'Chernobyl' is a great mini-series.

When it comes to television shows that matter and that are important, it has to be said that there aren't really that many of them. Most tv shows just aren't good enough to make us think and to make us reflect about how our society works.

In reality, in order for a show to have actual merit and value, it has to be about something real and meaningful. Its premise has to be 'important' and good enough so that we could actually care about the show and its characters. 

So when I noticed that there was a new HBO series called 'Chernobyl', I for once managed to get my hopes up. I knew that there was a solid chance that the series would work, since its premise was so important and real (a nuclear power plant disaster). 

Having now finally seen all the episodes of this mini-series, I can safely said that 'Chernobyl' indeed works. It is easily one of the best mini-series ever made, even though watching it was admittedly a rather harrowing experience.

So the biggest reason that the series works so well is because it looks and feels completely authentic. The series does a really good job in showing all the horrors of the disaster and what happened during and after of the horrific accident.

Indeed, during this five episode mini-series, we go systematically through every aspect of the disaster: the explosion, the rescue operation, the operation to prevent an even bigger disaster, the investigation and the trial for those who caused the disaster.

When it comes to the series, its narrative comes from its three main characters. You have Valery Legasov, a scientist/investigator (Jared Harris), Boris Scherbina, a politburo chief (Stellan Skarsgård) and Ulana Khomyuk, a nuclear scientist (Emily Watson). 

Over the course of the series, they help to give us a good look of what really happened during and after the accident. Their brave efforts (Watson's character is a composite though) help us understand the scientific, political and the human aspects of the case.

Not surprisingly, we get to see that there were so many things that went wrong that lead to the disaster. It took extreme negligence, hubris and secrecy from the leaders of the power plant and the political establishment for the disaster to occur.

At the same time, just because the series brings up these problems and the flaws in the soviet system, the show isn't just about these things. Criticizing the Russians clearly wasn't the main reason that the show was made in the first place.

Indeed, as you watch the series, you can't help but to notice how the main focus is on the heroic efforts that the soviet servicemen and workers did in the aftermath. Many of them risked their lives knowing that they had to do it in order to save their country.

After all, let's not forget that had they not managed to mitigate the fission process that happened during the explosion and its aftermath, millions would have died. The effects of the explosions would have been severe even in western Europe too.

In that sense, when I think about the series as a whole, I'm so glad that those involved with making the series got the story right. I'm glad that they managed to show who the real heroes were and what they managed to do once the disaster happened.

After all, even though there are certainly some bad 'guys' in the story too, they are not what 'Chernobyl' is about. The series is clearly a tribute to all those who sacrificed themselves and did their part to get things right.

In that sense, if you're one of those who haven't managed to watch this HBO mini-series yet, I would certainly recommend it for you. You should definitely give it a chance and not think that the subject matter is something that you might not like.

After all, even though watching the series isn't always easy, that doesn't mean that this is not an important or a rewarding series. You shouldn't be thinking that just because there are a lot of heart breaking moments, it's not worth watching.

On the contrary, 'Chernobyl' as a whole works and shows that when things get bad, as human beings we'll do the right thing. We'll do the right thing and won't give up, no matter what the human cost is or no matter what political repercussions we'd eventually have to pay.

'Big Little Lies' - Season 2 (so far).

Like many others who spend time watching tv, I enjoyed watching the first season of HBO's miniseries 'Big Little Lies' quite a bit. I found the series to be really well made and was sad to see it coming to its dramatic (and inevitable) conclusion.

Naturally, once I learned that the show would get another season, I was feeling pretty excited. I was eager to know what would happen to these characters and how they would react to the aftermath of what happened at the end of season one.

So having now seen the first three episodes of season two of 'Big Little Lies', I can say that the series still works. There are a lot of things going on, even though story-wise the series climaxed in its first season's finale (Perry's death).

When it comes to the second season, the main story continues with the aftermath of the homicide. The grieving mother of Perry (played by Meryl Streep) comes to snoop around and to find out what really happened during that fateful evening.

Not surprisingly, it doesn't take long before she becomes suspicious about the incident and its aftermath. She notices that things certainly aren't as they seem and that almost everyone in town has something to hide about their lives.

Indeed, during the first three episodes of the season we're reminded again that pretty much all of these characters have problems and are messed up. Perry's homicide is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the secrets that these characters have.

Among other things, Celeste is still having nightmares about Perry beating her up, whereas Jane is trying to bring up her son (Perry's). Madeline is dealing with her adultery issues, whereas Renata furiously hates her husband.

