State of Play - British 6 part series from 2011 streaming on BritBox or NetFix DVD. Wonderful writing, very smart directing and editing, brilliant acting by everyone. Tight storytelling. Every word, every scene, every actor makes a difference. Binged it because I couldn't stop. How did I miss this until now? But I've seen it now. I'll watch it again because I know I've missed something interesting.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Their Finest
(2016)
If not the best movie of 2017 then it's next in line
3 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Great acting. Top drawer writing. First rate director. All the best movie craftsmanship.
London during The Blitz after Dunkirk where the women and a few available men are left to tell a story of resistance, heroism, determination and hope. "Their Finest" gives you the feel of how London was in late 1941 and '42 through the individual lives of people thrown into jobs that desperately needed doing. The people are displaced Jews from Europe, an insecure girl from Wales, aging actors, hack writers, undraftable men, all fish out of water figuring out what needed to be done then doing it. Death, love, laughter, betrayal, luck, embarrassment, stupidity, genius all in a fast paced story of World War II.
Three things to note. One, Some of the dialogue is tricky to follow because it is in a variety of English accents. You can't really tune your ear to one group of accents. Two, what passes for sexual tension in this movie is very understated by US standards. What they think of as electricity and chemistry between characters is low wattage and barely combustible. They are very charming however. Three, the humor can be understated as well. You need to keep an eye on the actors faces at times to see the humor. Again charming, but more subtle than US audiences are used to.
London during The Blitz after Dunkirk where the women and a few available men are left to tell a story of resistance, heroism, determination and hope. "Their Finest" gives you the feel of how London was in late 1941 and '42 through the individual lives of people thrown into jobs that desperately needed doing. The people are displaced Jews from Europe, an insecure girl from Wales, aging actors, hack writers, undraftable men, all fish out of water figuring out what needed to be done then doing it. Death, love, laughter, betrayal, luck, embarrassment, stupidity, genius all in a fast paced story of World War II.
Three things to note. One, Some of the dialogue is tricky to follow because it is in a variety of English accents. You can't really tune your ear to one group of accents. Two, what passes for sexual tension in this movie is very understated by US standards. What they think of as electricity and chemistry between characters is low wattage and barely combustible. They are very charming however. Three, the humor can be understated as well. You need to keep an eye on the actors faces at times to see the humor. Again charming, but more subtle than US audiences are used to.
The Rendezvous
(II) (2016)
Very pleasant way to spend some time
18 November 2017
It's strawberry cotton candy. You'll have a few laughs - two surprising ones. There are a few serious notes, but no tears. It's fun and harmless. Which isn't a bad way to spend an hour or so in these times.
On a scale of Stana's projects the writing here isn't as good as Sister Cities and nowhere near as good as the best of Castle. The writing and just about everything else is better than The Librarian thing she did.
It's a nice if trite story well told with decent actors mostly in Jordan on a small budget. Production values are modest and good. The camera work and score are very nice. Direction and editing are well above average.
It's a movie version of the school essay about what I did on my vacation.
On a scale of Stana's projects the writing here isn't as good as Sister Cities and nowhere near as good as the best of Castle. The writing and just about everything else is better than The Librarian thing she did.
It's a nice if trite story well told with decent actors mostly in Jordan on a small budget. Production values are modest and good. The camera work and score are very nice. Direction and editing are well above average.
It's a movie version of the school essay about what I did on my vacation.
Absentia
(2017– )
Season 2 tops 1st - Highly Enjoyable - If you liked The Tunnel or The Bridge this is for you
5 October 2017
Season 2 is better than season 1 by a significant amount. If you enjoyed The Tunnel on PBS or it's Danish counterpart The Bridge, you will enjoy Absentia.
The 3 clues that say any show was a very well done production.
The 2nd season of Absentia hits the mark on all three counts. Heusinger, Jackson and especially Thebold got a chance to shine with their characters and did it well and consistently. Bonanni continued his fine work from season 1. Katic remained the dominant force, but it was not as noticeable because everyone around her was doing very well. Quarshie as Oduale, the psychiatrist was a gem.
There were many times when fun all the actors were having playing their characters just jumped off the screen. Even in dark scenes, as most were, you saw the electricity. For example the scenes with Alice and Oduale alone were memorable. In the fight scene between Emily and Tommy, Bonanni and and Katic were having way too much fun. Heck, all the scenes they had together, they were having great fun. Electric. Stana obviously loves the fight scenes and the stunts. She loves them the same way Cruise does in all the crazy stuff he does. The little shot were Emily, in her gas mask, gives Oduale her Ripley stare. Their fun breaks though an infects you.
You know that the writing and directing are well done when the small parts are top grade. The script gives an actor who will only be involved for a short time the breath and depth to great work. The director gives them the room to do it. The two that come to mind immediately both die quickly - Emily's mother and Cal's friend from the Moldavian bar who dies in the battle with Rex. For that matter the actor who plays Rex and the one that plays the old sniper who owns the cabin in the woods. There are more, but those 4 actors got a chance to shine because the parts were well written and the directors gave them space to work.
I enjoyed each of those things in the moment. They were so well done that they did not interfere with the moment and the moments around them. So, I can look back on the entire 10 episodes of Absentia 2nd season and say that this was an outstanding piece. I had lots of fun watching it.
The 3 clues that say any show was a very well done production.
- The actors got a chance to shine and they did.
- More than that they were having fun doing their work.
- The smaller parts done well.
The 2nd season of Absentia hits the mark on all three counts. Heusinger, Jackson and especially Thebold got a chance to shine with their characters and did it well and consistently. Bonanni continued his fine work from season 1. Katic remained the dominant force, but it was not as noticeable because everyone around her was doing very well. Quarshie as Oduale, the psychiatrist was a gem.
There were many times when fun all the actors were having playing their characters just jumped off the screen. Even in dark scenes, as most were, you saw the electricity. For example the scenes with Alice and Oduale alone were memorable. In the fight scene between Emily and Tommy, Bonanni and and Katic were having way too much fun. Heck, all the scenes they had together, they were having great fun. Electric. Stana obviously loves the fight scenes and the stunts. She loves them the same way Cruise does in all the crazy stuff he does. The little shot were Emily, in her gas mask, gives Oduale her Ripley stare. Their fun breaks though an infects you.
You know that the writing and directing are well done when the small parts are top grade. The script gives an actor who will only be involved for a short time the breath and depth to great work. The director gives them the room to do it. The two that come to mind immediately both die quickly - Emily's mother and Cal's friend from the Moldavian bar who dies in the battle with Rex. For that matter the actor who plays Rex and the one that plays the old sniper who owns the cabin in the woods. There are more, but those 4 actors got a chance to shine because the parts were well written and the directors gave them space to work.
I enjoyed each of those things in the moment. They were so well done that they did not interfere with the moment and the moments around them. So, I can look back on the entire 10 episodes of Absentia 2nd season and say that this was an outstanding piece. I had lots of fun watching it.
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