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Reviews
Operation Mincemeat (2021)
Passable
I suppose for drama's sake there are subplots in this rendition that attempt to show the humanity of those involved over the 1956 The Man Who Never Was.
Colin Firth is a boring actor who lacks charisma and it shows. Matthew Macfadyen is abysmal here.
Pronouncing the indefinit article as 'ay' ; saying ' ay nother ' and using
'classified ' to mean 'top secret' shows low quality estuary English production.
The comedic elements dont help this effort. Please rewatch Clifton Web - an accomplisht dancer but you won't see that in the 1956 film -
The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981)
Classic Quality British Television
This series is a journey into history so deftly played by the multi talented Philip Madoc. I watcht this when I was 11 and now seeing it again made me appreciate the life of an amazing statesman.
There are minor mistakes eg American flag having 50 stars but doesn't detract from the enjoyability of seeing Churchill (superbly played by the Texan William Hootkins) and the Irish questions...
Midsomer Murders (1997)
Classic British Drama with a British ending.
Midsomer Murders grew on me when I caught it. And I'm watching again for the 7th time - each time I appreciate the nuances of great British thespian turns.
This is not t' say it's flawless. Brian True-May's fateful remark in 2011 - that the programme is successful owing to the absence of ethnic minorities in it - set in the downward spiral.
John Nettles acting was subtle and lively. Daniel Casey (Troy) was a good complement - but Casey could not tell 'one' rhymes with 'fun' - it was irritating his southernising parts of speech but being insensible to 'wun'.
John Hopkins as DS Daniel Scott was superb. Scott was the best sergeant Barnaby had - the friction the battles of wit between the two really lifted both characters, and the series itself. I was very sorry Hopkins left after only 2 series. By contrast, the sexless and very wooden Jason Hughes - whose acting does improve later on. Lots of strong plots and story lines lift the series.
Now, if you thought Hughes was a peg down, Gwilym Lee as Charlie Nelson is the worst yet - wholly bereft of presence and charisma free, Gwilym Lee's feeble investment in acting stands out. I think the producers made short shrift of him - his looks weren't enough. The later medical examiners 'Fluer Perkins' and 'Kam Kerimore' are just unappealing..
By this time, one realises Midsomer Murders is sadly seeking to do itself in. Poetically tragic I daresay.
Neil Dudgeon's range seems to hinge on a mock sarcastic sideways glance whether at the family dog or chemistry free wife, Fiona Dolman.
Brilliant storylines in the main, excellent acting and enough quality - especially before series 15; after this it's a more showcase fr recent drama school graduates than for the villagy lovable bucolic drama.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)
Enjoyable but Mellow
This is an enjoyable and atmospheric rendition with Brettian hallmarks.
However, it must be said that given Brett's health at the time, it is evident that it's somewhat a staid and subdued performance. Unfortunately, this is evident in Brett's smoking in scenes which are implausible acting.
One wonders how much more energetic it would've been had it been filmed, say, straight after A Scandal in Bohemia. Brett's backseatedness undermines the film. Perhaps Brett was now sick of playing Holmes.
Hardwicke's performance is a mite off at times and is non-committal eg when tossing the cane to Holmes.
What particularly mars production overall though is the palpable lack of tension. For instance the Hound doesn't offer much foreboding where it absolutely should.
Performances by Don Mckillop (vicar) and Elizabeth Spender (Laura Lyons) are standout but production's direction is poor.
The Sacred City (2016)
Interesting Thesis but Poor Production Values
Dan Gibson's documentary is welcome in its thesis which is on solid grounds but its odd production inconsistencies let it down.
There are mistranslations - 'masjid al haram' does NOT mean 'forbidden gathering place'; rather, 'sacred place of prostration / sacred mosque' - the mistake lies in 'haram' which is a polysemous word - as if river bank is confused money bank.
There are misquotes. For example a key text is quoted as 'the contest of mecca' when the actual text is 'conquest of mecca'.
This sloppiness detract from the documentary's effectiveness.
For instance, the so called Arab speaker in the mosque dramatisations is not an an Arab nor an Arabist - His Arabic is badly mispronounced. Moreover his northern English accent shows eg riming 'one' with 'gone' - this comes across as unprofessional and cheap. Clearly miscasting has taken place.
The documentary narrators' Arabic mispronunciations are also distracting eg 'um may yud' dynasty becomes 'um my ud.' Why not train him?
And the cutaways to speakers make for an odd superise. In a serious documentary, one would expect interviewing professionals with actual expertise in the relevant discipline, however what we get we get are a 'refugee charity organise' and a 'cultural commentator' - these are not specialists.
Apart from these shortcomings, it's certainly edifying to see research into such questions still being undertaken with astonishing conclusions- this without the unfortunate present muzzle of political correctness and chilling effects.
I would definitely recommend everyone see it.
The Mentalist: Red John (2013)
Atrocious Ending
Absolutely god awful ending. Gutted itself for no good reason.
Seems Heller must've come to hate what he had created - like the proverbial artist that he destroys his work despite careful sacrifice and love, smasht in an instance a moment of hate or self-loathing. so it is here. Appalling and insulting.
The acting and production values truly hit rock bottom.
Thoroughly amateurish performances - even the bullets are amateur.
Ill thought out finale where hackneyed and cliched lines are suppost t give some sort of grand Janian catharsis instead reveal the dearth of creativity, a privation of buildup.
Everyone seems to have given up on the Mentalist - the writers, producers, directors, actors. This isn't wurthy. Horribl.
Endeavour (2012)
Great plots - patchy acting
The plots are great as is the photography. the atmosphere of the 60s is well effused with great locations - though the bred n butr scenes seem tired with the same university side streets.
The let down is the acting. Shaun Evans plays Endeavor as if he's an eager school boy especially during the denouements.
Allam is passabl though his accent is awful.
Lesser is just plain irritating - playing an old school copper with short 'o' vowels that sound american. Incidentally one never hears a rural oxford accent (the one that sounds 'american').
Sean Rigby still can't tell that 'one' rimes with 'fun' and not 'gone' as per his northern origin - at least Evans can. Bradshaw's accent is even faker - learn how to say 'CERebral'.
All suffer from saying the indefinite article as 'ay' and not 'a' as in 'ago' which is a modern phenomenon..
If you don't mind linguistic authenticity or school boy errors, then give it a go!