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[Vultural]

The Girls At The Back - 2022 - Spain

The Girls At The Back - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Las de la última fila

 
Solidarity.  The sort that only best friends, childhood friends, often share.
So, when one is diagnosed with cancer, they all shave their heads and go to the beach.
They have agreed not to discuss the C word, and to take dares.
Step out of their routines, their comfort zones.
Brief series one should not rush through.
Flashbacks surface and disappear without warning.  As do internal conversations.
The women, in their 30’s, are full of life, and more perceptive about friends than themselves.
Chick drama.  γνῶθι σεαυτόν

[Vultural]

The Restaurant - 2003 - USA

The Restaurant - 2003 - 6/10
 

 
Early, so-called reality show hews closer to that overused “reality” moniker.
Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito (celebrity meaning, he wrote a book) launches a Manhattan restaurant.
Series shows the serving staff and the cooks working the flames.
Also the problems: bad reviews, money issues, personal conflicts.
Plus, the obvious fact that Rocco flat out does NOT want to work.
He would rather wander the tables and flirt with attractive females.
Rocco does not even run the pass.
Unlike scripted reality shows, here you are a fly on the ceiling, observing a trainwreck caused by the owner.

[Vultural]

Three-Body - 2023 - China

Three-Body - 2023 - 7/10
AKA - San ti // 三体

Across the globe, leading research scientists are committing suicide.
Police officer Qiang is assigned to protect nanoscientist, Wang Miao.
 

 
Which draws both men into a clandestine organization, the Frontiers Of Science.
Into conspiracy, ultimately an invasion.
Very heady SciFi series from China demands an early degree of patience.
Thirty episodes, of which the first 10 feel padded.
Why show a 30 second scene, when you can stretch it to 2 minutes?
Likewise repeat a scene over and over, with various angles, so the audience "gets it".
The characters are somewhat over-the-top and unlikeable at this point, too.
Trust me here, the show settles down and the narrative tightens considerably.
Especially whenever the focus shifts to the Cultural Revolution and the Red Coast base.
 

Therein lie the seeds for human annihilation.
There is VR gameplay involved and the retro flat CGI is fun.
Science, math, physics and equations throughout.
Outstanding adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel.
The entire S01 is currently available from Tencent in 4K, with excellent subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-UO8jbrIoM

[Vultural]

Utö - 2024 - Finland

Utö - 2024 - 6/10
 

 
There is an ear-piercing sound, followed by atmospheric disturbance.
Afterward, the small Finnish island of Utö is utterly isolated.
No one can leave, no one can arrive.
As supplies dwindle, so too does community spirit.  Every man for himself.
Woven in are supernatural elements and actual history of ship disasters near the island.
Acting in this is bad.  Primarily from the lead (Maria) who is insufferably annoying and whiny.
Subtitles I viewed were inept AI generated: an educated chimpanzee would do better.
The narrative itself has good points, and provides a strange twist near the end.

[Vultural]

Alex Hugo - 2014 - France

Alex Hugo - 2014 - 6/10
 

 
Ex-Marseille police detective Hugo, fed up with city violence, moves to the tranquil countryside.
Alas, the bucolic setting turns out to be another Cabot Cove (sans JB Fletcher), and just as lethal.
Cult suicides, runaways killed, axe murders.
Bears more than a passing resemblance to Midsomer Murders.
By the end of 3 episodes, an ensemble has been built around the burly Hugo.
Rugged mountain scenery is the attraction here.
Mysteries themselves are routine, and series seems low on energy.

[Vultural]

History With A Small H - 2023 - Canada

History With A Small H - 2023 - 6/10
AKA - L'Histoire en Minuscules
 

 
Grandmother Hortense moves in, to the annoyance of recent high school grad, Flora.
Hortense is frail, elderly, her cognition failing.  For Flora, dead weight.
Until mother tells Flora to start clearing up Grandma’s boxes for removal.
There are the vintage clothes.  Who knew Grandmother had such style?
Then the journals, which Flora begins reading.  She begins to “see” the actual person.
A life of joys and despairs.  Small moments along with life changing events.
To reawake fading memories, Flora begins to reenact stray milestones.
Brief, charming series may resonate with those who witness a loved one slowly disappear.

