As soon as I noticed that Bad Monkey was based on a Carl Hiaasen book of the same name, I knew I was in for a treat. Hiaasen is reliably loopy, witty, dark, with indelible characters and absurd but compelling murder mystery plots. And Apple+ has a well-deserved reputation for ensuring that television series respect the source material.
This is a Korean sitcom, which means that where the science is at times problematic, it never descends to the level of bat-science. You’ll learn a lot more valid neuropsychology and the physiology of brain functions than you ever learn from Oz or any of the other pop “doctors” on American television. And yes, behind the comedy is serious, deadly drama.
The first thing to know about Netflix’s high-budget 6 part series about the struggle for the territory of Utah is that it is a western in the grimdark genre. It’s hyper-realistic, dark, bloody, violent and with compelling acting and characters. It’s in the same vein as Godless, The English, or Deadwood.
I mentioned The Sopranos, and I will also mention Breaking Bad, because both have the same elements that propel The Penguin: an exceptionally strong, large cast, a unique and compelling world, and a lead character whose performance is utterly incandescent. Farrell’s performance is right up there with Gandolfini or Cranston. It is utterly amazing.
I didn’t do a lot of reviews this past year. Fifty three in all. It was an election year and I write mostly about politics, and I have a backlog going into 2025. Also, if I think something is rubbish, I’m very unlikely to review it. And there was a fair old bit of rubbish that came out last year.
Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction (Japanese: デッドデッドデーモンズデデデデデストラクション, Hepburn: Deddo Deddo Dēmonzu Dededede Desutorakushon), also abbreviated as DDDD Genre Post-apocalyptic, Science fiction, Slice of life based on Manga Written by Inio Asano Written by Reiko Yoshida, Takaaki Suzuki Music by Taro Umebayashi Studio Production +h. Licensed by Crunchyroll Released May 24, 2024 – September 20, 2024 …
Genre Drama, Black comedy, Spy thriller Based on Slough House by Mick Herron Written by Will Smith, Morwenna Banks, Mark Denton, Jonny Stockwood Directed by James Hawes, Jeremy Lovering, Saul Metzstein, Cast and charactersMain Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the head of Slough House who is slovenly, rude, devious and has a mordant wit; he …
Genre Crime drama, Serial drama, Thriller, Neo-Western, Black comedy, Tragedy Created by Vince Gilligan Showrunner Vince Gilligan Starring Main characters Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a high-school chemistry teacher who, shortly after his 50th birthday, is diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer and turns to making meth to secure his family’s finances. As his shady …
The 8 Show Hangul 더 에이트 쇼 Revised Romanization Deo e-iteu syo McCune–Reischauer Tŏ eit’ŭ syo Genre Dark comedy Thriller Satirical drama Based on Money Game & Pie Game by Bae Jin-soo Written and Directed by Han Jae-rim Starring Ryu Jun-yeol as Third Floor / Bae Jin-su A former convenience store worker Chun Woo-hee as …
Created by Blake Crouch Based on Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Showrunner Blake Crouch Starring Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen, a physicist who unwillingly travels between alternate realities after being abducted by his counterpart (Jason #02). Jennifer Connelly as Daniela Dessen, Jason’s wife. Alice Braga as Amanda Lucas, Jason #02’s girlfriend and partner who tries …