Ian Alexander MartinBack to #STEnt S4Ep05 where the Augments are led by their ‘father’ to find their unborn siblings. ★★★☆☆
S4Ep06 has mutiny among the ranks, leading to failure. ★★★★☆
S4Ep07 sees an Earth Embassy on Vulcan destroyed by terrorists. Or is it…? ★★★★☆
Didn’t post this last evening owing to falling asleep watching, so went right to bed.
#STEnt S4Ep08 + S4Ep09 wrap-up a 3-parter quite well. The quality of story I’m — ironically — taking on faith due to not seeing the last 15 minutes or so. ★★★★☆
Two episodes of #STEnt this evening.
S4Ep10 doesn’t work for some reason. Maybe it needed a bigger question like “if you could pull anyone back from death?” ★★☆☆☆
S4Ep11 is a bit better, examining the results of non-involvement. ★★★☆☆
Two episodes of a 3-part #STEnt arc (it’s like all of Season 4 is 3-parters).
S4Ep12 + S4Ep13 are all about common causes, loss, and respect for everyone’s cultural formalities.
★★★★☆ for both.
#STEnt completes an arc and another as well.
S4Ep14 sees the end to a powerful weapon.
S4Ep16 + S4Ep17 covers curing a rapid pandemic for Klingons, and curing a misbehaving warp engine by turning it off and on again!
All ★★★★☆
ORION SLAVE GIRLS!! •THREE• OF THEM!!
Every single male of around my age, prior to Leia Organa, had a wild fantasy about green skinned babes. S4Ep17 of #STEnt honours that.
★★★☆☆ for wit and taking the plot beyond merely a sight gag.
Because by this point, #STEnt was cancelled but allowed to complete the season, I suspect they decided to have as much fun as they could. S4Ep18 + S4Ep18 reflect that (forgive me) with a two-part ‘mirror universe’ story.
★★★★★
A few months ago, I started thinking about Desmond Bagley’s “The Snow Tiger,” and started hunting my shelves, as well as my parents’. Having to buy a copy, along with “Night of Error”was an excellent result. Grand stories, both.
★★★★★
S4Ep20 + S4Ep21 of #STEnt are a two-part story about eugenists / xenophobes lead by a single-minded mad-man. Parallels to… oh, several points in history… are fairly clear.
★★★★☆ for both: they really zoomed past in a good way.
S4Ep22 of #STEnt is an odd experience, with a bit of a wrap-up of the show’s characters, but also a tie-in to #STTNG as well as Picard… sort of…? As I say: odd.
Still, closure is good. ★★★☆☆ for the episode.
The series in full: ★★★★☆ due to its solid writing and acting.
A bit like “Adaptation,” this deconstructionist meta action / comedy / thriller was last week’s 99¢ Apple rental, and just what I was in the mood for! “Tiffany Haddish plays a CIA agent” is probably the least weird thing in the film.
★★★★☆
Before “Iron Man” got the ball rolling for Marvel, people were all a-flutter about how “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” was morally wrong for creating sets out of thin air! How quaint they were.
Great style, thin story.
★★★☆☆
“The Blacklist” is something that I’m so happy is being made. It’s dark, political, topical, and frequently more morally uplifting than deserved.
S09Ep01 & 02 get the band back together, Ep03 gives them inertia.
Both: ★★★★☆
#TheBlacklist continues!
S09Ep04 involves a vigilante.
S09Ep05 has high tech PsyOps at its core.
S09Ep06 is about psychiatry and the criminal mind.
They all examine the question of “what is the right thing to do?”
All three: ★★★★☆
Two episodes of #TheBlacklist this evening.
S09Ep07 sees Agent Ressler get a shave and a haircut.
S09Ep08 has a pro tennis player killed by his physician. But… why?
Both: ★★★★☆
S09Ep09 of #TheBlacklist is an obligatory ‘Black People Working as Part of Systemically Racist Injustice’ episode — which is 100% accurate — but doesn’t touch on the subtlety of the issue.
S10Ep10 is about intra-agency non-communications.
Both: ★★★☆☆
Four episodes of #TheBlacklist.
S09Ep11 reveals Spec Agt Park’s interregnum wet-work.
S09Ep12 examines a ‘Black Market Stock Exchange.’