[Vultural]

Alice In Borderland: S02 - 2022 - Japan

Alice In Borderland: S02 - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Imawa no Kuni no Arisu // 今際の国のアリス

Never would have predicted this.
I enjoyed S01 up until it faltered at the Beach.
Was unsure if I wanted to view this season, until the fans raved deliriously.
 

 
Vestiges of Tokyo are disappearing under vegetation.
Players survive in pockets, form temporary enclaves as the games grow more elaborate.
For a second season, there is a wealth of narrative track, in deeper, richer veins.
Secondary, even tertiary players assume major roles.
Just how much is packed into eight episodes is astonishing.
Much relies on S01, so one must see that season first,
A few installments boast separate contests, with glimpses of still other games.
This season is more thoughtful as characters grapple with the value of human life.
What determines value?  Merit, money, education?  Who decides?
Is Life itself even worth the struggle, worth living?  How about freedom?
Imaginative ending, too, in this well thought-out series.
 

 
”Your life is yours. Don't follow someone else's path."
Kyuma

[Vultural]

Tokyo Vice - 2022 - USA

Tokyo Vice - 2022 - 6/10

Missouri journalism major lands dream job with Japan’s most prestigious newspaper.
Assignments mean reporting news in such a way that does not offend, speculate, gainsay the police line.
Bland headlines, meekly espoused.
In the midst of the day to day, an outside Yakuza is trying to muscle in on territory.
Yakuza rivalries and tactics, absolutely!  Police maneuverings, irresistible.  Newspaper, great stuff.
That said, much of the “story” dawdles into club hostesses and their angst.
At best, the females are a distraction.  By and large, they are written as stupid.
Together, they have the common sense of a sea sponge.
This could have, should have, been superb, instead of soap opera poo-poo.

[Vultural]

The Last Wave - 2019 - France

The Last Wave - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - La Dernière Vague

Lovely day to go surfing, even with that overhead cloud doing a rotisserie turn.
Until the cloud suddenly descends to the waves and the surfers vanish.
Hours later, they stagger to the shore, and … we find out … are magically altered.
Some can breath underwater, some can heal, others can “see”.
Meantime, the village has its squabbles, betrayals, conflicts, and ecological disasters.
Ending is something of a head-scratcher, which those who watch wider fare are accustomed to.  
Big logical error is the omnipresent cloud attracts no crowds, no press, no internet egoists.

Edited August 16 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Pray For Blood - 2022 - Mexico

Pray For Blood - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Todo la Sangre

The first murder, a beheading, occurs during the height of fireworks and celebrations.
Followed by another, with more severed body parts.
Police have their trails and sources, tabloid journalists have their own.
In the middle, a cultural historian, who recognizes the ritual Aztec slayings.
It is not a serial killer.  Someone is laying the groundwork to open a portal.
Blood splattered gore in this dive down Mexican folklore, shamanism and corruption.

[Vultural]

The Serpent - 2021 - UK

The Serpent - 2021 - 7/10

Sometimes reality is just scarier than fiction.
Charles Sobhraj, murderer, gem dealer, stealer of identities - after murdering his victims.
Victims were the hippies in New Delhi, Nepal, Bangkok, seeking experience, releasing steam.
Trusting types, addled by drugs, flashing too much cash.
Series is part lengthy crime spree by Sobhraj, his partner Marie, and lethal sidekick Ajay.
Also Interpol procedural, as various agencies attempt to unearth the crimes.
And domestic / government dramas as most shrug off deaths of reckless young travelers.
Insidious problem with this is Sobhraj is coldly charismatic, while the Dutch aide who obsesses over him and his deeds is insufferable.
Wiki = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sobhraj

[Vultural]

A Touch Of Cloth - 2012 - UK

A Touch Of Cloth - 2012 - 7/10  
 

 
“What’s that you say, old man?
“Ah, yes, the police procedural, buddy cops, the whole genre, ripe for parody.
‘True, the more one knows those clichés, the more one will catch the jokes.
“Murders, yes.  People will do anything to get themselves noticed nowadays.
“Refreshing to finally see a thick-skulled detective.  Reminds me of the cop who came after the birdbath was stolen.
“Three seasons, but only seven episodes?  How much do those writers get paid, anyway?”

