I'm delighted to see so many 10/10 reviews here, since as you see that's what I gave it. I never, ever give up on a series once I've started it. I'm stubborn that way. The 1st episode (because we were getting to know everybody) was a little slow, and with 12 eps I thought I'd made a mistake. That didn't last long, as the series kept drawing me further and further into it. Great writing, above all. Dark, dark humor. Exceptional acting by the entire cast. Creative cinematography and effects. Continually surprising twists that are nevertheless plausible. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Reviews
17 Reviews
Hidden
(2011)
Very Disappointing
16 February 2020
At least as Gene Hunt, Philip Glenister had some charisma. As Harry Venn, he as none. Neither are the rest of the characters very interesting. Add to that an incoherent and wildly implausible plot, and the best things about this miniseries are the street scenes in London & Paris. Why as high as 4*s? It's like the SAT exams. You get 200 points for remembering your name. (That's an urban legend, btw.)
Dead Lucky
(2018)
Started Out Slow, Got Better Fast
26 January 2020
When I started the 1st (of only 4) episodes, I thought it was a mistake. It looked to be really cliche, and the characters seemed like "TV characters". You know: characters who don't behave in ways that actual humans do out here in the real world. By the 2nd episode, the unexpected plot twists, which kept this long-time TV viewer guessing, overshadowed that. Gained 2 stars simply for very creative plotting. I'm not disappointed that there won't be (AFAIK) another season, because the characters aren't compelling enough on their own and I don't think lightening could strike twice in terms of a really creative plot.
Trepalium
(2016)
Decent And Thought Provoking
15 April 2019
Escapism aside, science fiction is at its best holding up a mirror to today's world. If it wants to also be predictive, there has to be a path suggested of how we got from "here" to "there", even if copious amounts of handwavium are used. The Expanse, for example, has this path. Trepalium does not. It's tough for me to see a path from "here" to "there", at least in the time frame given. But as a mirror held up to certain trends in today's world, it was spot on. The designs are exceptional and the overall mood is a bit Ballardian. Some of the buildings even reminded me of Ben Wheatley's excellent adaptation of High-Rise. J.G. Ballard is even quoted at the beginning of an episode. The acting is appropriate to the plot and the plot (once we accept that the world depicted exists) was good and didn't have any major holes. I'm glad that I watched it. Thanks to Sundance Now.
Fingersmith
(2005)
Never Give Up
12 April 2019
According to imdb, when this originally aired in the UK it was shown as 3 hour long episodes. On Sundance Now in the US it is shown as 2 hour and a half episodes. For the first hour and a half, I honestly found it a struggle. The acting was great, but the plot looked it rehashed territory that's been covered before. I didn't expect any surprises. I was wrong. The plot twist at the end of the 1st hour and a half Sundance episode was a corker. I was riveted to the screen for the 2nd hour and a half which kept unloading surprises. Maybe a little too many because at times it felt like there were almost as many unlikely coincidences as in a novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It all came together in the end, though. I think I enjoyed it more the way Sundance showed it than if I'd seen it as 3 hour long episodes. The twist would have come in the middle of the 2nd episode, whereas Sundance had a clear "before twist" and "after twist" with its 2 episodes. Who knows? This is the way I saw it and I'm glad I stuck with it because ultimately I enjoyed it. Would have been 9* but for the fact that the first half dragged.
Riviera
(2017–2020)
Art World Drama Saved By A Great Twist Ending
28 March 2019
Really, I did not see that coming, and I'm not easy to surprise. Julia Stiles has never struck me as a talented thespian, and she's just OK in this, but the rest of the cast shines, including Lena Olin. The terrific scenery porn of the Riviera is reason enough to watch, but the plot about the market in art works is interesting as well. By itself, it isn't enough reason to subscribe to Sundance Now, but if you already have a subscription it's worth watching.
