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Reviews
Baieti Destepti (2023)
When a bad script meets bad actors and an inept director
A truly badly scripted, acted, and directed movie. Foreign audiences might not catch the bad and utterly false acting but trust me, it is really awful.
While I am not an avid fan of all of the more famous directors of the so-called New Romanian Cinema (Porumboiu, Puiu, Mungiu), at least these guys know how to pick a good script, good actors, and how to direct a movie.
This is not the case of this director, Igor Cobileanski. I cannot help but wonder who was so stupid to finance it. If it was financed from state funds -- which happens in the case of some films here -- then the jury that decided to finance this movie should be fired. Avoid this movie at all costs!
The Americans (2013)
Some tv show do not age well
It's only now (2023) that I've gotten the chance to watch this tv show. It is extremely over-rated; it is rather slow (for these days), with tons of non-sensical, unrealistic stuff in it. The writers could have done a better job had they read more non-fiction books about spying during the Cold War. Kerri Russell has few if no acting skills. Matthew Rhys is better but he too becomes boring, as the show re-uses in each season plots from previous seasons. Many loose ends and idiotic twists. Plus, some other characters/actors look dumb as a brick. I wonder why it was deemed such a great show. It did not age well.
Spy/Master (2023)
Better than some other tv shows about spies
Saw the first two episodes. Nicely done. Actually, is more entertaining (and realistic) than, for instance, The Americans (a tv show that did not age well, imho). The story seems to be based, partially, on the case of Ion Mihai Pacepa -- former head of Romanian Intelligence services, who defected to the US. The show also combines other elements from the bios of local communist party bosses. In any case, it is a much better show than other tv shows produced by HBO in Romania. The acting is better except for the lead actor, who has a flat, boring way of delivering his lines, with no emotion or nuances.
Deceit (2021)
Way too long and...
Two episodes would have been enough; after finishing the third episode, I googled the case and found out how it ended b/c I lost patience. Other reviewers have emphasized the stellar perfomance of the lead actress. To me she was unconvincing; it's something about the shape of her lips that makes her look as if she smiles or she has a smirk on her face even during the most dramatic moments.
The Chair (2021)
Insiders to academic life and politics will like more this show than outsiders
The show has a promising start but then it doesn't know which way to go: comedy or low key, easy drama?
The story does ring true for people working in universities. The acting is Ok/fine but whatever force the show demonstrated in the first two episodes, it it somewhat lost in subsequent episodes.
Fine to watch especially for academics.
Hit and Run (2021)
Hard to match Fauda
It is difficult to live up to the standards of Fauda. I had to force myself to watch it past episode III, when it became more entertaining. Surprisingly poor performances from some actors (probably b/c they speak in English); poor/artificial dialogue lines.