jennifertrathan Reviews

Will Trent: Nothing Changed Except for Everything (2023) Season 1, Episode 12

Where is Sara?

[7/10 · 27 April 2023]

I love the books that this series is based on, but like almost all of the films and TV series today that are adapted from popular books it bears very little resemblance to the source material. I'm finding that Angie in the series is way nicer than Angie in the books, who is pretty awful to Will.

This episode is based on the 6th book in the series, Criminal. By now Will's relationship with Sara Linton is well established and she is helping him with his work. After all, she is a trauma doctor/medical examiner as well as the widow of Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver (she'd had 6 novels of her own before Will Trent had had a word written about him). Their relationship is the main reason so many of us continue to read the Will Trent series. So when is she going to appear in the TV version?

Unforgotten: Episode #5.6 (2023) Season 5, Episode 6

Series 5 is dreadful.

[1/10 · 14 March 2023]

Having enjoyed all of the previous series I was looking forward to seing what they'd do with this after the shocking ending to the final episode of series 4. I watched the whole of series 5 in one go on itvX but I won't, however, be watching any future series. They firmly nailed their political colours to the mast with so many of the characters throughout each episode expressing their disgust of the character who had committed the unforgivable sin of being a Tory minister. To be honest, I found nearly all of the main characters (apart from the police team investigating the murder) to be truly horrible people. Even the ones we were meant to empathise with were awful. I kept hoping it would get better, but sadly, it didn't so that's me finished with it.

Vera: The Darkest Evening (2023) Season 12, Episode 4

I wasn't impressed

[6/10 · 22 February 2023]

I'm normally a big fan of Vera, in fact I spent a few weeks recently re-watching the older episodes and was surprised to find that I hadn't seen a couple of them when they were originally shown so enjoyed catching up on the ones I'd missed. Almost every series, they film in my town so it's become a bit of a thing on Facebook, during the show everyone has to post that we're on the telly again. However, I wasn't impressed with this one and ended up feeling that this was the weakest episode so far. I think my main problem was the poor acting by the lesser characters, who mostly had dreadful Geordie accents as well. One of the characters kept bursting into bad-tempered rants and he was a bit too over-the-top for my liking. Of course Brenda Blethyn and the team were like a well oiled machine, and the new doc is even growing on me, but I think that this is the first episode I haven't really enjoyed.

The Good Fight (2017–2022)

So they're not fans of Donald Trump then?

[6/10 · 7 July 2022]

I recently spotted this on Prime and thought I'd give it a watch. I've just finished season one and to say I am conflicted is an understatement. I loved the storylines and the cast were all excellent but the continual Trump bashing is wearing me down. I know that these days it seems we either love or hate our politicians, there is no central ground and The Good Fight hates Donald Trump, making sure the audience knows this in every episode. Sadly, after watching 10 episodes this is coming across as a total hissy fit from children who didn't get the toy that they wanted and (IMHO) it's spoiling the series. If they had invented a presidential character, even if it was obvious who they'd based him on, it would have made it much more palatable. I probably would have given it 8* or 9* and continued to watch the rest of the seasons. As it is, I'm not sure whether I will, even though I want to know how Maia's story pans out and whether Colin and Lucca will get back together and will Mike Kresteva make another appearance because Matthew Perry was a revelation as a slimy, nasty piece of work.

The Kominsky Method: Chapter 22. The Fundamental Things Apply (2021) Season 3, Episode 6

I'll be sad to see this go

[9/10 · 29 May 2021]

I've just binge watched the third and final season. As it was only 6 x 25 minute episodes it didn't take too long. I wasn't impressed with the first episode, I thought Norman's funeral was in poor taste when they brought in Madelyn confessing the intimate details of her and Norman's sex life. Then the wake where she comes across as totally deranged.

But, it got better, especially after Kathleen Turner turned up as Sandy's first ex-wife Roz. Turner and Douglas are still magic on the screen together and by the final episode, their scenes are both hilarious and heart breaking.

I did get a kick out of Morgan Freeman's appearances, especially the filming of Quincy, where he plays a non-binary, gender fluid version of the coroner. So funny and hopefully not the way TV is going to end up.

