With all the talk of "Direct Democracy" by unhappy citizens lately, this film came to mind. I saw it in about 1976 at a uni film night and it has stayed with me since as a political blueprint. So much political activity lately recalls Rimmer's modus operandi. Cook is as smiley and smooth as Tony Blair, though with far more personal magnetism. Conservatives are as usual hopelessly outclassed and the media completely compromised. Beware the men in the background controlling and manipulating what we are shown. Peter Cook was a genius and wrote this satire with Monty Python's Graham Chapman and John Cleese. You can play spot the English character actor in the cast, all complete naturals at this kind of comedy. The ending is only the logical result of his calculated rise to power. Very clever indeed.
Reviews
55 Reviews
Return to mischief
14 April 2024
English eccentricity makes a welcome return to Midsomer in season 24. The series is actually watchable again, possibly due to better writing, better casting and a good dollop of mischief as far as the murder investigations are concerned.
(I'm not sure, though, of the strained attempts to conjure a sudden tension between Winter and Fleur, the octogenarian pathologist, who, like Vera, would have been pensioned off ages go in real life.)
The Book of the Dead features classic Midsomer eccentrics played by the familiar Selina Cadell and Omid Djalili and a very English illustrated puzzle book. In A Climate of Death, Nathaniel Parker is paired with Julie Graham and demonstrates what living in a "green" village might entail - lights out a 7.00pm for a start. Someone is having a lot of fun here and it is very entertaining to watch.
(I'm not sure, though, of the strained attempts to conjure a sudden tension between Winter and Fleur, the octogenarian pathologist, who, like Vera, would have been pensioned off ages go in real life.)
The Book of the Dead features classic Midsomer eccentrics played by the familiar Selina Cadell and Omid Djalili and a very English illustrated puzzle book. In A Climate of Death, Nathaniel Parker is paired with Julie Graham and demonstrates what living in a "green" village might entail - lights out a 7.00pm for a start. Someone is having a lot of fun here and it is very entertaining to watch.
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking
(2004 TV Movie)
Sophisticated Sherlock
21 March 2024
Choosing Rupert Everett to play Sherlock was a stroke of genius. His languid indolence off-duty contrasts perfectly with his elegantly precise focus when immersed in the search for the killer. Added to this is Helen McCrory who beautifully embodies Dr Watson's soulmate in the form of a fascinating, intelligent woman trained in psychoanalysis. Another stroke of genius! In fact, all the cast (except for Neil Dudgeon as a ridiculously incompetent Lestrade) contribute quality performances. Michael Fassbinder in an early role shows his outstanding talent and Ian Hart is a sterling Dr Watson. The story is given contemporary understanding and intelligent sophistication - a welcome change from the stodgy, stuffy, conventional Holmes & Watson, of which I've never been much of a fan. Still a revelation to watch after nine years.
Leave the World Behind
(2023)
Unconvincing
4 January 2024
The story is a good idea but slow moving and lacking conviction. The impending apocalypse is just not presented as believable. Even the plane crash is a poor special effect. Lacking a sense of genuine foreboding, the makers must have been counting on attracting a young audience who have never seen a Hitchcock movie so can't make comparisons with a master.
No surprise either that the Obamas were involved in this production, since the plot pits the black owners of the holiday house against the white renters, with a big question mark over their claim.
And why does every second Netflix series now have to feature rap music to set the mood (not)?
Pass.
No surprise either that the Obamas were involved in this production, since the plot pits the black owners of the holiday house against the white renters, with a big question mark over their claim.
And why does every second Netflix series now have to feature rap music to set the mood (not)?
Pass.
Candice Renoir
(2013– )
Addictive and so French
17 December 2023
Everything sounds better in French and this series has it all: interesting cast and characters, good scripts, intriguing stories, beautiful setting. And they just keep coming. It's addictive.
Cecile Bois is a very likeable lead, easy to identify with as she tries to balance returning to full-time work, and the difficulties she experiences there, with her family and private lives.
