Lately I've Been Watching....

 My latest mini TV and film reviews, with trailers and 'where to watch'.  

If you have trouble finding where any show/film is available in your country, this is a good site: Justwatch.  Just put the name of the show into the search, and choose your country further down, from the drop-down menu.  It shows where you can stream, buy or rent.  

If you can't find what you're looking for, try putting 'where can I watch (name of show)' into your search engine

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.

Film: Sound of Freedom (2023)

5* plus ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Cinemas only, US buy on Vudu)

A film that has caused much controversy in the media.  It's the true story of Tim Ballard, former FBI agent working in the prevention of child trafficking, who, through his job, becomes aware of the scale of the problem.  So that he could give his all to this cause, he made the decision to go it alone, foregoing his generous salary.  Tim Ballard is played by Jim Cavieziel.  

Many mainstream newspapers have reported what Ballard has uncovered as being a 'faith-based Q-Anon type conspiracy theory'.  Because of this, I was expecting to see controversial allegations and accusations, but there is none of that in this film.  It's just an account of what happened.  What is happening.  It seems likely that this barely scratches the surface, especially when you hear that the child trafficking business has now overtaken arms as the second most lucrative illegal trade, and is gaining fast on narcotics.

This film covers one main incident, when Ballard tracked down a missing girl, little knowing what else he would uncover.

Go see it if you can.

Film: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023)

5* plus ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Paramount, Apple, Showtime) 

A remake of the 1950s film of Herman Wouk's play, but brought up to date - in that it's set in the present day - and this film shows only the court-martial.  I was disappointed when I realised this, having been hoping to see what actually happened onboard, but I needn't have worried - it's utterly riveting, all the way through.  

If you don't know the story, it's about a ship's captain relieved of his duty by his first officer, during hours of great maritime peril.  The court-martial is to ascertain whether or not the first officer should be acquitted or punished.

Kiefer Sutherland stars as Lt Commander Queeg, and he is staggeringly good.  I've loved him as an actor since I first saw Jack Bauer, but this performance is a different class.  I expect it will be described by some reviewers as the high spot of his career so far; if it's not, it should be.

Also stars the late great Lance Reddick as the head judge; it was released after his death, and is dedicated to him.

Series: TWD: Daryl Dixon - S1 (2023)

5* plus ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(AMC, AMC+, Amazon Prime)

Six episodes set in France, where Daryl ends up by mistake, and it's just great, all the way through.  TWD never, ever fails to surprise, and this is nothing like I expected.

The views of post-apocalyptic Paris are stunning, but I can't say any more about the story or it will spoil it for you when you watch it.  

Ends with a dilemma for our hero, a total cliff-hanger for the next season - and the appearance of an unexpected guest star!

More more more, can't wait for S2 - The Book of Carol :)

Film: State of Grace (1990)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Amazon)

Excellent crime/gangster film set in Hell's Kitchen, starring Sean Penn, Robin Wright, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, John Turturro, John C Reilly.  Apparently it was released on the same day as Goodfellas, which sealed its fate.  It's about as good, though less sensational, less glossy, more gritty.

Limited Series: The Barrier (2020) 

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

Spanish, dubbed into English.  In the 2040s, twenty years after World War III, Spain faces radiation, disease, and extreme shortages. A despotic government rises and places the country under martial law. Madrid is divided into two sectors separated by a wall. The wealthy and powerful live in relative safety and luxury, but everyone else lives in squalor and in fear of forced disappearances.  

Film: Nowhere (2023)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

More post-apocalyptic, dystopian Spain, in which a couple try to escape on a cargo ship heading for Ireland.  Mia is pregnant, which has put them in danger.

If you like watching stuff about survival at its most raw, desperate and resourceful, you'll love this.  I did.  :)

In Spanish, dubbed into English

Series: The Silent Sea - Season 1 (2022)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

Stunning series - Korean, subtitles.  In the future, water is scarce, and a mission is sent out to a defunct lunar research station where many people died, to collect a vital sample.

