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The Inheritance (2023)
It fizzled right out.
This engaged me from the get go. It seemed like a decent plot and a familiar one when an elder dies leaving a small fortune.
But the plot holes started to mount up rather quickly and I kept hoping that this would change.
For one, the discovery of a hidden wife really pushed the disbelief meter
For two, the coroner is far too engaged with the survivors, briefing them, advising them. What coroner does this?
For three, the detective is oddly detached and clueless.
I did guess the perp from the get-go which was a shame. It was headlights from the moment they appeared.
But unforgiveable was the last episode, which, in an effort to close the whole shop down, raced through to one of the most unsatisfactory and unbelievable finales ever.
Combine all that with the mad overacting of the stepmother and three dislikable main characters and it was a total fizzle.
The only stars are for Robert Collier who did his best with the script and Kevin Whately's appearance was a blink and you'd miss him.
3/10. A disaster.
Winter (2015)
A reasonably good thriller.
6 Episodes were a little tiring. 4 would have been much better with the cutting of some peripheral characters as the main plot alone was excellent.
The other thread was about drugs that to me was irrelevant and distracting.
The plot holes were irritating and obvious, particularly where the composite of a suspect was deleted from the police digital files. That would not happen.
Also a supposedly sharp cop left themselves wide open to being shot knowing there was a rogue cop of the loose.
Also speaking of rogue cops - why do they always take potential suspects/victims into their own homes for protection? And never being charged? See also rogue cop-informant not being charged either.
The side romances also distracted. Seems like this crew of cops are a hotbed of barely suppressed and unsuppressed sexuality. None of it quite believable.
Winter is an enjoyable character. Would like to see more of her and less of her hairy love interest.
On Acorn.
8/10.
Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter (2024)
Brilliant documenrtary.
This is how all documentaries should be. It's a story that appears to be more fiction than fact and at times I was literally gobsmacked at the revelations and the dedication of this mother to find out what happened to her daughter after she gave her up for asoption at the age of 9 months so she could give her better opportunities with the encouragement of her own mother. Cathy., the mother, is only 16 and the pressure applied was immense.
The twists and turns of the story starts when Cathy receives a letter from an Adoption Agency, outlining that her daughter went missing years and years before and requesting a DNA sample..
From then on Cathy goes on a relentless mission to find her daughter. Her courage and stamina is amazing.
At no point does this doc falter or swerve its focus. The uncovering of all that happened is complete dog work and my only curiosity lay in where Cathy's financial resources lay as she had to pay many of the investigators who did not come cheaply.
I won't lay down any spoilers as even the slightest one would reveal too much.
Suffice to say and with relentless police work on a "dead file" the shocking truth is revealed and justice, though far too late, prevails.
Gripping and well paced.
Hat tip to Neflix.
9/10
.
American Murder: Laci Peterson (2024)
Excellent doc
Netflix restrained itself from padding this documentary to excruciating lengths as it normally does with such crime docs.
It was very well done, I remember the case from years ago and everyone suspected the husband then and it took far too long for the prosecution to get their ducks in a row.
Even though the outcome was known the pacing was terrific and the slow dawning of truth in Laci's family is heartbreaking in light of their supporting her husband initially.
Even though it's an old case now the devastation of the loss was deeply felt by this viewer, a testament to the skills of the doc makers in piecing it all together.
Peterson still won't admit his guilt.
8/10.
Hidden Assets (2021)
Excellent Series 1
Considering this was filmed in the throes of the Covid Epidemic, (watch the little documentary about the challenges of filming and the cast forbidden to socialize) kudos to all for remarkable performances.
Kudos also to the script which doesn't focus once o the backstories of the main characters - or any characters. A serious drama,
This is basically a police investigation which takes place in two countries, Ireland and Belgium.
The leads are likeable and I'm not familiar with their other work.
I was drawn into the tension and the whodunnit element.
Sure there are some plot holes, a break-in, a disregard for public safety but on the whole it's completely immersive.
I'm looking forward to Series 2.
8/10.
