claudio_carvalho Reviews

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month (2004) Season 3, Episode 7

Great Episode

[8/10 · 23 May 2024]

In the Mega-Mart Department Store, the employee Edna Coruthers is hunted down by a forklift in the storage unit early in the morning and dies when a TV falls on her. Stottlemeyer and Randy learn that Edna has been the employee of the month for ten consecutive months and believe it was an accident. However, the security guard head Joe Christie suspects it was a murder and calls Monk. Joe was Monk's former partner and became rogue and fired by the police force when drugs have been stolen from the evidence department and he was the suspect, although denying it. The criminals were released and killed two police officers later. Monk refuses the case since he has a beef with Joe, but almost one month later, he examines the letters received by the store accusing Edna of misconduct and sees something strange in the stamps and he believes Joe might be right. He is hired by Joe to work undercover in Mega-Mart, and when he is attacked by a wild dog, Joe saves his life. He decides to give a look at Joe's case in the police department and finds evidence that he is innocent. Now he has to find who killed Edna and why.

"Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month" is a great episode of this series, more focused in human relationship than in Monk's OCD. There are scenes, like Monk blowing bubble wrap, or needing to fix the box while hunted down by the dog in the store. But most of the show is relative to the relationship of Monk and Joe Christie after the incrimination of his partner and the sequent murder of two police officers with family by the released criminals. The conclusion is touching, with Joe being reinstated by Stottlemeyer and Monk sad. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e a Funcionária do Mês" ("Monk and the Employee of the Month")

Satan's School for Girls (2000 TV Movie)

Terrible Remake

[3/10 · 22 May 2024]

When Jenny Hammersmith (Irene Contogiorgis) arrives at her sister's house, she is attacked by a weird shadow and stabbed. The police believe she committed suicide since she was alone in the house. And close the case. However, Beth (Shannen Doherty) is not convinced and refuses to accept that her sister traveled to commit suicide. She decides to join the Fallbridge College for Women where Jenny, to investigate what happened to her. She uses the alias of Karen Oxford to be not identified as Jenny's sister and is welcomed by Alison Kingsley (Julie Benz), Paige (Taraji P. Henson) and Courtney (Aimée Castle) and has an interview with the Dean (Kate Jackson). Soon she dreams with strange things in the college and tries to find out who The Five are. She also dates Mark Lantch (Daniel Cosgrove), who provides information from the Dean's files, until she discovers the dark secret of Fallbridge and The Five.

"Satan's School for Girls" (1973) is a weak, but cult horror movie with an atmospheric environment and some creepy scenes. This 2000 terrible remake is absolutely unnecessary and destroys the good parts of the storyline of the original film. The gorgeous Julie Benz and Shannen Doherty, and the Charlie's Angel Kate Jackson that worked in the original movie are the great attraction of this forgettable movie, only released on VHS in Brazil. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Lindas and Diabólicas" ("Beautiful and Diabolic")

The Resurrected (1991)

Underrated Gem

[8/10 · 22 May 2024]

In Providence, the beautiful and elegant Claire Ward (Jane Sibbett) hires the private investigator John March (John Terry) to investigate the whereabouts and the activities of her husband Charles Dexter Ward (Chris Sarandon). She discloses that Charles changed his behavior and became obsessed when he found several files and a painting that belonged to his ancestral Joseph Curwen, who looks like Charles. John and his team locate Charles at Toxic Valley, in a farmhouse close to a cemetery he has recently bought to carry out his secret experiments. John and his assistant Lonnie Peck (Robert Romanus) discover that Charles is buying several shipments of meat and bringing to the farmhouse. John poses as a fireman supervisor and contacts Charles at the farmhouse and he says that he is conducting experiments with dead animals. When Charles' neighbor is found murdered and eaten, the police assume that a wild animal did it, but John is not convinced. John returns with Claire to the farmhouse and they find Charles acting like a lunatic with a different voice, and she decides to intern him in a mental institution. The doctors are unable to diagnose his hunger for blood and raw meat. John goes to Charles' carriage house and finds a journal from 1771 written by his ancestral Ezra Ward and learns secrets from Joseph Curwen. He goes with Lonnie and Claire to the catacombs of the farmhouse and begins to solve the bizarre mystery of Charles and Joseph Curwen.

