davidradlett Reviews

The Invaders: The Betrayed (1967) Season 1, Episode 11

A sub-standard episode

[5/10 · 30 May 2024]

This is a surprisingly sub-standard episode.

Although an attempt is made to explore important issues of loyalty, conformity and betrayal, the mechanisms for so doing are built on implausibly after implausibility.

David Vincent takes important photos. Would he imperil those photos and/or push his luck in the way suggested? Would he press buttons willy-nilly not knowing what those buttons do?

Apart from the fact that it would have brought the series to a premature conclusion, there really is no convincing reason why the invaders would not have offed Vincent using their stroke-inducing device.

That being written, the great Ed Bagley provides his usual barnstorming performance, and there is a convincingly sinister performance from Nancy Wickwire.

The Ghost Within (2023)

An entertaining diversion

[6/10 · 15 March 2024]

This was an entertaining diversion , well above the usual horror/slasher effort. The cast was particularly strong, especially Michaela Longden as the tortured lead, Margot. Tom Millen did well as Mason, her husband. Also worthy of note were Simon Davies as Barton Bailey, a sort of Harry Price character and Sarah Alexandra Marks as Greta Rose, Mason's literary agent with an agenda of her own. There were a few plot holes, but nothing to be condemnatory about. The photography was particularly good, with some clever framing and lighting which added to the overall success of the project. Perhaps not the best in the genre, but a fine effort all around.

The Marlow Murder Club (2024– )

Greatly enjoyable

[9/10 · 8 March 2024]

This is an interesting and greatly enjoyable effort. There are features reminiscent of other who dunnits - forcexmple the inquisitive outsider and the police officer too dense to accept their input (Father Brown) - but the writer(s) have done a great job bringing some credibility to the outsiders (more than one, hence the 'club'). The way in which the 'club' emerges is believable, and the individuals each bring something to the table to make the story work. The actors work well to make each of their characters engaging. The police do not come out well (so far) and unfortunately their negligence and incompetence is also not beyond belief. The location is wonderful (oh for a lottery win) and I liked the way in which real local celebs are used to add gravitas to rhexstory (for example. Sir Stanley Spencer, who lived and worked in nearby Cookhan). Looking forward to more from the club. Soon.

Violent Night (2022)

Unfunny, charmless and tedious

[3/10 · 4 December 2023]

A sort of Die Hard with Santa playing John McLean. I found it unfunny, charmless and remarkably tedious. The Die Hard franchise (at least 1 to 3, never managed to watch all of 4) works, I think, because the hero and the leading villains have a touch of class. The lead villain whining about his rotten Christmas when his dad lost his job does not begin to justify what he and his minions get up to (by 'justify' here I mean providing any kind of coherent basis for those actions). I found no comedy in it either. If you like mindless violence for its own sake then you might enjoy this film. Otherwise, dig out Die Hard and leave this one alone.

Rizzoli & Isles: Killer in High Heels (2013) Season 4, Episode 4

Crazy on so many levels ...

[3/10 · 15 October 2023]

I have done my best not to give anything away that would spoil enjoyment but read with care.

There comes a point in the story where credulity is stretched to breaking point. In my view there is no way that Angela would behave in the way she does at the crucial point (in my view the dramatic needs of the scriptwriter(s) are not sufficient). Her stated reason (protecting Jane) holds as much water as a colander. Just ask yourself what you would have done in the circumstances. And then ask yourself how on earth there would be a way back for the affected party particularly affected by Angela's behaviour notwithstanding the final outcome.

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (2009)

Worth watching ...

[7/10 · 26 August 2023]

... if only for the recreation of the first night of Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". If the costumes are accurate, the poor dancers were made to look like stereotypical Egyptian Sand Dancers (the men) and native Americans (the ballerinas). And then there is the impact of the music, which still grates on some even, in my case, after 70 years. Mads Mikkelsen does a good job in portraying the tortured genius of a composer far ahead of his time in an often unappreciative world. The other engaging performance came from Elene Morozova as Stravinsky's long-suffering wife. Overall, a visually and dramatically good effort. And the Rite of Spring does grow on you, especially if you see it in ballet rather than concert form.

Distorted (I) (2018)

Promises much; delivers nothing

[1/10 · 13 August 2023]

The trailer for this film was rather promising, but unfortunately it contained all that was good about the film. Put in the context of the entire 87 minutes (it seemed like 87 hours) the promise disappeared like the proverbial tears in the rain. The idea of a cyber Gaslight (1944) is an interesting, if not necessarily an original one. Christina Ricci has the gravitas to 'do' an Ingrid Bergman, but even she needs a script that does not contain more holes than a Gruyere cheese. John Cusack could have had a bash at the Charles Boyer/Joseph Cotton role (note to self: watch Gaslight again so as to know which chap was saint and which was sinner) but the saints and sinners here were ill-defined and largely unexplained. No amount of flashing/flashy imagery can make up for that. I'm afraid I have nothing good to say about Distorted. On reflection it delivers two things: the reminder to watch Gaslight again and the thought that someone could cast Ricci in the Bergman role in a remake of Gaslight and perhaps Notorious (1947). Well, a chap can dream ...

