§ Better Call Saul Season 05
Added: 04.08.2020 / Started: 25.05.2020 / Finished: 06.06.2020

It's starting to become one of those "maybe it's a good time to end the show" shows. It's always incredible to see how the TV and film industry is happy to throw away its creative integrity because of commercial pressure.

§ Ozark Season 03
Added: 18.05.2020 / Started: 26.04.2020 / Finished: 17.05.2020

I thought it would lose track by now, but it's still just as entertaining and coherent as the first season.

§ When Heroes Fly Season 01
Added: 18.05.2020 / Started: 23.03.2020 / Finished: 26.04.2020

§ The Two Popes
Added: 18.05.2020 / Started: 22.03.2020 / Finished: 22.03.2020

§ White Gold Season 02
Added: 18.05.2020 / Started: 17.03.2020 / Finished: 18.03.2020

§ Ozark Season 01 & 02
Added: 14.03.2020 / Started: 20.02.2020 / Finished: 12.03.2020

Solid thriller.

§ Criminal: Germany
Added: 14.03.2020 / Started: 23.02.2020 / Finished: 24.02.2020

Not bad, not great. The usual Netflix filler.

§ The Pharmacist
Added: 23.02.2020 / Started: 16.02.2020 / Finished: 18.02.2020

It drags on a bit, but it's a decently told story.

§ Pine Gap Season 01
Added: 23.02.2020 / Started: 11.02.2020 / Finished: 16.02.2020

Solid B-tier thriller.

§ Narcos: Mexico Season 01
Added: 23.02.2020 / Started: 28.01.2020 / Finished: 10.02.2020

I somehow missed it; what a great show.

§ The Night Shift Season 04
Added: 23.02.2020 / Started: 17.01.2020 / Finished: 09.02.2020

Not at all surprised it was canceled.

§ The Night Shift Season 03
Added: 09.02.2020 / Started: 03.01.2020 / Finished: 17.01.2020

While watching the first two seasons I couldn't understand why the show got canceled after four seasons; now I do. The show was always a bit out there, but it really started to go off the rails in season 03.

§ The Night Shift Season 02
Added: 30.12.2019 / Started: 22.11.2019 / Finished: 27.12.2019

Oh, the drama. Everything that can possibly go wrong, does. What a show! There's also some surprisingly great acting that I wouldn't expect in this type of show.

§ The Night Shift Season 01
Added: 08.12.2019 / Started: 07.11.2019 / Finished: 22.11.2019

Basically a cross between House M.D. and a soap opera. I have it on good authority that most of the medical information in the show is very incorrect. That fact made it somehow even more entertaining.

§ Fab 5: We're in Japan!
Added: 17.11.2019 / Started: 03.11.2019 / Finished: 07.11.2019

I lost interest after season two, and the change in location is definitely refreshing.

§ Tiny House Nation Volume 1 & 2
Added: 26.10.2019 / Started: 10.10.2019 / Finished: 23.10.2019

Well, I learned that every problem in a tiny house can be solved by Zack Giffin making folding and stacking furniture. Other than that, it's a fun and cheerful show despite the depressing subject matter of people living in fancy trailers because housing is so expensive.

§ The Big Family Cooking Showdown Season 02
Added: 26.10.2019 / Started: 10.09.2019 / Finished: 21.09.2019

The first season was much better; it's a completely different show this time around.

§ Million Pound Menu Season 02
Added: 26.10.2019 / Started: 02.09.2019 / Finished: 10.09.2019

Just as enjoyable as the first season. The host dropped the warfare analogies.

§ Hyperdrive Season 01
Added: 02.09.2019 / Started: 22.08.2019 / Finished: 25.08.2019

Ultimate Beastmaster, but for cars. That's probably what the first person to come up with the concept thought, and that's exactly what they delivered.

§ Tidying Up with Marie Kondo Season 01
Added: 02.09.2019 / Started: 30.07.2019 / Finished: 22.08.2019

I can't deny being entertained and relaxed by watching it, but the whole thing is extremely stupid even by the standards of reality TV.

