The Circle, Sweetheart, and Designated Survivor: 60 Days Reviews
The Circle
I thought this was going to be really dumb, so when one of my friends described the premise and recommended it to me, I was kind of hesitant to check it out. Finally, a couple weeks later out of boredom, I gave the first episode a shot, and ended up watching the whole show in about three days. I thought it was very engaging and the editing is great; it reminded me a bit of the editing in ANTM. The cast was fun and I found several of them likable; though I know it's due to the magic of editing, I think that several of them were entertaining in their own right.
While watching the first episode I was convinced Alanna would end up winning, so I was surprised she didn't because everyone thought she was fake. That's one of the things that got me hooked into this show; a couple unexpected things happened that would throw me off guard (like Antonio getting blocked so early on), and I think that the lack of "standard" competition episode formatting made me want to keep watching, even though all the episodes are already available on Netflix.
My favorites by the end of the show were in the Final Five, so I was happy with it, although some stuff that I read on Reddit about the contestants kind of broke the 'immersion,' like Joey and Shubby being actors. Nonetheless, I found their friendship really endearing, and there were a lot of hilarious moments. My favorite moments were whenever someone would say "Rebecca is so nice and genuine!" then it would cut to Seaburn being silly LOL!
Joey played the game masterfully, and I think he's a lot smarter and more calculating than he comes off as. He's an actor, so I think he had a gameplan going in, and he pulled it off very well. He starts off as a shallow, annoying Jersey Shore reject, then builds connections with everyone, was willing to look like a fool with the cake challenge, and leaned into the 'innocent friendly Golden Retriever' persona. He got 2 women to confide in him and they trusted him enough to rank him first, while he blocked them and looked regretful. He made a big deal about how to rank Shubby, but he knew that Shubby was his biggest competition so he ranked him in the middle, then put him up a little higher, which made him look better. A lot of people ended up liking him the most, and the outcome makes sense. Props to him for playing the game well.
Chris wasn't my favorite but after looking at a lot of posts, I'm glad he's getting the Sia award, and I think that he had the best 'backstory.' I had initially thought he was a little 'one-note,' but I think he was one of the most genuine people in The Circle and I hope that the show brought him enough success so he could help out his mom.
Sweetheart
Great survival horror! Sarah recommended this to me and I really enjoyed watching it. The premise is really interesting and I like the lead character. The setting was utilized very well and the atmosphere/tension were great. I really like the first 1/3 for the 'survival' aspect and seeing Jennifer adapt to being stuck on the island. Then the monster reveal ramped things up, and I love the flare reveal shot; it feels very reminiscent of kaiju movies and is perfectly framed. I also liked the scene of Jennifer hiding in the log and how we get to see her get rolled around because it's so claustrophobic and instills helpless dread so effectively. I was rooting for her and though it's a little far-fetched that she overpowered the monster at the end, I was like 'Hell yeah,' because I bought that she was that resourceful to use her resources and skills to her advantage (using short stakes was really smart) and I was just really satisfied to see a woman get the usual 'white dude action hero' arc in this movie. That ending with her cutting off the beast's head after it roared - I think it's implied to be a cry of submission or respect - and bringing it to the boat as the camera pulls out and shows the burning island with the catchy song is just perfect.
The only thing that was a little meh was the interpersonal dynamics between Jennifer, her boyfriend, and his friend(?) It was either the acting or the writing, but something felt off, and not in the way that I think I was supposed to feel. I totally get that adding more people on the island helped provide a change of pace, and it was really important to have Jennifer's boyfriend be on the island because he called her 'Sweetheart,' and a part of her arc was becoming independent. That was handled well, but the whole 'potential love triangle' left me cold and the boyfriend's 'friend' was clearly there just to be canon fodder. I'm willing to handwave it, though, because it felt cathartic for him to see the monster after he didn't believe Jennifer, and the scene afterward of him hiding up the tree was hilarious. But yeah it's a minor issue and didn't drag the film down too much. Great movie!
