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.

Series: Vikings - Season 6B (final season) (Amazon, Channel 5)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Outstanding, as ever.  Fabulous battle scenes.  Sad that Ivar died, and Harald, but most of all I'm glad that Ubbe and Torvi had a good ending, and that we saw Floki again. Only one complaint - I wanted to see what happened to the mad man of Greenland!

If you've never seen it you've missed a treat, and I envy you having it all to watch from the start :)

Series: Next - Season 1 (Fox, Hulu, Fubo)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the emergence of an artificial intelligence that teaches itself how to surpass its creators and control us all. Much to think about in this one, and it's action packed, a convincing plot, etc etc.  Stars John Slattery (Mad Men).  Alas, I've just read that it's been cancelled (why do they do this, but keep utter shite on??!), but it's so worth watching this one season, anyway.

Film: Greenland (STX, HBO Max, Amazon Prime)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Loved this! Ticked every post-apocalyptic box.  Gerard Butler stars as John Garrity, an engineer living in Atlanta with his wife (Morena Baccarin: Jessica Brody in Homeland, Firefly).  People are excited to watch the near-earth passing of an interstellar comet, but it fragments, and pieces start hitting the earth, with catastrophic results.  Garrity and his family are some of those 'selected' for emergency shelter, but of course this is fraught with problems, too, as fires break out all over the world and society collapses.  Top stuff!

Film: Run Hide Fight (Apple TV, The Daily Wire)

3* ⭐⭐⭐

According to IMdb, 1551 people thought this film was terrific (10/10*), and 98 thought it was dreadful (1/10*).  For me, it had elements of both.

Basic plot: school shooting, Nebraska, which the shooters make sure is live streaming.  Troubled 17-year-old Zoe doesn't want to just escape, she wants to bring 'em all down.  When it started, I thought, oh, this is good.  The suggestion that something bad was going to go down was subtle and sinister, the shooters' arrival was shocking, the action was bold, terrifying, the sense of inescapable menace riveting.

Alas, it then morphed into another 'feisty teen saves the world' film.  From about halfway, it went steadily downhill.  There was no more stark, bold, horrifying action.  The sense of menace simmered down as the cracks in the shooters' plan crumbled away, in the face of 'Zoe the Feisty Teen with Lessons of Her Own to Work Through with Help from the Ghost Of Dead Mom'.  You know the sort of thing.

Could have been terrific, but was just okay, and forgettable.

Series: Tin Star - Seasons 1, 2 and 3 (Amazon, Now TV, Sky Atlantic)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Former undercover cop Jim Worth (Tim Roth) starts a new life as a police chief in a small Canadian town, along with his family.  During the locals' conflict with North Stream Oil, his shady past catches up with him.  The first season is brilliant - 5 stars all the way, and Tim Roth was fabulous, as always.  Season 2 centres around a religious community with which Worth's daughter gets involved, and cocaine trafficking.  It's good, though not as good as Season 1.  Season 3, however, was a disappointment.  It's set in Liverpool, as Jim and his wife and daughter go back to England to face his deadliest and oldest enemy.  Became clichéd and like a parody of itself, with the three suddenly morphing into Ocean 11 type characters.  

I'd say watch the first two, for sure, but skip S3.

Film: Made in Britain (Prime Video)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Needed a bit more Tim Roth after finishing Tin Star, so I watched this again.  Roth in his first role, in 1982, as 16-year-old skinhead Trevor and his conflict with the authorities.  In the same mode as other films of the time, like Scum.  V good indeed.

Film: Rocketman (Amazon, Now TV)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The life of Elton John - Taron Egerton is v good in the main role, as is Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin (and who would have thought the lad from Billy Elliot would grow up so hot???!!).  Also stars Richard Madden (Game of Thrones and a whole bunch of other UK stuff over the past couple of years) as John's calculating manager and lover. 

Like many biopics about the rich and famous, this does an excellent job of showing the tormented reality behind the image presented by the people who are making the money out of and manipulating the celebrity.  The film is part musical, which I didn't think I'd like, but it's not over the top, and blends with the rest of it very well.  Also, lots of photos at the end so you can compare the film version with the real thing - something I always like!

