Lately I've Been Watching....

The latest in my series of mini TV reviews, with trailers and 'where to watch'.  If you have trouble finding where any show/film is available, try typing 'where can I watch *name of show*' into whatever search engine you use. 

If you would like to see more posts, please click here: Lately I've Been Watching.  If you get as far as the bottom, 'Older Posts' will take you to more.

Please note the subtle difference between half star ratings; a 4.5 might be rounded up or down, depending on what I thought of the programme.

 

Limited Series: The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You've probably already watched and loved this - it seems to be universally liked. Girl in orphanage in the 1950s turns out to be a chess genius, but her emotional life is a mess. Seven episodes, great drama, totally engrossing.  Stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the not very likeable Beth Harmon, with whom you may sympathise nevertheless.  Though I did hate her for never getting back in touch with the janitor from the orphanage who taught her how to play.  And for not giving him back the money he lent her to get started.  But it's still terrific.

Series:  Deep State - Seasons 1 & 2 (Amazon Prime, Epix)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mark Strong stars as former M16 agent Max Easton who is forced to go back into the field for one more job.  Cliché, I know, but it does tend to work every time.  Also stars Joe Dempsie as his estranged son, Harry; theirs is not an easy relationship.

Season 2 features Max Easton only in reference, with the main character spot taken over by Walton Goggins, another favourite of mine, as a former CIA operative, and Joe Dempsie in a more prominent role. Thrills and spills, tension and murder.  Loved it.  Look forward to S3.  

Series: Temple - Season 1 (Sky One, Spectrum)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

More Mark Strong in this one - no complaints here!  This time he plays London surgeon Daniel Milton, who, with prepper Lee Simmons (Daniel Mays), runs an illegal clinic situated below the underground.  Also stars Carice Van Houten (Melisandre in Game of Thrones) as the scientist Milton was shagging behind his wife's back, and Catherine McCormack (Murron in Braveheart) as the 'dead' wife (you'll see!).  They have one daughter who, though the progeny of two sharp-featured, dark-haired parents, is that 'transparent eyelashes' sort of ginger-haired, and has a face that is as far removed from theirs as one could imagine. 

Very good, plenty edge-of-seat tension.  Looking forward to more.

  

Film: Mank (Netflix)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fictional account about screenwriter Herbert Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman, who co-wrote Citizen Kane.  It's made in the style of the film itself, which is most effective, and covers the period of time when Citizen Kane was being written.  Orson Welles is played by Tom Burke.  I liked it very much, but might have done so even more if I had seen Citizen Kane, which I am ashamed to say that I had not, though this was soon rectified.

Film: Muscle (Amazon Prime)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dark and grisly film set in Newcastle, though the characters are all roughy-toughy southerners - Essex and London.  Simon (Cavan Clerkin), bored and unsuccessful in his telemarketing job and with a stale marriage, starts going to a gym, where he meets Terry, an ex-army personal trainer played horribly well by Craig Fairbrass.  The changes this brings to Simon's life lead to the end of both his job and his marriage - which allows Terry to insinuate himself into every corner of his world.  Simon soon finds himself completely out of his depth, and his life spirals downwards in every way possible.  

It's sinister, tawdry and quite depressing, but very, very good. Made in black and white.  Violence and very graphic sexual scenes (erections and people having sex, though not throughout, only during one event).  Would have given it 5* apart from the fact that I was a little disappointed in the ending, and the sort of people in it make me shudder!  

Series: The Crown - Season 4 (Netflix)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is one of those shows I know is a bit crappy, made for the American market and not historically accurate, but I find utterly engrossing (a bit like The Tudors!). Olivia Colwell is excellent as HRH. There have been many criticisms of Gillian Anderson's rather Spitting Image/pantomime-like portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, though she does get some aspects (such as her walk) absolutely spot on, and Thatch did used to seem like a parody of herself, half the time.  Denis Thatcher is particularly good.  

The farce that was Charles and Diana's marriage is quite brutally portrayed, and one can't help feeling sorry for Diana, who was dealt a marked card from the word 'go'.  

I've read that there will be a Season Five, though it may end in 2006 to avoid the tricky 'controversy' surrounding the death of Diana.  I felt the question of her being bumped off was hinted at in conversations between her and Princes Philip and Charles in later episodes during S4; we will see.  You can see a picture of Elizabeth Debicki, who will play the older Diana, below the S4 trailer.  I am sure you will agree that she looks more like her than younger version Emma Corrin, though I did find Corrin more convincing than I thought I would. Imelda Staunton is to play the older Queen, with Jonathon Pryce as Prince Philip.

Documentary: Rise of the Warrior Apes (Animal Planet, Amazon Prime)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Documentary made by a group of naturalists/anthropologists who spent 20 years studying a tribe of apes in Ngogo, Uganda. Over this time they got to know them so well, naming them and recognising their personalities, observing the societal changes and power struggles within the tribe as it grew and developed.  Definitely worth watching.

