powerofberzerker

Mugen no jûnin: Immortal (2019)

BOTI anime adaptation is a lovely artistic period piece with many production issues

This one is between a 7 and a 6, but its visual hindrances stop it from transitioning into something worthy of major praise. Saying that, I very much think that the show, as a whole, has quite an accomplished story and a bunch of well-realized characters. It is underrated, I cannot stress that enough. Manji and Rin, our MCS, have a great dynamic, and besides them, there are a lot of others who serve their role well. Magatsu is a lovable warrior and a fitting rival to our main man, while Shira is a pure menacing evil. Kagimura's mustaches speak enough on their own, and many other colorful characters constantly refresh the action and give us many moments worth of remembrance. The key to this ONA being special is the directing, with a lot of experimenting that works most of the time, nice transitions, beautiful painterly animated movements, and action done in a cinematic and kinetic way. Although it came in 2019, in a lot of ways, it has old-school (90s/early 2000s) anime qualities. There's much more attention given to designs and strong drawings, while the fluid animation is used sporadically when needed. The music is also truly amazing, featuring faster jazzy tracks and traditional Japanese instruments in the slower ones. That is how the whole thing works. When there's carnage, the heads are flying and there are many cuts per scene, but there are slow contemplative moments too, where the "camera" lingers and the scenes breathe, full of atmosphere and buzzing dragonflies.

If it seems like I'm singing too many praises, I think the anime deserves it. The bad bits are as I called them, bits. The animation has those problems, it is rarely superfluid or incredibly impressive, but it's good enough. The directing elevates those scenes in a way that doesn't make them boring or straight-up bad or ugly. There are some pacing issues as well, which is to be expected when you adapt 200+ chapters into a mere 24-episode series. But the pacing in itself is A-OK, it's just when you compare it to the manga that it seems bizarrely fast, adapting sometimes a volume in an episode. But hey, look at the movie adaptation, it succeeds in telling the essence of BOTI in a 2 and a half hour movie. The series, succeeds as well, in telling that same story in a series format, simple as that.

Would it have been better if the anime got a better studio (sorry Liden Films), a better schedule, and a more talented crew of animators? Yes, but for what it is, it's a damn good time. The water wheel keeps spinning.

Bleach: Sennen Kessen-hen (2022)

You can't kill Bleach's vibe

After the first season, which was pretty beautiful, and had one of the best fights ever in anime, season two comes, and what a return to form. I'll make a bigger review when all is said and done and the TYBW arc is over. For now, I'll just say that this is a great adaptation. It's a bit streamlined in places. Some scenes are removed that aren't important, and prolonged or added where it counts the most, like scenes relating to plot, story and fights that we didn't get in the manga (comic book) because the author was rushed. I oftentime feel like I'm witnessing this story unfold for the very first time, and I've already read the manga. It's that much improved and the animation and art is also better compared to season 1.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)

Great budget squandered on a made-up fan fiction where the creators clearly lack experience

I'm giving the show a 4, off of those first two episodes we've got. I'm only doing this because, although angered, I still would like to be objective.

First things first, the show looks pretty amazing, reminding me of the first theatrical LOTR FOTR release, which had lush and vibrant colors for Rivendell, now Lindon is looking similar. The visuals are truly cinematic in scope and quality, but the visuals can only go so far. They also have their problems, because the digital cameras create too clean-looking cinematography, it can give sets and armor a cheapish look.

The music will hopefully grow on me, but as I'm writing, it's nothing special, almost generic in terms of fantasy soundscapes. Howard Shore engraved great bombast and spectacle for LOTR, but he also knew how to slow down, experiment, and paint many subtle themes and moments with his compositions.

The most important 2 aspects, the story, and the worldbuilding lack true Tolkien authenticity, thus giving off a false atmosphere to the whole thing. The acting, the writing, the costumes, and even some of the sets show that there's no true passion behind this, and if there is, it's being smothered by Amazon. I can applaud the thousands of visual artists giving their best to create something special, but sadly the key elements do not support them.

The dialogue is either convoluted, forced, boring, or trying too hard. The acting is going down the same road. The costumes and sets are too fantastical, which LOTR was never really about. The story is your standard good vs evil with some shades of grey which can be explored nicely or in an enjoyable manner as Tolkien himself proved, but here it's just retreading the same grounds, sort of like a soft remake of PJ's LOTR.