§ Godless
Added: 02.09.2019 / Started: 24.07.2019 / Finished: 07.08.2019

It's very immersive thanks to the amazing sets and costumes, plus it's beautifully shot. But there's a lot of clumsy, jarring pandering to modern audiences. It's set in the 1880s but by the end I was expecting a transgender sheriff to pop up. Fortunately, the line was drawn at lesbian melodrama and a bunch of widows taking on an apparently terrifying gang that even the military is hesitant to take on.

§ Murder Mystery
Added: 02.09.2019 / Started: 07.08.2019 / Finished: 07.08.2019

I voluntarily watched an Adam Sandler movie. 'Great' is pushing it, but at least it was entertaining and coherent.

§ Black Earth Rising
Added: 06.08.2019 / Started: 24.07.2019 / Finished: 29.07.2019

I was hesitant about watching it. It's not as obnoxious as I expected (but still obnoxious), and there's some very enjoyable acting. It doesn't arrive anywhere by the end, but it's a worthwhile journey.

§ Baby Driver
Added: 26.07.2019 / Started: 25.07.2019 / Finished: 25.07.2019

Wow, they still make movies like this? Well written and perfectly cast, with no message, preaching, or pandering. It never pretends to be anything other than a piece of entertainment.

§ Bodyguard Season 01
Added: 26.07.2019 / Started: 12.07.2019 / Finished: 20.07.2019

It's decent fun thanks to a good cast. The writing starts to become contrived and fall apart as they try to tie everything together, which seems to be normal for second-rate political thrillers.

§ Fury
Added: 26.07.2019 / Started: 19.07.2019 / Finished: 19.07.2019

A decent war movie; entertaining and well cast. Takes itself a bit too seriously, considering there's an 80s style action scene where a single immobilized tank holds off an entire infantry battalion.

§ Bad Blood Season 01 & 02
Added: 16.07.2019 / Started: 04.07.2019 / Finished: 14.07.2019

Good fun, and Kim Coates is an amazing lead.

§ Black Mirror Season 05
Added: 08.07.2019 / Started: 06.07.2019 / Finished: 06.07.2019

The first episode was entertaining, the second was often boring, and the third was a mess.

§ Game of Thrones Season 08
Added: 26.06.2019 / Started: 06.06.2019 / Finished: 25.06.2019

A satisfying and well written conclusion to a great show.

§ Triple Frontier
Added: 06.04.2019 / Started: 04.04.2019 / Finished: 04.04.2019

I had low expectations because it's an action movie by Netflix, but it's actually really good. There's an actual plot, decent writing, and a great cast.

§ The Highwaymen
Added: 06.04.2019 / Started: 02.04.2019 / Finished: 02.04.2019

A conventionally great movie.

§ Okkupert Season 01 & 02
Added: 10.03.2019 / Started: 24.02.2019 / Finished: 09.03.2019

An interesting premise, where Norway gets invaded by Russia. There are plenty of interesting and unpredictable twists but by season two everything begins to fall apart and it turns into a second rate techno-thriller. It's written with the technological understanding of an old man whose first exposure to a computer was using an iPad to browse Facebook.

§ The Handmaid's Tale Season 01
Added: 26.02.2019 / Started: 21.02.2019 / Finished: 24.02.2019

It has the shallow depth of a fun, dystopian thriller like The Walking Dead but it takes itself much more seriously. Fortunately the great cast carries the show and keeps it much more entertaining than it would otherwise be. I suppose the seriousness comes from the source material, but I don't really remember much from the novel other than how boring it was. It was one of those dreadful cases of fiction forgetting its main purpose is to be entertaining, not meaningful.

§ Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Added: 23.02.2019 / Started: 23.02.2019 / Finished: 23.02.2019

I had low expectations, and the bare minimum expectation for any given piece of entertainment is "don't be boring". It's amazing how much money was spent on this movie and how it still failed to meet that expectation. Sure, there were moments here and there, but overall? Generic, uninspired, and boring.

§ Game of Thrones Season 07
Added: 23.02.2019 / Started: 12.02.2019 / Finished: 18.02.2019

It could have lost the plot so many times, but other than trying a bit too hard to impress the audience or worrying about short attention spans, it's been a pretty great seven seasons. I'm eager to see it conclude. I can tell it's going to be show I'll be coming back to over the years.

§ Game of Thrones Season 06
Added: 15.02.2019 / Started: 16.01.2019 / Finished: 11.02.2019

After six seasons it's remarkable that the narrative still makes sense and doesn't feel stretched out or padded. Certainly, sometimes events feel even more contrived than before, but this is understandable. I'm glad the eighth season is the final one, though.

§ Game of Thrones Season 05
Added: 12.01.2019 / Started: 29.12.2018 / Finished: 10.01.2019

Very enjoyable. At times, it felt like shocking moments were written in for the sake of being shocking, but that's still preferable to becoming boring.

§ Game of Thrones Season 04
Added: 02.01.2019 / Started: 03.12.2018 / Finished: 20.12.2018

Still great.

§ Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 05
Added: 13.12.2018 / Started: 07.11.2018 / Finished: 09.12.2018

Might be the best season yet.

§ Game of Thrones Season 03
Added: 07.12.2018 / Started: 24.11.2018 / Finished: 02.12.2018

What a great season. The writing succeeds at the balancing act of keeping the plot exciting without making it seem artificially shocking. If it weren't an HBO show, I would worry about the writing in the coming seasons degenerating into poorly written ratings-chasing.

§ Lady Bird
Added: 07.12.2018 / Started: 27.11.2018 / Finished: 27.11.2018

Rapid pacing and a great cast make up for somewhat hollow writing. A very enjoyable film, overall.

§ I, Daniel Blake
Added: 26.11.2018 / Started: 25.11.2018 / Finished: 25.11.2018

Superbly written and acted. It manages to tell a touching, coherent story in 100 minutes. That's not something to be taken for granted anymore.

§ Game of Thrones Season 02
Added: 26.11.2018 / Started: 17.11.2018 / Finished: 24.11.2018

Game of Thrones is basically typical high fantasy universe, not really different from any other established universe (like Warcraft), but turned into a big budget, mainstream TV show. It's fantastic.

§ First Reformed
Added: 18.11.2018 / Started: 17.11.2018 / Finished: 17.11.2018

Why do I even bother with movies anymore? It started out well, with intriguing characterization and a slow-burn that never felt boring. Around the half-way mark all that characterization is thrown out for shallow, nonsensical drama.

§ Game of Thrones Season 01
Added: 18.11.2018 / Started: 08.11.2018 / Finished: 17.11.2018

It has been years since I watched any of Game of Thrones. Since the final eighth season is going to air soon, it feels like a good time to watch the entire show from start to finish. The first season is seven years old now; more than enough time for the hype to wear off. It's a hugely entertaining show but much less sophisticated than it felt when it first came out.

§ Better Call Saul Season 04
Added: 31.10.2018 / Started: 24.10.2018 / Finished: 30.10.2018

Breaking Bad was alright, but Better Call Saul is on an entirely different level. It's remarkable how slow it can be while still being utterly engaging. The attention to detail, the cast, the writing; it's a show I'm going to rewatch at least a couple of times when it's over.

§ Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 04
Added: 25.10.2018 / Started: 28.09.2018 / Finished: 24.10.2018

It's definitely the best season yet. The cast has always been the highlight of this series, and they've managed to become even more entertaining to watch.

§ Prohibition: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Added: 25.10.2018 / Started: 06.10.2018 / Finished: 21.10.2018

I guess I'm a fan of Ken Burns now.

§ The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Added: 07.10.2018 / Started: 02.08.2018 / Finished: 05.10.2018

An epic seventeen hour ten part documentary that goes into dense, satisfying detail. It's really the film version of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History. It ends with the narrator proclaiming that "The Vietnam war was a tragedy, immeasurable and irredeemable." This is why it took so long to watch. Its incredibly made, but I needed breaks from seeing how awful the war was for everyone involved.

§ Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 03
Added: 29.09.2018 / Started: 26.08.2018 / Finished: 28.09.2018

I'm not sure if it's less funny than the first season, but I'm still massively enjoying it for the same primary reason; a great cast.

§ One of Us
Added: 29.09.2018 / Started: 28.09.2018 / Finished: 28.09.2018

A fascinating peek into a hidden world, featuring some fantastic cinematography.