Film: Shirley (Amazon, Hulu)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Elisabeth Moss stars in this biographical drama based on the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell: a 'largely fictional story' based around part of novelist Shirley Jackson's life.  Michael Stuhlbarg (Arnold Rothstein in Boardwalk Empire) plays her husband, college professor Stanley.  Odessa Young and Logan Lerman play Fred and Rose Nemser, a young couple who stay with them while Fred works under Stanley.

Comparisons with Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf are inevitable as Shirley behaves appallingly in the company of guests, fights with Stanley, drinks far too much, as misunderstandings and impulsive behaviour deepen existing problems in the claustrophobic domestic set-up.

nb, Jackson's son criticised the portrayal of his parents, and the Nemsers are fictional.

Film: Fatima (Amazon Prime)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Based on a true story. In 1917, a young shepherd and her two cousins claim to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary in the village of Fatima, Portugal.  As news of this vision spreads, many religious pilgrims travel there, and witness what became known as the Miracle of the Sun.  The claims are disbelieved by many, though some sceptics change their minds as time goes on.

Very good; almost had me believing! 

Series: TWD World Beyond - Season 1 (Amazon)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Still not finished this, have two episodes to go, but it seemed to suddenly pick up in episode 7 (which was, incidentally, directed by Michael Cudlitz) and 8, with some interesting developments re Silas and Huck.  I found myself enjoying it much more; actually wanted to watch it rather than just thinking, I'd better watch this because it's part of the whole story and will tie up with the Rick Grimes films, etc. I suspect it will only get better, now the characters have a bit more meat to them.

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

3.5* ⭐⭐⭐

A scientist tries to develop AI beyond the scope of human intelligence, his true motive being to bring his wife back from the dead.  Good, worth a watch, but nothing outstanding.

Series: Lucky Man - Season 1, a bit of Season 2 (3 seasons available on Now TV)

3* ⭐⭐⭐

James Nesbitt stars as a London cop who receives the power to control his own luck.  In the first season, the supernatural element fits in fairly well with the fairly standard action-crime-murder plot about those who are trying to wrest this superpower from him; it's fairly low-key.  I would have given Season 1 3.5*, but when we started watching Season 2, we decided it had become too silly, and abandoned it.

 

Series: The Stand (CBS All Access, Starzplay in UK)

3* ⭐⭐⭐

Have watched the 6 episodes currently showing.  I thought it was going to be great, but it's ... not.  Far more attention is paid to the Dark Man (Alexander Skarsgård) and Mother Abigail (Whoopi Goldberg) than in the book, with the characters having dreams and visions every five minutes - and we all know how tedious dream and hallucination sequences are in TV series and films.  In the book, as far as I can remember, the fact that it is about good versus evil is subtle, so you can make up your own mind; for a long time, it's just the story of travels and interpersonal relationships during a pandemic.  In this, though, the God vs Devil side is somewhat rammed down one's throat.  

I like how it's structured, going back and forth between timelines so that a picture of each character is built up, and some of the characters - Owen Teague as Harold Lauder, James Marsden as Stu Redman, Jovan Adepo as Larry Underwood spring to mind - are great.  Unlike Goldberg and Skarsgård.  

Worth watching (ish), but I actually got a bit bored in the most recent episode.  Like, 'oh good, there are only fifteen more minutes of this tripe' sort of bored.

Documentary: Suzi Q (Amazon)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Documentary about Suzi Quatro.  Lots of interviews with the lady herself and those who know and have worked with her.  Also her sisters, with whom she started out on her musical career, one of whom clearly had 'issues' about Suzi being the successful one. Suzi seemed great, really down to earth, practical and versatile.  

I find music world documentaries fascinating, in particular the early days - and it's surprising how many of them seem to follow the same pattern.  The starting out, disappointments and failures, then the slow rise, when everything is going well, which often seems like the happiest part.  Then comes the 'making it', and a few years of life at the top, which very soon goes sour when the record companies/managers become demanding, the band has 'differences', they have to make the decision whether to follow their creative inclinations or 'sell out', and the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle causes everything to come crashing down.  Next comes a dark patch, then a resurgence.  

