The Return of What I've Watched

Its been a long time since I did one of these, but I thought I'd begin the new year by sharing my thoughts on some of the shows and movies I've watched recently. Here we go:

Black Sails Season 3

Black Sails was a show that originally only caught my attention because of its connection to one of my favorite novels, but I'm glad I've stuck with it. Season two was already a huge improvement over the first one and so far, season 3 has proven itself to be even stronger; fleshing out its compelling cast of anti-heroes and villains and their multiple agendas even further. Its hard to pick a favorite character, though in terms of acting, Toby Stephens' Captain Flint continues to be the stand-out. Great show, do not let the fact that Michael Bay is one of the executive producers deter you from watching it.

Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones is the third show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I've watched, after Daredevil and Agent Carter (I should mention that I still haven't watched more than one season each of those shows) and to be perfectly honest, my feelings toward it are a bit mixed. On the plus side, the acting is really good across the board, especially from Krysten Ritter and David Tennant. Jessica herself makes for a compelling heroine and Ritter portrays her strength and weaknesses very well, while Tennant's Killgrave makes for a great love-to-hate villain. I also enjoy the look of the show and the theme music, which I think has a nice noir-feel to it.
My biggest problem with Jessica Jones have to do with its pacing: I can't help but feel that the show only needed to be half as long as it was; the subplots, such as Jeri's divorce from her wife, honestly felt like they were there only to pad things out. That I didn't find most of the characters, aside from Jessica and Killgrave all that interesting (despite the acting being genuinely good) didn't help things either.

Keijo

Here's a show that has exceeded my expectations. Having read about Keijo, I decided to watch the first episode out of morbid curiosity, fully expecting it to be the kind of show where the enjoyment stems not from the show itself, but rather from making fun of what a train-wreck is. Imagine, dear reader, my surprise when I actually found myself legitimately enjoying this show. How come? You ask. Well, a major reason why has to do with the way the show approaches its subject. For those of you not familiar with it, here's a brief description of what Keijo is all about:
In the not-too distant future, young women compete in the eponymous new sport, in which they try to push each other off a platform using only their breasts and/or butts.
What Keijo does is taking this absolutely ludicrous concept and treating it with a certain amount of seriousness, something that works well in the show's favor. Is Keijo a great anime? No, but I can't deny that I find it entertaining.

Izetta the Last Witch

At this point, I haven't watched any Izetta beyond episode 7 and to be honest, I'm not sure I will. Despite a strong start, the show's plot and characters became less and less engaging the further into it I got. A shame, because I do think that this show had potential.


Voltron: Legendary Defender

I can't think of much to say about the latest incarnation of Voltron (a franchise I only know about thanks to pop-culture osmosis); its a fine show with an endearing cast of heroes and a nice blend of serious and dramatic moments. I'm looking forward to season 2.

Zootopia

My sister got me this movie as a Christmas gift. I'd heard a lot of good things about Zootopia (or Zootropolis, as its called here in Europe for some reason) and I was not disappointed: The characters were great (Nick and Judy are by far the best duo in a Disney-movie since Bernard and Miss Bianca), the story was suspenseful and interesting and incorporated its themes very well. Finally, the setting was really interesting and I wouldn't mind seeing more of this world and its inhabitants, perhaps in the form of a TV-series (remember when Disney had all those cartoons based on their movies)?
Great film, definitely among my favorites from the House of Mouse.