frieda-92366 Reviews

Death of the Party (2023– )

loud background drowns out the voices - major crime!

[1/10 · 13 May 2024]

First of all, most of all, the series is encumbered by overwhemingly loud background music and sound effects. On top of that, at least in the first episode, the woman's voice is so soft and unemphatic that I had to turn on the closed captions to read along. So I could understand what was happening. I really couldn't get any further because I don't like subtitles, and I don't like it when producers/directors put out whole series where the viewer must struggle to even understand what is said. You can't always read lips, because the person's face is not always shown. So many true crime shows are guilty of this crime. I tried a couple of episodes, and they both had this same flaw. Hence, one star.

Forensics: Catching the Killer (2021– )

very enjoyable

[10/10 · 3 May 2024]

I enjoy watching this. They don't do a reconstruction of the crime. Probably made during pandemic...not sure. People are interviewed one at a time either outside or totally alone inside. Courtroom scenes are totally empty courtrooms with a voice-over. This is more about the effect on the community, rather light on forensics considering the title. Liked the 30-yr old cold cases solved by familial DNA searches. Also interesting to hear what the original detectives looked for on the scene. And families interviewed about murderers found among their members. There is quite a bit of repeated scenes like swabbing blood stains on fabric that they used in multiple episodes. I was familiar with many of these crimes, but this was just enough of a different point of view that it was well worth watching.

35 Serial Killers the World Wants To Forget (2018)

a serial killer show the world wants to forget

[2/10 · 21 April 2024]

This looks like a show that AI put together on a low budget, using scraps of interviews that presented nothing new about well-known cases, accompanied by washed-out overexposed video sequences that appeared to all be shot out the window on "anywhere streets." There seems to be little thought or intelligence applied to script or story-telling. No gripping tales of clues followed to find the killers, no insight into the lives of victims outside one-line repetitive depictions of streetwalkers while the lower legs of a woman walking down the street are shown. Stupid. Time waster. Anecdotes from journalists and a few detectives thrown in saying how scary the killers were...over and over. A forgettable show about the killers, that despite this show, can never be forgotten. Now I know how it could have been made 6 years ago, was first presented 4 years ago, and yet this is the first time I have heard of it. A way for the streaming services to pad their true crime with tripe.

Cold Case Files (2017– )

revenge is not best served cold

[2/10 · 17 April 2024]

I have watched thousands of true crime shows. So I know what makes an informative and engaging story. The reason I give this series 2 stars is, first of all, the visual experience. There is too much shifting between dozens of shots that do not advance the plot or even flesh out the setting for viewers. Many of them are blurry backgrounds with some random object in the foreground. Or vehicles driving nowhere. And I find that true crime told from the perspective of one or two people and a detective is the most effective, because it helps create intimacy with what the viewer is seeing and hearing. And it helps develop a sense of compassion for the victims, which is missing here. This is not a series of well-told true tales. It is a mishmash of visual clips and audio sound bites. Maybe since these were cold cases, many years in the solving, those left behind were left to stew in their own rage -- and they seem to be at the center of these stories. Episodes are drenched in that sense of futility, even though all of the cases have now been solved. Wasn't to my liking, but many of the other reviewers think the show is excellent. Maybe I should stick to podcasts where there are only one or two narrators.

35 Diwrnod (2014– )

Great engrossing drama with many twists

[9/10 · 14 April 2024]

I just finished bingeing all four seasons. The first season is the best. It was a great change from the usual detective story -- by showing the murder victim die to begin with, then working up to it over the previous 35 days. Be ready for almost every character to have a definite dark and deceitful core. Even the "best" of them are revealed as the unpredictable chain of events unwinds. I have never seen a show with so many side plots, yet they don't interfere with the main story. Except in the last season which is a bit helterskelter to say the least. In an effort to add humor, they lost the plot a few times. And the way that it ended was unsatisfactory -- other characters were far more deserving of his fate. Also, Season 4 starts slow and moves at an erratic pace. Seasons 1 and 3 are the most watchable. Although I see reviews complaining about the white subtitles disapppearing against the background? I didn't have that problem at all. I could read everything clearly. You do have to stay glued to the screen, however. It's worth it.

