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Reviews
Joe Pickett: The Killing Fields (2021)
The Mystery Revealed
This episode shows, through a series of extended flashbacks, the origins of the scheme behind the murders as well as how the murders unfolded. These flashbacks alternate with Joe's quest to find proof of the motives for everything that happened. He also discovers the identity of the murderer. Unfortunately while he is doing this, the danger to his family increases. Now that the whodunit portion of the story is solved, it becomes a thriller. The cliffhanger the episode ends with really raises the stakes. I'm not sure how this will be sustained over the last two episodes of the season but I am too invested not to watch.
Condor (2018)
Intriguing Expansion of the Book and the Movie
Having read the book ages ago and seen the 1975 movie with Robert Redford, I was interested in how they turned the story into a 10 part miniseries. The answer: by fleshing out the characters, including those that are not the leads, and the scheme that Joe uncovers. The main things retained from the movie (and book) are the inciting event (the wiping out of an off-site CIA office) and the hero taking a woman hostage as he tries to figure out how killed his colleagues and why. The characters' names come from the movie, not the novel, and the evil plot is both updated and more clearly spelled out. (In the movie it's just "oil" with no specifics as to how this would be accomplished. In the book it's drugs.) New characters are added and one is gender-flipped. Everyone does a great job in their roles. Obviously it does not move as fast as a 2 hour movie. It makes up for that with plenty of twists. Some of the dialogue comes right from the movie. If you like really twisty spy stories, this is a good one.
The Antisocial Network (2024)
How Trolls Have Poisoned the Internet and Politics
"The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem" is a documentary tracing the evolution from 2 chan, a Japanese anime website, to 4 chan to Anonymous to 8 chan to nihilism to Q Anon. It also shows how the business model of stirring up anger and fear spread to the mainstream social media. It interviews key people in the creation and development of this phenomenon. And it shows how even they get horrified with what they have unleashed. I knew some of this but the documentary connects the dots. It also shows how this has bled into the real world. But this isn't anti-technology. Behind this is people, some well-meaning but naive, some immature, some hateful, and some cynically using all the others.
A Compassionate Spy (2022)
Fascinating and disturbing
This film gives us a very deep look at why people betray their country's secrets. While some do it for money or ego or because they are compromised, it is obvious that Ted Hall did it for ideological reasons. While working on the atomic bomb for the US, Hall becomes convinced that this weapon is too powerful for one nation to have sole possession of. A communist, he shares crucial secrets with the Soviet Union, our ally during WW2. Much later, as the crimes of Stalin come out and the Rosenbergs are convicted for betraying less important secrets, he wavers but, to protect his family, never does confess to the FBI. He goes on to make vital contributions to cancer treatment and other areas of science while his brother designs the US missles that deliver the nuclear weapons intended to be used against Russia in the Cold War. This documentary not only gives us new insights into the Manhattan Project and subsequent nuclear proliferation but also into a man who substantially changed history by accelerating the Soviets' development of atomic weapons. Hall seems mostly unrepentant and his widow exuberantly so. The viewer is left to decide whether what he did was heroic but misguided or whether it was simply blatant treason. Given the current state of the world, the whole question of whether anyone should have developed a weapon no one should ever use leaves the viewer profoundly disquieted.
Doctor Who: Dot and Bubble (2024)
A rare exception
Russell T Davis has certainly come up with some new ideas in the 13 years since he was last showrunner on Doctor Who. And why not? It is the most flexible format for a TV show ever conceived, outside anthology shows. Every episode this season has been very different. And this episode is different from just about every episode of Doctor Who going back to 1963. The series, in common with many British TV shows, is not reluctant to kill off characters. It raises the stakes. But usually the Doctor is able to save some characters. In "The Fires of Pompeii" where even the Doctor expected everyone in the city to die, he does save one family at the urging of his companion. In "The Doctor Dances" the Doctor is exuberant when he figures out a way to save everyone. "Give me this! Just this once: everybody lives!" This episode is different not only from that episode but practically all of them in that, in the end, the Doctor is not able to save anyone! Because they do not believe him or trust him. And because he is different from the people he wants to save. And we see the emotional toll it takes on him. Ncuti's 15th Doctor, the most emotional incarnation so far, goes through just about every possible reaction when the pampered, totally unprepared survivors decide to go into the unknown wilds rather than let him resettle them on a better planet. It's a strong and unexpected ending to an episode that starts out as a satire of our present addiction to and dependence on social media.
