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 […]
Category Archives: Films
DVD Review– Better Call Saul: Season One
DVD Review– Better Call Saul: Season One With Breaking Bad universally and deservedly acclaimed as one of the greatest television dramas of all time, fans might be justified in worrying that a spin-off prequel series might taint the legacy of Breaking Bad. Though understandable, such trepidation is dispelled early in the first episode of Better […]
DVD Review– Foyle’s War: The Complete Saga
DVD Review– Foyle’s War: The Complete Saga With television drama seemingly infatuated with deeply flawed antiheroes, Foyle’s War stands out with a protagonist who never wavered from his moral compass. When the series first started in 2002, it began as a really good historical mystery series, opening […]
Top Ten James Bond Villains
Top Ten James Bond Villains As a college kid, I celebrated the end of exams by binge-watching James Bond movies, with a select group of equally passionate friends and a gluttonous order of Chinese takeout. The evening always ended with a debate I’ll call Best Bond Ever: which actor defined 007 in the movies? […]
DVD Review: In Cold Blood
DVD Review: In Cold Blood In recent years, the story behind the making of Truman Capote’s famous “nonfiction novel” In Cold Blood has become almost as famous as the book and film adaptation themselves, due to the Oscar-winning movie Capote and the less-lauded but still-praised Infamous. Contrary to the common assertion, Capote did not […]
Top Ten Crime Films that won the Oscar For Best Picture
Top Ten Crime Films that won the Oscar For Best Picture I know the Oscars seem to last forever, can be unforgivably corny, and those speeches or intros where celebs read from tele-prompters kind of make me want to scream, “Cut, you’re sounding like a robot.” But beneath that saccharine-like glitter, the Oscars have been […]
DVD Review: Partners In Crime.
DVD Review: Partners In Crime–the wonderful adventures of Tommy and Tuppence are as timely as ever… Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime takes its title from the second book about the adventures of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, uses the novel The Secret Adversary for the plot of the first three episodes, and adapts N or M? […]
DVD Review: Mr. Holmes (starring Ian McKellen)
DVD Review: Mr. Holmes Does one really want to watch a movie about a ninety-plus Sherlock Holmes, suffering from age-related memory loss and mourning the decline in his deductive powers? It would be rather like a film about a paraplegic Captain America or a Robin Hood whose arthritis left him incapable of using a bow […]
The Hitman in films and novels…
Hitman in films and novels from Kill Bill to Fargo Michael Hendricks of The Killing Kind is not your typical hitman. For one, he only hits other hitmen. For two, he doesn’t do it for the thrill or the money (although he does charge—for ten times the price on your head, he’ll make the hitman […]
Reel Crimes, Real Crimes
Reel Crimes, Real Crimes “Have you reached a verdict?”“We have, Your Honor.”“Okay, cut.” The camera stops shooting at the director’s command, the jurors stretch and study the next scene, and the judge jumps up and heads for the craft service table for some candy. I was observing all of this from behind the camera and […]
On meeting the creator of The Exorcist
On meeting the creator of The Exorcist Years ago when I was squeaking through high school, I went with friends to see the movie the whole world was talking about: The Exorcist. As a former altar boy who’d been taught by nuns, the story jolted me. I squirmed in my seat each time we were […]
Film Review: Doors Open
Film Review: Doors Open Adapted from Ian Rankin’s 2008 stand-alone novel of the same name, this made-for-television movie remains faithful to the original darkly humorous caper. The title relates to a day-long festival in which Scottish art displays between Edinburgh and Glasgow are open for free admission to the general public.Local businessman Mike Mackenzie (Douglas […]