Furthermore, when we also remember that Bonnie is feeling guilty about saving Celeste (that led to Bonnie accidentally killing Perry), it's not surprising that there are a lot of things going on. Clearly Streep's character has a reason to be there.

So when it comes to these storylines and the quality of the series, the biggest reason that 'Big Little Lies' works so well is that it actually cares about its characters. It pays attention to them without making the characters over the top or too melodramatic.

After all, I couldn't help but to notice that there's a really wonderful balance between drama and comedy on the show. It manages to bring laugh out loud moments between some of those more dramatic and even heart wrenching moments.

Especially when it comes to those scenes that involve the school principal and Madeline, the writers on the show manage to pull off some amazing scenes. It's clear that we're dealing with some absolute world class stuff here.

In that sense, when you consider that there are still four episodes to be aired, I'm confident that this is going to be a good season. I'm confident that the quality of the season is going to stay high and that the storylines are going to be solid.

After all, there are so many talented people working on the series (actresses like Streep, Dern, Witherspoon,  Kidman, Woodley & a writer like David Kelley). Clearly they have done their best to make sure that this series would work as well as possible.

In the end, even though there have been some very minor issues with the episodes (some of the scenes have been a bit too short), those mistakes don't mean that much. The positive aspects clearly outweigh the negative ones here.

In that sense, if you're one of those fence sitters who hasn't given this show a chance yet, you should definitely give 'Big Little Lies' a go. You should give it a go and not be discouraged just because you might think that this is not a series for you.

After all, even though the series might at first seem like it's a bit superficial, it's not. It's not a superficial show and once you get to know to these characters, you can't help but to feel for them and be interested in knowing what is going to happen to them. 

When to give your eyes a break as a writer.

So when it comes to the craft of writing, it's not exactly a secret that it's not always easy to get your projects to work. No matter who you are and no matter how hard you might try to get things done, there are days when things just don't seem to go your way.

The biggest reason that we struggle with our writing tasks is that it's not always possible to control the writing process. There are a lot of situations in which our brain isn't working well enough and when we lack the ability to see things straight.

So when it comes to these moments, the most likely situation in which we 'can't see the forest for the trees' anymore is when you get tired from trying too hard as a writer. You keep pushing your task even though you might feel absolutely horrible inside.

The problem with this approach is that in too many cases (even though there are certainly exceptions to the rule) it won't work. There's no real upside to writing anything after a certain amount of time has passed during a hopeless session.

So when it comes to handling these moments, even though it's not easy to do, especially for a perfectionist, you need to be forgiving toward yourself. You need to be able to take a break, no matter how frustrated you might be about fixing things.

In practice, what this basically means is that if you haven't managed to get things done during the first two hours of your session, you need to cut yourself some slack. You need to walk away, even though it's not easy to take your eyes off the screen.

After all, if you manage to give your eyes and your brain that well needed break, it becomes easier to clear your head. There's a much better chance that you'll be able to figure out where you went wrong and how to get back on track later.

In contrast, if you're too stubborn and not smart enough to give yourself a rest, you shouldn't be expecting things to turn around. It's pretty much guaranteed that things will turn even worse the more you keep trying and pushing during that session.

Indeed, the very worst scenario is that you get so frustrated and so hopeless about the whole thing that eventually you'll just give up on the task completely. You'll give up on finishing that project and think that it was simply too difficult for you.

In that sense, when I think about this thing as a whole, it's clear that we as writers need to be aware of these bad writing days. We need to be aware of how things can go wrong if we don't react to them fast enough and keep pushing instead.

After all, there are so many situations in which we have to be able to re-evaluate the situation and our progress in the task. We have to be able to take an objective look of what's going on and how to get back on the right track again.

In that sense, if things start to go into a completely wrong direction, the faster we take a timeout and react to these situations, the better. The faster we understand that things are not going our way, the less damage we do to ourselves.

After all, even though it might be hard to do, there's no shame in admitting that you didn't manage to get things to work right away. You shouldn't be thinking that just because you had a bad session, you won't be able to get things done later.

On the contrary, as long as you take a break and come back later, that break will help you. It will help you and you'll notice that even though there's still a lot to do with the task, it's something that can be finished and that eventually you can make it work. 

'Cobra Kai' Season 1 & 2 Reviewed.

Like many others, when I heard that there was a new series based on the 'Karate Kid' franchise, I didn't exactly have my hopes up. I didn't think that there was a good chance that the series would be any good or that it would be worth watching.