Designated Survivor: 60 Days
This is a great show! I had seen ads for the original American version a long time ago, and the premise seemed interesting, but seeing Kiefer Sutherland as the lead made me think it was going to end up like 24 so I never got into it. My sister and dad asked me to watch it with them so I did, and it became a weekend tradition for us to watch an episode (and the episodes are long, so once a week was a good way to pace things out for about a month and a half)
I think that have one writer and one director made this work really well. In American shows, usually there are a few directors and a group of writers, which can sometimes result in disjointed storylines, character actions that don't make sense, and a disjointed tone/presentation. With this set up, the whole show felt very cohesive, and I really like the look and feel of it. I also was pleasantly surprised to see that the writer is a woman, and that the lead was a likable nerd who didn't become some macho tough dude, but relied on truth and research to make his decisions - well, most of the time, anyway.
My two favorite parts of the show were seeing Park having to make really tough decisions after his impromptu inauguration, and the subplot with Han's investigation involving her late husband, that involved the CIA guy and Han's nerdy friend. The acting was great and Jin-Hee Ji did a fantastic job of conveying Park's character development, and all his reactions to the public and others in political positions were very well acted. I like Park's rivalry/respect/alliance with the woman who was the face of one of the political parties. Their rapport was great! It was also refreshing to see Mrs. Park get a subplot of first dealing with a client who unfortunately passed away in jail, due to the crackdown on North Korean defectors in South Korea. I also liked that the ~drama~ of her past was actually that she had their son with another man, and Park adopted him. That seemed like a pretty controversial issue to touch on for a South Korean audience, and I think it was done tastefully.
I really liked the trio of Han, the CIA guy, and her assistant. I like that they worked together and it was also refreshing that there wasn't any romantic drama between Han and the CIA guy. He was the hottest guy in the show and Idk if the American version has a similar set up, but I like that in this version, they didn't hook up and they were very much in love with their significant others. It would've cheapened the show to force some sexual tension between them, and them starting off clashing but then realizing they can really only trust each other (and her nerdy friend, and Park) made me really ship them. Han and the CIA guy had amazing chemistry, and was my OTP of the show. This was just a case where their personal relationships would have made it way too cringey if they actually got together. I also appreciate that Han got the typical manpain story, where she mourns her husband and I like that he ended up being a hero. I'm also REALLY glad that Han didn't hook up with her nerdy friend, because he was clearly in love with her and would have done anything for her, but that didn't mean she owed him anything. And he was cool with it! I liked how their subplot wrapped up; they were all vindicated and the guys went with Han to mourn her husband. I can just imagine that afterward they had a passionate threesome, then never talked about it but remained lifelong friends.
I started losing interest in the 'mole in the Blue House/coup' story toward the end, because I'd seen that subplot so many times on 24 that I was kind of over it and browsed on my phone most of the time during those scenes. The two parts that made me a little 'meh' were that the older secretary guy was the mole (it kiiinda made sense and was appropriately shocking, but I agreed with Sarah and our dad that it should have been the Republican staff member lady because she would disappear sometimes so I thought that would explain why she was the mole) and the 'romance' between the two staff members. The guy who played Cha was one of the best actors in the show. He really put his all into the role and I applaud him for that. Cha was also one of the most dynamic characters because he would fly off the handle sometimes. But I still found his face kind of punchable, and his smug attitude around Park's former assistant/staff member grating. They had the typical 'slap-slap tee hee' dynamic and the 'tension' between them would show up but then back off immediately and it just felt so dragged on and unnecessary. And I don't think those actors had chemistry. Park's former assistant just seemed fed up with the guy and not in a fun way. I have no idea what she saw in him and was a little disappointed they ended up together, although I was relieved that they just revealed their relationship then moved on from it, and they never kissed. I think that Cha had way more chemistry with the tall guy who looks like David Dastmalchian, and their scene of playing basketball together was one of my favorites in the show.
The timeskip and last 10 minutes wrapping up Park's storyline and opening the door to another Season actually worked for me! Usually timeskips come off as lazy *cough Endagme* but in this case, it worked, and it felt realistic that Park wanted to drop out of the race and spend time with his family and do what he loved best. I ended up truly connecting with his staff members for the first time (aside from the basketball scene) and love the 'Leverage' vibe of them leaving their post-staff positions to reunite and ask Park to run for President again. That was really well done and made me root for another season! All in all, it's a great show with a couple of parts that I wasn't too passionate about, but overall I liked the political intrigue, the cinematography, drama, acting, and a couple interpersonal relationships. If there is another season, I'll definitely check it out!