§ Safe Season 01
Added: 29.09.2018 / Started: 23.09.2018 / Finished: 26.09.2018

Well paced, stylish, and very entertaining thriller whose enjoyment is somehow unaffected by the plot holes, logical inconsistencies, and distracting product placement.

§ The World's Most Extraordinary Homes Season 02
Added: 29.09.2018 / Started: 15.09.2018 / Finished: 23.09.2018

Actress turned real estate developer gets excited over everything (she screamed over seeing a bird once) while an architect says pretentious things about gaudy houses. Why do I enjoy watching this?

§ Million Pound Menu Season 01
Added: 06.09.2018 / Started: 02.09.2018 / Finished: 02.09.2018

I enjoyed it. It's not loud or obnoxious, as some shows of this type tend to be. The host really loves using weird analogies between warfare and running a kitchen, though. I never thought of waiters as troops lined up for battle.

§ I Am A Killer Season 01
Added: 06.09.2018 / Started: 14.08.2018 / Finished: 04.09.2018

Fascinating. The production stayed out of the way and the focus is very much on the person stories. It could have skipped the dramatic re-enactments and I couldn't shake an uncomfortable sensation of being a voyeur, but it's a great show.

§ Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 01 & 02
Added: 26.08.2018 / Started: 06.08.2018 / Finished: 26.08.2018

Netflix finally added the fourth season, so it's a good excuse to re-watch the first three again. I love this show. Highlights are Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt and Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle; I can't get enough of them.

§ Sugar Rush Season 01
Added: 07.08.2018 / Started: 22.07.2018 / Finished: 06.08.2018

I keep trying to fill the hole that's left whenever I run out of Great British Baking Show episodes but nothing comes close. The worst thing about Sugar Rush is the distracting lie at its center. The show pretends the baking is spontaneous and that the contestants don't know what's coming up. Not only would this be actually impossible to do, but the production is sloppy enough that the lie becomes blatant at least once an episode. Most memorable was when a pair were going to do an orange-themed cake, and one of them had already started zesting an orange when the awkward "what are we going to bake?!" segment began. The premise of the show is great, but its let down by its obnoxious style.

§ Fauda Season 02
Added: 30.07.2018 / Started: 02.07.2018 / Finished: 30.07.2018

Great second season, but it lost a bit of its emotional impact and became more of a conventional action thriller. I enjoyed it immensely and I actually watched most of it in two days but I got distracted and only got to the last three episodes in the past week. That said, I'd be very impressed if Season 3 isn't absurd. There's only so many times one can present the same essential crisis in different forms without the show becoming contrived.

§ The Paradise Season 01
Added: 19.07.2018 / Started: 01.07.2018 / Finished: 18.07.2018

It's my second time watching The Paradise and I'm enjoying it even more this time. It's such a classical period drama; well-paced, beautifully acted, and with gorgeous costume and set design. As much as I love it I can see why it was canceled after two seasons. It's a bit too flat and generic compared to something like Downton Abbey, which was already in its third season when The Paradise began.

§ Jamie & Jimmy's Food Fight Club Season 03
Added: 19.07.2018 / Started: 11.07.2018 / Finished: 18.07.2018

I loved watching Jamie Oliver cook, but this was a terrible show; stiff, boring, and very scripted. Every show of this type is necessarily scripted but I'm not supposed to constantly notice it. Some things made me cringe, like Jimmy trying so hard to be cool with his old car, doing pathetic little stunts whenever he parks or drives off. He reminds me of a forty year old man trying to pick up teenage girls crossed with a sleazy salesman. I'm definitely skipping the next season.

§ Somebody Feed Phil Season 02
Added: 11.07.2018 / Started: 06.07.2018 / Finished: 10.07.2018

Dad jokes and lots of delicious food is how I would sum up this show. Just great fun.

§ Altered Carbon Season 01
Added: 03.07.2018 / Started: 01.06.2018 / Finished: 02.07.2018

While hardly unique, the setting of Altered Carbon is pretty entertaining. It's set in a dystopian future where humanity is able to save consciousness to a "stack"; devices implanted in the back of the neck. This stack can then be transfered to a new "sleeve", or body. The practical effect is immortality for those who can afford it.