I could write on and on but let me finish with one terrible scene portraying a lot of issues.

Here goes: Galadriel and her warriors have been granted a pass to Valinor (elven heaven) and at the last second, she jumps off the ship taking them there and decides to swim the length of the Atlantic Ocean, more or less, for vengeance. She then gets rescued by numerous folks, because if she wasn't, she'd surely end up dead.

Episode 3 is sort of better, as some characters show promise and there's more action and all-around fun.

Try to think of this show as an alternative universe of Tolkien with modern ideas implemented in. Every male character has to have a wife, a daughter or any type of a female beside him, despite there not being one in the books.

I'd recommend Rings of Power to casual fantasy fans, but besides that, to no one else really...

Chuumon no Ooi Ryouriten (2003)

An immensely amusing animated featurette

I've watched this film because it looked different. It didn't disappoint. Not the best painterly animation per se, but its style was pretty original, and the pacing was adequate for this type of story. It definitely looks inspired by German Expressionism. The movie reminded me of Dr. Caligari, especially the scene with mirrors. It has a dark, surreal tone and abundance of atmosphere accentuated by fine music. The only problem that I faced was technical as I didn't find subtitles for the film. I'll rewatch it with subs for a better understanding of the story. At least, I'm hoping for that because it's quite a rare find.

Alexander (2004)

A possible and probable life that Alexander led (Ultimate Cut review)

This film is balancing on a thin line between artistic movie-making or pretentious failure. I watched it only once in its Ultimate Cut entirety and what I've witnessed is a bold epic, but besides that, much more of a character study film. The film has few shots with outdated CGI that are minimal and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. The acting is quite well for what the actors are trying to portray. Everyone's saying Alexander is miscast, laughable, and weak. But that's what this movie's going for; uncovering the man behind the legend. Was that man perfect? Did he appear perfect? None of us are, but he was clever, brave beyond measure, and had the wit for war and diplomatic leadership. His speeches portrayed as motivating and convincing are also at times awkward and frail. The action is sometimes too shaky, but the battles still deliver the intensity and violent nature of death in war. The last battle, although shorter, is a marvel to behold. Full of colors, intricate designs, ferocious imagery, and artistic moments. The music by Vangelis might be his best; it lifts this whole ancient world to life and elevates certain scenes to haunting heights of craftsmanship.

Some characters could have been more fleshed out as they have paramount roles. Some of the accents are kind of overdone, but there is a meaning behind some of them. Rosario Dawson and Angelina Jolie are gorgeous and enchanting. Symbolism and the visual language of this film functioned remarkably well. The film's philosophy is very much about genders and sexism, racism and xenophobia, frailty and ego and myths, and their effect on people. A passionate man and a dreamer can only go so far, and that's what brought Alexander's downfall.

The film finishes strongly with Anthony Hopkins's narration, where he goes back on his words and scraps them, cementing the element of an unreliable narrator. That being the main point of this film, history and its validity, and how some larger-than-life figures can be very much like us, mere mortals.

I didn't even mention the elephant in the room (no pun intended), Alexander's homosexuality, or bisexuality. The film rarely presents it as some big problem or talking point. Kind of like it used to be more acceptable to feel the greatest love for a man. Now, this film is still getting condemned for that. How much more progressed are we today, ay?

Mortal Kombat (2021)

People, dumb entertainment is fine but dull dumb entertainment is not

I recently did a review for Kong vs Zilla, and that movie is pretty good as a dumb, fun one. The new MK is an embarrassment. Unlike Kong v Zilla, it's visually very ugly looking except the first scene and few other shots, it has boring, cringy characters with no charm and the action is terrible, at times, laughably so. The soundtrack is almost non-existent, and the famous one-liners from the games are used and delivered quite awfully. I heard how the creators of this film were inspired by The Lord of the Rings' world-building, but the places here are plain, and the character designs are just worse versions of the ones from the game. At times, the main character's armor suit looks like it's made from rubber and had those folds that just scream "cheap!" My advice is to avoid this at all costs. If you want a great dumb action fun MK movie, go watch MK Legends: Scorpion's Revenge.

Blues Harp (1998)

My last pre-2000s Miike film and another fine one

Ley Lines came out in 1999 but I watched it after Rainy Dog as an end to that trilogy. Overall, I liked it very much but it had some goofy acting near the end, and the characters could have been more fleshed out. That whole ''Black Society Trilogy'' is quite good but I found this film just as good.

