jonniecomet-14209 Reviews

Inspector Morse: The Daughters of Cain (1996) Season 8, Episode 2

May be the worst ever

[6/10 · 16 May 2023]

In an otherwise excellent, truly first-rate series, this episode is the one great glaring exception. It's got nearly all of the 'Inspector Morse' hallmarks but the plot is horribly lethargic and loopy.

There are at least two major plot holes. Without spoiling it - The first is that the first theft is never adequately explained. Oh; an explanation was posed by the characters; but in fact the reality we're expected to accept is actually counter to what's needed to support the characters' theory. The second is that the accomplice (and imagine what the accomplice must have had to do) is never adequately identified or punished but merely ignored at the end. Neither of these is in keeping with the overall reputation of the show. Compare 'Daughters of Cain' with the excellent one that follows, 'Death is my Neighbour', and see what I mean.

Charlotte (2015–2016)

Just the best ever

[10/10 · 4 January 2022]

This is by far one of the BEST anime serials I've ever seen. It has humour, mystery, action, romance and terrific theme music. Most importantly it has at its core a significant ethical problem: given a world in which free people can develop supernatural abilities that can certainly, but not necessarily, be used for noble and unselfish purposes, is it justified for well-meaning third parties to deliberately deprive them of these gifts *just in case* the gifts can be used for socially-unacceptable or socially-harmful purposes? You just don't see anime shows that are this fun to watch and are addressing problems that so clearly parallel real-world issues.

The characters are all worth following, even the Americans (I'll say no more about that). The plot starts out as though it will be merely episodic (one self-contained story after another) but quickly an underlying, greater story develops to drive it towards an impressive (and possibly tragic) finish. Just don't ask why it's called 'Charlotte' till the end!

Not just for die-hard anime fans! It's a truly great series that entertains, without being childish or stupid, and on an adult level it makes sense.

The Last American Hero (1973)

Classic feel-good sports film

[8/10 · 1 January 2022]

Modern people might not say this is great cinema; but even viewed through 'retro' 1970s eyes it is a wonderful slice-of-life picture of a sport that, even then, would soon be fading past its peak. The oil crisis of 1974 would put a huge question-mark to the future of gasoline-powered auto racing and future generations would enjoy the pastime almost as a guilty pleasure. In the 2020s the whole concept is almost a social sin. But for the period in which they story takes place, it was the mortals' gladiator races and the clash of the Titans rolled into one.

The movie is pretty faithful to the details such as car technology, business practices, and social atmosphere of the time. Watch for cool shots of early-1970s cars and engines (especially a red 1969-1970 Corvette with stock hubcaps and whitewalls - they really did make them like that!). Best of all, actors in in-car shots really seem to be actually driving the cars.

Jeff Bridges is 23 as this movie is being made and looks all of 17. He plays the role of Junior convincingly as a naive country boy, full of loyalty to family and friends that others aim to undermine or exploit. His maturation process includes learning the hard way about disreputable women and being reminded of his reasons for wanting to race cars in the first instance. His apparent arrogance is only the way in which his native sense of honesty and ethics manifests itself, indeed the very best of his character. It's why the ending of the story will please the audience.

Watch it for the nostalgic scenes of the best generation of American cars, the hairstyles and fashioned, the technology details, all very unlike anything 40-50 years hence. But watch it too because it's a great little story about heroes and their adversaries who, at least for a time, can't tell each other apart.

Endeavour: Quartet (2018) Season 5, Episode 5

The James Bond movie for 1968

[10/10 · 21 December 2021]

The 'Endeavour' series is 100% superb all the time; I've seen the whole series (to date) and this is definitely the very best episode of all. 'Quartet' is, in an hour and a half, actually a very deft self-contained Cold War spy thriller that could easily have been issued (with Sean Connery, and added-in action, and a Bond girl) as the James Bond film in the 1968 gap in that franchise.

The story opens with a murder at a clown-giant race with international teams competing in Oxford on live (1968) TV. Endeavour is quick to realise there is more here than meets the eye. The plot continues using all the best Bond tropes - international intrigue, secret spies in HM government, a late-night rendezvous, a code-breaking mystery, a psychopathic industrialist, a clue hidden in a poisonous-fish tank, villains who seem sympathetic victims at first, government's doubt in our super-spy hero, untrustworthy women, and, best of all, an esoteric literature-based riddle that only our hero has the intellect to work out.