S09Ep13 looks at obsessive love.
S09Ep14 is about caring, unfit mothers.
All: ★★★★☆
Here are my issues with the episodes:
Ep11: the marriage of Sp Agt Park cannot possibly survive this, unless the husband is fully briefed.
Ep12: the notion of an ‘Underworld Financial Investment / Futures Market’ is insane.
Ep13: not only is technology not at this level, the guy who is a former Tech Bro not knowing about a LoJack-like system is preposterous.
Ep14: this mental problem is probably to some extent real, and that’s really disturbing. (not a problem, it’s a plus)
Recommended to me by someone who really enjoys Edward G Robinson’s work, this picture tells us what matters most in life is simple: love, family, and little else. Period.
A damned shame about the Italian-American stereotypes, however; including a bust of Mussolini in the bank president’s office. Leaping lizards!
All in all, a fine evening’s entertainment.
★★★☆☆
Return to #TheBlacklist.
S09Ep15: Harold reveals a secret altogether too late.
S09Ep16: Aram gets a job he never asked for (and does really well), while the Task Force pull a heist.
S09Ep17: Aram learns just what his programme is capable of.
#TheBlacklist S09Ep18 is centred around an addict and the search for someone from the past. ★★★☆☆
S09Ep19 has a growing conspiracy while Aram goes on a little trip. ★★★★☆
Conclusion of #TheBlacklist season.
S09Ep20 follows the money.
S09Ep21 is where the money leads to.
S09ep22 is the result of that investigation.
All three: ★★★★☆
The dialogue is clunky, some of the performances are too far over the top, and the action is occasionally predictable, but WOW does this picture REALLY COOK!
The thing it misses is Los Angeles with a hard-G.
★★★★★
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If you still wanted a reason to watch this, consider the following:
«The Kefauver Commission, a federal unit dedicated to investigating corrupting influences in the 1950s, singled this out as 1955's number one menace to American youth.»
BEST. REASON. EVER!
A picture about simple people working and living simple lives, and trying to do the right thing as often as possible. Sometimes, other people want to make that challenging. Those people are a problem.
Highly recommended.
★★★★☆
A very dark tale of losers who cannot win for losing in a very loss-filled situation.
Parallels of your humble reviewer’s life are present.
Highly recommended.
★★★★☆
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#SlashBack is billed as “Attack the Block” meets “The Thing,” and that’s a great way to get people interested! The French title is better, though: “Horreur boréale” reflects the setting, the plot, and sounds way cooler!
★★★★★
To be honest, I would have liked a bigger ‘final battle’ sequence, maybe involving more people and possibly some BFG-esque weaponry, but that probably would have trebled the budget. Still, a damned good picture! Excellent writing and cinematography.
Highly recommended.
Thinking I hadn’t seen this yet, I bought it on sale via Apple Movies for, I think, $10. A worthy ending to the run of James Bond films, with many inside references.
I would have preferred “007 will return” as a closing.
★★★★★
Also, quite the surprise to learn that the guy who plays Benoit Blanc in the ‘Knives Out’ films has •also• been in other films! I wonder if it’s because of @rianjohnson’s casting him in those films that this fellow is getting the gigs now! Talk about a lucky break! Wow!
I was previously unaware of the systemic cluster-fuck that existed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding drug testing lab techs, the AG’s office, and non-disclosure of exculpatory evidence to defendants. Wow!
★★★★☆
A mayoral race in Wisconsin becomes a battleground for the two US political parties’ dominance. But don’t worry; it’s all for a good cause! Someone’s… we’re not sure whose…
All entirely legally permissible.
Alas.
★★★★☆
And, if you should doubt just how factually plausible this film’s premise and action are, please read this quote from the former head of the US Federal Election Commission, Trevor Potter: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9076562/quotes?item=qt5700159
An incredibly well-made noire from a story by Hemingway. There are some incredible character actors in this, all doing phenomenal work. Do not walk, run to see this.
Highly recommended.
★★★★★
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An interesting interpretation of the previous version which adapted a short story for its first scene. Great performances, but FAR TOO BRIGHTLY LIT THROUGHOUT, owing to it being intended for television.
★★★☆☆
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Despite the problematic nature of the lead actor, this film is an incredible tapestry of an experience. It’s a picture one comes away from asking ‘what just happened?’ and feeling elated.
