All Forms of Art

  Don't Look Up is a new movie on the Netflix catalog starring big names such as Leonardo DiCaprio , Jennifer Lawrence , and Meryl Streep . A group of "not that important" scientists from a university finds that a massive asteroid - an extinction-level event - is coming towards Earth. They must warn the world, but does the world want to be warned?  Great Cast and Dark Humor With a great cast, Don't Look Up is an unexpected comedy, full of dark humor and I laughed a lot.  Yet, and most importantly, this movie is a clever critique of modern society - absurd and ridiculous. Perfect Analogy  The concerns about Climate Changes were the inspiration for this movie, and they found the perfect analogy to develop the story. The movie has it all — it shows the inverted values we are living through, where power and politics are way more important than lives. The reaction of the President (Meryl Streep) either makes you laugh, or you'll get extremely angry. Does she remin...

  Finally, here it is, the first Portuguese show on Netflix ! Did I like it? Yes. Am I impartial? No. Glória tells us an intense story of espionage during the Cold War . It is not the kind of synopsis that would make me watch a show, but I gave it a try since it was our first. I was not disappointed. No one is who they claim to be Typical of any good spies’ movies, no one is who they claim to be or who they seem to be. And most characters are entirely aware of that. As a result, there is no safe place, not even inside the family. It builds a whole environment where everyone mistrusts everyone, creating lots of suspense and... It works! After a couple of episodes, I was slightly nervous. Portuguese history as well The plot is clever, and the writers had to do a lot of research, for sure. Elements of the Cold War were well connected with what was happening in Portugal at the time - the dictatorship, the PIDE (political police), the colonial war in Africa. It had an interesting psyc...

  Although I watched the first part of season 5 when it was released, I waited for the second part to do this review. I wanted to be sure they wouldn't ruin the show last minute, as happened in many others before. They didn't. When the 5th season came out, I wasn't that willing to watch it. I was tired of the concept. It was time to finish the story. I gave it a try, and fortunately, it was a good ending. Nerve-racking as always When I started watching this season, I thought, "Oh, I knew it, this is terrible." I didn't like the first couple of episodes: too much shooting and fake blood. Things got better, though.   Around the third episode, Money Heist becomes the nerve-racking, full of emotion show we were used to. Impossible to look away from the screen. Alicia This character grew into one of my favorites. She evolved wonderfully throughout the story and ended up as a magnificent character. I loved it, but she has her flaws as well, right?  Let's face i...

  The Unforgivable is a movie from Netflix with Sandra Bullock as Ruth Slater. She just came back to civilian life, after being 20 years in jail, for homicide. However, the struggle of her life is about to begin.    How…? This movie presents us with two important questions: “How far would you go to protect someone you love?” and “How long have you to pay for your mistakes?” None of them is new, and, none has an answer. Instead, they are simply two topics repeatedly explored in an infinity of movies and shows.  The narrative The story focuses on two main points: Ruth’s reintegration into society and her search for her little sister. Simple and full of potential. Yet, the final result is not as promising. These two premises had so many things to explore and so many ways of doing it. Yet, their choices were poor - languid rhythm, with too long plans. The use of flashbacks was a little too much as well. It gets the audience a bit tired. Emotions It is supposed to be an...

  How do you start over when everything is against you? Alex has an alcoholic husband who tends to become violent and has no help from anyone. Not even her mom and dad. So, she sees herself completely alone. Yet, she is a brave woman. She takes the most challenging decision for any domestic abuse victim: she leaves. She picks her daughter and leaves home. Yet, now, she has no job, no house, and no money. She left with only 18 dollars in her pocket.  You may cry The bravest of decisions has the most difficult of consequences. It always does, right? That’s why she is so brave. But, as a viewer, it breaks your heart to watch some of the scenes. At the beginning of the story, Alex doesn’t understand that she is a victim. He never actually hit her. With time and the right help, she comprehends what happened to her, but it doesn’t matter. Not for court, not even for her family. She has no bruises after all. How do you prove psychological abuse? Her partner says he loves her. He seem...

  This third season brings an interesting and new dynamic. Near Love's impulsiveness, Joe doesn't seem that bad now, which is, per se , scary. How does a serial killer cope with everyday life problems? Joe is now a married man with a little kid to take care of. He is an intelligent adult. He knows what he is supposed to do, how he is supposed to behave, but… can he? His compulsions didn't disappear, and the surrounding environment was not exactly healthy. The introvert and shy Joe lives in the suburbs now, with nosy neighbors. He can't possibly fit in.   Oh, and don't forget, there is a baby in the middle of it! Connection The connection between him, Love, and baby isn't compatible with his fantasy of a perfect dad. Things aren't what they suppose to be, and Joe realizes that. He quickly starts to question himself about his ability to connect.  Once more, deep thoughts and reflections. Hearing his thoughts, we have true insight into what is going on inside h...