Joyride (2022)
A huge let down
I was clooking forward to this. Filmed on the Kerry roads as it was and with two shining stars at the helm. Olicia Colman and Charlie Reid..
The unevenness of it all was striking. It made an effort at being deep and meaningful but failed miserably on both of those premises.
The "humour" was weak and in one weak scene was creepy and offensive when this young boy criticizes the shape of Olivia's breasts.
I could never quite believe the maternal connection (over a lipstick, what?)
The script was massively uneven and I knew where it all was going and prayed for better to save itself. But no. The foreshadowing was like two by fours to the back of the head. I actually groaned when I saw the boy in the water.
The ending was forced and a complete trope of the Hollywood bad man of yore with no redeeming feature. And an embrace was jarring and completely unbelievable.
An awful waste of incredible talent on a limp biscuit of a script.
And PS why was there never a backward glance at the sister he abandoned or was she just a contrivance to show the lad who showed Olivia how to breastfeed on that obviously prosthetic breast?
The speed of tying up all this unbelievable mess took my breath away, Joyride indeed.
2/10 for the scenery. Avoid.
Eileen (2023)
Trashing an interesting book
I'm still shaking my head having watched this last night on Amazon. I see the author was involved in this screen adaptation of his book but jeez Louise, what exactly happened in that process?
The main character in the book is an unkempt mess along with her alcoholic father and their bordering on condemnation habitation. Her father particularly is vile but here he is cleaned up, disinfected and sanitized.
So is Eileen which is criminal in a character who is a total smelly loser in the book obsessed with her own bowel movements.
Sequencing is also a problem, shifting from imagination to reality in a heartbeat which was unnecessary.
The two female leads do their best, I give them that and 4 stars for them alone.
But the ending? What? The filmmakers had total contempt for their audience obviously or didn't know how to end the thing and left so many questions unanswered.
Don't waste your time.
4/10.
Vår tid är nu (2017)
Series One Only
I am hoping some streamer will show the rest of this series. The character development is fascinating and the sets are luxurious. It's hard to compare to other series but inevitably The Bear and Downtown Abbey and Succession come to mind, the kitchen scenes alone are superb and the dynamics of the siblings.
Good brother, bad brother, resentful sister and the matriarch towering over all.
Yes, a little soapy at times, but this is why I binge such series. And some scenes I have to suspend my disbelief a little.
But what comes to mind mostly is how we all change over periods of time sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better as in the case of the two brothers. And how women in those days were forced into roles they never wanted.
I highly recommend for those who love such series.
9/10.
Total Control (2019)
This gets better and better
I just watched Series 1,2 and 3 and I am hoping there's a Series 4. The political machinations could be applied to many countries and the writing is in a class by itself, the maneuvering of all to rise to the top of the heap using every technique, threat and favours owed and given.
Deborah Mailman is particularly brilliant in her role along with Rachel Griffiths.
Their antagonist realatship is well written as the viewer knows there are so many other layers lying underneath it. And the distrust is often palpable even though they know underneath it all that again they need each other to get ahead.
Aboriginal issues are key in all the political skullduggery, some politicians using it as another club to get ahead.
Highly enjoyable and intelligent and unforgettable characters.
I saw this on Sundance but I believe Acorn has also streamed a series or 2.
9/10.
Northern Lights (2023)
RomCom with a heart
The leads are excellent in this 6 parter and the sets are authentic on the banks of the Liffey in Dublin.
There's a lot of time switches and some not that successful as I hate having to figure out where in time certain scenes take place.
There's a mix of laughter and tragedy throughout and the friendship is believable between the two strangers.
Unfortunately, where it slips and falls and lost some stars on the rating was all those bows tied up at the end. I know we all love to believe in happy endings for everyone but seriously? That many?
Unfortunately the multiple happy endings feel very forced and frankly unbelievable which wrecked it for me.
Family healings are never instantaneous. Especially that many.
7/10.
The Long Shadow (2023)
A fresh perspective on the Yorkshire Ripper.
At times the series drags a bit, it could have lost a few drawn out episodes along on the way.