This is a good one; whether you're a fan of hers, or of 70s music, or just like watching these documentaries, generally, it is most interesting.

Thank you, #TWD actors! #TheWalkingDead

In line with my Walking Dead obsession, from December 2019, I decided to do a 'happy birthday' tweet for every member of the TWD cast, past and present.  I couldn't find all the birthdays online, but I managed most.

If you would like to see all of them, click here: #TWDBirthdays

A few of those mentioned not only actually saw the tweet 😲, but were kind enough to thank me, or acknowledge in some way, which, of course, thrilled me to bits!  Here are their responses:

~ Andy: Jeremy Palko ~

~ Jared: Joshua Mikel ~

~ Oscar: Vincent M Ward ~

~ Jules: Alex Sgambati ~

~ Tobin: Jason Douglas ~

~ Morales: Juan G Pareja ~

~ Gage: Jackson Pace ~

~ Sam Anderson: Major Dodson ~

~ Gregory: Xander Berkeley ~

~ Dr Harlan Carson: R.Keith Harris ~

~ Alvaro: Carlos Navarro ~

~ Dr Caleb: Sunkrish Bala ~

~ Regina: Thunderbird Dinwiddie ~

~ Patricia: Jane McNeill ~

~ Tamiel: Sabrina Gennarino ~

~ Nabila: Nadine Marissa ~

~ DJ: Matt Mangum ~ 

My 10 most viewed #blog posts of 2020

I wasn't as active on this blog as usual in 2020 - only 37 posts all year.  Here are the ten published last year that were viewed the most, with a countdown to the most viewed, because it's more fun!  I promise, for the non-believers, that they're not all Walking Dead related; only 4 of them!

If you would like to look at any of the posts, just click on the title :)

10. What To Avoid in Social Conversation - a tongue in cheek Twitter Tips post, based on Victorian/Edwardian society etiquette. (1121 views)

9.  10x15 The Tower - The Walking Dead episode review. (1136 views)

8.  10x14 Look At The Flowers - The Walking Dead episode review. (1148 views)

7.  The Visitor is Knocking on your Door... - introducing my latest book, The Visitor. (1283 views)

6.  The Animal Kingdom in the Zombie Apocalypse world  - Walking Dead gif post. (1287 views)

5.  Dinner Time - a Walking Dead gif post. (1564 views)

4.  To Go Free or not to Go Free? - an advisory post for writers, about doing free promotions. (1620 views)

3.  Lately I've Been Watching...  - one of my roughly-six-weekly TV review posts, this one from January. (1680 views)

2.  Wasteland is Live! - introducing Wasteland, which I published in April. (2087 views)

~ And the winner is.... ~

1.  Pauses for Thought: 10 pieces of advice for new writers/self-publishers  - I'm actually quite proud of this post, and have had a great deal of feedback from it, saying that it's been most helpful.  (2418 views)

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...

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 Google.

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.

 

Series: See - Season 1 (Apple TV only, it seems - you can always just get the free trial!)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Loved this!!!  And not just because the glorious Jason Momoa stars, honestly.  The basic story: a 21st century pandemic killed off most of the world's population.  Since then, all humans have been born blind.  500 years later, anyone who can see is thought to be a witch.  Then, in the mountain village where Jason Momoa is the boss man, his wife gives birth to twins with the power of sight.  Enter the witchfinder, who I thought was called Tomato John, but is actually Tamacti Jun (well, I wasn't far out...).

I started off by thinking, hang on a minute, if they're all blind, why would they bother about stuff like ornamental headgear, but I think that in order to enjoy this you have to suspend such disbelief, and just accept.  Must have been a nightmare to direct:  "Oi, Jason, you can't do that, you're supposed to be blind."  "Oh, yeah, shit; sorry, I forgot."  It's great, anyway - filled with suspense and drama, fabulous scenery, thrilling fight scenes, etc.  Pleased to see that filming has started for Season 2.

Series: Rubicon - one season (AMC Premiere, Amazon Prime)

5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Made in 2010, about an intelligence analyst working for the American Policy Institute (API) in New York City. He discovers that he may be working with members of a secret society that manipulates world events on a grand scale.  Absorbing, great acting, and I like that it wasn't gimmicky - it's just good drama.

