.

The series brings in yet another egg recipe: this time, it is century eggs. These characters are represented as 'shut-ins' in a parallel with Hikikomori phenomenon of modern Japan - although this analogy gets very much lost in translation.

Enjoyable and excellent at depicting characters with just a couple of lines of dialogue, this episode is nevertheless weaker that its predecessor in terms of structure. A lot happens but little is resolved, complications mount, and there is no sign of the mother hen. Perhaps, 'How Many Eggs Are in That Omelet?' works better if immediately paired with Episode 8 of the series.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Farmworkers (2023) Season 10, Episode 8

The Fruit of the Labour

[8/10 · 22 April 2023]

In the eighth episode of the season, John Oliver discusses the attempts to limit medical abortion in Texas and the rights of farm-workers across the States. The latest NRA convention and the fact that news anchor Robert Grant has a dairy allergy also get a mention.

It has been about a decade since I watched a John Oliver production last - my introduction to the comedian was back when he worked as a correspondent on The Daily Show (1996) with Jon Stewart. I did not quite dare to hope for the same quality, and I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, the tone of Last Week Tonight is very close to that of The Daily Show in its 1999-2015 run: a satirical but never cruel commentary on some of the most acutely relevant topics. Of course, The Daily Show was just that, while Oliver's weekly programme focusses on one large theme each time, with a helping of recent headlines towards the start.

This particular episode was mostly dedicated to the rights - or lack thereof - enjoyed by farm-workers in the present-day United States. According to the statistics provided by the programme, 70% of all American agricultural labourers are foreign-born, a great majority of them in the country undocumented. In other words, there is a vulnerable population employed in a field (pun intended) where workers' rights are protected the least. The worst cases of abuse are truly tragic; it is a testament to the show's writers and to Oliver's delivery that such a grievous subject is presented in a way that both encourages sympathy and engenders wider conversation.

Planet Earth: Fresh Water (2006) Season 1, Episode 3

The Hydrologic Cycle

[9/10 · 10 April 2023]

The third episode of the series is, in many respects, a thorough and beautifully-shot presentation of the water cycle - insofar as that applies to fresh water. We start at the very top, at Angel Falls in Venezuela. That waterfall is the highest in the world and can be found on the Auyan-Tepui ('Devils Mountain') plateau, the same mountain formation that inspired Conan Doyle to write The Lost World (1912), although the location might now be more familiar as Paradise Falls from Up (2009).

The cinematography is especially astonishing towards the start, when we follow the waters of Angel Falls along the drop of nearly a kilometre; and also towards the finale, when the camera floats above the Iguassu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. That location, too, is breathtakingly fantastical.

As fresh water travels from the mountains to, eventually, the lakes and oceans, there is no shortage of curious and unfamiliar creatures: the giant salamander and the crab-eating macaque are among the many species introduced in the episode. There are, also, animals who are more familiar to the wider public and whom we associate with rivers across the planet: salmon, otters, crocodiles, seals, piranha, and bottle-nosed dolphins. Each species is portrayed with careful attention and in its interaction with others sharing the same ecosystem.

The music composed by George Fenton is brilliant at guiding the viewer through the narrative; the localisation of some of the melodies is an unexpected but not unwelcome choice. Beautifully, thoughtfully narrated by David Attenborough, 'Fresh Water' is another outstanding work by the BBC Natural History Unit and a pleasure for all senses.

Only Murders in the Building: The Last Day of Bunny Folger (2022) Season 2, Episode 3

On the Clock

[9/10 · 7 April 2023]

The best episode of the season so far, 'The Last Day of Bunny Folger' accomplishes a lot in its thirty-one minute of running time. For one, it reminds the viewers of the days when the main trio - Mabel, Charles, and Oliver - were relative strangers to us and each other. Back then, Oliver came across as a washed-up producer with a tendency to overshare, Charles could barely hold a meaningful conversation with anyone, and Mabel would be carelessly rude and judgemental. Of course, all of that still applies but, somewhere along the way, we saw that there was more to those characters and began to care for them. Bunny Folger never got that expanded treatment - until now.

Jayne Houdyshell plays the part of the cantankerous, caring, opinionated, resourceful, pedantic, hard-working, blunt, and unexpectedly generous character beautifully. We get to spend a day in Bunny's world, and much of it centres on the Arconia and, by extension, New York. Bunny had a closer relationship with the staff at her local diner than she had with her family, and her only truly intimate engagement seems to have been with the Arconia herself. Neither fact is presented as tragic - but the latter could have contributed to Bunny's untimely demise.

As far as the crime investigation goes, the episode proposes two obvious suspects: Nina, the new chair of the board, and the mysterious caller, who contacted Bunny on her mobile and was unceremoniously told off for that. Given that the first series gradually revealed the Dimas and Jan as criminals with entirely unconnected motives and modi operandi, it is possible more than one person is involved this time around, too.