★★★★★
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Like “The Killers,” this stars Lancaster and is directed by Siodmak. Possibly the original ‘armoured truck heist’ picture. Includes butler to The Bat Man, as well as funicular railway. Lacks Los Angeles with ‘hard g.’
★★★★☆
Two incredible performances are more than worth the price of admission. Why Hitchcock got all the grief he did for making ‘terrifying pictures,’ when •this• got nothing but raves, I’ll never know.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★★
An entirely acceptable spy thriller with Finland as a stepping-off point. Oddly, it’s mostly in English! Marketing, I suppose.
BONUS: being introduced to to the shoe company two weeks ago, I knew what ‘karhu’ meant!
★★★☆☆
While I would have preferred just a •little• more ending, or perhaps more twists to the plot, but these are inconsequential matters.
Highly recommended, this sets the stage for many films to come. Incredible!
★★★★★
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I understand why Howard Hughes watched this so frequently: everything is in the right place and supports everything else. As an engineer, he would appreciate that. It’s not exciting, but it’s very well crafted.
Not ‘must see,’ but worth the time.
Solid ★★★☆☆
Damn, is this ever satisfying! I wish I knew how, but this hangs together better than “Noir,” by @TheAuthorGuy which I loved very much and is in the same world. Perhaps it’s easier due to a more linear narrative and less of a necessity of world-building, owing to it being the 2nd. Who knows? Who cares?
Very highly recommended.
★★★★★
“Glitch,” or “Geullichi,” or “글리치” (whatever you want to refer to it as) is bananas! Wonderfully, charmingly, unpredictably, uniquely, bananas! Some of the elements are familiar, but nowhere near all of them, and the manner in which they’re employed is so inventive, so whimsical, so fresh, that you have no idea what’s coming next. I’ve seen three episodes, and they’re only just finishing the set-up.
Must see TV.
THIS is the sort of programming that Netflix should be doing more and more of: whimsical, silly, but thought provoking stuff that ‘normal’ outlets don’t produce. It’s weird, it’s confusing occasionally, it’s really well produced and acted, and the writing always clears things up in the end. This is really good stuff. You need to see it. Stop reading and watch all 10 episodes.
★★★★★
Having only finished watching the first two episodes of #Kleo I cannot really review this, but if the other six episodes are anything close to this, it’s the best thing I’ve seen since… well, since #Glitch I suppose.
This is funny, thrilling, and full of surprises. Also, there’s great brutalist architecture and frequently unfortunate wallpaper from the 1970s and ’80s (there were drugs around, so…)
An excellent series blending dark humour, action, suspense, and some incredibly affecting drama. Wonderful art direction, writing, cinematography, direction, editing, acting, wardrobe and fight choreography.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★★
Damned good fun to be had here, mostly at the expense of the US Forces stationed in a village in Norfolk. Michael Caine owns the film (hardly a surprise), despite attempts by Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, & Donald Pleasance.
The DVD supplied by #VPL provided a less-than full screen image, the transfer was made from a dodgy print, & used a less than ideal lens (so people were a bit thinner than normal), but this was still great!
★★★★☆
Twisty story that all comes together in the end.
A solid example of a #noir picture featuring an actual happy ending. Oh sure, some people get killed and others go to jail, but that’s a regular day in a man’s life, isn’t it? Well, sure it is, pally; at least it is if your name is Philip Marlow, that’s for sure.
Highly recommended.
★★★★☆
This arrived in the post today. Also arriving today was word that #PotUS 45, ████ is running for 2024’s election. Thus, this evening’s fare is the Robert Altman / Garry Trudeau collaboration about US Presidential politics in the immediate post-Reagan era. So far, I have seen three episodes. Goodness, what a simpler time it was then. And yet, how so very much things have not changed one jot. People are still as stupid as they were.
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This show paved the way for “The West Wing,” “Irresistible,” “Wag the Dog,” and “Bob Roberts.” The blurring of a line between satire and reality has always been fuzzy at times but here it’s really tough to distinguish.
The acting in this is really good, as well as the editing. Owing to using early ENG equipment, the image is less than stellar, but HBO is to be commended for funding the thing in the first place.
Worthwhile.