"The Resurrected" (1991) is a surprisingly underrated horror movie and a hidden gem. Released in Brazil only on VHS, I have just seen it again and the film is still impressive after more than thirty years from its release, with a gruesome supernatural story. The make-up of Chris Sarandon and the special effects are fantastic, considering this is a 1991 movie. The screenplay is intriguing and despite the edition of the producers of Dan O'Bannon's work, this film is almost a masterpiece with a timeless story. Deserved a Blu-ray release in Brazil. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Renascido das Trevas" ("Reborn from Darkness")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf (2004) Season 3, Episode 6

Fatal Recipe

[8/10 · 21 May 2024]

Sharona is having creative writing classes at the local community college with her teacher Meredith Preminger. Out of the blue, she notes that she is forgetting where she keeps her objects at home, losing her credit card and checkbook or putting the TV remote control inside the refrigerator. When she sees a man covered in blood stabbed on the chest and with a screwdriver in his ear at the parking lot of her bank saying the name of her father, Stottlemeyer, Randy and Monk believe she had a breakdown and is hallucinating. Stottlemeyer suggests Monk to give vacation to Sharona, and she goes to Dr. Kroger. She also sends her schoolmate, the nurse Varla Davis, to help Monk while she recovers, and the nurse is decided to fix Monk's phobias. Meanwhile, Sharona continues to go to her classes and Meredith tells her that she forgot to deliver her composition to her. But Sharona is sure she has delivered her text about "Fatal Recipe".

"Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf" is another entertaining episode of "Monk". This time, it seems that Sharona has finally having a breakdown after taking care of Monk for so many years. The encounter of Monk with Harold Krenshaw at the waiting room of Dr. Kroger's office is hilarious. Their CODs are identical and very funny. Varla at Monk's house is another funny moment of this episode. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e a Desmemoriada" ("Monk and the Forgetful")

Millennium: 5-2-2-6-6-6 (1996) Season 1, Episode 5

The Bomber

[8/10 · 20 May 2024]

In Washington D. C., a man explodes a bomb in an English pub, with many casualties and wounded people. Frank Black is summoned and travels from Seattle to Washington D. C., where he meets Peter Watts to work together with the FBI. He learns that the bomber called 911 from a phone booth inside the pub and dialed his signature, the number 522-666 that Frank deduces is the word "KABOOM". Frank also discovers that the bomber watched the blast from a building parking lot, and he felt pleasure with the blow-up. Soon the bomber becomes obsessed by Frank and contacts him, who concludes the man want to be a star, and the FBI tracks his cellphone down expecting to locate the bomber before he attacks again.

"5-2-2-6-6-6" is another dark episode of "Millenium", this time with Frank Black dealing with a psychopath bomber that fells pleasure is seeing his work of art filled with screams, shattered glasses and blood. The insane man is capable to save the life of Frank and other victims to become a star, but he ends like most criminals should stop their careers, killed by a sniper. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "5-2-2-6-6-6"

Monk: Mr. Monk Meets the Godfather (2004) Season 3, Episode 5

The Barbershop Massacre

[8/10 · 20 May 2024]

In a barbershop in San Francisco that belongs to the mafia, the barber and four mobsters are shot dead, and the press calls "The Barbershop Massacre". Sharona is in a garage with Monk discussing the repair of her car. When they leave the shop, the mobsters "Fat" Tony Lucarelli and his associate Vince "invite" Monk and Sharona to visit his uncle, the mob boss Salvatore Lucarelli. He wants to hire Monk to find who killed his friends at the barbershop. Monk refuses in principle, but soon FBI Agent Colmes invites Monk to work infiltrated in the mafia. In return, he would help him to join the police force again. Monk begins his investigation going to the crime scene with Sharona, Stottlemeyer and Randy, and then he interviews the witness of the massacre, Phil Bedard, who works at the U. S. Mint. Phil discloses the symbol of a Chinese gang on the jacket of one of the killers, and they become suspects. Meanwhile, Sharona flirts with "Fat" Tony and they have dinner in a date.

"Mr. Monk Meets the Godfather" is another entertaining episode of "Monk". Sometimes the writers lose control of his phobias and they become stupidities, like the solution he gives to the stain in his expensive tie. Sharona continues unlucky in her romances, always choosing Mr. Wrong to date. But Monk brilliantly solves another case. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e o Chefão da Máfia" ("Monk and the Mafia Boss")

Just Visiting (2001)

Still Very Entertaining After More Than Twenty Years

[7/10 · 20 May 2024]