Emotionally, this is a bitter-sweet segment: while Bunny's character is shown to have more depth, there is no reward for her. 'We at Only Murders did not kill Bunny Folger. But there's a chance we could have saved her life with a simple act of kindness.'

Violet Evergarden: Never Coming Back (2018) Season 1, Episode 2

The Right Type

[7/10 · 6 April 2023]

The second instalment in the series has us spend more time with Violet's future colleagues, the Auto Memory Dolls. There are three: Cattleya (efficient, charming, most popular with customers, visually reminds of Lust from Hagane no renkinjutsushi (2009)), Erica (comparatively insecure, despite working for the company as long as Cattleya; wears round glasses and dresses like a porcelain doll), and Iris (an ambitious newcomer who wouldn't be out of place in a steampunk story). The perspective for most of the episode is Erica's, who also narrates some of the scenes.

A couple of the missing puzzle pieces appear; for example, we learn how Violet and Major Gilbert Bougainvillea met. Yet, as that part is revealed, more questions are left still: about Gilbert's family, their role in the war, Violet's life prior to that point. It appears that the scenes set in the past are provided at the start of each episode, which, to me, is an approach better than flashbacks - Violet Evergarden (both the character and the series) is quite stilted and dramatic as it is.

The animation is beautiful; the landscapes, views of the city, and any depictions of nature are especially so. The quarters of the CH Postal Company appear grotesquely oversized, built for someone twice as big as the characters. Will that change as Violet gradually finds her place? I doubt her growth will affect the extant visual choices, but I do look forward to her gaining more of a personality. A sense of humour, perhaps. For now, her progress has been practical, like gaining confidence adjusting her mechanical arms.

Breaking Bad: Pilot (2008) Season 1, Episode 1

Applied Chemistry

[9/10 · 3 April 2023]

The reputation of Breaking Bad precedes my first personal encounter with the series by far: on their list of the 'The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time', Rolling Stone put the production second to only The Simpsons (1989) and The Sopranos (1999). On IMDb, this very website, Breaking Bad loses only to Planet Earth II (2016). Going in with expectations raised as high as that, I was apprehensive. Having seen the pilot, I think I needn't be.

Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a chemistry teacher who has just turned fifty. His life is a combination of overwhelming responsibility, stifled passions, and misery that comes in both small and large doses: like public humiliation (relatively small) and failing health (huge). His character would be lonely if he ever got time to stop and think about himself. Put simply, the premise of the series makes Lester Burnham from American Beauty (1999) look cheerful, recognised, and fulfilled.

The pilot episode is skilfully, beautifully arranged, with an engrossing, action-heavy opening. The acting is good (Cranston and Aaron Paul, the second lead, stand out at once) and the stakes are immediately high. I expect that characters will acquire complexity as we spend more time with them, or as they live through the events to come - at the start, we have a gallery of archetypes, delivered with more or less skill. Another striking choice is the depiction of the world presented by the pilot episode: not only does Walter's situation point to systemic failures in education and healthcare, to name but two, but personal interactions have very little kindness to them, too. So far, people in Breaking Bad have been, on average, quite mean and a bit dim. Is that Walter's point of view? Is that a world whose very qualities justify methamphetamine production, eyes squarely on the money? I wonder.

Only Murders in the Building: Framed (2022) Season 2, Episode 2

Laws of Inheritance

[7/10 · 3 April 2023]

The second instalment of the second series goes back in time: we learn more about Arconia, the building where 'only murders' have been taking place; about Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell) and her family; and about Charles's (Steve Martin) relationship with his father. (Young Charles was a very neat boy. Young Bunny had a kitten. Arconia has hidden passages, purposefully designed by its salacious architect.)

The best part of this episode is the sudden appearance of Shirley MacLaine. Cast as Bunny's mother, the acting legend (she was 88 when the segment aired) is brilliant in a largely comedic part - and her character just might have the best wardrobe. I'm sorry, Oliver.

Perhaps, the most memorable part of the episode - and not for any good reason - is the scene shared by Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Alice (Cara Delevingne), in which the latter invites the former to destroy a sculpture. In the group chat where I discuss the series with friends, the commentary read, 'I made this lump. It's you. Here's an axe. This is Meaningful.' My own commentary was less articulate, along the lines of 'It's just ugh.' This particular scene is so bad that even Billie Eilish playing in the background cannot save it.

Amy Schumer's performance, on the other hand, while annoying, comes across as intentional. Do I want her character to die? Yes. Do I expect from Schumer a switch to less comedic and more dramatic delivery, with some sincerity of tone? Also, yes.

Mrs Gambolini (voiced by Jayne Houdyshell) continues to be excellent as both parrot and plot device.

