TUNES AND FRAMES

I have an opinion on music, TV shows and books. Why not share it with the world?

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I remember shadows grow taller When you hold too close Candle to your eyes It blinds with fear 

---- from song “Fear” by Iris Yuvelir

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Shadow and Bone

dianakravetz · Playlist · 15 songs · 0 likes

His kind of power, the way he looks. You'd have to be mad or blind not to notice it.

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WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH  HELSTROM MCU ???

Sometimes you watch a TV show and you can’t get rid of the nagging feeling like it’s a rerun from the 2001-2006 era. And it’s not that bad when you are watching an actual rerun like The Dresden Files or the Witchblade. But it is terrible when the show is supposed to be a brand-new series.

Let’s face it in 2020 we the viewers are spoiled rotten with well written, amazingly shot, and produced TV shows.

Handsome brooding ethics professor/ exorcists, an angry antique seller with a taste for fashion and murder, and a cute almost-nuns just won’t do the trick anymore.

Thanks to HBO and NETFLIX anything less than mind-blowing, nerve-racking, and instantly addictive doesn’t satisfy anymore.

To my disappointment, Hulu’s Helstrom suffers a major case of shallow plot tropes with twists a nine-year-old can guess at. From Damion/Gaby, not so angsty romance to Victoria’s miraculous healing from 20 years of demon possession/personality disorder - Helstrom doesn’t even try to level up to Season1 Daredevil or Jessica Jones. Instead, Helstrom does everything in its power to feel cheap. The cuts, camera angles, dialogue’s structure, and plot tropes - all are screaming at you as outdated and cliche.

I would’ve loved this series to be more complex and thought-provoking because the themes Helstrom is trying to touch on (mental health vs supernatural influence; organizations deep within the church; what is true evil) do deserve to be explored not glazed over.

What do you think about the Helstrom TV show? Comment bellow your thoughts and share opinions.

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No one can take away your POWER! 

Iris Yuvelir - POWER (Original Song)

#power #youtube #musicvideo #irisyuvelir #singersongwriter #singer #song #originalsong #video #empowerment #indipop #songwriter #popmusic #pop #popsong #empowerment

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Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Clarke's Third Law

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RE-Discovery of Star Trek: Discovery S2

Rarely do shows level up their game in the second season the way Star Trek Discovery is doing right now. Where most of the shows tend to lean on the well-established success formula from the season one Discovery reinvents its self-intertwining the character storylines from Season one with hints and references from classic Star Trek TV show.

There are still some pitfalls when it comes to the Klingon storyline and out of three episodes so far the "Point of Light” seems to be the least exciting. However, the mysteries of red signals and red Angel along with highly intriguing conflict between Michael and Spock keep the series going quite smoothly. I also love how Discovery touches on religion and magic vs technology and science in “New Eden”. 

Sylvia Tilly continues to be my personal favorite and darling on this show. Whip-smart and absolutely lovable she balances awkwardness, a healthy sense of humor and adamant will without coming across as too nerdy or too goofy.

Though it's too earlier in the season to say whether the change of showrunners improved the quality of the show I have a strong feeling the second season will be much more exciting affair than the season one.

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Blindspotting the Blindspot

When a mid-season premiere episode is full of flashbacks and thin plot is supported almost explicitly by characters reminiscing of the good old days you know writers on the show are out of juice. 

The Blindspot’s “Check Your Ed” episode is the textbook filler-kind of an episode that does a lackluster job as an arc closing, loose-end tiding, closure providing installment of Remi vs Jane story. As a matter of fact, the whole Shepard and Sandstorm business is now dead and gone which makes one wonder what’s next for the show?  

There is no doubt they couldn’t milk Remi/Jane storyline any longer than they already have. With no apparent adversary except for crazy-lady, Madeline Burke writers will try to extract some dynamics and drama from Zapata’s duplicity and Read’s feelings for her. Frankly speaking, this is all getting a bit too predictable. What started as an intriguing new show back in 2015 has degraded slowly but steadily into a popcorn badass female lead character, super geeky sidekicks and an unrealistically supportive love interest kind of a show. 

Some people will definitely get offended by all mentioned above but let’s be clear there is nothing bad or negative in popcorn badass female lead character, super geeky sidekicks and an unrealistically supportive love interest kind of a show. However, it is disappointing when a show instead of evolving shows a steady tendency to degrade.      

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Killing Eve softly

Killing Eve is an amazing show about a woman who is obsessed with killers and a killer who is obsessed with a single woman. Complicated, ambiguous and thrilling Killing Eve pulls you in from the very first episode and refuses to let you go long after the final episode.  

Watching Jodie Comer playing a downright psychopathic badass assassin you can’t help falling in love with the Villanelle. She is dangerous and cunning, vulnerable in her own warped and very much screwed up way, funny and most of all (shocker) she is a loveable demon from the deepest pits of hell.

The show's success partially lies on the shoulders of Sandra Oh and her stunning performance of Eve - a woman not entirely sure of who and what she is but keen on finding out no matter the consequences.

Killing Eve is also full of tasty visuals that I feel will become iconic e.g will transform into Halloween costumes like for instance the pink puffy dress Villanelle wears to the psych evaluation, or the gorgeous black and white dress Eve wears, or the opening credits with a drop of blood dripping from the new letter every time. I can’t recall another TV show released in 2018 with so much style and attention to the details. Not to mention the fact most of the characters in this show can speak at least two languages. Gorgeous work on all fronts.

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The Saxon Stories

In case you were wondering The Last Kingdom is based on the book series by Bernard Cornwell. According to Goodreads, there are 11 of them so far.