But on the whole, it was very good, all the writing is from the victims' perspective and we get to know them and regret their untimely brutal deaths..
The incompetence and misogyny of the police in charge of the multiple investigations is mind boggling in its callousness and cruelty.
For instance in a couple of exchanges younger police officers are told to avoid embarrassing "johns" by questioning them in front of their wives. Even when they could be suspects in the murders.
The Ripper was interviewed 9 times and released before finally being caught by patrol cops because of stolen plates, raising the suspicion of one young policeman in a different jurisdiction.
But of course the big buffoons of police boyos take all the credit even though they were compared to the Keystone Kops in their narrowminded stupidity in being fixated on a Geordie accent. Which proved to be totally false.
An excellent watch, totally authentic to the era in cinematography and overall 70s appearance of the large cast, some great old British stalwarts in secondary roles.
8/10.
Eric (2024)
Cumberbatch is worth the price of admission
I was reminded of the movie "Harvey" going back many, many years with Jimmy Stewart playing an alcoholic accompanied everywhere by an enormous six foot rabbit named Harvey.
Here we have Vincent, played by Cumberbatch, accompanied by Eric, a monster blue puppet originally imagined by his missing son Edgar.
There are many layers to this story, far too many which is unfortunate as they took away from the central story. Of multi-generational father-son relationships and the concept of monsters lurking underneath them.
I won't get into spoilers, but suffice to say it's all very gripping, showing the under belly of homelessness and corruption in 1980s New York.
A unique ending is satisfying and unexpected if a little too saccharine.
8/10.
The Outfit (2022)
Mark Rylance is brilliant
I am surprised at the lower ratings on this. I honestly thought it was a brilliant film, all due to the stunning performance by Mark. He inhabits the main character completely and I also liked the staging in the tailor's shop. Every scene is on the one set - beautifully created with all the fabrics and layout..
Reminded me of the old movies of that ilk. All tight scenes and great acting, no matter the plot. Staged more like a play where there is very little distraction from what is going on between the characters.
I imagine there were plot holes but frankly I didn't catch any with all the suspense that was going on.
Just when you think you've nailed what's going on, five minutes later you see you were all wrong. Again. And again.
I wish there were more films like this made in all their riveting glory.
Full of tension and superb acting.
10/10 from me.
After the Flood (2024)
Jumping in here
I thought this series was incredibly good. I see some reviewers left poor reviews after watching just one or two episodes but it keeps getting better and better as the tangled threads of the story get woven together and the tension keeps building.
There is a reason the rookie cop starts finding more and more clues so please stick with it.
And all the plot points come together in the end and then the dilemma, which remains unanswered is: who comes clean.
Scenes of the flood are really, really well done.
The acting is great apart from the the French girl who was, I thought, uneven in her performance.
But many were the stalwarts of other UK shows.
8/10 from me, I could hardly breathe with the tension of the last episode.
Maryland (2023)
Five for Eve Best
Mixed feelings on this. Howth Head in Ireland was substituted for the Isle of Man, the first let down.
The story dragged in places. The horror of Canning's plastic face was a complete distraction, What has she done to it? And she came across as completely unbelievable - a healer with a face like that?
Suspension of disbelief was my constant, how on earth did the mother get away with all of her vanishings. And the dad was over the top, a sometimes befuddled and sometimes sharp old geezer. The secrets that never felt like secrets at all. Contrivance only.
Suranne was the real disappointment. I hate it when an actor starts to irritate me every time she appears on screen. And I have liked her in her past roles.
The ending was a huge disappointment, all tied up with a bow like a box of chocolates. Very unbelievable.
Romantic scenes felt forced as well and the relationship of animosity between the sisters which was the thread running through it all was never quite believable. Off in fact. And what sister calls the husband of his wife getting drunk and singing in a bar?
Another forced plot point. A shame really. Eve Best stole the show with a limp script.
5/10.
Unfrosted (2024)
Laughless
I was looking forward to this. Assumed it would be clever and witty. But I couldn't stop thinking, ok there's got to be a joke coming up, just wait for it.