Sadly, the plot and pacing is a disaster. It often feels as though the writing is mere filler. Its purpose is only to lead to the next epic set piece combat scene, of which there are two or three per episode. Oftentimes the plot doesn't make any sense. After an especially stupid twist towards the end of the season, I struggled to care enough to try to comprehend anything. There were some great moments but the greater story arc is terrible.

The thinness of the plot is often masked by irritating "trippy" sequences. The stretching, blurring, and color distortion effects were pointless and cheap. Whenever they started it, I was in for a minute or so where nothing actually happened.

The generally strong, entertaining characters held my interest. These were backed by great performances; the dynamic between Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs and Martha Higareda as Kristin Ortega practically kept the show afloat.

§ Brain on Fire
Added: 01.07.2018 / Started: 31.06.2018 / Finished: 31.06.2018

A solid, enjoyable movie where nothing stood out but I enjoyed every minute of it. Unrelated, but its been so long since I've watched a movie that can keep a coherent plot for its 90 minute runtime.

§ Project Runway Junior Season 01
Added: 01.07.2018 / Started: 23.06.2018 / Finished: 29.06.2018

The production was grating and the drama was laid on too thick, but the amount of raw talent on display by such young people was incredible to watch. To me fashion doesn't extend much further than looking presentable in clothing that fits. Despite that, I still found Project Runway: Junior instantly engaging. It was wonderful to watch people barely out of childhood create such creative, beautiful clothing.

§ Fauda Season 01
Added: 28.06.2018 / Started: 25.06.2018 / Finished: 28.06.2018

It's my second time watching the first season. I wanted to recap before starting the second, and it's even better than I remember. It's one of the few shows where the writing surpasses the production. The latter has some issues that let the show down, such as poor casting for some supporting roles.

The pace is relentless, with events unfolding at a pace that overwhelms everyone involved. There's hardly any time for anybody to think things through, and they usually go with their worst instincts. Beyond the sheer drama and excitement of it, there's a sensitive greater narrative on the futility of violence and revenge. One party wrongs the other, the wronged party realities, and the cycle begins. It repeats itself endlessly until it doesn't matter who started it because both sides have committed inexcusable atrocities that innocents on both sides pay for. It only ends when there's nothing left to burn.

The conflict centers around Doron and Taufiq; Taufiq a terrorist/freedom fighter and Doron an Israeli agent/oppressor. In their obsession with revenge, both destroy what they think they're fighting for; family. Fauda means 'chaos' in Arabic, and like moths to a flame, Doron and Taufiq are drawn to it.

§ The Bridge Season 02
Added: 26.06.2018 / Started: 23.05.2018 / Finished: 23.05.2018

The first season was decent but rather plodding. The pace would have been fine had there been a great lead actress to lean on. Instead there's Diane Kruger as Sonya Cross, an autistic detective. I don't know if her portrayal of Asperger syndrome was accurate, but it was awkward and boring to watch. The impression of terrible acting wasn't helped by her German accent sneaking through at times. The second season speeds events along, providing a distraction from Kruger's acting. At the same time, the plot stopped trying to make sense thanks to a prominent subplot involving the CIA and the deep state that goes nowhere.

That said, it was entertaining enough to finish. It wasn't always predictable and besides Diane Kruger, much of the acting was fun to watch. Demián Bichir stood out with many great moments as Marco Ruiz and Franka Potente was incredible as Eleanor Nacht.

§ Queer Eye (2018) Season 02
Added: 24.06.2018 / Started: 17.06.2018 / Finished: 22.06.2018

At its best, Queer Eye is about helping people revitalize their lives when they can't see a way forward. Beyond the entertaining visual makeover, the Fab 5 try to address the deeper issues. Keramo in particular is able to find the root of a person's problems and offers wonderful advice. The Fab 5 themselves are often funny, charming, and a joy to watch. Sometimes the show becomes melodramatic and boring, but those moments are rare.

§ Suits Season 06
Added: 02.06.2018 / Started: 21.05.2018 / Finished: 01.06.2018

Great season, maybe even my favorite. Despite how busy the season was, Harvey's layers finally started to show and Louis became less two dimensional.