  Baxter is an old French movie about a dog looking for its perfect family. You have access to his thoughts and opinions, always following the dog’s point of view. Do you think we’re talking about a cute dog looking for a sweet owner? Yeah… not even close. Baxter is not cute Baxter is not a cute dog. He is scary and creepy as hell. Actually, he might be considered a psychopath. He kills his first owner! Then, he tries to kill a baby for no other reason than jealousy and selfishness. It is a weird way to show a dog.  Yet, Baxter is not the only one that’s creepy. When he finally finds what seems to be the perfect owner, that’s when the movie gets genuinely uncomfortable to watch. The kid is as messed up as the dog.  Innovative  When I watched it, I had zero information about the film. The only thing I knew was it was about a dog—nothing else. When I realized where it was going and how they portrayed a disturbed mind, I thought the movie was recent. The 80s clothes an...

  Once more, Yuval Noah Harari raises questions about Mankind. But, this time, instead of looking back, he focuses on the future. Analyzing what's happening right now, he looks for answers. What does the state of our lives say about the future? What is it to come? Technology - will it make us Gods? Throughout history, human beings have always had three main goals: end famine, epidemics, and war. So now that we have (virtually) the solution for all of them, what are we going to do?  Even the most recent (and scary) COVID pandemic showed us that we have the technology to overcome it in a way that we never did. So, where do we go from here?  God? I'm god In our modern world, diseases kill more than war, but, despite that, they aren't a great concern anymore. This is because they aren't the result of God's wrath but instead of human incompetency. Death itself is no longer looked at the same way. We don't die because God demanded, but because someone made a mistake. ...

  Sex, Love & Goop is a reality show from Netflix where Gwyneth Paltrow is the host. It involves couples with sexual issues and sexual therapists of many kinds and different techniques to help them. Is this a weird reality show about sex? Well, yes and no. The sexual component is vital for the show, but, in the end, it is about relationships and connections. I wouldn't say that it is a show for everyone; not all people are used to talk about sex and pleasure in such an open way. Yet, if you keep your mind open, you can learn a thing or two. The couples The couples they present us in the show are very normal - whatever 'normal' means. They are like you and me, and their problems are common and easy to relate to. One of the things I thought was very positive in the show is the fact that they gather very different couples - different ages, stages in life, or sexual orientation. So it can give you some different perspectives. I think those couples were brave to take part...

  I'm sure you already heard about Squid Game , also known as Round 6 in some countries. If you didn't… Well, it's not possible. It is a true phenomenon in the streaming platform Netflix , and it has been a target for polemics. Why? Squid game is a Korean show about a group of people playing children's games in a deadly version to earn money. With the right amount of mystery, drama, and action, the show is about to make the title of most-watched ever on the platform. The Chosen Ones When I first started watching the show, I found it a bit creepy. My reaction to the first episode was, "Wow, what the hell?" One of the first questions that may pop into your mind can be, "Who are these people?" The whole organization is creepy and weird. It will probably make you uncomfortable. The players, on the other hand, have an exact pattern. They are people full of debts, living in misery, and desperately in need of money. How far would they go to get it? How f...

  Clickbait is an intense thriller intending to show us that we never really know those near us. The most unexpected person can be the greatest danger. It has a well-built mystery story. Each episode focuses on the perspective of a different character. It enriches the story and gives it great emotional material. The family Nick disappears, and an online video announces he will die as soon as the video reaches 5 million views. This is how everything starts, but it is only the beginning of a complicated and intricate story. From my point of view, Nick’s family is the main character of the show. A devastated family, full of tragedy and doubts. Was Nick who they thought he was? Nick’s sister, Pia, is the one that believes him throughout all the show, yet, for some reason, she gets on my nerves.  Secrets and surprises As police and family investigate Nick’s disappearance, secrets seem to pop up from everywhere. The show doesn’t stop surprising us. Even when you think you already f...

  This show had a very positive evolution. It grew, improved, and approached a lot of topics that many would consider taboo . Check the previous review here . This season starts with a significant change at Moordale’s - Hope, the new head-teacher. She may look nice in the first 5 minutes, but you’ll quickly realize she is there to make the students’ life very difficult.  Relationships are more than sex The show always focused on the complexity of relationships, and despite its title, it talks about more than sex. To build a relationship, you must learn to listen, understand and deal with the other person. You need to discover them. The problem is, when you’re a teenager, you don’t know who you are yet. How would you be able to focus on others?  Have you ever felt weird? Sure. Who never, right? But do you remember the dimension those feelings could gain when you’re a teen?  There are more than boys and girls Gender identity is the new topic of the season. As usually ...

