Bad time for movies, but TV shows are getting better.

(Update 2023: Added five-star-ratings [may diverge now from what I had in mind, years ago, when I wrote the text…].)

Film

Joe (2013)

Nice to see Nicolas Cage again in a more subdued role than what he did in recent films.
Other than that, it was a watchable indie drama, but nothing that would hang with me long after the credits rolled.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Kraftidioten/Einer nach dem Anderen (2014)

Again a dark scandinavian comedy with Stellan Skarsgård, by Hans Petter Moland (who, as I just realized on IMDb, also made Aberdeen). A bit more drive than Ein Mann von Welt/En ganske snill mann, but still these films are an aquired taste — and I wasn’t really hooked (absurdly, I want to like these kind of films, but can’t). As a whole, not really that good.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

The Thing (2011)

Oh boy, what a desaster and unnecessary remake/prequel/whatever. The less spoken about it, the better. Just watch the original remake, you’re better off for it.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Young Ones (2014)

A small-budget SF drama with a western-vibe to it. Unremarkable, except for one or two scenes.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Focus (2015)

What a disappointment. I was expecting a stylish caper movie and I got a whole lot of nothing! The story was pretty much non-existing, the little plot that was there made not much sense and therefore all the glitz and glamour only left a stale taste. Better luck next time, Mr. Smith.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Fury (2014)

Small scaled World-War-II tank drama. Doesn’t revolutionize the genre, but is a worthy entry.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Warm Bodies (2013)

Saw the trailer for it some years ago and was excited; catched it on TV recently and was let down. That sums it up; don’t waste your time.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Kingsman (2014)

Granted, some great visual effects, but a terrible film taken as a whole. But of course, it made buckets of money and soon it will become a movie franchise (too bad).
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Whiplash (2014)

Intense personal drama and character study. In my eyes, not quite as good as most of the film critics wrote, but still quite watchable.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

I Give It A Year (2013)

Again a case of “The Trailer Already Showed All The Funny Bits”. Besides those, an average romantic comedy with a twist. OK for a lousy sunday evening, but nothing more.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Fast & Furious 7 (2015)

As mentioned before, I didn’t care for F&F 1-4. Part 5 was a real game changer, though. But part 6 was already several steps down again and this most recent one jumped the shark for me. I guess the next time it will be Fast & Furious 8… in Space! — but without me, thankyouverymuch.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Jurassic World (2015)

I’m staggered by it — not by the quality of the flick (there is none), but that this turned out to become such a record-breaking blockbuster. Really?! This half-hearted attempt of capturing the magic of the original by paying lip-service to it? So tragic.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Run All Night (2015)

Liam Neeson kicking ass again. Although I should be bored to death by now by his current generic default modus operandi, somehow his movies are still (lightly) entertaining enough that I keep watching them. Definitely not a must-see, but you could do worse.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Terminator: Genesys (2015)

A weird mix of a remake, re-imagination-by-time-travel and Terminator-Best-of-Scenes. Absolute disgrace. Better watch the original instead, and the great T2 and definitely also the short-lived TV show. Forget the rest of the franchaise.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

TV

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — Season 1

Rather underwhelming. As a TV show, it’s obviously lacking in the big-budget-special-effects-and-actions-scenes department. But unfortunately that is not made up by interesting plots, characters, or dialogues. Only sporadically and for the last couple of episodes some of these traits show up. I remain a skeptic.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

House of Cards — Season 3

Dilemma #1: When your protagonist is already on the top of his world/food chain and therefore the only way is down, it suddenly is not all that enganging anymore.

Dilemma #2: The fall could be handled in interesting ways… — or, like in this season of HoC, with mostly boring, simplified political issues.

The second season was already a step down compared to the first, and now I hope the fourth will gain momentum again (and maybe/hopefully it’s the final one? This show doesn’t seem to be destined for running 5+ seasons).
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Salem — Season 1

*Woohoo!* Little known show from a little known network, but what a nice surprise.
Despite occasional hiccups in the plot, this is one promising show.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Sons of Anarchy — Season 6

I’ll repeat myself: If you, like me, have made it this far, you like (some of) it and will now stick until the end. And it maybe it was knowing that the next season will be the last, but I found this to be slightly less drudging than the one(s) before.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Penny Dreadful — Season 2

Another example of how not to give up a show after a mediocre first season. The inital one had potential, but was far from optimal. This one improved on many accounts: It gained more storylines to follow (not all, from the start, thrilling, but getting there at the end) and characters to be interested in. Please more of it.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Justified — Season 6

Again, a show that didn’t really stood in the media’s spotlight during its run, but should now be considered as one of the greats.

I vividly remember how I watched the first half of the first season, one case-of-the-week episode after another and thinking if I should not just skip this crime procedual (usually not my cup of tea).
And then suddenly, the series changed: People and storylines from previous episodes popped up again, interlocking; the dialogues got better, and over the course of the next 5 ½ seasons this turned into one of my all-time-favorite shows.

So, I’m sad to say goodbye, but I’m also glad that it stopped at the peak, with many things folding up at the end.
★★★★★ 5/5 stars