★★★★☆
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I’m not sure what triggered this being requested from the Library, but I’m glad to have seen it! It’s funny, thrilling, saucy, and ultimately uplifting. There are too many homophobic jokes (ie: >zero), but it is from 2005, so…
For a story clearly inspired by noir / thriller / detective / tough-guy films, it hits all the right notes and plays a few modern variations in the process.
Well worth your time, especially for a fun Friday evening.
★★★★☆
I’ve seen this multiple times, but DAMN is this ever a great picture! Tonight was the first time I’ve seen the British adaptation (discovered in the BFI’s voluminous collection) and it’s surprisingly faithful, despite lacking the original’s haunting final line.
No matter which, you should see this incredible film.
Mandatory viewing.
★★★★★
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The American Police Procedural — “Dragnet,” “NYPD Blue,” “Law & Order [insert variant here],” so on — all owe this single film for their foundation. Some aspects are dated (non-consensual gathering of hair sample, admiration of woman’s legs, etc), but the structure is sound and the story is full of surprises.
While some of the acting is wooden, the writing and action more than make up for it.
Very highly recommended!
★★★★★
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Contrary to expectations, this isn’t a picture about a dozen guys in a bar fight! In fact, there aren’t even that many people who are upset at any given moment.
Except Juror №3. He’s mad enough for everyone in that jury and a few others down the hall as well! Wow is •he• angry!
Jury drama which educates about ‘reasonable doubt’ as well as — like “M” does — examining the justice of Capitol Punishment.
Mandatory viewing.
★★★★★
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This motion picture is full of wonderful characters, action, and plot twists.
Without a doubt, one of most satisfying endings in cinematic history, too.
I’m not sure how Mrs Stroud stays with her husband, as he clearly hasn’t much of a home life. Somehow she continues to stand by him. Lord only knows why.
If you haven’t seen this — or haven’t seen it in awhile — I highly recommend doing so.
★★★★★
I’ve read the novel which was adapted for this film and found it far more rewarding than the picture. There are more twists and surprises to be had there.
Still, there’s little wrong here. Fritz Lang employs his usual long takes involving silences to great success, making the suspense build quite handily. I wish the climax involved more chase and/or answers than we get here.
Recommended.
★★★★☆
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For my tastes, this has just one too many twists which do not have sufficient explanatory narrative. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good twisty plot, it just needs to have supporting reasons. One suspects that the script was run through an early Cuisinart to get the full run of the novel’s high points.
Great acting, great dialogue, excellent cinematography, please fire the focus puller.
Despite all that, still highly recommended.
★★★★☆
🚨WARNING🚨
Tomorrow evening’s viewing will be this film *again* but it will be the 1945 ‘Pre-Release Edit,’ which was discovered in the UCLA Film and Television Archives sometime in the mid-’90s. It purports to be a pre-release version that was director Howard Hawks’ original cut, so perhaps that will make more sense of the over-complicated story. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this film at least three times, and the story still leaves me confused at the end as to why much of what happens happened.
So… the biggest differences here are the insertion of the scene in the 2nd image instead of a brief one where Marlow drops off Carmen at the door with the Butler. Then the replacement of the brief scene in the 3rd image with the lengthy, iconic one in the 4th image. There’s also a lengthy scene gone involving Marlow explaining things to the police which explains a few things to us.
I wish there was a blending of both.
…/more
★★★★☆
I like the police scene, as it reinforces the motivation of the antagonists, as well as making plain Marlow’s assessment of the case’s reality. Then again, I very much like the change to a longer scene involving getting the younger sister home after the murder •and• the new scene where she tries to seduce Marlow. The restaurant scene isn’t subtle enough for my taste in wit, but it’s a vast improvement over the coldness of the original one in Marlow’s office.
@sheribiesen’s right: ‘46 is better.
Mostly a manner to tell the US people who the Germans under NAZI control are, it still has all sorts of Fritz Lang touches: a man struggles to hide from others bent on meting out justice, an underground setting, and a love which is unrequited.
Still, it’s pretty jingoistic at times, and much eye rolling will be induced by today’s viewer. Also, this picture has what have to be the worst accents ever.
Recommended overall, however.