Unforgotten (2015– )

the best detective show ever

[8/10 · 2 April 2024]

If it had not been for the awful ending of Season 4, I would give it 20 stars. There is obviously much care given to each character, each scene, each setting chosen. It is not the usual hard-driving or neurotic group of detectives knocking each others' heads and those of the suspects. Nor it is a deep psychological dig. This show presents somewhat average people who show greater than average compassion on the job. The lead detective and her partner work so well together as actors and as characters that they do an almost seamless job of sorting through the clues and solving old murders. The other side of the coin is the lives of those who were part of the original murder and/or coverup who have lived for decades waiting for the police to show up, or waiting for the missing loved one to walk through the door. It is all done with building tension in the lives of the two main detectives, over the four seasons. Both on the job and at home. Nicola Walker is incredible as the lead. Each story ends as such stories do in real life, with some relationships reborn and some destroyed. But there was always enough hope at the end that I kept wanting to watch the next season. Until the end of Season Four. I almost wished I had never started watching at all. Why kill the one person off who guided every investigation and stayed true to her purpose? It was certainly possible to end the series and let her finally retire. But no, the whole tone of the program went in the dumpster at that point. It wasn't sweet that she was remembered fondly, it was a travesty. It was like she gave hope and justice to others, but was stripped of it herself. A stupid script. Why not end on a high note? Realism was the driving force of the writer, but realism doesn't have to be a depressing ending. It could have been triumphant.

Most Evil (2006–2015)

confusing

[2/10 · 25 March 2024]

The voiceovers were confusing. The guy who is supposedly rating these killers hardly says anything. And the other professionals who experiment, observe and draw conclusions about raw human emotion sound neither scientific nor excited about their work. Instead, a jumble of phrases, crime scenes (old/new/blurry/unidentified), and interior settings are strung together in such a way that I honesly couldn't figure out what the point was. Crime documentaries should draw the viewer in by setting up a mystery, whether that is a scientific mystery, a social conundrum, or a murder on the street. Then provide clues that lead to an aha! Moment. This show is anticlimactic from the first to the last scene of each episode. I have watched many, many excellent crime shows -- this is not among them.

Sparkling Cyanide (2003 TV Movie)

Pass the Cyanide, Please

[5/10 · 18 March 2024]

Halfway through this mess, I took a moment to read the reviews. Because I wondered if I had misunderstood who had authored the story. Surely it wasn't A. Christie. I have read most of her work and seen dozens of adaptations, and this lackluster flavorless version certainly did her no credit. What is lacking is: the story. There is too much emphasis on grousing old men and totally unconvincing spies and women in their underwear. It doesn't hold together. With such a great cast, I thought how can it NOT be at least entertaining for 90 minutes. But weaving through unlikely affairs and abortions and what could not possibly pass for political intrigue (even in the capable hands of Pauline Collins & Oliver Ford Davies) left me with no appetite for more by the time the second party fare was laid out. I'm going to go back, read the book, and see what Christie's story was really about. Because I don't see how this could be it.

Spectre (I) (2015)

bond again

[7/10 · 17 March 2024]

Bond has never been and never pretended to be high-quality art. It has always been posturing males, sexy females, lots of boys-and-their-toys make-believe, and fun. I have enjoyed all of them. I don't understand why so many people hate this one, citing bad CGI and overdone gnarly fist fights -- this is classic Bond. The opening minutes with the helicopter was absolutely fantastic. I would have paid the price of a theater ticket just to watch that. I also found the sepia tones a pleasant change from the hyper-colored fare of so many other recent movies. This was in keeping with the title. I am growing tired of suicides depicted in so much of what I've seen lately, however. I didn't like Craig as a choice for Bond from the first of his 007 movies because he was too baby faced. But now he has aged into the part nicely. Of course, it has been 9 years sinced it premiered, and I just saw it for the first time. But I thought it was great with popcorn, on the sofa, in my living room, on a Friday night.

Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Vanity Dies Hard: Part 3 (1994) Season 8, Episode 3

Three hours wasted.

[2/10 · 15 March 2024]

Again, I am disappointed in a Rendell mystery. This is another one where the 3-episode yawner ends in suicide. He should have put himself out of our misery in the first 30 minutes and ended it there. "Vanity Dies Hard" starts well with a relationship between two women and jealousy over the man one is marrying. A fairly typical plot line. From there, it disintegrates into weird suspicions, possible poisonings, implied affairs of the heart, and doctors running to and fro. There is no rising tension, no great protagonist to root for, no murder that we are sure of, only musings of a rich woman and her pouting husband. Sound interesting? No? Then you would be correct. Find something better to do.

Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Master of the Moor: Part 1 (1994) Season 7, Episode 1

I can't believe it

[2/10 · 14 March 2024]

I sat and watched this entire multi-part story. I could guess where it was going. But this is the second show I've watched this week that ended in suicide. What is wrong with this world? Trash like this is certainly part of it. I have watched many Rendell shows and read a couple of her books. They are always rife with incest, pedophilia, strange perversions, and odd protagonists. So maybe it is my own fault for tuning in. Rendell never revealed what in her own history drove her to this subject matter. But I like Colin Firth. I like George Costigan. A host of familiar actors. I figured with all the palaver about the long blond hair of the missing mother, the murders must be a family affair. But with the 2 bullets loaded then distant gunfire out on the moor, I was extremely disappointed that the producer couldn't have found something to celebrate in the human spirit even in the midst of evil.

Vera: Fast Love (2024) Season 13, Episode 1

Hello, Joe; imagination lacking

[6/10 · 29 February 2024]

Enjoyed seeing Joe Ashworth butt heads with Vera. That was unexpected. But other than that the story itself was a tired one. They would have done better to have more character development and mystery, rather than lay it out so predictably. It's never a good sign for the series when they start linking suspects by rape, adoption, and sexual preference and using that to suddenly come up with the killer. It is too easy a "fix." Kenny was looking a bit rough. He looked 10 yrs older than the elderly Vera in this one. They depended too much on the usual cast of characters for it to be interesting. Plus they have the annoying habit of switching out female characters who have disabilities. I think putting a strong female in there with Vera would be better than bringing Joe back. The worst part was the cheer at the end as Vera smiles to herself, like all is well because she is doing a favor for Joe. He's a prat. I look forward to more episodes, since it beats the other shows by a mile. But PLEASE get some writers with imagination.

World's Most Evil Killers (2017– )

covers each killer from multiple perspectives

[10/10 · 8 February 2024]

I appreciate the sheer number of experts, input from detectives and almost-victims, and a number of family members and journalists -- they keep it varied and supply a lot of interesting facts on each killer, from childhood to imprisonment and death. Each episode makes a stand-alone documentary. I like Fred Dineage's background commentary -- his voice is clear and easy to follow. Unlike some of these true crime shows, they don't use the same shots over and over from one episode to the next. I've watched the first 7 seasons a couple of times, but can't find season 8. If you like true crime, this show will have many killers you've never heard of before.

Murderland (2009)

Wherefore art thou, Robbie?

[2/10 · 4 February 2024]

Ordinarily I love Robbie Coltrane. He looked (and was) way too old and used up for this part. I think they chose a big name like his because the writing was so bad, and an actor of his caliber might make it watchable. But it didn't happen. Before the 3-parter was half over it was already obvious who the killer was. The red herrings were sickly pink and rotting by that time. I can see where maybe the book was okay. The basic idea was okay. But the execution of script, filming, timing, flashbacking was absolutely terrible. The whole middle episode could have been deleted and not lost a beat. They basically just retold the first episode in the second one, same scenes rehashed. Then the third episode crash-landed (you'll see what I mean) into a 5-second revelation of what happened. Following that, nonsensical stupidity and gratuitous death. But it was a relief to get it all over with and go to bed. Not even anything that might keep me from getting a good night's sleep.

