The Rig Season 2 Overview: A Sinking Feeling

Amazon needs to burn more money so they made a sequel series to something that didn’t need it.

The Rig came out a while ago, and I wouldn’t say it was popular, I never saw anyone talk about it on social media for example, and for the most part the ending of the first season closed out the loop. This secondary season was in no way needed.

There also seems to be far less to do this time around, the new season is mainly split between a refugee camp, post wave, and a new rig, if you would permit me. For the most part it is just folks stood around talking, and the few times they do venture outside of this it looks cheap.

I found the characters also to be much more unlikable this time around, we some of the relationships not making a lick of sense, it felt as though they had in new writers who just didn’t get the characters and couldn’t be bothered to read the scripts for the first season so just wrote this with no frame of reference.

Also and this may be a little mean so I’ll keep it brief but Emily Hampshire has clearly had plastic surgery and it is distracting in a bad way, she looks uncanny valley but in real life. Also because of whatever she has done whenever she tries to emote her face doesn’t really change in any way and that also takes you out of it.

Overall, a disappointing and unnecessary second season.

1/5

Pros.

It is laughably bad

Cons.

It doesn’t justify its existence

It has a terrible ending

Emily Hampshire is distracting

It is too bloated

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Merry Good Enough: Not Really Good Enough

Summary

A mother, Susan Gallagher, goes missing on Christmas.

So this is a holdover from my 2024 Christmas viewing season, as I am now writing about it in late January, it slipped through my net regarding posts to release and I had forgotten I had seen it for a while on top of that. That should say all we need to about the film leading in.

However, I imagine you want more. So basically this is a film about a mother who feels underappreciated and runs away both because she wants to escape her children but also because she wants to know they care. This bizarre dichotomy is made only the more strange by the fact that she does not live with her children so why does she need to escape them, one whom she quarrels with comes around every week but she still has the rest of her week to herself. Anyway logic aside.

The kids air family grievances and have to come to terms with the fact that there parents are not perfect people, a thing that most already know by their mid-teens, but hey these folks have to figure it out as adults as they are all clearly quite sheltered.

There is some charm and some relatability but ultimately you cannot form a bond with any of the characters as the writing is just so poor, they don’t feel like people but rather archetypes.

Overall, a fairly forgettable Christmas dramady.

2/5

Pros.

It is watchable

It has a few warm moments

Cons.

It is poorly paced

It is forgettable

The characters feel like characters

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A Real Life: This Is Why Folk Hate Americans Abroad

Summary

A guided tour of Poland takes a turn for the emotional.

This was a perfectly fine film, but I am left wondering how it was nominated for awards. In my estimation the only reason this got nominated for anything is because the awarding bodies, acutely aware that they have been demonising jews and Israel for the year need to do something to cover themselves in the face of antisemitism accusations, so they do this: much as a racist may remind you they have a black friend.

I thought narratively it was no great shake due to the fact that the reveal was obvious. We have seen the formula of successful friend of family member, here Eisenberg, meets with less successful or wash out friend of family member, here Culkin, for the latter to turn out to be on the verge of suicide or some form of trauma and for the former then have to give them a reason to live again. Film’s as different to this as The World’s End did this narrative.

Moreover, Culkin’s character which was supposed to be sympathetic just wasn’t. He seemed to be an awful person with few redeeming qualities, a perfect example of this is when he berates the guide for giving information. The others or his tour may well have wanted to hear it but because he didn’t he behaves unilaterally. The fact they have a scene later when the tour guide thanks him makes it all the worse, as this scene feels like it is there in order to excuse the character rather than how people would actually behave. There are not enough scenes where you feel warmth towards his character to make you feel anything when the truth about his trauma comes out.

Overall, I am a fan of Eisenburg and will always show up to his projects, however, the writing in this one was a little cliched and weak.

2.5/5

Pros.

There are some fun moments

It does have an emotional core, but that doesn’t make you empathise with the characters

The central duo have a believable familial friendship

Cons.

Culkin’s character is insufferable

The reveal is obvious

The supporting cast are wasted

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Shogun Season One Overview: The Best Series Of The Year

Summary

A series about an Englishman, Cosmo Jarvis’ trip to feudal Japan.

