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Death Parade, anime, 2015, dir. Yuzuru Tachikawa
Ending spoilers: ( Read more... )
The two core characters are phenomenal; the world is unique and strange. The rules of the universe immediately appear unfair and fatally flawed, so it's rewarding to discover that's exactly the point of the show. The actual execution is a bit rough, especially the middle episodes and the wildly inconsistent tone, but by the end everything coalesces on an instinctual level. But, for me, the reveal of the protagonist's death sours that emotional payoff.
Awake, season 1, 2012
An engaging effort that doesn't hold up to, but does invite, close scrutiny. Speculative procedural is a unique combination, but it's a lot to manage. The episodic crimes are simplistic, not unforgivably so; but they want overarching characterization to sustain them, and that, too, is unfortunately episodic, especially in the son. The parallel universe concept is intriguing, especially the uncertainly of its validity or cause, giving the show a fragile, subjective atmosphere. But it would have been more successful if they'd known it would be just one season: the last episode feels more red herring than resolution, but there's no time to explore it. I am the ideal audience for this genre crossover, and I'm glad I watched it, but it could have been better.
The Machine, film, 2014, dir. Caradog W. James,
So much potential, not quite realized. There's some neat underlying ideas here: how to teach a robot to pass a Turing test; the evolved language. And there's some nice imagery, only a little ruined by the predictability (eyes: always the indicator of strangeness) and the gendering and body of the machine, feminine, blonde, nude, beautiful, potentially vulnerable. But the interpersonal aspects are so simplistic and the plot so predictable that the potential has no chance to shine.
Experimenter, film, 2015, dir. Michael Almereyda
Wouldn't it be neat if a biopic that makes a point of discussing race, the effects of race, and the erasure of race didn't cast a white person in the role of its Jewish subject? Yeah, that'd be neat. But Sarsgaard is strong, and the film is otherwise enjoyable—the subject and the sympathetic portrayal of Milgram's reactions to criticism of his work more than the experimental staging. In pieces, those elements work well, especially Milgram addressing the camera; but the effect entire, and the green screen in particular, is obtrusive.
Ending spoilers: ( Read more... )
The two core characters are phenomenal; the world is unique and strange. The rules of the universe immediately appear unfair and fatally flawed, so it's rewarding to discover that's exactly the point of the show. The actual execution is a bit rough, especially the middle episodes and the wildly inconsistent tone, but by the end everything coalesces on an instinctual level. But, for me, the reveal of the protagonist's death sours that emotional payoff.
Awake, season 1, 2012
An engaging effort that doesn't hold up to, but does invite, close scrutiny. Speculative procedural is a unique combination, but it's a lot to manage. The episodic crimes are simplistic, not unforgivably so; but they want overarching characterization to sustain them, and that, too, is unfortunately episodic, especially in the son. The parallel universe concept is intriguing, especially the uncertainly of its validity or cause, giving the show a fragile, subjective atmosphere. But it would have been more successful if they'd known it would be just one season: the last episode feels more red herring than resolution, but there's no time to explore it. I am the ideal audience for this genre crossover, and I'm glad I watched it, but it could have been better.
The Machine, film, 2014, dir. Caradog W. James,
So much potential, not quite realized. There's some neat underlying ideas here: how to teach a robot to pass a Turing test; the evolved language. And there's some nice imagery, only a little ruined by the predictability (eyes: always the indicator of strangeness) and the gendering and body of the machine, feminine, blonde, nude, beautiful, potentially vulnerable. But the interpersonal aspects are so simplistic and the plot so predictable that the potential has no chance to shine.
Experimenter, film, 2015, dir. Michael Almereyda
Wouldn't it be neat if a biopic that makes a point of discussing race, the effects of race, and the erasure of race didn't cast a white person in the role of its Jewish subject? Yeah, that'd be neat. But Sarsgaard is strong, and the film is otherwise enjoyable—the subject and the sympathetic portrayal of Milgram's reactions to criticism of his work more than the experimental staging. In pieces, those elements work well, especially Milgram addressing the camera; but the effect entire, and the green screen in particular, is obtrusive.
