All Forms of Art

  Vatican Girl is a Netflix documentary about Emanuela Orlandi, a 15 years old girl resident in Vatican City that disappeared in the summer of 1983. The documentary tells us multiple theories about the reasons for her disappearance and what might have happened to her.  The family The uncertainty hurts too much. Emanuela’s family never gave up looking for her. All these years, they suffered, and they clung to every little piece of hope. In the documentary, her siblings and some friends talk about her. Who she was, and what she was like. They also talk about that last fateful day and their pain. At this point, most of them only want some closure. The hope is always there, but I don’t think that, after so many years, any of them believes that Emanuela is still alive. The Vatican is made of people This documentary is about Emanuela and her family and the pain the case caused them. Yet, if you watch it closely, the documentary criticizes the Vatican and its (to say the least) shad...

  Wednesday brings us back the Addams family in a great spin-off. If you don't like spin-offs and always feel they let you down, well, you may rethink your perspective. This one is really good.  Wednesday brings back that dark humor we always loved, giving us a fantastic time. Jenna Ortega What an actress! Many people say that she "was" the show. Well, there are many good things on the show, but those comments only tell us how amazing Jenna Ortega was as Wednesday Addams.  She had, without a doubt, a lot of work to build such a fantastic character. She had to learn a lot of stuff like playing the cello and sword-play… but the most impressive is how she could control (or hide) feelings.  She showed the perfect sense of indifference that characterizes Wednesday's posture without looking like apathy. She deserves congratulations for her excellent part and hard work.   Oh, the mystery… Who of us can ignore a good mystery? Even when a show is not that good, if...

  I just finished the second season of Only Murders in the Building , and I must say I loved it. After watching a couple of episodes, I was hooked. Sweet characters and intricate stories full of mystery, I couldn’t ignore. The friendship between Mabel, Oliver, and Charles is excellent and funny. There is so much chemistry between the actors! The show is truly immersive. True crime podcast Can a crime story be funny? Of course! Only Murders in the Building is a clever comedy with good timing and unexpected plot twists and characters. It is about crime, but it is also about friendship and trust. It is a funny, light story that truly entertains you. Who’s the murderer? As with any good crime show, it is not who you’d expect. Instead, new and slightly shady characters are revealed through each season. However, as with many sitcom-style shows, at some point, you already know who did it before the characters find out. Light comedy works It is a light show, despite the crimes, fun and en...

  It's a Sin is a show focusing on the gay community in the 80s, trying to survive the AIDS outbreak while fighting prejudice, intolerance, and abandonment. Recently, more and more shows are timed in the 80s. It's been 4 decades, and it starts to feel vintage . Many, who, like me, were born in the 80s, were too young to remember anything, but still, feel some connection to the time and get curious. If you decide to watch It's a Sin out of curiosity, then you should ensure that you're ready for it. How did it all start? It's tempting to look back and accuse people of ignorance, but this show it's an interesting journey. It goes step by step, creating a comprehensive approach to what happened and why. The four main characters are from different places and backgrounds. That is the first clue to the fact that it didn't matter where you were from, how smart you were, or any other thing. Nothing would protect you. No one knew what it was. Freedom Most characters...

  When I first learned about this prequel to Game of Thrones , I was sure I wouldn't want to watch it. The Targaryens were not even my favorite family. Yet, like most of us, I couldn't avoid checking it out. Slow Beginning The story happens 172 years before the Game of Thrones story, and there are not that many changes. The universe is the same, the world, the costumes… but, simultaneously, there are so many things you don't recognize. Big families are not that important yet; new families you have never heard of take the central role. You may need some time to get used to it. I started watching the show, but I didn't like it very much initially. It was all about a couple of characters; it lacked the juicy intrigue Game of Thrones had made us love. Rhaenyra seemed to me a spoiled little girl, quite annoying sometimes. And the king… well, he was a pawn who lacked authority. So I had to ask myself, "Do I want to continue watching this?" I'm glad I did. Plot...

  Sins of Our Mother is a true crime documentary, and you should prepare yourself to be shocked.  Crimes involving children are always shocking. But, when the crime comes from their own mother… it's unbearable. How can a mother do something like that? Why? How crazy must she be? Religion Fanaticism and a belief in the Apocalypse seem to be the reason why Lori Vallow allegedly murdered her two children and conspired to murder her ex-husband. Doom day, zombies, dark spirits… a macabre tale of a mother no one deserves to have. Blind faith (no matter the religion) kills and destroys. This case is one more example of how that assessment is true.  Testimonials This kind of documentary always involves testimonials from friends, family, and other people close to the happenings. In this case, some of them are pretty shocking. I truly felt for Lori's mother. She wanted so desperately to believe her daughter wasn't a monster. I can't even imagine how that woman was feeling. Also, ...