Still Very Entertaining After More Than Twenty Years In the Twelfth Century, the Count Thibault Malefète (Jean Reno) travels with his family from France to England to marry his beloved Princess Rosalind (Christina Applegate), the daughter of the King of England. His rival and enemy Earl of Warwick (Robert Glenister) hires a witch to prepare a magic potion to Rosalind to give up marrying Thibault. During the wedding feast, Thibault drinks Rosalind's wine spiked with the potion and has hallucinations. He kills Rosalind believing she is a monster and is arrested in the castle. Thibault asks his servant, André Le Paté (Christian Clavier), to bring a wizard (Malcolm McDowell) to send him back in time before killing his bride. However, the wizard forgets an ingredient in the potion and sends Thibault and André to the future, to the Twenty-First Century. They arrive at a museum in Chicago and creates a havoc, being arrested by the police. But the museum employee Julia Malefète (Christina Applegate) believes he is her French cousin, who drowned while yachting three years ago and the body has never appeared, and now is amnestic, but Thibault notes that Julia is his descendant. She brings them to the house of her gold-digger fiancé Hunter (Matthew Ross), who has a lover, Amber (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras), and is only interested in her money and real estates. André falls in love with the next-door gardener Angelique (Tara Reid), who explains him the modern labor laws. Meanwhile, the wizard decides to follow Thibault and help him to return to the Twelfth Century.

"Just Visiting" (2001) is still very entertaining after more than twenty years. The plot is funny, with action, comedy and fantasy, and great cast including the lovely Christina Applegate, Jean Reno, Christian Clavier, Tara Reid and Malcolm McDowell among many others. I have recently learnt that many bad reviews are because "Just Visiting" (2001) is a remake of "Les Visiteurs" (1993) that I have never seen. Anyway, I think this remake is worthwhile watching. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Viajantes do Tempo" ("The Time Travelers")

Millennium: The Judge (1996) Season 1, Episode 4

A Bleak Episode

[8/10 · 19 May 2024]

In Seattle, the mechanic Jonathan Mellen is killed in his garage by his coworker Carl Nearman. Soon an old widow, Annie Tisman, receives a tongue by mail from a bogus sender. Lt. Bob 'Bletch' Bletcher summons Frank Black to help in the investigation and he learns that pieces of other victims have been mailed to unrelated people along a couple of years, but the bodies have not been found. Meanwhile, a man named The Judge hires the criminal Mike Bardale, who has just been released from the prison, to help him to promote justice and offering protection to him. His first assignment is to kill Carl Nearman, who worked with The Judge, but failed in his last mission since remove the tongue from Jonathan Mellen when he was dead. Bletch and Frank go to the morgue where the body of Mellen is and Frank says that the body of the John Doe close to Mellen is related to the case. The further investigation of the police find the relation between the cases and Bletch and Frank goes to a bar where low-life in probation uses to go, and they suspect of Bardale.

"The Judge" is a bleak episode of Millennium, with the story of a vigilante that uses the laws to protect himself. The episode is very dark, in the style of "Se7en", and the conclusion is gruesome. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "The Judge"

Monk: Mr. Monk Gets Fired (2004) Season 3, Episode 4

The Documentary and The Wig

[8/10 · 19 May 2024]

Karen Stottlemeyer is filming a documentary to show the day by day of Captain Stottlemeyer's division. Presently they are working in an arson at a wig's factory, where the owner was murdered. Out of the blue, Commissioner Brooks orders the division to work in the case of a headless woman that was recently found, and the press is pressing the police for results. Monk and Sharona go to the morgue with Stottlemeyer and Randy and accidentally he deletes all the coroner's cases trying to remove crumbs from the keyboard. Commissioner Brooks has a beef with Monk and uses his clumsy action to fire him and revoke his PI license. Meanwhile, a man attacks Brooks to rob his hat. Sharona returns to the hospital to work as a nurse and Monk has a job interview in a research company. Monk believes the criminal is Paul Harley and the victim is her girlfriend Larysa Zeryeva, but the evidence are only circumstantial. Soon Monk finds that the cases are related and solves the all the cases.

"Mr. Monk Gets Fired" is a great episode of this series, with three different cases. There are funny sequences, with Stottlemeyer and Randy trying to impress in Karen's documentary. Monk removing crumbs from the computer keyboard shows his phobias. Monk's interview at the HR of the company is also hilarious. Monk giving medicine to the boy that is coughing at the hospital is also very funny. But the funniest is Commissioner Brooks denying that wears wig and has natural hair and is certainly the best one in this episode. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk é Demitido" ("Monk Is Fired")

Freaks: You're One of Us (2020)

Looks Like a Pilot of a Series

[7/10 · 19 May 2024]

In Germany, Wendy (Cornelia Gröschel) is a woman married with the security guard Lars (Frederic Linkemann) and with the son Karl (Finnlay Berger). She works at a fast-food restaurant and is under therapy with Dr. Stern (Nina Kunzendorf) since she was a child and taking pills. They have a debt in the mortgage and Wendy is requesting a promotion to her manager Angela (Gisa Flake), who treats her badly. One night, the beggar Marek (Wotan Wilke Möhring) asks for a piece of chicken from the garbage to her, and tells Wendy that she is one of us, having hidden powers. When he meets her again, he jumps from a bridge and a truck runs over him. Soon she meets Marek again and he says that she should stop the medication to learn which power she has. Wendy finds that she is super-strong and changes her life. Wendy tells her idle friend Elmar (Tim Oliver Schultz), a young man who spends his time reading comic books and lives in his father's house, to stop his medication and he finds that he has electrical powers and calls himself Eletroman. Marek tells them to keep low profile, but Elmar is deranged and begins a crime spree using his powers.

