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Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty: What Is and What Should Never Be (2023)
A bittersweet ending for a great series.
I'm from Argentina, and I've been a Lakers fan for some time now. I grew up watching Kobe, Shak and Fisher make a three peat, and I saw possibly the worst years of the franchise since the 70s.
I read about Showtime but never lived it. As someone born in 1993, I always found the 80s to be a beautiful decade. Luckily, I think this great series managed to portray all of its aspects in a great way. This included the rise of a great dynasty as the Lakers turned out to be.
This last season proved to be impressive based on at least two major factors: it was released weekly (which made more exciting to watch it as it you were eager to it) and the music was iconic. Also, the acting (in particularly from John C. Reilly, Adrien Brody and Jason Segel) was AMAZING.
However... this ending is bittersweet. Not because it showed the 1984 finals, but because there will not be another season. I am aware that even television is a business and if the profits are not up to it, it's going to be canceled. Be that as it may, a third season wrapping up and showing all titles would've been awesome.
Thanks to all who made this fabulous piece of entertainment. To me is 10/10, despite it's flaws.
Edit: after some thoughts, I'm changing my rating to 4/10. I freaking loved it, but it's complete BS that they ended the series at this point. I rewatch the episodes and they are MAGNIFICENT. So no point on ending it at its highest and at least not get the proper feedback.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)
One of the most underrated game of the GTA Saga.
Beautifully done, a great storyline, characters well developed, awesome music and the best decade. It's a shame that only came out for PSP and PS2 (I own it for this last one), because you can tell that it has a lot of effort in it and not so many people played it. Even so, it never had any remaster or a planned one is on sight. Only con: it's so glowy. I'm going to be blind. Definitely worth it. Play it, for Pete's sake. It has Phil Collins in concert.
Mad Men: The Hobo Code (2007)
The episode that made me realize I was watching something different.
I started watching this series by recommendation of my girlfriend, and I've felt that the first seven ones were boring or slow. But she insisted. This is the episode that made me realize it was something else, that something great was being built. The flashbacks always were my favorite part of Mad Men, starting by the one's here present.
And remember, Donald Draper would never lie to his son, Bobby. Dick Whitman, he is.
PS: I write this review during my first rewatch of the series, so I understand and appreciate much more. Maybe, once you're finished, you should do it too.
The Sopranos: Whitecaps (2002)
Feelings all up.
As a child of three times separated parents, you can FEEL this episode. It's really beyond powerful. I felt like reliving when my parents first split up, when I was 16 (I'm 26 now). You cry, you feel miserable, you can't stop imagining what you have done wrong to things to turn up like that. But, in fact, as it is shown in the show, it's a large set of things that have been happening for a really long time. And, as a child, you think that things will be better, but they won't. Even AJ, who always showed like he's indifferent to his parents, it's really hurt and don't know what to do.
The acting is just freakin' superb. A lot of different things happen at the same time and keep you watching with no pause, but what really gives it the edge are that ALL the characters (besides the principals whom are amazing) really act flawlessly. The angriness of Johnny Sack, the manipulating Janice, Corrado like he's been given another chance to live and it's breathing his freedom, etc. Just incredible.
I had my doubts if I wanted to keep watching The Sopranos. This finale got it all rounded up so perfect (in storyline, characters, etc), that I have no choice to keep going. Thanks to all who made this awesome show.
Roma (2018)
Just another Latin American film from another era.
I'm Argentinean. I've seen stories like this my whole life, even my parents split up 3 times and got back together. I've seen inequality and house help with rich people. And rich people were not understanding, and in the 70s things were much worst. So the filming is great, photography is awesome, the acting is splendid (really all the emotions were great) and the historical context is well written. But the plot and the end lack of strength. And they are the main elements of a movie. Cuarón said it himself: it's written from his own memories. And feels that way: it's like trying to fit pieces from different puzzles. So watch it if you want to take off the doubts. But you won't get a film to remember. And certainly doesn't deserve so many nominations.
Visions (2015)
An acceptable movie for a Sunday at 2PM.
I caught this on cable. It's not too good, and you laugh about some details, but the ending makes it up. The acting is not very good.
BoJack Horseman: Free Churro (2018)
"My mom died and all I've got is a free churro"
Impressive writing and a brilliant performance by Will Arnett. Cried myself out all the episode and the ending got me laughing so hard for five minutes. BoJack Horseman at his best. I think the title to this review (a quote from the episode) sums it up pretty well how BoJack felt about the relationship with his mother.
Tomb Raider (2018)
You can watch it some time to kill some time. Just once.
The movie starts interesting, but gets boring and boring. They mixed up all elements of different games (specially the saga's reboot Tomb Raider of 2013), they even got Richard Croft dead, alive and again dead (what the heck, just let the man be dead), something I haven't seen in the past two games or the previous three before the reboot. Lara doesn't even know how to use a gun, she gets a bow and for no reason runs trough the jungle trying to get faster (?) to Vogel...
The color was horrible. The dialogue, awful. Lara gets emotions out of nowhere. But the cherry to the top of the cake was the final 15 minutes: Crofts owned a company that they were fighting against? Seemed so cliche and so bad exploited that got, if possible, the movie worst.
Fury (2014)
Had to stop watching it because it was awful
From the starting point I felt something was not right about this movie. But I tried to give it a chance. However, lousy characters, dumb effects (laser beams? Come on!). But the worst part was to watch a sergeant making a PFC commit a war crime for reasons I yet do not understand. They took a great idea, which was to represent battle tanks during WW2 and turned into gargabe. I'm sorry for Brad Pitt, really.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
A truly masterpiece
I don't write this too often, but this is a truly masterpiece. A way of a telling a story that kept me all the time in front of the screen. Friendship, love, betrayal, gangsters, murder: it all becomes one. I thought I wouldn't bear 3hs 49 minutes in one sitting, but I did, because the film attracts you to it, in an incredible way.
The story: so many sum it up, and better than I will ever do. But here it comes: a group of kids -jewish kids- live of thievery and con. But they also have a life: they try to get their first sexual experience, they try to survive in the street against the adults. I'd like to highlight specially the scene where Patsy eats the dessert instead of giving it to Penny: it reminded me that children sometimes remain that way until they have to grow. In this case, a yummy and sweet food was more likable to the kid, than a sexual experience.
The kids grow, they become men. Powerful men. But one of them will only be that way when he gets out from jail.
The men will finally lose everything, and the men will have to make a choice: life, or friends, what is it gonna be? The end is astonishing and left me thinking. If you can, don't miss it. 4 hours well spent.