  The Long Emergency is a book by James Howard Kunstler that will open your eyes. It forces you to look directly at everything most of us seem to choose to ignore. It is not new. The Long Emergency is a book from 2006, but it is as fresh as it could be and an excellent alert for those who refuse to see what is right in front of their noses.  Its primary focus is the civilization we built based on cheap oil and how that's ending with the world reservations disappearing quickly.  Shocking data Kunstler is not trying to sugarcoat our situation, and some of the data can be very surprising for you - shocking.  Humans pollute and corrupt the planet. We destroy everything, and unless you work on the field, I assure you, you'll never think that the numbers could be this big. Why didn’t we act? Reading this after the COVID pandemic can make you feel some anger. It has been a while since the scientific community expected a pandemic that would destroy everything - not only ...

  Based on the book of Daria Polatin, with the same title, Devil in Ohio , is the story of a traumatized girl that escapes from a cult and finds shelter with a psychiatrist and her family. Cults are part of the social curiosity, which is enough reason for many to check out this show. Yet, this wasn’t what had the most significant impact on me. The therapist Dr. Suzanne Mathis is a therapist that runs the extra mile for her clients. After meeting Mae, she immediately feels like a mission to take care of and help her. But, being a traumatized child herself, she quickly forgets the needed boundaries between patient and doctor. And sometimes, she forgets about her own family and their needs. I found her an annoying woman. She always has the right thing to say but as a psychiatrist. Even for her daughters, she says the right sentences, but not as a mother would. Instead, she seems cold and distant and so focused on Mae’s needs that no one else’s seems to matter. She is so eager to do th...

  Pistol is a show about the British punk-rock band Sex Pistols . And, despite many flaws, I binge-watched it. I am not a fan of the band, but the whole production is quite interesting and, more importantly, makes you feel something.   Frenetic pace The series shows us the ascension and fall at a fast pace. Sometimes you feel like you lost something because 10 minutes ago, it was all so different.  Strangely enough, this is a good and a bad thing. Artistically speaking, it is the perfect metaphor for what happened to them. Their story is exactly like that: one day, they were Gods, and the next day, they ended. Yet, it also has a bad side: the fact that everything happens so fast, the story tends to lose some depth.  It’s a Sad Story You can feel annoyed with their behavior, or you can hate them. It doesn't really matter. But, if you pay attention, the Sex Pistols' story is a very sad one. You have it all: abusive stepdads, crazy girlfriends (and mothers) who le...

  Indian Matchmaking appeared as a suggestion on my Netflix account. I initially ignored it, but eventually, I decided to check it out. It is a weird show, I felt like they were going on sales to find a spouse, but I had some fun. I watched the two seasons, and I must say that the first clients were more fun. But, unfortunately, the second season was boring.  Indian culture For someone like me, who knows very little of the Indian culture, this show gives us some perspective on what it is like. And you end up hoping for them to find a good match. However, especially in the second season, things get a bit… wild—horoscopes, curses… way out of line for someone like me. Besides, I'm afraid I have to disagree with Sima on many things… The bachelors are not so good, only because they have money or dated a lot (what?). That last one says something very different, aunty ! Since it is a show, and we all know that people act in reality shows, I have one question: is it realistic? I'm n...

  The Sandman is a recent Netflix show, and it's been having a lot of success among the audience. It is the right amount of "weirdness" and mystery, and that conjunction keeps you watching. How do you show you’re something more? In this first season, you get to know the characters. And, frankly, it seems like it's all this season is about: introduction. I felt like I went to a party, and someone introduced me to all the guests at once.  I'd like to focus on the main character and Tom Sturridge . He had a fantastic performance. This is no regular character. How do you show the public that you're not human?  Tom definitely did it. From the very first scene to the most simple ones, you always get the vibe that he is "something more". Congratulations, fantastic work. So many different characters Throughout the show, you get to know different characters from different spiritual beliefs. Here, they all belong to the same world. Some of them are pretty fun...