I thought this was going to be really dumb, so when one of my friends described the premise and recommended it to me, I was kind of hesitant to check it out. Finally, a couple weeks later out of boredom, I gave the first episode a shot, and ended up watching the whole show in about three days. I thought it was very engaging and the editing is great; it reminded me a bit of the editing in ANTM. The cast was fun and I found several of them likable; though I know it's due to the magic of editing, I think that several of them were entertaining in their own right.
While watching the first episode I was convinced Alanna would end up winning, so I was surprised she didn't because everyone thought she was fake. That's one of the things that got me hooked into this show; a couple unexpected things happened that would throw me off guard (like Antonio getting blocked so early on), and I think that the lack of "standard" competition episode formatting made me want to keep watching, even though all the episodes are already available on Netflix.
My favorites by the end of the show were in the Final Five, so I was happy with it, although some stuff that I read on Reddit about the contestants kind of broke the 'immersion,' like Joey and Shubby being actors. Nonetheless, I found their friendship really endearing, and there were a lot of hilarious moments. My favorite moments were whenever someone would say "Rebecca is so nice and genuine!" then it would cut to Seaburn being silly LOL!
Joey played the game masterfully, and I think he's a lot smarter and more calculating than he comes off as. He's an actor, so I think he had a gameplan going in, and he pulled it off very well. He starts off as a shallow, annoying Jersey Shore reject, then builds connections with everyone, was willing to look like a fool with the cake challenge, and leaned into the 'innocent friendly Golden Retriever' persona. He got 2 women to confide in him and they trusted him enough to rank him first, while he blocked them and looked regretful. He made a big deal about how to rank Shubby, but he knew that Shubby was his biggest competition so he ranked him in the middle, then put him up a little higher, which made him look better. A lot of people ended up liking him the most, and the outcome makes sense. Props to him for playing the game well.
Chris wasn't my favorite but after looking at a lot of posts, I'm glad he's getting the Sia award, and I think that he had the best 'backstory.' I had initially thought he was a little 'one-note,' but I think he was one of the most genuine people in The Circle and I hope that the show brought him enough success so he could help out his mom.
Sweetheart
Great survival horror! Sarah recommended this to me and I really enjoyed watching it. The premise is really interesting and I like the lead character. The setting was utilized very well and the atmosphere/tension were great. I really like the first 1/3 for the 'survival' aspect and seeing Jennifer adapt to being stuck on the island. Then the monster reveal ramped things up, and I love the flare reveal shot; it feels very reminiscent of kaiju movies and is perfectly framed. I also liked the scene of Jennifer hiding in the log and how we get to see her get rolled around because it's so claustrophobic and instills helpless dread so effectively. I was rooting for her and though it's a little far-fetched that she overpowered the monster at the end, I was like 'Hell yeah,' because I bought that she was that resourceful to use her resources and skills to her advantage (using short stakes was really smart) and I was just really satisfied to see a woman get the usual 'white dude action hero' arc in this movie. That ending with her cutting off the beast's head after it roared - I think it's implied to be a cry of submission or respect - and bringing it to the boat as the camera pulls out and shows the burning island with the catchy song is just perfect.
The only thing that was a little meh was the interpersonal dynamics between Jennifer, her boyfriend, and his friend(?) It was either the acting or the writing, but something felt off, and not in the way that I think I was supposed to feel. I totally get that adding more people on the island helped provide a change of pace, and it was really important to have Jennifer's boyfriend be on the island because he called her 'Sweetheart,' and a part of her arc was becoming independent. That was handled well, but the whole 'potential love triangle' left me cold and the boyfriend's 'friend' was clearly there just to be canon fodder. I'm willing to handwave it, though, because it felt cathartic for him to see the monster after he didn't believe Jennifer, and the scene afterward of him hiding up the tree was hilarious. But yeah it's a minor issue and didn't drag the film down too much. Great movie!
