ronalamont-91472

IMDb member since April 2019
    Lifetime Total
    50+
    IMDb Member
    5 years

Reviews

Major Crimes
(2012)

Very enjoyable without sex and violence
I could never watch 'The Closer' because I found Kyra Sedgwick's character obnoxious and annoying. I didn't like her fast talking, whiny voice either and the way she treated her "team" who may as well have been featured extras at times. The modern 'follow camera' style gave me a headache too.

So it was a little difficult to catch up at first because it begins by assuming the viewer has watched 'The Closer' to the end and I felt like I'd "jumped in" in the middle of an existing series. I had to go back and double check I was watching season 1 episode 1.

Inspite of that, I immediately warmed to the show. So much so, I even tried to watch some more episodes of 'The Closer' to get some context but couldn't.

I say this because I believe it's a compliment to the show that it holds up on it's own merits. They really don't go out of their way to explain who anyone is and you just have to work it out by yourself. I liked that.

I gathered very quickly that this series gave more screen time to the whole team than 'The Closer' did and recently read that it was designed to. I really enjoy the camaraderie of the team and how well they work together to uncover the details and solve each case. It's obvious they've worked so long together in these roles as the chemistry is great between them all.

The decision to emphasize the deal making process of sending their killers straight to jail is difficult for me to watch because I don't agree with it but I understand this is the very essence that separates the two shows and the reason for the need to have new leadership under a boss trained to adhere strictly to the rules. Something I gather Kyra's Sedgwick's character ignored a little too much in 'The Closer'.

Mary McDonnell's character is calm, smart, insightful and gives her team the respect they deserve. She knows how to manage them and play to their strengths. I really enjoy her calm acting style and she sets the tone of the show.

The camera work is classic and the production values are good and I like that it has a slightly more "cozy" feel than most detective shows of this nature. It falls somewhere between shows like 'Castle' and 'Law and Order'. I also appreciate that the violence is kept to a minimum and not sensationalized ...at least through the first two seasons. I've almost finished watching season 2.

I also agree in part that Rusty's character was very annoying in season 1 but I don't think he ever detracts from the show and he starts to mature in season 2 from the obnoxious, entitled brat he is in Season 1. I like that we're able to see more of Sharon's maternal side and her deeper character through her dealings with him. It's interesting how level-headed she is and how there is very little difference between the way she treats him and they way she treats her staff and cases but there is just enough of a tenderness towards him to show us more of herself. And even though it's highly unlikely he would ever be allowed to hang around the station the way he does and be privy to all their investigation details and procedures, it keeps our focus on the cases and keeps us firmly within the walls of the police station without distracting us with lots of screen time 'at home' in order to show their deepening relationship.

I do feel they all mollycoddle the kid too much and I can totally understand why someone would lash out at him (I don't want to give away any spoilers). And I do think they are wrong to allow him to disrespect any adult he feels like. But, he seems to be a 'work in progress' and I have enjoyed his acting so much more in season 2. His part is being well written to show us how much he's growing up and maturing in the more stable environment surrounded by people who care about him.

Often the storylines are a little too basic and predictable. Often, I can tell who the killer is by half-way through an episode but I enjoy that 'cozy' aspect of it. But I don't enjoy when things are just too coincidental and unbelievable and I hoped it wasn't going to go more in that direction in season 2, but the introduction of ADA Rios was a great decision to shake things up a bit and add a new perspective especially in dealings with Rusty.

I'm looking forward to watching the entire series and just wish I could afford to binge watch it all.

Curious Caterer: Fatal Vows
(2023)

Back down to 4 stars...
This third episode was even more stupid than the previous two with Andrew Walker's ex-wife being even more OTT as the demanding bride. The whole show was extremely forgettable and Andrew Walker still hasn't owned the role yet. I keep feeling like he's either ill, burned out or simply wishes he'd never signed on to this series.

Reactions are predictable and bland and even Nikki DeLoach seemed to be struggling in this one.