Hidden: Episode #1.4 (2011)
The Mystery of the Missing McGuffin
Any film buff should know what a McGuffin is. It's the name Alfred Hitchcock gave to the thing that everyone is pursuing in a thriller. It can be a fabulous gem, or military secrets, or a deadly weapon. Many of the Sherlock Holmes stories revolves around a McGuffin. All of the Indiana Jones stories revolve around an ancient mystical McGuffin. The Maltese Falcon is named after its McGuffin. Hitchcock famously said it didn't matter what it was. But he meant it doesn't matter which of the possible McGuffins the writer chose. It must matter to the characters and therefore to some extent to the reader or viewer because we have to be invested in the characters' motivation. Now the Maltese Falcon subverts this because Sam Spade doesn't ultimately care about the falcon as much as who killed his partner. Perhaps that was what the writer of this series thought they were doing. Harry only cares about whether his brother is alive. But, no, he and Gina care about the reasons why people were killed and as viewers we also care about why we are being subjected to all this political maneuvering and what the organization behind it was trying to accomplish. We don't learn any of that. While it may not ultimately matter what form the McGuffin takes, there has to be one at the center of the thriller/mystery, like there has to be a hub for a bicycle wheel or the bike doesn't go anywhere. BTW how can Gina be Harry's lawyer when his assistant couldn't find evidence that she even existed? Don't the British have some kind of bar association?
Watching the Detectives (2007)
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Extreme Edition
First of all the film's title has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the film. This is a screwball/romantic comedy. Cillian Murphy plays Neil, the owner of a small video store which caters to film buffs like himself. Lucy Liu is a girl who enters the store but doesn't seem either that knowledgeable or interested in the movies. Seeing that he just dumped his last girlfriend for such an attitude, Liu's Violet seems unlikely to catch his attention. But, hey, it's Lucy Liu, doing the ultimate Manic Pixie Dream Girl, quite a change from her usual roles. Neil is intrigued. But unlike his movies, Violet is wildly unpredictable. As is this movie. Turn off your expectations and ride this wild roller-coaster ride of a comedy.
Marlowe (2022)
A love letter to LA, movies and Noir
Yes, it starts slow but it gets progressively better as it goes along. People complaining about this film must know nothing about Marlowe or movies. This film is sprinkled with references to Marlowe, author Raymond Chandler's "knight errant," as well as the labrythine plots he concocted. (Chandler admitted that even he didn't know who murdered one particular character in "The Big Sleep.") There's Marlowe's refusal to trust or sleep with the femme fatales he always encounters. There's the witty dialogue and literary references Marlowe makes. There are also references to movies like "The Maltese Falcon" and even "Raiders of the Lost Ark." There are in-jokes to Liam Neeson's height, age and his knowing Ireland. And there are some fun acting turns, with Alan Cummings stealing the few scenes he's in. Sit back and enjoy a entertaining homage to Hollywood and film noir. It's not a masterpiece but it is fun.
Echo: Maya (2024)
Not the Same Old Tired Apocalypse
Great series. Great actors. A different setting and culture than you usually see in a superhero story. Evidently some people just want to see the same old stuff: white guys fighting evil by killing all the bad guys to save the entire universe. All changes in gender, race, the stakes or the method of defeating evil are intolerable to some "fans." If you value sameness over new perspectives and directions in storytelling, this series and this finale are not for you. I'm really surprised by so-called fans not seeing this as an intriguing and yet appropriate part of Fisk's arc as a character. I for one liked this novel take on a superhero and her powers and dealing with evil.