The final episode's ending wrapped all the strands of Sandy's life up. (I especially found Norman's daughter and grandson's story made me giggle). They were both happy and sad at the same time and although this season wasn't as good as 1 & 2 it was still head and shoulders above most TV comedies.

Halston (2021)

Enjoyable

[8/10 · 16 May 2021]

I was a teenager in the 70's. At that time in the UK we didn't know everything about American culture, as we do now, in fact all I knew about Halston was that he was a fashion designer. I remember him being mentioned in the song "He's the Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge.

"He wears the finest clothes, the best designers heaven knows Ooh, from his head down to his toes Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci He looks like a still, that man is dressed to kill"

I knew much more about Liza Minnelli and Studio 54 so found their connection to Halston fascinating. One scene shows Divine, who I was a big fan of, sitting in the background. I enjoyed the portrayal of his friendship with Liza Minnelli, they were very sweet together.

I thought Ewan McGregor did a good job in the main role, although he was possibly a little old for the earlier scenes. I ended up binge watching all 5 episodes and am now going to watch the documentary about Halston to learn more about this talented, but flawed, man.

Operation Odessa (2018)

Simply awful people.

[3/10 · 12 March 2021]

I appear to be in a very tiny minority of people who disliked this. My problem was with the three main protagonists. They were vile. I think I would have to travel very far to find three men who turned my stomach more than they did. At the end, my main questions were did the wife and children, plus the taxi driver and his passenger survive? No mention of what happened to them.

The Ripper (2020)

Excellent documentary series

[10/10 · 16 December 2020]

I was in my late teens/early 20's when the Yorkshire Ripper was committing his crimes so I remembered a lot about the case anyway but this Netflix documentary impressed me with the sheer scope of details they reveal about the murders and the police investigation. There are interviews with police officers who worked on the case, children of the victims, reporters who worked the story and some of his victims who survived . There is even an interview with Coronation Street's Bruce Jones who was helping a friend do some work on an allotment in 1977 when they found the body of one of the victims. Mostly told in chronological order the interviews are accompanied by footage of the police investigation, TV news reports and vintage film showing the areas that the Ripper was trawling for victims. I watched the first episode then couldn't stop watching 'till I'd seen all four. On the whole, I think this is the best Netflix documentary I've seen.

Mank (2020)

Gary Oldman was too old for the role.

[6/10 · 4 December 2020]

I really wanted to love this and was looking forward to watching it but by the end I thought it was just OK, nothing more. One thing that I didn't like, was that Gary Oldman (fine actor though he is) was just way too old in the role. Marion Davies and Herman Mankiewicz were the same age, both being born in 1897 but the actors portraying them had an age difference of 27 years (Oldman born in 1958 and Amanda Seyfried in 1985). It is such a Hollywood cliché, have a 62 year old man and a 35 year old woman both portraying people who were the same age.

On the whole, the acting was excellent but I would have liked to have seen more of Tom Burke who I thought was perfect as Orson Welles.

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

Excellent

[10/10 · 25 October 2020]

I played chess (a bit) as a teenager although I was not very good at it. That was a long time ago and if you'd asked me yesterday I would have told you I wouldn't be interested in watching anything about a chess prodigy and her battles with drink and drugs.

However I spotted this on Netflix last night and I thought I'd give it a go, pretty much because there was nothing else on that I fancied watching. I finally went to bed after watching the first 5 episodes and would have stayed for the last 2 if I wasn't too tired to give them my full attention.

The story starts with an 8 year old girl being orphaned then sent to a home where the janitor ends up teaching her to play chess, realising that she is a natural at the game. At the age of 13 she is adopted by a dysfunctional couple and finds out that you can make money by playing (and winning) chess tournaments. Cue her rise to fame accompanied by her addiction to drink and pills. Along the way she acquires a group of friends (although she doesn't always realise that they are).

I've seen the final 2 episodes now and can't recommend this enough. The acting is excellent and the story zips along, keeping you engaged with the main character's successes and disappointments along the way. It did take me till the last episode though to figure out where I'd seen her friend Harry before - he played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films, although he's a much nicer character in this.

