Reviews

What if caring about the planet and those who live on it was all but boring ? What if spectacular images, natural kindness and open-mindedness could make us a little more tolerant, give us just a bit oh hope ?

Zac Efron and Darin Olien explore several countries in search of concrete solutions to develop a more sustainable lifestyle. Water, food, energy production, respect for flora and fauna, and of course global warming... Each episode presents the facts of the problem and suggests concrete ways for improvement. Important changes, but also small things that everyone can do without changing their lifestyle. The beauty of the images is breathtaking. Discovering little-known cultures, customs and research is an enriching experience. Down to earth is, to my knowledge, the only series to give such recognition to aboriginal peoples, for example, and bravo for that!

I've read reviews of the series that I find simplistic.

It says that only Zac Efron fans can love it. Personally, I only knew his name, which I associated with mediocre films for young people, but he's risen in my esteem. Using one's notoriety to attract the public to a just cause is much more meaningful than what most stars do.

More importantly, the series was accused of being too light-hearted, and even of advocating unfounded medical practices.

I may be a vegan living a very simple, low consuming life, but I am old enough to know that if you want to convince as many people as possible, you have to COMPROMISE. Simply stating the awful reality of the damages inflicted to our poor planet, advocating radical changes, it's true, but it's not a good strategy. Nobody wants to watch a depressing, moralistic show. Down to earth has opted for a much more positive approach, conveying feasible solutions, confidence in humanity and hope. Simplistic? Perhaps. But indispensable.

As for the critics about millennia-old practices that traditional science scorns, it's a classic of narrow-minded people. My father is a scientist, and he taught me that the the true scientist doubts. Open-mindedness is what drives science forward. Of course doubt works both ways, nobody should believe a guru without solid ground for conviction. But that's not what I saw. When the medicinal properties of plants are presented, I see a field that the pharmaceutical industry should explore!

In my opinion, down to earth is an excellent show, featuring wonderful people and hopeful solutions. It should be shown in schools and DVDs given to all the grumpy people who pollute our beautiful planet.

Nestled in a valley near Alice Spring, on a sacred land of the aboriginal people, the Pine Gap center observes everything the satellites transmit: images, of course, but also telephone conversations, geothermal disturbances... This facility is jointly managed by USA and Australia. That can never be easy. But right now, the alliance faces a primary challenge. In an ongoing climate of tension with China, the US President and Australian Prime Minister are publicly expressing doubts about the value of this alliance. The slightest incident can set things off. When a plane is shot down by a missile, very close to where the President is, Pine Gap is accused of not having seen it coming. An internal investigation is launched, revealing that a spy is hiding among the team of young analysts.

Pine Gap may not be the best series ever, but is has several assets. First, it is instructive... It's amazing -in a bad way- what counter-espionage agencies can do, the rights they arrogate to themselves, the total lack of concern for individual freedoms... The end justifies the means, that's obvious to everyone, period! In the background, aboriginal culture and land use negotiations are briefly described. The scenery is breathtakingly wild and beautiful. Another interesting theme is the subtle game China is playing: Go strategy versus chess strategy for the USA.

The series takes itself a little too seriously, drowning the viewer in "professional" jargon. But it also shows the psychological cost to those who devote themselves to their country, and to their families. Most of the characters appear cold, having lost their capacity for empathy. Some oh them stay human and endearing, though. As the pace of the plot, a little slow at first, intensifies with each episode, we find ourselves wondering who the spy is, and what's going to happen to this small, multi-cultural community.

Sara Beastley is a successful influencer, about to sign an important deal. She displays her enviable life on her social accounts, for her followers to admire her wonderful house, her beautiful children, her nanny she cares so much for... The only problem is that it's all fake. She is broke and about to lose everything she's got. She barely sees her children, a vague nuisance in her life as a businesswoman. She knows nothing about her nanny. Fortunately, the latter is clever. With the help of a few friends, she decides to get her boss out of trouble, and get rich in the process, by organizing an unusual heist...

The mini-series is four episodes long, and that's a bit short - probably two more would have been better. It touches on the now classic theme of internet make-believe, but doesn't develop it. It shows how immigrant housewives devote time to their employers' families, even though they have sacrificed their own. But it's above all the central theme that would have benefited from further development : six women, of very different ages and social backgrounds, share a need to change their lives. Capitalizing on the fact that they don't fit the usual suspect profile, they team up to pull off an unlikely heist.

The first episode, which sets up the plot, is a bit classic. But then things accelerate, and the heist itself, which takes up most of the third episode, is absolutely hilarious. The amateurism of the apprentice thieves makes for some hilarious scenes. Although a little bit unfinished, this sympathetic series is well worth a look.