Stella Blómkvist
(2017–2021)
Nordic, Not Noir
19 March 2019
I can't believe that I rated this so highly, but I wound up loving it. Despite being extremely cynical, it's too over-the-top and too post-modern to be noir. Stella, the protagonist, is a piece of work. One has to look very closely and snatch at a few brief moments to find any redeeming qualities in her at all. The police, politicians and financial elite aren't any better. Occasionally, I'll read a review off something complaining that there were no likeable or admirable characters. If you have that issue, this is NOT a show for you! Stella is likeable, but only in a very nasty way, as she wreaks havoc among her friend (singular) and acquaintances. She frequently breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience, with scenes inserted that display what she's talking about. Sometimes characters in those scenes look straight at the audience and smile. The show has a very dark sense of humor, and if people get what they deserve, it's by accident. It's very stylishly filmed. It's a hoot. imdb seems to think that a 2nd season is in the works, but gives no details. I really hope that's the case. Streams on Sundance Now in the US, which is how I bumbled into it.
The Game
(2014–2015)
Nicely Done, But Hugely Implausible
17 March 2019
This is a throwback in many ways, some good, some not so good. The period is evoked very nicely with lots of detail. The acting is very effective. But the writing, both the plot and the dialog, seem to be stuck in an earlier period as well. Although the actors do their best to sell them, the characters aren't even remotely believable. Neither are the Soviet plots. It wants to be very cynical, but even in the 1960s, Len Deighton adaptations did that a whole lot better. At times, especially with the character Wendy, I thought it couldn't decide if it was a spoof or not. It did not help that I watched it immediately after finishing binging seasons 3 and 4 of the exceptional French spy series The Bureau.
¿Quién Mató al Bebe Uriarte?
(2012– )
Exceptional Political Thriller from Argentina
1 March 2019
I almost missed the boat on this because Walter Presents did not highlight the fact that it stars the great Federico Luppi, long one of my favorite actors. I happened to spot him while watching the trailer at the last minute and power binged all 13 episodes in 1 day. Also stars Miguel Ángel Solá from Carlos Saura's Tango, Fernando Solanas' El exilio de Gardel (which really needs a DVD release, c'mon folks), and Fausto 5.0.
The murder of a popular nightclub owner in Santa Fe, the capital of Santa Fe Province in subtropical north central Argentina, kicks off a series of events that uncovers civic and police corruption and the kidnapping of poor children for sex. The plot follows events after the murder, along with copious use of flashbacks from before it. I found it to be extremely plausible, and I'm a real stickler for that. The reveals, when they come, are earned and none feel like they were pulled out of a hat because the writers ran out of ideas. They also managed to consistently surprise me, which at my advanced age isn't easy. The tension builds steadily throughout and even at 13 48 minute episodes in one day, I didn't feel that the time dragged at all.
The acting, not surprisingly, is exceptional throughout and the characters are realistic and interesting.
The wetlands terrain is used very well to enhance the plot. The cinematography is good and the transitions between scenes are very creatively handled and add to the series' relentless drive.
Along with Cromo on Netflix US, this is the finest series from Argentina that I've ever seen. I hope Walter, MHz or Netflix see fit to bring us more series from Argentina. Currently, Walter Presents is only available via PBS Masterpiece on Amazon Prime and they have not yet added this series to PBS. If and when they do, I strongly recommend it.
The murder of a popular nightclub owner in Santa Fe, the capital of Santa Fe Province in subtropical north central Argentina, kicks off a series of events that uncovers civic and police corruption and the kidnapping of poor children for sex. The plot follows events after the murder, along with copious use of flashbacks from before it. I found it to be extremely plausible, and I'm a real stickler for that. The reveals, when they come, are earned and none feel like they were pulled out of a hat because the writers ran out of ideas. They also managed to consistently surprise me, which at my advanced age isn't easy. The tension builds steadily throughout and even at 13 48 minute episodes in one day, I didn't feel that the time dragged at all.
The acting, not surprisingly, is exceptional throughout and the characters are realistic and interesting.
The wetlands terrain is used very well to enhance the plot. The cinematography is good and the transitions between scenes are very creatively handled and add to the series' relentless drive.
Along with Cromo on Netflix US, this is the finest series from Argentina that I've ever seen. I hope Walter, MHz or Netflix see fit to bring us more series from Argentina. Currently, Walter Presents is only available via PBS Masterpiece on Amazon Prime and they have not yet added this series to PBS. If and when they do, I strongly recommend it.