  The following text contains Spoilers! After six seasons, Lucifer had finally come to an end.  This final season started by being a little disappointing to me. Yet, to tell you the truth, I was already quite suspicious about it, to begin with. I believed that the show should have ended in the previous one.  What could be coming next? A new and totally different narrative line with Lucifer being God? That wasn't what we signed up for, was it? Fortunately, I was wrong. Slow starting The first couple of episodes were very slow, and frankly, I didn't like them.  In a way, they served the only purpose of giving us some context on what was going on. Dan is still trying to adapt to the after-life. Chloe is more boring than ever, and Lucifer… Well, he is trying to find himself, his purpose, his call. In fact, in this season is quite evident the ambiguity - he can't lie, but he rarely tells the whole truth. It's curious. Amenadiel and humanity Amenadiel is living like an a...

  If you knew that an asteroid was about to collide with Earth and annihilate us all… what would you do?  This is the beginning premise of Salvation . It all starts when a brilliant MIT student finds out that the world is about to end. With this discovery, Liam enters a hallucinating race against time. Yet, to have such knowledge is more complicated than it looks. It is not just about how could he save the planet, but also how could he keep going? How to lie to his loved ones? Do they deserve to know? Is it his right to keep them in ignorance? Is it even his choice? How to pretend everything is okay? How to live your everyday life?  The greater good Liam quickly discovers the ugly face of acting in the “greater good” name - deception and treason.  Would you sacrifice half of the world population to save the other half? Would you choose to save everyone or no one at all? Some decisions are impossible to make. That's explored in this show - the characters' psychologica...

  Old tombs, ancient curses, or perhaps… Well, something like that, right? This is what you expect from a Tomb Raider movie. Yet, wait… who is this girl? If you, like me, were used to Angelina Jolie, I introduce you to Alicia Vikander . A great actress and a suitable Lara Croft - you may need some time to adjust the difference, but she is good.  Adventure! As a good old action/adventure movie, in Tomb Raider , you’ll find quite a few exaggerations and some incongruence. It doesn’t matter. This was what we signed up for! When you decide to watch a movie like this, you expect to be entertained, not to discover the next masterpiece of cinema. You have many adventures, with some breathtaking moments, puzzles to solve, mysteries to look for. It is all about good entertainment, and that’s it.  Have fun I saw a lot of bad reviews, but I don’t think it is that bad. Nowadays, we tend to rationalize and intellectualize everything. Tomb Raider is entertaining. Isn’t it the point? ...

  Young Royals is a Swedish show about a prince being integrated into an elite boarding school. He is sent there, after a viral video on the Internet creates a scandal. A teenager in the middle of an identity crisis, as any other teen. Yet, he has responsibilities. He is a Prince.     Good Characters One thing that I’d like to highlight about this show is the quality of the characters. There are no shallow characters. Each one of them has a personal story, their pains, and their struggles. Everyone has good and bad sides. All of them need understanding. August, the Prince’s cousin, is one of the main characters, and he is absolutely hateful. However, his complicated life story makes him more human to the viewer. I also feel the need to reinforce the fact that the teen characters in the show are really teens. Instead of the 20’s years old actors American TV put on as teen characters, these kids are very young, with acne and all the “flaws” an average teenager has. Th...

  This is not, usually, “my kind of show”. I started watching when I saw the protagonist was Richard Madden. Then, after - I’d say - 20 minutes, it was impossible to stop. Mystery and suspense The show became very popular in the United Kingdom, and that’s not surprising. It is very good. The story is very well conducted, with the right amount of mystery. You have a fantastic conspiracy, despite the cliches emerging in the second half of the season, and it’s breathtaking sometimes. The protagonist, David Budd, is also a fascinating character. It has depth, and a rich background - you always find out something new about him. His professionalism and personal values, and the way he deals with the conflict between those two things put us to think. How far would you go to fulfill your responsibilities, regardless of how you feel about them? Relate and connect Many people might look at the show from a “political perspective”. We can’t deny the political part of it, obviously, but me… I f...

