aveilbrief

Too lazy today to write an extensive review today, sorry for that. But I enjoyed every minute of this well-made movie. It's funny, it shows how raw Italian society can be, nice camera work and styling, good contemporary music and fine acting. It helps if you know a little about the recent history of Italy and love the country (not just the Elelesian hills of Tuscany) to appreciate some details more, but it's not necessary. Definitely recommended!

Au service de la France may be a nicely crafted satire, as most reviewers agree fervently. But why does it have to be satire in the first place? The French secret services ranked at the top of the world and the country was involved in several post-colonial wars and 'dirty games', especially in Africa, France's traditional 'back garden'. Furthermore, the subject is largely unexplored cinematographically and lends itself perfectly for a series full of gripping, bloodcurdling suspense. So, why the satire? Is the subject considered too sensitive in modern France to bring without an ironic and 'queer' twist?

Mindhunter is the single most overrated series in years. Why is it that people are euphoric about it? Have the standards fallen that much? Neither me nor my wife have, at any point, been truly gripped by the stories. Let's try to rationalize why. Technically, in terms of 'production value', Mindhunter offers everything you could ask for. It all looks perfectly seventies (with one BIG exception: the people), the camera work is top of the bill. But that's not why you watch a series. Then what is it? Is it Holden Fords boring (Hannah Gross) girlfriend Debbie, an aloof, left-wing graduate student, who has no business at all to be in the series? Is it Holden Ford himself, with this increasingly irritating, innocent and slightly surprised, boyish look on his face, who shows little if any emotion at any time? Is it the neurotic 'I'm all ratio and have no emotions or maybe I am just oppressing them'- Dr. Wendy who spews out her lines like a robot and has an instant explanation for literally everything, a caricature of a psychologist. My favorite line was her answer as to why the murderer ironed his victim's hair: 'That's how he shows his dominance'.

It's certainly not his partner Bill Tench, who is the only one (props for Holt McCallany here) who brings some humanity in this environment of AI cyborgs. Who I like the most are the actors that play the inmates. Boy, they are awesome. I couldn't care much for most of the rest. The stories, what to say about them? Just okay. Pretty much run-of-the-mill crime stories with gory details we've seen many times. But the plot is seldom the reason why you get gripped or not by a movie. The greatest movies in history have the simplest stories. It is the emotions, the psychological depth, the intensity, or just good fun, the characters have to offer. Thats where Mindhunters falls painfully short.