Merciless
(2014)
Improves Despite Early Faults
21 February 2019
I had almost the exact opposite reaction from the reviewer who thought it fell apart. I started watching and feared that I'd have to give up, something I rarely do, being more stubborn than practical. But I thought the last three episodes were wonderful and the ending note perfect. I'm very picky about endings and I just loved this one. I was thinking 5* or 6* until the last few episodes. The last episode alone would have been 9*, but earlier problems dragged the net net down.
Bruno Gagliasso was exceptional throughout. Débora Falabella was very good in a role which could have been extremely annoying. Alas, Luana Piovani & Marcello Novaes were let down by an appallingly cliched backstory and some painfully cliché dialog relating to that backstory. To be fair, that may have been in the subtitles more than the original writing. I don't understand much Portuguese, but what I did get made it seem as if they went overboard on translating idiomatically. My personal preference is for a more literal translation. I can figure out what the characters meant without needing it dumbed down to UK or US cliched language. Most of the other actors were good.
The plot was a bit overstuffed, and at times seemed to be more of a class in the history of serial killers, rather than following the exploits of just one. There was a sort of, kind of, hand waving explanation for that in the last episode. Whatever. It didn't ruin the show for me. More of an issue were some face palm level dumb moves on the part of the lead detectives. That is always an problem for me. If I wanted to watch people making poor decisions, I'd watch reality TV. But in the later episodes the drive of the plot compensated.
Bruno Gagliasso was exceptional throughout. Débora Falabella was very good in a role which could have been extremely annoying. Alas, Luana Piovani & Marcello Novaes were let down by an appallingly cliched backstory and some painfully cliché dialog relating to that backstory. To be fair, that may have been in the subtitles more than the original writing. I don't understand much Portuguese, but what I did get made it seem as if they went overboard on translating idiomatically. My personal preference is for a more literal translation. I can figure out what the characters meant without needing it dumbed down to UK or US cliched language. Most of the other actors were good.
The plot was a bit overstuffed, and at times seemed to be more of a class in the history of serial killers, rather than following the exploits of just one. There was a sort of, kind of, hand waving explanation for that in the last episode. Whatever. It didn't ruin the show for me. More of an issue were some face palm level dumb moves on the part of the lead detectives. That is always an problem for me. If I wanted to watch people making poor decisions, I'd watch reality TV. But in the later episodes the drive of the plot compensated.
A Textbook Case of Why Rock Documentaries Are So Bad
5 January 2019
Very disappointing. There actually isn't much music because far too much time is taken up with pointless and unrevealing interviews. And much of the music that is shown is Ginger Baker soloing. Clapton & Bruce were actually shown playing for barely 20 minutes. When they were, it was in extreme closeup, often with faux psychedelic effects. What do I want to see when a great guitarist or bass player plays? I want to see their hands. I want to see their technique. Instead, we got closeups of contorted faces. A total waste of time.
Raid
(2003)
Wish There Would Have Been More
3 December 2011
I had loved the 2000 series and didn't even know that this sequel existed until reading the blurb on the brand new 1st English translation of a Raid novel Raid and the Blackest of Sheep. (Thank you, Ice Cold Crime!!!!!) I immediately launched on an internet search and managed to get a copy. I found it simply wonderful - all the more so after having read the cited novel.
Unlike my fellow reviewer above, I really appreciated the inclusion of so many characters from the series (Sunderman, the Cowboy, et al.) OK. The Cowboy was there as a reference point only, but the series was so good that I appreciated every link between the two. The plot is complex and, yes, at times a little implausible, but it is also not to be taken entirely seriously. There is much of what I have come to learn from having watched all of Aki Kaurismaki's oeuvre is Suomi humor.
The acting was great. The characters stayed in character. The music, which echoed that of the series, was great. There are many scenes where the countryside of Finland looks much more beautiful than it did in the series - almost to the extent that I wonder if people had kvetched about the series giving the country a bad name.
I will be watching my DVDs of both the series and this film many times over the coming years and if you get them on DVD so will you.
