Change Your Image
iris-45156
Reviews
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Clangers
Just watched this again on Netflix and enjoyed it again. But ...the captain ordered the doctor to count all crew as they left the ship so how come the cook was left behind? And why was he sabotaging anyway? For what reason would he want to imperil the submarine and crew?
The Holcroft Covenant (1985)
Ok if you just watch it for enjoyment.
I watched this film without analysis just for enjoyment. Now reading other reviews I can see why viewers were confused, annoyed and disturbed etc. I thought Michael Caine did a good job as a hapless, though successful, man being thrown into something which he was not equipped to deal with. That is till he shot a kidnapper driving towards him right between the eyes, whaaaaat? Yes there were silly things like carrying around a list of 1000 neo Nazis who would form the third Reich. Not to mention the banker saying they had looked "everywhere' for it. And Tennant busily assembling a gun incorrectly whilst reciting all the training she received in order to survive.
Bridgerton (2020)
Pointless!
Wash, rinse repeat, same stuff over and over, even the Wisteria stays the same. Never any rain, do Americans not know about our climate?. Pretty sure I have never seen anybody here in little puffed sleeves surrounded by daffodils. There is no depth to anything, but then how could there be when the characters just swan around in their finery, ball to soirée, drinking tea and gossiping. What is the point to any of it?
Lost Treasures of Egypt (2019)
One star docked for the Darnells
At last programmes about Ancient Egypt that are not dumbed down, nor making extravagant conclusions without supporting facts. Archaeologists at work showing the highs and lows of excavating and the excitement they still feel even after working at the same site for many years, this is infectious and exciting to follow their progress. As for the Darnells what a couple of jerks. Scholarly they may be but they make their appearances all about them. We were even treated to a tour of her wardrobe! I have to fast forward as I cannot stand to look at nor listen to them.
The Ipcress File (2022)
Flat
Any remake should be able to stand on it's own. Big mistake showing parodies of the original, like duplicating the lady who gave Palmer his forged papers complete with cigarette hanging from her mouth. This just served to show how unoriginal the remake is and made me yearn for the original. Palmer's dodgy past was referred to, this job or jail, but this new version unnecessarily laid it all out. The new Palmer didn't come across as a criminal type and frankly was not up to the job. Cold War films tend to be bleak and on the slow side, but do not have to be as flat and boring as this. Those involved should have watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to see how it should be done.
Stay Close (2021)
Awful
The photographer has his camera stolen, checks the photos backed up on his computer and sees the missing man, waaaaaat? If he took them he would have seen him. If he didn't how did they get there? So I thought this series would be riddled with plot holes like this and started to lose interest. It was all painfully slow and when I realised I could not care less about Cassie's former life I gave up.
Le tueur du lac (2017)
Killer and miserable stories by the lake.
This was 90% soap opera 10% murder mystery. It could have been called "Killer and Miserable Stories by the Lake". After 5 murders the police were no closer to catching him, in fact they consoled him after he killed his wife. With the investigation stalled through lack of clues, the majority of time was spent elsewhere, the detective's mother, her husband's ex partner and the death of his son, his possible infidelity, the killers wife's ex husband stalking her, the couple at the café and the wholly unnecessary introduction of the outside detective. The cut and paste hard ass woman who got it all wrong and managed to get captured by the killer which still got matters no nearer a conclusion. So the whole investigation was backed into a corner and resolved not by good police work but a chance conversation with a counsellor who broke client confidentiality. Given his lengthy use of computers and the expertise available in the field the killer should have been apprehended that way. But this would have meant a quicker resolution and no time for all the other extraneous issues.
The Gulf (2019)
I did get through it, just.
Was the main character Jess written to be obnoxious and insufferably rude or was that the actress? Whatever she just ruined the whole thing. The storylines were not bad at all and the scenery was lovely but with this harridan stomping all over everyone and everything they just got lost. And why did nobody know the other main detective's father was in prison? Did his intervention make his son dirty, this was just left hanging.
A Touch of Frost: If Dogs Run Free: Part 1 (2010)
A poor swan song.
The ancillary story line is ludicrous and unnecessary. In a departure from the usual formula, Frost's relationship with his boss is chummy not adversarial. He has time and inclination to form a relationship with a lady and heads to the altar without messing things up. This is a time consuming side issue which adds too much to the running time. As does the tedious interactions with Trigg and his computer assistant who turned out to be the offender, duh! The only witness to a stabbing by the son of a notorious criminal is not given total protection even after he confronts her. Even with her witness statement both offenders are given bail. The death of Toolan at the end is unnecessary and jarring. David Jason is ill at ease as if the fact this is his last time as Frost is weighing on his mind. His constant emphasis on his words is annoying and bordering on overacting. He has always done this but in this episode it is more noticeable. Sad that such a great series should bow out with such a whimper.
Dalgliesh (2021)
Not really.
