The Bletchley Circle - Debrief

Wow.

After the hideous disappointments of The Shadow Line and The Line of Duty, this period piece of detective work from four post-World War II women was a revelation and example of what can be achieved if one applies intelligence, logic and common sense to a show.

I want another season - but I know that that will only ruin what this show has achieved:  satisfying, intelligent detective drama that is truthful to its characters, period and place.  A second season will only take it into Miss Marple territory.

I'm going to give my Gramma an extra hug after this.

Last Resort S01E01 (ABC, 2012)

I will watch anything by Shawn Ryan.  Except another ep of Terriers.  Or his work on Nash Bridges.  He was part of a primo writers room on Buffy the Vampire Slayer so that show is safe.  And I'm pretty sure I watched some Chicago Code last year but I have NO RECOLLECTION OF THAT SHOW.

Yeah, you guessed it:  I'm a MASSIVE The Shield fan.  Massive.  Huge.  Own the set.  Bought the set AT GREAT PERSONAL FINANCIAL COST because I was such a HUGE MASSIVE FUCKING FAN.

So OF COURSE I try Last Resort and, first few minutes jitters aside, and a little face-checking of various people I've seen in earlier Ryan shows (forgot to mention The Unit), and this show actually becomes damned interesting.  I don't think Martin Campbell was such a great choice for director as the various plots were just so humdrum for so long that it was really just a waiting-for-the-fourth-act kind of game for SHIT TO COME TOGETHER.

Which they did.  And this is a pretty interesting show.  I think the Stateside stories are a little boring but maybe as the shadowy puppet masters begin to take shape through whatever they do, I might pay a little more attention.

So this is nice.  I'll try another ep.

Downton Abbey - Season 3

When God closes one door, she always opens another.

Good Cop S01E01-02 (BBC, 2012)

I'm neither a fan nor a hater on lead Warren Brown.  His work in Occupation and Single Father was... solid.  He played well with the others in the ensemble that is the first, and was a sympathetic enough cuckold in the second.

The pilot was interesting enough with a Tricky theme opening, it had an okay "how-we-got-here" device, and overall had promise with Brown, Tricky and an intriguing premise of "What kinda copper is Brownie?"

Alas, the second ep was rubbish.  Rubbish rubbish rubbish.  Fifteen minutes I was throwing things at the box and screeching, "PLEASE GOD CAN SOMETHING FUCKING HAPPEN NOW?"until my better half told me to STFU.

This pile of bollocks can join The Shadow Line in the corner over there.

Blimmin' heck.

The Bletchley Circle S01E01 (ITV, 2012)

My limit for wimmin detectives is Miss Marple.

I think the last US show I watched with a female 'tec was... Profiler. No, wait: it was Cold Case. No, wait a minute - it was The Closer. No, wait wait wait: ....

The lame point I'm trying to make is that all the US shows have pretty Californian(-type) blondes. They're interchangeable. The Bletchley Circle, God bless the Beeb UK telly, has real-life looking women. With brains. And common sense.

This is worth a gander. And based on the strength of the pilot, worth more than Vera and its silly writing (which has been renewed for a third season FOR FUCK'S SAKE).

Breaking Bad S05E01-08

Oh boy.

That was worth holding off on.  Averaged over two episodes a night and then BANG that was fucking IT.

 
Until next year.

Tell me:  how is a season that's SPLIT OVER TWO FUCKING YEARS still one fucking season?

I blame the poxy Weinsteins for starting this money-grubbing tactic.

Robbery Homicide Division (CBS, 2002-2003)

This Michael Mann-produced one season wonder was difficult to track down online.

It's very post Heat, and has a lot of embryonic visual cues and directorial flourishes that made the Miami Vice film stupefyingly boring.  Watching lead Tom Sizemore - surely unintentionally - channeling Al Pacino from Heat is.... interesting.

It's a period piece:  that's what this show is.  This show was as good as it got until The Wire, The Shield and The Closer showed that how much further the procedural show genre's boundaries could be pushed.

It's... quaint.

Blackout (S01E01, BBC, 2012)

Disclosure:  I used to have the hots for Dervla Kirwan.  Then she got old.

Disclosure:  I've never had the hots for Christopher Eccleston.  Then he did Doctor Who.

I got fifteen minutes into this and then I glanced at my watch, thinking that was the slowest, flashiest, most repetitive thirty minutes of television I'd seen in some time.  Then I saw only FIFTEEN MINUTES had elapsed.

Good actors.  I'm sure there's a good script somewhere in there.  But it felt like the director had mainlined some Tony Scott / Ridley Scott serum and just ejaculated all over the fucking editing suite.

I might have to try this again - I might have to have some brewskis beforehand - if only for Dervla and Christopher.

Prometheus (2012, Ridley Scott / John Spaiht & Damon Lindelof)

Was busting to see this.

Then I saw it.

To paraphrase a certain Warrant Officer, Did IQs drop sharply since the last instalment?

Line of Duty S01E05

What the fuck just happened?

I mean, seriously:  what.  the.  fuck?

Our anti-hero has to go on the run, and tries to convince his wife that it's not safe - they're after him, they're after what he holds dear.

Dude:  when shit is bucketing down on you, and yo' ho ain't listening, shut her the fuck up and get her the fuck outta Dodge unless you want the fucking Tooth Fairy to pay yo' family a one-night-only visit, knowhumfuckinsayin?

All this in the first fucking ten minutes.

This bollocks has been renewed for a second season.

Line of Duty S01E01-04 (BBC, 2012)

What's not to like?

Bodies creator Mercurio, Jericho star James, and Sweet Sixteen breakthrough Compston.

The opening ep was okay.  The second ep made things interesting with an electrifying ending.  The third ep lapsed back into opening ep territory.

And now with the fourth ep... I'm typing this as I 'watch' it.

Boring.  Don't need to watch it when I can listen to it.

Disappointing.  Hope it doesn't go the way of the awfulawfulawful Shadow Line.

Hope is a terrible thing.

Breaking Bad - Season 5

Mr White is back.

Thank you, Jesus.

Longmire S01E01-06 (A&E, 2012)

With Justified between seasons and Deadwood still unwatched on a harddrive somewhere, Longmire looked to be a, well, a long shot. The show's pedigree was promising - The Closer writer-producers Baldwin and Coveny, the lamented Smith and unmissed ER director Chulack did the pilot and set the tone, and Battlestar Galactica alumnus Sackhoff looked to be intriguing. And y'know what? It's not half-bad.

Matter of fact, it's a challenge deciding what to watch on a New Zealand Monday evening: this, The Newsroom, Hit & Miss....

Recommended.

Golden (TV3, 2012)

Fat arse has-been Olympic athlete goes for gold.

This is about as subtle - and stupid - as the heroine of Jacqui Brown Diaries adopting a retard. My tax dollars at work. FUCK.

Hounds (TV3, 2012)

New Zealand television comedy is, by and large, shit.

Don't believe me?  YOU try fucking watching some.

But every now and then, there's a show that's dumped at ten or eleven on a weekday night that stands out from the rest.  That isn't just a mere mushroom poking out from a steaming pile of shit.  That doesn't make you want to throw something at your flatscreen.

 
Hounds is it.

Of course it's not perfect.  But a). it treats the audience with some intelligence, b). it's not cringemakingly shit, and c). it's actually fucking funny.

This post is five weeks late - the season finale is this coming Friday - but GODDAMMIT I want more already.

The Newsroom - S01E01 (HBO)

Ah, Mr Sorkin.  Welcome back.

I've missed you.

Lockout (2012, James Mather & Stephen St Leger / St Leger, Mather & Luc Besson)

Awesome stuff.

Strictly B-grade and fuckin' proud of it.

Guy Pearce is GOD.

Watch it.

Harry (TV3, 2012)

Harry's a new cop show on the block.

Another fucking cop show.

I feel the stirrings of a drinking game:  a skull for every time there's - a poo or wee joke, or Neill gives the fingers, or Kightley grinning like a fucking monkey.

Better fucking be good.

Modern Family - Season 2

None of you bastards have asked why I've relegated Modern Family to the second tier "Oh I'll suppose I'll try another season" category.

It's because the second season was patchy, contrived and slow, whereas its maiden season was propulsive comedy viewing, character driven drama and snappy.

Happy now, bitches?

Mad Men S05E13

Ain't shit I can say that this guy ain't said better.

The Samaritan (2012, David Weaver / Weaver & Elan Mastai)

I was going to say I'd watch anything that had Samuel L Motherfucking Jackson in it until I remembered I haven't seen Black Snake Moan yet.  Or Snakes on a Plane.  To be honest, neither of them really pique me.  Well, Christina Ricci in Moan kind of does something for me.

Moving on.

Propelled by an approving Roger Ebert review, I got this one and was... mildly entertained.  Feels a lot like a first-time director with it's expository dialogue and not-quite-lingering-but-more-padding shots - but director Weaver's been doing it since 1993.

It was nice to see Jackson underplaying a character with none of his eye-balling and shouting.  Don't care for the location or for the other actors.  Tom Wilkinson's presence feels a lot like an Alec Guiness cameo in Mute Witness.  It's reasonably tight and entertaining.

Recommended for noir fans.

Mad Men S05E12

No no no NO NOOOO.

Now is not a good time to do a clean-up of characters, Mr Weiner.  Matter of fact, after the heartbreak of Sal's departure, I forbid you.

... Seriously, though:  this - this - kind of television drama is so goddamned transcendent, I am just in its fucking thrall.  Can't believe the season closer is around the corner already.

