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Post by mllemass on Jun 15, 2021 15:45:21 GMT
After I finished watching Rake (which I loved) on Netflix last week, I started looking around for something else to begin. I’ve had a lot of things on my watchlist for so long that I don’t remember the reason I put them there.
I gave Deadly Illusions a try, but after 20 minutes I turned it off and removed it from my list. The little I saw of it was awful.
Yesterday I began Offspring, an Australian series. I really should have liked it. I’ve watched 3 episodes and I probably won’t watch more. I hate almost everyone in it so far. Why do they fill these shows - comedies - with such unlikable and unfunny people? If I can’t find something to like about them, I’m not going to care what happens to them. So why would I waste my time watching it?
So last night I started the French series Lupin, knowing nothing whatsoever about it. I was lost almost from the beginning, and it was late and I was tired, so I was going to shut it off and try it again today. But as I reached for the remote, I suddenly figured out what was happening. I was hooked! I watched the rest of the first episode literally from the edge of my seat. And then I watched the second. After that, I looked up the reviews from January when it first come out. I guess all the rave reviews were the reason I had it on my watchlist. And then later last night, the star of Lupin, Omar Sy, was on Jimmy Kimmel.
It doesn’t sound like the kind of “action” show that would normally interest me, but it’s so smart and clever and riveting. I can’t wait to watch more!
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Post by ellie on Jun 15, 2021 17:15:54 GMT
Lupin is brilliant. I really loved it. It kind of reminded me of Sherlock. Not the story but the really stylish, innovative production and the charismatic lead character and his loyal best mate.
Plus they referenced the book “Assante Lupin Versus Sherlock Holmes” a few times. Would be fabulous to see the casts of the two shows join up for a version of that story. But I’m pretty sure it won’t happen. 🙁.
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Post by mllemass on Jun 15, 2021 18:52:56 GMT
I was thinking that, too. In fact, one of the reviews I read made a big deal of the “cinematic” look to Lupin, which is one of the things that made Sherlock so wonderful. Even the music reminded me of Sherlock at times.
When Omar Sy, the star of the show, was on Jimmy Kimmel last night, he compared Lupin to The Count of Monte Cristo - and the 2002 version of movie is one of my all-time favourites.
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Post by mllemass on Jun 17, 2021 0:53:19 GMT
I just finished watching the whole thing, and it just got better and better! I really think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen.
I read some reviews on IMDB, and there were many one or two-star ratings. Most were people that started it but didn’t continue with it. I know that everyone has a right to dislike whatever they want, but so many of the reviews sounded way too similar. Most had a version of “The premise was good, but the execution was bad” (“The idea was good, but the writing was bad”) These were early reviews from January, and most of these comments came from people who created accounts only to post their review, with no other reviews posted since then. That sounds suspicious to me! One commenter said they didn’t understand how anyone gave it 10 stars and thinks that they must have been paid by Netflix to give it a high rating so that they could say it was a hit. Ha!
Just like when watching Sherlock, you have to pay attention! But even if you don’t pay attention, you can still follow because everything gets explained . . . eventually! That’s one of the things that impressed me so much. Sure, it seems far-fetched at first (one of the complaints I read), but you have to keep watching and see that it all makes sense.
I can’t think of anything negative to say about it. I realized near the end that there wasn’t any nudity or sex, which is unusual for a Netflix production! There seemed to be plenty of language, though, but then I watched it in the original French with English subtitles, so who knows? There was also little or no blood, despite a few fight scenes, so it reminded me a bit of the no-blood violence in superhero movies like Doctor Strange.
And - a big plus for me - I really liked all the characters (except for the bad guys, of course), and there was even a cute little dog. And Paris looked gorgeous and made me want to go there right now.
It will be returning with Part 3, so that’s something to look forward to!
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Post by ellie on Jun 17, 2021 12:35:41 GMT
Yes I totally agree. I think some people are just too literal minded/prosaic to enjoy shows like Lupin and Sherlock. Of course it’s implausible that Diop(Lupin) would get away with some of the heists he pulls off. Of course it’s implausible that Sherlock could jump off a high building and survive - even the writers couldn’t explain that one so they didn’t bother. 😃. But that’s not the point. You just need to be able to enter the world of the show and enjoy the fabulous ride. If you’re going to watch while considering what might be plausible in real life then the show is not for you.
Sherlock and Lupin are both super stylish, well written, brilliantly paced, well acted and innovative shows with an extremely charismatic lead character/actor and really strong supporting casts. For me they’re two of the most enjoyable shows I’ve ever seen.
But if you want realism then maybe watch a documentary instead.
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Post by mllemass on Jun 17, 2021 17:02:49 GMT
I love how they made simple scenes absolutely thrilling. During the scene at the.bus stop where his friend is being followed and Assane is on the phone telling him what to do, I don’t think I was able to breathe the whole time. When it was over, my heart was still pounding!
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Post by roverpup on Jun 20, 2021 15:46:39 GMT
We just started watching this series on Netflix and are enjoying it. I agree the style is very polished and cinematic. And the stories are interesting and well written. I like the way they are developing the characters. As well I like the intricacies of the plots - a lot of twists and turns to keep it interesting.
What I don't really like is the dubbing. It offputting to say the least. The English voice actor for the main character is OK but the quality of matching the words with the mouths of the actors is... less than stellar IMO. I'd rather read the subtitles and hear the actors real voices that match exactly their facial expressions.
We will be finishing both seasons for sure though.
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Post by ellie on Jun 20, 2021 16:10:19 GMT
Can you not get the subtitles instead of the dubbed version RP? I watched with the subtitles.
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Post by mllemass on Jun 20, 2021 19:22:37 GMT
I wasn’t aware that dubbing was available for Lupin until I read a complaint about one of the dubbed voices. It started playing in French with English subtitles, so I just left it that way. It requires more reading, but I liked hearing their actual voices,
I just started a new Netflix series The Twelve, which is in Flemish! I had to stop it, though, and switch to the English dubbing. It’s really well done, and most of the time it’s barely noticeable. Maybe Flemish is a lot like English?
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Post by ellie on Jun 20, 2021 19:39:01 GMT
To get subtitles you have to go into your.Netflix settings menu and make sure that subtitles is set to “on” and that the “original language” option is selected. Otherwise you end up with subtitles over the dubbed version.
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