  Inside the Mind of a Cat is a lovely Netflix documentary, full of good mood and a funny approach to our furry companions. New research? The documentary claims to have new breakthrough data from the most recent research about cats. I honestly didn’t see anything that I considered new or completely groundbreaking. Anyone who deals closely with cats daily knows this stuff. It is a matter of observing your pet. It is evident that they love us, they know their name (unless they have some cognitive issue, which happens), and they can learn things if we take the time and effort to teach them. Training a cat As I said, you can teach things to your cat, but the kind of training they refer to here… that’s a whole other level.  I don’t think my cat cares enough to let me train him to do those tricks, and I definitely don’t have the patience. Purr, purr Frankly, the most surprising new information I got from the documentary was that the frequency of a cat’s purring was similar to that ...

  Once your kid overcomes the Paw Patrol phase, you can stop pretending you're too grown-up to watch cartoons.  I'm always up to a good animation movie and, last week, we decided to go to the movies and watch DC League of Super-Pets . The little one was bothering us for a while to watch it. I wasn't expecting much of the film, I'm not a superhero kind of person, but I liked it. It is a fun movie! The shelter At the movie's beginning, most pets from the league are in a shelter. You have an interesting couple of scenes there. The kittens never stay there for long. I got curious to know, in reality, what the stats say about this. The animals are sad, despite being well treated, and all the shelter workers seem to be fond of them. It is a subtle but important lesson to the viewer.  Lulu One of the animals in the shelter is Lulu, a guinea pig with no fur, which seems absolutely crazy. Well, she is. Lulu is the big villain in the movie, a funny one. Also, it took me a wh...

  As a fan of Neil Patrick Harris , I couldn’t ignore this show, so I decided to take a look. The story is quite simple. Michael is a gay man in his 40s, and after a relationship of almost 20 years, he is single again in New York City, and… the world has changed a lot! The disbelief and rage Michael’s partner leaves him with no explanation. This situation raises a lot of questions that are unanswered and leave Michael mad. What happened? Why me? He can’t deal with this. Michael is a bit self-centered and slightly emotional, and I don’t know if that’s the reason he’s such a fun character. However, I must admit that I wanted to hit Colin myself. What the hell? And we are never given an explanation! Even the viewer doesn’t know what actually happened. Gay Sex and the City ?  All over the place, you can find people saying that Uncoupled is the gay version of Sex and the City . I understand why, but I didn’t see it that way. We are talking about different characters and very diffe...

  This new season of Stranger Things started strong and is better than the previous one from the very first minute. Now, let’s pause to evaluate how huge those episodes are. All episodes are more than one hour long, and the last one is more than 2 hours! That’s not a show. That’s a movie franchise!  They don’t ruin the show by doing this or anything, but it can make it a bit more tiring.  Usually, there is a reason for you to see a show instead of a whole movie, right? So why not have more episodes but shorter ones? Vecna - was all worth it? Everything is connected, not only the hive mind of Vecna and its “things”. Everything was connected or depending on each other in this season. The Russians were fighting or, at least, using the same things that were attacking Hawkins. It may look absurd initially, but everything starts to make sense soon enough. The character Yuri made me laugh a few times. He is a bastard, I know, but let’s face it, his craziness gave a light touch...

  The third season of Umbrella Academy is here. And sure, it has a lot of drama, death (more or less definitive), and the end of the world kind of things, but it also has some amusing moments. This season was absolute nonsense, so the humor kind of saves it… So, let's go. 3rd - Luther in love  The third position of this rank goes to Luther. He is living an adorable love story with the enemy, which is hilarious.  He is so naive and clueless sometimes that he will get a few laughs from you. 2nd - Klaus Klaus is definitely the funniest of the cast, and it is not easy to choose a single moment. I would say that 90% of the times he appears on screen, he will make you giggle. Because of that, he deserves second place on this list. The coming back-to-life scenes are among my top favorites of him this season. 1st - Drug store fight The first place goes to the drug store fight. The stars are Diego and his supposed son, who is quite good at fighting. They deserve the gold medal, n...

  Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is a Netflix documentary about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), and it is disconcerting. For any person, other than the ones inside the church, everything about the cult and lifestyle is insane. How could you believe that man is a Prophet? Almost an incarnation of God itself. This is even more shocking when you realize that he is not even such a good liar! How is something like this possible? As shocking as this might be for you, it is, in fact, relatively easy. You have a group of people isolated from the world. They are born and raised without any contact with the exterior world or other people. Consequently, they never heard of a different perspective.  After completely socially isolating someone, it is simple to manipulate them. Too simple. Jeffs, the said Prophet, had complete control over these people, and he led them to do things they knew to be wrong. Women and children are treated like livestock. Famil...