  Sex/Life is a huge Netflix success. In my country, it was in the top 10 for weeks! But what is it? The show tells us the story of Billie, a married woman with a stable and calm life. Like all of us, Billie has a story, a life before marriage, and parenthood. She misses what she had before: the excitement, adventure, and sex.  Is it enough? Time passes to all of us, life changes, and sometimes you miss old times. Those times when you were young, fun, and reckless. That’s what is happening to Billie. She is married, she has two beautiful kids, a perfect husband, but she is not entirely happy. She misses her old life; she misses her old self. Sounds profound? A deep story about feelings and transformation, about knowing yourself? It could be, but… It could be better I believe that many of us can relate to Billie. While our lives change, even if it is in a good way, it is impossible not to look back. I mean, who never asked ‘What if?”.  Yet, the show is a bit weak on that...

  Atypical is back, and with it, Sam’s adventures. It is time for Sam to move forward, have his own place, and all the responsibilities that come with it. Is he ready? How will Sam face adult life challenges? Having a roommate Like many other young adults, Sam is moving with a roommate. Who could be better for this job than his best friend, Zahid?  Things aren’t easy. They do everything for each other but living under the same roof is something else. It requires adaptation. What’s my path? Sam faces, as we all do, the inevitable choice of the path to take. What am I good at? What’s the path I should follow? What’s the right choice? Those questions are tough to answer, but Sam is fortunate. He knows what he wants. The problem is: how to achieve it? I especially like that perspective because it’s so realistic. It is hard to find out what you want and need, and once you know it… What’s the next step? Nothing is given to Sam, and he teaches us a good lesson: how to fight for your...

  Shaun Murphy is an autistic doctor trying to become a surgeon and gain his place in the medical career. He comes from a complicated background of tragedy and a troubled family. Shaun is not alone, though. He has the help of Dr. Glassman, who met him when he was very young and has tried to help him ever since. This is a good show about autism, but it is more than just a show about autism. Connection  Connecting with other people is essential. It is a vital need we have as human beings, but we need to try hard to truly connect.  Communication seems to be the key to that connection, but it is hard - for everybody. Shaun may lack some important social skills, but throughout the show, we see that everyone, at some point, has difficulties in communicating and connecting. Despite being one more medical show, The Good Doctor is different. It is more focused on Shaun’s social learning than on the medical cases. It is refreshing because of that. You can do (almost) everything...

  Alert: the following text contains spoilers! Elite presented us a fourth season as addictive as always (check reviews for previous seasons here and here ). The way each season is built, making you know what happened, and looking back to find out how you got that result is a formula that works year after year. After the last season, where most characters graduated, things changed a bit in Las Encinas . I loved the new characters and the dynamic they brought to the school. Yet, even though the formula works (after all, we’re still watching), after four seasons, it starts to get a bit too much “bad luck”, don’t you think? More tragedy? More death? In a high school? What was an interesting crime show is becoming repetitive and unrealistic. New protagonists We still follow the older students’ lives in this season, but the new characters quickly assume themselves as protagonists. I would say Mencía and her accidental entrance into the world of prostitution is the great protagonist of...

  Dev is an actor. He fights to make a living out of his acting gigs while deals with his personal life and emotional growth. A character anyone can relate to. The show is about more than personal development, though. It focuses on trending topics such as racism, sexism, lonely elders, and so many others explored in a simple, straightforward way.  Decisions, the basis of life Through most episodes, we watch Dev struggling with the life decisions he has to make. Who never? I’m sure that most young adults can relate to the tough calls sometimes we must make because now we are adults. And, what does that means? Who knows? Most of us don’t feel any wiser than before. Dev shows so many doubts before the options life has for him. He doesn’t know what’s best. What he really wants? That can change quicker than we would like to admit. It is time to make decisions. It is hard the feeling that time is running low. It’s hard to know that you’ll not have the same amount of options later if...

  Sweet Tooth happens in a post-apocalyptic scenario. A disease destroyed the world as we knew it, and a few groups of characters try to survive in different ways. The protagonist is a half-deer boy who lives in the woods with his father. For a large part of the show, we have no idea of what is happening. The pitch alone is already motive to celebration. People are tired of zombies at the end of the world. While sickness is not exactly a new idea, it is NOT zombies, so that’s positive! Hybrids? Virus? What? The show is original enough, not about the virus itself, but everything else. There are hybrid children, half-human/half-animal, that seem to be connected to the virus somehow. Besides, what virus is this? We have a name but not proper information. All we know is that it gives you fever, a cold-like virus, and, surprise, it makes your pinky tremble! Extravagant? Maybe. Weird? Definitely. Realistic? Well, the hybrid babies are adorable, which is a positive point. Yet, let’s face...

