Necrotongue

Clive Barker has always been one of my favorite horror authors, and the creators of this film managed to adapt one of his stories pretty well. Sure, they had to sprinkle in something extra to bring it to the screen, but overall, I was pretty pleased with the result. It could have gone much worse, believe me. Clive Barker's horror has never shied away from bloodshed (though he knows how to create horror in other ways), and the filmmakers respected that. Instead of action scenes in pitch-black darkness, they went for raw brutality, in which no eye was left in its socket, and the British Terminator was perfect for it. I can't help but wonder if the number of passengers on late-night New York subway trains dropped after the American premiere. / Lesson learned: If you're afraid, don't ride the subway.

To give four stars to this overly romanticized French comedy filled with declarations of love in multiple languages, there really must be some compelling reasons. And I found them. Sure, it was occasionally so sweet that I caught myself clenching my teeth, and I'm not exactly the biggest fan of French movies, but credit where it's due — the filmmakers here deserve some credit. Yes, the story was simple and pretty predictable, but it's a romantic comedy, so that's par for the course. What really grabbed me was the humor — it was right up my alley. Rose's training sequences were reminiscent of Rocky gearing up to fight Ivan Drago, and the actual sports performances had me scrambling to find the nearest World Championship of this captivating sport on every sports channel I could find. I won't lie, amidst the clacking of keyboards and the scent of burning paper, I was on the edge of my seat. This wasn't just a run-of-the-mill romance; it was an engaging sports thriller that kept me thoroughly entertained. / Lesson learned: It's only when you achieve significant success in life that you realize how many friends you truly have.

Finally, a standout episode emerges. This time, the show moved beyond the usual focus on individual relationships and melancholic romance/drama. Significant issues were tackled head-on, directly impacting the main storyline with a fresh impact. It was a welcome change of pace. Plus, I've always been a fan of the Chevrolet Corvette C3. / Lesson learned: Some events are better left outside the family.

And they say that anti-pandemic measures were pointless. Every comedy series at the time had its working-from-home episode, and from what I caught, I enjoyed them all. Wasn't it worth the countless companies folding? The tenth episode was particularly entertaining, featuring all my favorite characters, including Sue and Carol. Also, Sylvanas Windrunner making an appearance in MQ was quite the unexpected surprise. / Lesson learned: Don't wait until flora and fauna start setting up camp on your skin — take that shower!

The title of this episode might be a bit misleading, but the chaos within the company and Poppy's despair were perfect. This episode really hit home with my belief that people are often the root of all problems. When you run a company, you're faced with two major challenges: dealing with the people you employ and convincing people to buy your product. And if you're an employee, you have to navigate working with the people above you, cooperating with other people, and hoping people buy the product your company produces. An this goes on and on. Oh, and blood ocean! While I didn't quite grasp its significance in the game, I enjoyed looking at it. / Lesson learned: Don't forget to disinfect.

The fifth episode left me with mixed feelings. The creators did a fantastic job using significant historical events which had an impact on all the characters' lives, creating an almost tangible atmosphere. However, I couldn't help but feel a bit let down by the plot, which seemed pointless and didn't quite tie into the main storyline as much as I'd hoped. / Lesson learned: You just have to wait for the right moment, grab a crowbar, and head to the nearest electronics store.

This one was a letdown for me. It feels like a case of wasting the actors' potential. Colin Firth, once again, played a variation of Mr. Darcy, which I don't mean as criticism — I think he nails those dry, uptight characters. I might have enjoyed it more if the film had a stronger screenplay. Alan Rickman, while still exuding his unmistakable charisma, didn't have much to work with. Stanley Tucci's role felt especially poorly written, which was a shame. As for Cameron Diaz, she just doesn't do it for me. The biggest issue, though, was that the story didn't really go anywhere. I found it hard to laugh when the cast delivered lines that felt more at home in comedies like American Pie. / Lesson learned: Do you happen to own original works by famous painters? Give them a wash, just to be safe.

This time around, the four stars felt well-deserved because there was no beating around the bush — the events were directly related to the company instead of relationships, which I found really engaging. The series creators must have done something right to keep even a guy like me, who can't stand advertising, entertained. 4*+

I bumped up my rating to four stars for this episode, mostly because it was a definite improvement from the previous disappointment. However, I can't say I was thrilled with it. Once again, the creators did what I've criticized them for before: they packaged everything nicely, filled it with what seemed like an interesting plot, and left me thinking everything was fine. But then I realized it was just another ploy to distract from the fact that nothing significant actually happened throughout the entire episode. / Lesson learned: When you're always chasing for more, you might end up with nothing at all.

I might have considered adding an extra star if the creators hadn't shamelessly borrowed from Tim Burton and added colors that reminded me of Pushing Daisies. Unfortunately, the movie didn't quite hit the mark for me. Rachel Weisz was more appealing to my eye than Michelle Williams, so it didn't take long for me to realize I was leaning toward the dark side of the force. Mila Kunis was also in the mix, whom I'm not particularly fond of. Thankfully, she underwent a transformation early on and became more tolerable. But let's be honest, it didn't salvage the story, and I can't say I was impressed by this prequel to Dorothy's adventures. / Lesson learned: Even a warehouse worker in a factory can read Virgil in the original, and even a carnival magician can become a king.