Game of Thrones - Season 2 (HBO)

I'm the least likely person in my world to like a swords-and-sandals-type show but Game of Thrones is the fucking shiz.

Get the Gringo (2012, Adrian Grunberg / Mel Gibson, Grunberg, Stacy Perskie)

What a gleeful little romp.

What nice Lethal Weapon flutters it gave me.

Mr Gibson may be a racist pig fuck out in the world, but in the fantasy land of cinema, he's still got some bad ass in him.

Don't think I'll be watching The Beaver any time soon.

Red Tails (2012, Anthony Hemingway / John Ridley and Aaron McGruder)

Dear Mr Lucas

Please stop making films.

All the best,


Tor

NYC-22 S01E01 (CBS, 2012)

Best described by Stark Sands' character mid-ep:  This is going down.

The Killing - Season 2

I was tempted for a few seconds until I saw that the killer will be revealed at the end of the second season.

Twentysix fucking eps to closure.

What's that saying: Trick me once, shame on you. Trick me twice....

Missing S01E01 (ABC, 2012)

I've never been an Ashley Judd fan. There's Julia Roberts tits-and-teeth-from-another-planet, and there's Sandra Bullock girl-next-door, and then there's Judd. Spunky, I suppose is the word. I've liked her work: ... all I can remember is Heat. Oh there were those movies with Morgan Freeman. Okay: the one movie with Freeman. All of which has shit to do with Missing, a low brow approach to girl-power as lion-mother-in-search-of-offspring kind of action-thriller-espionage-adventure that was brought low by its dum as nuts execution. I got twelve minutes into it. Where's Cliff? I cried to the hills. I'm only really watching this shit for Cliff Curtis! There was no answer from the hills. After the thirteenth minute, I cried uncle.

Awake S01E01-02 (NBC, 2012)

I used to get Jason Isaacs mixed up with Timothy Dalton heaps back in the day. Smartypants out there might point out that it was Isaacs who did a lot of villain roles before transitioning to goodie-goods, while it was the reverse for Dalton. Whatever.

All of which has very little to do with Awake, a tidy police procedural that tries to meld the cool stuff from Memento and Matrix (without the sci fi garble), all in a post-Life on Mars (UK) zeitgeisty capture-lightning-in-a-bottle (and hope you don't fry) kind of way. Unfortunately, the show fails terribly - not miserably, just terribly - through adhering to a mystery-of-the-week ethos that constrains suffocates the dreams and possibilities of the show into a 45-minute slog of bullshit TV-cop-show blah, admirably accurate TV psychology talk, and too-fucking-convenient-to-fucking-swallow detective work.

Maybe it's just my anti-Americanism, but the celebration of consequence-free I-want-my-cake-and-eat-it-too just sticks in my craw.

Love your work, Jas' - let's have some more of that Case Histories soon, eh?

Hung - Season 3 (HBO, 2009-)

I bought this -, no:  there was a 'buy two DVDs and get the third one FREE' deal at JB Hifi late last year, and maybe someone had recommended it, or maybe I'd read a good write-up, or maybe I was using The Force, but I got the first season of this sight unseen, and boy was it a refreshing poke in the eye.

The second season continued its journey of a Well-Hung Hero Who Was Yet to Grow Up - but by the last quarter of that season, the interactions between his Pimp-of-Frustratingly-Inconsistent-Behaviour and her nemesis, A-Most-Convenient-Cunt, were getting a bit, well, stupid.

The third season is/was... a write-off.  Where's the character-driven plot that made me uncross my legs in the first place?  Where's the character-motivated humour that made me choke on my food?

Now it's all slapstick and dick jokes.

What the fuck, people?

Maybe you peaked early.

Kidnap & Ransom - Season 2

Well serve me fucking right for watching this through to the end.

What's the best thing I could say about this turd?  It did not disappoint.

Justified S03E01-07

Ooohh-eee, this puppy's just like The Shield in it's ass-kickin', shit-, piss- and asshole-laden days.

Oooohheee!

WTF?

Hey what happened to the anonymity of torrentshill.blogspot.com?

I could've been anywhere.

But now THEY KNOW WHERE I RESIDE.

Sheeeit.

Mad Dogs S02E01 (Sky1, 2012)

Ah, the boys are back.

But things haven't progressed really.  They've survived one thing but writer Cris Cole can see all sorts of potential in having them continue to make the stupidest of mistakes under the guise of they're just ordinary blokes, like.  And we're only ten minutes in.  Except it felt twice, no, four times as long as the plot ground along.

In my experience, ordinary blokes tend to learn shit.  They tend to think a bit more.

And - Jesus H Fucking Christ - it's been renewed for a third motherfucking season.

Kidnap & Ransom S02E01 (ITV, 2012)

If one ever needed proof that mediocrity is no barrier to television longevity*, look no further than this vanity vehicle.

Season One was a hamfisted concoction of cliches which I thought I'd seen the last of at the end of its season finale.  No such luck.