Her team was at first openly hostile towards her - her boss still is - but their characters develop and get used to her unusual methods of investigation. Candice is not sophisticated, she can talk to and connect with practically any suspect. She unashamedly uses her woman's intuition a lot of the time to crack a case. Her deputy, Antoine, does a complete about face and later, is most convincing as cop with PTSD in denial. The characters face real conundrums and have to make difficult choices in their lives and we're with them all the way. Being gay is handled with genuine understanding and frankness.
There's also plenty of humour and even an episode when the French do a Life on Mars and head back to 1975.
I could have done without the crude, hackneyed feminist anthem 'Respect' being the title music, but otherwise, I love it.
The secret ingredient is that Candice Renoir, both the character and the series, has heart.
Cecile Bois is a very likeable lead, easy to identify with as she tries to balance returning to full-time work, and the difficulties she experiences there, with her family and private lives.
Her team was at first openly hostile towards her - her boss still is - but their characters develop and get used to her unusual methods of investigation. Candice is not sophisticated, she can talk to and connect with practically any suspect. She unashamedly uses her woman's intuition a lot of the time to crack a case. Her deputy, Antoine, does a complete about face and later, is most convincing as cop with PTSD in denial. The characters face real conundrums and have to make difficult choices in their lives and we're with them all the way. Being gay is handled with genuine understanding and frankness.
There's also plenty of humour and even an episode when the French do a Life on Mars and head back to 1975.
I could have done without the crude, hackneyed feminist anthem 'Respect' being the title music, but otherwise, I love it.
The secret ingredient is that Candice Renoir, both the character and the series, has heart.
Shetland
(2013– )
No Perez, no go
17 December 2023
I can't help thinking that all the high-star reviews that turned up here after Ashley Jensen took over from Douglas Henshall were written by PR agents, desperate to convince us that the new casting is brilliant.
Alas, no.
Perez left his job with a bang which was a great way to say goodbye. The 10 stars I give Shetland are for seasons 1 to 7.
I still think it is a mistake to remove the male dynamic from the lead.
Why couldn't a new male lead have been chosen?
I note also that my previous review here, with the same opinions, has mysteriously been removed.
Are the PR people really that desperate? Oh, wait...
Alas, no.
Perez left his job with a bang which was a great way to say goodbye. The 10 stars I give Shetland are for seasons 1 to 7.
I still think it is a mistake to remove the male dynamic from the lead.
Why couldn't a new male lead have been chosen?
I note also that my previous review here, with the same opinions, has mysteriously been removed.
Are the PR people really that desperate? Oh, wait...
Mrs Sidhu Investigates
(2023– )
The way to all our hearts
25 November 2023
The warm heart of the peerless Meera Syal is at the centre of this series. It is as much about family and women's place in both Anglo and Indian cultures as it is a murder mystery.
This series is thoughtful, funny and endearing. Mrs Sidhu doles out plenty of good sense alongside her scrumptious-looking, homemade meals and treats, and has a nice line in chai tea and sympathy for getting information.
Gurjeet Singh, a fresh, visually comic actor, is a perfect match as her son. Craig Parkinson's beleaguered old-school police detective is at first irritated but soon begins to fall under her spell. In the scene where they get her son to test a theory by putting his face into a pizza while they time it, we see how they are such a good fit.
Well written and plotted, Mrs Sidhu Investigates makes a satisfying, culturally refreshing change from the usual procedural crime drama. And when "More like this" is offered, there won't be. Mrs Sidhu Investigates is special.
Let's hope they keep it that way.
Oh, and you will start craving Indian food so maybe have some recipes handy.
This series is thoughtful, funny and endearing. Mrs Sidhu doles out plenty of good sense alongside her scrumptious-looking, homemade meals and treats, and has a nice line in chai tea and sympathy for getting information.
Gurjeet Singh, a fresh, visually comic actor, is a perfect match as her son. Craig Parkinson's beleaguered old-school police detective is at first irritated but soon begins to fall under her spell. In the scene where they get her son to test a theory by putting his face into a pizza while they time it, we see how they are such a good fit.
Well written and plotted, Mrs Sidhu Investigates makes a satisfying, culturally refreshing change from the usual procedural crime drama. And when "More like this" is offered, there won't be. Mrs Sidhu Investigates is special.
Let's hope they keep it that way.
