ravivenkitaraman Reviews

Blue Lights (2023– )

Beautifully written, acted and directed.

[9/10 · 31 January 2024]

Much of the first episode had me shaking my head at the seemingly over-the-top stupidity and incompetence of the show's newbie cops. Just another show with tons of frustrating idiot-factor lathered on, I figured.

But then a nice thing happened. The plot lines thickened. The characters assumed nuance and complexity. Every actor came through in spades. And each episode from then on just got better. Until, at the end, I was rooting for every single player on the show. That can only happen when there's outstanding character development; so thank you, writers, actors, directors, for providing me with several hours of very high quality entertainment. Bravo.

Arctic Circle (2018– )

This rating and review are for season 3.

[2/10 · 28 January 2024]

How do you take a beautiful setting and what could be an interesting plot, and make a hash of it? Why, you make Arctic Circle Season 3, of course.

Hard to pinpoint which fails more with the show, the script or the acting. The writing provides little to no character nuance, and the subplots are basically weak soap operas. As for the acting and direction, wooden faces, wooden deliveries, and fake accents all manage to drag the show into amateur night territory.

I truly regret getting invested in this show. I wasted a good 6 hours of my time. Please don't make the same mistake I did. Pick something else.

Payback (I) (2023)

Paint-by-numbers "thriller"

[4/10 · 10 November 2023]

Unfortunately, we should've cut bait 2 episodes in, but felt invested and hoped from some of the reviews here that things would improve. Instead, more of the same triteness, a moribund script, and predictable waterworks (read: sobbing at the drop of a hat) from Morven Christie. We do agree with many reviewers that she was better in other procedural fare.

Please avoid unless you're looking for insubstantial, part-time watching material.

Gotta fill the 600-character requirement, hence I'm typing this final wasted paragraph with zero content. Much like some of this show's episodes. Sorry you had to read it.

Only Murders in the Building (2021– )

Season 1 rates an 8, season 2 is a (stretch) 4

[6/10 · 17 August 2022]

Season 1 was as fresh as they come. Great comedic chemistry, tongue-in-cheek fun, and a budding new star in Selena Gomez to keep company to Messrs. Short and Martin.

Season 2, unfortunately, is quite the clunker. The chemistry is gone, Selena's act turns stale, and while visuals and score are as good as ever, the writing has turned putrid. Unfortunately, we are invested and are therefore committed to finish watching this mess.

Tehran (2020– )

Contrived, and often quite silly

[6/10 · 29 June 2022]

Interesting overall concept is spoiled by poor tactical writing, with many people doing stupid things often, absurd coincidences, and trite plot threads. The acting's ok. Pity. Could've been good.

Around the World in 80 Days (2021– )

Mostly quite boring

[3/10 · 31 January 2022]

So it's different from the book and other screen versions. So what? Interesting is interesting.

Except....this version is a veritable snooze fest. How one can take such promising themes (traveling around the world! Exotic locales!) and inject such megatorpor into them is beyond me.

I suggest you avoid being bored to death by this silly version. Skip!

Mass (2021)

An acting tour de force

[9/10 · 17 January 2022]

"Mass" packs a massive punch thanks to its four protagonists and fine screenplay. No background music or stunts relied on, and none required, to move the audience....this drama is as organic as visceral as they come. I'd give it a 10 except for what I thought were a couple of throwaway scenes to start the film.

Reyka (2021– )

Letdown

[4/10 · 22 November 2021]

I was one of those who was able to review a preview of the show (which corresponded, roughly, to Episode 1). I was impressed by the local flavor (South Africa!) and the opportunity to get an insightful look inside a Zulu community. In addition, the plot seemed promising (serial killer!) and the characters interesting.

Alas, everything only flattered to deceive. The show goes downhill quickly and flatlines into trite themes, and the writing and direction don't help any.

Avoid this mess.

Black Sails (2014–2017)

A 3-season story stretched into 4

[7/10 · 6 October 2021]

The first two seasons had me. Tight plotting, solid teleplay, and a mess of interesting characters. But it all got repetitive after that, going through the motions until its merciful end. 9 stars for seasons 1 and 2, 5 for the last two.

The Bridge (2011–2018)

The perfect mystery/ thriller series

[10/10 · 2 April 2021]

Innovative twists and turns, clever serial killers, flawed but fan-worthy central characters.... I mean, what's not to like? Also, the effort to pack in sub-plots and minor characters is remarkably successful; at no point does it feel that the episodes have any filler.

One more thing: In my opinion, the show actually gets better from season to season, and the fourth season is my favorite both from a plot standpoint and as the culmination of Bron's lead characters' story arcs.