Empire State (2013)

Utterly charmless and uninteresting

[1/10 · 4 August 2023]

Oh for the days of Oceans Eleven (the real one and not the re-make). Heist movies whether based on true stories or fictional ones, need to engage in terms of planning or character. Here, the premises to be turned over were incredibly ramshackle and insecure. By the time actual thought was needed to pursue the heist the characters had become so afflicted by pathos (e.g. The Liam Hemsworth chap) or so mind-numbingly, unbelievably aggravating (esp. The Michael Angarano one) that one despaired of them. The alleged real villains demonstrated the banality of evil and so did not engage the imagination at all. This shows the strength of the acting, but in a lost cause. I usually enjoy Dwayne Johnson films, but he was wasted in this, and even he could not rescue the project single-handedly. It is a shame they shot the dog and not Eddie.

The Ghosts of Monday (2022)

Absolutely awful

[1/10 · 3 August 2023]

Started well - establishied an eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere and there was some interesting character interactions BUT thereafter character development suddenly stopped leaving one not caring about any of them. The plot was lost and replaced by mindless gory violence (which is a plus if you like mindless gory violence but I do not). When the gore was (more or less) done, the resolution of the story was superficial and unconvincing. And that just about sums up the whole thing. Julian Sands was wasted. Even his prodigious skill as an actor could not rescue this enterprise. I hope the less well-known members of the cast find more fulfilling roles in future enterprises.

Millennium: Darwin's Eye (1999) Season 3, Episode 17

A beacon of light ...

[10/10 · 25 July 2023]

... in a series that, after a brilliant start, utterly lost its way and its audience. It was the effort of trying to get to grips with fictional twisted criminals and the allure of the mysterious Millennium Group that drove series one. And the compelling acting of Lance Hendrickson throughout. The less-than-convincing (and uninteresting) conspiracy theories around the MG in series 2 started the decline. Not quite sure how to describe series 3 (lacklustre, perhaps) but this episode is Millenium at its best. High quality acting from the core cast, and Tracy Middendorf is thoroughly convincing in her role. I'd have been taken in ...

Blithe Spirit (2020)

A remake well worth the effort

[8/10 · 22 July 2023]

I watched this with some trepidation, being a great fan of the 1945 version generally and Margaret Rutherford's turn as Madam Arcarte in particular. It was well worth watching, however, for a couple of reasons. Noel Coward's story was tweaked in a number of ways that actually improved the narrative. Only one change (the cause of Elvira's initial summoning) missed the mark. Crucially, the spirit of Noel Coward's genteel humour remained. The key thing, though, was the way in which the key cast members did not impersonate their predecessors, but each added something dynamic and new to their roles. Judi Dench made her Madam Arcarte both credible and funny. Isla Fisher was stunning as the second wife both in appearance and characterization. Internationalizing Elvira was a cunning twist, and much as I liked Kay Hammond's characterization in the1945 version, Leslie Mann brought a refreshing, new dynamic to the part and the story as a whole. Dan Stevens had the hardest task, perhaps, following in the footsteps of Rex Harrison and the Master himself (in the 1956 version), but as with the others, he carried it off credibly and amusingly. In the end, comparisons are invidious and this film stands on its own merits. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Unforgotten: Episode #5.6 (2023) Season 5, Episode 6

Tirer le rideau

[3/10 · 29 March 2023]

Time to pull the curtain down on this tired series. I took exception to the writers failure to DI Khan to the DCI job which would, of course, have been thoroughly deserved. The faux tension made possible by this between him and the new DCI James was, frankly, incredible. On the subject of the new DCI James, with no disrespect to Sinead Keenan who worked hard, James was a thoroughly unsympathetic character who is not going to encourage people to watch any series 6. It seemed to me that the Lord Hume character was set up to represent an old school so that it could be knocked down a la current mode. I am not sure if we were supposed to sympathise with the final twist. I am afraid I did not. A once good programme ruined, I think.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Normal Again (2002) Season 6, Episode 17

Powerful and convincing execution of a clever idea

[10/10 · 12 March 2023]

Every so often the always highly entertaining Buffy the Vampire Slayer steps up a gear and shoots off in one of two directions. The first is high comedy, propelled usually by Sarah Michelle Gellar's under-used capacity for comedy, as in "Halloween" (series 2, episode 6) and "Living Conditions" (series 4, episode 2). The second direction is dramatic action based on high-quality writing as in "The Body" (series 5, episode 16) and clever ideas from the writers, as in "I Only Have Eyes for You" (series 2, episode 19)(I have in mind the Buffy/Angel role reversals as James and Grace respectively) and "Normal Again" (series 6, episode 17) written by Joss Whedon and Diego Gutierrez. Powerful and convincing performances, especially from Sarah Michelle Gellar and Kristine Sutherland, establish this as one of the stand-out episodes in the oeuvre. Excellent stuff.

