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Reviews
The English: The Wounded Wolf (2022)
Evil personified
Credit in this episode must be awarded to Rafe Spall as David Melmont for his performance as the series uber-villain. The scene where he rides slowly past Eli barring his teeth like a wolf in the title is absolutely chilling. And his later confrontation with Cornelia in London is disturbing because by this point, we the audience, fully understand the black depths of his depravity. A textbook episode in how a satanic figure can cunningly manipulate men to undertake base and evil deeds. Plus full marks to the Director Hugo Blick for not showing the massacre on screen. The relentless sound of rifles and Gatling gun on the soundtrack provides our minds with the grim information they need. We can visualise full well the details of this atrocity. And this episode is all the more chilling for it.
Counterpart (2017)
Watchable Sci-Fi / Cold War Hybrid
Counterpart is an intriguing hybrid of Sci-fi and Cold War genres that feels authentic and is remarkably consistent. Appropriately set in Berlin at a gateway between two parallel worlds, series one establishes the characters and situation, series two explores the origins. Ending after two series was a wise decision, as the concept, though convincingly conceived, ran the risk of running out of steam. We see the usual spy tropes, implacable villains, twisty plots, social conditioning, sleeper agents, cold hearted executioners; there are plenty of guns on show, and sex scenes thrown in for good measure, serving to relieve the sometimes slow-placed plottting, and emphasis on bureaucracy . . for example at the 'crossing' where visitors are endlessly being processed and their papers stamped etc. There are no discernible weak links, music, editing, writing, plot, direction, acting: the leads especially are excellent, and their motivations are wholly convincing, even at times when the plot seems a little contrived. Perhaps the only weakness is that at times, despite signposting (for example the skyline of the alternate Berlin features distinctive architecture to differentiate it for this Berlin) Counterpart does sometimes get darned confusing; which world are we in exactly, and which counterpart (termed "other") are we watching now? Though this complexity can add to our enjoyment in solving the puzzle, providing you concentrate. Nevertheless would strongly recommend Counterpoint which I thoroughly enjoyed, give it a go, you won't be disappointed.
Shtisel: Public Telephone (2021)
Shift of tone in S3
S1 and 2 were character driven whilst S3 (which seems to have a bigger budget and more expansive location shoots) is plot driven. S3 of Shtisel is still v good but sometimes it feels like the characters we grew to know so well in the earlier two series have become inconsistent. For example Akiva's aggressive attitude to the art dealer and also Kaufman as he tries to reclaim the paintings of his dead wife strike a discordant note. Akiva was a gentler soul before. Also Yossa'le's matches look like they've stepped off a modelling catwalk. The series has become more glamorous and the quietness, meandering plot and intimacy has suffered slightly as a result.
The Great: Meatballs at the Dacha (2020)
Serious Stuff under the Fluff
The Death of Stalin, Succession and Dr Strangelove came to mind in this surprisingly serious episode about the wilfulness of war and diplomacy played with gusto by all and intelligently written and conceived . . it's not just Catherine who's being subversive . . great drama . . "Huzzah"
The Expanse: Winnipesaukee (2021)
I enjoyed this Ep
OK so maybe the Naomi / Marco dominant sub-plot ain't the best . . but please forget the negative reviews as all-in-all this was a pretty good Ep.
The Amos, Avasarala and Camino characters were excellent as always. The actors did their job. There was tension, action and build-up in spades.
The Expanse sets itself such a high standard fans can be excused for getting frustrated during the quieter moments. But the dramatic tension heightened by convincing action on a frozen Earth contrasting with the tense claustrophobia in space, underscored by great action effects and music had me engrossed throughout.
The Expanse remains indisputably the best Sci-fi Drama (with a capital D) on TV. Period!
The Expanse: Hard Vacuum (2021)
Better Ep than other reviews suggest
After being put off by poor reviews and the previous and disappointedly clunky Ep 7 I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this Ep.
Naomi's desperate efforts in the claustrophobic setting of the spaceship were tense and effective. A lot was achieved with little. And Ep 8 nicely set up the two concluding episodes of this excellent series.
Upstart Crow: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: A Lockdown Christmas 1603 (2020)
Wit and Wisdom writ large.
Hats off to Elton, Mitchell and Whelan for this inspired two-hander of the popular comedy series Upstart Crow at this pandemic year's end after a terrible 2020. Fizzing with warmth, wit and wisdom, and never condescending or trite, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: a Lockdown Christmas 1603" stands true to Shakespeare and our own times; and based on what is performed here, Elton has definitely not lost his writerly mojo.
His Dark Materials: The Scholar (2020)
Better and better
This second series continues to build wonderfully with this episode: The Scholar.
Simone Kirby, Ruth Wilson and Amir Wilson stood out amongst a superb cast. The struggle in the basement of Boreal's Oxford house was breathtaking; this was as close to perfection as metaphysical drama can be. Shedding a tear as only two more episodes left of this outstanding game series.