I recently watched the Roy Marsden series and this is nowhere near as good. Each story is rushed, crammed into two episodes. The pointless sidekick is horrendous, terrible attitude, insubordinate and overacts. He irritated me no end and so did Dalgliesh's curious failure to discipline him. In "A taste for death" the RM episode, the murdered man's widow is carrying her husband's child and heir. He is aware of her infidelity and changes his Will leaving the bulk of his estate in trust for his son. In this version the baby is the lovers quite an important change to the plot, why?
A Castle for Christmas (2021)
Oh my!
Half a star for Hamish the dog, half a star for the William Morris wallpaper and two stars for the glorious castle and countryside, the rest meh! Smaltzy, predictable, awful dialogue and acting and indescribably stupid. A romantic author on a whim buys a castle without knowing about all the debts attached and the ancillary businesses for which she is totally unfit to run. Think of it as a train on tracks, first station, bond with the locals. Second station plunge in and buy the castle, don't bother with any relevant details. Three get the tartan, do up the house marry the Duke. Four write another best seller. Netflix at it's very worst even as a Christmas offering.
A Castle for Christmas (2021)
Oh my!
Half a star for Hamish the dog, half a star for the William Morris wallpaper and two stars for the glorious castle and countryside, the rest meh! Smaltzy, predictable, awful dialogue and acting and indescribably stupid. A romantic author on a whim buys a castle without knowing about all the debts attached and the ancillary businesses for which she is totally unfit to run. Think of it as a train on tracks, first station, bond with the locals. Second station plunge in and buy the castle, don't bother with any relevant details. Three get the tartan, do up the house marry the Duke. Four write another best seller. Netflix at it's very worst even as a Christmas offering.
Il processo (2019)
The bar bill
Just had to come on here to point something out. She was acquitted when a bar bill was produced showing she bought drinks during a missing 11 minutes which meant she could not have killed the victim. The prosecutor happened to eat at the same place and looking at her bill saw the time was an hour out, so she could have been the murderer. The waiter explained they never change their clocks for daylight saving. BUT the bill was computer generated and computers automatically update the time!
Annika (2021)
Disappointing.
I appreciate that characters have to be fleshed out with a bit of background but in this series and many others private lives become almost as big an issue as solving the murder. I don't mind knowing enough about the characters to make them human but do object when too much time is given over to it. I prefer to be invested in the plot rather than watch stroppy teenagers, other family issues and things which add nothing like Annika talking to camera. Sadly this series fails as each episode deals with one murder. No time for red herrings and twists and turns leading to a final rush to the finish.
The Madame Blanc Mysteries (2021)
Don't bother!
A promising story line swamped by unnecessary, uninteresting supporting characters massively overacting, apart from Jean's new friend who is bland. I
spent half of the time wondering what they were all there for and the other half waiting for Jean to make some effort to trace the other woman or at least ask one question about her. I gave up when the red nails and cigarette appeared for the nth time.
Endeavour: Terminus (2021)
Awful!
I was mesmerised and kept watching to see just how much worse this debacle could get. From the cardboard cutout views of the hotel, abandoned for eight years but in such good condition it could open for business again, all the way to Mrs Thursday venting totally out of step with earlier episodes, it all fell apart spectacularly. The ill conceived and unbelievable plot was ludicrous. Adding to other comments, the bus just skidded but was rendered immobile, how was that managed within walking distance of the hotel, why the harlequin costumes, the cuts to the eyes following on from the image on the pools win announcement was just stupid, why did the transgressors even get on the bus, and so on...... In all of the three last episodes the acting was desperate especially from Evans who was maniacal at times. The writer could not decide whether Endeavour was an isolated alcoholic drinking rather than going to work or an invested policeman.
Murder on Middle Beach (2020)
Misses the mark.
A great idea poorly executed. Far too much time spent showing family movies and photos repeated time after time. He just did not get to grips with actually finding out the truth. It was not till episode 4 that he called his sisters school and determined she was there when the murder was committed. As his aunt was convinced that she was the killer he should have perused that line far earlier than 10 years after the murder. The appearance of his private detective really highlighted his investigative failings. As time went on it became clear he was more concerned with finding out about his family which he seemed to know little about, rather than finding the killer. This is personal stuff and of little interest to me. The whole thing should have been drastically edited. What was the purpose of including his sisters wedding? We even saw shots of him on the plane there and back and walking from the plane. I get very irritated when films wander from the main issue which as the title said was "Murder on Middle Beach".
The Deceived (2020)
Not bad but.....
Scanlan should try opening his mouth when he speaks rather than burying words in his beard. I found him creepy not charismatic.
We have a dead body what shall we do? I know, put it in the car drive from Cambridge to the ferry to Ireland, pass the million places to dispose of it en route, unload it at home then set fire to the room, pretend the body is somebody else who then has to spend the rest of her life in hiding. Great!