The acting is better than the average Miike flick and the characters function more emphatically. They are all lovable people although with many problems both from the past and yet to come. The movie has many of your standard Miikeisms with homosexuality in yakuza circles, thug druggie life, and his many ways to express symbolism. But they all work much better here than in most of his stuff. Additionally, Miike again enjoys his art of boredom scenes and creates a very realistic tone without his more genre-bending contrivances. The music shines in this film and gives it an additional touch of heart and soul which elevates the tragic aspects that come at the end. The humor was pretty low-key but effective nonetheless. Some experimental bits and scenes also worked fairly well and I always love Miike's bold refreshments in directing.

On the paper, this is yet another simple mafia tale from Miike about normal (outcasts), small people, and their struggle, but here it clicked just right. Miike knows how to make a good ending and this movie is a prime example of that.

90s Miike was truly something, as brilliant and trashy he was.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

The film has great action but terrible plot and human drama that is sadly necessary

As my long title says, this movie has bad, super underwritten human characters, plot, and plot structure. But, anybody who says cut that cr*p and keep the rest or mostly the action, is in the wrong. As much as the plot is dumb and everything else, it serves its purpose to give you more enjoyable action scenes with moments of hardship, improvisation, motivation, and a human touch. Although bland, it's needed. If it was just crazy action the entire time then that same action would come off semi-boring and tiring. We gotta have some kind of set-up and build-up so that the fights are that much better, dynamic, and pace-boosting. Now, I do recommend this film if you can turn off your brain and have a fun time watching giant monsters beat the teeth out of each other. In that sense, this movie is a success but it's still a bad movie with no art in it, except for the designers and CGI-involved people who tried their hardest for this to look visually fun, arresting, and impressive. The soundtrack is also dull and very forgettable but at least the cinematography is pleasing enough. It has many "inspired" moments from infinitely better films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, King Kong (2005), Shin Godzilla, and a few others.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Ambitious and all around solid

Random thoughts: 4-hour runtime contributes to the new characters and their arcs although they're cliche and uninspired. Visuals (CGI) are still bad-ish at times and the fight of Wonder Woman vs some random Brits had those Matrix 2 ragdoll moments. The music was alright but I would have liked more variations in leitmotifs for various themes. Steppenwolf had a cool design but a little too overdone and his armor distracts with its movements and light reflections. The best part of the whole film was the epic battle (battles) at the beginning and the movie never reaches anything as exciting or visually arresting. Zack Snyder's famous or infamous slow-mo is both of those things as sometimes it drags very much. When Superman gets back from the dead, his body looks kind of fake. It had a certain fake glow which was very weird and the whole scene screams green-screen room. A couple of other scenes had a similar look, like the one with Supes and his mom in the corn-field. Joker was still incredibly irritating and the whole epilogue scene was well confusing. (The whole old/young Lex Luthor and the Arkham Asylum thing) All in all, pretty entertaining for a 4-hour movie.

Ekkusu (1996)

What if your destiny is a bad dream? (Art house anime style)

And not just a bad dream but a very bad nightmare... The movie is about an end of the world happening between childhood friends. We never get any sort of background for all of this or any explanation of the powers that the characters are using but you can understand most things by just watching the movie. The movie is an experience. It has incredible music, very good scenery/art, character designs are fantastic and the animation is breathtaking. The mood of the film works even better than in the TV show and the violence is beautiful as much as it's unsettling.

One thing is for sure, this movie is pretty underrated and forgotten. A gem that needs an extra hour to be really good but even as it is, it is an epic tragedy that is carried enough by its style and atmosphere alone.

The movie is best if you've watched the tv series or read the manga but even without knowing anything you will be pretty impressed; sort of like Akira in that sense. A movie retelling of an apocalyptic tale about friends with crazy force pushing powers without great character development but with amazing animation, visuals, and subtle depth.

