Monday, March 01, 2021

TV and Movie Reviews - February 2021

Here are some short reviews of things I watched in February. My viewing pattern has been disrupted because my wife is still spending a lot of time taking care of her mother, so I haven't been watching a lot of shows that I know she wants to see.

Movies

  • Turn It Up: The Story of the Electric Guitar. Nothing earth-shaking here but it was interesting seeing the evolution of the guitar over the last century. (Amazon Prime)
  • Space Sweepers. A Korean science fiction film notable mostly for its special effects. The storyline is typically silly and unbelievable. (Netflix)
  • Akhnaten by Philip Glass. This was the Metropolitan Opera's glorious 2019 production of Philip Glass' third Portrait opera, which I saw in the original theatre simulcast. It does work better on the big screen. I have reservations about the staging (jugglers!?) but the music is sublime and has moved me to tears on more than one occasion (Metropolitan Opera)
  • Greenland. I am so tired of disaster movies in which families get separated and then find themselves again. I had some hope that this would be better than average, but it wasn't. Some good effects, but not enough of them. (Amazon Prime)
  • Anthropocene. A movie based on the photographs of Edward Burtynsky showing how humanity is ravaging the planet. It makes a powerful statement but but would likely be more effective in a cinema. (TVO)

TV Shows

  • The Expanse: Season 5. The Expanse is the best science fiction TV show yet and season 5 is the best season so far. The only thing wrong with season 5 is that is was too short. (Amazon Prime)
  • Fake or Fortune: Similar to the Acorn TV show, Art Detectives, in this show two art historians try to determine whether works of art are what they seem. A bit overdone, but I enjoyed it. (TVO)

No comments: