I'd forgotten the plot of the original Dissolution novel on which this is based hence the whodunnit element was enough to keep me watching the whole series. I see some reviewers are critical of casting choices which I can't truly see any issue with - it's a dramatisation, faithfulness to the period in terms of exact settings, clothing, architecture etc don't need to be adhered to, as after all, in the time of its setting the language spoken itself would've been impossible to recreate faithfully to modern viewers understanding! I'm interested to see if further adaptations will continue as I do love the genre of medieval murder mysteries and TV lacks these! But the main characters were well developed and cast, and I'm amused at the irony of Sean Bean playing Cromwell who, we all know, irl did not meet a happy and peaceful ending, much like many of the characters Sean plays...
Reviews
13 Reviews
Echo
(2023–2024)
I really wanted to love this but something went really wrong...
17 January 2024
So apparently they shot 8 episodes but then it wasn't good enough and it got rewritten/reshot/redited down to just 5. Maybe that's why none of it makes much sense. The family connections don't make sense. The lack of communication with her cousin, uncle etc don't make much sense. How her mother's death was her father's fault wasn't made clear. The relationships in the community make no sense. The end showdown is totally incomprehensible. The only things that almost work are the scenes in the roller rink. Really disappointing when I was so hoping for great things based on how Echo was introduced and how well I thought HawkEye worked as a series with multiple interactions between characters from different parts of the MCU. Heartbreaking, to be honest. It promised to be a great showcase for indigenous culture too, but I learnt nothing. There was so much that needed to be said and done for it to really work. Either that or they could've had more action, at least? It just wasn't gripping dramatically or emotionally engaging enough, and it just felt like it had a plan that somehow went vastly wrong and they gave up and threw it out at us poorly poorly finished. Such a shame as some of the actors really deserved to be better respected for their talent.
Unconvincing family dynamics
30 November 2023
The actress playing the daughter is way too old to be convincing as the mother of an 8 year old. You can't keep your eyes off her wrinkles. She's obviously old enough to be his grandmother or she had the toughest paper round known to mankind.
I've not finished watching it but had to pause to check the actress' age because it was just too difficult to accept that this character is the parent of an eight year old.
The series itself has some issues with how convincing characters and their storylines are but usually they manage to get things in the vague ballpark of possibility... this one's just too hard to overlook.
I've not finished watching it but had to pause to check the actress' age because it was just too difficult to accept that this character is the parent of an eight year old.
The series itself has some issues with how convincing characters and their storylines are but usually they manage to get things in the vague ballpark of possibility... this one's just too hard to overlook.
Good film but let down by annoying unfocused camera technique
17 September 2022
This would be more watchable if the director didn't use unfocused views on multiple scenes for no obvious reason but to try my patience, as it doesn't add to the story being told at all, simply makes is more stressful to watch. Otherwise, interesting portrait of a single cat owner living in difficult social circumstances. People's lives can be a lot less exciting than we think they are, I'm quite jealous of his home's cleanliness though, my cats and I can't keep our place anywhere near as tidy! But nevertheless, cute cats, interesting subject matter, worth watching but the the camera effect is pointless and detracts from wanting to persist through the film.
Black Earth Rising
(2018)
Probably the best drama I've seen in recent times
1 September 2019
I can't pretend to understand or ever really know the pain of the survivors of the Rwanda genocide but this drama has such strength in not only Michaela Coel's performance but in its script, its twists and turns, its depth and sensitivity to a painful and ultimately so desperately human tragedy that anyone who has the capacity to want to at least learn even at they watch how much the "great game" and its modern equivalents have repercussions beyond anything imaginable to most of us outside its direct impact.
Of course it's written from a Western lens and can never tell a "true" tale but it helps us, I think, to see how difficult, how complex and how deeply impactful the very things we take for granted today have had on millions of lives far away from ours, and even now, how a few powerful people keep trying to control everything, regardless of how lives are completely torn asunder to gain their wealth and power.
