All Forms of Art

  When family rejects you, you make a new family. When the world rejects you, you create a new world.  Pose is a pretty emotional show about the balls environment in the 80s in New York City. The gay and trans black community were looking for their place in the world. When I first started watching this show, I got a bit confused. Balls? This was a reality I didn't know at all, and I had no idea what those balls were. I found it fascinating. Mothers and Houses As soon as you enter this community, you're not alone anymore. This whole system of "houses", with a maternal figure, gives you all the support you need to fight for what you want. No matter the kind of family you have, families will always fight and have their issues. But these families were chosen, not imposed, so they will always find a way.  Blanca Rodriguez is the main character. She lives in one of these houses, but her mother, Elektra, didn't give her what she was looking for. With Elektra, it was all...

  Equinox is a Danish horror show full of mystery and surprises. A small town, secrets, rituals, supernatural creatures… everybody looks a bit insane at some point. Speaking of rituals, why do they need to be disgusting? I mean, that egg! Inconsistencies While I truly liked the show, there were a few inconsistencies that I can’t avoid.  The whole drama happens in the 90s. The class of 99 disappears, yet most references are from the 80s. Why? No clue. Music The kids are into punk music. Well, it is okay, you don’t always follow what is trendy, right? However, there is a scene in the music store, where you can see a Queen poster on the wall (yes, the British rock band). For fans like me, the photo in the poster is well known, from the beginning of the 80s.  Technology Again, the tech used by the kids seems outdated. They are listening to music on cassettes. Yes, I remember to do it too, but it wasn’t the most common. Besides, I have a different question: Why no one has a ...

  This is a very interesting, raw, and hurtful portrait of the competitive world of ballet. It all starts with a girl felling (or not) from the rooftop. This happening opens a spot for a new girl with a scholarship at Archer School of Ballet. It is a way to bring good publicity to the school and restore their name—a mere distraction. Always the family Most shows and movies tend to show that (almost) all of the teens ’problems happen due to their families' lack of understanding or respect. This one is no different. Most of these kids are suffering, physically and mentally. Their parents demand more and more, even in an irrational way. Unfortunately, some of the kids are willing to go too far to please their parents. Madame Madame Monique Dubois runs the school, and it doesn’t take long for the audience to realize that she is not exactly a good girl. Yet, I must confess she surprised me. Scandals, schemes, sex with a student I assume she is underage, the “agreement” concerning the b...

  The way I see it, Bridgerton is a story about a market of young girls available for men. Their future depends on how well they can attract a male.  The main characters are the Bridgerton family. Daphne reached the age to marry. Her wedding will influence the whole family, including her sisters’ future. Yet, Daphne’s father died, and she depends on her older brother - an arrogant idiot. Well, in his defense, most of the characters are annoying. Appearances are everything and don’t even make me talk about the Duke’s father.  So, what did I hate the most about this show? 1. Predictability The whole thing was predictable. That arrangement between Daphne and Duke? Wasn’t it obvious how it would end?  The Duke is a slightly arrogant fool, with daddy issues, but quite fun nonetheless. Daphne was desperate for attention. So, their falling in love was painfully obvious from the first minute. The happy ending! Yes, they had a baby, and they will now be happily ever after. C...

  A thick mist falls up a town, and something about it isn’t right - good premise. We would expect nothing less than good from a Stephen King’s book. Yet, as we all know, book adaptations can be quite disappointing.  It goes from good to terrible. I loved the plot and, in the beginning, I was very curious and interested - it was almost impossible to stop watching it. Yet, at some point, it started to get on my nerves, and not in the way that a good horror show should. As we got closer to the end of the season, many things stopped making sense. Some characters are simply… not believable. The explanations for whatever was happening were ridiculous and easily refutable. It all took away the feeling of “this could be real”. It killed my interest. Many changes were made to the original novel. Some of them were interesting and made the story better, yet others were… well, nonsense. Cast and production As I said before, the first episodes were good and made us want to keep watching, ...

  I was expecting this season for quite a long time. This was an exciting decade, and it had a great contribution to the show's entertainment dimension. The Iron Lady ’s government, the problems with IRA, Diana getting into the royal family…  It starts with a great tragedy. Once more, you can feel disturbed by the restraint with which the royal family lives their grief.  Prince Charles Charles was a rebel! His character earns new importance in this season, and it doesn’t look good for the Prince of Wales. He looks vicious, rude… His envy and resentment from his wife’s popularity are sickening. Like the Queen says in the last episode, he is a spoiled privileged boy. Besides, since they first met, it was obvious that Diana wasn’t a woman to be in the shadows. Charles keeps ignoring and betraying her, time after time. Yet, when she does the same, she is the one breaking the vows. Every other character seems to think this is normal! Yes, those were different times, but this h...

  After the amazing first season, I binge-watched all the other 6. Here it goes my thoughts about each one of them. Keep in mind that I did the reviews after finishing each season, not knowing what was coming next.  Season 2 The adults are now on Earth, and they are ready to take control. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always seem the best idea. By the way, the production had to find a way of saving Jaha, didn’t they? Mount Weather Naturally, Clarke was right, and all of that was too good to be true. The whole thing was sickening, but hey, they are creative! The reapers thing? Good move. I couldn’t avoid an “oh no!” for Lincoln, but here it is what bothers me the most: 100 years without a solution, and then Clarke happens. What a clever girl! Octavia is a growing character that becomes more and more interesting. She was a bit annoying before but always showed to be strong. She is a fighter!  Different place, different rules The changes in the Ark 's rules were good. Sure, they...