I was a bit cheesed off with Netflix this week after the dreadful Rebecca adaptation but they have redeemed themselves with this. I haven't read the book of The Queen's Gambit so can't compare them but I will say the series is fabulous.

The Mistletoe Promise (2016 TV Movie)

Wouldn't watch again.

[5/10 · 21 September 2020]

Why was I watching a Christmas film in September? Because I was sick of trawling through things I'd seen trying to find something to watch. So I settled for this, which I think had a better film fighting to get through the very average one this was.

My first niggle was the main actress Jaime King. They say you can't be too rich or too thin but Ms King's thinness was a distraction to me all the way through the film because she is skeletal.

Then there are the polystyrene snowballs faking it as real snow in the scenes involving snowmen. So obvious it was embarrassing.

Then there was the story involving the ex-husband. I'm sure I am not the only one who expected Nick, as a divorce lawyer to find a loophole to get her ex off her back - he did ask for her divorce paperwork after all. I wanted a happy ending with the cheating ex sorted but no, didn't happen.

So, not very impressed and wouldn't watch it again.

Defending Jacob (2020)

Episode 8 lets it down.

[5/10 · 3 June 2020]

I'd only read the book a few weeks before this started so the plot was still fresh in my head, I knew there would be changes but I was really hoping they wouldn't make it completely unrecognisable (Virgin River did this). I was pleasantly surprised that for the first 7 episodes the changes weren't too bad at all, Andy and Laurie were much younger than in the book, Laurie was a homemaker, formerly a schoolteacher and Pam Duffy and Joanna Klein were both originally male characters. There was more but nothing that would have made me switch off in a huff.

Then we got to episode 8 where they completely changed a major plot line that was essential to our understanding of both Jacob and Laurie. Then they changed the ending. So the 8 I was originally going to rate it went down to a 5.

Why are final episodes so often a let-down?

Little Women (2019)

I Knew I Wouldn't Like It

[3/10 · 3 March 2020]

I had very low expectations for this, I haven't liked any of the previous films made by Greta Gerwig and starring Saoirse Ronan and I wasn't a fan of the original novel so I originally had no intentions of watching it. However, everyone kept telling me how fantastic it was so I gave in. Of course, I hated it, what a mess. I really tried to like it but no, I disliked everything about it.

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Switched off.

[1/10 · 7 February 2020]

I switched off after Eddie Murphy said the 'M' word for the 4th time. The movie had been on for 60 seconds at this point. Funnily enough swearing in movies doesn't usually bother me at all but that was just OTT.

Troop Zero (2019)

Terrible

[2/10 · 6 February 2020]

I must admit the main attraction for me watching this was the fact it stars Allison Janney and Viola Davis, two of my favourite actresses. Sadly it was switched off around the half way mark as it is a truly awful movie, even those 2 acting powerhouses couldn't save it. No cliche was left unused and I'm wondering if all the 10 star ratings are genuine or if they've just never watched an underdog movie before.

AJ and the Queen (2020)

Loved some of it ... but not all of it.

[6/10 · 16 January 2020]

This was a hard show to rate. To be honest I've never watched anything with RuPaul in it before and I don't really know why I clicked on it as I was scrolling through Netflix looking for something to watch. Firstly though, I thought RuPaul was terrific, not only looking fabulous as Ruby (those legs - wow!) but also as Robert who was wise and kind. When he was hurt by those he loved he was heartbreaking. Also, his friend Louis was a wonderful character, funny with a touch of sadness. I wasn't too keen on A.J. though, even near the end when she wasn't quite as much of a brat (and yes I understood why she was the way she was) as she was at the beginning I still hadn't warmed to her. Her mother I really disliked. She had no excuses for what she put her daughter through. Saying that it's hard to get off drugs is a cop out. Then there was the stolen money. That was so confusing, Robert had saved up $100,000 but he owed American Express that amount as well ? Also Hector was on the run but none of the police seem to make any effort to arrest him, he was a known con man. Then there was the final scene - I just hated it, it just soured my view of the previous episodes. I must admit I'm not a fan of endings that don't finish the story (or at least that chapter of it) so I wasn't happy at where they left it.

