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mjonesi-1
Reviews
Line of Duty (2012)
Hope there is another season...
Because the ending of season 6 was not up to par with this riveting series. The ending seems like a red herring, and I bet it is. Strange that James Nesbit only appeared in pictures before being offed in Spain. Is he really dead, or just a huge fan of the show? Bring back Keely Hawes so she can hit someone upside the head with a bottle! Love this show!
Bleak House (2005)
What the Dickens!
This has always been my favorite Dickens adaptation! Ahead of "Our Mutual Friend." I enjoy the modernistic approach, and fast pace. The camera movements and zooms increase the tempo and don't bother me, quite the opposite. But it's the ensemble Cast that makes it worthy of the great novel. So many memorable characters! Charles Dance's sinister Tulkinghorn would scare Tywin Lannister. Nemo, Krook, Guppy, Bucket, Esther, Jarndyce, Ada, Carstone, Skimpole and my favorite Phil Davie's Smallweed - what more do you need? Oh wait there's The divine Gillian Anderson. The entire cast is sound as a pound - that's why it's the best.
Love Fraud (2020)
Troubling....
Troubling that people are defending this schmuck, that people can be so easily conned, that our legal system fails to punish white collar crime properly (pun intended), and that he is free to start all over. I thought the series was well done, I liked the animation, and the pacing was not slow. The magnitude of his con would not have been evident without the countless testimonies of his victims. He couldn't even keep the number of his wives straight....I believe he was such a good con man he even conned himself, as revealed in his surreal on camera finale. It also revealed - dude crazy!
Luther (2010)
Stylish, dark, and funny
Criticizing season five as implausible and surreal suggests 1-4 were not. But making a realistic cop show is not what Luther is about. It pushes the envelope, has great actors, and is just badass. Ruth Wilson deserves a bafta, for her likeable sociopath.
Bosch (2014)
I gave it another chance....
Bosch is my favorite series of books, but I was disappointed by season one of the series, and I gave up watching. I thought the story was sluggish and predictable, but my biggest problem was that Titus Welliver was not to the Bosch I had envisioned over so many years. Recently I read a positive review in the NY Times for the new season, and thought I'd give it another try. I now am a fan of the show. Welliver is a different Bosch than I know from the books, but that is perhaps more my perception than any fault of his. I'm now swiftly into season 4 the writing and pacing have really progressed. I actually think the series develops the supporting characters better than the books. While I disagree with other readers that this is Bosch as the he is written, I'm happy with the parallel Bosch series, now that I can separate it from the books.
The Woman in White (2018)
Hit and Miss
I have some sympathy for both those that love and hate this adaptation. I agree that series would have been more sharp at 3 episodes. This story did not have the breadth and depth of characters of my favorite series - Bleak House, Little Dorrit, or Our Mutual Friend, to keep you riveted for the long run. But to compare Dickens may not be fair? the strongest character is easily Charles Dance's Fairlie who disappears halfway through, (along with the Hartwright and his Italian friend Kaye). The story meanders at that point, revealing the mysteries without fanfare. Then the ending seems rushed. On the other hand I loved the cast and thought Fosco quite chilling. No the Woman in White is not up to my "Great Expectations" but it's still better than most network fare. The competition is a lot stiffer; however, from non-networks Netflix, Amazon, etc. Perhaps Andrew Davies needs to be brought back into the PBS/BBC fold?