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chadshaines
Reviews
The Night Agent (2023)
Superficial Hollywood Banality at its finest
There are very few redeeming features of this series. The storyline, though with a few twists, is predictable, the characters utterly uni-dimensional, and the acting is stiff at best. There are a few too many nonsensical scenes that defy logic and the action is trite and typical.
That being said, if you are able to completely set loose any expectations of quality entertainment and are willing to sit through many hours of suspense that is hardly suspenseful, action that is mostly out of place, and sex that even Disney has a greater capacity to depict and deal with then it is worth a watch. If you, however, prefer good entertainment, keep looking.
Ingobernable (2017)
Disappointing
Though filled with several subplots and enough action to keep you interested, ultimately the series gets derailed by some utterly ludicrous scenes, a number of disturbing holes in the plot, and annoying/immature characters.
The main story revolves around the First Lady who goes into hiding after being accused of murdering her husband, the President of Mexico. She connects with a group of friends in Mexico City's infamous barrio, Tepito, who join forces in proving her innocence and in so doing exposing the corruption of the Mexican state, police, and military with their ties to drug cartels and the American CIA.
The story line and subplots have lots of potential: the corruption of the state, the violent effects of the U.S.'s War on Drugs on daily life in Mexico, the life of residents of the barrio, the struggles of an over-privileged daughter in growing up with absent parents, the efforts of the few good/uncorrupted politicians and military personnel in countering the penetration of the drug cartels into the state. These plots create an expectation in the viewer that unfortunately are not met.
Ingobernable does have its redeeming features and I won't write it off completely - but go into it with low expectations and, at least for myself, an interest in seeing how dramas in other countries are made and how such sensitive issues are dealt with.
One of the challenges was I watched the dubbed version on Netflix - and many of the voices were just wrong for the characters, which added to the annoyance of watching, but which I certainly don't fault the production itself.
Ready or Not (2019)
Don't waste your time
Mindless, boring gorefest with no particular entertainment value.
A Private War (2018)
Disappointing
The life and writings of Marie Colvin are powerful insights into the experiences of the trauma of war, particularly for the voiceless victims who suffer daily unimaginable horrors. Unfortunately, the film fails to fully draw us into either the stories of the silent victims of war or the psychological battles that Colvin herself went through.
While Rosamund Pike does a decent job portraying the troubled Colvin, ultimate the script and directing leave many gaps, stories unfinished, lives not fully portrayed. Worst yet is the simple, one-sided politics of the portrayal of the wars Colvin covers. Just as with too much un-critical journalism, the portrayal of the wars are one-sided and superficial, no historical context, no global political maneuvering is presented, rather we are left with black and white villains and victims.
The movie could have been so much more, but rather reproduces a journalistic superficiality.
Riviera (2017)
Eat the rich!
Riviera offers a disturbing insight into the vacuous and spiteful lives of those with too much money. While Season 1 offers some mystery and thrills, Season 2 is completely devoid of any purpose other than to watch the madness of wealth unfold.
Julia Stiles plays a widow who, in Season 1, is caught up in the mystery of her husband's murder. Sadly, her character, Georgina, is a bit flat, never really given the opportunity to show her inner workings. The struggle of her social mobility, of living in a foreign land, and living a life unimaginable, not to mention being a widow after just a year of marriage are never developed. Rather, her character skips along the surface, racing against crazy Russian mafia assassins, underworld kingpins, greedy bankers, and manipulative art dealers. Her greatest foe though is the first wife of her late husband, Irina, brilliantly played by Lena Olin. Olin is perfect as the controlling, manipulative, and seductive mother and first wife.
Season 1 takes you on a ride, each episode well crafted leaving you waiting for the next, wondering what more can go wrong and where the action will lead.
Season 2 however, has no real story, no mysteries, few thrills. It is a tedious journey into the madness of wealth with no real contribution to either being entertained or any meaningful insight into the world. You can easily watch only Season 1 without missing anything.