After all, even though the first 'Karate Kid' was a somewhat well made movie and had nostalgia value, what was the point with this new series? Why would we want to watch these actors in their roles thirty years later after the movies were done?

Fortunately, having now seen the first two seasons of 'Cobra Kai', I have to say that my expectations for the series turned out to be wrong. It turned out that this show works and that it manages to keep you entertained. 

So when I think about the show, the biggest reason that 'Cobra Kai' has been such a surprise hit is that it's actually well made. Unlike on so many others shows, on this one you actually care about the characters and what happens to them.

When it comes to the premise of the series, it was a really good idea from the producers and writers to make 'Johnny Lawrence' the main protagonist. Unlike in the original movie, in this series he's the star - as a classic anti-hero.

So not surprisingly, on the show we get to see Lawrence's (played by William Zabka) progression as a character. He slowly progresses from an out of work / out of luck alcoholic failure into a decent human being who runs his Cobra Kai dojo.

This transformation, of course, turns out to be much harder than it might seem at first. There are a lot of obstacles and setbacks for Lawrence's character and it takes a lot of effort to get his personal and professional life on a better trajectory.

In contrast, the star of the original movies, Danielle LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is not actually the hero on the show. Even though he plays a big part on the show, as surprisingly as it is, he plays a rather neutral / even unlikable character.

After all, on the show as a successful businessman (he owns a car dealership) he more or less keeps punching down on Lawrence. He can't accept the idea that Lawrence might be on a pathway to a redemption so he tries to sabotage his life.

So when it comes to evaluating the quality of the show,  I have to say that I - like so many others - enjoyed the first season of 'Cobra Kai' quite a bit. I thought that first season as a whole managed to be really well made and entertaining.

Among other things, the episodes are well written and the drama in these episodes feels organic. The characters are believable and you can't help but to feel for Johnny Lawrence's character and how he tries to get his act together, 

Another thing that I also liked about the first season had to do with its fighting scenes. The fighting scenes involving Karate are well choreographed and you just have to appreciate all the great references to the 80s (the show has an awesome 80s soundtrack) 

The only real problem with the first season had to do with the storyline involving LaRusso's cousin. Especially the plotline where he goes to burn Lawrence's car with his mc-buddies just came out of nowhere and wasn't good at all.

So based on the overall solid quality of the first season, I - like many others - had great expectations for the second season too. I expected that the show would perhaps get even better and that we would see great drama on season two too.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the second season of 'Cobra Kai', I have to say that the show - as unfortunate as it is - isn't as good as the first season. The series gets a bit too out of control and tries to be too big with everything.

After all, even though there are a lot of awesome fighting scenes and the soundtrack is still awesome, the storylines in season two just aren't that good. Many of the characters just aren't as believable and relatable as they should be.

Especially when it comes to the behaviour of the characters (Lawrence, Larusso, Kreese, the kids etc.) I just found the stuff to be too extreme. The writers made the characters change too much based on what the storylines told them to do.

Still, when I think of 'Cobra Kai' as a whole, just because there were problems with the show's second season, that doesn't mean that I haven't enjoyed watching the series. I'm not saying that the show is not worth watching or that you shouldn't give it a shot.

After all, there are clearly a lot of great things going on here that cannot be denied. Especially when it comes to William Zabka's acting as Johnny Lawrence, he's a true revelation and is absolutely convincing in his quest to turn his life around.

In that sense, if you're one of those who haven't had a chance to see this drama  / action / comedy series yet, you should definitely give it a chance. You should give it a chance and not automatically think that this won't be a show for you.

After all, even though 'Cobra Kai' could be an even better a series than it is, it still manages to deliver. It manages to deliver and is easily - despite some of its minor flaws - one of the best television shows that are currently out there.

The problem with making movies about authors.

When it comes to biographical movies about authors, I have to say that I'm not someone who gets easily excited about them. In most cases I just don't think that films about famous writers are that interesting or worth your time.

After all, even though the books and the novels that these authors have written might be interesting, that doesn't mean that they themselves are interesting enough. There's no guarantee that their life story is fascinating or worthy of a movie.

So when it comes to these author movies, one of these problematic films is the upcoming biopic about the 'Lord of The Rings' author J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a movie that is going to be released this week after having been in production limbo for years.

When it comes this particular film, the fact that it took so long to produce the movie shouldn't really surprise anyone. It simply wasn't easy to come up with an even remotely entertaining story about a real life person like Tolkien.