Stars Gong Yoo, the main man in Train to Busan, who is terrific. Suffice to say that he's become one of those 'if he's in it, I'm watching it' actors. Highly recommend this one; tense, riveting.

Limited Series: Mosley (1998)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(ITVx)

4 episodes, the life of Oswald Mosley from the end of World War I to his arrest shortly before the outbreak of WWII.  It was good, but lacking in detail about why he suddenly embraced fascism, other than his relationship with Diana Mitford.  Whatever - he was a narcissist through and through, caring for little other than his own glorification.  Horrible, horrible man, played horribly well by Jonathan Cake.  Written by the (usually) comedy creating team of Marks and Gran, and based on books by Mosley's son Nicholas.  Also stars Jemma Redgrave, Hugh Bonneville, Windsor Davies.

Film: Out of the Blue (1980)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A film by Dennis Hopper, described in this trailer as being '1980s', but as it was released in 1980 I would call it more 1970s - particularly as it features the early punk scene.

It's about a horribly dysfunctional family, with Dennis Hopper as a sleazy fantasist and criminal, and Linda Manz as his deeply disturbed (with good reason) teenage daughter.  It's raw, somewhat depressing and gets increasingly dark, but it's very, very good.  Can't remember where we found it, but I'd definitely recommend giving it a look.  Released in Canada as No Looking Back.

Series: Cabinet of Curiosities

3.5 * ⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

Series of 8 x 1 hour dramas; horror, ghosts, monsters, general sinister stuff.  They were all moderately entertaining to watch, some better than others, but sadly every single one had an anti-climatic ending.  My favourite was The Outside, about a young woman so desperate to be attractive and accepted by her plastic, vacuuous workmates, that she will try anything.  Good news is that Andrew Lincoln stars in the last episode!

 

Documentary Series: Murder Mountain (2018)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

Compelling series about Humboldt County in Northern California, which produces over half the marijuana sold in the US.  The documentary spans 7 decades, from the 60s, when a few people went up the mountain to live off-grid, starting peaceful communities, through to the remoteness of the area appealing to drug traffickers looking to earn vast amounts of money from their crops ... and, finally, to the change in the area when marijuana became legal.

The main focus of the series is the mystery of what happened to a young man called Garret Rodriguez, who chose to enter this dangerous world for financial gain.  Interviews with law enforcement, private detectives, residents, the family of Garret and parents of other children who disappeared during these decades.  Fascinating. 

Limited Series: Dear Child (2023)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

(Netflix)

A mother and child are found in the woods, identity unknown.  It soon transpires that they have been kept prisoner for many years, the child since she was born; she knows almost nothing about the outside world.

German, dubbed - it kept my interest all the way through and if you love domestic thrillers, this is one for you!

Series: Into The Night - 2 seasons (2020)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

Belgian, dubbed into English.  When the sun inexplicably starts killing everything and everyone in its path, a few ‘lucky’ passengers and crew of an overnight flight out of Brussels try to survive as they fly west - into the night. Good scary post-apoc survival desperation stuff, bunker with everyone going nuts with cabin fever. Don't know yet if there is going to be a Season 3. Would like to see more!

Limited Series: Wilderness (2023)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Amazon Prime)

Based on the book of the same name by Bev Jones.  Jenna Coleman plays Liv, in what she thinks is a perfect marriage to Will.  They've just moved from England to New York for his career, though she is yet to find her feet there.  It's not long before Liv finds out the truth about her loving husband - and on a road trip out to the back of beyond, she has a few decisions to make...

This is total binge-watch stuff, filled with twists and betrayal, lies and revenge.  The only problem for me was that I found Will smarmy and revolting and couldn't work out why anyone would want to sleep with him in the first place, but apart from that it's great fun!

Film: Paradise (2023)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

German, dubbed into English.  Dystopian future in which the poor can sell years of their lives to the rich, provided a DNA match can be found.  It opens with an 18 year old boy being persuaded to 'donate' 15 years of his life in order to buy his family a visa out of the slums - he will, in effect, become 33 overnight.

Main character works for the company that provides this service - Aeon.  All is well until he finds himself in dire financial straits, too...