Westworld (2016)

Season 1 is a solid 7 that scratches an 8 because of the ending + (season 2 update)

The review is only for season 1, rating: 7.5

• Westworld's concept is captivating enough to hold your full attention for around 4 to 5 episodes but as the first season continues, it seems as though they are padding to get it to the standard 10 episode mark.
• The pace starts dragging a little and it would have worked better if it was an episode or 2 shorter. Most characters and their stories are done in an amusing enough way but some repeated scenes could be trimmed and the countless visions go for too long at times. The action ranges from nothing special to interesting and imaginative but it often isn't the main thing the show has going on for it. The acting is mostly first-rate but some characters are just too goofy or underwritten which in the grand scheme of things leaves a slightly unsatisfactory feeling. The writing is pretty great throughout in all of its meta and cheeky ways. The cinematography does its job while the music is impeccable and creates most of the charm and emotion. The casting here is amazing as well, especially Anthony Hopkins in his role. Truly a pleasure to watch.
• The ending pulls the whole thing from being pretty good to the territory of reaching greatness as it awards the viewers for their patience in a lot of twists and turns that are interpretable enough, with some great F yeah moments.

Season 2 was almost as good as season 1 and even more engaging. Action isn't used as a dumb thing to kill time and it either had a purpose in the plot or it was about a certain character. The ending goes for a bit too long and complicates things a little too much as a hook for season 3 but in the most important bits, it was excellent. The worst aspects, however, are again concerned with characters. Some of them go through an arc or become much more important than they were in S1 but then the writers just kill them forcefully, as if turning off a host, in a dumb or illogical way. Another thing I forgot to mention is the samurai arc, which seemed sort of fillerish but it was a welcomed change in the show's dynamic. Rating: 7.3

Learn English with Ricky Gervais (2012)

One of the funniest things I've seen in me life

This is just two people sitting in a room with a globe (or 2 globes if you count Karl's head) and chatting in a way to teach people English. But the characters here shine to their fullest. Ricky is trying in any way to provoke Karl while he is just sick of it. Karl's strong accent makes this even more hilarious and the way he is genuinely trying to teach the language to Chinese people and some others makes it hysterical (for Ricky as well). Almost every line is iconic as all of their scenarios are unfolding in funny or bizarre ways which contain some incredible one-liners from both men; Ricky in his playful manner and Karl in his usual frowny one. It's best if I don't spoil anything but I'll tell you my favorite line from Karl, ''I'd just wrap any old sh** up and give it to you.'' A case in point how even the simplest idea can be breathtakingly funny with the right people.

Shingeki no Kyojin: Assault (2021)

The most impactful episode of AoT thus far

This episode wasn't perfectly delivered in the animation department, but besides that, everything else was on such a high that it gets the strongest 9 possible. There was a scene that dragged just a tiny bit too long for my taste (Eren crushing the Warhammer titan) but except that, everything else was a roller coaster of thrills and emotions.

I haven't ever seen a TV show or an anime where the main characters have developed in such a way where you just can't root for them anymore but you still love them because you know them. You don't want them to do the things they are doing but you still can't look away. Absolutely harrowing stuff, truly demonstrating the hell of war but at the same time so incredibly astonishing in scale and excitement. At the end of the day, that's what war is; hell all around but also a tactical game where almost every move is crucial and you and your comrades are all like one, with adrenaline maxed out.

The Gabi and Falco screaming scene was acted and edited incredibly and will stay with me for a very long time as one of the most stressful and tragic moments this anime has ever given us. Hopefully, Bluray will clean up some art and animation for an even better experience.

Mushishi Zoku Shou: Mushi-Shi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku (2015)

The special at the end of Mushi-shi finishes strong

• As Ginko says, if our four fingers are for animal and the thumb for plant life; the human sits at the tip of the middle finger which is the furthest away from the heart and as we climb to the heart all the veins and arteries start to connect and are like fungi or bacteria. The heart is what mushi is/are.

We humans can never be entirely connected to nature and remain human, although we perhaps could have a long time ago. But now even the wisest of humans often only think of themselves and destroy all (and each other) so that they may prosper. Alas, Ginko is one of the few who remains with an unselfish soul, thinking and acting in favor of both mushi and people he encounters. Here we have exactly that, the ultimate collision of human and mushi or nature. To live together in marriage, two persons have to make a compromise and sacrifice for one another. And as we had in the final episode of the season, where the great old tree offered itself for the village, here (in the special) the little girl does the same for the mountain, but still, neither of them vanish completely. In the end, Ginko continues his travels as the spiritual medium that binds the two worlds which is his biggest sacrifice, to forever be balancing on the line of life.

• However, this special isn't without its problems as it suffers from a slow pace that usually doesn't happen in regular episodes as those are shorter. It also has two fake endings (fade to black) around the middle in this two-act structure which makes you think that the show is over; just for it to unsurely start building up to another act that feels a little abrupt as in walk, stop, walk. Having said that, it finishes adequately and beautifully cements its themes with a strong atmosphere in directing. Without the second act, the episode would have ended in a shy and incomplete way à la those lesser Mushi-shi episodes.