Dark Comedy Series: The Flight Attendant - Season 1 (HBO Max)

3.5* ⭐⭐⭐

Dark comedy/thriller about an alcoholic flight attendant, Cassie (Kaley Cuoco), who has a one night stand in Thailand with a bloke played by Michael Huisman (lucky her, I hear you say), and wakes up in the morning to find him lying in a pool of blood.  It's entertaining, but Cassie's constant 'zany' behviour and impulsive actions started to get on my nerves after a while, and the whole getting drunk thing became a tad depressing (btw, have you noticed how on TV, nobody ever drinks spirits with mixers?).  Also, there are frequent imaginary scenes in which Cassie talks to her dead lover, which get a bit tedious after a while.  But it's not bad.  Worth a look if you like this sort of thing.

Series: Departure - Season 1 (Universal TV, Global TV)

3* ⭐⭐⭐

A UK drama series with familiar faces from other UK drama series, I felt that this was trying to be 24-esque and failing.  It's a plane-mysteriously-gone-down thriller-mystery, one survivor who may hold the key if only she could remember, etc.  The plot itself is interesting, and it's fast-moving, etc, but even actors like Christopher Plummer and Dougray Scott couldn't take it above mediocre.  The dialogue is pretty dire - wooden, with every cliché in the book; good actors can't make characters more than one-dimensional if they have little to work with.

To sum up - it was okay, quite good, and got better as it went on, but the fact that I didn't give a stuff what happened to any of the non-characters meant that it failed to be compelling.

Film: Tenet (Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play)

2.5* ⭐⭐

Super big action thriller starring John David Washington and the bloke who was in the vampire stuff (Robert Pattinson).  CIA agent Washington gets told his mission is to stop World War 3.  I thought it was going to be great, but when we were given the BIG REVEAL about what this worse-than-nuclear threat is, alas, my husband and I both laughed.  Spontaneous reaction from both of us. Yes, it was that daft. Too much information all the way through that was hard to take in, though some terrific action scenes.  I admit to falling asleep before the end.

Film: Run (Hulu)

2* ⭐⭐

Another one that I thought was going to be great, but was pretty dire.  Sarah Paulson stars as Creepy Mom with Munchausen's by Proxy; I can't imagine why an actor of her calibre would agree to the script in the first place. Both her and the girl who plays the daughter are good, but neither could do much with this badly-written piece of moderately entertaining trash TV.

Series: End Game (Amazon Prime)

1.5* ⭐

And so we come to the other end of the spectrum of series about people who play chess.  This is a sort of comedy-not-comedy crime thriller about a Russian chess coach with agoraphobia who can't pay his bill in the posh hotel he lives in, but gets lured into solving crime mysteries for a fee, using his chess students and knowledge of canny moves to help.  IMDb promises it gets better after the first couple of episodes, but it was such rubbish we couldn't even get through them.

Lately I've Been Watching

More mini TV and film recommendations, with trailers to help you make up your mind!  I've made a note of which site I saw them (mostly Amazon Prime and Netflix).

If you would like to see more, please click here: Lately I've Been Watching.  There are many of these posts; if you want to see them all, click on 'older posts' when you get to the bottom. 


Film: Greed (Amazon)

5 stars plus ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stars Steve Coogan as Richard McCreadie, who is based on Phillip Green, the ruthless billionaire business man who owns Topshop, Evans, Burtons, Miss Selfridge and others.  Also starts David Mitchell as his autobiographer, and Isla Sinclair as his ex-wife.  Although it does not mirror Green's life exactly, there are many aspects of it that I am sure do.  It's excellent.  Don't miss it.

 

Series: Cardinal (Amazon Prime, Hulu, BBC4)

5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Standard sort of cop/murder/personal dilemmas series, set mostly in the town of Algonquin Bay in Quebec, but it's particularly good.  Scenery is fabulous; there are four seasons, each one a gripping story told in six episodes.  The first and fourth take place in a snow-covered winter, and have a Scandi-noir feel to them.  Highly recommended if you like these type of things; by far the best I've seen for a long time. A real shame that S4 is the final one, though some parts of it did come to a natural end.

Series: Onisciente (Omniscient): Season 1 (Netflix)

5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brazilian, dubbed into English (well done).  In a future time, the people live in the cities, where they are monitored 24/7 by drones the sizes of flies, Carla must go outside the city walls to find out who murdered her father, and why.  It's clever, gripping, and terrifying, because this sort of surveillance appears to be what we are heading towards.  Loved it - watch it!

Film: The Quarry (Amazon on Demand)

4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Slow-moving film starring Michael Shannon as a cop in a rundown small town.  Along comes the new preacher, played by Shea Whigham - except he isn't really a preacher at all.  It's dark and atmospheric, though not particularly memorable, but I'll watch Michael Shannon in anything, and Shea Whigham is fairly fab, too.  I think the actors and the atmosphere made it, as the plot isn't that stunning.  I'd give it a definite tick and a thumbs up, though.

Series: Dollhouse (Amazon)

4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was made in 2009, and cancelled after 2 seasons.  It's scifi, about a company that kidnaps young men and women and re-programmes their brains to make them function as 'actives' or 'dolls', who will perform whatever activity the paying customer wants them to.  The star of the show is a 'doll' called Echo, whose 'real' mind begins to fuse with her re-programmed one, as she discovers what is happening.  I love stuff like this; it's a bit daft in places but highly enjoyable.  Sorry about the quality of the trailer, but it was the only one I could find.