Don't let its pace or its great visual beauty put you off its underlying message. Everyone has secrets, everyone has pain and sickness and death will always walk amongst the living but sometimes the truth has to come out in order for us to move forwards. The reality of our world is one where some will always seek, through the vilest means, to sacrifice the lives of thousands for profit and power. Only though understanding that can we ever seek to encourage justice, change and hope.
Of course it's written from a Western lens and can never tell a "true" tale but it helps us, I think, to see how difficult, how complex and how deeply impactful the very things we take for granted today have had on millions of lives far away from ours, and even now, how a few powerful people keep trying to control everything, regardless of how lives are completely torn asunder to gain their wealth and power.
Don't let its pace or its great visual beauty put you off its underlying message. Everyone has secrets, everyone has pain and sickness and death will always walk amongst the living but sometimes the truth has to come out in order for us to move forwards. The reality of our world is one where some will always seek, through the vilest means, to sacrifice the lives of thousands for profit and power. Only though understanding that can we ever seek to encourage justice, change and hope.
Mickey Blue Eyes
(1999)
A little light hearted treat...
1 March 2007
Don't expect a serious film, but do expect some unexpectedly hilarious scenes - others have mentioned the Chinese restaurant scene, but the steakhouse meeting, the disastrous introduction of the toff client to the auction house, the embarrassingly drunken boss and Grant's character's subtly amusing auctioneering techniques make for an amusing and enjoyable lighthearted film.
A few twists at the end keep things rolling, pastiche and cliché are helped along by some genuinely funny scenes, Caan and Grant work well together as father in law and prospective son in law, the slight flaw to the whole credibility of the film has to be the lack of closeness in the film between father and daughter which is often implied but never portrayed adequately.
I laughed more than I imagined I could though, as some scenes were highly comical. It may not be thought provoking, mentally or emotionally demanding, but it's definitely on the better side of light hearted comedy - it avoids farce and cliché with some subtle substance and style.
A few twists at the end keep things rolling, pastiche and cliché are helped along by some genuinely funny scenes, Caan and Grant work well together as father in law and prospective son in law, the slight flaw to the whole credibility of the film has to be the lack of closeness in the film between father and daughter which is often implied but never portrayed adequately.
I laughed more than I imagined I could though, as some scenes were highly comical. It may not be thought provoking, mentally or emotionally demanding, but it's definitely on the better side of light hearted comedy - it avoids farce and cliché with some subtle substance and style.
promise, priorities and some small reward - a redemption tale.
8 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A shooting incident in a mini-mart puts Det.Tutuola's face on the cover of newspapers as the hero who saves a young boys life.... but it brings back a old ghost from the past: a mother who never knew his name but recognised him from his picture - and who blames him for the loss of her daughter who went missing shortly after an undercover narcotics operation he was involved in collapsed for lack of evidence.
A brief visit at the hospital from Det Tutuola's estranged teenage son reinforces to him that not only were the mini-mart robbers only teenagers, but so was this missing girl...
He starts to see the girl from a parent's point of view, where, in the past, working in narcotics, she was merely a strung out junkie on the streets out of choice.
Despite his shoulder injury and with the help of a narcotics squad agent, he sets out to make things right with the angry mother and find the missing girl, but the trail only leads them to further sinister reasons to keep looking for the mother's sake...
Tutuola feels personally responsible for letting the fate of the teenage girl be decided by driving the mother away, and only his personal actions can redeem him in the eyes of a mother whose last encounter with him was a gun to head and a threat to kill her if she did not leave....
With the loss of stability in the Stabler family, the further development of the paternal instincts and background of Det Tutuola's character bring the added dimension of humanity to some otherwise quite unpleasant characters and situations....
A brief visit at the hospital from Det Tutuola's estranged teenage son reinforces to him that not only were the mini-mart robbers only teenagers, but so was this missing girl...
He starts to see the girl from a parent's point of view, where, in the past, working in narcotics, she was merely a strung out junkie on the streets out of choice.
Despite his shoulder injury and with the help of a narcotics squad agent, he sets out to make things right with the angry mother and find the missing girl, but the trail only leads them to further sinister reasons to keep looking for the mother's sake...
