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Reviews
Boom (1968)
A Real Calmity
Hot off their successes with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And The Taming of the Shrew, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton chose this vehicle, about a woman who struggles against her own mortality and the man who helps her to accept her fate, in a very roundabout way.
It's a bizarre and perplexing movie, and maddening in its slow pace, especially at the beginning. How long can one watch water swirl around a rock without screaming? But it gets better as it goes on. The location is a big, big plus, some anonymous Mediterranean island with steep, white cliffs surrounded by a blue, blue sea, dripping in technicolor. It's a place where anyone would want to live, and the interior sets are just as beautiful. There are even some of those giant Easter Island moai statues in the hills in some of the long shots. Really, what more could you want?
There's Liz, chewing the scenery as only she can, and Dick, a hammy, over the hill Robert Wolders type. A crazed little person who controls several giant Scotty dogs (I have no idea what the breed really is) that spell trouble for Richard Burton's character when he arrives on Liz's island. There's a monkey, a myna bird, an attractive secretary, plus several exotic servants that follow Liz's barked orders without question.
Noel Coward shows up about a third of the way through the film as the 'witch of Capri' but it's clear that he is really the queen of Capri. For those who don't know, Coward was a playwright, songwriter, and sometimes actor, but was equally famous for being perhaps the most visible gay socialite from the 30s to the 50s, at least. Sort of like Andy Cohen, but with style and talent. He looks mostly bewildered in this film, but his scenes are still fun.
The whole thing is overheated, self indulgent and abrasive, but there are some truly beautiful moments in the film, and Liz and Dick are outrageous enough to draw laughs. So really this film, though serious in tone, is for those that appreciate camp history. By the end, you'll either be in pain from laughing or want to throw something at the screen, but I can guarantee that you've never seen anything like it and never will again.
¿Quién Mató a Sara? (2021)
Intense
I really enjoyed this. It is not just another revenge thriller, and it is definitely not a telenova, despite what you might read.
The story concerns a presumably innocent man who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He is freed and seeks revenge on the family that orchestrated his downfall. He is also looking for true justice for the victim of the crime.
There are lots of twists and turns, lots of action, and excellent acting, most especially the ferocious performance of Gines Garcia Millan, who plays the patriarch. Plenty of partial nudity and simulated sex, so if this bothers you, watch something else.
The finale for season one opens more questions than it answers, which was a little frustrating, but it also helped build intrigue for the next season, which comes out in late May, and that's pretty quick!
A Discovery of Witches (2018)
Watchable but hardly compelling
This is like an over the hill version of Twilght. Romance is very much the focus, which was a turn off for me. The usual creepy crawlies appear, witches, vampires, demons, and I don't doubt other human critters will materialize before this show is over.
The story concerns a younger witch and an older vampire finding romance while searching for a magic book they both think will solve all their problems. Matthew Goode plays the vampire. He's as piss elegant and tortured as any reader of Harlequin romances could want. Teresa Palmer is rather dull as the lead witch, but maybe she is channeling Kristin Stewart's performances in the Twilight series. Lindsay Duncan, Owen Teale and. James Purefoy manage to bring life to their characters and the show, but most of the other characters are forgettable.
Season 1 was much better than season 2, with more interest and action. Season 2 starts out very slow. You can pretty much skip the first 4 episodes and not miss anything. In episode 5, things pick up. Most of the sets this season are very dark, so you may need to adjust the brightness on your TV. And beware that a lot of the dialogue and scenes are pretty corny and unconvincing.
So, overall, a good show for those who like romance with supernatural aspects, but not if you're looking for something packed with action.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018)
Men bad, women good
Literally the theme of this show is men are bad, especially white men, and women are good. Throw in some smoke and hokum, in your imagination, and you don't need to bother to watch.
The teeny bopper actors are unwatchable, particularly Ross Lynch, who is so wooden that it's a complete mystery as to why he was hired. The rest simply lack any kind of gravitas in their performances. And if I hear Gavin Leatherwood say 'mordle' instead of 'mortal' one more time, I will defenestrate my television set. Seriously.
The older cast is better, but they cannot really help such abysmal material.