Sounds more daft than it seems when watching it - it comes across as credible!!  I enjoyed it - actually wish I'd thought of the story!

Film: Alien Code (2018)

4 * ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

Sci-fi film starring Kyle Gallner, who I always like.  If you want to know how good it is, take a look at the comments below the trailer.  I actually watched it about two months ago so can't remember the details, but I know I liked it enough to give it 4.5* and add it to the 'put on blog' list!!  It's revolves around the idea of aliens who want to change the course of time.

Film: Index Zero (2015)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

Some humans are not sustainable any more...

Italian, dubbed into English.  Bleak dystopian scenario, in which drought and famine have rendered the economic recession terminal, and the EU has been supplanted by a huge administration called the United States of Europe.  A boundary has been built to separate this from the wasteland, where survivors live any way they can.  

Kurt and Eva travel to the USE to enter illegally, because she is pregnant.  Actually, 'bleak' hardly describes how grim this is, especially the ghastly scenes when they're tunnelling under the walls.  For anyone who loves their post-apoc stuff as raw as possible!  Loved it.

Film: Arctic Void (2022)

4*  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

(Netflix)

Fabulous scenery! Two men documentary film makers travel on a Norwegian tourist ship to an Arctic settlement travel in a tourist ship.  Out of the blue, everyone on it disappears...  it's good, a fun thriller.

Review: #TheWalkingDead S10x09 SQUEEZE #TWD #TWDFamily

Previously:
Review: S10x08 The World Before
Review: S10x07 Open Your Eyes


Written by: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Directed by: Michael E Satrazemis

'We fight for our future, we don't fight for revenge'  

 
A truly excellent episode that stunned, surprised and challenged sympathies, and was gripping from beginning to end, with edge-of-seat tension and perfect dialogue.  Seriously excellent start to 10B!

Such a shocking, shocking end, in which Carol's utter despair was painful to watch, when she begged Daryl and he shrugged her off, and when even Saint Aaron walked past her without a word.  

Whereas I thought Magna was totally petty for calling her out earlier on, I understood the feelings of the others when the mining shaft caved in—especially after Daryl had said, earlier, that he would have been tempted into reckless moves in her position, too, but would have listened if she tried to stop him.  That she would get people she cared about hurt.  Oh, Carol, didn't you hear what he was telling you?

'I want to be there for you.  I do.  I begged you to talk to me'

On the other hand, and it's a big other hand, Daryl would do well to remember that no one blamed him when his actions got Glenn's head caved in.  And didn't Rosita cause Olivia's death?  They've all done stuff that's got people killed (not least of all Rick), but also acted with great bravery and saved many, and none more than Carol.  

Not only that, but when Connie and Magna were at the exit point after the first explosion, and could have got out in time, Magna shouted out that there were 'more skins' behind them, and off she sauntered, hips swaying, into the darkness. Connie was right behind Carol, but went back to follow Magna.  Maybe Jerry saw that, and will stand up for Carol?  I'm pretty sure they're not dead, anyway.  I believe the Carol-Daryl-Connie storyline has a way to go yet.  

 
Did you expect Jerry to be the one we lost?  I did; I fall for those TWD red herrings every time.  Particularly when we saw how scared he was at the prospect of jumping across over those stepping stones... and inching through that horrifying tunnel.  Poor Jerry, he had every reason to be terrified, but he bravely used that massive frame of his for good, at the end, by holding up that beam so they could all get out.  Respect, sir.

Angel Theory as Kelly was fabulous in this episode, and I thought it was the first time that she really seemed like part of 'the gang'; previously, I've felt that some of the Magna group interactions felt a bit forced, as if they were shoe-horning them into the established cast.  Not this time.  The sisterhood thing between her and Connie is so touching, as was the scene when Connie helped Carol through her panic attack; I see her as one of the TWD 'angels', like Aaron and Glenn.