On top of all this, it is beautifully produced, with each scene patiently filmed even whilst the plot runs at breakneck pace. As ever for this series the historical details are spot-on and charmingly nostalgic. And there is the start of the secondary subplot that will become the principal plot of Series 6.

Broadchurch (2013–2017)

Top-notch detective procedural

[10/10 · 11 December 2021]

Definitely amongst the best TV of its genre, with deep, multifaceted (authentic) characters and twists in the developments, both legal and personal, that reinforce the premise that there are no easy investigations and that everyone's got quirks that at once make them appear VERY guilty and entirely absolve them.

Fun watching such veterans as David Bradley, Olivia Colman and especially David Tennant (whose every appearance begs the question of why other characters aren't asking, 'Oy! -aren't you Doctor Who?').

Also stunning countryside along England's southern Jurassic Coast that truly sets a mood like oceanic weather - you cannot take anything for granted; and why on earth is that cliff like that?

Perfectly addictive - make the time to binge-watch the whole series!

Lovejoy: The Judas Pair (1986) Season 1, Episode 5

The best of 'Lovejoy'

[9/10 · 23 July 2021]

This episode may be one of the very best three or five episodes of the whole series. It's got all the well-loved 'Lovejoy' tropes: classic 1980s fashion (and cars); charming locations; an intense mystery centred on the actual antique item(s); Lovejoy skirting the law several times; a little too much closeness with Lady Jane; the viewers' first guess as to the culprit going completely wrong; know-it-all cops; snobby dealers; Tinker as the quiet expert; Eric stumbling half-wittingly over an important clue; and a finale in which Lovejoy holds all the cards, leaving even the viewer out of the loop till the end.

It's true Ian La Franais' script combines elements of several of the Jonathan Gash novels in one story (much as James Bond films are plot-amalgamated too); but the result is a cohesive story that includes healthy doses of esoteric details, good humour and real suspense, even life-or-death thrills. If you haven't watched 'Lovejoy' before, the first series is the very best of it and if you start with this one you'll be hooked on the programme for good.

After the Ball (2015)

Not quite 'She's the Man' but....

[7/10 · 8 June 2021]

It probably helps to compare this film more to 'Twelfth Night' than to 'Cinderella', though it owes both.

I enjoyed it; but then I enjoy anything with Portia Doubleday. She is not as slapstick-funny as Amanda Bynes; but she is prettier; and she carries off the awkwardness of the Kate character amusingly and even credibly. You are inclined to like her character here - she is honest, well-meaning, and determined without being either overly sappy or shallow.

If there are shallow acting performances, they're down to everyone else - Daniel's character was insufficiently developed, making him appear like a caricature of Prince Charming rather than a real-life, modern-day Orsino; and Elise's character is hardly any Olivia. The actors are good enough but they aren't given much to work with.

Being a vehicle for Miss Doubleday is the movie's one saving grace. I really missed seeing her (little spoiler here) on the runway at the end; as it'd have been a major PR success for the company to have had Kate present in her new capacity; and of course she's lacking nothing to have made a good model... if only on her own terms :)

Contract Killers (2008)

Not bad at all for a low-budget production

[7/10 · 21 February 2021]

Exciting action, with almost-realistic fight and vehicle-chase scenes, excellent use of locations, and reasonably believable plot. Story could have used a bit more polishing - really just in the details. The characters possess a good sense of humanity, especially those who are revealed to have been either duplicitous or straight all along.

In all it's a fun movie to watch, having a former ballerina turned action heroine whom you really want to cheer on. The ironic ending puts paid to her revenge.

Natasha (I) (2015)

Sociopolitical issues get in the way

[7/10 · 19 February 2021]

From online descriptions this began to sound like a romance. And it is one at its heart. You want to believe that the story might carry itself and that the details are there just to lend authenticity. But in this film the opposite happens: it gets so bogged down by its own details that the story itself drowns.

First we have the older generation debating over what characteristics make one Jewish enough. But none of them newly in Canada seems to keep Judaism close at heart - they don't go to a synagogue and never pray or even refer to the Bible; so what is the point?

