CouchTV Reviews

The Deepest Breath (2023)

What it means to have the deepest love...

[9/10 · 22 July 2023]

This emotional documentary film dives deep, not only into the ocean, but also deep into our souls.

What does it mean to have the deepest kind of love? This film covers it in many ways, through real characters.

For a parent who deeply loves a child, it may be to set a child free to discover his/her true passions in life.

For any person who tries to find deep meaning in life, you may feel lost many times before you find your true calling.

For those of us who have experienced deep love, we are moved by the sacrifice and selflessness that has been given to us.

Searching for our deepest love, finding it, enjoying it, losing it...this film helps us understand the triumphs and tragedies of life, and in the end, hope. Because when you see the deepest kind of love, it's a celebration of the best aspects of humanity.

Another documentary, The Rescue (2021, National Geographic), evokes similar feelings and emotions.

The whole team that participated in this documentary, including the director, editor, music as well as all the real people...thank you for making this.

A Small Light (2023)

The meaning of A Small Light

[9/10 · 11 May 2023]

I once visited the Anne Frank museum house in Amsterdam in Netherlands as a tourist, and learnt briefly about how a family tried to survive through World War II and the genocide. I left the place with questions - why didn't more people try to save the innocent? What would I have done if I was living through that war?

This drama film series, based on actual events, was released by National Geographic / Disney+ in early May 2023. At the time of my review, I have watched the initial episodes, and am now waiting eagerly for the remaining episodes to be released.

The main characters are well developed and deeply portrayed. Anne Frank is not the main character in this drama film; instead it is about the other people who were not famous (people like the rest of us).

Faced with difficulties, challenges and adversity, what would we do in similar circumstances? It's not always obvious. And so, when you see a main character make a right choice, to endure difficulty and to choose human kindness, it can be moving and uplifting.

The director, script writer, cinematographer, crew and actors should be proud of their work. This show, which covers a dark and fearful period, provides hope and meaning.

A light, no matter how small, can fill up darkness. That's the theme of this drama film - if each one of us can be a small light, whether back in history or in our current world, that's all that's needed to make the difference.

AKA (2023)

Bourne Identity & Taken & Nobody, French style

[9/10 · 28 April 2023]

I've always read imdb user reviews before, and this is my first time reviewing a movie, because this French movie AKA on Netflix surely deserves a review (there's none yet at the time of my writing).

AKA is like a combination of some well produced movies that come to mind such as the Bourne series, Taken, Nobody, John Wick, Heat etc. Heroes who should just have been left alone. Heroes with good souls who have to decide who to protect, whose orders to follow, and what to fight for.

There's a lot of action, fighting & shooting. But these are not the mindless kind of fighting. The script is not bad with unexpected stories and characters. The action hero is played by a French actor Alban Lenoir I have never heard of, who manages to play the role just as well as Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, or Keanu Reeves would have played had they acted in this movie.

I give it 9/10. If I were the movie editor, some scenes could have been cut out and were not necessary, to reach a wider audience. Other than that, most of the characters were well played; the action scenes were done very well; the script was clever with an appropriate overlay of effective music soundtrack.

Honestly surprised by how good this movie was. I watched it with a low expectation, so just pretend that you have not read my review, don't know anything about this movie, and watch it with no expectation or idea about the movie.