The plot was stupid and I kept wondering how most of these people had grown up in this small town together without seeming to have any connection. There's no warmth to the characters and everyone just seems to be acting as written and directed without bringing any spark to their roles.

I will watch the upcoming one but I'll have my phone handy in case I get bored.

Curious Caterer: Grilling Season
(2023)

One more star than the first one ...
I gave this new series another shot after being very disappointed with the first one. I felt Andrew Walker was a bit more comfortable in his role in this one but the script was perhaps even worse. His ex-wife is so OTT and one cannot imagine them ever having been a couple. Even more so than Goldy and Richard.

This series seems even more unrealistic than most because there is no chemistry between any of the characters imo. If you enjoy them, you enter the worlds of the Mysteries and you accept them as written. You begin to recognize the town, the characters and their relationship to each other and it becomes a familiar place with familiar faces. The method of crime solving is predictable but fun and enjoyable.

This one still misses the mark and I have no idea who these people are and how and where they live. It doesn't seem to be the fault of the author as so many have raved about her books and are dismayed how far the series has strayed from her characters.

Something still hasn't clicked yet and they are immediately easy to forget.

Curious Caterer: Dying for Chocolate
(2022)

Boring and unsettling...
I am a big fan of the Hallmark Movie Mystery Series and also of Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker. I was looking forward to this pairing and was sorely disappointed.

I wondered if Andrew was sick through the whole movie as he certainly didn't seem comfortable in the role. He seemed awkward all the time and just dialing in his performance. Swallowing his lines and staring into space too much. There was zero chemistry between the two with Nikki being far more confident than him.

He was so thin and the scruffy facial hair made him look even more gaunt. But it was his acting that surprised and disappointed me.

Her husband seemed more like her father in this one and I found it totally unbelievable that they'd been a couple. There was no chemistry there either.

I'm not familiar with the books so I had no issue there but the direction was so choppy and the script called for such stupid, inappropriate and unprofessional antics it just bored me.

I love the Hannah Swenson series best so this was poor in comparison.

I also love The Chronicle Mysteries and Murder 101 (although I think Jennifer's character and dialogue is rather silly in them and prefer her other electric pairings with Kris). The Crossword, Flower Shop, Aurora Teagarden, and Martha Vineyard Mysteries are all fun to watch too and well directed and acted. This never came close.

I'll give this series one more shot but the upcoming promos don't bode well. Did they make this on the cheap? Did the actors read the scripts before signing on? Will Andrew shave, put on some weight and bring something to the weak role?

Just Add Love
(2022)

Two stars for the uncle and the location ....
This is such a dreadful script, badly acted and boring, it's one to miss. The scenes with her uncle were the only bright spots in the movie and kudos to him for making it through this production.

She plays a social media "foodie" of some sort who apparently never had any training but considers herself a "chef". She apparently loves to "cook" even though she only created one successful recipe and it was a healthy "baked" brownie. We don't get any evidence she can even cook at all and she certainly can't even chop like a pro.

She's given a cook book advance based on this one successful recipe she posted online. If only life were so fanciful. She has no personality and her acting is flat. Her character is also a very entitled, selfish person who has no idea her cooking skills need a lot of work. The character and she, herself, needs a lot of work.

She takes off to Italy for no apparent good reason, supposing that, like her life, she'll suddenly get some great inspiration to help her deliver content to her publishers in time.

It's hard to believe someone was paid to write this drivel.

She takes a culinary tour and falls for the tour guide who also considers himself a "chef" but doesn't mention having had any formal training either. For some reason he thinks he'll be hired as a chef in a small "Italian" town when they'd obviously expect him to be a national and an actual "chef" at least. Sounds like he worked in a bakery before becoming a tour guide. I don't think the writers were aware there's a difference between chefs, cooks and bakers .. but since neither of these two leads seemed to be any of these I suppose it didn't matter.

She's offered a job at a "hot" new restaurant in NY based solely on her posts (really?) for which she takes full credit and doesn't even recognize or appreciate his contribution (which has been 90%). He's just been turned down for another job and she doesn't realize how selfish and thoughtless she's been until her uncle has some words of wisdom for her. Even then she can't see what she did was wrong.