Then we have the teenager and his older friends trading in marijuana. At least one of them is growing it and several apparently smoke it. Instead of introducing the audience to characters, the pot-trading characters look shallow and stupid. It's a backward step in plot development - more interesting characters would give Tasha people to react to or learn from.

But when Mark shows Tasha round the neighbourhood, he never teaches her anything about her newly adopted-culture except how to inhale. So now both of them look shallow and stupid; the smoking doesn't advance their relationship; and neither of them smiles at the other.

In fact Tasha never learns any English and though Mark speaks English at them most of his relatives never use it, though they all must know it (so do mind the subtitles). This barrier remains one through the whole plot and keeps the teens' relationship at a standstill - exactly what the audience does not expect or want.

Ultimately the only character you care about is Tasha, whilst no-one else in the movie cares about her - as a sympathetic character no-one even thinks of or mentions here. These self-centred immigrants don't even stick together to worry about or support a young member of their own whom they have to know is in serious trouble.

I found myself cheering for Tasha to make the life change she mentions for herself; but the film concludes leaving us no idea what will happen to her at all. So having drowned in its side stories (none of which is ever resolved) the film simply ends, as though it has run out of time, with nothing positive to recommend itself. And to me that's a tragic waste of an intriguing story line.

Jalebi (2018)

Beautifully well-done

[8/10 · 18 February 2021]

It's a very deftly filmed but intense story that requires a lot of thought on the part of the viewer. In particular it's vital to follow the sequence of flashbacks which you may not entirely comprehend till the last few scenes, so to pay attention!

The story is beautifully directed with the players often using eye contact and unspoken gestures to say more than mere dialogue could. In the end you truly love all three of the central characters and for the best of reasons.

The soundtrack is excellent though in several places a song goes on too long making it almost seem like a super-long music video.

Eye for an Eye (2019)

Bad yet could've been worse

[2/10 · 7 February 2021]

Sadly this film could have been many hundreds of times better if the sound department (Madison Erdmann and Frank Ralph) had done even one-hundredth of their jobs. Half the sound, including key dialogue, seems to have been recorded on a pre-2005 mobile phone in a concrete conduit alley. The rest seems to have been recorded somewhere the scene was not set; but it doesn't seem to have been looped-in, just really BAD.

By the last sequence the actors are just running around in an eastern-California field as though the plot expired 15 minutes ago (because it did; the denouement sequence is about 5-10 minutes too long).

It's all a shame because the story itself had some merit.

Sweet Karma (2009)

Not really bad at all

[7/10 · 22 January 2021]

Caught this film on Prime late at night (seems apt; right?). As a movie it is at once better than most of the poor reviews and worse than it has to be. I expect I am a sucker for any 'poor vulnerable girl left alone gets even with all who've mistreated her' stories and that's basically the plot here.

Shera Bechard does a pretty good job as Karma, an innocent mute girl from Russia attempting to avenge her sister's death at the hands of Russian sex traffickers in Toronto. It takes a bit of concentration to follow the timeframe as there are several flashbacks and the mute girl isn't explaining her backstory for you to understand her motivation. But that may be part of the grand design here.

Note her name: 'Karma', which in spite of how Anna explains her sister's name is really what her mission is. It's literary irony in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe. Don't tempt Karma!

Other than Shera Bechard the other actor of note is John Tokatlidis who plays the only other character with a substantive backstory - part of the twist ending so I won't reveal it here. Suffice to say the viewer should mind the other characters, even the baddies, because they do flesh out the picture somewhat.

Caveats: the violence is gory at times; the sex scenes are unpleasant; the club dancing is almost boring; the outdoor scenes are cold, dark and bleak; the language is crude and unimaginative - all deliberately so, to maintain the theme of the story, which is that the sex trade has absolutely NO glamour or nobility to it even if you think it might seem interesting, as a story theme, in just some macabre way. So it's easy to dismiss this as a 'bad movie' when it's really just a pretty good movie about really bad people in a really bad business doing really bad things (most of whom meet really bad ends).

Watch it late at night when nothing else is on - and pay attention. Maybe you'll see what I mean.