Meanwhile, back at chez Whisperers... what will Beta think when he finds out about Negan's 'crass reward' for alerting Alpha to Gamma's possible betrayal? 😂😂😂😂  She may have described him as a crass man, but it was clear she fancied him from first meeting - underneath that outfit she's been wearing since she first appeared, she's still a woman(ish), and I suspect that the 'reward' thing was but an excuse to get her rocks off with him.  I must say, though, that my first thought on seeing their naked embrace was that I hope she'd taken a dip in the stream first...

I liked his crash course in dealing with the ego pitfalls that can come with being a powerful, charismatic leader, suggesting that she 'zigs where he zagged' - nicely put!  So is Gamma Alpha's Dwighty-Boy?  Although, yeah, he's got all that narcissistic and psycho stuff going on, he's also super-intelligent and perceptive and I love every perfectly delivered quip: 'Am I going to get my skin suit and learn the secret Whisperers handshake?'.  JDM, you were as brilliant as ever :)

 😋

And so to Daryl.  What I noticed most about him in this episode was how, without Rick or the presence of Michonne, he automatically assumes the role of leadership, though in a different and possibly more effective way—practically, quietly, never making it about him, making sure that the whole group work together.  He's become the person he never would have been if the world hadn't ended - and, maybe, if Rick was still around.

He gets people.  He always did.  Loved this:

'I never told you I was claustrophic'
'If I only knew what you told me, I wouldn't know shit'

I thought, he remembers TS19, too! 

'Are we underground?' 'Are you claustrophic?' 

'A little' 'Try not to think about it'.

I was watching S5x06 Consumed yesterday, in which Daryl and Carol went to Atlanta to search for Beth, and thought how much better they know themselves now, with all they have learned and come to terms with over the years and how much more easily they communicate—but then Carol blows it all up with that dropped stick of dynamite.  We have to remember, though, that she has had loss after loss piling up on her, for years; as she said back in S5, she finds the person she always should have been, and then it gets burned away.  Over and over.  She is demented with grief; if only she would open up to Daryl. 

Squeeze is an episode that will leave Carol and Connie/Magna fans reeling, but all is not necessarily lost; Daryl and/or Kelly may still find a way to rescue them.  Let us hope so.  

And is Gamma really doing a Dwight, now that she knows Alpha lied to them about Lydia?  Cross fingers...

Gif posts:

The Story of Daryl and Carol 

Dinner Time 

A Thank You Letter From Judith Grimes 

Girl Power 

Days Gone Bye: A Tribute to Rick Grimes 

They Turned.... 

 

The Big Scary U ~ Review #TWD #TheWalkingDead S8:5

Review of last week HERE

As soon as I'd watched the super-extended pre-titles bit, I thought, okay, so who dies tonight?  Gabriel or Gregory?  It's looking like Gabriel... but has he been bitten, or does he have Virginia Walker Innards disease?  Is a Virginia Walker anything like a Virginia Creeper?  And, of course, we know that Gregory is now safely back at Barrington House, eating other people's pancakes. 😜

Gabriel ~ bitten, or fulfilled his purpose?

What a terrific episode ~ I've always loved how the TWD writers show us the same time frame again, from the other point of view.  Finally, we see a little bit of the pre-Walker Negan who once had a wife who he treated like the aforementioned Walker innards, and gain insight into why he thinks his methods are justified: he's created order, stopped people like Rapey Davey having their way, identified the fighters and the workers, understood that people can't work for him if they're dead.

Rapey Davey's final moments, S7:15

One can even see why he really thinks that Rick caused the deaths of Glenn and Abraham.  The jury is out on that one, but he says, 'I killed them, but Rick caused their deaths'.  We know that without Rick's leadership, everyone in Alexandria would already have been killed by the Wolves, and probably the Saviours too, but that's another story.

'I wear a leather jacket, I have Lucille, and my nut-sack is made of steel'

Meanwhile, Eugene brings Dwight a gift of pickles for standing up for him in the chaotic, leaderless meeting when all those Negans thought the real Negan was dead, little knowing that Dwighty-Boy is really trying to cover up his own treachery, which it doesn't take him long to suss out ~ will they work together, or will Eugene rat Dwight out?  I'm thinking the former, now that Negan has told him he'll die slowly if he doesn't find a solution to the current siege problem....  Remember Abraham, Eugene! Do the right thing! 

