337. Web-series Reviews – 160

More web-series reviews…

Griselda – Came in 2024. Griselda chronicles the real life of savvy and ambitious Colombian business woman, Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco's lethal blend of charm and unsuspecting savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business leading her to become widely known as the "Black Widow".

A review from IMDB...

Overall I believe this was a good miniseries. While the character of Griselda Blanco was a bit too sympathetic compared to what she was like in real life, Vergara did an outstanding job in a lead dramatic role, and if she was typecast as Gloria Pritchett she broke from it in a strong way.

Supporting cast was very good, I felt there was good chemistry between Vergara and many of the others. Writing seemed very good, well-paced story.

I also very much liked the subtitles. This was a nice touch, and is rarely used on such a large scale. The Spanish language was needed to convey the mood and energy of the show, and it worked like a charm. Nicely done.

Only had a couple of problems with the series:

1) it painted Blanco in way too sympathetic of a light. Anyone who watched the groundbreaking 2006 documentary on the Miami Cocaine Wars called "Cocaine Cowboys" would know the real Blanco was far more vicious and cold than Vergara's portrayal. Also, I don't recall the real Blanco being a demagogue of sorts, with stirring, rebellious speeches to rouse her people to take on the rich whites who exploit them. Nice message but I don't think Blanco was like that.

2) The series was way too short. Only six episodes? There was so much to Blanco's life that you could have done four full seasons, easily. With flashbacks to her horrific childhood, particularly her upbringing by her vicious, abusive mother, Ana Restrepo. Season 1 could have been her NY days, season 2 Miami, season 3 in California (both as a dealer and her imprisonment, including her relationship with Charles Cosby), season 4 back in Colombia ending with her assassination. This was a very good, well-made series and I wanted to see more.

I give this 8/10 largely due to Vergara's chops in a dramatic, serious role, great writing for what this was (a miniseries), and great supporting cast.

My Take – A definitive watch!

 

Vera – Season 12 came early this year.  With her caustic wit and singular charm, DCI Vera Stanhope leads her team as they face a series of captivating murder mysteries set against the breathtaking Northumberland landscape.

13th and the final season due in 2025 and that will be the end of the series.  It will have run from 2011 to 2025😊!

A review from IMDB...

Please don't stop. It is one of the few shows left with real type characters, lives and jobs. No botoxed, sex filled, vulgarity, make up and clothes out of a fashion magazine type over acting. No over the top, revenge, take the law into their own hands police detectives who unrealistically shoot up the screen at the end of the story.

Vera's cast are just real type people trying to get by and do their job while people withhold things and make it harder. No need to add a bunch of nonsense. The cast of characters play nicely off each other without having to try to be a star, per se.

The writing is good because unlike other shows, going un-named, there aren't massive holes in the story or unbelievable behavior by multiple police or unexplained endings that are ridiculous. Just good story telling.

My Take – A must watch😊!!

 

All the Light We Cannot See – Came in end 2023.  Based on a book. Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure's reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel. In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

Trivia - Aria Mia Loberti's acting debut. She was a Ph.D. candidate when she auditioned for an open call for actresses who are blind or vision impaired. Her service dog accompanied her during filming in Budapest.

A review from IMDB...

This was fantastic . I am a huge fan of the book - read it several times . This was a great ADAPTATION- here is the key. It is not exactly the same - it's not meant to be . The essence of the book was here, it felt true to the original to me .

It was filmed really well , it was cast incredibly . The casting of a blind actress really made the whole thing come together . I love love Hoffman - "Dark" being my favorite tv show of all time - and he was perfect as Werner .

The ending was different , but in many ways I would actually argue this ending was better . The feeling of liberation and sacrifice were displayed so well and so tragically . Everything didn't work out - you don't know what happens. It leaves you with hope - it leaves you looking for the light .

My issue with this was the language choice . It would have been exponentially better if it had been done in French and German . That is one of my biggest issues in media in general is veering away from true languages in order to put in English with accents . Language is culture , culture is story telling , story telling is history , history is how we feel connection and by using English it was a huge disservice to the story .

It would have been a 10- watch it , read the book , look for the light .

My Take – Don't miss it😊

Cheers till next time😊!