I've been on this hike with Ginko for quite some years now and it finally ends in this one form, but I'll continue walking. Every single night and day, I'll search for you, mushi.

The Terror (2018)

Sophisticated mini-series about a monstrous voyage

This review will only be about season one of The Terror which is also the name of the book that the first season adapts. This annoys me because this could've been a mini-series but I guess the studio decided to add another season that's not at all connected with the first one. Terror is the name of one of the ships in the first season as well, but "The Terror" sounds like it can be a generic title for any horror story so an anthology series happened.

The first season is a story about captains and their crews on 2 ships trying to discover another passage through the Arctic to get to China or something like that. It is not important what exactly they are doing but the grisly struggle that unfolds as they are doing it. The show is mostly horror but also an adventure filled with mystery and drama. Actors all do a very good job with their parts but some characters are just too forgettable or blend into one another as they are all sailors who struggle with some kind of sickness or coldness. Where this show shines is in the cinematography, the historical authenticity, and thus the atmosphere. The tone is always deadly serious and humor appears rarely; there're no seafaring jokes that make you wheeze as the situation they're in is dreadful. The screen provides mostly cold colors with warmer ones being present only when the plot is happening inside ships, lit with candles. A lot of times tilted shots are used as the ship is angled by the ice which works wonders and gives you a further sense of delirium and wooziness. Some moments in the story don't quite land or are done in such a way where they don't pay off very well or at all. Also, the story can be repetitive and you'll probably end up feeling in some way like the characters; tired, confused, and frustrated. The main message is that man is the worst monster as in many horror films but here that goes a little deeper as environmentalism and colonialism are explored in a gripping way. The music is used sparingly which adds to the grim mood and the place's creepiness, nothingness, and endlessness. Lastly, the production; almost everything is amazingly done. Great sets, lighting, costumes(etc.) in pretty much all scenes, except for one CGI creature that becomes more prevalent as the season is going. I don't want to spoil anything and the CGI isn't the worst but in a few scenes, it's sadly outdated.

Anyone who likes a good horror and/or a historically rich depiction of a strenuous sea voyage in the mid 19th century should give this one a go. I noticed a lot of inspirations from The Thing, Alien and Ravenous. It's a very realistic series and I had loads of chills while watching it, at the beginning of a very hot August. The Terror is truly terrific and equally terrifying.

Joeun nom, napun nom, esanghan nom (2008)

Lee Wan Cleef sounds much more Korean now

This movie could have been a great (spaghetti) western action flick of modern times if it was streamlined. There are too many elements at work and most of them don't function because they aren't fleshed out at all.

The three banditos are all cool in a certain way as they parody great spaghetti western figures from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" to an extent. Visually, the movie oftentimes looks somehow like a tv-show (bland) and is stylized (in scenes at night) to have strong contrasting blues and yellows or warm and cold colors. The action ranges from wacky in a good way to grand and great but here the random mix of genres that Korean movies can pull off quite masterfully doesn't work to the greatest effect and can get you out of the movie. The movie has 'weird' in the title but there ain't a lot of that until much later on.

All in all, a fun romp and a ride that is riddled with cliches, but still has one absolutely incredible action scene and many iconic western moments Korea-ified. It also has a pretty good last half filled with action, thrills, and an epic ending. If you ask me, it's always better to save the best for last and not end with a whimper but with a BANG.

Astartes (2018)

Orgasm for the senses

There is a story here; a story about how awesome (yes, awesome) and ruthless the space marines are. It functions great in the last part as cosmic (Lovecraftian) horror. The rest of the parts are just a thrill ride of incredible directing, animation, cinematography, sound design, action, and style. The only problem is that the first parts are slightly worse when comparing to the last one as they are really short and their art/animation quality is a bit less detailed. There are a lot of dark shots where, when you are watching for the first time, you might not know what is exactly happening. Also, this is clearly for the fans of the 40k universe, thus someone who is going into this completely blind probably won't understand a thing, but they will enjoy it nonetheless.

Ring of the Nibelungs (2004)

A film soo "EPIC" that it has 5 names! Whaat!?

This review contains spoilers for this film (duh) and for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

I could talk for hours about this film but I won't because it doesn't deserve it from anyone.

