wheeler-86739

IMDb member since January 2024
    Lifetime Total
    5+
    IMDb Member
    4 months

Reviews

Riptide
(2022)

Enjoyable seaside thriller
Jo Joyner is one of my favourite actors so I'm admittedly going to be biased with this review. I enjoyed her in Shakespeare and Hathaway and she's equally good in this drama from Australia. It starts out much in the fashion of most dramas by setting up the characters and then things start to wrong with a disappearance that escalated to a death. I liked the set up of the characters and without giving the whole plot away it's safe to say you don't have to watch until the very end to get the killer, it's revealed earlier and becomes a story about Jo's character being in danger. The final scene is also ver well done.

Broadchurch
(2013)

Superb
I was a big fan of this show but never watched the first series till recently, what a pleasure it was to go back to it. Easily the thing that stands out the moment is just how strong Olivia and David are. In Olivia's case it's fascinating to go back and see the future Oscar winning in the making. She is just so darn brilliant without really trying. The central mystery is good but not overly clever or surprising but in a way that's the point, it's the characters and the setting that keep you watching. I know the actors have moved on but it would be a treat to get another series or movie sequel one day.

Vera
(2011)

All time favourite
One of my favourite shows with one of my favourite actressses, I've come on here to do a review since I just read there might not be another series? It's a charming show that doesn't have all the kudos and prestige of say a show like Line of Duty but that doesn't mean it's not as good. In Vera our Brenda has created a memorable character with humour and vulnerability even though she can be cantankerous too. Shout out to all the great guest actors that have passed through over the years too. I hope there's another series though appreciate Brenda is of an age now, good supporting cast can help to carry the workload.

Heat
(2023)

Twisted tale of two families
I didn't know anything about this show before watching it but found myself hooked after the first episode. The title makes it sound like it's going to be about having sex or a fire and it turns out to be about both, but really it's about two families and the dynamics between them. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but the secrets and lies have some decent twists and turns with things not turning out the way they initially seem. The cinematography around the river is quite breathtaking though the music choices were a bit grating. The sound in general was a bit loud at times so a point lost for that but otherwise a great binge watch.

Unforgotten
(2015)

Great British crime
I can be hit and miss with police procedural shows but highly recommend this one. I particularly like the way they focus on one crime per series which reminds me of Broadchurch. There definitely some familiar elements in terms of the dynamics among colleagues but the emphasis is on solving the mystery which gets deeper with each passing episode. It's by no means reinventing the wheel but I don't think it pretends to either, sometimes shows go too far to be different. In this sense it's played quite safe and straight but scripts and characterisation are well done. Hopefully there will be more series in the future,

Monster
(2022)

Uneasy viewing but good
I can understand why this series has caused so much controversy given the central character is one of the most vile and evil people to ever exist on this planet. If you were a family member of the victims you would find it very difficult to watch or even think about the existence of such a show that gives him any notoriety, In that sense I personally found it best to watch it as if it were a work of fiction. In which case it was very well done and compelling with an emphasis on trying to understand the psychology behind the killings. I did have to pause it a couple of times and watch something mindless in between but generally it held my attention.

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