Tutuola feels personally responsible for letting the fate of the teenage girl be decided by driving the mother away, and only his personal actions can redeem him in the eyes of a mother whose last encounter with him was a gun to head and a threat to kill her if she did not leave....
With the loss of stability in the Stabler family, the further development of the paternal instincts and background of Det Tutuola's character bring the added dimension of humanity to some otherwise quite unpleasant characters and situations....
Sickening start turns out to be only the beginning of a much more intolerable crime...
28 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
What seems to be a Santeria ritual sacrifice of a young boy whose body is discovered dismembered in a park turns out to be only the beginning of the story for the team as, in their pursuit of the boy's killer they discover a much deeper and more sinister crime underpinning the boy's very presence in the city.
Ice T's character Det.Tutuola seems especially emotionally enraged due to the horrifically depraved and wicked crime hiding behind a veil of lies and blind eyed privilege.
Seems the writers are onto something - his character shows a greater depth of emotion than in previous episodes and perhaps the more touchy-feely veneer of the lead detectives characters are finally being balanced out....
Ice T's character Det.Tutuola seems especially emotionally enraged due to the horrifically depraved and wicked crime hiding behind a veil of lies and blind eyed privilege.
Seems the writers are onto something - his character shows a greater depth of emotion than in previous episodes and perhaps the more touchy-feely veneer of the lead detectives characters are finally being balanced out....
Another slam dunk for Ice T's character...
28 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Only four episodes earlier, we see Ice T's character Det. Tutuola get emotionally involved in a case of child abuse and vicious indifference to young, vulnerable children... and this episode cements his character's affinity for, and sensitivity in dealing with the plight of young black children in New York city.
It's frequently the case that the two lead detectives, Stabler and Benson are shown getting emotionally involved in rape cases or family abuse cases, but the writers are doing more to develop further social and emotional backgrounds for the other characters.
After 4 seasons in the show, we still know too little about Det. Tutuola's background save his being a native New Yorker growing up in "the 'hood". Getting off the streets to join the NYPD and transferring from Narcotics to give the show a more streetwise, tough cop to balance the family oriented Stabler, the cynical yet distant Munch and the sensitive female Benson - but these recent episodes are leading up to a development for his character which has some explosive potential....
Storywise the episode is less horrific than others, but as a vehicle for spotlighting Ice T's acting skills and developing his character's emotional mindset, this is a definite clincher.
It's frequently the case that the two lead detectives, Stabler and Benson are shown getting emotionally involved in rape cases or family abuse cases, but the writers are doing more to develop further social and emotional backgrounds for the other characters.
After 4 seasons in the show, we still know too little about Det. Tutuola's background save his being a native New Yorker growing up in "the 'hood". Getting off the streets to join the NYPD and transferring from Narcotics to give the show a more streetwise, tough cop to balance the family oriented Stabler, the cynical yet distant Munch and the sensitive female Benson - but these recent episodes are leading up to a development for his character which has some explosive potential....
Storywise the episode is less horrific than others, but as a vehicle for spotlighting Ice T's acting skills and developing his character's emotional mindset, this is a definite clincher.
What stays at home.....?
28 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A young boy is found by neighbours eating food from the trash can - turns out he's the younger child of an obsessive, over-protective mother who home-schools her sons and instills them with fear of the outside world after her husband's tragic death in an accidental shooting...
But she is hiding more secrets than merely the world from her sons, she's hiding her sons from the world..... but who is to blame? Borderline personality disorder is only glanced upon, not delved into in this episode. Yet there lies a question I am curious about - legally - can personality disorders not be claimed as grounds for insanity or diminished mental capacity?
But she is hiding more secrets than merely the world from her sons, she's hiding her sons from the world..... but who is to blame? Borderline personality disorder is only glanced upon, not delved into in this episode. Yet there lies a question I am curious about - legally - can personality disorders not be claimed as grounds for insanity or diminished mental capacity?
The Mouse on the Moon
(1963)
pertinent to international politics even today...
8 March 2006
There could do with some watching of films such as this in high offices in the US or indeed, in many other "world powers".