This season opener, with Trevor Eve looking ever so dashing and smart and fit and Tom Cruise-like behind his sunglasses, didn't disappoint those who wanted more of the shit-sandwich that they loved so much in the first season.

And I'm only fifteen minutes in.

I may do an update at some point, if I can be bothered to finish this ep.

*  Longevity is relative, of course:  a show that gets into a second season is, in my books, at near-veteran status.

Homeland S01 - Debrief

Sooo... he mighta been, but he wasn't, then he was.

All the while, our Heroine becomes less and less palatable.

And in the end, an old walnut holds true: The Black Guy always dies.

Homeland S01E06

This shit is good.

Heroine's a bitch - but no more or less than a male hero equivalent who
pisses and shits all over his family, friends and work JUST TO MAKE HIS
FUCKING CASE.

Alcatraz S01E02

I know: if the pilot was so underwhelming, why go back like a dog to
its puke?

Because -

Oh fuck it: I was weak, okay?

And how else would I learn this: a female cop with a hard-on is neither
sexy nor fun to watch.

Unless that's your thing.

Alcatraz S01E01 (Fox, 2012)

Hey this is just like "Fringe": blonde cop, quirky sidekick, mystery
boss, enigma within a mystery within a ... zzzzz.

Only hung in for the full pilot because I'm a Sam Neill fan.

Drive (Nicholas Winding Refn/Hossein Amini, 2011)

Fucking AWESOME.

Sherlock S02E01

Not bad.

A bit of a shaggy dog, plot wise.

Otherwise, not bad.

Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011)

I don't often fall asleep during films but with this one I did.

Could it be the lack of chemistry between... everyone?

Could it... zzzzz

The Closer S07E11

"Oh look, The Closer's back from hiatus."

"I'd rather douse my genitals in a flammable liquid and set it alight with a road flare."

"Jesus, I was just saying -"

"'M jus' sayin', too, yo."

Killer Elite (Gary McKendry/Matt Sherring, 2011)

ME: What the FUCK is De Niro doing in [this] pulpy '80s throwback?

SMS-A-FRIEND: He's doing everything and anything. Can't remember the last good film he did.

ME: Why Bobby WHHHYYYYY?

Daredevil - Director's Cut (Mark Steven Johnston, 2003)

I first watched this wretched film at the theatres and FUCK was I
disappointed.

I had expected a flying brick, and I got a flying brick, albeit clad in
red leather.

I had heard rumours that the director's cut, a more mature creature than
the theatrical release, was more than forgivable.

So when it popped up on my feeds, I gave it a whirl.

Aaannd it's still a wretched, wretched, WRETCHED little turd of a film.

Yet writer-director Johnston somehow, inexplicably, got the "Preacher"
gig after this, Jesus H Christ on a fucking stick.

At least Ben got Jennifer out of it.

Downton Abbey S02

Ach that was fun.

But I can't help but wonder: does familiarity breed a suspicion of soap opera melodramatics?

Just saying.

Hidden S01E04

If "The Shadow Line" collapsed under the weight of its style, sheen and
operatic melodrama, "The Hidden" does the same, only with overfamiliar
devices, dialogue and plotting.

Shame on the writers for writing such piffle.

Shame on the director and producers for not demanding more from their
writers.

And my sympathy for actors - generally not my favourite homo sapiens -
for having to spout such rubbish.

Hidden S01E01 - Update

The promise and mystery and jigsaw-style storytelling of the opening
couple of minutes are ground down by repetitive, what's-my-name
dialogue, events that are so understated so as to be sleep-inducing, and
a lead character that transcends enigmatic into apathy.

Oh dear.

Oh poo.

Revenge S01E01 - Update

Okay: I'm hooked.

It's not the "sweet/sexy" lead.

It's not my on-again/off-again crush on Madeleine Stowe.

Nor is it my fascination with Henry Czerny who seems to be getting
YOUNGER since I first saw him in "Mission: Impossible" in '99.

I can do without the whispery/huskey little-girl-voice music.

It's genuinely INTERESTING. How's she gonna get her revenge?

She's off to a solid start with this ep, and if the IMDB FAQ is legit,
I'll get my jollies by season's end (so FUCK YOU Nina "'The Killing's
murderer will be revealed in the SECOND FUCKING SEASON" Sud) -

- but wait: aren't all writers liars?

Homeland S01E01 - Update

Okay. HERE's a couple of examples of good writing:

OUR HEROINE's a bit of a slut - and she's on drugs! - but she may be
onto something (though the hand thing is a little thin, knowhumsayin).

And OUR (MAYBE) VILLAIN is holding back - why?

WHY?

Gonna try me another ep now.

Revenge S01E01

One minute in: a voice-over. Fucking wonderful.

Two minutes in: Kubrickian-wannabe looks and glances. Yawn.

Five minutes in: why do I get the feeling this is going leading up to a --

Yep.

Six minutes in: title on screen - "FIVE MONTHS EARLIER".

Fuck's sake.

The Walking Dead S02E01

I'm unfaithful: I think I'll watch an ep because I can't wait for the
Other Half to finish her second season of "Downton Abbey".

Then a mere ten minutes into the season opener and my stomach's coiling
in on itself and I think: "I'd rather watch this with the Other Half."

Ringer S01E01

Not even ten minutes and there's a CUE MUSIC moment.

Oh Sarah.

We'll always have Sunnydale.

Breaking Bad S04E01-11

There's a good reason why we stockpile eps of this show: we'd find the
seven day gaps between fixes un-fucking-bearable.

We've watched two to three eps of this season these past consecutive
nights, with just two eps to go.

What a wonderful, exciting and suspenseful show!

Downton Abbey S02E04

An interesting abberation in this series where almost all the dialogue
was nakedly soapie. (I wonder/hope if those last two words will
increase traffic on this blog.) Could this be the beginning of the
reported dramatic decline in the series?

Homeland S01E01

Following on from "Hidden"'s opening teaser, "Homeland"'s first couple
of minutes were a little overshadowed by a blonde white chick sans
headscarf IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING POST-WAR IRAQ.

Maybe I'm being more than a trifle unfair as I have only had a chance to
watch the first couple of minutes.

Unless she's kidnapped/ambushed/vaporised in the following few yet
unseen minutes, I think this pilot's got a bit of a handicap.

Hidden S01E01

I've only watched the first couple of minutes, I have no idea what I've
just watched but IT'S FUCKING AWESOME.

But will it avoid "The Shadow Line"'s final preposterousness and "The
Hour"'s end-whimper?

Person of Interest (CBS, 2011)

The guy who played Jesus!

The guy from "Lost"!

From the co-writer of "Batman Begins"!

Guest starring the ex-wife from "Justified"!

How could it go wrong?

How about dialogue for narcoleptics?

How about plotting for dummies?

How about characters that... MOTHERFUCKSHITCOCKSUCKER.

You win some.

The Hour (BBC, 2011)

Accusations of "Mad Men"-knock-off are unavoidable but this mini-series
- renewed for 2012 - has mostly good writing, thankfully restrained
directing, and excellent acting to recommend it.

It was hard, I have to say, to accept that "The Wire"'s McNulty had
time-travelled back in time AND taken on a plummy accent, but after the
second episode, the foul-mouthed Baltimorean was forgotten in favour of
a silver-spoon-fed toff with a brain.

It ended with a bit of a - not so much a whimper - but an exhalation of
breath, not helped by a noticeably weak penultimate ep, but still, it
didn't fail as awfully as "The Shadow Line".

Yeah, I'll try another season.

Harry's Law S01E01

Got around to watching this the other day and... hey, I've been a huge
fan of Kathy Bates since "Misery", but this show feels so... try-hard.

Okay, I hated it.

But I considered watching the second ep just to see if I grew to like it
- or, maybe, it TONED THE FUCK DOWN or something - but then I noticed
that it's from David E Kelley, who gave this world the vomitously
self-righteous "The Practice", the insufferable "Ally McBeal", and
sickeningly successful "Boston Legal".

What the fuck was I thinking?

Oh, and look: it's been renewed for a second season. Yay.

The Good Wife - S03E01

The bitch is back.

Woot.

Downton Abbey - S02E01

Never thought I'd be this excited about a frocks-and-socks kind of drama
but here I am.

Breaking Bad S04 - Update

Oh don't you worry, darlink, I'm up to date with this little puppy.

But I'm HOARDing it. Because it's precious.

And it's so so soooOOOooo good, that when I want to watch another ep, I
GODDAMN WILL watch another ep.

Unstoppable (Tony Scott/Mark Bomback, 2010)

Post-TINML, this Tony Scott migraine was bearable - and rather entertaining.

Almost, Allah forgive me, ENJOYable.

Fast Five (Justin Lin/Chris Morgan, 2011)

Post-TINML, "Fast Five" FUCKING ROCKED, BOYEEE.

This is Not My Life S01 - Final Word

I have to tell you something: TINML spoiled me.

Spoiled me something ROTTEN.

I had feast - a depraved and indifferent ORGY - of take-aways from that
show that when I sat down with some comfort telly of "Law & Order -
Season 6", I FUCKING CRIED.

HERE was television drama.

And it was made FIFTEEN FUCKING YEARS AGO.

This is Not My Life S01E12

There are only twelve eps in the season.

There are only twelve eps in the season.

There are only - MOTHERFUCKER, there are THIRTEEN eps in this
motherfucker, JESUS H FUCKING CHRIST.

This is Not My Life S01E08

Picture this:

ALEC, our hero, and JESSICA, his apparently fated lover, take advantage of a drop in security and are gunning for it down a rural road when they're forced to pull over by a faster-travelling van. As the van disappears in a cloud of dust:

JESSICA: So what now?

