stevelivesey-37183

Vampires v witches v demons.

Season 1 is quite good setting up 2 of the 3 factions quite well. Demons are not explained at all. Oxford looks lovely, and th3 action is fairly well paced although the chemistry/relationship between the 2 leads is rushed and comes out of nowhere and characters seem to teleport all over the place, Oxford, Venice, France, Scotland, etc.

Season 2 starts to drag. Time travel rarely works in anything.

That's when I bailed. I may revisit later but based on other reviews here, I wouldn't guarantee it.

There are too many questions I have about 5he world building. Demons make witches?

Periodically, there are many movies made that throw a spotlight on the somewhat grotesque underbelly of the adult movie industry. Amanda Seyfreid did well with her rendition of Lovelace and Sofia Kappel was great in the recent 'Pleasue'.

Natalia Germani is excellent as Andrea Absolonova, an Olympic diver retired on health grounds and turned to the 'adult' industry.

The script seems rather squeamish on showing any real emotional torment of entering 'the business' and indeed avoids the real ending of Absolonova's life completely.

Whilst fairly engaging, I couldn't help but feel nonplussed at the ending.

As the great Chris Rock said in a stand up routine many years ago, ' ..you are free to steer a car using your feet, it doesn't mean to say that it's a good idea.' Why iambic pentameter? What could it possibly add? If anything, this production decision leaves the whole film feeling, cold, sterile, unlikeable and unwatchable.

None of the characters are particularly sympathetic.

The direction is somewhat amateurish. The overuse of the Dutch tilt is annoying.

The editing is poor, the slow motion scenes serve no purpose.

In short the whole production is somewhat ' more art than substance'.

It may have sounded good on paper, but this is a boring let down.