... (but isn't it nice to see Dwight sounding like the half-way decent guy he sort of almost was, back in the burnt forest?)

A further meanwhile, back at the wrecked truck with one dying Saviour, Rick reminds Daryl that they can't explode the Sanctuary because of all the innocent workers, and because that's still who we arr-rrr ... well, he doesn't actually say that, but I betcha it was on the tip of his tongue.  I can see both their POVs.  Daryl ~ end it today.  Rick ~ be the good guy, but risk getting everyone else dead.  They fight, Daryl zooms off in a hissy fit, and Rick travels along the road, like a wounded War of Independence rebel who's had enough.

And then he sees The Helicopter.  Or does he?  Rick is given to hallucinations, both visible and audible, as we all know.  Is this an homage to Episode One, when he really did see a helicopter, and Glenn and the gang inside the department store (sad: all of whom are dead now) told him he was imagining it?  Or this time, will it come back for him?  And who was the guy with the binoculars?

I did see a helicopter, I did, I did ... S1:1 Days Gone Bye

We wait with baited breath....

For an in-depth study of the character of Daryl, please click HERE. 

(Features Merle, Rick, Carol, Dwight, Aaron, Beth...)

The many faces of Daryl Dixon ~ a character study. #DarylDixon #TheWalkingDead

I was asked to write this character study some months ago, before Season 8, for another site's proposed 'Daryl Dixon Appreciation Week' that did not, in the end, come to pass, so I thought I'd put it on my own blog for Daryl appreciators everywhere!  It's an in-depth look at our favourite zombie survivor, showing how he's developed from the 'redneck asshole with an even bigger asshole for a brother' (his words!) to the man who everyone would like to have beside them when fighting the Walkers and Negan.

I've looked at him from the point of view of the relationships with other characters in his life; he is or was something different to each of them, and each one has brought out something different in him.

Daryl and Merle 
The Little Brother 

Merle was everything to Daryl: his brother, both parents, mentor and best friend.  Daryl respected, feared, relied upon and looked up to him, and moulded himself in his image, to no small extent.  Merle taught him self-sufficiency; remember the conversation with Andrea, when they were looking for Sophia in Season Two, about him getting lost in the forest for nine days when he was a kid?  Merle had shown him how to survive—and not only in the wild.  He taught him how to put on a brave face when he was being beaten by his father, and, after his mother died, how to live on his wits.  Merle shaped the younger Daryl—so what would happen when he was no longer around?

Daryl and Rick 
The Brother Outlaw 

Come the end of civilisation, Merle gets himself handcuffed to a rooftop then disappears, leaving Daryl with the group of survivors that he and Merle had planned to rob.  Although never slow in speaking his mind, it's notable that he accepts Rick as leader of the group immediately and without question, and, for the most part, does as he's told; he's learned from Merle to respect the authority of the stronger man.  When the brothers reunite, Merle mocks Daryl's status as Rick's wingman: 'You used to call people like him sheep'.  But in the new world, Daryl and Rick are not Outlaw vs. Lawman.  Now, they're both outlaws, fighting the Walking Dead and shared foes together.  Free from Dixon Major's shadow, Daryl has discovered values of honour and responsibility that Merle tried to quell, but Rick has brought to the fore.  When Rick says to him, 'You're my brother', late in Season Four, you know those ties go just as deep as any blood. 

Daryl and Carol 
The Family Man 

The pairing that everyone loves—but are they brother-sister, very close friends, or could their love ever become romantic?  Their special bond starts when Carol loses daughter Sophia, and, more than anyone else, Daryl goes the extra mile to find her.  In searching for Sophia, is he trying to save the little boy who was left out in the woods?  To reunite child with mother, as he couldn't be with his own?  His relationship with Carol brings out a side of him that previously had nowhere to go: his instinct to love and protect—the man, not the boy.  Carol herself echoes this sentiment, when they're in Atlanta searching for Beth in Season Five; she tells him 'Back then, you were a boy.  Now you're a man'.  She's the person who sees how insecure he is, too—in Season Two, she reassures him that he's every bit as good as Shane and Rick; only she sees this lack of confidence in him, hidden by his wall of not caring.  Now they're reunited, we must watch and wait...