"Du bist eine von uns", a.k.a. "Freaks: You're One of Us", is an entertaining Netflix's movie that looks like a pilot of a series. The plot has flaws but, in general is amusing. The greatest problem is the lack of conclusion, reason why it seems to be a pilot of a series. However, it is not bad as indicated in some reviews. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Freaks: Um de Nós" ("Freaks: One of Us")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Blackout (2004) Season 3, Episode 3

Monk Dates an Attractive Woman

[8/10 · 18 May 2024]

A man plants a time bomb at the power station and when it blows up, puts San Francisco in a blackout. Sharona, Benjy and Monk are ready to watch a Willie Nelson's concert on TV when the bomb explodes. Captain Stottlemeyer invites Monk to help the investigation at the crime scene and when he arrives with Sharona, the beautiful PR Michelle Rivas tells him that she is her big fan. She gives her phone number to Sharona to give to Monk. She explains Stottlemeyer that the bombing looks like an inside job since the bomber knew the location of the security cameras. Randy brings a letter the police has found with environmental demands from the bomber and Monk sees sentences identical to the ones used by the terrorist Winston Brenner about ten years ago, when Trudy wrote an article about him. Stottlemeyer and Randy compare the letters and the handwritings are the same. However, the FBI informs that Brenner committed suicide with a bomb in 1995. Meanwhile, Monk calls Michelle and dates her, going to a restaurant, but his phobia spoils the date. The investigation proceeds and Stottlemeyer, Randy, Sharona and Monk meet Brenner's former partner, Alby Drake, who is protesting in the top of a tree, to know whether Brenner is alive. However, Drake is killed by a bulldozer that puts the tree down during the night. When Sharona and Benjy are ready to see the reprise of Willie Nelson's concert on TV, another bomb explodes and puts San Francisco in blackout again. When Monk is informed by Sharona, he solves the case.

"Mr. Monk and the Blackout" is an entertaining episode of "Monk", with a good case and mostly, his date with the gorgeous Michelle Rivas is hilarious. His dinner at the rooftop restaurant, when he refuses to use the elevator and forces Michelle to climb fifty-two floors of stairs to reach the restaurant is indeed very funny. The scene where Monk wears night vision goggles is silly. His usual OCD and phobias are sometimes exaggerated and silly but is part of this character. The terrible title song is the awfullest part of the show. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e o Apagão" ("Monk and the Blackout")

The Heiress (1949)

Touching and Heart-Breaking Film

[9/10 · 18 May 2024]

In 1849, in New York, the plain and shy Catherine Sloper (Olivia de Havilland) is neither a beautiful nor a witty young woman. She lives at the Washington Square with her father, the wealthy Dr. Austin Sloper (Ralph Richardson), who frequently belittles her comparing with her deceased mother. When her aunt Lavinia Penniman (Miriam Hopkins) loses her husband, she moves to the house of her brother and tries to help Catherine to find a boyfriend. They go to a party, where Catherine meets Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift), who courts her. Morris visits her and Dr. Sloper learns that he spent all his inherited fortune traveling in Europe and is looking for a job, but without any skill. He believes Morris is a gold-digger, using Catherine's naiveness to marry her and get her fortune. When Catherine and Morris tell him that they want to get married, Austin travel to Europe with Catherine to see whether she changes her mind. However, Catherine is reluctant and wants to marry Morris and Lavinia tries to help her. Dr. Sloper tells Catherine that is impossible that Morris is a honest man and has felt in love with her in a couple of weeks since she is totally unattractive. Further, he promises to desert her in his will and gives his inheritance to his clinic. The humiliated Catherine tells Morris and decides to flee with him to get married with him; however, Morris never appears. When Dr. Sloper dies, Catherine inherits his fortune and Morris returns. What will Catherine do?