Silent Witness (2011 TV Movie)

The perils of translation from book to screen

[6/10 · 4 March 2023]

"Silent Witness" is one of my favourite free-standing lawyer books, so when I found it available for streaming I was rather excited. The book has a fairly standard core storyline, but it is moved into the "excellent" category because of the depth of character development. In a way this is carried over into the film, in that Dermot Mulroney and Michael Cudlitz match very closely the mental image one forms of the lawyer and his friend who has been accused of murder. But one needs to have read the book to know why. The third key character, played by the excellent Anne Heche is, I think, under-used in the script with the result that a wealth of her character development as the story unfolds is lost. The key problem here is that the book depends heavily and successfully on a detailed back story, and I can imagine the difficulty in fitting this all in to an average-length film. Supporting characters do rather better, in part because understanding them is not so dependent upon the under-used back story. Judd Hirsch puts in a sterling performance as the older lawyer and Lisa Berry is a thoroughly convincing prosecutor. The quality of the film is enhanced by the court scenes, which are rather proficient and not, I think, of the run-of-the-mill Perry Mason-type. The resolution of the story is less convincing in the film as use of certain parts of the back-story would be problematic. The moral: enjoy the film, but read the book!

The Law Centre (1978)

An under-tested gem

[8/10 · 14 January 2023]

When this was shown on TV I was a lefty law student and was, by definition, interested in a programme about legal services for the community rather than profit. The series had a strong cast of established and emerging actors including a young Julie Peasgood. Ms P featured in one of the strongest of routinely strong storylines concerning rape and the problems, real and imagined, in prosecuting that crime. I use the word 'imagined' as imagined fears on the part of prosecutors account for much of the high attrition rate of cases not even reaching trial. I mention this as the scriptwriters in The Law Centre were not afraid to raise issues, and the cast handled them really rather powerfully. It is a shame that there was only one series and a bigger shame that it has never been repeated or released on DVD. Quality television.

Dangerous (III) (2021)

Very poor show

[3/10 · 10 January 2023]

I don't expect to wait for 50+ minutes to get the first hint as to what might be going on. In the meanwhile, the desperately unsympathetic main characters (especially the mother) make it hard to want to find out what happens when there is a reveal. I did not appreciate the bad chaps all behaving like Gary Oldman in Leon, whose characterisation in that film was really rather unique in the sense that you need to be Gary Oldman to carry it off. I don't think they are Gary Oldmans. On the plus side, Mel Gibson does add a touch of class to the proceedings, as does the under-used Fammke Jansen. I understand from the IMDb notes that filming was temporarily stopped due to funding issues. If so, it is a shame in my view that those issues were resolved.

Rizzoli & Isles: Misconduct Game (2015) Season 6, Episode 5

Grave error

[1/10 · 23 December 2022]

The Susie Chang character added a refreshing and valuable foil to the "core" cast. The writers had allowed the character to develop to the point where she had become core cast. To gratuitously write her out to allow for a dramatic and personal storyline (my summary from the episode notes) was in my view, frankly, a cheap soap tactic that fell way below the usual high, creative standard of plot development and writing that made this series a delight to watch. Once the drama and episode is done, a gaping hole is left in the fabric of the programme. I am not sure that it can survive what for me is a grave error. Thank you for your charming work in this programme, Tina Huang.

Calvary (2014)

Repulsive on every level

[1/10 · 26 November 2022]

Just wasted one hour and forty minutes of my life on this charmless, repulsive film. Some of the acting was good - especially Brendan Gleeson as usual - but none of the characters were sympathetic in any way. There was no message beyond the self- and otherly-destructive character of narcissistic self-indulgence which, let us face it, is no great surprise. On the plus side, the scenery is stunning and well-photographed. I can find little else to say in favour of the production. We made the mistake of buying it. It will probably end up going to the Oxfam shop as I doubt that we will want to watch it again.

Hypothermia (2010)

Not very good

[3/10 · 10 October 2022]

Worth watching if you like old B-movie creature flicks. The storyline is marred by some off-the-wall decisions by the menfolk that really do border on the incredible. Several times we found ourselves arguing with them (not that it did much good). I think the writers could have focused more on developing the women characters and put them in more believable opposition to the crassness of the men. On the other hand, the acting was good across the cast (Ms Chang had particularly powerful screen presence), and the photography was exquisite.

Spoiler warning

There is a monster. It seemed like a refugee from the 1960s UK TV series 'Doctor Who' (not the 2000s reboot). It had all the screen credibility of James Arness' creature in 'The Thing'. As in the otherwise great 'Night of the Demon', it was probably a mistake to show the creature at all.