Oh, and you will start craving Indian food so maybe have some recipes handy.
Confection perfection
27 August 2023
Borrowing from King Lear for its first plot, McDonald & Dodds aims high and sails through to the denouement with flying colours.
In introducing the title characters, we see the no-nonsense McDonald's respect for her nondescript partner go from a shaky 1 to a begrudging 100 while Dodds is shaken awake by the whirlwind pace to find his new operational role in "this detectivey stuff".
Highlights include McDonald's meltdown in the library - Dodds's second home ; her gale-force takedown of the killer and Dodds's instinctual suspicion early on of the family patriarch, played with crafty gusto by Robert Lindsay.
The script fizzes and sparkles as South London meets the city state of Bath. The Mozartian orchestral music comments delightfully on the action. The casting is superb. We're in heaven.
This is my favourite episode by far and sets a high bar for the series to follow. Maybe the creators need to watch it again to get this refreshing series back on track.
In introducing the title characters, we see the no-nonsense McDonald's respect for her nondescript partner go from a shaky 1 to a begrudging 100 while Dodds is shaken awake by the whirlwind pace to find his new operational role in "this detectivey stuff".
Highlights include McDonald's meltdown in the library - Dodds's second home ; her gale-force takedown of the killer and Dodds's instinctual suspicion early on of the family patriarch, played with crafty gusto by Robert Lindsay.
The script fizzes and sparkles as South London meets the city state of Bath. The Mozartian orchestral music comments delightfully on the action. The casting is superb. We're in heaven.
This is my favourite episode by far and sets a high bar for the series to follow. Maybe the creators need to watch it again to get this refreshing series back on track.
Out of character
23 August 2023
Having our favourite detective duo McDonald and Dodds acting out this dark episode involving a serial killer seems out of place and out of character. Disappointingly, in this episode, this outstanding series falls into step with all the other crime-solving series around. The exceptionally light touch which made McDonald and Dodds sing is sorely missed. Sure, the plot is intriguing but the execution is flat and humourless. We've come down to earth with a thud after the joys of such triumphs as The Fall of the House of Crockett and The War of Rose. The new chief super appears to have strayed onto the wrong set from a rather dull police procedural. Her mistaken goal of "justice", which is what the Courts are for, and goody two-shoes micro-management makes me think she was written by focus groups not screenwriters. There's no dramatic tension as there had been with Houseman.
Here McDonald is cast as a helpless victim (seriously?) and Dodds is in a dither. What happened to the wonderful McDonald and Dodds battling together against the odds with their humorous banter, their growing connectedness and shared revelations? This is a betrayal of all that was so enjoyable about them from the beginning and of those of us who appreciated them for their spark and ability to lift us out of everyday reality. Why does everything that is fresh, clever, creative - and different - have to be dragged down to be just as mundane and miserable as everything else? It happened to Queens of Mystery. I hope McDonald & Dodds bounces back next season but I think the best has already been seen.
Here McDonald is cast as a helpless victim (seriously?) and Dodds is in a dither. What happened to the wonderful McDonald and Dodds battling together against the odds with their humorous banter, their growing connectedness and shared revelations? This is a betrayal of all that was so enjoyable about them from the beginning and of those of us who appreciated them for their spark and ability to lift us out of everyday reality. Why does everything that is fresh, clever, creative - and different - have to be dragged down to be just as mundane and miserable as everything else? It happened to Queens of Mystery. I hope McDonald & Dodds bounces back next season but I think the best has already been seen.
Fabulous
23 July 2023
Bordering on pure camp, this episode of McDonald & Dodds is great fun - from the snarky social media to the misogynist lap dog and bitching cosmetic surgeon couple. Sarah Parish chews the scenery as the ambitious, soon-to-be-divorced consultant surgeon and wannabe karaoke star. The murder plot has plenty of twists, false leads and digs from Houseman for McDonald to weather before she and Dodds crack the mystery with their usual attention to crucial detail. A lovely turn from Emily Joyce as Diane, the husband's divorce lawyer, is a bonus as is the nurse with the distinctive vintage fashion sense. McDonald and Dodds - or Dudes as he gets called in this episode - continue to delight. One of my favourite episodes, watched more than a few times. Shows as good as this are hard to come by!