Nope. Not one joke, not one clever satirical moment. A huge cast of talent wasted on what looked like a self-indulgent party thrown by Jerry himself for his friends. It has the sheen of the Barbie movie but not one bit of depth or nuance. The kids are tropes of the usual kind, far too clever and know more than adults and the bit about the ravioli is, frankly, awful.
I had to stop, accelerate to the end and then see the cast all laughing (at us?) having a great old time at our gullibility - and Netflix's - for financing this bomb.
I wanted to scream: Stop the Noise already!
0/10.
Memory (2023)
Selective dementia
This seems to be a trope of many films depicting some kind of brain damage/injury.
Saul's dementia is all over the place. He remembers Sylvia but the not the waitress of the restaurant he visits all the time or his "favourite".
She accuses him of rape and then backs off when she finds out he was not even at her school when it took place. She mistakes a rapist? Never explained.
I was massively uncomfortable with the consent issue. And thought if the sexes were reversed and it was a woman impacted with dementia would it have been OK for the male to have sex with her? A resounding NO was my response.
I understood his brother being upset as he was the responsible adult and concerned for Saul. And then oddly, Saul remembers he paid for the house, out of the blue. Saul has no backstory to justify this. Whatsoever.
Sylvia's incest by her father is revealed but then again, her brother in law is angry about her talking about incest. What's with him?
An oddly disjointed film, begging more questions than it answers.
For instance how can Sylvia, a single mother treat her job as if it's just a hobby she can waltz in and out of at leisure?
The cast is great doing their level best with the uneven script. Hence the 5/10.
An abrupt ending. As if no one knew what to do when it was time to wrap it up. And two impoverished people (no source of income?) shack up together.
Waste of time.
To Kill a Tiger (2022)
Extraordinary doc
At the end of this documentary, I wondered why it didn't get the Oscar.
The film making is extraordinary on every level, telling this horrific story of the gang rape of a thirteen year old girl in India woth respect and care.
Misogyny is a way of life in rural India and the condemnation of rape victims is par for the course. In fact rape victims are encouraged and urged to marry their rapists to protect their honour.
Ranjit and his daughter Kiran fight for justice all the way to the courts in spite of threats from the villagers who side with the rapists.
Ranjit's love for his daughter shines through, he supports her every inch of her steadfast and courageous way, the look in his eyes is heart breaking at times, he conveys so much devotion and respect, never doubting her for one minute.
Co-incidentally, the film makers happened to be there at the time of this terrible act and were able to follow the story through from beginning to end over a period of years.
Not to be missed. Uplifting in its final resolution and Kiran was so brave to come forward and reveal her identity to help others in her country who are cowed by the onslaught of further victimization.
10/10.
Outreau: Un cauchemar français (2024)
And the abuse of these children continued....
In the courts. I was appalled watching this series and the further victimization of the children who were traumatized by the horrific abuse and possible manipulation of their abusers.
The whole focus was on the adults - supposedly wrongly convicted - the completely egregious magistrate in charge of the case who went on to great glory - and the mixed bag of adults who were accused.
All of it would be a laughable skit of a series only that the children, the after affects of the horror, their testimony of a murdered little girt, is given short shrift in the efforts to exonerate the perps.
Netflix did a terrible disservice to these children as no follow-ups were instigated and only one child was ever interviewed at length in this whole miserable mess of a 4-parter.
The traumatized children must have suffered terribly in the aftermath. Where was their story?
It would make anyone's blood boil.
0/10.
Priscilla (2023)
Pitiful
An appalling treatment - by Sofia Coppola no less -of the pedophile Elvis and his child-prey Priscilla.
Murky images, film jumping timelines like a bunny rabbit, no character development whatsoever and actors looking like they don't know what to do with the appalling script and inadequate direction.
It begs more questions than it answers. Why on earth would two responsible appearing parents pimp out their daughter to a man like creepy Elvis? (And yes, before I knew all this I was a fan of his, being of an age with him). They should have been charged with child neglect.
Not one whit of Elvis music is offered to dispel this absolute drivel.
