Tag: Netflix

Damsel – A Dragon Story

Although my picture may not represent the Irish dragon who lurks beneath a mountain in this Netflix movie, it captures the mood of the film. In this post, I review this entertaining movie which stars Millie Bobbie Brown and Nick Robinson.

Lasting 1 hour and 49 minutes, this adventure story depicts the joining of two important families by marriage. Elodie (Millie Bobbie Brown) is brilliant as the girl who is betrothed to a prince in order to fix her father’s financial difficulties.

Unfortunately, after the marriage, Elodie is dropped into the cave where an evil dragon dwells. She was meant to be an offering made to keep the dragon away from the medieval town.

My Thoughts

The initial wide images look a bit like cartoon scenes as the special effects are less sophisticated than you would find in the cinema. However, that is soon forgotten as you get sucked into Elodie’s adventure.

Millie really shines in this movie. With Ray Winstone playing her dad and Angela Bassett as her step mum, she is in good company.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns that the main character took as she tried to escape the dragon. Her awkward relationship with the prince (Robinson) was also interesting.

This was never going to be a heavy script with social issues grappled with. It was, though, hugely entertaining and a good piece of escapist television.

If you want a distraction and to be taken off to a medieval world where a dragon threatens civilisation, this is certainly worth checking out.

I totally recommend spending an afternoon following this narrative. Damsel is satisfying, fun and was a Number 1 success on Netflix.

Why Heartstopper Is Groundbreaking TV.

When Alice Oseman started producing a webcomic about two teenage lads falling in love, she would have had no idea how important her work would be. Following her successful publication of ‘Solitaire’ – a book about an anxious Tori Spring – Alice decided to expand the focus onto her side characters. She gave Tori’s brother Charlie a storyline with his boyfriend Nick, which resulted in another novella and the Timblr ‘Heartstopper’ cartoons.

A Groundswell Of Love

Heartstopper was eventually rolled out as four books, initially, with two more editions to come. As a successful YA story about growing up and coming to terms with being gay and bi, it has been groundbreaking to witness its widespread success and acceptance.

In 2022 Hearstopper was made into an eight part TV show which was scripted by Alice and had 54 million views in its first month alone. For the LGBTQ+ community this has meant so much. When I was younger we had nothing like this on television. Now you can see two lads fall in love and witness other LGBTQ+ characters dealing with everyday dilemmas in a normal, comfortable way.

As the second season arrived on Netflix last night, I watched the first episode and could see that the high standard of production was continuing and meaningful stories were still being told.

Final Thoughts

This phenomenon is powerful because it sends out a clear message that you can live your life freely, as you choose. By showing such acceptance, dealing with the awkwardness of ‘coming out’ and other serious issues, such as mental health, Alice has worked wonders.

If you are looking for new authors to consider, have a look at 5 Amazing Authors. Please follow my blog for future book and TV reviews.

My ‘Motherland’ Review

Having spent a lot of time laughing at clips of this BBC show on Tiktok lately, I think I ought to review it. Motherland is a funny TV series about some parents who gather together before and after school. Their personal lives are absolute carnage and the characters themselves are known to speak their own minds. Read on for my Motherland review and I bet you will want to check it out for yourselves.

Another venue for them to get together is the local cafe.

What is Motherland?

Motherland is a sitcom on BBC iPlayer that has been incredibly successful and now shows on Netflix. It is about Julia, an early forties mum, and her group of parent friends. They all tend to meet up at the school gate each morning and share their woes.

Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin) has a pretty invisible husband who randomly rings her from time to time as she deals with endless predicaments. Her besties include Liz (Diane Morgan) and Kevin (Paul Ready) who are both struggling single parents and join in with her adventures. Meg (a wealthy business woman and regular drunk) also gets involved in their daily hilarity.

Packing a comedy punch

Alongside these, a snooty Amanda (Lucy Punch) is always trying to outdo everyone. She is head of the PTA and constantly showing off about her incredible life and career. We see the truth behind this and witness her broken marriage, failing business and horrid mum (played brilliantly by Joanna Lumley). Meanwhile, her subservient sidekick – Anne – is chasing her around and providing a lot of entertainment. The two of them together are enough to make anyone chuckle.

Relatable storylines

Although these characters have a lot of crazy things to deal with, they are very relatable. You would be unlikely to face all of their dilemmas at once. However, we have all been there. From balancing work and relationships badly to cooking a slap-up meal with leftovers. The storylines are set in reality and the fallout laced with misfortune.

One of my favourite characters is Liz because she is very honest and straight talking. Diane Morgan plays her expertly and her snappy throw away comments have me rolling around laughing. Julia is really funny too. In recent episodes she developed a love for her plumber. Hilariously she tried so many ways to impress him, while not once gaining his attention.

In a nutshell

This half an hour programme is packed with fun. I have watched all three seasons and the recent Christmas special. They were all entertaining and overflowing with jokes. I absolutely love this TV show and firmly believe that you will fall in love with it too.

Thank you for reading my Motherland review. I hope you find time to check it out on Netflix or BBC soon. For more suggestions of what to watch on TV, check out Two TV shows worth watching. Perhaps also follow my blog for similar future articles.