Unlike my fellow reviewer above, I really appreciated the inclusion of so many characters from the series (Sunderman, the Cowboy, et al.) OK. The Cowboy was there as a reference point only, but the series was so good that I appreciated every link between the two. The plot is complex and, yes, at times a little implausible, but it is also not to be taken entirely seriously. There is much of what I have come to learn from having watched all of Aki Kaurismaki's oeuvre is Suomi humor.
The acting was great. The characters stayed in character. The music, which echoed that of the series, was great. There are many scenes where the countryside of Finland looks much more beautiful than it did in the series - almost to the extent that I wonder if people had kvetched about the series giving the country a bad name.
I will be watching my DVDs of both the series and this film many times over the coming years and if you get them on DVD so will you.
La hora fría
(2006)
Relentlessly Creative and Inventive use of "Stock" Situations
6 January 2009
The Cold Hour takes several cliché' horror film tropes, combines them in entirely unexpected ways, adds brilliant acting and great cinematography and ends with a purely science fictional image that will live in my mind for a really long time. This is a well put-together ensemble piece. I'd tracked it down, having been encouraged by the largely positive IMDb reviews, but mainly because of the Silke (Hornillos Klein) Rule: "Buy Anything She is In" that dates back to Julio Medem's wonderful, Philip K. Dickian, Tierra. Purely from the perspective of The Silke Rule, this film could almost have been seen as a disappointment since, although her character Maria is top billed, all of the characters are extremely well balanced and no one is really the lead. Every part is so well written and so well acted, however, that the viewer comes out ahead. In fact, the primary PoV is 8 year old Jesús, played by Omar Muñoz, and he is wonderful, despite my normal antipathy towards child actors. I can't, alas, say much more without revealing too much.
If you've read the other reviews, you already know that the primary situation appears to be similar to 28 days, et al. (This MAY actually be correct - if you prefer clear, pat explanations from a film, rather than have it ask as may questions as it answers, leaving you with a delicious sense of cognitive dissonance, then go watch something else). However, I've never seen that ultra-standard plot trope handled THIS way, or combined with THAT. Run, don't walk, to get La Hora Fría if you admire and enjoy originality, a continual sense of surprise, and a refusal on the part of the creators to spell everything out; if, like me, you prefer leaving the experience of a film with a deep sense of unease and the feeling that you have a lot of thinking to do especially about what that final shot meant. Your mind will have something to mull over for a long, long time.
If you've read the other reviews, you already know that the primary situation appears to be similar to 28 days, et al. (This MAY actually be correct - if you prefer clear, pat explanations from a film, rather than have it ask as may questions as it answers, leaving you with a delicious sense of cognitive dissonance, then go watch something else). However, I've never seen that ultra-standard plot trope handled THIS way, or combined with THAT. Run, don't walk, to get La Hora Fría if you admire and enjoy originality, a continual sense of surprise, and a refusal on the part of the creators to spell everything out; if, like me, you prefer leaving the experience of a film with a deep sense of unease and the feeling that you have a lot of thinking to do especially about what that final shot meant. Your mind will have something to mull over for a long, long time.
Seriously Underrated - Didn't You Read the Books?
2 August 2008
Although I bought the DVD when it first came out, and have watched it several times, I never wrote a review.
I loved it when I first saw it and I love it still.
Sadly, it seems it never made enough money to motivate anyone to do a follow-up. I have to assume QT still controls the rights, but after Kill Bill if he does a film that is as true to the comics and books as My Name is Modesty, with another tough female lead, anyone not familiar with the character will see this as a let-down.
Peter O'Donnell wrote his stories to focus more on psychological suspense rather than action thrillers.
The tug of wills between Modesty and Miklos is very true to the source material and is tense, suspenseful and fascinating to anyone who doesn't have to have gore and explosions. Alexandra did a great job in playing how O'Donnell's character would have taken control of the situation.
I find this particularly ahead of the curve following the sorely needed reboots of Batman and James Bond. After 2 dismal earlier efforts, although not nearly as well known to the public, this is really a reboot of the Modesty character, and it is really sad that probably no more films about her will be made.
I loved it when I first saw it and I love it still.
Sadly, it seems it never made enough money to motivate anyone to do a follow-up. I have to assume QT still controls the rights, but after Kill Bill if he does a film that is as true to the comics and books as My Name is Modesty, with another tough female lead, anyone not familiar with the character will see this as a let-down.