A film is known as the Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King, Ring of Nibelungs, Die Nibelungen (in Germany), Curse of the Ring, and The Sword of Xanten is a soft adaptation of two very famous Norse myths about Siegfried the Dragon-Slayer. I don't know how closely it follows those two but visually it's simply put a "The Lord of the Rings" rip-off.

The story is just a generic fantasy video-game story; that also goes for the characters and music.

The production seems not that bad. The CGI dragon from 2004 looks fairly believable in some scenes (when it gets stabbed from behind and it starts roaring and drooling everywhere) but the real problem is its design which is a mix of iguana, a European dragon, and the predator (when it opens it's mouth) from "Predator". I guess that's better than just having a plain-looking everyday dragon... The rest of the visual effects range from solid to bad (practical dragon head looks two or three times smaller from the firstly seen, CGI one). Whenever there's a huge army, it is either shown at night with brightness set to 0 or in the background, out of focus and super blurred.

Acting is not the worst having some famous actors and even a rising star (Robert Pattinson). Writing is of similar quality. Directing is very similar in style to LOTR but low-budget. The main character is trying to pull off an Aragorn (Viggo's way). Just listen to him yelling in his high-pitched voice which sounds laughably bad. He has the chin dimple and everything. Except he doesn't. No charm, no scruffy beard, and a terrible haircut. He also goes naked in a couple of scenes which doesn't help him for he is no Arnold... He has princeling-looking hair but he's a blacksmith.

There are many scenes and shots almost identical to some LOTR counterparts. A kid similarly reveals an army like Denethor when he finds out that Faramir is dying. A great mythological enemy is introduced and we get a close-up of a character looking at the creature with respect, admiration, and fear (Siegfried looking at the dragon = Legolas looking at the Balrog). Siegfried's mum is shot with arrows in the back and she dies floating down a river which is almost identical to when Isildur is betrayed by the one ring. Siegfried and his foster-father see a raided burning village in the distance from a boat and everything just screams the three hunters (LOTR) witnessing Umbar ships destruction of the nearby settlement. There is also a place similar to the mines of Moria and an army of death (jokingly named) which looks awful.

Despite all that, this movie could've gotten a higher grade if the main characters were cast better.

The main reason being is that it's fun! There is a healthy amount of action which is surprisingly well-done in some scenes. Similar to LOTR but more whimsical.

I've watched it as two movies. The first one is more energetic and B movie-esque. The second one takes itself too seriously, has a darker tone, and ends tragically. My favorite scene from both is when the dragon dies and its blood draws creatures and breathes life into everything in the vicinity. It's a visual storytelling bit that is pretty beautiful. Actually, a lot of scenes surrounding the dragon are interestingly crafted.

This is a film that blatantly tried to cash in on LOTR's fame. Although a clear copycat visually, the myth it's based upon "Nibelungenlied" has greatly inspired Tolkien so I'll cut it some slack because of that.

It is a great film if you compare it to the films similar to it made by the master himself Uwe Boll. So watch it like that; a cheapish B movie fantasy that has a lot to give if you let it.

P. S. I lied about this being a quick review. Sorry, not sorry.

Space Cop (2016)

Watch every Best of the Worst and then you'll get this movie?

This movie exists to showcase how every schlocky B movie of the '80s looked and sounded like and to ridicule that by exaggerating all of the bad tropes and characteristics of those films. It is all done intentionally and it's an homage to those very niche films that everyone has watched at least once in their lifetime.

Everything is here: the terrible alien costumes and low budget sets and all-around production value, terrible accents, acting, awful one-liners, and every cliche possible from that era. Music is styled in a synthy way and fits very well.

What is bad is the movie's run time. If it was all focused and condensed in a one-hour movie or even less, it would've been much better. This way you pretty much know after the first 10 minutes what you are getting and it is not really funny or fun to ''enjoy'' it in its entirety. I found it amusing enough to watch it, but I get it if people get tired of it and turn it off. I was thinking about it too. Another problem is comedy. I giggled 2 or 3 times but I cringed throughout the whole film and it can get tiring as the jokes have no breathing space. It is a pretty good movie to laugh at which is its purpose.

I liked some of the jokes and the performances because I love the RLM crew but all in all, this is a below-average parody that even parodies a parody (Scary Movie)...