McDonald & Dodds
(2020– )
This works so well
14 July 2023
This pairing of a driven black female police detective and a seemingly doddery middle-aged white male works better than any other detective duo I can think of on TV for years.
I love the ostensibly meek Dodds whose thinking is always on a different track that nevertheless comes round to support his partner to the very end. Maybe some viewers could learn from his acceptance of the changed world around him, one that has a special place for him thanks to McDonald's recognition of and growing respect for his talents at "this detectivey stuff". She brings him out of his shell. And I love McDonald's magnificent feistiness and savvy intelligence which invigorates the relationship while her vulnerability in the face of males out to humiliate her earns our sympathy. It's obvious that McDonald got that job because she's so good at it, like she says.
The pace is faster and smarter, the plotting clever with surprise twists and the quirkiness gentle and surprisingly touching but never forced. The murder plot is foremost - the relationship only works in the solving of the crime. We don't need to see their lives outside work. Their occasional references to how they live, dropped incidentally, speak volumes anyway.
The writing is superior to most other crime series. Even the music, delightfully riffing on classical orchestral pieces, is a cut above the usual fare. This is not quaint Midsomer, which is on life support these days, this is exceptional TV with great characters played by excellent actors, a lovely sense of humour, some interesting role reversal and even ideas about how we live now - all packed into each hugely entertaining episode.
McDonald & Dodds is a breath of fresh air in a glut of mundane crime-solving series. Long may they last.
I love the ostensibly meek Dodds whose thinking is always on a different track that nevertheless comes round to support his partner to the very end. Maybe some viewers could learn from his acceptance of the changed world around him, one that has a special place for him thanks to McDonald's recognition of and growing respect for his talents at "this detectivey stuff". She brings him out of his shell. And I love McDonald's magnificent feistiness and savvy intelligence which invigorates the relationship while her vulnerability in the face of males out to humiliate her earns our sympathy. It's obvious that McDonald got that job because she's so good at it, like she says.
The pace is faster and smarter, the plotting clever with surprise twists and the quirkiness gentle and surprisingly touching but never forced. The murder plot is foremost - the relationship only works in the solving of the crime. We don't need to see their lives outside work. Their occasional references to how they live, dropped incidentally, speak volumes anyway.
The writing is superior to most other crime series. Even the music, delightfully riffing on classical orchestral pieces, is a cut above the usual fare. This is not quaint Midsomer, which is on life support these days, this is exceptional TV with great characters played by excellent actors, a lovely sense of humour, some interesting role reversal and even ideas about how we live now - all packed into each hugely entertaining episode.
McDonald & Dodds is a breath of fresh air in a glut of mundane crime-solving series. Long may they last.
Black Books
(2000–2004)
Highly creative comedy
25 June 2023
There are only three seasons of Black Books which makes it even more of a treasure with the perfect teaming of Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Grieg in every episode, created by the wonderful Graham Linehan and Dylan Moran. This is Irish-British comedy at its best: endlessly creative, often surreal, perfectly timed and great fun. As Dylan Moran says to customers as he ushers them out of his shop at the end of the first scene in the first ever episode: "Go on, back to your lives, back to reality." From now on, everything at Black Books is up for grabs: yoga, piano lessons, heatwaves, gambling, hens' nights, cheap flights, good wine, a TV show called Pet Surprise (which will be made one day in all seriousness). There is so much packed into every episode as these characters bounce off each other. Enjoy forever.
The Sandhamn Murders
(2010– )
Life lesson
24 June 2023
Swedish summer murders on an idyllic island sounds familiar, doesn't it? The everyday mysteries in this series are well plotted and believable. Like Midsomer, Sandhamn has an amazingly high murder rate per head of population but there's something else at work in this Swedish series, a life lesson playing out from seasons 1 to 9.
A prosecutor with a house on the island, Nora is an attractive, sympathetic and likeable lead. The always reliable Par, with his sartorial individualism, is also very likeable as her assistant in her work life. But her love life! That's another story. Perhaps the real story. The Norwegian police detective is a breath of fresh air after the rather dull Swede, Thomas. For each love story, there's the will they or won't they game as events manage to interrupt their interludes together.
