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Reviews
Constellation (2024)
Great concept, tedious delivery
I really love the concept of Constellation, but the delivery is tedious. Alice yelling 'mama' and mama yelling 'Alice' in the snow at night for ages is annoyingly long, had to fast forward through that, no tension just tedium - get on with it already! The acting is very good but also a tad as lackluster as the shows pacing. I love anything science fiction, other dimensions, time travel enigma and will watch anything with these themes, so I kept going but by the last episode, I kind of wanted it to end. This could have been an amazing 4-part series if they eliminated a lot of the yelling through the snow fields at night, and some of the faux intrigues that eventually did not really add to the narrative but just acted as vehicle to pretend to be mysterious.
Ripley (2024)
An Immersive Experience
In addition to being a beautifully shot series nothing short of fine art, the acting of Andrew Scott as Ripley is artistry in of itself. We are immersed into the thinking of a psychopath, the meticulous nonchalance in which Ripley proceeds to accomplish his misdeeds.
The complexity of the narrative matches the visual complexity of Italian architecture, art, and history featured in this series. The parallels with Caravaggio and his adjacent murderous crime add an intriguing undertone, the symbolism of living in the shadows away from the harsh light of truth; a tribute to Chiaroscuro if you will.
I highly recommend this, and find a fellow artist with which to discuss it.
Apples Never Fall (2024)
Interesting family dynamics, keeps you watching
Having read the book, and also having seen th excellent Big Little Lies adaptation by the same author, Liane Moriarty, this production is somewhat lacking.
The pacing is off, a hollow soap opera quality if you will; and the fake American accents by Australian actors Conor Merrigan Turner and Essie Randles are distracting. The author Liane Moriarty is Australian so somehow hiring Australian actors I guess is a tribute to that, accent be damned.
The 'mystery; itself is intriguing, as it was in the book, with a decent enough twist which I always enjoy. The family dynamics and individual characteristics of each family member is well done. I think Big Little Lies is the better adaptation, and I can't help but to compare it to that but definitely entertaining enough to keep me watching.
Harlan Coben's Shelter (2023)
Abysmal Acting
The acting in this is just abysmal, so bad that it is distracting - even the recognizable actors are terrible in this. Although I do enjoy the twists and turns of Harlan Coben's books, even the ones including the Bolitar character included here as a young man, this 'teen' version is a misguided mess of a mystery. Also, a pet peeve of mine is using a long musical interludes to provide filler, this is not MTV, stop it. If you want to see a really great series adapted from a Coben book, see the Spanish language 'The Innocent' on Netlfix, excellently done, edge of seat, intelligent twits, interesting character, and frankly, much better than the book.