She finally decides to give credit where credit is due, writes about Rob on her page, and magically the owner of the restaurant in NY decided to hire both of them. You couldn't make this stuff up. How this script was greenlit I can't imagine.

I was going to complement the DP for the incredible expansive vistas but, after reading other reviews, I discover it was actually shot in Albania. Now I have no idea how much of the beautiful ariel shots I loved were of the magnificent Albanian countryside and towns rather than Tuscany.

Craft Me a Romance
(2023)

Bad acting ruined it....
I will find it difficult to fulfill the character requirement on this one. From the very start the phone conversation between Father and son was so cliched and the lead actress' acting was dreadful. She was just reading her lines with no commitment or true expression. The customers entering her store were even worse and within 5 minutes it felt like I was watching a high school play. I rarely review a film or series without seeing it through to the end but this one was impossible to watch and I generally love Hallmark movies.

It was the typical opening set-up with the son of a huge conglomerate being sent to a small town to promote their new store and tear down the competition. Won't be hard to guess what happens but with dialogue, direction and acting as bad as this, I won't be watching to find out.

Carter
(2018)

Loved Season 1 but not Season 2 ...
Why did the writers change the show completely in Season 2? If they were new did they even watch Season 1?

I loved that it was a nod to Castle, Psych and Due South ... all of which I enjoyed .. but with a different "team" of actors who also worked really well together. It was fun and light with a great supporting cast. The murder mysteries were intriguing and the way they solved them was intriguing and lots of fun. It was well-written and well acted.

I recorded the two-season marathon on Hallmark Mystery and zipped through Season 1.

Looking forward to Season 2 today, I was so disappointed they changed Harley's character completely to the vain actor he could have been in the very beginning .. but wasn't. In Season 1 the touches that reminded us he was a succesful actor in a much loved TV cop show were funny and worked but we also saw his real "small town" side as he learned to work with his down-to-earth two childhood best friends.

But from the get-go, Season 2 was embarrassing and didn't make any sense. Enough time was supposed to have passed for him to receive his PI license (why?) so his character change made even less sense.

It might have made more sense had he started out that involved in himself and his actor persona in Season 1 but he never was. I wouldn't have watched the series if that had been the opening episode. There was a real warmth to the show and, delightfully, no sex, bad language and very little violence

I loved the nod to Castle, Psych and Due South because I enjoyed all three.. and the humor was just as subtle. There was a calm about it whereas the opening episode of Season 2 was idiotic, loud, and annoying. The original police chief was a great member of the "team" so the introduction of the new one was jarring. It was as if he was acting in a completely different show.

I'll give episode 2 a try but otherwise I'll be sadly hitting the delete button.

Carter: Harley Wears a Wig
(2019)
Episode 1, Season 2

Harley wears a wig
What the heck happened to the writing? I really enjoyed Season 1 and was shocked that he became an entirely different person in this opening episode of Season 2... and not for the better.

He was the perfect combination of a vain actor disillusioned with his wife and his life in Hollywood and a small town man finding his way home and his true self. His comedic touches were great and the camaraderie between the three of them was refreshing and fun. Loved the Police Chief too. The way he began to appreciate Harley's smarts was delightful. The show had a warmth without being hokey.

This episode was dreadful. I didn't recognize his character at all and it was an insult to anyone's intelligence. The new chief didn't fit in at all and everything was disjoined. I hung on to the end ... regretfully. I'll try a few more episodes to see if it settles down but I'm so disappointed. I recorded the whole of Season 1 & 2 in the Hallmark Easter marathon so the contrast was glaring. I'll just delete Series 2 if it doesn't improve but how he could suddenly become this over-the-top "actor" when he's been appropriately "normal" in season 1. The team camaraderie was completely gone. Worse still we are supposed to accept the passage of time taken to become a PI with his "consulting" position almost forgotten. Dis the writers think their audience would accept this?

A huge NO from me.

