229. Web-series Reviews – 75

More web-series/documentaries reviews…

The Valhalla Murders – Another series from Iceland😊!! Police profiler Arnar is sent back home from Oslo to his native Iceland to investigate the country's first serial killer case. He teams up with the local senior cop Kata.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Some of the Reviews Here: 1. Boring: Its NOT... In Fact I found it way more enjoyable than Trapped. 2. Sloppy Police Work: Yes there is some.. But who wants a perfect show?? 3. Poor Sub Titles/Dubbing: Well, guys if you cant fathom watching foreign shows in foreign languages, dont bother.. Theres a reason why there are a dozen options in Language and Subtitles. Always go ahead with original language and your preferred subtitle. You will find it more authentic. Nordic Noirs are slow paced, you wont miss a beat reading subtitles. You will probably learn a few words as well. Lastly.. This show had me binge watch. After 2 episodes, I started disliking characters but story is way too compelling. And after episode 6, it becomes more interesting. This show could have been a master piece like Trapped(season-1), if it had more dynamic lead roles.. But I guess the actors do an OK Job. Solid Mystery.. Solid Screen Play.. Go watch it... The only thing thats Cliche here is, a Police KID.. Thats never in the right place.. Never.. Trapped, Safe, Bridge, Tin Star, Deadwind, La Mante, Bosch, The Break, YOu will always find a broken Police Family with an unlikable Kid/Teen

My take – An ok series. Story is good.

 

Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes – This series follows Ronan Farrow as he conducts interviews with whistleblowers, victims, private investigators, and other sources for his book Catch and Kill in regard to the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

In 2019 Ronan Farrow published a critically well-received book called "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators", looking at how Harvey Weinstein was able to get away with sexual intimidation, assault and worse for DECADES. Now comes this new documentary series, which essentially covers the same ground but visualizes it.

As "Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes" (2021 release; 6 episodes of about 25 min. Each) opens, Episode 1 "The Wire" looks at what happened in 2015 to Ambra Gutierrez, a model from Italy, when she ends up in Harvey Weinstein's atmosphere, and in particular what happened after she agrees to wear a wire on one of her encounters with Weinstein... Episode 2 "The Reporters" looks at how Weinstein was able to manipulate the press and media for decades, despite attempts by several reporters (including Hollywood Reporter's Kim Masters and the New Yorker's Ken Auletta) to the contrary.

Couple of comments: even though by now we have a pretty good understanding of how the Harvey Weinstein empire of deception, intimidation, and sexual assaults operated for years and years, it is still impactful to hear the principals talk about it. You heart goes out to someone like Ambra Gutierrez, who was new to this country and not even 25 yrs old when in 2015 Weinstein descended on her like the predator that he was (is). The courage that it took this young lady to stand up to that beast and all of his enablers is beyond words.

All that aside, do we learn anything new from this? I don't mean to be disrespectful to Ronan Farrow or anyone else involved in this documentary mini-series, but after 2 episodes, my answer is "not really". So I'm not quite sure what the additional value of this documentary is, other than to visualize the book and of course to remind us how an entire eco-system let Harvey Weinstein get away with sexual assault and worse for all these years.

In particular Episode 4 is strong, as it looks how NBC News "killed" the story by Farrow and his producer. Just wow..

This series simply got better and better as we moved along. I've increased my rating from 7/10 to 8/10.

 

My Take – A worthwhile watch!

 

November 13: Attack on Paris – Documentary (French) chronicling the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

I'm sure I am not alone in that I can recall the night of November 13th, 2015.

I, like many others, was first made aware of the happenings in Paris with the report of explosions at the France v Germany game. Initially, there was confusion as to the source of the explosion, with differing news channels making conflicting reports.

From then onward, however, the evening only became darker as the horror grew and the scale of what was really happening became clear. It seemed unimaginable at the time, having gone from the mysterious explosions at the stadium to the sheer devastation at the Bataclan; it seemed like it would never end.

When it inevitably did, the whole world was traumatised. Nobody could have ever expected something so large-scale and harrowing to have occurred in one of the most liberating locations in the world. But in its aftermath, Paris - and the rest of the world - became stronger as a result.

This deeply moving and chilling documentary gives a new perspective to the night of November 13th and the attacks which took place all across Paris. It reminds us how many countless lives these tragedies affected, and encourages us to remain resilient in the face of terrorism.

This is not a documentary to be missed.

My Take – A worthwhile watch!

 

La Mante (The Mantis) – French series! A serial killer, nicknamed 'La Mante' decides to collaborate with the police when a string of murders that copycat her style suddenly appear.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

This series should be marked under the "not bad but could have been so much better" category.

In terms of the positives. The editing is quite good and the pace is kept up quite well. The score does a very good job of raising the tension at the appropriate moments. The cinematography is high quality and the series overall was very well shot.

Now to the less than positive points. First off the premise is not very original and in the end very contrived. Its as if someone took the plotlines of Silence of the Lambs (using an imprisoned serial killer to catch their admirer), Seven (a serial killer who ritually tortures their victims as punishment) and Copycat (a serial killer imitating the crimes of a convicted murderer).

Secondly, the characters are all pretty one dimensional and the acting is actually quite flat. Carole Bouquet is as cold and distant as ever, meaning it is difficult to feel anything for her, positively or negatively. Fred Testot, who plays her son, mopes around and seems pointedly uninteresting as a character. Its hard to see from this what his wife saw in him. The other characters are pretty much stereotypes (the grizzled police chief, the disgruntled/resentful partner who was passed over for promotion, the deranged serial killer, etc).

Lastly some of the plot lines stretch credibility a bit too far. For example, France's most notorious serial killer is left with only one guard. The police decide race to rescue the serial killer' victims by racing across Paris only to arrive too late instead of calling for local backup.

All in all, with a bit more originality in the scenario and a tighter script, this could have been excellent.

My Take – An ok series. 

Cheers till next time😊!

Daffy Definition

Singing – A man’s bathright😊!!