Can you hear me? is a Canadian show, located in Montreal, that will probably surprise you. Three friends with terrible life circumstances have a single precious thing: each other. They don’t seem to have an acceptable lifestyle. They are weird, make unbelievable choices, and sometimes, they can shock you. Yet, you can’t help but feel a little empathy. Friendship The main character in this show is friendship. In the first episode, after an anger management session, we follow Ada back to her friends. For a while, all we see is a random conversation between a group of close friends. You’ll feel the outsider of the group.  The three girls (Ada, Fabiola, and Carolanne) have a fantastic connection. Yet, they have very different ways to deal with the world. Ada is impulsive and responds with anger and, sometimes, violence. Carolanne simply shuts down. She is the quietest member of the group, and it is difficult for her to open up. Fabiola is a hard worker that tries to help everyone, but...

Since season 1 , The Sinner brings a different look at the usual thriller/crime stories.  The most obvious is the perspective:  The Sinner  doesn't look for who committed the crime or how.  What's important, and what moves Detective Ambrose (Bill Pullman), is the why . The show tries to reveal what lies in a tortured mind. What drives it? How can a regular person, suddenly, become a murderer? This season is no different. The protagonist is Jamie (Matt Bomer), a family man, soon to be a father, who apparently lets his best friend bleed to death. The first two episodes are a bit slow, which you may find a bit boring. Yet, things change significantly after the third one. As soon as the mystery thickens, you won't stop. You'll want to know more.   Jamie and Nick At first, Jamie and Nick's relationship is hard to understand. It is clear that Nick (Chris Messina) had an extreme influence on Jamie, but why? And what kind of influence exactly? As the show deve...

Luna Nera  (Black Moon) is a story about witch-hunting, this time with real witches -  stregas  - in 17th-century Italy. Full of teenage characters, love seems to be one of the main ingredients of the plot. Love secrets, forbidden loves, and an environment of romance clash with the brutal treatment of the women accused of witchcraft. Ade (Antonia Fotaras), the protagonist, is a young woman discovering herself, scared and full of uncertainties. Yet, she bravely accepts her mission, fighting against her anguish and indecision.  The Benandanti The witches' main enemy is a group of masked men that hunts them with no mercy. Their looks are already terrifying, even before they do anything. But, at the end of the day: what's their motivation? What beliefs lead them to that cruelty? Yes, that particular group of women they're hunting were real witches. Yet, if you take a close look at the benandanti criteria… almost any single woman could fit them. In this group, we hav...

For those who follow this blog, you know I was a bit disappointed with this show since season 2 . They wanted to make a tale about everything that could go wrong with a group of teenagers, disguised as an unbreakable friendship pact. Tiring.  In fact, if you think about it, the show started as a teen drama, went to a crime show, and ended up as a slightly ridiculous psychological thriller. Throughout the show, one question remains: is Liberty High the worst high school in human history? (Contains Spoilers)  The Last Season The production finally announced that this one would be the last season of the show. It has been a while now since the show stopped being about Hanna Baker ( Katherine Langford ).  She is now a distant memory, even though they try, from time to time, to maintain the connection with her story. The main ingredient of the show is crime and a guilty conscience.  At the beginning of this last season, the students are at a funeral. Again. We just do...

Dare Me seems like one more teenage show, full of intricate plots and bullying. Yet, you’ll quickly realize that it is not exactly that.  It is more a story about a woman who doesn’t care about the means, as long as she reaches her goals. Oh, you think I’m talking about Beth (Marlo Kelly)? Think again… The Coach From the beginning, the coach (Willa Fitzgerald) is… let’s go with shady. She is full of secrets and half-told stories. Yet, what sets the alarm off for me is the fact that she immediately gets close to one of the girls. This friendship seems to be part of some sort of plan that we are never fully aware of.  Colette gives you a little feeling of discomfort. Since the beginning, you feel that there is something off there. What exactly does she want? To become a teenager again? Are the adult life pressures crashing her? Is she looking for some naive girl to cover for her? If so, to cover for what exactly? We end the season with no clear answers. There is a lot to fi...

Unorthodox is a story of liberation and freedom. Esty (Shira Haas) is a young Hasidic Jewish woman raised in a very conservative community in Brooklyn.  Unhappy with her fate, she decides to flee her community and her arranged marriage for a different life across the ocean.  Cultural Shock The show represents a massive cultural shock for all of us who were born and raised in modern Western society. Even if you are incredibly open-minded, I assure you that some things may disturb you. Through this show, we have access to a few practices and cultural beliefs that, unfortunately, are not always explained. I would love to know more. The language they speak in the community is very curious and sounds a bit like German. Many practices are strange to us and sometimes difficult to follow. For example, in the first episode. Why can't they leave the building? I had to do a bit of research to understand what was going on.   The Husband The m...

Freud is a bizarre Austrian-German show about the beginning of Sigmund Freud's career. It puts a young Sigmund Freud in the middle of a social-political conspiracy. Were you expecting a biography? Sorry to disappoint you. The main idea is, no doubt, weird. I'm not exactly sure about what I saw there. Only in the last couple of episodes, you can make some sense of a few things. A FEW. Entrance I could not ignore the entrance of the show as it is one of the best things about it. It is very curious. If you pay attention, Freud's (Robert Finster) bust changes at each episode. Each change represents the different topics or issues approached — the integration and disintegration of the self, so crucial in Freud's theory.   Mysticism Everything seems fine until the story begins. It is not about psychology - not as we understand it - but rather about mysticism. It is focused on local folklore, mystical stories, and supernatural beings.  The main p...