The Field of Blood
(2011)

(Season 1) Dreadful script yet somehow engaging ...
I'm not sure if I stuck with it because I am originally from Glasgow and grew up in the 60s and 70s or if it had some merit that kept me engaged. It bore an atmospheric resemblance to his later work, Shetland, which I love, but was sadly embarrassing in comparison. If they called the lead "fat" one more time I was going to scream.

Obviously, there was something seriously wrong with the casting and I couldn't get past that. Give her a fat suit if nothing else but to cast a fit, attractive and seemingly intelligent young women in the part was crazy. I haven't read the novel it was based on so I've no idea if the character was supposed to be fat or if this was purely the script writer's invention. I pondered if it was supposed to be a running "gag" but it was delivered so vehemently and nastily by so many different people, including herself and her hopelessly love-lorne colleague when he first saw her in the bar... it just didn't make any sense and was definitely not funny. There are certainly many "heavy" highly competent actresses out there who would have been perfect for the part. Did the producers want to play it safe and not appear to offend an actual fat person? And it was insulting to the character of Glaswegians to have everyone make rude and insulting comments about it throughout.

The script was appalling and much of the dialogue was embarrassing to any Glaswegian. Certain classic "catch phrases" were so over-worked and certainly had lost a lot of their popularity and charm by the 80s. Reminiscent of watching and episode of THE VITAL SPARK. It's true there was a tradition of misogyny in Glasgow (the Men's Union at Glasgow University, the bars that relegated women to the "Lounge" etc. ) but that was pretty much phasing itself out by the late 70s. The newspaper was staffed by educated Scots and Brits, my father amongst them, so it certainly wasn't representative of reality.

Nothing felt authentic to me and the one-dimensional characters made so many ignorant and stupid choices and comments they jerked me out of the momentum of the drama. Glasgow was made to look run down, drab and unappealing, inhabited by a bunch of ignorant yahoos with out-of-date kitchens!!

I had concerns regarding the believability of the show from the opening. The appalling direction and editing of the passage of time gave the impression that Brian was kidnapped within minutes in the middle of an expansive open park in bright daylight. We even got a crane shot emphasizing the openness of the area. The fact that none of the boys kicking a ball right beside him saw anything and that the mother couldn't see anyone traversing the massive, wide open park with the child within minutes of noticing his disappearance, set the stage for much of the stupidity and flaws that followed.

It would take too long to point out all the problems and flaws but the mother tipping a bucket of "pish" out of her window over her rival colleague sticks in my mind. Did she keep a bucket ready in case any annoying reporters showed up? Or are we to believe Glaswegians were still living without indoor plumbing in the 80s? Was this the director's attempt to convey the clever, "particularly Glaswegian" sense of humour?

The lead up to the dramatic denouement was ruined for me as soon as the co-worker naively wrote down the phone message from the curt anonymous caller telling her to meet him in a deserted parking lot at 11pm. Really? She sauntered off without even telling anyone (supposedly to keep the scoop to herself) without any apparent concerns. Really? Perhaps she envisioned herself meeting "Deep Throat" in an episode of the X-Files. And why did the killer bother to move the body from the empty lot? Setting himself up to DNA evidence possibilities.

The two-part mini series was riddled with similar, glaringly stupid plot points, dialogue and behaviors.

It was all so heavy handed and I thought the acting acceptable rather than remarkable. (The fact that the lead actress gained an award for her acting in this leaves me stunned).

An interesting moment that didn't go by me was a quick flash of two other background women walking through the office ...presumably visitors since they were attractive and well dressed so surely couldn't work in the same "male dominated" office oblivious to the mistreatment of the "copy boy".

In spite of all the flaws and serious irritations, I did enjoy the basic story and wanted to know how it was going to end. The ridiculous wimp of a colleague who attached himself to her (and was later coldly rejected) nearly prevented me from my goal as I suddenly thought I was watching an episode of The Nancy Drew Mysteries.