"The Heiress" (1949) is another wonderful William Wyler's film, disclosing the story of his daughter, Catherine Sloper, in the middle of the Nineteenth Century in New York. The treatment spent by her father, Dr. Austin Sloper, and her suitor, Morris Townsend, is cruel and changes her way to see life. The scenarios are spectacular, like in most William Wyler's movies, and Olivia de Havilland has a magnificent performance. Morris Townsend is a real scum and Dr. Sloper was right about his intents. If you want to see a touching and heart-breaking story, "The Heiress" is highly indicated for you. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Tarde Demais" ("Too Late")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Panic Room (2004) Season 3, Episode 2

The Bald and the Chimpanzee

[7/10 · 17 May 2024]

The record producer Ian Blackburn is working late night at his home studio when the alarm of intruder sounds. He takes his pet, the chimpanzee Darwin, and locks themselves in a panic room. When the police officers arrive, they find Ian murdered with four shots and Darwin playing with the gun. Sharona and Monk are summoned by Sottlemeyer to give a second opinion, since the captain believes that Darwin has killed Blackburn. Monk finds mysterious footprints outside the house, but no other evidence. Monk and Sharona interview Ian's former wife, the popular and wealthy singer Chloe Blackburn, and the panic room builder, Kurt Wolff. When Sharona learns that Darwin will be sacrificed for killing Ian, she does not accept the decision. She breaks in and robs the animal from the public shelter and hides the chimp in Monk's home. When Monk's landlord Leo Navarro comes to Monk's house to see what is happening, Monk solves the case.

"Mr. Monk and the Panic Room" is one of the weakest episodes of this series. The writers are exaggerating and repeating Monk's COD and sometimes his reaction is not funny, but tiresome. The annoying title song proceeds in this season. The funniest scene is Captain Stottlemeyer and Darwin in the interrogation room at the precinct. The gorgeous Carmen Electra has a cameo in the role of Ian Blackburn's wife. Monk solves the case with his usual skill. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e o Quarto do Pânico" ("Monk and the Panic Room")

S.O.S. Titanic (1979 TV Movie)

Edited Edition Does not Work

[6/10 · 16 May 2024]

"S. O. S. Titanic" is a 1979 television movie with 3h 14 min. Running time; unfortunately, it was released on VHS in Brazil with 97 minutes running time. It is impossible to develop the characters and create charisma for them reducing the film in half-time. The cast is excellent, with names such as David Janssen, Ian Holm, Helen Mirren, David Warner and many others, but as previously mentioned, is impossible to appreciate a mutilated film. The depleted work does not show what the writer and the director intended to show to the viewer. The discussion of the class struggle in the ship (it is social or economic) between the American Leigh Goodwin and the British Laurence Beesley is a great moment of the film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "S. O. S. Titanic"

The End of Violence (1997)

Promising Beginning, Messy Development, Awful Conclusion

[5/10 · 16 May 2024]

In Hollywood, the wealthy producer Mike Max (Bill Pullman) enjoys and promotes violent movies. He has a troubled marriage with Paige Stockard (Andie MacDowell), who claims that he does not give much attention to her. When the stunt Cat (Traci Lind) hurts her face during a shooting, Max is afraid to be sued and visits Cat in the hospital. Then he asks his assistant Claire (Rosalind Chao) to give an audition to Cat for his next film. Out of the blue, he receives an e-mail with a classified attachment from the FBI, but he does not read. Then the stupid thugs Frank Cray (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Lowell Lewis (John Diehl) kidnap him and say that they have been hired to kill him. Mysteriously, Mike escapes and a group of Mexican gardeners find and lodge him at home. The cinephile police detective "Doc" Dean Brock " (Loren Dean) investigates his disappearance since Max is accused of killing the two criminals and notes that the police officers seem to be hiding something. Meanwhile, the former NASA computer scientist Ray Bering (Gabriel Byrne) is hired to work at the Griffith Park Observatory in an experimental satellite surveillance system in Los Angeles that invades people privacy with the purpose of reducing crimes and has not been approved by the Congress yet. His chief, Brice Phelps (Daniel Benzali), sends the Salvadorean maid Mathilda (Marisol Padilla Sánchez) with her daughter to keep the place clean. When Ray sees that the cameras have filmed Max's abduction, he becomes obsessed to learn what happened to him.