Only Murders in the Building: Persons of Interest (2022) Season 2, Episode 1

Start Again

[7/10 · 28 March 2023]

The premise of the second series of Only Murders in the Building was built into the previous season's finale: Mabel Mora (played by Selena Gomez) is found standing over the dead body of Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell), the iron-willed and widely disliked president of the apartment building. Mora is detained, as are her fellow amateur detectives and podcasters Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin) and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short). The trio are told to keep their noses out of the investigation and let the police do the work. Naturally, the hosts of Only Murders in the Building must do the exact opposite.

The overarching continuity of the plot is pleasing and promises a complex reveal, much like in the first season. The episode itself, however, has a few wrinkles:

At one point, Mabel spends a while washing blood off of her floors - in the dark, with the police forensics team, presumably, on strike. At another, the trio remove coats from Bunny's apartment just to wear those for a couple of minutes - to then what, show up in the dead woman's clothes in the public? Discard of them, while persons of interest in the murder investigation? (I shall happily eat my words if those coats turn out to have any kind of significance in future episodes. I am not too hopeful.) Changes in Selena Gomez's hairstyle break scene continuity. Cara Delevingne, a newcomer to the show, flirts but does not act. Sting's apartment is now occupied by Amy Schumer, who plays herself and is at the top of my personal Next Victim List.

All that said, the acting of the main and returning cast is great. The apartment interiors and the characters' wardrobes continue to be a delight - the same applies to the music choices. The opening is playful and, as previously, there are imaginative breaks from realist story-telling. In fact, it is the quality and precision associated with the show that make any foibles all the more irritating. Nevertheless, not a bad beginning. Let's see what's to follow.

Planet Earth: Mountains (2006) Season 1, Episode 2

Top of the World

[9/10 · 28 March 2023]

The second episode of the miniseries continues with the familiar approach of showcasing a particular kind of habitat - this time, mountains - in the forms it takes across the planet. We travel from Ethiopia to the Andes to the Alps and beyond. A special stop is made on the slopes of an active volcano: Erta Ale illustrates how mountains are formed and what they look like in their earliest days.

The episode boasts of the first ever close recording of snow leopards. In a Himalayan blizzard, a mother leopard hunts markhors (a species of mountain goats), while her cub - big, but not yet independent - waits by a cave. There is the largest mountain glacier on Earth, the Baltoro in Pakistan, and the tallest peak on the planet, Mount Everest. Seasons change and, once again, grizzly bears of the Rockies come out of hibernation, while, many miles away, a giant panda is nursing her young.

As expected of the BBC wildlife programmes, here is a wonderful combination of personal (insofar as that term can be applied to animals) and general. Particular stories and situations are shown as part of the overarching intricate arrangements that make up life on Earth. It is beautiful and fascinating and dangerous, and the show does its subject justice.

Side Effects (I) (2013)

Fake It Until You Make It

[7/10 · 23 March 2023]

The poster of Side Effects features four famous faces on it: clockwise, you see Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rooney Mara, and Channing Tatum. There is a suggestion of a complex relationship between their characters - and of somewhat equal parts in the story. Both of those assumptions are proven false. Dr Jonathan Banks (played by Law) is gradually revealed as the protagonist of Side Effects, while his patient Emily Taylor (Mara) has a supporting, if most remarkable, role. Zeta-Jones plays the snake in the grass and spends most of the film out of sight, while Channing Tatum is briefly introduced as a handsome piece of furniture.

Side Effects has most in common with a Hitchcock thriller: Dr Banks faces a false accusation and must clear his name, with no support from his colleagues or from authorities. Characters are duplicitous and untrustworthy, and the question is not who is lying (everyone, everyone is lying), but how and why. Someone dies.

Rooney Mara delivers a great performance as a mentally unstable socialite - I whole-heartedly agree with Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian) praising her 'ability to be scared and scary at the same time'. As Mara's part is that of an unreliable narrator, it soon proves difficult to empathise with her character fully; instead, you spend a good while doubting her, yourself, and whether you are experiencing a déjà vu and whether you are experiencing a déjà vu.

There is no doubt that Side Effects is clever, yet, for me, the picture lacks in three important respects. The big questions about the use of mood-altering medication, experimental and otherwise, are raised, but then dropped as soon as the focus of the plot development shifts elsewhere. Two, the perilous and exciting romance - the supposed undercurrent of the narrative - feels shoehorned and staged. Finally, the ending brings us nearly full circle, and you are left wondering if the whole experience has had any effect on the protagonist.

Given that my original goal, when picking the film, was to see more praiseworthy acting by Zeta-Jones, I should find Side Effects satisfying. Unfortunately, as intelligent, ambitious, and well-acted as the film is, it lacks narrative cohesion and unity of tone, with the finale appearing as if a bow on a box.