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Reviews
Bay of Fires (2023)
Dismay of Fires
When I found out Marta Dusseldorp was not only acting in Bay of Fires, but she also created it, and was one of the writers and producers , I thought wow, this has got to be worth watching! What a disappointment. Marta herself described it as Ozark meets Fargo meets Schitt's Creek, well I tell you what Marta, this show is definitely up the proverbial creek without a paddle. For a start, Ozark and Fargo had a lot more genuine spine tingling suspense. Some of the humour is way too predictable and there's more cheap "sight gags" than old black and white slapstick movies, like falling through rotten floorboards, running over a wallaby and walking a pet pig down the main street. I'm giving it a three star rating, one because that's the minimum stars allowed and two stars for the beautiful Tasmanian scenery.
Gold Diggers (2023)
More history rewritten badly
I'm absolutely over script writers who try to rewrite history by putting 21st century language, swearing, lifestyle and mannerisms into shows set in bygone years, (the 19th century in this case). I believe the misconceived logic behind this concept is that by "modernising" the script, it appeals to a younger audience. If it does attract younger viewers, it tirnscoff okder viewers,so what is gained on the roundabout , you lose on the swing. If TV/Movie producers/writers want to attract a bigger audience, go back to basics, give us quality shows, be true to the era they are set in, don't "modernise" shows set in previous decades, or centuries and fill them with F bombs and 21st century language. Gold Diggers would have to be the worst comedy I've ever watched. Anyone who gave this show more than 5 stars would either have to be friends/relatives of the script writers or actors, or would find any old garbage they watch funny. ABC have stooped to an all time low by airing and promoting it, their standards of good comedy shows have dropped. And let's face it, they once set such a high standard with shows like Kath and Kim. Please give us more comedy like that!
Marriage (2022)
Like it or hate it , delightfully different.
I can understand some viewers giving it a low rating, because it dares to be different to any other drama . For those who don't "get it", of course they'll give bad reviews. By "get it" I mean understand that it's about an everyday middle aged married couple, living a mundane existence, doing mundane things like getting rid of ants from their rubbish bin, baking bread with a cheap breadmaker bought online and shopping for Revitalising shower gel. Written and directed by Stefan Golasewski who also wrote the brilliant comedy "Mum", it's a unique concept, not melodramatic, not a comedy, just very real and very different in a refreshing way.
Suspect (2022)
Seriously negative downer
This is the first time I can honestly say I haven't enjoyed watching a character played by James Nesbitt. Hey, don't get me wrong, James as usual gave it his usual100% to portray a detective looking for answers for his daughter's murder, but every episode was just over-the -top, I couldn't sympathise with Danny, he was such an unpleasant, bully without a single shred of humour to ease the unrelenting tension and seriousness.
Way too intense, unrealistic and hard to sympathise with a father trying to cope with a family tragedy.watched 5 episodes, couldn't take anymore. Looking forward to seeing James play a more pleasant, easy going character next drama.
Summer Love (2022)
Great writers, original, funny.
Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope must be the most under rated TV comedy script writers in Australia. Their writing has gone up a notch, this is even better than Upper Middle Bogan which was probably my favourite Australian comedy of the 21st century. They relate so accurately to modern day family life , like how to mollycoddle a toddler in the first episode, allowing their daughter to watch Bluey on a tablet for most of her waking hours. The banter between Harriet Dyer, Steven Curry , Patrick Brammall and Sybilla Budd was something we can all relate to when sharing a holiday house with close friends. It can sometimes well and truly test a friendship.
Smother (2021)
Lighten up a little
Dervla Kirwan is one of my favourite actors and I also like Niamh Walsh, but I find this hard to watch. I just don't think it's realistic that a a whole family can be so suspicious of each other, siblings so disagreeable with each other and so uncompromising. There's too much tension and melodrama and not enough love and laughter you would expect in a real-life family. More like a soapie than a TV drama. It needs to lighten up a little.
Would I Lie to You? (2022)
Hard not to compare
To be fair, it's hard not to compare this version with the original British Would I Lie To You which has been going for over 140 episodes. So it's hard to warm to a Compare who's not Rob Brydon or team captains who are not Lee Mack or David Mitchell. But it does have some funny moments so definitely worth giving it time to grow on viewers with every episode.
Around the World in 80 Days (2021)
Luke warm
There might have been a lot of hot air ballooning but this series was only luke warm. David Tennant playing the lead roll wasn't enough to lift it above mediocre because the supporting actors were disappointing and very hard to warm to. On a positive note it was refreshing to watch a program that wasn't full of violence and swearing . It was a good old fashioned adventure story!
The Larkins (2021)
Why
Why was this even made? The only viewers who could possibly enjoy watching this, is viewers who have never seen The Darling Buds of May. Characters not authentic to the books on which it was based such as casting actors of ethnic backgrounds. Rediculous. Television drama is crying out for family/feel-good dramas to balance out the crime /thriller programs full of violence and F bombs, but how about creating something original, not unnecessary remakes.
