The Young Pope (Movie/Show Review #7)

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I watched both seasons, – and I’m a fan.

It’s rare for something original to be produced today, but this show is exactly that. An absolutely innovative, creative, and novel series, it blends genres to create something utterly unique.

Showrunner Paolo Sorrentino is an interesting storyteller to explore in general, but what he has crafted with the first season of The Young Pope is a true masterpiece. I know, this term is often used inflationarily these days, but in this case, I think it’s fair to apply it.

The Young Pope presents so many ideas I’ve never encountered elsewhere that I wish it lasted at least for five seasons and a movie. Sadly, there are only 10 episodes, and a somewhat less intriguing second season titled The New Pope.

Jude Law plays the pope in this show, and you can never be sure if he is the good guy, the bad guy, or not even a guy at all. The show constantly shifts between drama, comedy, and surreal art. Is it making fun of religion? Whenever you’re close to saying yes, it offers you a scene that actually celebrates Christianity. Is it blasphemous? Whenever you feel that it is, it presents a scene that honors faith.

It’s a slow-paced show that takes its time. There aren’t big explosions or car chases. It’s certainly not a Game of Thrones-style backstabbing story set in the Vatican either. The only label I can give this show is the one I’ve used from the start: The Young Pope is utterly unique. Watch it if that sounds interesting to you.

So, Nico Harrison Was Fired

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Everyone saw it coming—except Nico Harrison. The Mavs GM seemed to think he was smarter than everyone else by trading Luka Doncic because, in his words, “defense wins championships.”

Trading Luka was the dumbest move a Mavericks GM could ever make. But trading him without shopping around the league for multiple offers to get the best deal? That was pure lunacy.

Anthony Davis is a great player, but with his injury history, he’s a part-time player who very likely won’t carry a full playoff run—let alone a full season.

When the trade happened, you had to wonder: why didn’t the Mavs also try to get Austin Reaves? A deal that included both Davis and Reaves would have at least made some sense—but Nico Harrison couldn’t even pull that off.

Ask yourself: where would the Mavs be now without the lucky (or rigged) first draft pick that resulted in Cooper Flagg? Davis is injured again. They lost the play-ins last year, and they’re on track to miss them this year. From Finals to no play-offs in one trade—well done. On Monday, the Mavs had their first home game in more than two decades that wasn’t sold out.

This is what happens when someone thinks they know better than everyone else. “Time will tell,” Nico said. Well, time is up—and it spoke very clearly: the Doncic trade was the dumbest trade in NBA history, maybe even in all of sports history. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nico Harrison never gets another job in the NBA ever again—or in any other profession in Dallas.

Monster: Season 3 – Ed Gein (Movie/Show Review #6)

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The third (and final, for now) season of Monster focuses on Ed Gein. Unfortunately, it’s the weakest of the three seasons, despite having some interesting elements.

I appreciated that the show explored how Ed Gein’s crimes inspired Hollywood movies and comics. The production values remain high, the acting solid, and the music selection excellent. Charlie Hunnam is always worth watching, and the supporting cast delivers as well.

One aspect I particularly enjoyed was the show’s willingness to take risks with experimental scenes. While these didn’t always succeed, they occasionally gave the season a surreal, fever-dream quality. I personally enjoy it when a show leans into a David Lynch–style atmosphere, but in this case it made Season 3 of Monster the strangest one so far.

Many of the negative reviews likely stem from this experimental approach, as all other aspects—storytelling, acting, production—are on par with the first two seasons.

What made Ed Gein’s story fall behind Jeffrey Dahmer’s or the Menendez brothers’ for me was the lack of a clear climax. Gein remains odd and deranged throughout, with Hollywood references and dream sequences punctuating his story. Eventually, he simply dies as an old man.

Another thing that made it not as good as the first two seasons was the German synchronisation. Hunnam is way better with the original US audio.

Still, Monster remains one of the better shows on TV, and I’ll definitely be checking out Season 4 when it arrives.

Monster: Season 2 – The Menendez Brothers (Movie/Show Review #5)

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The second season of Monster feels a bit lighter than the story about Dahmer. In some ways, it’s almost comical. You’re not supposed to laugh at what’s portrayed—but I did. The way the Menendez brothers hoaxed their way through a made-up story turns what should be a drama into something closer to a dark dramedy.

The soundtrack plays a big part in that. Using Milli Vanilli as the main musical motif is a clever choice—after all, those two became the poster boys for how the entertainment industry fakes fame into existence. It’s just like the Menendez brothers tried to fake their way out of prison.

The production value matches the first season. The set design, acting, and direction are all solid and well-executed.

There are still some racial undertones sprinkled in, but compared to Dahmer, they’ve thankfully toned it down. In exchange, we get a bit more of the familiar “hate the rich” narrative—criticizing how wealthy people supposedly get preferential treatment from the system over the working class. Fortunately, the message is not hammered into your head like it was in Season 1.

Overall, Monster: The Menendez Brothers was received well by audiences, though slightly less than Dahmer. Personally, though, I enjoyed the Menendez story a bit more.

Hollywood isn’t cool anymore — and the movie Amsterdam proves it.

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I didn’t even know this movie existed, but apparently, another A-list celebrity ensemble film was released in 2022 — and it bombed terribly.

The movie, Amsterdam, not only features some of the most famous actors in Tinseltown today, but it also had an established writer and director at the helm: David O. Russell, the man behind hits like Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.

The cast is massive: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Robert De Niro, Taylor Swift, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana, Rami Malek… This is an Ocean’s Eleven-style project with a staggering $80 million budget and Disney behind it.

So what happened at the box office? In the U.S., it has grossed only around $14 million and $31 million worldwide. If you factor in marketing cost, this movie must have lost more than 100 million.

For comparison, Ocean’s Eleven had a similar budget in 2001 and made $180 million in the U.S. and $450 million worldwide.

Amsterdam is just another example of the era of the Hollywood moviemaking coming to an end. Sure, we still have Christopher Nolan, Tom Cruise, and Leonardo DiCaprio, but beyond these three, no one seems able to draw audiences by name alone anymore.

They are trying to give us new stars, basically pushing them down our throats. But the audience isn’t swallowing it.

Social media has given us independent content creators and a glimpse behind the Hollywood mask — and the reality is grim. Most of these movie stars are not just misguided ideologues; many come across as outright arrogant and condescending toward fans. Opening a Twitter account may have been the worst career move most of the Hollywood people ever made.

I remember a new mid-budget hit coming out every month in addition to the big budget blockbuster every quarter. In my youth, I went to the video rental store every week to get the newest releases – and I always found something I couldn’t wait to see.

Today, the only movies that reliably make money are superhero films, animated features, or franchise installments (Fast & Furious, Jurassic Park, Top Gun). Nobody rushes to see mid-budget films trying something new. I am not waiting for the next Margot Robbie, Zendaya, or Chalamet movie, and even Steven Spielberg’s projects no longer guarantee big money (or big entertainment).

The magic is gone. Movie stars aren’t cool anymore. James Dean was, Marlon Brando was, even De Niro was at some point. In the ’80s, Tom Cruise could make everyone want to wear a Top Gun jacket. The Matrix influenced an entire fashion movement in the late ’90s. Today, the youth simply aren’t looking to Hollywood to see what is “cool”.