DVD Review– Major Crimes– The Complete Fourth Season Major Crimes is an example of a spinoff living up to the original series, although in many ways, it is more a continuation of The Closer than a spinoff with a new premise. The big differences are that Kyra Sedgwick left her leading role on the show, […]
Category Archives: Films
DVD Review– Midwinter of the Spirit
DVD Review– Midwinter of the Spirit Midwinter of the Spirit is both crime drama and horror show, an unsettling story that manages to take religion seriously while exploring the natures of evil and madness. At the center of this three-part miniseries is Anna Maxwell Martin as the Anglican vicar Merrily Watkins. The widowed single […]
DVD Review: Father Brown Season Three
DVD Review: Father Brown Season Three DVD Review– Father Brown- Season 3, Part 1 I love G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries. They are beautifully and intelligently written, intellectually and spiritually challenging, and some of the cleverest mysteries ever created. A television series based on Chesterton’s short stories ought to be brilliant television. However, the BBC’s […]
Ten Films to that’ll Inspire you to Write…
Ten Films to that’ll Inspire you to Write… My favorite kinds of movies are feel-good and comedy. Better still, a feel-good comedy. But the best? A cleverly made comedy with a critique of society. I also adore capers that have a touch of noir about them. As a writer, I’ve been greatly influenced by […]
Top Ten Great Escapes in Novels and Films…
Top Ten Great Escapes in Novels and Films I think I’ll be forever drawn to stories about people escaping captivity, no matter their circumstance, because they are fueled by the primal instinct to be free. The best of these are prison escape stories and if you were going to pull together a list of outstanding examples, it would […]
DVD Review– Fargo: Season 2
DVD Review– Fargo: Season 2 When it was first announced that the modern classic movie Fargo was being spun off into a television miniseries, fans of the original film were justified in being apprehensive. But just as Bates Motel and Hannibal proved to be astoundingly impressive surprises, the first season of Fargo proved to be […]
The Ten Best Movie Thrillers
The Ten Best Movie Thrillers It seems to be a universal truth that thriller lovers will take their thrills in any medium available, whether it’s books, television, or movies. When you don’t have a week to spend on a book or a few months to spend on a television series, a two-hour movie can […]
DVD Review: Cop Rock
DVD Review– Cop Rock: The Complete Series The short-lived series Cop Rock has provoked a wide variety of opinions among viewers. Is it Steven Bochco’s great folly? Is it a misunderstood and original commentary of our troubled society? Is it flawed but fun? Should it be acclaimed as a risk-taking triumph? Ought it to […]
DVD Review– Luther: Series 4
DVD Review– Luther: Series 4 The third series of the crime drama Luther was thought to be the last, but, thankfully, creator Neil Cross and star Idris Elba are back. The first six-episode series saw the brilliant detective John Luther exploring a number of cases involving particularly twisted criminals, trying to piece together his […]
DVD Review– New Tricks: Season 12
DVD Review– New Tricks: Season 12 While Hollywood steadily pushes youth-oriented fare, the BBC’s series New Tricks broke the mold in a refreshing manner. The premiere showed an ambitious young police officer’s career sidelined by a twist of fate and sent to what was supposed to be career limbo: she was placed in charge of […]
DVD Review– The American Friend from the Patricia Highsmith Novel
DVD Review– The American Friend (Der amerikanische Freund) (DVD Review– The American Friend by Christopher Chan who looks at Bruno Ganz and Dennis Hopper) Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel Ripley’s Game, the 1977 movie The American Friend is an intriguing experiment in crime drama. The West German production is bilingual, blending English dialogue with German […]
DVD Review– True Detective: The Complete Second Season
DVD Review– True Detective: The Complete Second Season The first season of True Detective was a critical smash, with its fans bandying about praises like “best series ever,” and declaring that it deserved every award available. I had a more lukewarm opinion of Season One, appreciating the very strong performances by Woody Harrelson and […]