ALEC: We're down to half [a tank] - we've probably got enough to [head back]. Or -

They lock eyes.

JESSICA: No. We've come this far.

ALEC: ... Right.

Alec and Jessica resume their flight.

Yeah.

Right.

I've come this far.

The Almighty Johnsons S01E01-04

GAWD.

Alphas S01E02

Okay. The sheen of the new from the pilot has worn off now and it's
down to the brass tacks of pushing story, not leaving anyone behind, and
getting them to tune in next week.

I'm enjoying this show. The dialogue-for-dummies is a little hard on
the ear but the plotting and the characters are tune-in-next-week good.

And if you're wondering - I know you're not but I forgive you - about
the drop-off in posts, the New Zealand International Film Festival is on
right now, and even though I was tempted to get some of its good stuff
beforehand and not pay to play, the film fest needs our support, hoo-rah.

This is Not My Life (TV3, 2010)

A New Zillund sci fi drama.

With an unimaginative title.

Said title setting the tone for the kind of story telling you will get:
Exposition, exposition, fucking exposition.

Like my tortured and twisted dalliance with "The Cult" in 2009, I'm
watching this fucker to the bitter end because it's Good to Watch and Learn.

Breaking Bad S04

They're back.

YUSSS.

Engrenages S01E01

Wow. I'm hooked.

The procedural may be a bit slapdash but it's the relationships and the
chraracters that I'm hooked on.

Why do the boys in the police investigative team hate each other? Hint:
one of them's quite the incompetent.

What's with the prosecutor? Okay, he's separated from his wife, he's a
new law in town, and he knows a very rich friend. He's too pretty to be
taken seriously but I get the feeling - or hope, at least - that there's
more to him than meets the eye.

Let's see where this goes (even if I have read the Wiki entries on this
show).

The Closer - S07

I also know - hey, my memory ain't that bad (yet) - that I swore off
this tired and bedraggled puppy after the frankly terrible and tired
fifth and sixth seasons but... am I a bad person for wanting to know how
things end?

Or just a sucka?

Alphas - S01E01

David Strathairn is THE MAN.

And this show ain't half bad, either.

Sign me up.

Law & Order: UK - S05

I know I swore of this tawdry spin-off after the tedious S04 cliffhanger
but... former vet and Doctor, Peter Davison, is gonna be in it! No idea
who Dominic Rowan is.

How bad could it be?

Memphis Beat S01

Speaking of Lazarus-like second acts (qv Luther), THIS SHOW gets a second season?

W.

T.

F?

Hey, I have much love for Jason Lee, and much, MUCH love for Alfre Woodard (I've loved you since Passion Fish, Alfre), but a singing, geetar-playin' cop?  Hey, I know he was taking his axe with him on his beat but... this just didn't work for me.  At all.

And yet... S02.  I suppose I only gave it the pilot back in the day.  I could give the second, maybe even the third ep a go, too.  Suppose.  Could.  Maybe.

Persons Unknown (NBC, 2010)

I'm pretty sure when I watched this last year, it was getting pimped as the beginning of the new Lost.

Checking the Wikipedia entry tells me that it was a miniseries all along.

Is that as consistent as some of my posts which are post- and pre-dated because I, y'know, have a life?

Luther S01

Having seen that S02 is screening of this series, let me just say that I watched the pilot of this last year, thought I should give it another ep because I'd just come down from a second viewing of The Wire series (Stringer Bell, RIP, bro), watched the second ep, began to hate it, and didn't finish the third ep because it was bloody STUPID.

Come ON, bitch!

... And yet here we are with S02.

Case Histories S01

Eps 01-02 were brilliant. They captured the flavour of the book very
well. And it was enjoyed by both the Atkinson fan and the non-reader of
the house.
Eps 03-04 were merely average TV, a disappointment after the complex,
multi-threaded storytelling of the first two eps. Mediocre.
Eps 05-06 were better than the middle story of this mini-series, but not
as good - or as exquisitely complicated - as the first story. A bit too
simplified for even the non-reader of the series, it bookended the
introductory pilot really well, ending the series on a very nice note.
Next season, please.

Nurse Jackie S03E12

Has "Nurse Jackie" lost its puff?
Where the first season left us hanging with the impending collision of
her hospital and family lives, and the second season left us gawping at
her total denial about her addiction, the third season moves along like
a hospital-druggie "The Big Clock" only to turn into... 'It's not you -
it's me.'
Mmm. After the groaning disaster of "The Shadow Line" and the
frustrating end to "The Killing", this "Nurse Jackie" season finale may
be awfully low key but at least it was reasonably satisfying.

The Killing S01E13

Nine eps of "Wow this SO FUCKING GOOD."

A penultimate ep of "Nah. No wayyy. Surely it's not heading for where
it looks like it's heading."