Pragmatism and a certain amount of humility might be learnt by those watching and a realisation that acts of domination aren't necessarily a good thing nor will they end in their intended way; are the basic premise of this film.
What it lacks in subtle finesse, it makes up for in it's universal humour and it's now poignant reminder that we can all be fools when we think first of ourselves and only later of the consequences for others.
A film made in 1963, more than 40 years old, still has a message for us today, a message that it seems many need reminding of.
Splendid farce and superb comedy moments and a jolly gripping tale to boot.
I'll drink champagne to that!
Pragmatism and a certain amount of humility might be learnt by those watching and a realisation that acts of domination aren't necessarily a good thing nor will they end in their intended way; are the basic premise of this film.
What it lacks in subtle finesse, it makes up for in it's universal humour and it's now poignant reminder that we can all be fools when we think first of ourselves and only later of the consequences for others.
A film made in 1963, more than 40 years old, still has a message for us today, a message that it seems many need reminding of.
Splendid farce and superb comedy moments and a jolly gripping tale to boot.
I'll drink champagne to that!
a complete departure from the original
4 January 2005
I accidentally started watching this film on television, but didn't catch all of it at first, and when renting it on video, found myself watching the original 1956 feature version, from which this radically departs. Where the original was gritty, stilted and somewhat tragic, the remake is funny, heartwarming, amusing and a definite twist on the fifties teen caper.
This film is the way one expects a fifties teen caper to be, from the viewpoint of a modern audience brought up on Grease and American Graffiti.. fun and endearing.
The original seems far too serious, adult and tense to be watchable by a younger audience today, and in some ways much less believable, despite the distinctly far-fetched ending of the modern production.
Don't watch it expecting a faithful remake, but watch it because it's a lovely little tale of supposedly more innocent times past.
This film is the way one expects a fifties teen caper to be, from the viewpoint of a modern audience brought up on Grease and American Graffiti.. fun and endearing.
The original seems far too serious, adult and tense to be watchable by a younger audience today, and in some ways much less believable, despite the distinctly far-fetched ending of the modern production.
Don't watch it expecting a faithful remake, but watch it because it's a lovely little tale of supposedly more innocent times past.
Darklands
(1996)
surprisingly disappointing - but watchable
11 December 2004
An interesting take on the concept of getting Welsh National Film Council grant to make a film that made the Welsh look rather like COMPLETE LOONS!
I had no idea to expect before watching the film, and a quick look at IMDb had me worried, especially as two of the main characters who had allegedly only just met were shagging by day 2 of the plot.
The Welsh journalist has a dodgy east-end geezer accent, there are several inconsistencies in the story ("take him to room six, i will be along in a minute" - he is put in room 4).. but although kind of predictable, more than slightly cheesy, possibly quite tasteless and definitely lacking in any depth of plot; somehow a reasonably watchable sort of horror/shocker film does manage to fall out the far end.
The druidy types come in subspecies of hippy druidy girls, madmax meets punk blokes, strange beardy cardigan wearing gypsies on a caravan site, steel workers, the NHS, the local police, the council... in fact, the whole town bar the mad priest appears to be plotting a sacrifice....
Not much one poor reporter can do in the face of so much adversity, but he tries....
I had no idea to expect before watching the film, and a quick look at IMDb had me worried, especially as two of the main characters who had allegedly only just met were shagging by day 2 of the plot.
The Welsh journalist has a dodgy east-end geezer accent, there are several inconsistencies in the story ("take him to room six, i will be along in a minute" - he is put in room 4).. but although kind of predictable, more than slightly cheesy, possibly quite tasteless and definitely lacking in any depth of plot; somehow a reasonably watchable sort of horror/shocker film does manage to fall out the far end.
The druidy types come in subspecies of hippy druidy girls, madmax meets punk blokes, strange beardy cardigan wearing gypsies on a caravan site, steel workers, the NHS, the local police, the council... in fact, the whole town bar the mad priest appears to be plotting a sacrifice....
Not much one poor reporter can do in the face of so much adversity, but he tries....
Tell Your Friends