  If you like stories of fraud and deception, this is your show. But do not get too excited. The idea was good, but if you expect to understand the real story of Anna Delvey, you might be disappointed.  The show is interesting enough. However, there are some (very) boring moments - especially in the first couple of episodes. The journalist Vivian is one of the characters with a more significant impact. She is an obsessed journalist looking for answers about Anna Delvey. She runs the extra mile to try to understand the reason, the true reason for someone becoming like her. Even after many dead ends, it is difficult for her to give up on the story. No one becomes Anna Delvey for no reason. Or do they? I find Vivian a bit annoying, to be honest - she is a grown woman acting like a toddler with a tantrum. I could not empathize with this character, which is a problem because, in some parts, she is the protagonist, not Anna.  From my point of view, a terrible mistake for the sh...

  "This story is about courage, hate, and exclusion." You can read in the final pages of this book. It is true. This book came to my hands by chance, and I never thought I would be so impressed by it. I can't remember the last time I read a book this quickly. I found two different English translations of it, so I'll use its original title in this review. De Crèche tells the story of a group of Jewish children in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. The children would be separated from their parents. They would go into this institution until it was time to go to the concentration camps. In the middle of such tragedy, these brave young women would go against all the laws to keep them safe.  Elle Van Rijn's narrative is thoughtful and sweet but never disguises the truth - the horrible truth those people were living in.  She makes you care We can't stop reading, you want to know more. You need to know more. The story follows a chronology; you can't avoid feeling a shive...

  Our Great National Parks is one more documentary begging you to protect our planet. But, instead of focusing on the bad things, this time, it shows the most beautiful landscapes and fantastic animals - what you’re losing if we don’t take care of our planet.  It shows the most wonderful places and the most unexpected curiosities about those places and their animals. It gives us a reason to fight for planet Earth. What makes it different from all other documentaries you may have already seen? Not much, but President Obama’s narration is lovely to listen to.  They do... what?! This show doesn’t simply show the animals living in the chosen places. It focuses on the ones that have something out of the ordinary. Some surprising intelligent level, or bizarre behaviors, sometimes funny ones. You really want to know what comes next because you want to be surprised. I would say that all episodes had some fascinating information. However, if I had to choose one, I’d probably go w...

  The Lying Life of Adults shows us, once more, that the teenage years and growing up can be painful.  Giovanna is the main character of this story, and she is feeling all the fast changes adolescence demands in a deeply divided town. Before this situation, her body and her opinions and desires are changing fast. Perhaps, too fast. Parents aren’t perfect. It is usually in those teenage years that we realize our parents aren’t perfect. They are humans with all the flaws that that implies. Giovanna is no different. Her parents are not as she thought they were, and her perfect family isn’t perfect at all. Those adults, those references that she admires, hide things, lie, and do things that she considers wrong. They are like everybody else. They are not heroes. When we realize that our parents are not the superheroes we believed they were when we were very young children, it can hurt.   Why is it so important? Because when we realize they also can fail, with the destruc...

  Bad Vegan is one more real crime documentary from Netflix, and I got to tell you: it gets weird. It is a story about con artists and liars, and it is so elaborated that you almost can’t believe it’s real. So, prepare yourself for some truly bizarre things.  Who is he? According to Sarma’s story, she fell in love with this man who acted like he was some sort of a special, superior being. He was no human, and he had some kind of mission and, of course, special powers. And, IF she submitted to all his craziness, he would make her dog immortal!  Yes, you read right. That man would make her dog immortal. So, the first question popping into my mind was, “How?” How was it possible for her to believe this? No one is so naive, and I refuse to believe she was that stupid. Whatever his real name is, that man is a con artist with a gambling problem who found a silly woman. But was she? It’s hard to believe.  While watching the show, you’ll probably say (or think) more than on...

  I just finished watching the first season of This is Us , and I was surprised about how hooked it left me.  I wouldn’t say I liked the first episodes. They were too slow, almost boring, but after you know the characters, you can’t turn away anymore. This is Us is about real dramas that can occur in everyone’s lives and which we all can relate to in one way or the other. Except that all these things happen to one single family.  Life is hard This Is Us doesn’t try to make you believe that you can do anything or that everything is possible. Life is hard, and nothing comes to you simply because you deserve it. It is hard work. It shows how difficult it can be to care for a family and still be a person with wishes and dreams. There is no right answer, and you eventually feel guilty about something.  You can be a mother of 3 who wants to be a singer as well. You can be a successful man who disrupts your whole life for a stranger (who happens to be your father). Randal...