I think this was one of the strongest series of the year, not just because it was well done but also because it was so refreshing. We have been crying out for more Samurai fare for a while, there are some films and series here and there, but by and large the sub-genre at least from a western perspective has been dry for a while. As such this arrived at just the right time.

What I appreciate about this show is that it is both a slow burn and has soap opera like elements but it doesn’t effect the quality of the show. There is enough happening within an episode to make the slower pace and the world building feel rich and meaningful rather than tedious. Moreover, there is enough action and character’s doing things to make the interpersonal soap opera stuff seem few and far between.

I think the characters are all written well and that the story goes to interesting places, I would like to see the war between the clans more fully realised but I suppose that will be something to consider in the next season.

Overall, definitely one of the best shows of the year.

4/5

Pros.

The setting and the world

It feels fresh

It is interesting

It has great characters

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Baby Girl: Those Nichole Kidman AMC Adverts Have Changed Quite A Bit.

Summary

Hold onto your casserole dishes we get yet another erotic thriller for mothers.

Very much like the Grey films this film seeks to fetishize s and m and puts forward the idea of how hot it is for the boss women to be made to bark like a dog for a younger man. Is this actually titillating for anyone, remember folks when erotic thrillers would just be normal fairly vanilla sex but the passion of it is what gave it the heat, now you have stuff like this done for shock value. I am no prude but I do consider what sort of things are being shown as healthy here, and don’t think they are in fact that.

I find the graphic scenes of Nicole Kidman masturbating to not be shocking, to not be boundary pushing as oh we have never had a scene of a woman masturbating before, glass sealing shattered as we have, but instead rather to be desperate. These sort of scenes are not put in to make some bold comment on female sexuality, this comment has already been more articulately made, they are done for shock value and to be like ‘oh look at how graphic we made it that’s sexy right?’ It isn’t it is just desperate.

If Miss Kidman thinks this will make her anymore relevant or hey even get her some awards love it won’t. It will be forgotten about in about 5 minutes and will only live on in the mind of some old neglected housewife who wants it to happen to her.

Overall, a desperate sad attempt at eroticism.

1/5

Pros.

Old unsatisfied housewives might like it

Cons

It is cringe

It is desperate

It legitimising some morally bad things

Kidman is miscast

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Night Bitch: Amy Adams Grows A Tail

Summary

A film about a mother, Amy Adams, who can transform into a dog.

So this film isn’t bad, but I do question who it was for? It is not a fantasy film, nor is it a horror film and I certainly wouldn’t call it a comedy, it is an odd sort of a film that will find it hard to find an audience. It is a drama film about a stay at home mother who is so bored and trapped that to escape from her tedium she transforms into a dog at night to be free. It is full of the angst of being a mother that is now present in a lot of films on the topic, as the mother character wallows in their lack of freedom and how their life was better before they had the kid, mixed with relationship drama and sniping.

Scoot McNairy is quicky building himself a reputation as the weedy sort of husband that is a pushover and basically a man child, he is the source of a lot of the conflict in the film as he is not a great father. The final realisation of his character being that he needs to do more and take over more parenting responsibilities is such an obvious one you question why he didn’t already know it at the start of the film as it is basic information any adult should know.

I would argue that Adams natural charisma is the only thing holding this film together and that with a weaker actor it would fall apart.

Overall, this is an odd film and not what a lot of people would want or expect, Adams is strong but the films platitudes on life and motherhood are all a good few years out of date.

2.5/5

Pros.

Adams

It has a few laughs

It is paced reasonably well

Cons.

It has nothing fresh to say about motherhood

It is not the genre it is sold as, this is a drama film and nothing else

The relationship drama is overplayed

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Mary: Jesus Who?

Summary

Mary, Noa Cohen, yes that Mary is given the girl boss treatment.

So turns out the Angel Garbriel also came to prophesied the birth of Mary as well, turns out Jesus wasn’t so special after all, and that Mary was probably more important than Jesus because of her female power to birth him. I am woman hear me roar, who cares if Jesus died for our sins and was the Son of God, if you believe in that, he was a male and therefore no longer worth being considered special. His privilege has been checked.