Get Shorty (2017)
We love this show
Likeability is what this series is about. Likeable characters . . some with more than a hint of menace; Get Shorty is conceived as a character driven comedy drama.
Compared to other characters in the cartel jeopardy universe such as Ozark, Breaking Bad and its (better?) spin-off Better Call Saul, or even Ray Donovan which is set in the LA film industry, Get Shorty is lighter and more relateable in terms of its characters and supporting plot, and whilst the leads in these other series are often miserable and unlikeable; there is no chance of this in Get Shorty.
The two principal buds Miles and Louis riff twitchily off each other, Mikes and daughter Emma have chemistry, washed-up Producer and series clown Rick stands out magnificently coiffured all on his own, whilst the cartel members Yago, Amara, even dour Ed soften up as the series progresses, although every now and then the script reminds us that they are violent and ruthless gangsters. April and Gladys are funny and delightful, and the Feds Agent Stevenson and Special Agent Dillard offer us quirky and amusing sides to their characters. Meanwhile creepy Producer kingpin Laurence Budd replaces Amara as series Panto villain. Boo hiss . . .
People who sniff that this series is derivative and falls below the Breaking Bad standard have got it wrong, Get Shorty is unpretentious and immensely watchable comedy drama. We like and care about the characters, and the conflation of movie making and drug gangs has endless and amusing possibilities, we can relate to Miles and his passion for movies.
So a plea to Epix: more Get Shorty please. We love this series.
Giri/Haji: Episode #1.4 (2019)
Beyond brilliant . .
Exceptionally good ep of an exceptionally good series . . outstanding in every way . . breathtaking . .
Friday Night Dinner: The Au Pair (2020)
Cream Teas Anyone?
This 3rd Episode of S6's Friday Night Dinner was called the Au Pair and featured the typically quirky and mischievous Sally Philips as Gibby - a returning au pair who loves English Cream Teas. The craziness goes up a notch when Jim becomes infatuated with her.
This Ep was hilariously funny with great comic ensemble playing by the talented cast with lots of iconic moments to remember. Say what you like about FND but it reliably tickles the funny bone and continues C4's successful delivery of marvellous sitcoms.
Star Trek: Picard: Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 (2020)
Unseat The Expanse from its best Sci-fi Show Pedestal ? No Chance based on this offering . .
Series One of Star Trek Picard has seen some good eps but this penultimate episode was not one of them.
Clumsy awkward and frankly irritating: this was the first time in the Series this Star Trek fan almost stopped watching. Again unfavourable comparisons with The Expanse demonstrate STP's weaknesses with plot and characterisation all over the place. Sure there were some good special effects which is not surprising given the budget . . but these were undercut especially by the underwhelming banality of the synth settlement as populated by a troop of very average actors speaking excruciatingly banal dialogue. There are some good characters in this Show but the script does not do them justice and convincingly reflect what we expect them to do. This undermines our belief in the world that has been created and as a result is extremely frustrating.
STP has a LONG way to go to catch up with The Expanse.
Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon (2020)
Firing on ALL Cylinders
Wow. Who. Where did this Ep come from?
Great acting, concept, mythology, filming and music . . esp amazing filmic music. Loved the lighthouse scene.
Back on track! Back from the cold!! Returned from exile!!!
Doctor Who: Spyfall: Part Two (2020)
Smoke and Mirrors
Best thing in this two-part opener was Sacha Dhawan as The Master.
Crazed. Diabolical. Charming. Truly evil.
A fun performance that fizzily propelled this fast moving two-parter (and distracted us from the plot clunks). PLUS a dose of mystical Time Lord mumbo-jumbo to bait our continued interest at the end . . .
BUT maybe a hint of desperation. Unlike earlier incarnations of Masters and Mistresses that slyly teased out a revelation over the series arc . . ALL is revealed at the end of the first Ep.
Chibnall has played his top card. He's upped his game . . . how his gamble pans out remains to be seen.
Good start tho . . .
His Dark Materials: Betrayal (2019)
Magisterial
Everything about this first series conclusion was perfect. Pacing. Cinematography. Acting. Never rushed. No false notes. The magic never wavered. Beautiful, moving and extraordinarily good.
Ad Astra (2019)
Humourless, dull, depressing trope . . .
I'm a sci-fi fan and had high hopes of Ad Astra despite the mixed reviews. Sadly though Ad Astra is a dud. A big dud.
Positives: it looks fantastic and posits some interesting ideas. Cinematography editing and music all good. Tick. Tick. Tick.
Negatives: where to start. Looks very much like the Director's vision was badly compromised. The storyline is deeply flawed. There are shoe-ins of Apocalypse Now / quest to find rogue astronaut father. A smattering of Blade Runner / commercialised lunar colonies (one of the film's best ideas tho undeveloped). Shades of 2001 / Interstellar / Gravity (a touch of Alien (with crazed ape rather than creature)). But smeared messily together. Images of chaotic script conferences with the Director pulling his hair out!
Some of the set pieces are ludicrous: the Mayday / ghost space ship schtick. What was that about ?! Crazed apes in space! And the buggy riding pirates on the Moon. Brilliantly envisioned but where did they come from?!