TWD addicts will spot Enver Gjokaj as one of the main dolls - he played Pete Dolgen in Season 4.

Series: After Life: Season 2 (Netflix)

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I know most people think this is brilliant, and Ricky Gervais plays the grieving widower who can't get on with his life so well, but I only like it, I don't love it.  I find it a little too depressing, because of the narrow lives the characters lead; it's a bit too 'real' for me.  Good, but I don't like it quite as much as the first season.  I think I'm waiting for more to actually happen.  Also, I winced at his use of the word 'cunt' - not because I mind hearing it, but because I felt as though it was intended to shock.

Series:  Westworld: Seasons 1, 2 & 3 (Amazon)

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I tried this once and wasn't that keen, then watched it all when Season 3 came out.  If you haven't seen it, it's set in the future, in a vast theme park where rich people can immerse themselves in a real life virtual reality (if that makes sense) with cyborgs who believe themselves to be real people.  Gradually, though, some of them begin to find out the truth, and rise up against the humans.  I liked the first season, especially the gradual unfolding of the life of William, played in his younger years by Jimmy Simpson, who I love, and later by Ed Harris.  The second season I found a little too drawn out and was pleased when it was over.

I thought Season 3 was possibly the best of all, certainly as good as the beginning, though I know that it hasn't been received so well by the show's biggest fans. Time has moved on, Westworld is finished, and some of the cyborgs are ready for a fight.  This season stars Aaron Paul, a favourite of mine, as a human who becomes involved with the main cyborg, Dolores, played by Evan Rachel Wood.  Also stars Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Anthony Hopkins and Luke Hemsworth (the not so good looking one!).

Dark Comedy Series: Dead To Me: Seasons 1 & 2 (Netflix)

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Christina Applegate (Married With Children) stars as Jen, a woman whose husband has been killed in a hit and run.  She bonds with Judy (Linda Cardellini) at a grief therapy group - but Judy is not who she claims to be.  Lots of near misses with the police and people getting themselves killed.

I liked Jen all the way through this, and it's fast-moving, amusing, entertaining, etc, but my enjoyment was marred by the character of Judy, who is possibly the most irritating character I've ever seen on television.  Cringe-making, soppy, unreliable, a bit of a 'madcap'; I think she is meant to be endearingly kooky but I had an allergic reaction to her.  I'd still recommend, though - it's a nice 'easy watch'.

Film: Capone (VOD)

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tom Hardy stars as the infamous gangster in this drama about his final year, at his mansion in Florida, when his dementia is making life pretty damn awful for everyone around him.  Linda Cardellini plays his wife (and is not irritating at all - see above!).  It's quite gruesome and depressing; Hardy is excellent and it's good, but I would have liked it more if there had been flashbacks of his glory days rather than his hallucinations... I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped.

Series: Run (HBO)

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

College sweethearts Ruby and Billy make a pact that, in the future, however their lives pan out, if one of them texts 'Run' to the other, and the other replies with the same word, they will drop everything and meet up in Grand Central Terminal to travel across American together.  On the morning when Ruby receives the text from Billy, she is in a supermarket car park.  Her marriage is not particularly happy; Billy is a motivational speaker whose career has just taken a disastrous nosedive.

No, all does not go smoothly, especially when Billy's super-possessive agent tracks him down.  It's amusing and I liked it.  Merrit Weaver (Denise in The Walking Dead) is great as Ruby, though Domhnall Gleeson is fairly irritating as Billy; a clichéd feckless Irishman who I think the viewer is meant to find quirkily charming.  

Film: Inheritance (Amazon)

3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thriller - Lily Collins plays a successful barrister who receives a strange legacy from her father.  I can't say much more than that as it would give the plot away.  Simon Pegg, who I usually can't stand, is excellent as the ... person I can't describe because that would give the plot away, too.  It's worth watching, for sure, but I took a half star off for the weak ending.  Would have been okay 20 years ago, but plots are much more intricate these days, and I was waiting for the final twist or two that never came.

Series: Sequestered (Crackle)

3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐

About a jury staying in a hotel while they try to reach a unanimous verdict on a man accused of murder.  Much corruption occurs, as the members sway this and that.  12 episodes, each half an hour.  It's good, not memorable.  Stars Jesse Bradford and Summer Glau.

Series: Liar: Season 2 (ITV)

3 stars ⭐⭐⭐

Set in an idyllic south of England (as are so many of these series) in a coastal area, starring Ioan Gruffudd as a murderous doctor, and Joanne Froggatt as one of his intended victims.  I liked the first season well enough, but I felt it should have stopped there; the second is after Gruffudd has been killed, with the police trying to solve the murder.  It's okay, but some of the plot felt a bit contrived.  I find that too many of these ITV and BBC series feel a little pale after watching the much more sophisticated US ones.  However, the whole series has had most positive reviews, so it's probably just me.