[Vultural]

Walking On Sunshine - 2019 - Austria

Walking On Sunshine - 2019 - 6/10  
 

 
Trials and tribulations of the weather division of a local Austrian TV station.
On one hand, the team does its own in-house analysis and forecasting.
One he other hand, they are tiny, and the German behemoth wants them as a feeder.
The team is a mix of likeable and bullying, professionals and fools.
Ex-alcoholic news presenter Otto is the most compelling as the self-deluded egoist.
Others, well, the writers try their best to make dullards seem intriguing.
Season 01 = 10 episodes.  Doubt I shall return for more.

[Vultural]

Hijack - 2023 - UK

Hijack - 2023 - 7/10
 

 
Airline hijacking.  Seven episodes for a seven hour flight.
Passengers are an assortment of families, turistas, professionals.
Also terrorists and a high stakes business negotiator.
One of the strengths is the casual pace, insomuch as we don’t know WHY incidents occur.
As aware as the passengers, are government officials, who hesitate until they have more facts.
Well constructed thriller is perfect for those about to take a lengthy flight.
A few explanations are still murky.

[Vultural]

Harry Wild - 2022 - Ireland

Harry Wild - 2022 - 6/10
 

 
Professor Wild faces retirement with her usual accessory.  Alcohol.
After being robbed, she turns into something of a sleuth.
Cozy mystery series builds the entourage by the end of episode 1.
Set and filmed in Dublin, which will appeal to many.
One might envision Hallmark salivating over this, except our star is foul mouthed, and sleeps around.
Jane Seymour demonstrates a nice flair for comedy.
More seasons followed.

[Vultural]

Women At War - 2022 - France

Women At War - 2022 - 6/10  
AKA - Les Combattantes

 
What do a convent nun, prostitute, abortionist and widow have in common?
Early Great War and the German offensive assails the Vosges.
In different ways, these women tend the wounded, run ambulances, struggle.
Narratives range from espionage to melodrama to preposterous to nunsploitation.
Creators keep adding more and more twists and turns until the plots topple precariously.
For me, this was akin to  “What are they going to do this week?”
Excellent production values, explosive war sequences, but the personal stories run excessive.

Edited September 6 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Wednesday - 2022 - USA

Wednesday - 2022 - 7/10

 
Living under a cultural rock, I was unaware of this until someone I respected posted a favorable review.
Anticipation turned to disappointment once I saw Tim Burton’s name in the credits.
For me, Burton’s forte is of odd weirdness, with storytelling at the toddler level.
I was on guard the entire season, bracing for Burton’s mannerisms.
Not to worry.  This is reverent, faithful, packed with in-jokes, and Wednesday is a jaundiced gem.
After being booted from one too many schools, she is exiled to Nevermore Academy.
Where her curiosity is drawn to dark doings and a rising malevolence.
Jenna Ortega is ideal as the pigtailed scorpion.
Commitment avoiders, this sarcastic series reaches a satisfying conclusion with S01.

Edited September 6 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Dry Water - 2019 - Portugal

Dry Water - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - Auga Seca

 
Son Fran is an idealist, developing a process for dry water to help drought stricken regions.
Too bad his family is more profit oriented.
Their business is international export, and when a bloody death occurs at the pier, police visit.
And the detectives keep at it, since stories and evidence does not add up.
Two short seasons of corruption and investigation.
To tell the truth, I was happy with one, deciding it was more accurate to reality.

[Vultural]

What Pauline Is Not Telling You - 2022 - France

What Pauline Is Not Telling You - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - Ce que Pauline ne Vous Dit Pas

 
After yet another telephone argument with her estranged husband, Pauline decides to visit in person.
There, at her old home, she finds him on the ground, dead.
Rattled, she drives home, and only then does she summon an ambulance.
Pauline is an unreliable narrator, with strong motives to kill her husband.
Police are highly suspicious, as is the investigating judge.
Online, every yahoo spews their hateful opinion.
Human beings what we are, people up and down the social scale lie and lie and lie.
And believe and embrace our own fabrications.

[Vultural]

Divided We Stand - 2022 - Germany

Divided We Stand - 2022 - 6/10  
AKA - ZERV
 

 
After the wall comes down, Germany reunifies in the 1990’s.
Relaxed freedoms, and – Hey!  What about all those East German weapons?
A tiny agency is formed to dispose of them, and ensure they don’t wind up in the wrong hands.
Thing is, major weapons are financially lucrative.
Politicians never seem to have enough money, while arms brokers have cash to splash.
Squabbling team members are East and West, cursed with assumptions and misunderstandings.
Based, not surprisingly, on actual events.  Series bears dark humor throughout.