And a season finale where I'm all prepped to forgive the last ep and go
"Ah-HAH!" as All Is Revealed. But no: as the credits rolled, it was "Huh."

Unknown (Jaume Collet-Sera/Oliver Butcher & Stephen Cornwell; 2011)

"Taken" was an unexpected and guilty pleasure in 2008, so I was looking forward to the latest not-quite-Bourne-and-not-quite-Transporter genre addition.

It was fun.  It owed a lot more to the Bourne trilogy than I expected but it was fun, and a nice riff on the is-it-me-or-am-I-going-crazy thriller-adventure film.

For a guy approaching the big six-oh, Neeson is doing the business as an action hero, and I look forward to the next one.

Might have to take that back:  I'd assumed "Unknown" was a Luc Besson-produced film like "Taken".

The Shadow Line S01E07

In which the word-count of 'shadow' eclipses that of 'line' in the preceding two eps.

In which the Rule of the Circle of Life is enforced in excruciating detail, right down to "And ye shall end your story in same manner as ye began it, because such is the Rule of the Circle of Life".

In which this blogger is glad to have VLC with which to resize the image in order to do other things like check emails, read blogs and avoid proper work.

Case Histories (BBC, 2011-)

JASON ISAACS has played some nicely hateful characters in the past - "The Patriot" and "The Green Zone", anyone? - and I was a little curious to see him in the lead role in this adaptation of Kate Atkinson's books.  The reviews had me expecting another twee UK mystery series along the lines of "Miss Marple" and "Midsomer Murders".

I was happily disappointed.

Watched the first couple of eps in one night.  Looking forward to the next pair of eps that make up "One Good Turn".

The Killing S01E12

From ep three I was saying "The Ebert Law of Economy of Characters requires that someone we've seen by now is The Killer."

But like some damned Agatha Christie mystery, all the characters I liked for the murder was cleared and then I said, "We're running out of characters with which to satisfy the Law of Economy of Characters."

And then there was Adela.  And then the investigation opened up.  And I said, "Okay.  Maybe it was someone totally unrelated, someone we won't have seen yet, and that's okay because that's how it goes in real life, and this has been a damned fine fucking show, so good that if it is some stranger, I will understand because that's HOW IT IS and I shall not whinge because not all good drama is required to hew to the Law of Economy of Characters."

And now...  And now it might be the show is hewing that line.

I hope not.  I'd UNDERSTAND.

But I might whinge, though.

The Shadow Line S01E06

I was really enjoying this. The stylistic flourishes, I could forgive.
Things were HAPPENING. The mystery was DEEPENING. The suspense was
just FRIGHTFUL.

And then ep five had all this dialogue that was all so... faux John Le
Carre or something.

And this episode. Each exchange of dialogue Heavy with Meaning. How
many times can the word 'line' be said by any number of characters, both
related and unrelated, in five minutes? The ambush in the house with a
child present - WHO SAW THAT COMING? The scenes Pregnant with Portent.
And the ep ending like some bloody "Halloween" instalment.

What a shame. A real shame.

Human Target (Fox, 2010-2011)

The Corrupted Love Interest from "Fringe" as... THE HUMAN TARGET.

Mm... watched the pilot, kept thinking of De Palma's "Mission:
Impossible", saw the creepy guy from "Watchmen" and... PASSED.

City Island (Raymond De Felitta, 2009)

As far as I'm concerned, Andy Garcia's career height was "The
Untouchables". I'm sure he's got talent aplenty, what with "When a Man
Loves a Woman", "Jennifer Eight" and "The Godfather III", films that I
know I have seen but have no actual recollection of. Yes, I know each
film's story, but only because I remember the blurb on the VHS/DVD case.

So last night, when it was a toss up between "The Social Network" and
"City Island", I went indy, and I was pleasantly... it was a pleasant
way to while away an evening. Julianna Margulies was a pleasant
surprise. The morbidly obese women were a pleasant fuck-you to our
usual fare of stick figure screen women. And Mr Garcia was a pleasant
lead, in a thoroughly pleasant film, yes, a little mawkish - twee, even,
although this is a yankee indy - so in the event you're looking for
something undemanding, yet with some nice little twists on your
expectations, try "City Island".

The Winslow Boy (David Mamet, 1999)

A blast from the past chosen by the Better Half off the hard-drive
and... I nodded off a couple of times.

I really enjoyed it the first time around a decade or so back, and
thought I'd revisit it.

Time and a little wisdom can be a terrible thing.

Hanna (Joe Wright/Seth Lochhead, 2011)

It's a chase movie! It's a heroine's journey of discovery. It's an
action film! It's about being true to yourself. It's got guns and
chases --

-- OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

Paradox (BBC, 2009)

(Scraping the barrel here, both chronologically and... quality-wise.)