Cruellest of all is how the message - to take risks, be true to your feelings and seize the day - is finally driven home to us. With the presence of death in each story, we are reminded to live life.
A prosecutor with a house on the island, Nora is an attractive, sympathetic and likeable lead. The always reliable Par, with his sartorial individualism, is also very likeable as her assistant in her work life. But her love life! That's another story. Perhaps the real story. The Norwegian police detective is a breath of fresh air after the rather dull Swede, Thomas. For each love story, there's the will they or won't they game as events manage to interrupt their interludes together.
Cruellest of all is how the message - to take risks, be true to your feelings and seize the day - is finally driven home to us. With the presence of death in each story, we are reminded to live life.
Midsomer gets its mojo back
21 May 2023
Now we're having fun again. Dressed to Kill is full of camp humour, plot twists, revelations and some genuinely moving moments, the confrontation with the killer being especially so. All those having conniptions over drag queens in the village need to revisit the first ever series of Midsomer Murders, which featured a transvestite, a camp undertaker uttering a barely disguised four letter word and a pair of elderly hash cookie bakers.
In this episode, Felix Kai steals the show as the young, charismatic Malik, a drag queen with a past. Sophie Stone is a revelation and a wonderful talent to be able to see. (I was expecting John Barnaby to dust off his psychology degree and diagnose her character with Munchausen's by Proxy but he seems to have given that away these days.) The magic of the theatre is a theme with the old thespian finding a new lease of life and the power of Shakespeare to capture and express our deepest feelings. (Oh and the history of the theatre is full of cross-dressers, by the way.) The action is a little uneven, rather like the camera work in the first scene, but stick with it and you will be rewarded. Winter's weirdly asexual, wooden character finally cracks to reveal a sense of mischief and the scriptwriter even slips in an apt reference to Some Like It Hot at the end.
In this episode, Felix Kai steals the show as the young, charismatic Malik, a drag queen with a past. Sophie Stone is a revelation and a wonderful talent to be able to see. (I was expecting John Barnaby to dust off his psychology degree and diagnose her character with Munchausen's by Proxy but he seems to have given that away these days.) The magic of the theatre is a theme with the old thespian finding a new lease of life and the power of Shakespeare to capture and express our deepest feelings. (Oh and the history of the theatre is full of cross-dressers, by the way.) The action is a little uneven, rather like the camera work in the first scene, but stick with it and you will be rewarded. Winter's weirdly asexual, wooden character finally cracks to reveal a sense of mischief and the scriptwriter even slips in an apt reference to Some Like It Hot at the end.
Monk
(2002–2009)
It IS a jungle out there
12 April 2023
Allay your anxieties caused by living in the 2020s by going back to this classic TV comedy/drama. Monk's humanity, wit and cleverness are always needed.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is accepted without resorting to sentimentality and - shock, horror - is the main subject of the show's humour but it's OK, we love Monk, we empathise with him.
Tony Shalhoub is a very talented actor and completely personifies the beleaguered former police detective. The rest of the regular cast fit so perfectly together you cannot imagine anyone else in the roles.
There are some witty asides in the tight, multilayered, clever scripts and even in-jokes such as a housekeeper in a billionaire's mansion called Mrs Danvers; a lawyer talking on the phone about a divorced couple Mr and Mrs Kramer and a TV series that changed its theme song, which some viewers hated.
But mostly, Monk the TV series is honest, decent and true and often heartwarming and surprisingly moving.
You'll catch yourself singing the theme song, written especially by Randy Newman, as you do the housework. Unless you are one of the fans that hated it, that is.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is accepted without resorting to sentimentality and - shock, horror - is the main subject of the show's humour but it's OK, we love Monk, we empathise with him.
Tony Shalhoub is a very talented actor and completely personifies the beleaguered former police detective. The rest of the regular cast fit so perfectly together you cannot imagine anyone else in the roles.
There are some witty asides in the tight, multilayered, clever scripts and even in-jokes such as a housekeeper in a billionaire's mansion called Mrs Danvers; a lawyer talking on the phone about a divorced couple Mr and Mrs Kramer and a TV series that changed its theme song, which some viewers hated.