Fires (2021)
Takes melodramatic to a new
A cast of some of Australia's finest actors can't save this production. The reality of the fear and horror of the Black Summer bushfires simply cannot be portrayed by stoney faced, melodramatic facial expressions.
The Newsreader (2021)
Refreshing
What refreshing change to watch a very entertaining drama that's not a crime or detective story. Fast paced, witty and pretty much captures the language, fashions, cars and humour of the 1980s authentically. OK, maybe a few too many F-bombs for the eighties and Helen pronouncing process as pross-cess instead of pro-cess but that's just being picky! Also realistic for the time, Dale and Helen didn't jump into bed with each other when he took her back to his house.
The Pursuit of Love (2021)
What a mess
I can't believe the BBC would allow such a substandard production. Scenes jumping all over the place and weird characters performed weird dances. What happened to authentic period dramas where the music and language was in tune with the era it was set in. Rock music simply did not suit the 1930s.
Behind Her Eyes (2021)
Promised so much
Promised so much but didn't deliver. The first four episodes were brilliant, intriguing, suspenseful, original but when episode 5 revealed Adele's secret, astral travelling, out-of-body experiences, it totally ruined what might have been a quality thriller.
Wakefield (2021)
Doesn't get better than this
This mini series has everything, quality drama doesn't get any better than this! To Rudi Dharmalingam, what an amazing achievement, not just brilliant acting but to nail the Aussie accent better than any non-Australian. Geraldine Hakewell, Mandy McIllheny and every actor in the series, take a bow, you were all superb, and made your character believable. To the writers, producers, directors and the ABC..... thank you.
Liar (2017)
Time line Confusion
Quite entertaining and well acted, but in Season 2 the time line is far too erratic. Viewers are told when it's "three weeks earlier" for a short time, but when it reverts to present day it's hard to tell of its present day they are supposed to guess if it's now or still three weeks ago. Jumps around from past to present far too frequently.
Aftertaste (2021)
Aftertaste or bad taste?
I have to agree with Jeanmgradwell, the swearing is far too frequent and over the top. Why do writers and TV producers think in order to appeal to modern/younger audiences, the F-bomb must go off every second line. I occasionally use the word myself as do many people in day to day language, but seriously, in the real world it isn't used as frequently as it is in this show. Apart from that it's better than many Australian comedies I've watched in recent years.
The Crown: Terra Nullius (2020)
Nothing like Australia
As an Australian I was disappointed that the sheep station and outback scenes looked nothing like Australia. Apparently they were filmed in Spain and Uluru superimposed. So hard to watch when it was not even close to the Australian landscape. At least the actors and people in the Australian scenes had a genuine Aussie accent.
A Very British Christmas (2019)
Sugary sweet
So sugary sweet it's almost sickening. The only thing it has going for it is Rachel Shenton and no swearing/ F-bombs, which is refreshing in today's TV/movies. So predictable and clichéd you can know how it ends half way through.
Keeping Faith (2017)
Frustrating
One of the most frustrating crime miniseries I've ever had the misfortune to watch. So slow and painful, went nowhere, couldn't believe it ended without finding out what happened to Evan. Most viewers would want to watch another season to see what happened but I won't be watching Season 2 because quite frankly I don't care and don't wish to endure more pain.
The Gloaming (2020)
Atmospheric drama with red ute truck
Very atmospheric drama with a beautiful Tasmania backdrop, another superb acting stint by Ewen Leslie and Emma Booth but after watching Aaron Pedersen in Mystery Road, thought he looked out of place in a suit minus his trademark hat, but that could be a personal thing. The only thing that really annoyed me was constantly referring to the red ute as a red truck. Why must Aussie writers/directors insist
on appeasing American viewers?
Emma. (2020)
Hard to hear
Apart from not being the usual Emma we've been used to in previous TV and movie versions, Anya Taylor-Joy's Emma has a voice that is very hard to hear. I could clearly hear every word the other actors were saying but without subtitles I couldn't clearly understand a lot of what she was saying. It seems clarity of speach in modern productions are no longer a priority. Much like the well documented mumbling of Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley.
Hotel Mumbai (2018)
Definitely NOT boring
Plenty of suspense, action and brutal, graphic reality and the acting, especially by Dev Patel was superb. To those who said it was 'boring'....... if you found this boring, you are going to find every movie ever made boring! The only criticism I have is there were absolutely no subtitles when the terrorists were communicating with each other in their own language.
Operation Buffalo (2020)
A bombs to F bombs
Entertaining dark comedy and original period drama about the A.Bomb testing at Maralinga. An authentic depiction of life in the 1950s, the hair styles, clothing, cars, advertising signs.... everything except for women using the 'F bomb'. Even men rarely used the F word in the 1950s and women NEVER used it. Why do writers and producers insist on spoiling good period dramas by using present day swearing? Some may say its to appeal to a younger audience, but why go to the meticulous effort of making everything else a true reflection of an era, then spoil it with modern day language.