Just this Svangali Elvis controlling every petty move of Priscilla's while he has multiple liaisons with every woman on set.
A tired Priscilla finally leaves him but nothing is shown as to how she gets to that point or how she secured an exit with adequate wealth for herself and her daughter.
A travesty of a film and one to avoid.
0/10.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Did not expect such brilliance
Melissa McCarthy and Richard Grant are stunning as the two leads in this.
Melissa McCarthy I viewed as a light rom-com presence but here, sans makeup, she shines as the fraudster Lee Israel, a writer who has seen better days, alcoholic, with no attachment to anyone apart from her cat. I do hope her career expands to these kind of roles as she was amazing.
I have no idea how this was made as there are none of the usual tropes and fixations on sexy stars. Here the two main characters are basically deadbeat scammers.
Richard Grant is also a powerhouse as her ally, a gay man. They could be classified as losers as neither have a loyalty to the other or to anyone else.
But somehow they are appealing and they make the viewer care about the ultimate disaster they are surely heading towards.
It's a roller coaster of a ride and the pacing is excellent, script, direction and cinematography are also bang on.
For fans of the offbeat this is a winner.
9/10 but nudging on a 10/10.
The Lovers (2023)
Bingeable fluff
The characters are engaging and believable at the outset and funny too. But believability was stretched far too much in the public storming off the set scene as this trope is more overdone than burned toast.
They are both likeable and engaging and the script is good and the scenery itself is breathtaking at times.
The characters are completely at odds in every aspect of their personalities and the overall feeling is they would never make it in real life.
How long can one be amused at the other's foibles (and ignorance) and as the old saying goes, how can one build a relationship on the heartbreak and deceit of another?
Overall they missed the mark of a good romcom.
6/10.
Unforgotten (2015)
A 10 out of 10
I have watched all episodes (to date) and though I'm not a fan of Walker, the script kept me engaged, well written, no plot holes and fully developed characters.
I love the scientific aspect in the detail offered in analyzing corpses, finding stray bullets and blood stains and the whole detailed process of the forensics in coming up with solutions to the mysteries of old corpses and graves. The lives and connections of these ded people giving up their secrets in painstaking ways.
The team of detectives is fully rounded with their back stories and personal histories and challenges.
The slow unwinding of the salient facts is never drawn out or filler sused, it all makes sense in the end with the odd shocker thrown in to keep the viewers off balance.
Sanjeev Bhaskar is particularly brilliant in his role, his calmness and doggedness exquisitely portrayed and Sinéad Keenan (to me) is a huge improvement over Nicole Walker. I love how their slow acceptance of each other is so beautifully portrayed. Tears here.
Not to be missed by fans of this genre. It's up there with the best.
10/10.
Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer (2023)
A very low bar
An odd show. Full of non-jokes and lecturey bits. I was surprised, kept thinking it was going to get better.
Didn't like the strip show piece, the jealous husband spying on his own wife and low grade snipes at trans, handicapped, doing drugs with his son. The rare funny bit got a laugh but on the whole there was a nasty edge to the humour and a wandering focus with him smoking on stage and abandoning the audience at one point to change his clothes. If I'd paid for a ticket I'd have been annoyed and some annoyed audience members were quite visible.
He seemed oddly braggy too, as in anyone can be him.
I'd pass.
2/10.
En helt vanlig familj (2023)
Well done out of Sweden
The ending was a bit of an eyebrow raiser, an odd (to us on this side of the Atlantic) way of handling a murder case, even odder the courtroom was so swanky and very non-threatening in its gentle environment.
But aside from that, I found the six-parter very engaging, well written and totally believable in that rapists get away with it 90% of the time as trials can be grueling and the victim is victimized once again with invasive questions and disbelief when she says she was frozen in fear and didn't fight back.
Stella is fantastic, a great actor in a first major role and her parents are believable in their angst and over projection of her after her rape.
The pacing was excellent as was the script in that everyone has secrets which can tumble out in a crisis and investigation.
A satisfying ending in that Stella's motives are completely believable.
But I have question marks around that "court" case.
8/10 overall for how engaging it all is.