Peter O'Donnell wrote his stories to focus more on psychological suspense rather than action thrillers.
The tug of wills between Modesty and Miklos is very true to the source material and is tense, suspenseful and fascinating to anyone who doesn't have to have gore and explosions. Alexandra did a great job in playing how O'Donnell's character would have taken control of the situation.
I find this particularly ahead of the curve following the sorely needed reboots of Batman and James Bond. After 2 dismal earlier efforts, although not nearly as well known to the public, this is really a reboot of the Modesty character, and it is really sad that probably no more films about her will be made.
Dune
(2000)
We have a Winner
11 April 2004
Yes, and I want y'all to put your hands together. This mini-series has knocked Dead Heat out of a position it has held since 1988.
Dune - The Mini-Series is now the Worst Acted Movie of ALL Time. This includes mini-series but not TV shows. (My Mother the Car, after all....) Given the presence of William Hurt, of course, skews the overall acting quality downward but Saskia Reeves is actually a real actress, although you couldn't tell that from this. She can't begin to approach the Presence of Francesca Annis, David Lynch's Jessica. Or, I presume, Lady Jessica in the book. I read Dune when first serialized in Analog and I didn't really like it (hey, I might as well offend everyone) so I don't remember it all that clearly. I'm SURE it isn't senility since I remember other things I read at around the same time. Maybe Saskia was embarrassed. She certainly looked it in the scene immediately after she gave birth to Alia.
Maud'Dib? Maud'Dumb is more like it. I kept pining for Kyle MacLachlan (Lynch's Paul, and no John Gielgud himself) when Chani had to browbeat Paul into taking the water of life. I don't care if that's the way it happened in the book. In the absence of a real actor it made Paul look just that much weaker. Kudos to whoever compared this to a high-school production of Logan's Run. I just flashed on that as Paul monotoned `Let their waters mix with ours.'
OK. So Kenneth McMillan (The Lynch Vladimir Harkonnen) did drool a bit much, albeit less offensively than Beethoven. Ian McNeice camps it up so thoroughly that he is completely without menace.
The costumes are spectacularly silly. Only the still-suits are any improvement on the Lynch film (which I love) in that they look less like S&M gear. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) In the mini-series the Reverend Mother Ramallo (lifted from Moebius but hardly appropriate) and the Emperor (`Poor Emperor,' indeed, Alia) suffer the most egregious fashion indignities here. And why does The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam's head have wings? Only the Sadukar, despite the samurai look, improve over the rumpled vinyl and Plexiglas outfits in the Lynch.
Kudos also to whoever pointed out that the storyboard must have (except for the added stuff) followed Lynch's. It lacked, however, his deranged, perverse energy and creativity. They seem even to have swiped some props. Witness the binoculars.
Neither do I care that the ending of the mini-series is more like the book than the ending of the film. I liked the goofily ironic, Triumph of the Willy ending with Alia promising peace and love immediately after she and her brother have slaughtered thousands. Oh. But that's OK. They were Harkonnens, after all.
I LIKED the Lynch. Most of the aspects of the film that are generally perceived as flaws I see as strengths. Better pretentious than flaccid. I know that this is heresy for anyone who loves books (as I do) and it is certainly a rare phenomenon, but every now and then a film is an improvement on the book. That is true for David Lynch's Dune. It is also true for Queen of the Damned (see my review over at Amazon. I think negative people found it helpful.) The last one is (dare I say it) Lord of the Rings. As Michael Moorcock said, Tolkein never really convinces us that `Sauron and Co. are quite as evil as we're told. After all, anyone who hates hobbits can't be ALL bad.' (From Epic Pooh.)
I apologize for the second sentence in the second paragraph.
Dune - The Mini-Series is now the Worst Acted Movie of ALL Time. This includes mini-series but not TV shows. (My Mother the Car, after all....) Given the presence of William Hurt, of course, skews the overall acting quality downward but Saskia Reeves is actually a real actress, although you couldn't tell that from this. She can't begin to approach the Presence of Francesca Annis, David Lynch's Jessica. Or, I presume, Lady Jessica in the book. I read Dune when first serialized in Analog and I didn't really like it (hey, I might as well offend everyone) so I don't remember it all that clearly. I'm SURE it isn't senility since I remember other things I read at around the same time. Maybe Saskia was embarrassed. She certainly looked it in the scene immediately after she gave birth to Alia.