I tried to give the second "season" a go but since our cold hearted and selfish lead still felt it was her job to solve the mysteries that the police were incapable of doing, it simply wasn't worth it so I gave up half-way through the noisy and boring Part One.

All Creatures Great & Small
(2020)

Excellent series for all ages ..
This is probably the first time I've ever rated a show 10 but there really is nothing I can find fault with with this series. It's delightful, well written, acted, directed, edited, costumed, propped, and set in beautiful countryside with wonderful animals. It's authentic to the period in every way and the characters and storyline develop from episode to episode. There are enough interesting plot points within each episode, you don't have to watch them in succession but, of course, since there's a progressive storyline it's best to do so.

A young vet leaves his family in Glasgow to join a practice in England and moves in with the owner, his younger brother and a housekeeper. She is the glue that holds them all together but the younger brother, Tristan, always feels he has to prove himself to his brother ... who is very critical of him but loves him like a son... but gradually he starts to get more confidence and his brother begins to loosen the reins and trusts him with more responsibilities. There are love interests developing as time goes on and all but the housekeeper are smitten. It's wholesome, uplifting entertainment and leaves me with a smile on my face eagerly awaiting the next episode to air.

Complicit
(2013)

Slow and inconclusive
I relish a slow paced, dramatic spy story but this one was excruciatingly slow with an all too abrupt inconclusive ending.

At first I thought the long drawn out shots of the hero staring into space, walking endlessly around bazaars, taking an unnecessarily long walk around an empty farm, staring out across the city from his hotel balcony patiently waiting for his phone to ring were all supposed to convey the frustration he was feeling at the hands of his superiors and the bureaucracy. Sadly, it came across as just boring filler. But if the intention was to emphasize how slow the whole process was taking and to illuminate his need to take matters into his own hands I think it failed. I was just bored and had time to recognize that there was something very obsessive and unjustified about the hero's behavior. The simple yet extremely serious story and the many questions and concerns it posed could have been cast, shot and directed so differently and would have resulted in an immensely more powerful film. The production values were poor suggesting perhaps a low budget and the colorization of the piece was suspect unless intentionally dull to match the whole tone of the show.

It quickly became apparent to me that he'd been denied advancement for reasons other than his color (which was implied). He is obsessed with his suspect and embittered so, creating an opportunity to shine, he acts purely upon his research and suppositions and is both criticized and praised for it. I never got the impression he was operating selflessly out of a duty to protect the safety of the British people nor that he was racing against time but it was a good character study. The acting was wooden but that did add to the realism. Boring people doing extremely important jobs bogged down by bureaucracy. Perhaps wrongly, I got the feeling we were supposed to side with him at the end and be angered by the actions of his superiors and a system that 'let him down' but there was never any hard evidence to connect his suspect to the crime nor to exonerate his rogue and immoral behavior so they took the only appropriate course of action they could. For me, his boss telling him that his suspect was devastatingly clever and that he was devastatingly stupid for getting caught and his meek and feeble attempt to justify his actions was the best scene in the whole film. However, it begged the question of their willingness to believe he'd pieced together valuable clues to a very real threat to the nation. We are never privy to how they dealt with that threat going forward.

After such a slow pace, the abrupt ending that begged for a conclusion surprised and annoyed me. I could have lived with it ending in the office but when it continued and follow him going about his day and returning home, I really did expect him to be shot as we're supposed to. But no... very anti-climatic. Given that no terrorist attempt actually happened and that we're left to feel supposedly threatened and unprotected, I would have expected to feel chilled and scared but instead I just felt annoyed I'd wasted 90 mins of my evening watching it.

The Spy Next Door
(2010)

Overly violent and tasteless comedy
I cannot believe this passes as a "child friendly family film" and that a few reviewers call it "sweet and charming". I found nothing sweet and charming about it and it actually made me feel uncomfortable. The whole premise was suspect. The script was derivative, the characters wooden and stupid, casting and acting poor, the abusive bullying and violence dreadful, the jokes and actions often "off color" and dangerous for kids to emulate .....what more can I say about this really bad movie? References to porn from bratty, unruly kids and some directorial choices that were alarming really made me question the content and intent.