"The End of Violence" is a Wim Wenders' long film with a promising beginning, messy development and awful conclusion. The music score with Ry Cooder is excellent, but the confused screenplay with many unnecessary scenes deserved an edition and improvement. Ray Bering's obsession of discovering what happened with Max recalls "Blow up". Wim Wnders' style slightly recalls David Lynch, but is only a mess. Unfortunately, the film with the idea of the end of violence (through and illegal surveillance system, or the change of opinion of Mike Max after his abduction) does not work despite the great cast. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "O Fim da Violência" ("The End of the Violence")

Millennium: Dead Letters (1996) Season 1, Episode 3

The Profiler Candidate

[7/10 · 15 May 2024]

Frank Black is called in Portland, Oregon, to investigate the brutal murder of a woman and analyze the profiler James "Jim" Horn that wants to join The Millennium Group. Frank believes the murderer is a serial-killer and will attack again. He kills a postwoman and a nurse, and leaves messages to taunt the police. Meanwhile, Frank notes that Jim is a promising candidate, but also stressed by his divorces that keeps the criminal in his head all the time. When they find his possible next victim, the police are ready to protect her and catch him, but Frank needs to hold Jim from his need of revenge and jeopardize the case.

"Dead Letters" is another gloomy case of "Millennium". This time, beyond the deranged serial-killer, Frank needs to team-up with the aspirant profiler James Horn, who has serious issues and is a stressed man. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Dead Letters"

Monk: Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan (2004) Season 3, Episode 1

Lost in New York

[7/10 · 15 May 2024]

Monk, Sharona, Lt. Randy Disher and Captain Stottlemeyer travel to Manhattan to interrogate Warrick Tennyson about the murder of Trudy. When they arrive at the hotel, a man shoots an kills Ambassador of Latvia and his two bodyguards in the lift, and they witness the killing. Captain Walter Cage arrives at the crime scene and tells them that it will not be possible to meet Tennyson since he is in the witness protection to testify against a mobster. But he also says that if they solve the crime, the DA will certainly open an exception and allow the interview and Monk accepts the challenge.

"Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan" is the first episode of the Third Season of Monk, with the same awful title song. My expectation was that this song would be changed, but the producers seem to like it. Sometimes, the writers exaggerate in Monk's repetitive COD and this episode is one of them. There are also good moments along the episode. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Monk em Manhattan" ("Monk in Manhattan")

Seven Days in May (1964)

Coup d'état in USA?

[7/10 · 15 May 2024]

When USA President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March) signs a nuclear disarmament treaty with Soviet Union, the loyal Col. Martin 'Jiggs' Casey (Kirk Douglas) suspects that his direct superior, Gen. James Mattoon Scott (Burt Lancaster), is plotting a coup d'état to overthrow the President. He joins evidence and has a meeting with the President, and he brings people that he can trust to analyze the evidence and they conclude the menace is real. But they need proof of the scheme to indict the traitors.

"Seven Days in May" is a 1964 John Frankenheimer's film about a coup d'état in USA. The plot is ironic since in the 60's, USA promoted and sponsored several coup d'état and dictatorships in several countries, including in Brazil. In 2024, this film is dated but it is still a good movie to watch. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sete Dias em Maio" ("Seven Days in May")

Monk: Mr. Monk Goes to Jail (2004) Season 2, Episode 16

The Poisoned Inmate on the Death Row

[8/10 · 14 May 2024]

On the death row of the San Juan Correctional Facility, the inmate Ray Kaspo is eating his last meal of ribs and chili a couple of minutes before his execution when he is poisoned. Stottlemeyer asks Monk and Sharona to come to the crime scene in the prison to help the investigation, but Monk gives up of the case since he found the place too dirty. When he is leaving, the guard tells him that someone wants to see him and Monk and Sharona return. The caller is Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck, who is one of the suspects of killing Ray because he had a US$ 1,200 debt with him, and he lost his privilege to have a window nearby his cell. He proposes Monk to solve the case, and, in return, he would give information about the murder of Trudy. Monk accepts the deal and while investigating the kitchen of the prison, he finds the inmate who poisoned Ray's meal dead inside the cold chamber. Then the social worker Sylvia Fairbourn, who teaches the prisoners to read in the library, says that she overheard a conversation of Ray and the dangerous inmate Spyder Rudner, about a job in Cavanagh, Canada, where they worked together. Monk asks the Warden Christie to stay in the cell with Spyder to proceed his investigation expecting to solve the case and learns who killed Trudy.