Maud'Dib? Maud'Dumb is more like it. I kept pining for Kyle MacLachlan (Lynch's Paul, and no John Gielgud himself) when Chani had to browbeat Paul into taking the water of life. I don't care if that's the way it happened in the book. In the absence of a real actor it made Paul look just that much weaker. Kudos to whoever compared this to a high-school production of Logan's Run. I just flashed on that as Paul monotoned `Let their waters mix with ours.'
OK. So Kenneth McMillan (The Lynch Vladimir Harkonnen) did drool a bit much, albeit less offensively than Beethoven. Ian McNeice camps it up so thoroughly that he is completely without menace.
The costumes are spectacularly silly. Only the still-suits are any improvement on the Lynch film (which I love) in that they look less like S&M gear. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) In the mini-series the Reverend Mother Ramallo (lifted from Moebius but hardly appropriate) and the Emperor (`Poor Emperor,' indeed, Alia) suffer the most egregious fashion indignities here. And why does The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam's head have wings? Only the Sadukar, despite the samurai look, improve over the rumpled vinyl and Plexiglas outfits in the Lynch.
Kudos also to whoever pointed out that the storyboard must have (except for the added stuff) followed Lynch's. It lacked, however, his deranged, perverse energy and creativity. They seem even to have swiped some props. Witness the binoculars.
Neither do I care that the ending of the mini-series is more like the book than the ending of the film. I liked the goofily ironic, Triumph of the Willy ending with Alia promising peace and love immediately after she and her brother have slaughtered thousands. Oh. But that's OK. They were Harkonnens, after all.
I LIKED the Lynch. Most of the aspects of the film that are generally perceived as flaws I see as strengths. Better pretentious than flaccid. I know that this is heresy for anyone who loves books (as I do) and it is certainly a rare phenomenon, but every now and then a film is an improvement on the book. That is true for David Lynch's Dune. It is also true for Queen of the Damned (see my review over at Amazon. I think negative people found it helpful.) The last one is (dare I say it) Lord of the Rings. As Michael Moorcock said, Tolkein never really convinces us that `Sauron and Co. are quite as evil as we're told. After all, anyone who hates hobbits can't be ALL bad.' (From Epic Pooh.)
I apologize for the second sentence in the second paragraph.
No News from God
(2001)
Worth getting an all region PAL<>NTSC player
31 March 2003
This is (edit 1/1/2006: still) an absolutely brilliant film. Find a web site in Spain (edit 1/1/2006: I meant for the disc, players can be found here) and get a region-free player (which you should do anyway so as to not be limited to the drivel they condescend to release in the U.S.) and buy this.
Victoria is wonderful and supremely alluring as always. Penelope made me forget that she had the poor judgment to remake Abre Tus Ojos with the Cruise-person. Despite that lapse, she is an amazing actress. This could be among either of their finest roles. The other players (including Fanny Ardent) do not let them down.
Indescribable, satirical, lyrical, and hysterical.
Edited New Year's Day 2006. Well, I'm back from China and one of the first things I did was to watch Sin Noticias de Dios. I love it more than ever. However, you should STILL get a all region, PAL<>NTSC converting player. There is still much too much out there beyond our borders that is too good to miss.
I apologize for the Tom Cruise remark. (Free Katie!!!!!)
Victoria is wonderful and supremely alluring as always. Penelope made me forget that she had the poor judgment to remake Abre Tus Ojos with the Cruise-person. Despite that lapse, she is an amazing actress. This could be among either of their finest roles. The other players (including Fanny Ardent) do not let them down.
Indescribable, satirical, lyrical, and hysterical.
Edited New Year's Day 2006. Well, I'm back from China and one of the first things I did was to watch Sin Noticias de Dios. I love it more than ever. However, you should STILL get a all region, PAL<>NTSC converting player. There is still much too much out there beyond our borders that is too good to miss.
I apologize for the Tom Cruise remark. (Free Katie!!!!!)
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