Posts from Recently viewed movies.

So, it seems like they all just died and were hanging out in purgatory... like, right there
Although maybe this can be called an alternate reality

The series left the impression of chewing gum, which initially had a very pleasant taste, but then it suddenly became tasteless and even slightly unpleasant, and there was no trash can nearby, so I had to keep chewing it until the very end.

I don't remember when I stopped watching, trying to do it in a similar way – maybe at the end of season 2? Definitely after the bunker, the "others," and the "numbers" were found, but before it – as far as I know from rumors – turned into an absolute fan fiction.
Maybe around the third season, when I already saw these twists, I also saw the structure of the subsequent narrative and realized that this structure would not lead to anything good in the future and was designed specifically to keep the viewer hooked by gradually feeding them crumbs of a schizophrenic plot to maintain pseudo-interest. This is really sad because, even though I'm not a big fan of – but I accept as a given – various flashbacks throughout an entire series and all sorts of things, I really enjoyed the first season and a certain part (or even almost all) of the second.
At one point, I just sensed that nothing good would happen next, and based on my feelings and knowledge about the series' decline, I dropped it. But overall, I don't consider this a loss; even taking into account the sunk cost factor (🤓), even without a resolution, it's a cool series at the beginning, and it can definitely be watched without finishing it if you don't suffer from the syndrome of "I'll start, and if I don't finish, it's a disaster, I need a canonical or at least some kind of ending." If you want some kind of very intellectual and entertaining adventure for a while, then why not.
I remembered an interesting moment from life – once I was talking to my dad on the phone, maybe he wasn't living with us at that time, or maybe he was, but he had gone somewhere, and he says: I saw this series on prime-time TV, and it's super cool, it's called SURVIVE. For some reason, I remember this, it sounded very funny.

2) Found Loken's review, but it's about the second and third seasons, and he writes about a lot of drawn-out scenes where nothing happens; I don't remember the original well, but it was probably like that.

Returning to this review – since then, I've come across some highlight reels from that season on YouTube, and they were quite cool. Of course, this is taking into account the boring scenes and everything else, but it seems to me that the series, like wine, rather than milk, matures with age, both for itself and for the viewer.

It's really good, and I don't regret a single second spent watching it. Perhaps at the time of the review in this thread, I slightly lowered the rating due to subjective factors, but since then, seasons 4, 5, and 6 have also been released, and they are simply excellent, and even seasons 1, 2, and 3 are very, very good.
If you were to ask me at gunpoint: out of everything you've watched, which series would you call the best? Salich would definitely be at the top; it has a lot of cool, interesting things, excellent acting, interesting plots and characters, and even some cool twists – although I personally don't consider this a super-plus, but rather a nice bonus, but even that exists. In general, me and Sivo recommend it.

So, it seems like they all just died and were hanging out in purgatory... like, right there
Although maybe it can be called an alternate reality

Well, yeah, after the last characters died, all their souls merged. In my opinion, it's a plot remnant.

I finished watching the last season of Better Call Saul (2015-2022). When I started watching, I expected to get a fun or simply amusing comedy or semi-comedy about how Saul Goodman, the cheerful and resourceful lawyer from Breaking Bad, resolves issues and gets out of trouble. And, of course, there are plenty of situations in which the characters find themselves, but the story as a whole is much more serious and touches on things I didn't expect at all. It explores family, love, and ethics in general. And at no point is this done in a heavy-handed way, where you're told, "Well, you see, this character was completely wrong? Don't be like him." There's absolutely none of that. Everything is shown humanely, with understanding. I don't think that means you should watch the series as a super-serious drama, because, as I said, all these themes aren't presented in a blunt way; they, like in life, seem to pass by in the background, and then you suddenly stop to think and realize – that was actually life itself. A long time ago, I wasn't impressed with the series Breaking Bad and decided that its popularity was due to the fact that it never descends into outright garbage, unlike all the other series I've seen. But what I didn't like about that series was that it had too much filler content. Here, the series not only doesn't descend into that, but it also has a minimum of filler, or at least, you don't notice it at all when you're watching. And all of this is polished off with a powerful ending, again, much better than Breaking Bad. Great, I really enjoyed it. A few words about the characters:

I personally find it less interesting to follow Mike, but it's still more engaging than following Hank's wife, and Mike gets much less screen time.

Starting with the second season, I found it very interesting to watch Mike; he's a top-notch character, a wonderful character, thank you for deciding to develop him. Kim Wexler is awarded the honorable title of "two-dimensional goddess" for her actions. And the cover of the fourth season perfectly sums up the feelings after watching the series:

Title

Kingdom of Heaven (2005, USA)

And why did I think it was Mel Gibson? Turns out it was Ridley Scott.
Cons: There's a bit of Hollywood flair. The main character flits around the battlefield like a seasoned Legolas, or even Spider-Man, catapults fire explosive missiles, destroying everything, and firing 60 times a minute... In short, it's spectacular.
Pros: Everything else. A very powerful film with a well-chosen theme, without any noticeable embellishments of history. A film about how difficult it is to find yourself and how easy it is to lose yourself, about how good and evil are sometimes not obvious and go hand in hand, but you can still distinguish them, and in the end, it is absolutely necessary for every person. It leaves a very pleasant impression; they don't make films like that anymore...