The Dropout (2022)
The Dark Side of Following Your Dream
As a nurse I was excited by the idea of doing tests with just a drop of blood. Blood draws are hard on some patients who have veins prone to roll or collapse. You have to fill a vial of blood at least 3/4s or the lab won't take it. So Theranos' promise was a dream. Unfortunately that's all it was. But Elizabeth Holmes thought having a dream was sufficient, just like so many people believe. We are told this by just about every motivational speaker, inspirational book and every Disney film. What we should be told is what Bette Davis said about dreams: what you really need to do is to set goals and work out the tasks required to achieve those goals. Holmes wasn't willing to do the hard work of figuring out how to do those tests and how to build a machine that could do it, mostly because it would take too long. And everyone bought into the idea that her dream would just come true. Nobody asked the tough questions about the practical difficulties involved. Because we believe in the American Dream, not the American Goal and the necessary and hard and not glamorous tasks that it will take to get there. The sad thing is that patients were lied to and endangered so that a narcissistic dreamer could enjoy the kudos of the rich and important without actually doing any of what was required to make her dreams a reality. Good miniseries with good performances all around.
Maggie Moore(s) (2023)
Has a Fargo Vibe
This is not a whodunnit. We know very early in the film what the main story is: a small town business man wants to get rid of his wife. So this is a "how-catch-him." Like an episode of Columbo, the suspense is generated by watching how the detective (Jon Hamm) puts together the clues. It's a tad more complex for him because there are two victims with the same name and thus twice as many suspects, red herrings and a neat Chekov's gun. But since we know who is behind the plot (which goes a lot farther than he intended), the real attraction, as in the movie Fargo, is the characters. Hamm is wonderful as the down-to-earth but very observant police chief, supported by his odd deputy. Tina Fey gives her best acting performance ever by going against type as the self-defacing but nosy neighbor who starts out as a witness and becomes the object of a rather sweet romantic subplot. Like Fargo, there is some violence but it is not graphic by today's standards. A very enjoyable film that will not give you nightmares if you watch it just before bed.
Elemental (2023)
Magical
A good fantasy or science fiction story requires 3 elements: good characters, a good plot and good world building. This Pixar film has all 3. The central characters are charming and well drawn. The world in which they live is well thought out. The plot is perhaps the thinnest, depending on which of the plots you think is primary: the love story, the immigrant story, or the impending disaster story. But while individually their trajectories are not hard to predict, together they add emotional layers to the film. There are also the delightful details of a world in which people are made of fire. Water, wind or earth/trees. Their abilities and the effects of their interactions are clever and funny and even touching. Another wonderful work of imagination and heart.
Wilderness (2023)
A Very Twisty Thriller
Most mysteries and thrillers on TV are fairly predictable. So I love it when I can't tell what the next plot twist is, although not when the twist is unbelievable. It should, with a shift of perspective, turn out to make sense after all. And every plot twist in this series caught me by surprise and yet makes sense, logically and psychologically. And Jenna Coleman, whose show this is, is marvelous. We see her go through every possible emotion: happiness, shock, heartbreak, rage, fear, deceit, anxiety, love, the works. She deploys not only her big eyes but every tiny muscle in her face, and subtly. Contrary to what some reviews say, this is not a slow burn. Everything is important. (1 point off for the writers putting the occasional Britishism in the mouths of American characters.)
Drive Thru History: The Historical Landscape (2015)
Most Comprehensive Historical Look at Jesus
I happened upon this series on FreeVee and was surprised to find it to be the most detailed documentary of the life and times of Jesus I've seen thus far. For one thing it is 18 half hour episodes. But it also takes you to every spot mentioned and gives you the historical and archeological facts needed to understand and appreciate their significance. A lot of research was done and it is honest about what we do and do not know. It's not ponderous either. It's surprisingly fast paced and the host even injects some humor. While not overtly religious it does tend to show some conservative bias on things like early dates for the writing of the gospels and taking Old Testament prophesies at face value. But after seeing it you will have a much fuller understanding of the life of Jesus and the history and culture of the era.