Virgin River (2019– )

Could have been so much better.

[1/10 · 9 December 2019]

I don't watch a lot of TV but this was one thing I was so looking forward to. I've read all the books in the series of course and am a fan of Robyn Carr's other books, I think I've read most of what she's written. As it's been such a long time since I read the Virgin River series I toyed with re-reading them but decided against it because I know that in the transfer from book to screen things get changed. And yes, things did get changed. On the plus side I liked the main cast, although Hope was a bit OTT for me. What I disliked the most was the lack of passion, the Virgin River series is some 20-odd LOVE STORIES but as this ended I didn't feel a warm glow I just felt disappointed. I'm going to re-read the first book now just to remind myself what a good series the books are and decide whether I'll be watching when Season 2 airs.

Rolling Thunder Revue (2019)

This made my ex-husband's Father's Day.

[8/10 · 17 June 2019]

My ex and I saw Bob Dylan perform in 1984, a superb concert. My ex was and is a huge fan of his and as he doesn't own a TV (yes really!) I invited him to pop over and watch this on Netflix. The music is of course fabulous, Desire is my favourite Dylan album so it was a treat to hear so much from it. On the whole we both really enjoyed this. For me, the highlights were Bob and Allen Ginsberg at Jack Kerouac's graveside. his interactions with Joan Baez (where they are talking about each marrying other people - wow), Scarlet Rivera (so talented) and the section about Ruben 'Hurricane' Carter. However, I wasn't too impressed with the fake present-day interviews. I felt they were distracting from the main event which for me was the footage from 1975 and the real interviews. This made my ex-husbands Father's Day mind, I'm sure he went home to listen to some of his vast Dylan music collection.

Juanita (I) (2019)

Not sure about this one.

[6/10 · 13 March 2019]

I liked the look of this so settled down to watch it but after it had ended I felt pretty conflicted about the parts I liked and what I didn't like about it. The next thing I did was look up the book that it was based on. It turns out there are 2 books telling Juanita's story, book one is Dancing On the Edge Of the Roof and book two is On The Right Side Of A Dream, both by Sheila Williams. This explains why Juanita's ending is not very satisfying, it turns out she has more adventures to be told and a return to Paper Moon. Perhaps there will be a second movie to finish the story.

Alfre Woodard is a wonderful actress and an extremely attractive older woman but after reading the notes on the book I realised she is way too old for the part. Juanita is 41 years old, Alfre is 66 years old (even though she does look a lot younger) and she is 20 years older than Adam Beach who plays Jess. I know this wouldn't bother a lot of people but it bothered me.

It made me laugh that she called her fantasy lover by his full name every time she imagined him and I am a big fan of movies that break the fourth wall. I love it when the characters tell us directly what they are feeling or thinking.

She seemed to spend no time at all in Paper Moon, that went over too quickly without being convincing about how she forges close relationships with the residents.

I'm off to see if I can find copies of the books and read more of Juanita's story. I think I will find them more fulfilling than the movie.

Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2018 TV Special)

I was enjoying it 'till the rant.

[3/10 · 21 June 2018]

I'm not a big fan of stand up comedy but I was flicking through Netflix last night and this came up and even though I'd never heard of Hannah Gadsby I thought I'd give it a try. I must admit that to start with I was enjoying it. I found her comedy to be quiet and self-deprecating and some situations faced by lesbians apply to all women, gay or straight so even I could empathise. She had a nice way of delivering a line and though I wasn't rolling round the floor with laughter she did make me giggle. Then the rant started, she got onto the the subject of the 'Me Too' campaign and started to rattle through the names of the usual suspects, Trump, Weinstein, Polanski etc etc. Shouting at the audience and getting louder as the list went on I switched off. I like a comedian who can weave a funny joke around a political issue but when it's just a rant my interest is lost.

Set It Up (2018)

No, no, no

[1/10 · 17 June 2018]

I lasted 10 minutes before turning this off. I basically hated everything about what I managed to watch. The bosses were bullies and should have been reported and the assistants should have told them to get stuffed, walked out then reported them. Dreadful.