Daryl and Martinez 
The Competitor 

They had just one scene together, but it was such a good one.  As they competed with each other to kill Walkers in the most daring and artful way, we saw the little boy in Daryl, who wants to run the fastest, jump the highest; growing up in poverty, maybe all he had to show off about was his physical ability.  Afterwards, they bonded over cigarettes instead of train sets and model cars.  Daryl didn't hate the other man, even though they were on different sides; he and the equally loyal and trustworthy Martinez would probably have been comrades if they'd fallen in with the same people.

Daryl and Joe 
Boy to Man

When Daryl is lost and alone and teams up with Joe and his 'Claimed' gang in Season Four, we see (and he realises) how far he has come since his pre-Walker days.  Merle would have fitted right in, but although Joe refers to 'men like us', Daryl knows that all they have in common is being able to survive in the wild new world.  Daryl has changed; the decency brought out by Rick, Carol, Glenn and the rest of our group is here to stay.

Daryl and Beth 
The Protector 

What strange bedfellows, to have ended up on the run together after the fall of the prison.  At first, Beth's optimism, naïveté and girlish behaviour irritates him, but later he becomes her teacher and protector.  He shows her how to survive (one shot with his crossbow and Beth quips 'Soon I won't need you at all!'), and her glass-half-full attitude to life rubs off on him and gives him faith.  She makes him believe that yes, there are still decent people out there.  She's the first person to whom he opens up, albeit when he's full of moonshine, but at last he feels safe to show his vulnerability.  Daryl doesn't trust many people, but he recognises a genuinely good heart, and can see this in Beth.  Would their relationship have developed into something else?  Sadly, we will never know.

Daryl and Aaron 
The Fellow Outsider 

... and Aaron points out that Daryl can tell the difference between a good and a bad guy, too.  This is another strange pairing, and an oddly touching one: the gay, educated, middle-class aid worker and the redneck with the crossbow who, pre-zombie apocalypse, had never been outside Georgia.  Aaron makes the point that the rest of the community is wary of both of them for different reasons, but what they also have in common is the need to go off on their own, away from the safe haven.  Daryl mentions how stifled he feels in Alexandria, when they're Walker-trapped inside the car in the Wolves' territory.  As with Beth, Daryl trusts Aaron enough to talk about his feelings.  Aaron's warmth, acceptance and invitation to become his co-recruiter gives him confidence; once they've become tentative friends, Daryl decides that living in the über-straight-laced and middle-class Alexandria might be okay, after all.

Daryl and Dwight 
The Role Model 

A complex relationship indeed.  By the time Dwight meets Daryl in Season Six, there is little left of the young terror that was Merle's apprentice.  He's grown in strength and wisdom, and is confident enough to give a second chance to someone who held a gun to his head.  Then, when Dwight does the dirty on him and, later, kills Denise, all Daryl feels is hatred and desire for revenge.  Few people have brought out such ferocity of emotion in him, but even at the darkest hour, when he is filthy, eating dog food, and at absolute rock bottom with Dwight as his captor, Daryl is still the bigger man - and Dwight knows this.  Later, Daryl is given more insight into his adversary's motivations, and there is a split second of commonality between them.  Still, though, when the tables are turned and it's Dwight in the cell, Daryl wants to kill him.  Rick stops him, but would he have gone through with it?  I suspect their relationship will change yet again.  Sherry said in her goodbye letter to Dwight that he saw in Daryl the man he used to be.  I think he sees in him the man he wants to be; the new world has made Daryl grow from wastrel sidekick, to a man respected by all who meet him—even Negan.  As he said to Aaron when they were trying to catch Buttons the horse, 'When you've been out here a while, you become who you really are'.  

And what is Daryl? A man of truth and honour who doesn't waste words, and will do anything to protect those he loves.  And if he ever fancies jumping in the shower, there are ten million women who will offer to scrub his back 😜