But mostly, Monk the TV series is honest, decent and true and often heartwarming and surprisingly moving.
You'll catch yourself singing the theme song, written especially by Randy Newman, as you do the housework. Unless you are one of the fans that hated it, that is.
Wellmania
(2023)
Terrible script
9 April 2023
Predictable, unimaginative, repetitive. Not a bad idea for a series but it fails to deliver. We don't like these people. We don't care about these people. And it's just not funny. The script is terrible and relies on crude jokes to get by. A friend who usually has great recommendations urged me to watch Wellmania but I could only last into the second episode. Remember this is based on Instagram posts and not much else. It doesn't go anywhere or get any better. There is no guiding hand to set up dramatic structure or tension, only a cringeworthy immaturity not even worthy of an undergraduate's first draft. Besides, Absolutely Fabulous has done all this before and was so much better at sending up ridiculous fashion trends. That's the standard to reach and Wellmania is a product of some impressive blagging but not much talent.
Inventing Anna
(2022)
Scary stuff
7 April 2023
In this complex story, we see Anna Delvey aka Sorokin's behaviour in astonishing detail. Anna Sorokin was a fascinating creature, and this series is about a psychopath in action: her blatant lies, her callous disregard for other people's feelings, her arrogance and incessant bullying and whining. We also learn how money talks in New York in this funky reconstruction of events and admitted fictionalisation to fill in the gaps. Observed objectively here, Anna is actually a bore to be around, so are people hanging out with her only for her (fake) money?
Using the journalist's investigation is a seamless way to explore this phenomenal scam artist. Anna Chlumsky is pretty much the same as she was in The Loop but her schtick fits the role. Alexis Floyd is sparky as Anna's only true friend and Julia Garner is completely believable as the Russian-born conwoman whose delusions catch up with her.
The clever script shows how exploiting feminist cliches is one of Anna's tactics on her victims, one of whom uses the same to try to defend her, even when the reality of Anna's fraud is staring her in the face.
This series goes beyond the trial to include the journalist's investigations into Anna's past and to track down her family in Germany. Now that Anna has been released, she's not so interesting as she was in full conwoman mode which is what makes this a very watchable TV series.
Using the journalist's investigation is a seamless way to explore this phenomenal scam artist. Anna Chlumsky is pretty much the same as she was in The Loop but her schtick fits the role. Alexis Floyd is sparky as Anna's only true friend and Julia Garner is completely believable as the Russian-born conwoman whose delusions catch up with her.
The clever script shows how exploiting feminist cliches is one of Anna's tactics on her victims, one of whom uses the same to try to defend her, even when the reality of Anna's fraud is staring her in the face.
This series goes beyond the trial to include the journalist's investigations into Anna's past and to track down her family in Germany. Now that Anna has been released, she's not so interesting as she was in full conwoman mode which is what makes this a very watchable TV series.
Journal 64
(2018)
Best crime-fighting duo
31 March 2023
The chemistry between Nickolaj Lie Kaas as Carl and Fares Fares as Assad is something other crime series can only wish for and finally crosses a line in this episode of the Department Q series. It's extremely disappointing to read of the production changes that have led to recasting the leads so enjoy their further character development in Journal 64.
A distressing series of crimes from the dark history of Denmark is being investigated by our favourite detectives here. Carl is still as grumpy as ever to begin with and personal involvement makes this case more of a quest for Assad than usual. At times in this taut thriller, they transform into superheroes but I am happy to suspend disbelief to see Carl and Assad succeed and the criminals caught.
A distressing series of crimes from the dark history of Denmark is being investigated by our favourite detectives here. Carl is still as grumpy as ever to begin with and personal involvement makes this case more of a quest for Assad than usual. At times in this taut thriller, they transform into superheroes but I am happy to suspend disbelief to see Carl and Assad succeed and the criminals caught.
Van der Valk
(2020–2023)
Nothing Dutch about this at all
30 March 2023
The British can claim Van der Valk as their own since his creator, Nicholas Freeling, was British but with so many good European TV series around now it seems strange to have British actors pretending to be Dutch in Amsterdam.