Have you ever dreamed to see the brightest balls of the British aristocraty in the early 19th century ? To observe the ruses and the dirty tricks of scheming mothers to marry off their noble offspring? If so, Bridgerton is for you !

London, during the Regency (1811-1820). Despite King George's mental illness, for the aristocracy, it's business as usual, and the wedding season is one of the highlights of the year. Matchmaking can ensure a family's fortune or its demise. Centuries of heritage and patrimony can be secured or wiped out. It's a matter of the utmost importance. For the Bridgerton's family, and for their neighbours the Featherington's family, daughters are to become debutantes. Daphne Bridgerton is smart and a flawless beauty, but her oldest brother, after their father's death, is overprotective and scares off all suitors, making his sister look undesirable. The unfortunate young girl is cruelly mocked by Lady Whistledown, the anonymous author of a scandalous society newsletter. But Daphne doesn't give up, and forms an alliance with the most eligible bachelor, the Duke of Hastings.

Although smart and cynical, Bridgerton is still a show about romance, love that nothing can stand in the way of. It is also about the frivolous life of an idle aristocracy. Scandals can easily destroy lifes, but they also entertain "the ton". Those who are spared camouflage their relief by harshly judging those who have been singled out, rightly or wrongly. Whether the mysterious Lady Whistledown is a whistle-blower, a woman determined to change mores, or a cynical, disillusioned and frustrated spirit, it's hard to say. Probably all of those.

More classical than it pretends to be, the show is especially noteworthy for its beautiful costumes and colourful sets ! Dresses, jewelry, salons and balls are all worth a look. The story is pleasant, if sometimes simplistic and even naïve. Some of the characters are endearing. But it's the visually idealized depiction of the aristocracy that really catches the eye.

The Russo are a normal family. Jerry and Theresa, the parents, run a small restaurant in Greenwich village. Their three children, Justin, Alex and Max, go to school, have friends, a social life... Nothing out of the ordinary, except that they are wizards. Not Theresa, mind you, who never seems to notice weird things happening all the time. But Jerry, who used to have magical powers and lost them, is now trying to teach how to become a proper wizard to his three children, and at the same time, how to live withouth magic. For the siblings know that, one day, they will have to compete to retain the family power, two of them losing it as Jerry before. But for now, they just want to have fun. And really, with three teenagers experimenting magical powers, what could possibly go wrong ?

It's fresh, it's cute, it's full of good energy ! As "bewitched" long before, the series explores the theme of a normal family life, when only one of its members is "normal", ignoring all about the magic surrounding her. It also show the impact of keeping a secret identity, something that all teenagers can relate to, even if there is no magic involved. The plots are simple, the episodes short. Designed as a family program, the series makes for a good, relaxing time, and reassures you that your own family isn't so crazy after all...

Based on the real story of Ragnar Lothbrok, how a farmer became a hero, then a king... How Ragnar, then his sons, crossed the seas and shook England. A fabulous epic, the story of a legend well told in a series that has become legendary, creating a Viking fashion phenomenon.

Somehere in Scandinavia, near the small village of Kattegat, Ragnar dreams of sailing West. He heard a lot of rumors and stories about a land full of riches, and he found a way to sailing in the open sea. Each summer, his people raid a neighboring region to accumulate goods. This is the custom. The Earl chooses the destination, and he takes no more risks - they always go East to plunder. Ragnar is young, bold and convinced that the gods have an exceptional destiny in store for him. He will defy the Earl, become a leader, and create terror in Northumbria, before trying to create a bridge between two cultures (too soon). After him, his sons, also formidable warriors, will conquer West, East and South. They wrote the Viking legend forever.

All the ingredients for a great series are there: excellent script, great casting (especially a Ragnar, whose eyes are sparkling with mischief), action and adrenaline, visual and musical identity, beautiful photography. It's hard to find a weakness in Vikings: the phenomenal success of the series was totally deserved. The violence is crude and sometimes hard for me to watch. Apart from that, the show is grandiose, and the story fascinating.

Created by History channel, the series interprets what we know about Viking culture, about which scientific knowledge is incomplete. Beginning with the title 😉 The vikings (which means, more or less : those who use a boat to raid) did not called themselves this at the time. There are also numerous unlikely inventions or false chronology in the way the events, the customs and costumes are depicted. However, in 800 A. C., England was still no more than the juxtaposition of kingdoms. The Viking threat was a major factor in its unity. But the Vikings also left their mark in terms of culture and myths. Accurate or not, the series has created a craze that has reawakened a passion for the era.

