Malarkey

It is, as mentioned in the description, a neo-noir fantasy. With all its ups and downs. From its ups I would emphasize the fact that the creators turned Prague and the Czech Republic into an incredible fantasy world called Tirnanoc. I really enjoyed some shots. Mainly shots of Prague and then Prachov Rocks. It looks almostas epicas if this fantasy series was to our country what The Lord of the Rings was to New Zealand. It is just a pity that the story line is boring. Orlando Bloom portrays an investigator and tries to be a detective in a detective series with noir elements. But I think it doesn’t fit the overall premise even though I’ve forced myself to finish the series. Eventually I realized that I had watched the series more out of respect for Orlando Bloom and his fondness for the Czech Republic than out of genuine enjoyment. I don’t know, I find it needlessly slow-paced with a lot of dialogues and unnecessary erotic scenes. I don’t know if I’m going to watch the second season.

Right from the beginning I got on this series’ vibe so I didn’t even mind its story line and the ending. Quite the opposite. Raised by the Wolves is one of the most typical of the contemporary standard sci-fi productions. The creators not only made the story about two androids, they even created a new planet with new rules and opened the doors for the premise of something not seen before. It is true that the episodes created by Ridley Scott are at the top level but the series loses some of the edge at the end. Nevertheless for the standards of contemporary sci-fi experiences, Raised by the Wolves is quite an uncommon piece, and therefore it deserves watching. Moreover there is not a premise more interesting that HBO Max could have used to find its way to the viewers.

With bad movies you can never be sure if they make you laugh or if you find some kind of perverse liking to them. With Fantasy Island I was hoping for something like that. I kept telling to myself that if nothing else it might at least be funny. And it wasn’t. And it is not even a horror movie. Therefore the expectation of fear and thrill gets lost before it even gets the chance to manifest. The first half hour is just endless talking and during the second half hour we can experience some more talking with a little action. The second half of the movie has more action but you are feeling like you have just been lobotomized. As another synchronized online watching with the user Enšpígl it was a failed attempt. We instead launched into a discussion about Czech female tennis players and wondered which one of them has the most attractive legs.

Quite a standard totally wacky Dutch small-scale film which is more weird than it is humorous. But it was really easy to watch. Moreover it has been a while since I watched something online together with the user Enšpígl and thanks to our usual comments this movie finally reached at least some standard.

An American filmmaking experience from the 1990s with perfect performances and a premise that a lot of people probably still don’t realize is a part of our daily lives. The performances might have been a little emotionless but otherwise it is a great piece.

Pagan Peak is a result of a great cooperation between the Bavarians and the Austrians. A perfect crime series with just the right gloomy atmosphere which is a good fit for our gloomy days. Moreover it features a great duo of actors where Julia Jentsch represents the German side and Nicholas Ofczarek the Austrian side. By the way both of them with flying colors. Moreover the investigation taking place near Salzburg and Berchtesgaden offers quite interesting panoramas. One of the characters even goes to Czechia for a trip. For me it was a great series. It is a variation to Scandinavian crime series but it is still full of ideas and the ending is original, and therefore it was able to hook me. And I do like this type of series or movies.

Undoubtedly one of the best episodes of the whole series. Right at the beginning there is a wild party of some amateur aviation club with gallons of Bavarian beer and local prostitutes. During this party a local witch sets a cross on fire in front of the house, the president of the club tells her off for that and on the next day he takes part in a tandem jump during which his parachute fails to open and the trouble begins. Already the jump itself was really absurd and I felt like I was watching the best grotesque movie ever. Afterwards the investigation begins and the best moment is when Benno interrogates a suspicious bold guy and discusses with him why the guy beat up a whole pub because of one particular brand of Bavarian beer. Freier Fall is a really great episode.

A typical piece for Icelandic standards. A great detective series that draws from Iceland’s photogenic scenery but at the same time the storytelling as well as characters are rather ordinary. And, according to me, that is precisely what is interesting about it. Moreover it has four episodes, and therefore the running time is the exact length it should be considering it’s an investigation. No unnecessary prolongations. And what’s more, when the investigators were describing different places it reminded me of what it was like when I visited those places in person. It is unbelievable how such a small country has so many choices regarding locations and actors and still be really original.

Benno’s mother is visited by her schoolmates, she accommodates them in her guesthouse to get something out of it, they get drunk and tell each other a lot of not very nice things. And all this partying ends up with one of them dead. Benno is desperate because he has to sleep in his office and even interrogate the women who don’t even remember when was the last time they had to use a bathroom. A great chill out piece and an episode that has everything that classic Der Bulle von Tölz has to offer.

I have to admit that I’m ashamed that I haven’t read either the book or seen the original movie starring Sean Connery. But I think that that is precisely the reason why I’m rating this 8 episode long series with 4 stars. The actors are a perfect fit, especially John Turturro. The premise is brilliant and I really miss similar premises in movies from recent years. I will probably make myself read the book. The medieval monastery atmosphere is great here. It is true that for 8 episodes it is slow-paced from time to time, but on the other hand I really enjoyed the investigation in the monastery. The series had beautiful shots of the monastery and its surroundings, a medieval feeling, which when done right is absolutely great and a premise that certainly deserves attention. It doesn’t matter that this series is quite unnecessary when there is something older and better.