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The Last but not least Kingdom

Probably the strongest and yet grossly overlooked historical fiction TV series right now. It won’t come something of a surprise if I'd say that we the viewers are so spoiled by incredible shows like Game of Thrones and Vikings it has become almost impossible to beat or overshadow the initial excitement from those shows. Nevertheless, The Last Kingdom is a definite must see. 

Based on historical novel series written by Bernard Cornwell the show follows Uhtred a Saxon by birth and Dane by fate struggling to find his place in the world where fires of wars and court politics were forging England into a nation. This is the show where men cry and their tears break your heart, women find strength and power in spite of the 10th century narrow-minded views and nuns are also knights. 

Alexander Dreymon does a great job at making Uhtred equally likable and insufferable at the same time and at times his charisma saves the whole show. Father Beocca (Ian Hart) is another darling and a personal favorite of mine who’s a journey on the show is full of unexpected twists.   Overall if you liked shows like The White Queen and Vikings I believe you’ll find The Last Kingdom 3 seasons worth of amazing experience.

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The unexpectedly last Daredevil

As soon as Daredevil left the mystic war against the Hand organization and doom’s harbingers like the Balcksky behind and turned its face back to the real mundane evil inside and within in the face of Wilson Fisk the show regained its edginess, thrill and captivating appeal. I am excited to see the Nelson family brought to the fore, as well as a darker less appealing side of Karen’s story, presented to the viewer. In fact, this whole season seems to be built on controversy were the good guys are making all the bad decisions and the bad guys don't look so bad from their side of the road. The final grand battle between Matt, Fisk, and Dex practically makes you sympathize with each one involved in the melee and partially justify their actions.  

In the light of recent news of Netflix canceling Daredevil I am torn between sadness for letting go characters I love and acceptance. As far as I understand dew to lunch of Disney+ there is no point and reason from the business point of view to continue producing the show that will promote a competing platform and company. Even if the show will be renewed on Dinsey+ it will never be the Netflix Daredevil. And this obvious and undeniable truth that makes this third season even more special and precious to me. I feel Daredevil Season 3 is a must-see special if you've found Season 2 a bit lacking.

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Van Helsing is a Woman

Van Helsing has been a creepy, occasionally disturbing but nonetheless delightful guilty pleasure of mine for three seasons now. Contrary to the rating on IMDB it's a solid take, with a spin to it, of course, on the whole, Van Helsing's story and character.

In this TV show, the characters live in the post-apocalyptical world where instead of zombies, vampires suspiciously looking like zombies are running around eating people and Vanessa Van Helsing is a unique one of a kind woman who can somehow cure vampirism with a bite. Obviously, the level of aggression and perversion on the show is in my opinion through the roof. I am not the most delicate viewer but great numbers of vampire killing scenes unnerve me greatly. Sometimes the gruesome scenes full of blood and gore appear to be included in the show solely for having blood and gore and that pointlessness does affect the overall impression of the show. Nevertheless, Van Helsings (spoiler alert there is a whole family ) and their motley band of friends grow on you and make you love them and love to hate some of them as well.

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Is it me or does this "laying on the floor" thing is a new poster cliche?

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The Man in the High Castle

“Abandon hope all ye who enter here” that's the warning they should have used as the slogan for the season 3  

It seems the universe of “The Man in the High Castle” is the one where justice and morality were annihilated when Axis Powers won the war. However, Season 3 paints intensely macabre picture of the world where nothing is sacred, no one is safe and hope is so meager people refuse to believe in it and those who do either get themselves killed or escape to an alternate reality.

Of course, the dynamics and degree of excitement in the new set of 10 episodes leave something to be desired. More often than not the viewer has to endure rather than enjoy the long dialogues between the characters. Nevertheless, when the show dives into the parallel sequence of Smith’s inauguration and Frank’s Bar-mitzvah the intense juxtaposition of secret religious ceremony and the pompous march of rigid deeply hypocritical oppressors gives you goosebumps. In a way, I feel this is the strongest and most impactful sequence of the show so far.

I, also, loved however how the show explored the idea of double standards: Smith who now occupies the highest post in American Rich has kids who most likely have a genetic defect that effectively renders them unfit to live in the Nazi society. 

Tomas is made into a poster child of Rich’s propaganda for committing, let’s call it what it is, suicide.

The lead director of propaganda for the Rich in America, Nicole Dörmer, is Lebensborn and a closeted gay. In fact, the latter will buy her a ticket into the re-education camp.

Inspector Kido being a cold-blooded murderer still manages to find some sort of perverted drop of humanity in his heart to grant freedom to Gina. However, I find the whole sequence rather fraudulent and hypocritical precisely because before that we see Kido beheading Frank without charge or trial and enjoying it.

The list goes on …

The question, however, remains will the average viewer survive 10 episodes in question and continue with the series? I personally believe the show will pick up more energy in the 4th season, but I am an optimist.  

[shadow-writer-deactivated202111]

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The Resident

How on earth did I miss this TV show? 

If you are looking for some weird mix of House M.D and Grey's Anatomy this one is for you. The leading duo-Emily VanCamp and Mat Czuchry are adorable in the best way possible. Both look much better as a nurse practitioner and doctor than they did as revenge obsessed young woman and a lawyer. 

But my heart goes to the Shaunette Renée Wilson and her character Mina Okafor. I love the way her character evolves in the show from a coldhearted brilliant surgeon into the beautiful soul capable of empathy and love.

Fair warning though - this TV show is highly addictive. I, for one, can’t wait for my next fix episode.