There was just no need for this film, I don’t know who it was for? Religious folks are going to hate it as it is the most bastardised version of the Nativity story I have seen recently, the anti-western, anti-Semitic, pro-Palestine/ pro-Hamas folks don’t like it, as they cast an Israeli in the lead role. General audiences don’t care about a long drawn out biblical epic, look at Exodus. It seems to be more of Netflix looking for a reason to burn money.

Overall, if you want festive religious viewing you would be better served watching almost anything else. This is a bible epic designed to make everyone angry.

0.5/5

Pros.

You get a few chuckles out of how bad it is

Cons.

The girl boss stuff

They feel the need to update a story rather than just do something new and fresh

No one will like it

It is too long

It is poorly acted

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The Holdovers: Away At Christmas

Summary

Paul Giamatti plays a man obsessed with ancient Rome and who gets stuck watching some private school kids over Christmas.

Honestly I think this film was massively overrated. I saw why it won academy awards it feels like the sort of film that would win them, but should it have? For example, though Da’Vine Joy Randolph won for her role as a grieving mother, the only performance that stirred me towards feelings any kind of emotion was Giamatti. This final scene where his life has basically imploded is far more emotional that Randolph’s character who mopes and occasionally makes a sassy comment.

I think in many ways like a Pixar film this film was trying to manipulate you with its arc into feeling something into caring, all films do this to a degree, but when the kids father was in an asylum it was clear the film wanted to hit you in the feels. The issue with this artificial approach of course is that it feels disingenuous, it doesn’t feel real or authentic and as such it seems shallow within its emotional resonance.

Overall, a sad film and one that is not all that impressive.

2/5

Pros.

Giamatti

The score is fantastic

Cons.

It is emotionally manipulative in an obvious way

It is badly paced

It is overhyped

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Woman Of The Hour: Anna Kendrick Needs Her Ego Stroking

Summary

Netflix indulges yet another narcissist.

This time it is Anna Kendrick who wants to direct herself in a film she thinks is going to raise awareness about serial killers.

So once again quality is sacrificed so that Netflix can stroke a famous person’s ego. I don’t know who told Kendrick that she was a good director but whoever it was wasn’t a true friend as true friends don’t lie.

You get a fairly standard serial killer story which might entertain you if you are in the mood for some low brow Netflix trash that lacks any kind of substance. Kendrick doing press for this tried to say that the film had all these deep things to say about society, it really doesn’t in anyway.

I found the acting to feel very much like acting and the film and a dislikable almost self-aware like quality to it with it feeling almost like Kendrick was looking into the camera a few times, if this is her directorial style I don’t like it.

Overall, Netflix needs to start putting quality first.

2/5

Pros.

It is watchable

It is short

Cons.

Kendrick is a bad director

The performances are bad

It lacks any originality

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Timestalker: One Of The Most Unlikable Characters In Cinema History

Summary

A woman, Alice Lowe, reincarnates over and over again chasing after a guy who doesn’t like her back.

This film was a vanity project much like Woman of the Year, review coming soon. Lowe’s other films have also drawn from her own life, but here not only is she actor and star but the whole film is an effort in narcissism. This is textual meaning that in the plot of the film the central character and her desire is the plot of the film, there is nothing more to it than that, there is no character growth, she likes the guy then eventually realises he will never be the one for her but then ends the film with him liking her causing a character development regression and undoing the growth.

To make matters worse the film has nothing to say, it is about a thin as a McDonalds paper bag, it is shallow and the character unlikable. You may root or care for her if she wasn’t so self-involved yet she is so you don’t. The film borrows a lot from the dark comedies of Ben Wheatley yet unlike his work in say Sightseers for example, there is no subtext here no broad commentary and crucially no jokes.

I don’t think I laughed once during the entirety of the film, and I would say that no one else in the entire cinema did, but then no one else was there.

Overall, I think it is sad that films like this get made because in British circles Lowe is a minor name, a better film that could have made more and been more highly praised could have been made with this money.

1/5

Pros.

It is relatively short

Cons.

It isn’t funny

It is boring

It has nothing to say

Lowe isn’t very good in it

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