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Reviews
Killing Eve: Just Dunk Me (2022)
Lost me
I loved the edgy sexy murdery vibes of Killing Eve, but the fist episode of season 4 has lost me. I draw the line at killing pets. The plot is now a confused morass of pointlessness. Is there a plot?
The Sinner: Part VIII (2020)
S03- gripping and terrifying
I can't understand the reviews that say this series was boring. Maybe it's me and my life experiences, but I find the insane character who manages to convince most people that they are "normal" and not a threat makes my blood run cold.
The suspense builds steadily over the 8 episodes and our hero, Harry, seems so fragile as he gets drawn into the killer's web. Harry seems frailer somehow with his hip hurting and I wondered if his judgement was impaired.
Tge relationships between the dangerous person and those around him were painted beautiful and everyone's sanity and safety is in question.
Top marks to the moody direction which adds to the buildup in tension. An ethically ambiguous ending just seemed to fit. Very dark very compelling.
The Fall: Their Solitary Way (2016)
Excellent end to a suspenseful drama
This series begins like many crime dramas but becomes so much more. The power-play between men and women brutally examined across all aspects. The crimes themselves, the hierarchy of the police force, Stella's sexual encounters. Every twist and turn is nuanced and filled with ambivalence. Stella's genuine grief at the treatment of Paul's victims and Paul's pseudo remorse in contrast. Every character was deeply examined, their conflicts - the 'good' and the 'bad'. So many stories in the characters- just under the surface, beautifully orchestrated with the mesmerising score.
I felt the end was believable as it is common for psychopathic killers to take the 'easy' way out to avoid the consequences. The fact that Paul was married with a family was again not unusual in serial killers, which makes them even more terrifying.
Mindhunter: Episode #2.9 (2019)
Gripping and Suspenseful
Having finished watching the entire Season 2 episodes I feel able to comment on the series as a whole. The episodes themselves were never conclusive, and that led to an increase in tension. Some reviewers found this format 'dull' and 'flat', but I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up of suspense. This series more realistically depicts actual police work, in that there are political tensions, funding restrictions and sometimes not a clean wrap up of events. Also police cases sometimes take months and even years to resolve. This season focussed on the Atlanta Child Murders, while we caught snippets of the BTK killer continuing his grisly obsession in the intros and outros.
The frustrations the BSU faced along the way with not being taken seriously, having budget constraints and all the political pressures brought to bear, for one reason or another, were maddening. The season also highlighted the heartbreaking reality of the slowness with which this series of murders was addressed by authorities, most likely based on the victims' race. There was a lot of nuance in the social commentary on race issues, from different perspectives. Thought provoking and sobering. The conclusion to the murder investigation was sad, very sad, and I was compelled to read further on the subject.
I enjoyed the music, and particularly the music for the story arc of Tench and his wife and son Brian. The heartbreak, anger and frustration were palpable, and the musical motif as Tench wrestled with his feelings every time he was about to enter his own home brought a poignancy to the vignettes.
I also enjoyed the season arc of Dr Carr and her rarely glimpsed vulnerability. Her character was brilliant in interviewing the convicted felon, and there was the stand out scene where she outs herself for the purpose of getting the murderer to talk more.
My only bugbear was that the background jumbled noise was at times too loud and made the dialogue hard to follow. It did lend atmosphere, but was just too loud.
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Art for art's sake
I liked Jake Gyllenhaal's performance, the character rang true. That is about the only positive thing I can say, except that thef horror and tension were well paced and a good dramatic ending.
What really annoyed me and spoiled the movie was the truly awful artwork! Really? They were gooing ang gahing over that? I guess it is a big ask to get some actually good pieces to play what was essentially the central role. Some, like all the hands, and the large grey piece hung in Rhodona's home weren't bad, but the children in the desert by the fire... ? Ugh. The family hunched over a fire at night, equally bad. It was amateurish, badly composed, and painted using the colours from a colour by numbers box. I shudder.
Catching the Black Widow (2017)
Gripping - Based on a True Story
If this was not a true story I would not have ranked it so highly, but as it was a fairly recent case that headlined here in New Zealand for a while I was fascinated by the details. It appears to based on Lee-Anne Cartier's book, and is from her point of view, showing the toll it took on her to relentlessly pursue the evidence to bring about a case against Helen Milner. Helen Milner was eventually convicted, but the police really did seem to be dragging their feet. I'm not sure if that is completely accurate but it was how it seemed to Lee-Anne and it was easy to feel sympathy for her in the struggle to bring about justice for her deceased brother.
One aspect that really rang true for me was the protrayal of Helen Milner as a Malignant Narcissist type, who lied constantly and was gaslighting Lee-Anne. It was as real as it was disturbing.