Lonesome Dove (1989)

Truly 'The Godfather' of westerns and TV-shows in general

Incredible story, characters, and acting. Everything in this show works. The only gripe I have are some of the attempts to enrichen an already rich enough production by tinkering with the visuals. That one effect reminded me of Birdemic a little but let's just not think about it. It was a different time and the effects didn't age well but they aren't too big of a problem. Robert Duvall's role as Gus is beyond legendary if that sort of thing exists.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)

A very charming crystal in the rough

This review contains spoilers for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and the "Game of Thrones" tv series too.

• I must say I enjoyed this a whole lot. So much so, that I watched all 10 episodes in one sitting. The show is a combination of LOTR, GOT, and a little bit of Star Wars silliness and humor.

• The story is full of fantasy cliches. The characters are simple, either black or white but then there is a character like Seladon. She illogically switches to being bad just because of jealousy that's unjustified and then switches to being good again realizing that she was deceived by the evil Skeksis. And boy, they are evil. It's a joy to watch just how ridiculously wicked they are. At one point I expected them to even rape or completely undress a female character in one scene. Which is obviously not going to happen.

• This is weirdly a show very much for children. It has silly, one-note characters and no curse words in the dialogue and non-complex writing in general. But still, it has disgusting violence and behavior, traumatic scenes of torture (both physical and mental), and death. Lots of it.

• There are two Gruenaks slaves who are the saddest, most pitiful creatures ever, and they also get killed. I was thinking that they will escape or rebel too but no. In the end, they just die, and to add insult to injury, they did a very gruesome and cruel death. "How can this be for children?" I can understand how in a way but still, it's hard to fathom. Maybe its core audience is akin to men-children . . .

• The production value is off the charts. The cinematography is pretty good and at times gorgeous. Costumes and designs are impeccable as well as sets. Acting is good, great with the baddies.

One little problem I have is that I don't think I've ever heard so many "hms, mms, and uhs" in a dialogue of any series or movie.

• There are many references to famous fantasy works in the last couple of decades:

The show starts in the fashion of LOTR's intro. A narrator talks of the world we are about to meet and its brief history and races. We get the map shots too. The Gelfling are similar to elves from LOTR. The first ones we meet are like Mirkwood ones. The noblest (Rivendell like) have beautiful hair and bide a lot in libraries and so on.

Some shots and visuals seem very much inspired by some LOTR and GOT scenes.

For example: * When Deet gets out of her home (cave) by climbing a tree, we get a reveal shot like in The Hobbit when Bilbo climbs the tree in search of sun and the mountain, similar colors are used and the pan is almost the same. The scene has a feel of freshness and wonder. There is also a scene where a character is pulling on the giant web of a spider-like creature and it's vibrating like in The Hobbit. Also, a zoom-out shot (gives a sense of loneliness and danger, being watched) from the cave where a spider might hide, seeming like a POV of said spider backing off which reminded me of Shelob scenes from LOTR.

* A throne is destroyed by a big, ancient creature, here called Lore and he is a stone-giant while in GOT it's Drogon in the last episode melting the throne.

There are a lot more instances of scenes, characters, and story bits clearly inspired by LOTR and GOT.

* My favorite being when Rian (Aragorn in LOTR's case) is holding a reforged sword that his father (similar to Elrond who is the foster father of Aragorn) wielded before and showing it via magical communication system (here is fire and crystal, in LOTR it's a crystal ball while a fiery eye is inside it) to the Emperor (Sauron).

* Another favorite of mine is not from LOTR or GOT but from Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. I'm not 100% certain that it's originally in Bloodlust however giant flying manta rays are living in the desert which we also see in The Dark Crystal AOR but sadly, only one. A lesser spectacle but still a spectacle.

• The show is quite Orwellian and has a lot to say but its best feature is the gorgeous and very rich spiritual world filled with many interesting places and races. It's also pretty funny and fun in a kind of tacky way. It has grabbing visuals, an amazing display of puppetry (a sprinkle of CGI here and there) and it all oozes with old-school charm.

Dororo (2019)

A quick review about Dororo, one of the most over-rated animes in recent years

A very bad thing these days that's happening regularly is hype or better said over-hype. Dororo started with around 6 to 8 episodes of pure quality and pretty good storytelling. The animation was very good. The characters are interesting and more than they seem on the first look. The soundtrack is very appropriate and gives an atmosphere and historic feel to the whole show. The many moral questions that the show asks and the natural flow of a long, perilous journey undertook by our 2 main characters also made it feel special. Action and art were solid. The pace was ok but a little slow. But as the show progressed, everything stayed the same or became worse. Both art and animation took a huge drop. Story's pace also suffered, moving too slowly and adding a lot of semi-interesting and semi-boring stuff. Characters are just too simple and there is not much to them nor is there much room for them to become better characters because of the pace.