Ordinary coppers stumble onto potential wormhole courtesy of a
top-ultra-secret satellite thingamie under the supervision of steamy
looking but otherwise unintelligible Scots scientist - and the wormhole
shows an impending disaster!

Well, not ALL of it!

But just enough clues to keep us guessing over the course of an hour!

... A rubbish "Lost"-inspired, "X-Files"/"Fringe"-wannabe that mistakes
loud music for suspense and shouted dialogue for characterisation.

Upstairs, Downstairs (BBC, 2010)

A little weird writing about "Upstairs, Downstairs" having been spoiled
just a little by the shenanigans at "Downton Abbey".

I never watched the original run of this show - catching the odd few
seconds whilst channel-surfing these past couple of decades ("Hey that's
George from 'The Professionals' - look at him all hoity-toity") - so
this was a bit of an experiment.

... Nope, hard to take this show seriously in retrospect when there's
bloody "Downton Abbey" only months away.

Kidnap & Ransom (ITV, 2011)

Am I the only one on this planet who didn't give two shits for the
tawdry Rusty/Meg off-set affair and enjoyed "Proof of Life" for the
action thriller that it is? I've read a bit about the kidnap and ransom
(K&R) industry, so it was reasonably intelligent and enjoyable.

Everything this three-part drama was NOT.

Detroit 187 (ABC, 2010-2011)

I like Michael Imperioli. He didn't really stand out for me when Joe
Pesci was making him dance in "Goodfellas". I knew he came into his own
in "Sopranos" - hey, I've got the set, just haven't got around to seeing
it, there's so much new stuff, so THERE. He filled in real nicely for
the black cop in "Law & Order".

And now, with this show, it felt like I was watching an eagle amidst a
bunch of turkeys. Imperioli struggling as a Cop With A History, an
enigma amongst his colleagues. Speaking of colleagues, there was the
"L&O"-wannabe lieutenant, the want-to-please-puppy partner, the hunky
detective, the sexy detective zzzzz....

Sad is the word that comes to mind.

Maybe Imperioli can put this show down to character building, just like
the cast of "The Unusuals" can as they romp their way to successful careers.

Blue Bloods (CBS, 2010-)

I've been a fan of Donnie Wahlberg since he followed his shocking turn
in "The Sixth Sense" with "Band of Brothers" and "Boomtown". This NKOTB
could fucking ACT.

The thought of Tom Selleck in a comeback to television was more one of
morbid interest than actual interest. Bridget "The Sum of All Fears"
Moynahan as a crusading DA. Jennifer oh-how-I've-missed-you-since-"Spin
City" Esposito as a cop.

How... progressive.

How BORING.

The Chicago Code (Fox, 2011)

After the gloriously pungent "The Shield", I looked forward to creator Shawn Ryan's next show, "The Unit". Possibly spoilt by too much "Traffic" and "Syriana", I never really clicked with this early
21st-century show that unintentionally and repeatedly reminded me of"The A Team".

And now "The Chicago Code" with 'Ooh, Jennifer Beals as police commissioner!' and 'Ooh, that guy from "Brotherhood" as a rough-and-tumble detective!' and 'Ooh, Delroy Lindo as a snaky
politician! and -

- whatEVER.

It wasn't until I googled the cast list that the show I was thinking of
when I began this post was actually "Blue Bloods".

Outcasts (BBC, 2011)

An underwhelming pilot notable for a distinct lack of people, and an
uninteresting and narrow choice of ensemble characters.

It's... "Battlestar: Galactica" but with British accents, and much fewer
actors, and unspoken subtext that is so boring you wish it was spoken
just so you can push a screwdriver through one of your eyesockets or
something.

Am I being too harsh? Possibly. Ep two sits on a harddrive, unwatched.
I should give it a chance. But two, three, four months on, do I
really give a shit?

Mr Sunshine (ABC, 2011)

I didn't watch "Friends". I have a soft spot for "Fools Rush In". But
all in all, I'm no great Matthew Perry fan. Hearing that Perry is in
stuff like "The West Wing" or "The Whole Nine Yards" is a bit like
having a carbuncle where the feeling is usually worse than the actual
sight of it - you brace yourself, but he's an amiable screen presence in
the end.

So as for the lately cancelled "Mr Sunshine", I lasted two eps and
bailed. Although it had Andrea Anders of the long, lamented "Better Off
Ted" in the show as well, her few dazzling minutes of screen time per pe
made the remaining runtime tedious.

Sorry, Mr Perry. I'd LIKE to like your stuff but unfortunately, all I
see are shades of Chandler and I DIDN'T EVEN WATCH THAT FUCKING SHOW.

Alphas (Syfy, 2011)

You see the spiel and read it: "Action packed blah blah people with
special blah blah superhuman blah blah." Until your eye catches the
name David Straithairn as being in the show.

DAVID MOTHERFUCKING STRAITHAIRN.

Gimme some sugar.