Darra, a poor Brisbane suburb, mid-80s. Eli, 13, and his brother Gus, 15, live with their mother Frankie and stepfather Lyle. Despite poverty and daily worries, they find in family love the source of good times. But Lyle wants to get them out of there, and he knows very well that his worker's salary won't be enough. So, like many others, he deals. But he's not patient and cautious enough, and one night, some men burst in and kidnap him. He was never seen again. For the already fragile family, the balance is upset and new trials begin. Forced to mature too early, Eli realizes what all adults know: no one is going to help us, we can only rely on ourselves to make things better. And after several life-threatening crises, some things will eventually get better.

After a depressing and sometimes disgusting first episode, we get caught up in an intriguing story. Gus, the traumatized young man who refuses to speak but sees glimpses of the future, is an atypical character. Eli is more classic, but remarkably well played by a charismatic young actor. And therein lies the great strength of the Netflix adaptation: a 5-star cast, right down to the secondary characters! Bravo to all the actors, who are impeccable at bringing these wounded characters to life.

From a working-class background, Bernard Tapie had an insatiable desire for power, a phenomenal capacity for action and a natural charisma. From 1960 to 1990, he created several business, took over companies in difficulty, became a legendary soccer manager, tried his hand at singing and politics. He won, and he failed. Again and again. This hyperactive man had brilliant intuitions, and never let any obstacle discourage him. But he had no scruples either, and left a growing number of unemployed workers in his wake. Caught up in scandal, he embodies France's fascination and contempt for economic success.

Bernard TAPIE... icon of the French businessman, a man who leaves no one indifferent. He's that guy you love to hate. We disapprove of his unscrupulous methods, but we can't help admiring his energy, his determination to shake up the establishment, his naive pugnacity in the face of those born into the strata of power. The rich and powerful never accept those who dare to rise up and join them. They find a thousand invisible ways to restrain and bully them.

We're used to the cynicism of wealthy businessmen who crush the workers in their companies. But Tapie was born in the working class. An empathetic guy who understood the workers. What wouldn't have shocked coming from a man born rich, disappointed coming from him. In the end, that he should have abandoned "his own" along the way, that is the sin French people cannot forgive Bernard Tapie.

The series succeeds in the tour de force of making us love this guy, understand him, admire him without approving of him. The performance of Laurent Lafitte is simply stunning. Episode after episode, we're drawn into the highly symbolic story of an ascent and a fall. Fascinating...

At first, the series hesitates between being politically correct and cynical, manichean and complex. As a result, the first episodes are much to classical, with an air of already-made, already-seen. OK, you get to see some elaborate heists, and the life of the rich people in L. A., and that's fine, but it's not enough.

Fortunately, after american characters that lack substance, the tasty British family enters the scene. First, the sister, then the brother, finally the mother. And that changes all ! Thanks to excellent actors and better-written characters, cynism and complexity win, giving us a much better script, especially in season 2.

The expanse ticks all the boxes of a successful series.

First, an excellent and addictive story, well adapted from a novel by James S. A. Corey. Even if you know the end, you want to see what comes in the next episode, then the next one, and so on.

Second, an impeccable casting : all of the twenty or so important characters are played by excellent actors. It's not easy to balance the roles in such a vast ensemble cast. Yet no character is neglected or overwhelmed.

Last but not least, beautiful visual effects and environments : the ships, Mars, stations of the Belt, space fights : all images are really brillant.

I can hardly find a weakness at all in this top quality series ! Proof if it was necessary, I watched it again years after the first time, thinking I would just see the beginning before writing a review in my blog, and I was hooked up again, even if I knew the whole story.

If you've missed out on this little gem, give it a try.

Young characters are good. Full of energy, adrenaline, cute, fresh...

So are the choice of songs, French and others, and the quality of photography. Beautiful images, that is ok

But Berlin is creepy, manipulative, pervert. The way he treats people and especially women is a little bit disturbing. Not the prestige I was expecting !

And the plot is sometimes ridiculous: a fight during the heist about love life, a rented bike while spending a fortune on equipments, cars and lodging...

Besides, why is the character called Berlin before Money Heist's plot ? They will choose to use capital cities as names in years from now.

Had it been a 60 years old man in love with a 30 years old woman, would it have made a story, a serie? Probably not. No one would have lifted an eyebrow.

But now, scandal!

The story may be long sometimes, but at least nothing is black and white here. We're all weak and brave altogether.