After all, even though his books have been popular and have been turned into well received movies, those books don't equal him. Just because those books about the middle-earth were great, that doesn't mean that a movie about him would be too.

In reality, the problem with making a movie about a writer writing a book is that in most cases there's not much of a story to tell. There's usually no real story, because there's no drama in the book writing process and there's no drama in that person's life either.

So naturally, instead of the movie having a natural built-in story, the screenwriter has to try to fabricate a story. The writer tries to come up with something that would actually make that person's life and 'work' interesting.

Unfortunately, what is especially problematic about this is that it's usually a big stretch to make a 'dramatic' connection between your life and your work. Especially when it comes to things like fantasy authors, it's almost bound to feel contrived and hokey.

So not surprisingly, movies like these will mostly consist of meaningless scenes that don't make enough sense. They have stuff like semi-relevant 'inspirational' scenes and writing scenes in which the 'hero' of the film writes in his room (no one is excited).

In comparison, when you make a biopic about a football player or perhaps a musical band (like Bohemian Rhapsody), things are different. In these biopic films there are basically no 'unfilmable' scenes and the progression in the hero's journey is easy to show.

After all, since you don't have to 'fabricate' the story, it's not that difficult to come up with proper story arcs and to keep the audience happy. There's no 'meta' level in which the audience is required to know its subject matter before they see the film.

In that sense, when you look at these basic problems and issues in the 'author' genre as a whole, it's not that surprising that 'Tolkien' has been in trouble as a movie project. It's not surprising that it hasn't been particularly well received by the critics.

After all, based on its reviews so far, there doesn't seem to be enough going on in the movie. Even though the film isn't completely awful (46% Rottentomatoes.com & Metacritic score 48) it just doesn't have a screenplay or a story that is good enough.

In that sense, especially considering that there are other biopics about this genre in the works too, I wouldn't get my hopes up about those other projects either. Clearly 'Tolkien' is setting a prime example on how things can go wrong.

After all, as unfortunate as it is, especially in the case of the J.K. Rowling biopic, things look pretty bleak (it has been in production limbo for years). It doesn't look like the proposed film - if produced - would be a good movie either.

On the contrary, everything about that project spells trouble too. That project spells trouble and it's difficult to imagine that her biopic would be able to tell a good story or that it would be able to make a good connection between her life and her precious books either. 

Thoughts on the upcoming presidential primary.

So when it comes to politics in the United States, it's not exactly a secret that I pay a lot of attention to what happens in the country. I tend to follow politics on a daily basis and I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what's going on and how things will go.

Naturally, the most interesting thing at the moment is the upcoming democratic presidential primary. I'm more than interested in knowing which candidate will be the one that will go against president Trump in the next year's presidential election. 

So when it comes to the democratic presidential hopefuls, there a lot of candidates for the voters to choose from. There's the establishment ones (Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke etc.) and the progressives ones (Bernie Sanders, Liz Warren, Tulsi Gabbard). 

Based on the current available polling data, it might seem that president Barack Obama's (former) vice-president Joe Biden is the most popular candidate. He's the one who has a clear lead in the polls and who seems to be the front runner.

However, there are a lot of reasons why one should not start banking on Biden ending up being the nominee of the democratic party. Just because he has a big lead in the polls doesn't mean that things are going to remain that way for long. 

After all, there are a lot of reasons why Biden's 'Obama nostalgia' candidacy won't carry him to the White House again. As a politician he has been on the wrong side of history so many times that he has simply too much baggage on him.

Among other things, Biden (the Forrest Gump of bad politics) voted for the disastrous Iraq war resolution in 2003. He wrote the infamous crime bill too and was _the_ guy who let republicans defame Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas supreme court hearings in the 90s. 

Furthermore, Biden has been the biggest cheerleader for corporate & banking interests in the U.S. He's voted for every deregulation bill (including the repeal of Glass-Steagall) and was an eager supporter of the bankruptcy bill that was designed to hurt poor people.

So when you combine all these bad these things about him, it's not that surprising that he doesn't have a good track record. It's pretty obvious that he wouldn't be a change agent or a transformative president as a commander in chief.

After all, let's not forget that the whole reason that Trump won the presidency in 2016 was because the voters were sick and tired of the status quo. They rejected Hillary Clinton and were desperate to vote for anyone that would promise them change and relief.

In that sense, since there are a lot of good progressive candidates on the democratic side, I really hope that the voters aren't easily fooled this time. Hopefully they'll see who the 'good' candidates are and that they are willing to back the progressive ones.