Serangoon Road (2013)

Made even more exotic by the setting

[9/10 · 21 December 2020]

I've been recommending this to everyone. It may be a little violent - and (to spare the spoiler) I'm not completely satisfied with the ending as not enough loose ends are tied off. What's most fascinating - besides the marvellous actresses, experienced Joan Chen and charming Pamlyn Chee - is the time setting, the period between the 1962-63 Malaysian Republic and the 1964-65 departure of Singapore to become its own nation. The British, Chinese, Malaysians, Singaporeans, and Americans were all vying for influence over the same relatively small city-state and the Australians, like Sam, were rather caught-up in it all as well.

The Changi prison that's mentioned was one of the most notorious of Japanese POW camps during WW2 in no small part because they took over an already-good facility from the Singaporeans; so that's a dark cloud hanging over the histories of Sam and others. Why is the CIA involved? The cops probably mean well; but who's directing them and to what ideology do they owe allegiance? And theres a lot of cool old cars (though, perhaps realistically, not too many).

So for nearly everyone who doesn't know much about the political history, the series has a wonderful exotic character that's reminiscent of 'Jake Speed' or even Indiana Jones. At times you don't know whom to trust - really only Sam and Su Ling are always reliable (very small spoiler there). It's made me become a great fan of this now-stable, successful nation that boasts some of the wealthiest citizens in the world - all down to the period of struggle during which this excellent Australian series is set.

Kimberly (1999)

Gabrielle Anwar looks like an angel

[7/10 · 21 December 2020]

She is all of 29 as this movie was released but often looks 10 years younger! It's pleasant to see her using her real accent too.

This movie about 'senior' (mature) men's rowing does include some worthwhile details of the sport but most of the time the teams are just idling and Kimberly as coxswain is usually at the point of picking up their pace.

Perhaps less well known is that the competition rowing season does indeed take place in autumn - which means these rowers are going out in November in Philadelphia (about 35-40 degrees in the early morning). Many movies won't want that considered! - but despite being close to the water it's not a spring/summer sport!

Another cute detail - Gabrielle Anwar is probably barely over 100 lbs so I'd wonder why these guys aren't racing 4+1 (4 plus coxswain) instead of 4-man only. The cox is usually team/boat coach anyway and her weight couldn't affect them that much!

Porcupine Lake (2017)

Coming of age realism

[8/10 · 20 December 2020]

This is really a nice film about two girls who meet, discover each other, and become very close friends very fast. Having grown up in a resort community I can attest that this rapid development from strangers to bosom companions can and very often does happen during summer vacation. It's charming to watch the principals in this film contend with the strange new feelings that are an inevitable part of adolescence.

One drawback I just could not get over was that actress Charlotte Salisbury seemed to have no chemistry with the dog, who was apparently always looking off to stage left for his handler!

The details of the real-life Port Severn community are fascinating - the restaurant/petrol depot really exists as depicted and appears consistently in the film.

Fear of Water (2014)

Too good for a niche market

[8/10 · 20 December 2020]

I watched this film on Tubi where it was categorised as 'LBGT' (not my reason for watching it). This is an injustice to the movie because it deserves more than a niche market. It is the story of two girls, each of whom has difficulty finding & keeping friends, who find each other because of the innate decency in themselves. Over the course of the plot - which develops just as you'd like it to, though you fear it won't - they discover that all prejudices and stereotypes become meaningless as you take the time to actually get to know people. Everyone Alexia and Eleanor encounter has problems, which half excuse their oddness and make them deserve human decency and sympathy.

Most meaningfully, the story isn't about lesbian 'awakening' sexuality at all. It's about true friendship and the kind of love that transcends labels. Kate Lane's done a really great job at writing a story and directing a film that's worth more than any pigeonhole category.

I'd recommend this to anyone seeking a youth-oriented film that pushes barriers even as it retains a centre in universal morality and keeps to its core of entertaining and enlightening together.

Trust Fund (2016)

Fun yet harmless

[7/10 · 20 December 2020]

It's a very cute movie with a surprisingly charming cast, telling a very apt interpretation of the Prodigal Son story. Somewhere near the middle it begins to drag - the whole European caper needs a little more suspense and action and detail - for many viewers might not get what's really happening. Also there's one key question (not going to say it here) that isn't answered sufficiently at the end. But all in it's a pleasant story with a lot of realistic family matters that makes it seem like the kind of movie we need more of these days.