martyfrommiami's Reviews

Inspector Lewis: Reputation (2006)

Season 1, Episode 0

4/10

31 July 2006

Well, I guess I'll have to be the one to say "The Emperor has no clothes." When I saw this show listed for PBS last night I was both hopeful and apprehensive. I loved "Morse" (even going so far as to buy the complete DVD set) and felt that, while I always liked Kevin Whately's Sgt. Lewis character, the show WAS John Thaw, period! After watching the new "Inspector Lewis" (as it is billed here), I am more convinced then ever that I was right...Whately is fine (even though he looks awful (both badly aged and too fat), but he simply doesn't have the charisma to carry the show as did Thaw.

And as for his "sidekick" Fox, well...perhaps the reviewers here from England can understand what he's saying, but I for one mostly could not.

As for Ms. Innocent...all I can say is that I miss James Grout.

I'm sorry to say that they should have left "Morse" rest in peace.

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The Trap (1946)

1/10

Amen!

22 July 2005

I heartedly agree with babetho re Toler and this film.

I too think Toler was by far the best movie Chan, but after 1942's "Castle in the Desert" ended the Chan series at 20th Century Fox, Monogram's bargain-basement Chan films were mostly pretty awful.

"The Trap" is particularly bad, with the "girls" screeching and screaming throughout the film. Even Kirk Alyn (who a couple of years later played "Superman" in the movie serial) couldn't help this dog in the role of the motorcycle cop. And Mantan Moreland's usual racist Yassah-Boss Monogram role as Birmingham Brown had by now grown extremely old.

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Georgy Girl (1966)

5/10

Half-a-loaf for "GG"

22 February 2005

Warning: Spoilers

Caught Georgy on TCM the other night and have to agree with most of the previous comments here.

The Mrs. & I both were turned off by Alan Bates' grating, over-the-top, performance as the irresponsible Jos.

Plusses were Redgrave, Rampling and, of course, James Mason who, as far as I'm concerned, is one of the greatest actors ever; someone I could watch if he was just reading the phone book.

Also, that theme song is a winner.

But...besides Bates, the major defects reside in the plot: what the devil does a suave guy like Mason see in the frumpy, overweight, unattractive Redgrave that makes him want to draw up a "mistress contract" for her? Why Bates' sudden passion for Redgrave when he's ignored her sexually previously? And why, after a number of abortions, does Rampling suddenly decide to go ahead with this birth when she obviously has no intention of keeping the baby and/or giving up her wild swinging lifestyle in the first place? All a little too contrived for me.

However, I'd partially recommend this film if only for the performances (except Bates') and for the music.

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An Inspector Calls (1954)

10/10

By all means...see this film.

27 December 2004

What can I add, but to say that I agree with all the previous comments about the magnificent performance of Sim and the intelligence of this film.

I've had this film on tape (from TV) for many years now and view it frequently; it is such a pleasure to watch something of this quality: low-key, well-acted, absorbing and, above all (and here's that word again), intelligent.

I give this film two thumbs up (and I'd give it even more if I had more thumbs.) P.S. Hadn't seen Jane Wenham (Eva Smith in this film) in anything else until I watched an Inspector Morse rerun from 1992 ("The Death of Self") last night. I said to the Mrs. that one of the actresses looked familiar; what a surprise to find that it was Ms. Wenham some 38 years later on (and as a blonde.)

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Kavanagh QC (1995–2001)

Terrific Series

10 December 2004

Warning: Spoilers

I agree with Chris from Australia re this series -- it is outstanding, intelligent TV (the kind no longer produced in the USA.)

John Thaw is absolutely magnificent in the title role; his quiet, but incisive courtroom style is the kind I'd want from a lawyer representing me.

This series was certainly a counterpoint to that other great British TV series "Rumpole of the Bailey" in the way it portrays their legal system; Rumpole plays it for laughs, with the judges as incompetent boobs; Kavanagh plays it straight. Both top-notch series, but polar opposites.

As with Chris, the only one of the shows I didn't enjoy was the final one in which Kavanagh flies to my home state of Florida and meets up with a prejudiced Governor and court system.

Besides, was it really necessary for the producers to end the series (in that same show) on such a downbeat note by having Kavanagh's wife Lizzie reveal to him that she has inoperable cancer?

Otherwise...first rate series TV.

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