Aziz Ansari’s creative license takes on many forms this season: an ode to Fellini, long uninterrupted long film takes, character-mixing and disjointed storylines, and a shift in the second half of the season toward a focused, single plotline. Well-acted, Dev (Ansari) is convincing as a man torn between doing the right thing, versus what he feels he wants. Worth the marathon.
Thumbs Up 👍
Sometimes a film buckles under the weight of the story, and as a Cary Fukunaga fan, I really wanted to like Beasts of No Nation, but it was slow, about 45 minutes too long, and lacked the “gripping” scenes it was touted to have. Amid the Terrence Malick-like auteurism, It's worth watching for awareness, as it tells of a rising rebel faction in an unnamed war-torn African country, so there’s that. Otherwise, Idris Elba saves the film as a lecherous and militaristic leader, but overall it just fails to absorb. Meh 😐
Read MoreDon’t let the opening credits fool you; Narcos isn’t as salacious as implied. Instead, Season 1 presents early political and familial influences on Pablo Escobar (Brazilian actor Wagner Moura) and the rise of the Medellín drug cartel. Scenes can be dialogue-heavy and slow, with a diverse cast of dubious accents. The story, costumes, set-design, and lush backdrop of Escobar-era Medellin hold you just enough to keep watching. Meh 😐
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