Granite Harbour (2022)
Good mystery, somewhat different angle
Contrary to some of the later reviews, this is a decent mystery. Yes, we have a rookie whose instincts put him at odds with his superiors but he actually has 10 years experience in the Royal Military Police. Yes, he has Daddy issues but they don't paralyze him. It may not be absolutely unique, or groundbreaking, and I cannot judge just how regionally accurate the accents are (apparently nobody from elsewhere moves to Aberdeen), but the mystery is good and there are plenty of red herrings. The lead is appealing and the police, while not ready to follow his instincts, are not shown to be evil or incompetent. Enjoy!
The Return of Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)
The Best Sherlock in a Boring Baskervilles
I recently rewatched the whole series in which Jeremy Brett played Sherlock Holmes. I was struck again by how right he was for the role and how electric his performance was. Yet I remember not being impressed by this version of the Hound of the Baskervilles. Upon rewatching it I find my memory was accurate. There have been several film versions of this story, from classic (Rathbone) to exciting (Cushing) to boring (Baker) to bad (Granger). This one, starring the quintessential Holmes, is disappointing. Brett's Sherlock is subdued, perhaps because of his increasingly bad health. And since this is a story in which Holmes is missing for a great deal of the narrative, it makes the whole thing feel muted. While Edward Hardwiche is a good Watson, he cannot carry the bulk of this story. The pacing is glacial, the suspense is non-existent, and the whole thing seems airless. A missed opportunity to put the best Sherlock in a top notch adaptation of one of the most famous mysteries.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four (1987)
Top Notch Holmes
Jeremy Brett, the quintessential Sherlock Holmes, is in top form in this tale of treasure, betrayal and murder. As is Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson, Jenny Seagrove as Mary Morstan, and Ronald Lacey as both Thaddeus and Bartholomew Sholto. But John Thaw as Jonathan Small steals the show though he comes in only in the last third of the movie. This is a very faithful adaptation of the second Sherlock Holmes story, except that it comes late in the TV series and it eliminates the love story between Watson and Mary Morstan, who in the original tales becomes his wife. This version just hints at their attraction to each other. Thus I have subtracted 1 point for this otherwise excellent movie.
FUBAR (2023)
The true "True Lies" TV show
In the film "True Lies" Arnold played a secret agent whose true occupation is unknown to his family. Eventually his wife becomes part of the mission he's on. He also misuses electronic surveillance done by his buddy in the service to spy on a guy making moves on his wife. Here Arnold is a spy about to retire. His occupation is again a secret to his family. But on one last mission he discovers his daughter is also spy. Hijinks ensue. So its premise is not that original (is any spy story these days?) But unlike the official and now canceled "True Lies" TV series, this one is actually fun. There is good action and funny lines (especially from the character Roo). It benefits from a bigger budget than the other show and the chemistry between the actors is good. Not groundbreaking but entertaining.
Deadloch (2023)
Green Acres meets Portlandia meets Brokenwood
This is a broad comedy, rather like Green Acres where everyone is crazy except one sane character. The police sergeant is that one sane character. Like the Brokenwood Mysteries the townspeople are eccentric, except here that's dialed up to 11. And the town has Portlandia vibes. Eddie, the big city detective who is sent to handle the murder, is supposed to be annoying, though I grant you, her performance is turned up to 12. If you want a cosy mystery that's mildly humorous where you love all the characters so much you want to move in with them, this show is not for you. But if you would enjoy seeing that parodied and identity with the one sane person in a world of nutters and idiots, this should make you laugh.