The Gulf
(2019)

Sadly, a waste of time ....
I tried very hard to give this mini series a shot since it had some promising elements but the dreadful acting, rudeness and obnoxious attitude and behavior of the lead actress and her daughter left me cold. Perhaps if the actress hadn't been so dreadfully overacting along with the rest of the cast, it might not have been quite so annoying but I knew there was something seriously amiss when the director signed off on such a serious "car accident make-up" fiasco. We were given a quick flash of her severely banged up face in an early flashback but we find her with just a few scratches and a bump on her head when first seen in hospital. Really? No swelling, bruising, stitches?? Based on conversations, superwoman was back on the job in little over a week with only some pained expressions, huffing and puffing and not a scratch or bruising in sight!! These are not small oversights and foreshadowed the show's serious problems... overacting, unrealistic dialog and scenarios and poor direction. Realistically, she would have been given leave to heal and psychological counseling. I very much doubt she'd be running all over the hillsides hunting for a kidnapper so soon after the serious crash and loss of her husband. It just got worse and worse with more time spent on sinking car flashbacks, arguments with her moody daughter and poorly lit close-ups of her swigging down her beer to swallow her pills than on the crimes and their detection. Her relationship reactions also kept changing with regard to her daughter and it all got more and more unrealistic. I'm still unclear how and why the kidnapper in the first scenario did what he did. Perhaps the answer is revealed later in the series but I couldn't waste my time watching anymore of it to find out.

My Life Is Murder
(2019)

Disappointing and irritating Season One...
I was very disappointed by this show and can't imagine why some seriously strong actors agreed to sigh up for it. Perhaps because Lucy Lawless was producing and she has the clout? I felt embarrassed for them.

I love all kinds of mysteries and detective series and I hoped this would be as enjoyable as the cozy style Midsomer Murders, Death in Paradise, The Brokenwood Mysteries or the Hallmark Mystery Franchises but sadly it just didn't hit the mark. One reviewer found Lucy Lawless' character angrier and more rude in season 2 but I think she's already annoying by midway through season one. She's so rude to her assistant I find it abusive behavior and well beyond humorous. The scripts are poor, the characters are under developed, the police are obviously hopeless (what does Kieran actually DO other than drop off potential cases?) and it's beyond me what special talent she is supposed to have other than being able to simply dial in her performance. The actual mysteries to be solved are boring and obvious and the cycling episode was a complete copy of an episode in one of those other shows. I can't remember which show but it was the EXACT same script which I found to be very odd. Were any others copied scripts? Perhaps this show would work for the under 12s but there's still no excuse for Lucy's nasty and rude behavior to everyone in the show friends and victims alike.

I gave it 5 stars for the inviting scenery and locations but won't be watching Season 2.

Striking Out
(2017)

Very watchable....
This well-written, we'll-acted legal drama was a delightful surprise to watch. It had heart and the bite of reality in its presentation and it's very likable ensemble cast. Set in Ireland with authentic flavor it's a shame it only lasted 10 episodes.

Halifax: Retribution
(2020)

So disappointing....
Pedestrian scripts, phoned in acting from top notch TV actors, unrealistic dialog, blatantly stupid scenarios.... I stuck this out and sadly watched it go from bad to worse. It could have worked as a reasonably enjoyable TV movie, in spite of Halifax still thinking she's in WANTED and Laplagia trying to remember how to act, but spinning it out into a series was quite unforgivable.

Stay Close
(2021)

Completely disappointing...
From the opening, Cush's acting driving the car was off putting. So fake and it never got any better. I had a bad feeling about the show right there. Then I suddenly thought I was watching Shakespeare & Hathaway...is it drama or comedy? It certainly can't make up its mind. Acting, direction, camerawork and script all equally bad. Production values?

Ridiculous coincidences and a plethora of pointless characters and ludicrous plot points. I tried to stick it out to see if it settled into some style I could appreciate but afraid not. The singing high school drama class bone crushers were just too much for me.