★★★☆☆
Sheri Chinen Biesen@IanAMartin The 1945 preview version was an important archival find which was shown overseas to troops in the Pacific during WWII, but the 1946 release version is much better — I discuss both versions in my Blackout book based on extensive fascinating primary archival research too. The film is distinctive for its noir style; you may also enjoy Chandler’s novel, quite enigmatic.😉📽️📚🍁🍂
@sheribiesen I look forward to seeing the earlier version, the comparison with the release version, and probably the original novel. Also likely is me getting a copy of your book and devouring that as well. Completeness should be completed completely, after all. 😉
@IanAMartin Thanks so much, that’s very kind, hope you enjoy my Blackout film noir book, and of course the films and Chandler…there was a lot going on during the production of that film.😉📽️
Sean Frost@IanAMartin I know that Lang himself didn’t like Ministry of Fear, but as a Ray Milland fan I enjoy it a lot. There’s some good stuff in it, for sure!
I never tracked down a copy of the source novel. Sounds like it would be worth a read!
@retrozombi The source model is FAR more complicated. On the Criterion edition, there’s an interview with a Lang scholar who said that Lang loved the book but hated the Producer/Screenwriter’s script which streamlined things far too much for his liking. Graham Greene got adaptation rights, was pleased with the cheque, was overjoyed to hear Lang was directing, but hated the result. Lang happened to meet Greene years later and apologized for the film, which pleased Greene no end.
@retrozombi The biggest difference between the two is that the sanitarium is the entire last ½–⅓ of the story. The bomb goes off in the apartment, Neale is injured badly, suffers amnesia, and now has to escape from the facility which is actually part of the conspiracy in England. It’s part of Greene’s “lighter mode” of works, yet is very psychological. Highly recommended reading, it’s a fairly thin novel.
Renée@IanAMartin I'm shocked I have never heard of it, as I love both Altman and Bob Roberts. Will check it out!!
@reneestephen There’s an episode based in Detroit, which in the late-’80s was in the worst shape of any American city (which is saying something). I’m darned sure that next to nothing of the community event being shown was scripted. It’s heart-wrenching to watch, especially as most of the issues being covered therein are •still• being experienced today, almost 35 years later.
@sheribiesen This is what Netflix does best: short series which tell a story that’s different from the norm, and that ‘regular TV’ wouldn’t touch because it’s “too difficult to market.” Thank goodness streaming services exist to make this stuff happen!
@IanAMartin Yes. They’ve done some fine films too—Irishman, Roma, Da 5 Bloods, All Quiet on the Western Front, Coldest Game, Operation Mincemeat, even lighter fare like Enola Holmes is pretty solid.😉📽️🍁🤔
Christopher Moore@IanAMartin Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it. I'd love to bring those characters back for another. They're a blast to write.
@TheAuthorGuy Please do! Lone Jones seems to be set-up for his own turn with The Dingus*, but more adventures with Ms Stilton and Mr tiffin would be just great! I’ve no idea how you might work in a cross-time event, unless one of these character happens to live long enough to appear in a current timeline. The kid, maybe? Whatever. It’s great to read your work no matter what you do.
* thank you, Dashiell Hammett
EditrixEmma@IanAMartin @TheAuthorGuy I loved this book! I've read a lot of Moore's books and they're all great, but this is such a great setting and the characters and voice are so well done.
@EditrixEmma “Sacré Bleu” is probably my favourite by @TheAuthorGuy, because it really is a masterpiece. Much like Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” there are large passages that transcend reality and narrative form, veering close to prose poetry. While Bradbury’s sentence structure becomes a new form of narrative, Mr Moore’s magical reality and shifting narrative position really blends things in way simultaneously fantastical and perfectly clear.
@EditrixEmma Plus, many of the books by @TheAuthorGuy have parts of their covers that GLOW IN THE DARK!’
TheeCHEESE@IanAMartin @TheAuthorGuy This is one of my faves. I really like how Uncle Ho's story ended. When I was reading the novel I pictured Ho as being in his late 70s but he was likely in his late 50s early 60s
@TheeCHEESE @IanAMartin I think you were right the 1st time. He would have been in his mid ti late 20s when the earthquake hit 1906, then Razzmatazz and Noir take place 41 years later in 1947. (Remember he had been working as a hatchet man for a while before the earthquake. We're not sure how long.)