The problem with Apple TV+ is they hype these series, there's press when they start, but then they drip out the episodes one per week. Such that there's little incentive to start watching them and ultimately limited buzz.
Yes, I'm going to stand on this petard. It's one thing if it's an out of the box smash, like "Ted Lasso." But the rest of these shows...they come out and you rarely hear anything thing about them, and a number are worth watching.
Like "Silo." Not the best show on the flat screen, but definitely interesting. Not a single person ever e-mailed me about the first season, NOT ONE! Yes, someone recently e-mailed me about the coming second season, but... Apple is not HBO, there's no built-in buzz to the service. How do they get people excited about it? By finding something that delivers heat, and that's not always the best show out there. People need something to watch. Everybody's foraging in the wilderness for entertainment. And if you can't binge it, if you can't complete it on your own schedule, many people don't even start. But you've got the boomers who control media nostalgic for an old paradigm who convince these streamers to do it the way they did it years ago, in this case to Apple's detriment.
So you've got Cate Blanchett, a great actress. And Kevin Kline, who blends into the character so well that you're constantly asking yourself if it's really him. However Sacha Baron Cohen... It's great to see him in a straight role, but he doesn't ring completely true. Is this because we're used to seeing him in comedy or he misses the mark... I'd have to ask someone who's never seen him in anything previously to render the ultimate judgment.
So what we've got here is a genre piece. The problem is these formulas are so well worn that it's hard to create something new, or there's a twist that's unforeseen that renders everything you believed before unreasonable and...
"Disclaimer" is just like that. If "Disclaimer" had been a story about maturing adults coping with life and their disaffected son, without the underpinnings of this suspense/crime drama, it would have been more interesting. But that's hard to create out of thin air.
So the cinematography is exquisite. And I forgot to mention Lesley Manville, who is always great, as Jonathan's mother. And the story begins with Catherine/Blanchett receiving an award for her efforts as a documentarian and Jonathan and Sasha's trip in Italy and...
Then the whole thing goes haywire.
Now this is the kind of story where you re-evaluate everything based on the ultimate reveal, what was really going on, but at this point you're just enjoying the scenery.
And then...
Well, I'll make it simple, even if you haven't watched, Jonathan dies, what happened?
And what exactly happened between Christine and Jonathan, after all there are all those racy photos of her in her lingerie on the bed.
And Sacha/Robert feels inadequate, in that Christine was more sexually experienced than he was when they got together and...
One of the other problems with the series is that young Christine is played by Leila George, not exactly a sexpot, but definitely sporting model looks, and Blanchett? She's not as good-looking.
Now this wouldn't matter if Blanchett played the role solely by herself, she's plenty good-looking, but Leila George turns heads. So there's cognitive dissonance.
But there's a moment between Christine and Jonathan in the bedroom...
Most sex scenes in movies are over the top. Moaning and groaning. Gorgeous people putting on a show that you can watch but not relate to. But what Leila/Christine asks for, and how Jonathan is turned on, what she tells him to do... I could relate to this, I've been there, it feels real.
But, once again, the series ultimately does not.
You know a twist is coming. It's obvious. Something's got to turn. But in order to be truly satiating, the screw needs to turn one more time. Is Christine innocent or is she really the bad girl Kline and Manville believe her to be? Is she manipulative, trading on young Christine's beauty and wiles, or...
"Disclaimer" is not "Gone Girl." Which is a mediocre movie but a shock of a book. Which is why it became such a big seller, part of the public consciousness. Word spread, you felt you had to read it, and then there came a point in the book where your mind was blown and you could not put it down.
Then again, Apple is trying to create product on a much higher level than most outlets. But acting and images cannot trump story. Story shot poorly can still be great, but when it's the reverse...
So you're on your own with "Disclaimer." I was going to recommend it until I watched last night's final episode, finally available. Sans that anticipated final twist, something to blow my mind, I was disappointed. So she's a good girl after all?
Here's hoping she's not, because not every movie heroine is.
And that's what makes it interesting. That's what keeps you jumping. Because not everybody is upfront and honest. You don't necessarily get what you see. Which makes life mysterious. A game you want to play that requires you to beware. "Disclaimer" gets close, but ultimately punts.
As for what causes breakups in relationships... Real relationships, not movie relationships, take a whole hell of a lot to break.
And why did Christine not tell her truth earlier?
Frustrating.
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