Kaka

A piece of extremely well done work. For the creators, The Crown must have meant years of intense thinking and shaping of the overall concept, and getting it right on all sides and angles was certainly an exceedingly difficult task, which was accomplished to perfection. The mix of pop watchability, historical accuracy, richness of thought and at the same time absolute detachment of opinion is impressive and perfectly thought out. The pinnacle of Netflix's output. Claire Foy is the best.

It's probably the weakest series so far, but it's not far behind the previous ones. Technically, it's still the polished, refined ride we're used to. Also, casting-wise, I didn't find the transition as dramatic as from the second to third series. The biggest weakness will probably be the themes that were addressed in the 1990s and which The Crown is again reconstructing with great precision. Unfortunately it is those themes around royal family relations, love affairs and similar other scandals that become repetitive and rather tiresome after a while. However, for how variably it could have been handled and what a soap opera it could have been under any less rigid directorial baton, I think the creators of the fifth series came out of it with a clean slate and quite classy.

The finale of the whole series, which actually seems to be only a transition station to the next, probably last series, which will chart the late 1990s, thus probably the fateful event of Princess Diana, which perhaps every other viewer expected as an imaginary dramatic climax. Here, apart from a few get-togethers with old friends, nothing much actually happens. The events surrounding the Queen are rather conciliatory, almost melancholic, and Diana forges plots and plans to free herself from the clutches of the aristocratic system.

A masterfully handled character study of a demonic conductor in the best performance of the year. Cate Blanchett plays a woman who is complicated, intelligent, manipulative and a lesbian on top of that. Overall, there is a sense of a focus on gender issues, but at the same time the film is also friendly to the ordinary viewer, who doesn't notice some of the details or doesn't attach importance to them, and enjoys above all Blanchett's fabulous performance – she doesn't hesitate even in extremely long dialogue passages, when the camera statically, almost voyeuristically takes her in and examines her every gesture. The length is the only significant weakness of the film, with a two-hour running time and the editing of some unnecessarily long passages (ironically, especially the musical ones), it would probably be a major Oscar favourite. Because apart from a great script, minimalist form and thought-provoking dramaturgy, this is a film from a milieu that is almost unknown to mainstream audiences and very interesting.

Explosive in places, but mostly unnecessarily theatrical, hectic and extremely long. Chazelle is recognizable thanks to the musical interludes, which are imaginary mini-peaks of the film. An ode to old Hollywood that has its positive moments, especially on the technical side. Starting with fantastic cinematography, impressive production design and good music. But watching this coked-up wilderness for 190 minutes requires a great deal of patience. Most of the dialogue passages oscillate somewhere between a selection of Tarantino and Scorsese, but never getting it right. A bold, unusual but hard to digest film.

The most intense dinner table conversation in a long time. Excellent work by the creators and the actors, again.

And there's finally a trigger in the form of Diana's interview with the BBC. Again, I would only be repeating myself if I dissected how closely the filmmakers stick to the facts and various historical details. A superbly done procedural.

What happens when you mix some of Marvel's stinking failed comic book movies with a bit of The Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, an attempt at a revolutionary depiction of a story about family values (not) fulfilling their potential and totally WTF (read modern) pop culture moments? An absolutely frenetic travesty, where nobody knows what will happen in five minutes, but at the same time nobody really cares.

Another episode focused on Diana, but the song remains the same: flocks of journalists, wiretaps, paparazzi and one rather strange, almost laughable romance. I have the feeling that the fifth season is losing its breath, pace and, most importantly, “construction material”.

An entertaining Russian interlude, with a brilliantly impersonated Boris Yeltsin with unique one-lines, and brimming with wit and good humour. Plus the most daring/awesome scene of the entire series so far, right at the beginning of this episode.