TWD alert!  Co-stars Dallas Roberts, alias Milton Memet.

Documentary: The Public Image is Rotten (Youtube, Vimeo)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love PiL, and think John Lydon is a top bloke.  Documentary charting the ever-changing band from its inception to the present day, with many interviews with Lydon and band members past and present. 

 

Documentary: Long Hot Summers: The Story of The Style Council (Sky)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I wasn't a particular fan of The Style Council, but I love music documentaries, and this gave great insight into Paul Weller's vision for the band.  I enjoyed the interviews with him and Mick Talbot, both of whom came across as down-to-earth, unpretentious, realistic about their failures and successes, and just nice guys. A lot of old film from the 80s and 90s.  Tick VG.

 

Series: Devils - Season 1 (Hulu, Amazon, The CW)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I wasn't too sure about this at first, as the dialogue seemed a bit stilted, and tired (so much so that you could guess what they were going to say next), but around episode three it picked up and got better and better until I was totally engrossed.  

It's set in the cut-throat London banking world, main character being an Italian whizz-kid, Massimo Ruggero, played by the rather gorgeous Alessandro Borghi, who begins to question how the way in which he makes money for the New York Investment Bank affects other people.  It starts off with his rival at work hurtling off a balcony to his death—and nobody is above suspicion.

Special mention for my cousin, actor Tim Daish, who plays a dodgy London copper in episode 6!

 

Documentary series: By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem.  (Amazon Prime, Epix)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved the TV series The Godfather of Harlem, starring Forrest Whittaker, and this documentary series brings to life the music and culture of Harlem in the 1960s. Lots of film showing the history of the area, and enchanting memories of a time gone by that shows the great community spirit and vibrancy of the period - and, later on, as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King aimed to change the fortunes of black people in America. 

 

Film: Beats (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Set in Scotland in 1994, this film is about the tail end of the rave culture, and centres round two boys trying to escape their dreary lives and just have a blast.  Spanner (Lorn Macdonald) lives by his wits, sharing a house his psycho criminal brother, while Johnno (Cristian Ortega) lives with his mother and sister, and his mother's new boyfriend, who is determined to get them out of the shabby council estate towards a better life.

It's good - funny, touching, shocking (that was the police bludgeoning ravers whose only crime was wanting to party), but also a bit depressing.  Definitely worth watching, though.

 

Series: Ratched - Season 1 (Netflix) 

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the character of Mildred Ratched from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, perfectly played by Sarah Paulson, and the years before she became part of that story.  It's one of those almost fantasy-like portrayals of the 1950s, like The Marvelous Mrs Maisel; bright colours, amazing clothes, larger than life characters and scenes.  Recommended :)

 

Five Part Documentary Series: Ted Bundy: Falling For A Killer (Amazon Prime)

4.5* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Most compelling, this - it's based on a book written by Elizabeth Kendall, Bundy's long-term girlfriend at the time of his killing spree, with much commentary from her and her daughter, Molly, who was about 8 when her mother got together with him. I found Molly charming and likeable, sensitive and honest, but couldn't warm to the mother - I got the feeling, as Molly said, that if she hadn't been around to stop her, Elizabeth might have allowed him to wrap her back around his little finger at any time, even in the face of all the evidence against him.  She seemed rather pathetic, and as if she never stopped being dazzled by him.

The documentary also features many interviews with police who worked on the case, and friends and family of the victims. Questions also arise about the way in which the case was handled at the time, and how certain law enforcers used it to enhance their own careers.  

 

Six Part Documentary Series: Slow Burn (Amazon Prime, Epix)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Originally a podcast, this is the full and very detailed story of the Watergate scandal, and all who were involved with it. No stone is left unturned; it would probably appeal most to those who already have some interest in the case, or know something about it.  The first episode is the most interesting, about Martha Mitchell, the southern belle and socialite wife of John Mitchell, a major figure in Nixon's administration.

I was struck by how long ago the seventies seem, now.  A bit like how I saw the 1940s when I was a kid.