As well as being a British TV series in the 1970s, Van der Valk was more recently made into a fascinating BBC Radio series which managed to catch the cool vibe the current TV series tries so hard to inhabit.
The current series lacks good scriptwriting and interesting characters. You wait for it to get its mojo but it never does.
Like many other crime series these days, Van der Valk is running out of ideas. One of the latest episodes is set in the world of free running, something Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway have already explored with more intrigue in Oxford.
As well as being a British TV series in the 1970s, Van der Valk was more recently made into a fascinating BBC Radio series which managed to catch the cool vibe the current TV series tries so hard to inhabit.
The current series lacks good scriptwriting and interesting characters. You wait for it to get its mojo but it never does.
Like many other crime series these days, Van der Valk is running out of ideas. One of the latest episodes is set in the world of free running, something Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway have already explored with more intrigue in Oxford.
The White Lotus
(2021–2025)
So many reasons to enjoy
12 January 2023
Murray Bartlett fully deserves his Emmy as the increasingly outraged and outrageous resort manager, Armond, in this superb black comedy. Bartlett takes the character into the realm of great tragi-comedy.
The social satire is cleverly and sharply observed, keeping us at just the right distance from getting caught up in the emotional dramas.
Memorable moments include Armond, high as a kite, waltzing through "the best dinner seating evah" to Baroque Bach. The Gen Z teenagers are depicted as products of the woke techno world where everything is fake, even the books the poisonous girls pretend to read. (One of them is Camille Paglia's Sexual Personae, a hefty tome but the dustcover appears to have been slipped onto a much thinner book here, maybe by the "book stylist" they sarcastically refer to.) Later, their slogan politics are applied to a real person, ruining his life forever. Fred Heschinger as the overlooked teenage son reminded me of Tobey Maguire adrift in The Ice Storm. His actions at the end are truly liberating. Jennifer Coolidge is perfectly pitched as the needy rich woman who (almost literally) sucks the life out of people she latches onto. Alexandra Daddario is mesmerising as the insecure trophy wife on her honeymoon, the most vulnerable member of this herd.
The production values are exceptionally lush, especially the irresistable original music by Christobal Tapia de Veer and the opening title sequence. There is much to appreciate and enjoy in The White Lotus with plenty going on under the surface.
Season 2 lacks the energy of Armond's crash and burn, but the events involving its group of innocent Americans abroad in Mafioso Sicily recall Henry James's stories. While contemplations of love and sex continue to be explored, the two painful putanas working the resort are given far too much screen. Tom Hollander in a Valentino tan as Quentin, however, has a calculating malevolence straight out of an Ancient Roman sewer.
The social satire is cleverly and sharply observed, keeping us at just the right distance from getting caught up in the emotional dramas.
Memorable moments include Armond, high as a kite, waltzing through "the best dinner seating evah" to Baroque Bach. The Gen Z teenagers are depicted as products of the woke techno world where everything is fake, even the books the poisonous girls pretend to read. (One of them is Camille Paglia's Sexual Personae, a hefty tome but the dustcover appears to have been slipped onto a much thinner book here, maybe by the "book stylist" they sarcastically refer to.) Later, their slogan politics are applied to a real person, ruining his life forever. Fred Heschinger as the overlooked teenage son reminded me of Tobey Maguire adrift in The Ice Storm. His actions at the end are truly liberating. Jennifer Coolidge is perfectly pitched as the needy rich woman who (almost literally) sucks the life out of people she latches onto. Alexandra Daddario is mesmerising as the insecure trophy wife on her honeymoon, the most vulnerable member of this herd.
The production values are exceptionally lush, especially the irresistable original music by Christobal Tapia de Veer and the opening title sequence. There is much to appreciate and enjoy in The White Lotus with plenty going on under the surface.
Season 2 lacks the energy of Armond's crash and burn, but the events involving its group of innocent Americans abroad in Mafioso Sicily recall Henry James's stories. While contemplations of love and sex continue to be explored, the two painful putanas working the resort are given far too much screen. Tom Hollander in a Valentino tan as Quentin, however, has a calculating malevolence straight out of an Ancient Roman sewer.