  The White Queen is a historical British show about the war between the Lancaster and the York families for the throne of England. The story is told from the women's point of view. It is an interesting show, and I would advise you not to give up on the first episode. It isn’t very exciting, but it aims to put us into the story, introduce the characters, and understand the political atmosphere of the time. The show gets better with each episode. Witchcraft The white queen is a bit dark, isn’t she? She and her mother know some spells and magic arts which they use with few concerns on various occasions. Unfortunately, the fact seems to be known by most characters, creating even more distrust. The result is some paranoia on both sides and the consequent problems that come with it.  Ruling time Being a king was a strange occupation in these times. And I wonder: did they have time to rule?  In this show, all you see the king involved in is war. He goes to war. He comes back f...

  Two friends decide to form a metal band for The battle of the bands , organized at their school. But they have a problem: they don’t have a bass player. The solution? A quiet, shy girl with some psychological issues who plays the cello. Unexpected? Yes, a few details make this movie a bit unexpected. To grow up is hard This film is about the journey we all need to face to grow up. In this case, they are growing up with music. Some details make the movie different from others in the genre. But it still focuses on what most teenage movies do: the path of learning how to deal with your own feelings and frustrations.  To grow as a person, you must earn your own mistakes, which sometimes hurt. Us against the world Our protagonists are not popular. They don’t have many friends, and honestly, they aren’t that brilliant in music either. At least when the movie begins. They are the outcasts, and they want to shine and win. We all liked to have our moment to shine in high school, so i...

  I just finished binge-watching the two seasons of Get Organized with Home Edit , and I loved it!  Warning: watching this may create a desperate will to organize your house.    Functional and beautiful solutions Joanna and Clea are two friends and partners who create an entire business around the organization process. Yes, it might sound a bit weird at first, but they give a whole new meaning to the word “organization”. Watching the show is amazing and inspiring. They give you a lot of solutions and ideas that you can try out. Big spaces, small spaces, pantries, kids’ rooms, kitchens, offices, you name it. And you can get a lot of different ideas for each space. They always do it differently, according to the space, the items, and the client's needs. The best thing is: it looks perfect every time! This is the perfect show for someone who loves organizing (guilty!) and having everything perfectly displayed. I became obsessed! I even followed them on Instagram, and t...

  Another Disney movie? Yes, it is impossible to avoid them with a six-year-old in the house. In fact, she was the one that wanted to show me this movie. She watched it in school and was adamant that I needed to watch it. Well, I did, and she was right. I liked it. I don’t even know where to begin this review. If Encanto was sweet, this one is special.  Teenagers and Friendship The movie is about a teen girl who has the ability (or curse) to transform herself into a giant red panda. But, unfortunately, she can’t control when she transforms. So it can be not very pleasant (to say the least) sometimes.  She has a small group of friends that are the best friends one can have. They accept her and protect her, no matter what. Friendship is above everything else. Also, they don't foresee significant consequences for the little giant red problem. They are teens! Each girl is very different from the others, each with their style, which is amazing and funny. Not all girls need to...

  While I enjoyed the first season, I never understood the fuss about this show. It is not that special. It is not that creative or innovative. I really didn’t get it. Now, this second season… has the exact same story with different characters! It is the same old cliche . A girl and boy hate each other when they first meet. But it is all sexual energy contained, and they are secretly in love. The. Exact. Same. Story. Where’s the Duke? We already know that the actor was leaving the show. What we didn’t know was how they would deal with this absence. The couple could disappear, and we would only have news of them by letter or so. No! Daphne becomes a sort of extra with a couple of lines, and he is never there! She spends quite a significant amount of time with her family but alone with the kid. Her husband wasn’t even present at her brother’s wedding, that was, by the way, his friend! The Sharmas The new characters have potential. Secrets and half-told stories are always good in this...

  We already know that this kind of documentary has a single reason to exist: to humanize its protagonist and clean their image when they have too many haters. Neymar: the perfect chaos wasn't any different.  Who is Neymar? Neymar was the protagonist, yet we don't get to know him very well. As a result, we have a deeper insight into his brand instead of him as a person. He didn't show who he was at all. Different people talked about him, especially his father (what a surprise) and the humble person they all claim him to be… well, it didn't show up in his body language. There could be many reasons for that to happen. Was he nervous talking to the camera? Is he shy? Very shy people tend to be seen as arrogant and distant. Was that the reason? We can't know. All we know for sure is that the Neymar we know is a company, the person behind that is well hidden. So, the documentary's main goal failed - you will probably not like him more because you watched this show. ...