Waco: The Aftermath: A Common Enemy (2023)
Not for those who can't follow more than 1 timeline
Some wonder why the series is going back to the early years of David Koresh's involvement with the Branch Davidians. This episode explains it via what Gary Coleman's character says: it's about failure of leadership on both sides. The first series was pretty hard on the ATF and FBI for their tactics and unusually sympathetic to the Davidians, depicting Koresh as an embattled leader who was maybe a little too stubborn on some things. This series shows Koresh's emergence as a manipulator, slowly building a following and eventually taking over the Davidians. Paralleling his origin story is that of Timothy McVeigh preparing for the Oklahoma bombing. Admittedly so far we are not given much insight into his character. Simultaneously we are following the trial of 5 surviving Davidians as well as Gary Knoesser's investigating the growing coalesce of domestic terrorist groups looking to pay the government back for Waco. If a viewer can't follow more than one timeline or is interested only in 1 plot thread, they will find this tough going. Those seeking to understand the events leading up to Waco and the Oklahoma bombing will find much to think about. Unfortunately relaying all these facts makes this series exposition heavy and hurts the drama.
Waco (2018)
An Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object
An amazing drama with great performances all around. As the title of my review implies, the tragedy comes down to stubbornness on both sides of this conflict. While the Branch Davidians are depicted more sympathetically than I expected, including David Koresh, he is still shown as uncompromising on certain issues despite the cost to his people and his followers as unable to break with him when it is in their best interest. And he is matched by those in charge of the ATF and FBI forces, who are smarting from the initial failed attempt to arrest Koresh and perhaps seeking revenge for the ATF men who died. Gary Noesner is the FBI negotiator who is trying to find a way to save lives. Even if you followed this story as it unfolded in the news, you will learn some things. And yet this dramatization does not neatly tie up all the loose ends and answer all the questions, leaving the viewer with much to ponder.
The Vow: The Breach (2022)
Cognitive Dissonance
The episode begins with a very good definition of what an ethical breach is and then shows how, having taught this, Keith Reniere violates universally accepted ethics and forces his harem ("sister wives" is used at one point, and not ironically) to violate them as well. What is shocking is how low he is willing to go to manipulate these women.(Spoiler: he promises to father their babies.) We do get audio of Keith discussing branding and the nature of the vows required, which refutes his pleas he knew nothing about it. And we get some of the remaining true believers justifying the branding. Nancy learns just how deep Keith's deceptions went and has to reckon with what this has done to her daughters. Lauren's testimony is devastating.
The Vow: Stimulus and Response (2022)
The Dark Side of Control
We learn more about Nancy and why she was a people-pleaser and willing to comply with Keith's controlling. We see some remarkable results with people suffering from Tourette's Syndrome. But we also see the dark side of thinking you can totally control your reactions to everything. If you experience something that in actuality you can't control, it is your fault. The problem with these philosophies that claim to explain everything is that they can't. That doesn't mean they don't have some good insights. But they tend to overextend these in their efforts to create a all-encompassing philosophy. As Nancy says, Keith had lots of ideas and concepts which he wanted to make into a science but he never did. But being a psychopathic narcissist, that didn't matter.
Living in the Time of Jesus (2010)
Fascinating look at the culture in 1st century of Palestine
Dr. Arne Kislenko, Associate Professor of History at Ryerson University and instructor at Trinity College, Toronto, hosts this National Geographic series on 3 major aspects of life at the time of Jesus: jobs, illness and healing, and crime and punishment. Along the way he talks to archeologists and experts, including locals with knowledge of the customs still handed down. He takes us to various sites in Israel and learns a lot of the everyday details not found in the Bible or indeed most general histories of the person. This is of interest not merely to people of faith but to
those who love history and ancient cultures.
Small Town Secrets (2022)
Different
With the glut of true crime documentaries, what distinguishes this one is what it lacks: a really dramatic narrative with major plot twists, a trial where the police or prosecutors have played dirty to convict someone, or a person in prison who may or may not be guilty. And the reason is this case lacks anything that can be called an adequate preliminary investigation. Major suspects were not really interviewed, and at least 3 merited-- I would say a closer look except they didn't receive anything but a cursory glance. So more than 3 decades later, it appears that the filmmakers are the first to do in-depth interviews and piece long-standing rumors together with the help of a detective who was 3 when the victim disappeared. Unfortunately this case lacks a solution, which is true of 40% of homicides in the US. This documentary series shows is how difficult it is to solve a seemingly straight-forward case.