"Mr. Monk Goes to Jail" is the last episode of Season Two, with Monk once again resolving an intriguing case, why someone would kill a man that would die forty-five minutes later. When he learns that Ray Kaspo was a donor, and his organs were destroyed by the poison associated to the television news, Monk easily concludes another investigation. Now it seems that Monk and Sharona will move from San Francisco to New York based on the information Monk received from "The Whale". Looking forward to seeing a great Third Season with a different title song. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk na Cadeia" ("Monk in the Jail")

Monk: Mr. Monk Gets Married (2004) Season 2, Episode 15

The Antiquarian and the Gold

[8/10 · 13 May 2024]

The antiquarian Raymond Toliver finds a letter from 1849 hidden in an ancient desk he was repairing with the location of a treasure in gold and tells his partner Dalton Padron. Out of the blue, the greedy Dalton kills Raymond to keep the treasure for him. Monk and Sharona are at home when Sharona receives a phone call from Lt. Randy Disher. They go to see him and find Randy completely drunken at Stottlemeyer's office. He explains that his mother, Maria Disher, recently married a younger man, Dalton, and a couple of days later, they have gone to a therapy for couples retreat at the Waterford Institute instead of to a honeymoon. Sharona proposes that Monk and she go to the institute posing as husband and wife to investigate Dalton and learn his true intentions towards Maria. Dr. Julie Waterford welcomes them, and they see that Dalton hides a letter with him. Sharona pickpockets the letter and they learn that there is a hidden treasure in the house since the letter says that "Where is the gold? The answer is in the journals." There are hundreds of journals in the library and Dalton, Monk and Sharona read each of them to find where the gold is.

"Mr. Monk Gets Married" is another great episode of this series. The lead story is very good, with a gold miner killing his partner to keep the gold he found in 1849. In the present days, a greedy antiquarian kills his partner to find the gold only for him and plots a bold plan. However, Monk resolves the case as usual. The funny part is his relationship with Sharona posing as a couple and the therapist trying to force him to get closer to his "wife". The final scene, Dr. Waterford is relieved when Sharona discloses that they are not married. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Casamento de Monk" ("The Marriahe of Monk")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Captain's Wife (2004) Season 2, Episode 14

The Sniper and the Sundial

[8/10 · 13 May 2024]

Karen is driving her car to make a documentary, when a sniper shoots a tow truck driver and kills him. The truck hits Karen's car and she is badly injured. When Captain Stottlemeyer learns what happened, he goes to the hospital where Karen will be submitted to a surgery. The main suspect is the union leader Harry Bolston and his right-hand Evan Coker since the drivers are on strike and the murdered driver was a scab. Randy finds that the sniper and the driver were barefoot. Monk helps the investigation and Sharona finds a lost dog at the crime scene and she takes with her. Stottlemeyer is furious and Monk and Randy try to hold him from doing something wrong. Sharona finds the address of the owner of the dog in a tag on the collar and brings the animal to a handsome man. Monk sees a miscalibrated sundial on the lawn his next-door neighbor and adjusts the time. Meanwhile, a second truck driver is killed by the sniper near a factory. When Monk goes to have lunch with Stottlemeyr's sons, the round table reminds him the sundial and Monk solves the case. However, Stottlemeyer is preparing his men to invade the union.

"Mr. Monk and the Captain's Wife" is another great episode of this series, with Monk solving the mysterious murder of two truck drivers. When the life of Karen was in danger, Stottlemeyer understands Monk's pain and becomes violent seeking revenge. The conclusion with Karen recovered with her family is nice. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e a Miulher do Capitão" ("Monk and the Captain's Woman")

Peter's Friends (1992)

One of the Best Movies of the 90's

[8/10 · 13 May 2024]

In the countryside of England, Peter Morton (Stephen Fry) inherits the manor of his wealthy father and decides to invite his friends from Cambridge that he has not seen for ten years, to spend the New Year's weekend with him. He asks his housekeeper Vera (Phyllida Law) and her son Paul (Alex Lowe) to help him to receive the guests that soon arrive. His best friend, the Hollywood TV writer Andrew Benson (Kenneth Branagh), comes with his snobbish American television star Carol (Rita Rudner) and they live a troubled marriage. The jingle composers Roger Anderson (Hugh Laurie) and his wife Mary (Imelda Staunton), who is an overprotective mother that calls the babysitter of her baby son Ben all the time since they lost his twin brother a couple of months ago. The promiscuous costume designer Sarah Johnso (Alphonsia Emmanuel) and her new two-week boyfriend Brian (Tony Slattery), who is a shallow and tasteless actor. And the shy publisher Maggie Chester (Emma Thompson), who is a lonely woman. In a short while, there are revelations and discoveries that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

The unforgettable "Peter's Friends" is one of the best movies of the 90's. The touching story of friendship may be dated in the present days, with HIV under control, but in 1992, Peter's revelation was a great impact to the audiences. The excellent screenplay and the magnificent cast are another great attraction of this film together with the remarkable soundtrack. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Para o Resto de Nossas Vidas" ("For the Rest of Our Lives")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny (2004) Season 2, Episode 13

The Cat and the Chair

[7/10 · 13 May 2024]