Departure
(2019)

How did this get such a high average rating?
Like so many others I had high hopes when it started ...story premise, acting, production values, script etc ... but it went downhill pretty quickly and got worse and worse. SO unbelievable for so many reasons ...total lack of security procedures and measures everywhere, using personal laptops that an18yr old boy could hack with one click, far too many ludicrous twists and unsound judgement calls. Seems to me the son's girlfriend had the right idea and got out quick!!

I also really didn't appreciate her getting her son off scott free for all his serious misdeeds!! Spoiled rotten kid needed at least some serious jail time.

Tell Me Your Secrets
(2021)

Started so well then fell completely apart....
I'm at a loss to describe how badly downhill this series went and what a waste of time watching it was. The first episode was full of promise and set the story up really well but then it dragged on and on adding red herrings and subplots that made absolutely no sense until, eventually, losing the plot completely. By the last three episodes nothing made any sense at all. Characters flipped back and fro from sweetness to insanity, travelled from town to town seamlessly, subplots came and went as often as the characters' hair changed color. Mary's family disappeared completely as did her toy boy which was just as well because they wouldn't have been able to justify any of her actions if set in the real world. It became so absurd by the last episode there was no real story left. Just a series of incoherent nonsensical vignettes strung together and masquerading as a story. My five favorite absurdities were John's hair color which kept changing, the total lack of a comprehensive timeline or the proximity of locations and states to each other, the original owner of the hair salon in Minnesota turning up in La to correct Karen's recall and revealing she'd seen Kit with Theresa but hadn't mentioned this crucial piece of evidence at the trial and Mary's immediately caring for and rescuing Karen after spending the previous 9 episodes being ready to kill her. I should have given this one a miss when I saw how bad a wig Karen was wearing in the flash backs.

Tell Me Who I Am
(2019)

"Tell me WHAT I am"......
I'm having the hardest time trying to decide if this is an attempt at a real documentary, a mockumentary in very poor taste, an excruciatingly long, boringly shot, exploitative reality TV episode or a work of pure fiction. And to what end?

Whatever category it winds up in it's contrived and shot and edited in the standard formulaic reality TV style. Overly dramatic lighting and pauses, exceedingly slow pacing, repetitive and blurry recreated images, moody soundtrack constitute a dramatization rather than a documentary and this one certainly falls short in comparison.

But I kept feeling like I was being deliberately "duped" (akin to "The Blair Witch Project" or "Bernie") and since Marcus and Alex tell us it's all about TRUST we are certainly being asked to TRUST that all of it is in fact true. And perhaps that's the point. But surely the abuse discussed in the tale and the subsequent rift the perceived "deception" causes, is far too serious and harrowing a subject matter to play around with in this fashion?

If true, hopefully writing the book was a necessary healing tool to bring the twins back together and resolve inner trauma but their acting it all out in this way makes me very skeptical. With everything being deliberately crafted and presented for its upmost dramatic impact, I can't help thinking how unbelievable it all sounded. In its entirety, their story just didn't add up and we are not introduced to anyone or anything to collaborate any of it and that disturbed me the most. Almost immediately, I guessed what Marcus had hidden from Alex out of love and protection so it really dragged and the reveal had less impact on me. In that regard I'm truly hoping the story was fiction as their plight and unusual aftermath deserved a much better treatment if true. And one would hope family members, friends and the law would search for perpetrators to prosecute and save others they knew from the same fate.

If untrue, it did tick a lot of boxes. I cared about the brothers very much so I hope I was not being played for a fool.

True Story
(2021)

Gripping and thrilling...
Unlike others who have reviewed this I didn't know of Kevin Hart or any of his previous work and was totally awed by his acting. Wesley Snipes was, as usual, terrific too as was the supporting cast.