The Staircase
(2022)
American justice and the disinterested viewer
7 January 2023
Just because someone is an unlikeable person, does that make them guilty of murder? This is one of many issues raised in this multi-layered true crime series that intelligently and stylishly examines all aspects of the case. It also presents a number of scenarios, one of which sounds whacky at first, to solve the mystery of what happened to Kathleen, Michael Peterson's wife. Colin Firth is extraordinary in showing a complex man accused of his wife's murder, from loving and caring to selfish, manipulative and sleazy. Toni Collette is fascinating as the corporate executive wife, the breadwinner of the blended family who is cracking under the strain. Michael Stuhlbarg is again excellent after his brilliant performance in Dopesick. Family life is gradually revealed to be dysfunctional in its own way and we can't help noticing that alcohol plays a regular part. Once the American justice system comes knocking at their door, however, it's game on. There is a simple explanation that does fit Kathleen's injuries but that's not what the lawyers can see or what they want to hear, and it is later called into doubt. This series is about rational, disinterested observation and analysis as much as it is about the human drama of the crime. I didn't know anything about this case before bingeing on this series and found it to be balanced, absolutely fascinating to watch and quietly profound - but it needs to be met with an open mind.
The Ghost Writer
(2010)
Reliably good
27 December 2022
Everyone working on this film knows exactly what they are doing. The cast is surprisingly few but all fit perfectly and each play their part intelligently. Ewan McGregor makes the ghost writer an interesting but illusive character, as is his subject, and, while claiming not to be an investigative journalist, he can't help but follow the leads. Even the furniture, including the ghost's coffee table, is stylish, and the house by the sea, where most of the story takes place, makes an unsettling location for the political and personal drama. Polanski himself knows something about exile. Watch it a few times because, like the Carlo Mollino coffee table, there is much to observe and perceive.
Infiniti
(2022)
Darkness and light
27 November 2022
"Mistah Kurtz, he dead." Or is he? The American in this space program is given the name Kurz and comments on the meaning of the Frenchwoman's surname. His name is a famous reference to Conrad's classic novel, Heart of Darkness. Prepare to go there again via an international space station in a contemplative story that also features crime drama and action. The cinematography, landscapes and locations, including simulated space above the Earth, are breathtakingly strange and beautiful. Kazakhstan looks like the new Paris, Texas. The acting is excellent from actors most of us haven't heard of, such as Daniyar Alshinov, but would like to see again. Celine Sallette (from Les Revenants) is one of my favourite actors. She is poetic in this sci-fi series. Infiniti lifts you above the mundane and takes you into other worlds.
Dopesick
(2021)
Exceptional, brilliant
24 October 2022
Dopesick is the best tv series/movie I've seen since Joker. Both are complete in themselves. The writing, direction, acting, cinematography, and the soundtrack work together perfectly in each. Chronicling the greed and excesses of big pharma, Dopesick treats all characters in the story with respect and a need to understand their lives and psyche. The class divide is a chasm. Everyone is completely believable from the mine workers to the privileged and insulated dysfunctional family in charge of the pharmaceutical company and the righteous lawyers trying to nail them. There are some outstanding performances - Dever, Stuhlbarg and Sarsgaad as well as Keaton - among a cohesive ensemble cast. Rosario Dawson is incredibly effective as the DEA agent who battles to get the drug off the streets. The events that build the legal case are painstakingly and captivatingly revealed, step by step. Each episode is intense and compelling. This series is brilliant drama in a sea of streaming time fillers and is essential viewing for adolescents and adults.
Polina
(2016)
The dancers' dance film
5 October 2022
The problem with contemporary dance is that it can end up as a parody of itself. This film is a band apart, however. Polina resonates with true passion for movement and creativity that is young, fluid and beautiful. It may look like an art film but it's actually more real than that. The struggle to find true expression of herself, the exhausting work to get there are laid out as Polina finds her way from classical to interpretive dance via improv and hip hop. Every time this film comes up on SBS World Movies, I have to dip into it again and I find something new. Europe takes dance to extraordinary heights and this film ends with Polina dancing in a duet of her own exceptional, poetic choreography that will blow you away.
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