Click to viewDesignated Survivor: 60 Days
This is a great show! I had seen ads for the original American version a long time ago, and the premise seemed interesting, but seeing Kiefer Sutherland as the lead made me think it was going to end up like 24 so I never got into it. My sister and dad asked me to watch it with them so I did, and it became a weekend tradition for us to watch an episode (and the episodes are long, so once a week was a good way to pace things out for about a month and a half)
I think that have one writer and one director made this work really well. In American shows, usually there are a few directors and a group of writers, which can sometimes result in disjointed storylines, character actions that don't make sense, and a disjointed tone/presentation. With this set up, the whole show felt very cohesive, and I really like the look and feel of it. I also was pleasantly surprised to see that the writer is a woman, and that the lead was a likable nerd who didn't become some macho tough dude, but relied on truth and research to make his decisions - well, most of the time, anyway.
My two favorite parts of the show were seeing Park having to make really tough decisions after his impromptu inauguration, and the subplot with Han's investigation involving her late husband, that involved the CIA guy and Han's nerdy friend. The acting was great and Jin-Hee Ji did a fantastic job of conveying Park's character development, and all his reactions to the public and others in political positions were very well acted. I like Park's rivalry/respect/alliance with the woman who was the face of one of the political parties. Their rapport was great! It was also refreshing to see Mrs. Park get a subplot of first dealing with a client who unfortunately passed away in jail, due to the crackdown on North Korean defectors in South Korea. I also liked that the ~drama~ of her past was actually that she had their son with another man, and Park adopted him. That seemed like a pretty controversial issue to touch on for a South Korean audience, and I think it was done tastefully.
I really liked the trio of Han, the CIA guy, and her assistant. I like that they worked together and it was also refreshing that there wasn't any romantic drama between Han and the CIA guy. He was the hottest guy in the show and Idk if the American version has a similar set up, but I like that in this version, they didn't hook up and they were very much in love with their significant others. It would've cheapened the show to force some sexual tension between them, and them starting off clashing but then realizing they can really only trust each other (and her nerdy friend, and Park) made me really ship them. Han and the CIA guy had amazing chemistry, and was my OTP of the show. This was just a case where their personal relationships would have made it way too cringey if they actually got together. I also appreciate that Han got the typical manpain story, where she mourns her husband and I like that he ended up being a hero. I'm also REALLY glad that Han didn't hook up with her nerdy friend, because he was clearly in love with her and would have done anything for her, but that didn't mean she owed him anything. And he was cool with it! I liked how their subplot wrapped up; they were all vindicated and the guys went with Han to mourn her husband. I can just imagine that afterward they had a passionate threesome, then never talked about it but remained lifelong friends.
I started losing interest in the 'mole in the Blue House/coup' story toward the end, because I'd seen that subplot so many times on 24 that I was kind of over it and browsed on my phone most of the time during those scenes. The two parts that made me a little 'meh' were that the older secretary guy was the mole (it kiiinda made sense and was appropriately shocking, but I agreed with Sarah and our dad that it should have been the Republican staff member lady because she would disappear sometimes so I thought that would explain why she was the mole) and the 'romance' between the two staff members. The guy who played Cha was one of the best actors in the show. He really put his all into the role and I applaud him for that. Cha was also one of the most dynamic characters because he would fly off the handle sometimes. But I still found his face kind of punchable, and his smug attitude around Park's former assistant/staff member grating. They had the typical 'slap-slap tee hee' dynamic and the 'tension' between them would show up but then back off immediately and it just felt so dragged on and unnecessary. And I don't think those actors had chemistry. Park's former assistant just seemed fed up with the guy and not in a fun way. I have no idea what she saw in him and was a little disappointed they ended up together, although I was relieved that they just revealed their relationship then moved on from it, and they never kissed. I think that Cha had way more chemistry with the tall guy who looks like David Dastmalchian, and their scene of playing basketball together was one of my favorites in the show.
The timeskip and last 10 minutes wrapping up Park's storyline and opening the door to another Season actually worked for me! Usually timeskips come off as lazy *cough Endagme* but in this case, it worked, and it felt realistic that Park wanted to drop out of the race and spend time with his family and do what he loved best. I ended up truly connecting with his staff members for the first time (aside from the basketball scene) and love the 'Leverage' vibe of them leaving their post-staff positions to reunite and ask Park to run for President again. That was really well done and made me root for another season! All in all, it's a great show with a couple of parts that I wasn't too passionate about, but overall I liked the political intrigue, the cinematography, drama, acting, and a couple interpersonal relationships. If there is another season, I'll definitely check it out!