This show had me on the edge of my seat and I had to take little breaks from my binge of the whole mini series in order to catch my breath. Each episode was so well written and so full of twist and turns that I didn't anticipate I was genuinely exhausted by the cliff hanger ending of each of them. I would have given it a ten had I not had a few suspicions early on but the story whisked me away before I could really dwell on them. The Kid was such a sympathetic character I felt for him at every turn and wasn't even let down by the ending which would have probably annoyed me had it been a different show. Without giving away any real spoilers I just want to say "DNA, fingerprints & gunpowder residue" bothered me. But perhaps this leaves open the chance for a second series? I definitely would watch these characters again and, like the acting, the production values were 10 out of 10 too. A must watch.

Upon a Midnight Clear
(2010)

Very contemporary themed family friendly film
Great piece of work about so many issues teens are battling with. The young actress playing both "twins" is excellent. Very enjoyable and worthwhile low budget film.

The Cabin
(2011)

Really?
I cannot understand why this dreadful TV Movie set deliberately in Scotland to showcase everything about Scotland was filmed in Ireland with mostly Irish actors with horrendous accents instead of Scottish actors and locale. In 2011 it makes absolutely no sense other than perhaps a very bad financial decision. The well-worn, contrived storyline of two families' reservations being mixed up forcing them all to share a ridiculously small cabin in spite of getting off on the wrong foot, the lack of believable chemistry between the obnoxious father and the unsympathetic mother who fall for each other within a few days of meeting, the poor script and unrealistic depiction of a Highland Gathering of the Clans and Highland Games leaves the audience questioning why it was even attempted. The reason I have given it one star is because the families' acting is actually good in spite of what they have to work with and it has its moments but mostly because, being Scottish, I liked the fact that both families enjoyed sampling "haggis" before finding out the ingredients.

City Homicide: Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!
(2010)
Episode 1, Season 4

Season 4 continues to delight ....9.8 out of 10
This season has continued to entertain with excellent scripts and excellent acting. The only two implausible episodes were those that dealt with the "undercover" situation. (No spoilers). Otherwise, seasons 3 & 4 are consistently top notch. It's great that "old favorites" return and you really get a sense of the ebb and flow of this police department. it's still very interesting to me the way we rarely get any backstory on any of the characters and when a little is revealed it's rarely ever followed up. Yet this doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the show because we come to expect this. Any tiny insight into their personal lives is a real treat in an episode and we don't expect to hear anymore about it in future episodes. Being able to binge watch so many episodes in a row, as I have done, is a real testament to the quality and like ability of the scripts and the whole show.

City Homicide: Blood Trail
(2009)
Episode 10, Season 3

Season 3 raises the bar ....
This episode is a great example of the new and improved City Homicide. Everything that didn't work for me in seasons 1 & 2 was corrected from the very start of season 3 beginning with two new cast members who immediately "updated" the show with their character types and excellent acting. Nadia Townsend bursts onto the scene as a sassy, know-it-all detective who can hold her own on the street. Our introduction to her is brilliant and immediately we can tell that the series has been given a major face-lift. She's just the breath of fresh air the show needed and when John Adam joins the team. a few episodes later, the new line-up is complete. He is more accomplished and mature than the other detectives and they both bring a more modern feel to the department. Nadine and Aaron are missing from most of the early episodes, enabling the "new" team to set the tone and with improved production values too, bring the show up to a solid 9 out of 10. The scripts have always been good but now with consistently slicker, better acting many episodes are even a solid 10. They still use the "reality" tv camera style for most of the show but it's been toned down and done far more professionally. I still have a problem with the transitional montages of quick cuts but they have been tightened up and reduced and are often of more relevant objects so are far less objectionable. The inclusion of loud, obnoxious songs that don't add to the action or storyline have been tempered with relevance. The nicest treat was when Jennifer Mapplethorpe (Nadine Garner) finally returned from her "course" her acting had radically improved and her vacuous "stare" softened and toned down with a smile or some obvious hint of a thought behind it. Her role and Pedersen's are greatly reduced in season 3 and the show improved because of it. The new combinations and pairings are far more dramatic and exciting. Shane Bourne, David Field and Noni Hazelhurst still steer the ship with excellence.

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