The old Ms. Parlo finds a cat and expects to adopt it if the owner does not claim for the animal. When she is kidnapped tied to a chair by two persons driving a van that roughly draw a two-hump-lightning bolt on the wall, Stottlemeyer, Randy and the police assume the case. Randy is allergic to cat and sneezes all the time, and Stottlemeyer and him suspect of Ron Abrash, who was the leader of a terrorist group in the seventies. Meanwhile, her nephew Julie Parlo, who is a law student, decides to hire Monk to investigate the case since he is famous at her law school. She has no money to pay for his services but promises that if he resolves the case, she will reinstate Monk as a police detective since she has prepared a petition with her professor and mates. Stottlemeyer invites Monk to participate in the interrogation of Ron Abrash and Monk notes that he has a three-hump-lightning bolt tattooed on his arm and has nothing to do with the kidnapping. The kidnappers contact Julie and demand that she gives turkey dinner to the homeless in a mission to have her granny back. Nana Parlo safely returns home and Stottlemeyer puts the case on hold. However, Monk continues to investigate the case and Nana Parlo provides information about her abduction, leading Monk and Sharona to the house of the antiquarians Harold and Carol Maloney. But why they would kidnap the old lady? Nevertheless, Monk needs first to have his reinstatement test to become a detective again.

"Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny" is another funny episode of Monk. Performing the reinstatement test shows the level of OCD Monk is, knowing the answers but unable to fill the multiple choices card for the answers being inserted in the computer. The resolution of the case is great once again and Julie Parlo's mistakes are hilarious for a future lawyer. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e a Vovó Desaparecida" ("Monk and the Missing Granny")

Paradise (I) (2023)

Promising Premise, Incoherent Story, Awful Conclusion

[5/10 · 13 May 2024]

In Germany, in a near future, the company Aeon and its CEO Sophie Theissen have developed a revolutionary means to transfer lifespan from donors to compatible receiver. Poor people are usually the targets, receiving high amounts for their years of life. The terrorist group Adam Organization, led by Lilith (Lisa Loven Kongsli), fights Aeon since it is a company that exploits poor people. Max (Kostja Ullmann) is Aeon's manager of the year, since he is good in convincing people to sell their years of life and start a new life. He is married with Elena (Marlene Tanczik), who was his target in the past but they fall in love with each other, and now they expect to have a baby. When their fancy apartment is burnt to the ground, the insurance company realizes that it was an accidental arson caused by a candle and refuses to pay the loss. The bank immediately executes the mortgage and Elena is arrested since her lifespan was the loan guarantee. Max looks for Sophie and asks for a loan, and she promises to resolve the situation. However, she disappears, and Elena loses thirty-eight years of her life and aborts her baby almost dying. When Max learns that Sophie Theissen (Alina Levshin) was the receiver of Elena's lifespan, he decides to recover the years of his beloved wife and plots a plan that does not succeed as planned.

"Paradise" (2023) is a gloomy Netfilx film about a dystopic society with a promising premise, incoherent story and awful conclusion. The idea of selling years of life to improve and start a new life, mostly for poor people, is excellent and the terrorist group Adam that protest against the new order is natural for the premise in the contemporary societies. However, the moral behaviors of Max and Elena are incoherent, since he plotted the whole plan. Max commits a mistake, kidnapping Marie instead of Sophie, but why the moral dilemma in the end? Sophie is wealthy and could donate a few of her year to her daughter until finding a compatible donor. Elena in principle is reluctant but when Marie shoots her, she changes her thoughts and retrieves her life spam. But why Elena and Max have not reconciliated with each other and live in a foreign country? Max becoming the next leader of Adam Organization is natural after his life has been destroyed by Sophie. But the problem is not limited to Germany. The rushed conclusion could have detailed more each situation in a slower pace. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Paraíso" ("Paradise")

Silent Trigger (1996)

The Shooter and the Spotter

[5/10 · 11 May 2024]

The shooter Eagle One (Dolph Lundgren) and the rookie spotter Eagle Two (Gina Bellman) are assigned to a mission in a foreign country. He fails to kill the target and falls in disgrace in the agency. Now they are assigned to a new mission together in a building under construction. She has some problems with the addicted security guard O'Hara (Christopher Heyerdahl), but he helps to resolve her problem. When their mission fails again, they learn that they have been betrayed by the agency and must fight to survive.

"Silent Trigger" is a film with a messy screenplay, confused characters and awful dialogs. The storyline is poor, and it is difficult to understand the motives for the shooter having such erratic behavior. Gina Bellman performs a weird character that has sex with the shooter despite her intention to kill him. In the end, "Silent Trigger" is a brainless film indicated for viewers that like senseless explosions and shootings. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Atirador de Elite" ("Elite Shooter")