  It’s time to try human life! The Devil is tired of Hell and decides to take a vacation on Earth - more precisely in LA. Five years later, he owns a nightclub and lives intensely all things this world can give to him, with the demon Maze by his side.  Lucifer tries to balance his human adventure with his crazy divine family. Delicious! Humorous devil The show is not a comedy, per se , but it is so fun. Lucifer  has a great sense of humor, and although I’m not religious, I would imagine the real Lucifer precisely like this. Dark humor and rushes of a bad mood when things don’t go up to his way. I love how he is so truthful all the time. He always tells the truth. It’s not his fault no one believes him, is it? I also love the way he describes humans; it is fantastic. Especially the “tiny ones”. Who could resist him throwing a piece of food at Chloe’s daughter as if she was a dog? He is so… human Despite all that, his feelings are very human, and sometimes you can relate to...

  Ryan wants to forget about his disability. He is more than that, and this second season starts by showing precisely that. The disability is not that important anymore, and the big focus is relationships. They are difficult. For everyone.   It’s not that the disability isn’t there, but it is left to a second plan. It is less central than it was in the first season. Ryan isn’t a disability; he’s a regular guy with an extra set of challenges in his life.  They get me! In this season, however, Ryan sees himself interacting more with other disabled people. Something that he seems to avoid in his eagerness to be “normal”, whatever that means. I think it was a good upgrade to the show. It not only shows how some unintentional things we say can be hurtful, but it has an impact on Ryan. And all things that impact us - positive or negative - make us grow. It was interesting to watch how they make him feel safe. They know what it’s like, they get him, they have similar experi...

  When I first started watching this show, I didn’t like it particularly. It was just one more - nothing new. It was entertaining, though. It is a funny way of showing all the struggles you had after becoming a mother. I mean, that mum’s class… it’s a (hilarious) nightmare. I can tell you by experience. Yet, if you get through the first season, you may find it more interesting in the next ones. From my perspective, it improves when it stops being all about the babies. It's about managing all aspects of your life instead. Life doesn’t give a break When a baby is born, it is hard. It is hard because life doesn’t stop because you had a baby. The world keeps moving, and things keep happening around you while you’re tired and just want to sleep.  We all doubt if we are good mothers if we are doing the best for our kids. There is no way to avoid them. Yet, life keeps happening, our work, our little choices, in which we also have doubts sometimes. It’s overwhelming.  What’s the ...

  Have you ever sit with your friends for a night of laughter and a good talk? Have you ever been to a party that… didn’t go that well? That is what happens in The Boys in the Band , and it is surprisingly perfect. More than anything, have fun The movie has many funny moments that make you laugh, while others may make you cringe a bit. In both cases, you’ll have a good time watching it. 99% of the movie is a birthday party that didn’t go that well… At some point, things get kind of heavy, and discomfort invades the room. Well, who never? The most curious for me was that I would never think that this would work. Who would think that a bunch of guys arguing in a room for 2 hours would make such a good movie? I wouldn’t think I would want to watch something like that, not even half of it. Yet, when the movie was over, I asked, “Already?” It seemed like 20 minutes had passed instead of 2 hours, and that is the biggest compliment you can make to a piece of entertainment. Good text, good...

  The Good Place is a comedy show about the afterlife. The story begins when our main character, Eleanor ( Kristen Bell ), arrives in a place designed for good people. Simple and effective, a good recipe for laughs, whatever your beliefs are. The story is full of funny metaphors, and I, particularly, had a good time watching the first season. Yet, you may feel it become a bit repetitive from the second half of the second one. However, it’s a comedy, and it will make you laugh, so you’ll probably keep watching it anyway.  Stereotyped characters that work The characters are shallow and stereotyped. Yet, it seems that it was intentionally made for comedy purposes, and it works. You have the bad girl, the intelligent guy with zero social skills, the idiot, and the revolted rich girl that nobody loves. The show might send us a message, other than just make us laugh. Michael’s experiments can be seen as a warning. It shows us that most religious concepts are outdated and need to ev...

  Three best friends fight for their dreams in the big city of New York. There is no impossible ambition nor unbearable problem while they have each other’s support. It is a light, irreverent show that will often bring a smile to your face.  Same issues, different women The issues they face aren’t new - sex, romantic relationships, friendships, career moves. You watch these modern, independent, strong millennial women fighting for every inch of their conquests. Watching the first episode, I thought it would be one more “girly show”. You know - sex life, dramas, and friends. It’s a bit more, and I loved it. The first season looked to me as an introduction to these women and their world. It is a way for us to know them. Who are they? How’s their life? How do they work? Then, the story evolves, they change, they build their own path. That’s when the actual story begins. That’s when they become the bold type . Inspiration and romance As a writer that fights every day to find my ow...