And absolutely no humour. At all. Compared to Ad Astra 2001 is like Marx Brothers Comedy. Kubrick overflowing with intelligence and wit. Ad Astra has the least humour of any film in the observable universe. It is as dry of wit as the Moon is dry of water.
But the worst part of this film by far is it's lead actor. Brad Pitt is relentlessly, depressingly dull. His interior monologue made me want to head for the nearest airlock. Quickly! And the endless psych evaluations! Why?? And the fact his character oscillates from moody self-obsessive to gung-ho action hero when the script requires it. "Quick surf through the rings of Neptune, anyone?" With token female characters who are woefully underwritten. Tho Ruth Nagga's character breathes pure oxygen into this turgid mess. Please. Please. Take her to Neptune Brad.
And as the film (to everyone's relief) grinds to a conclusion we discover Brad's character has discovered emo in Space. Do we believe this? Do we care?
Finally the science. For a film purporting to be realistic "hard" sci-fi there are simply too many glaring inconsistencies. Orbital mechanics thrown out the porthole (spaceships stopping and starting like buses). No evidence of reduced gravity inside the lunar base. Chemical, electrical and nuclear derived explosions manifested in the vacuum of space. Abundant liquid water under the surface of Mars. Fantastical propulsion systems that get you to the outer planets in a few angst-ridden days. And guns. Guns everywhere. Parts of this film portrays Pitt as some kind of latter day lantern-jawed taciturn space cowboy. At times the militarisation of Space looks like a sop to Trump's Space Force. More like Spent Force!
And whatever happened to climate change? Issue ignored. Completely.
So to sum up: if you are looking to watch hard sci-fi that is exciting, character driven, well-plotted and reasonably scientifically consistent then watch The Expanse. Avoid Ad Astra. At all costs.
Motherland: Le Weekend (2019)
Brilliant Ep
We've all been there. Group weekend in the country. This Ep was hilarious start to finish. Brilliantly written and performed. Killer lines and some really funny situations. Best yet of this strong second series of Motherland..
Succession: Dundee (2019)
Outstanding
S2 of Succession gets better and better and this episode had everything. Deep psychology set in Kengo Kuma's Dundee Design Museum. A nautical themed architectural masterwork evoking the cruise ship scandal seemingly about to wreck Waystar. Awkwardness and intrigue in collision. Magnificent.
Succession (2018)
Grower
Did not get it at first but stay with it as the journey is worth the ticket. Impeccable production, casting, interwoven plotting, music, psychology . . . you surprise yourself by empathing with these profoundly dislikeable characters and that's some pay off. Very good indeed.
Doctor Who: It Takes You Away (2018)
This Ep Worked
At last. Everything worked. You cared about the Tardis gang. The guest characters were relatable. There was a sustained sense of fear and threat. Even the Zygons had a (brief) mention. Everything wrapped up satisfactorily. Maybe still too much sonic / wand sub-HarryPotter mumbo jumbo but with this level of quality drama prepared to forgive. More please.
Doctor Who: The Witchfinders (2018)
"What's Up Doc?"
To be kind . . . this Episode was at times an entertaining romp . . . but Doctor Who is getting perilously close now to a bald mix of Panto and Carry On. It's not v serious, it's sloppily written, and it has its own dysfunctional manic energy shooting haphazardly everywhere at once. Perhaps the under 5s love it. Sad. Used to be something here for the whole family. Not any more. This is a Dead Parrot of a show.
Doctor Who: Kerblam! (2018)
Best Ep of Series So Far
At last the new series seems to finding its mojo!
Pacy, scary, slick production, characters you care about, Doctor in charge, some nice ideas, maybe all is not lost with S11 after all.
Doctor Who: Demons of the Punjab (2018)
Best Ep so far of the new Series
Demons of the Punjab boasts high production values, a reasonable story and Yaz shines as a character. Problems remain not least that introducing new aliens each episode means rushed exposition. So no time for getting back to the Tardis at the end of each story. And the Doctor has become a two-dimensional character with no sense of Gallifreyan wisdom and power beneath the frantic transmat comings and goings. Based on what we've seen so far this series risks becoming unmoored from its long heritage, pantomime-like and rather superficial.
The Children Act (2017)
Wonderful Film
The pacing, cinematography, music and script (based on an Ian McEwan novel) are all perfectly crafted, but what lifts this film from the very good to the excellent is Emma Thompson's wonderfully nuanced performance. She quietly conveys her inner turmoil between heart and head in an astonishing way, knocking the ball so far out of the park it goes into orbit!
I guarantee you will not experience a finer cinematic performance by an actor this year.
Doctor Who: The Tsuranga Conundrum (2018)
Good Enough ain't Good Enough!
When you start looking at the set design it means things are getting pretty bad. This ep was OK but overall it looks like Dr Who has lost its mojo. Little emo or humour. Frantic running about and pointy stuff with the sonic. As for the alien . . .