The show is very episodic and often there is a problem in a place nearby or village that seems strange or connected to demons that our 2 friends Hyakimaru and Dororo solve. The world is fantasy and historic-looking Japan combined in one. Monsters are more or less Japanese folk creatures. The story and setting are dark and somewhat nihilistic. But as I said, the action and the whole journey and semi-episodic nature all quickly become stale and not impressive because of the production quality decreasing to such a point that some episodes look downright fan-made.

The main problem I wanted to point out is the new nature of seeing 3 episodes of something and giving it an 8-10 rating because you are hooked and surprised by some show's quality. Animes like for example new Baki work much better in the sense where they can have passable to bad art and lackluster animation but its wacky nature and temper caries the show enough that you don't need much for it to be enjoyable while shows like Dororo are completely serious and epic and when they fail in some aspects in hurts the whole thing.

The Last of the Mohicans (2004)

(From what I remember) An incredibly realistic and adventurous tale of survival in a harsh world engulfed in war

* As noted, I honestly say that I can judge this show only from my memory. I watched it some 8 years ago when I was 14 on a badly dubbed Serbian tv channel but I can still remember the heroes, the villains, the damsels in distress, and the visceral war surrounding it all.

* The show has some similarities with Michael Mann's version of the story but the cartoon is a giant in comparison, with 26 episodes of constant western galore. The director and writers are true western fans and it is shown in every sweeping shot of an action scene. They are not scared to show plenty of violence and blood as well as people dying. This brings me to the most important asset, the characters. Every character is a stereotype to the point that some of them are plain caricatures and as previously mentioned the Serbian dub really doesn't help. I think the same about the English dub as well. The art of the show is trying to look somewhat like Disney's Pocahontas but it comes of "plasticy" and very low detail in the backgrounds. Still, the very simplistic art helps the animation as the humans here move very lively, especially in action scenes. The female characters sometimes look like barbie dolls (when motionless) as well as act like them until much later on.

* But all of these bad things are outweighed by the excitement and many fun and tense action scenes that never feel too forced. Characters although not that good can be a lot of fun. Kids above 8 can and should watch this. The setting and designs seem authentic. The show is never dull and as a kid, I would give it an 8-9, now that I see its many weaknesses even in sound production which I forgot to mention I can only support it in what it pulled off. A very epic and exciting story with good closure.

P. S. The intro song is great and very victorious.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Both brilliant and dumb

* For Alien fans this movie is fine. For casual watchers who view it completely unaware of what was or is going to be, it is kind of great. I know that seems confusing when this is a real in-between film but hear me out on this one. It is truly a jack of all trades, master of none.

* It is a solid sci-fi, horror, drama, and action film. But most of all it is David's film. He is struggling of proving his Godly status while becoming more and more human but still being an android. And Michael Fassbender does an incredible job of portraying that. It is strange how this film has so many badly written scenes but almost everything surrounding David is spot on. The pacing of this film and its structuring don't work well. It begins similar to Alien and then Prometheus but after some excitement, it lingers in one place becoming what it was meant to be a character study movie. The third act goes full action and suspense but not in a way you might expect which I kind of liked.

* The creatures are all pretty good-looking except at the start where this newly born Neomorph comes out all bloody and slimy but not looking or moving very realistically. The last creature is not used to my liking. It looked very good but it jumped around silly and never felt really formidable. The camera work could have been better.

* The movie itself is beautiful as every previous Scott effort. It could have been longer. What I mean by that is before watching it I actually searched google to find the best way to watch this film because I saw these extra trailer scenes that presumably aren't in the film. So, I went through all of them before getting to my main course and I did not like that.

Walking with Dinosaurs (1999)

Incredibly good

This documentary is great for all ages. Its only drawbacks are the visuals or better said the outdated CGI which works wonders but is simply too old and at some places really noticeable. Another issue is that it isn't perfectly accurate (yeah, dinos had feathers) but those 2 combined shouldn't be a problem for anyone who has a brain and can look past that a little. Educational, amusing, and even emotional. A real prehistoric gem.