Pros

And also Eva Green.

thought it was Mel Gibson? Turns out it was Ridley Scott.

That's Edward Norton... xD
The movie is good, though.

The Green Knight (2020).
Instead of watching it, you could just read an article on Wikipedia or somewhere else.

This is Edward Norton... xD
The movie is good, yes.

Hold on... Before I report, I always check the wiki, as I never remember the credits. Are you being sarcastic or are you really spreading misinformation?

He played as Baldur (he didn't recognize him right away).

Alice in Borderland and Squid Game
I haven't watched any series in a long time, but I needed something to distract myself with. I'm not in the mood to play the expansion right now, I'm tired of the recent Minecraft, and I don't have the energy for anything productive, so I decided to watch something interesting. Anime, strangely enough, I also don't feel like watching anymore (except for rare cases like the recent movie about Chainsaw Man).
I don't remember where I heard about Alice, but Squid Game came to mind on its own due to its popularity after I finished watching it. The first is a Japanese production, and the second is Korean. Both are based on survival games in which a certain number of people have to play. However, if you try to compare them, the only advantage of the Japanese series is the voice acting, which I can understand by ear, unlike the Korean one. Otherwise, Squid Game wins on all fronts. If its plot is interesting from the beginning to the end (it makes you think), and the characters evoke a wide range of emotions, then in Alice, somewhere after the third episode of the first season, it starts to become depressing, which you can watch, but it's more like chewing gum. Speaking of characters, both had "transitional characters," which is probably not surprising considering it's 2025 and Western money is involved in the production, but again, if in Squid Game this was a quite authentic and generally pleasant character, then in Alice it was just a quota-based token.

Ladri di biciclette
It feels like this awaits everyone soon, but it will be much worse.
Waga Seishun ni Kuinashi
Depressing.
Yoidore tenshi and Nora inu
Average.

Give Me Wings (Donne-moi des ailes, 2019, France)

A film about how 100% of adult humans constantly act crazy, cluck over the fulfillment of strange and meaningless rules, brazenly, stupidly, and pointlessly break those same rules, argue over nonsense, laze around, and in general behave like total infants and cowards; watching them was nauseating. And only a 14-year-old boy stood out from the rest? He just stepped up and showed how to be a man, set a good goal, and bravely achieved it.
The film is only good because of him; otherwise, the behavior of the adults could have been perceived as normal. But—it worked through contrast.

The Passion of the Christ (The Passion of the Christ, 2004, USA)

I actually wanted to say more about this film; the previous one was more like a short warm-up.
First of all, when I started the movie, I was slightly surprised by which voiceover I had downloaded. I listened to the speakers for a bit—the language was completely unfamiliar. Then I reached a moment where two Roman soldiers are talking to each other, and it hits me that they are doing so in Latin... And the Jews among themselves—obviously, in Aramaic! The director set himself an extremely ambitious task: to film a movie in the native languages of Rome and Israel during the 1st century AD, and he executed it. First conclusion: maximum meticulousness.

We boldly turn on the subtitles and keep watching; practically every subsequent scene continues to convince us of the meticulousness of the production regarding the most important days in human history. With a correction only for traditions accepted in Catholicism but not confirmed in the Gospels—for example, the scene with Saint Veronica, who wiped Jesus with a veil.

But even more important than the fact that the correct events are happening on screen is how it is shown, with what pain. No embellishments, no "child-friendly" rating; we feel as if we are there and suffer along with Him, seeing this blood and these tears for people who have no pity for Him, while He does for them. It must have been incredibly difficult to portray Christ as so human yet so divine, and all the other people are also in their proper place.

The Apostles are in fear, but some cope with it better than others, while some, alas, fall completely. His Mother and Mary Magdalene accompany Him all the way to Golgotha, as their hearts command them. Pilate is not like Bulgakov's, where he suddenly has a headache for some reason; this one is of sound mind and memory. He seems to pity Jesus, and he hates the high priests, but politics dictate that he act his own way; he is first and foremost a Roman governor, and then a man, and these wrong priorities do him a bad service. Herod only cares for giggles and laughs—no matter, we know he'll have time to cry later. The acting is such that you, the viewer, feel as if you have known all these people for many years, and all their thoughts and aspirations, doubts and decisions are visible as if through the crystal surface of a lake.

And the finale... Exactly as it should be, not like in some more irresponsible works. Those who have heard the title "The Gospel According to Tolstoy" know what I mean (and those who haven't—well, that's fine, then they don't need to worry in advance).

If you believe you are morally ready for such a movie, stock up on tissues for your tears and go ahead.

Circle (2015 film)

50 people find themselves in a room with a deadly laser, and every 2 minutes, they anonymously vote on who to eliminate until only 1 remains. Who will turn out to be the most worthy or despicable survivor?..

I didn't like the first half because there were too many random characters that you don't even remember. I liked that it touches on many relevant topics in the decaying West, but unfortunately, they don't have any impact later on.

The second half is more exciting when the remaining characters are revealed, and you start to care about some of them more than others. I think it would have been more interesting if the film was an hour longer but with fewer participants.

The ending is unexpectedly good.

Backrooms (2026)

Normies don't get liminal spaces.