The Undoing (2020)

Too melodramatic so far

[3/10 · 9 November 2020]

In the middle of episode 2 so it's still early and I do plan to finish watching the series (and revise this review if needed). But so far, this lacks any subtlety, and the director and script writer try to create tension and suspense using jaded film techniques rather than allowing the story to develop organically.

Failing grade for now.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Couldn't find a 11th star here, so 10 will have to do.

[10/10 · 17 October 2020]

An all-star cast does full justice to Aaron Sorkin's script in this quintessentially 60's protest flick end courtroom drama. In addition to star turns by Redmayne, Baron Cohen, Langhella, Rylance, and Gordon Levitt, I loved the cameo from Michael Keaton.

The Boys (2019– )

10 for season 1, 5 for season 2

[5/10 · 15 October 2020]

There is a noticeable drop off in quality of plot and script between the two seasons, so despite the same actors and the same general innuendo, season 2 feels relatively dull and vapid. I'm hoping that season 3 returns to the glory of the first season....they had a good thing going there for a while.

Ted Lasso (2020–2023)

Jason Sudekis is perfectly cast

[8/10 · 5 September 2020]

This cornball comedy thrives because of its star. Jason Sudekis can inject warm, genuine humor into any situation and this is no different. Sure we've seen the story before a hundred times, and sure it's schmaltzy, but it's vintage Jason! And just for that, it's worth it all.

De Dag (2018)

The critic and entertainment-seeker in me were both delighted.

[10/10 · 31 July 2020]

De Dag has you on the edge of your seat throughout its 12 episodes (think early seasons of the Keifer Sutherland show 24) but there's a realism that elevates it to an entirely different level, plus the twists are much more imaginative. Hats off also to flawless writing and acting.

Perry Mason (2020– )

This is not your grandparents' Perry!

[9/10 · 20 July 2020]

There are some by-now-standard HBO attempts at wokeness and Mason is certainly not (yet) the clean cut hero that your grandparents grew up reading about and watching. But that said, this is an extremely entertaining and put-together mystery where everyone is flawed but interesting, and the story evolves really well. Just push aside any preconceptions you may have of Perry, and sit back and enjoy the noir.

The Twelve (2019–2023)

Watchable!

[7/10 · 17 July 2020]

It's hardly a classic, but the pieces are interwoven smartly, the characters feel genuine (and genuinely broken), and the story-telling moves briskly. Definitely worth a watch.

Catch-22 (2019)

Superb

[10/10 · 7 June 2020]

I read the book 50 years ago and saw the movie 40 years ago. I don't remember either very well except that I liked them.

This series, however, has left a deep and I think lasting impression on me. It helps that I love Italy and I like the music of the 40s (particularly the jazz) but that was just gravy for me. The real meat was the pathos that the directors managed to create amid the satire and horseplay you would expect. War is horror, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise in the name of a " higher cause."

Congrats on a mini series beautifully and poignantly executed.

Defending Jacob (2020)

Much like the fare on network TV nowadays...

[5/10 · 30 May 2020]

Unnecessarily melodramatic, highly unrealistic, with idiot-factors sprinkled liberally throughout the series. I can't remember a single authentic moment, but I can remember lots of annoying ones.

If you limit your viewing to sophisticated, intelligent TV, give this one a wave as you drive by it, and do not look back.

The Bureau (2015–2020)

Up there with The Americans

[10/10 · 14 April 2020]

I just finished Season 3 and IMO this is the best offering on TV today in the spy genre. It's detailed, feels authentic, and the plots and scripts are tight with very little wasted screen time. Add to that great locales and solid acting, and that puts it at the very top of the category, along with The Americans, and significantly ahead of other genre offerings such as Homeland.

The Stranger (I) (2020)

Let me count the ways....

[1/10 · 17 February 2020]

Just plain lousy in every way. For those of you who have stopped watching network TV after graduating to good cable, watching this nonsense will remind you why. The production crew's sophomoric attempts to create a suspense-a-minute affair succeeded only in making me cringe.

My heartfelt advice: don't even start watching, otherwise you'll feel invested and compelled to waste even more of your time in an effort to finish it...like I did. (Shame on me. I should have trusted the negative reviews out there. )

Killing Eve (2018–2022)

Lousy

[2/10 · 28 May 2018]

What a load of superficial rubbish. Unfortunately we had to finish it because we had invested the time. Sandra Oh's histrionics wore on us after a (very short) while. Plus, everything tries too hard to be too cool, and the result is all style (if you can call it that) and no substance.