Series: The Undoing (Sky Atlantic, HBO Max, Amazon)

4* ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stars Hugh Grant as Hugh Grant, an oncology consultant, and Nicole Kidman as his therapist wife, an icy-cold princess with a face so lifted and filled that it doesn't move, and a wardrobe full of fabulous coats.  Actually Jonathan and Grace Fraser, who live a swanky Manhattan life, along with their son, Henry, who is rather sweet, and nothing like his ghastly parents.  Life seems fairly awesome until a young woman called Eleanor joins a committee at Henry's private school, which involves Grace and her swanky friends sitting around chatting about fund-raising.  Eleanor gets her tits (and more) out at every possible opportunity, then turns up dead.  But who killed her, and why?

I've watched five episodes and the killer has yet to be revealed, but I made a good guess during episode 2, and I'm sticking to it, even though it's a long shot. It's good.  Looking forward to the next ep.  Also stars Donald Sutherland as Nicole Kidman's all-seeing, philandering father.

NB: Dec 1.  Watched the last episode last night.  Most disappointed by the lack of twist, apart from The Woman With The Immovable Face doing her unreliable witness bit, and leaking all the stuff his mum said, to her mate.   I thought it was going to be the blonde mate wot dun it; I had the whole plot worked out.... 😔

A word about the plastic surgery.  Nicole Kidman is only 7 years younger than Hugh Grant.  She was an extremely pretty young woman.  Had she not been so desperate to still look like one, she would be an extremely attractive middle-aged woman, instead of a startled puppet.  I hate this Hollywood pressure on women to keep looking youthful, yes.... but it's more about learning to accept ourselves, and the passage of time.  Once you're past 50, you're not going to be attractive in the same way that you used to be.  End of story.

Series: Riviera (Sky Atlantic, NowTV)

3* ⭐⭐⭐

Currently watching.  Glitzy, totally unrealistic and not very well-written glam-soap-opera type series starring Julia Stiles as Grace Clios, an art curator married to a wealthy bloke called Constantin who gets blown up on a yacht in the first ten minutes.  Enter dysfunctional first family - Lena Olin as the bitchy first wife who looks fabulous in all her fabulous clothes (unlike Julia Stiles, whose stylist should have sorted out her bad hair dye, and at least 50% of her wardrobe), drama queen daughter and two sons with serious emotional problems.  Got a bit bored in the first season, though the second one ups its game a bit, and Stiles gets a better hairdo.  Great scenery, fab cars, and at least Juliet Stevenson is in S2. Murders and double dealing and affairs and stuff.

The longer it goes on, the more I notice that no devastating event is so traumatic that the character concerned cannot find the time to go upstairs for a quick wardrobe change, complete with matching shoes and hair accessories.  All the women sit around at home looking as if they're just off to a garden party with Jackie and Ari Onasis.

Now to Season 3.  4 eps in.  It's moved away from the Clios family, to the extent that when Grace and her new cohort Rupert Graves meet up with two people closely associated with them (Daphne and Nico - Nico was married to one of them and about to live happily ever after at the end of S2), they are never mentioned. Also, Daphne has had a complete personality change to fit the new plot, and poor old mum (Juliet Stevenson) is never mentioned again, either.  Julia Stiles has gone less blonde, which makes her look more pissed off than ever, and is still wearing the inevitable 4 inch heels and silky dress/trouser ensemble even when she has to climb over rocks or walk several miles.

Just taken a half star off my original assessment due to characters' curious personality changes.

And here is Julia Stiles' fab drunk table dance in 10 Things I Hate about You, with the late, great Heath Ledger (loved that film!).

Four-part miniseries: The Sister (ITV Hub)

2* ⭐⭐

Basically a good story, but the dialogue was cringe-makingly bad, and the acting not much better.  Russell Tovey stars as a guy who thinks he's killed the sister of a girl he ends up marrying, though quite frankly I'm surprised anyone could stand being in the same room as his character for more than ten minutes.  Watched until the end because I was interested enough to want to know what happened, but I'd recommend giving this a hasty swerve.  The comments on the Youtube trailer reflect this.