After all, especially in the case of senator Bernie Sanders, who is pushing for things like Medicare For All (Biden of course is against it), Bernie has a solid chance this time. He's well known and has been on the side right of history for basically his whole political life. 

Still, when it comes to this whole thing, since we're talking about the United States and its millions of low information voters, it's hard to predict how things will go. It's not guaranteed that solid candidates like Sanders or Warren are going to make it. 

In the end, especially considering that the so called mainstream media (CNN, MSNBC etc.) are so viciously anti-progressive, I'm not certain that things are going to go well. There's certainly a possibility that we'll get a redux of 2016 in the 2020 election too. 

In that sense, based on everything that we know, we can only hope that once the debate season starts, the voters will choose wisely this time in the democratic primaries. We can only hope that they'll choose the best candidate.

After all, even though Trump might not be as horrendous (or an outlier) as some might say, he's still a bad president. He's a bad president and clearly the country deserves better than him or a neoliberal corporate establishment tool like Joe Biden.

'Stan & Ollie' is a genuinely touching movie.

When it comes to my knowledge of the Laurel & Hardy comedy duo from the classical Hollywood era, I didn't know much about them. Even though I had seen many of their films, I didn't know almost anything about them as human beings or about their personal lives.

After all, pretty much all that I knew about Stan Laurel / Oliver Hardy was that they did slapstick movies when movies were still black and white. This was when the movie industry and the film technology was still developing and trying find itself.

Nevertheless, once I noticed that a biopic movie about these two was released, I had to see it. I wanted to see it because this way I would get to learn more about these two and there was also a good chance that the movie would be pretty entertaining.

Having now seen 'Stan & Ollie' a couple of days ago with my friend, I have to say that I'm happy that we gave the film a chance. The movie as a whole delivered, even though there were some problems with its screenplay that need to be addressed.

In any case, when it comes to the film, the story in 'Stan & Ollie' is basically about Laurel and Hardy's last tour together in the UK. It's about them trying to find an audience for their theatrical act and the duo trying to get their final film financed.

Not surprisingly, over the course of the film's story, things don't always go the way one would expect. There are struggles in the film (personal, financial, health) and how their dream about their 'Robin Hood' comedy doesn't seem to materialize.

So when it comes those things that I like about the movie, one of the best things about 'Stan & Ollie' is that it looks amazing. The way the film is shot takes us right back to the era of classical Hollywood movies (it takes place during the late 30s and mid 50s).

After all, when I watched the film, I couldn't help but to be in awe about how authentic everything looked. Everything from the set designs and make up to sounds & to music was great and it felt like we were living with these characters again.

Another really good thing about the movie has to do with its characters and acting in it. There's no question that pretty much every actor in 'Stan & Ollie' does a really good job over the course of the film (none of them are particularly unlikable).

Yet, especially when it comes to Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as Laurel & Hardy, they did a great job here. The chemistry between them is great and they manage to portray the duo with dignity without ever going over the top in their mannerisms.

At the same time, even though the movie is mostly really solid, it has to be said that there were some minor problems in it. These minor problems with 'Stan & Ollie' had to do with its story and its screenplay (the movie is roughly 90 minutes in length).

After all, at least in my opinion, the script clearly lacked direction and purpose during its first act and its first half. It felt like the writers didn't pay enough attention to the film's catalyst, which lead to the structure of the story feeling a bit off in some parts.

Fortunately, once the movie gets past its problems in its first half and gets to its more dramatic parts in its second half, it manages to take off. This is when the story gets really emotionally involving and you can't help but to feel for the characters.

In that sense, when I look at the film as a whole, it's clear that even though are some minor problems with the story, as a whole 'Stan & Ollie' delivers. It manages to keep you entertained and respects these two comedians and their lives.

After all, the movie not only shows the talent and the professionalism of these two, but it also gives us a chance to look at them as human beings. The film makes you understand why Laurel & Hardy worked so well together and how much they appreciated each other.

So in the end, if you haven't seen the movie yet and didn't know that much about Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, you should definitely give 'Stan & Ollie' a go. You should watch the film and get to know more about these two wonderful characters.

After all, even though these two made movies almost 100 years ago, that doesn't mean that their material has gotten old. You shouldn't be thinking that just because movies were black & white and grainy those days, they didn't know what they were doing.

On the contrary, even by today's standards, especially their theatrical acts are really clever slapstick comedy that feels fresh. It feels fresh and shows that comedy that is based on the right stuff and is made with care is timeless and will never become outdated or too old.