True Detective (2014– )

b-o-r-i-n-g and s-l-o-o-o-w

[2/10 · 31 January 2024]

I tried to watch the first season of "True Detective" today. It gets higher ratings/reviews than any other show I've ever seen except for "The Sopranos." It is about 2 detectives in Louisiana and their personal lives, while they hunt for a deranged killer. The killing in the first episode reminds me way too much of "Hannibal," the TV series. It is not quite to that "Twin Peaks" weirdness level, but the same sense that more is wrong here than meets the eye. This first season stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson and other familiar faces.

It is brutishly heavy on the neo-noir and the pace is so slow I think the killer will die of old age before they find him. I thought I might also die of old age before the first episode finally ended. I think there are 8 episodes in that first season. Nope. Not for me. There is something to be said for slowing a cop story down for character development. But there is no development here. There are only flashbacks or flashfutures, so they are telling the story by jumping from one to the other. I hate a story being told this way. I say you should start at the beginning and work forward till you come to the end. Like life. Plus too many portraiture shots of the two main actors, like they were each promised 50 per episode.

I loved "The Sopranos" and have watched it beginning to end many times. "True Detective" has none of the great writing and wastes terrific actors in an effort to feature dark ambience and bizarre serial murder. It tries to hook in to something deep and meaningful, but only ends up boring.

Death on the Nile (2022)

Just because you can...

[3/10 · 14 January 2024]

Mr. Branagh, just because you CAN remake Death on the Nile does not mean you should. That goes for acting the part of Poirot as well. I have watched every adaptation of every Agatha Christie novel that has been made, after reading all of them. David Suchet comes nearest to my personal interpretation of how Christie intended Poirot's character to be played. Extremely self-assured, highly perceptive, very careful about his personal appearance, and never self-conscious about his eccentricities...as he goes about investigating murder. Branagh makes quite a show of being eccentric (like rearranging his tiny bowls of exquisite tasty bits in the intial dance scene) but it comes across as gross over-acting. And so it goes. Throughout the film, both he and the other actors ruin the story by scenes of this overacting interspersed with scenes of tepid underacting. And the garish color and lighting of a supposedly late 1930's cruise boat is so unrealistic it gives the whole thing the flavor of a masquerade ball. I felt seasick and heartsick as well as wholeheartedly disappointed. Especially at the last revelation that is always the highlight of these Christie stories, where everyone is gathered and fingers pointed and the murderer exposed. This revelation was just an awful mishmash of strangeness, and I was glad to see the end credits rolling. I understand Branagh WANTING to play Poirot, but apparently it is not meant for just anyone. If you would be thrilled to see a bizarre and rather fantastical twist to the usual Poirot, go ahead. But take any travel meds first to calm your tummy.

Detective (2005 TV Movie)

this production is the real crime

[3/10 · 11 January 2024]

At last a series I hadn't seen before that was made after 2000. When I saw the cast, I had high hopes. How could they lose with Berenger, Gish, and many, many other reputable actors. I'm not sure where the loss began -- maybe the writing (terrible dialogue), the musical score (frantically and annoyingly loud and adds nothing), the sameness of the crime scene victim staging (no serial killer sticks to a script that closely), and hokey use of the Bible for context.

All of the suspects the detectives are tailing are too psychologically disorganized or otherwise focused throughout to have committed these premeditated and carefully planned murders. The actors portraying detectives underact...like zombies rehearsing their lines. And the actors portraying the suspects are manically over-acting to the point it is ludicrous. Embarrassing even to watch all alone in my living room.

The part hardest to believe, however, were the homes of the detectives. Close to the beach, multi-million dollar mansions, every room stunningly decorated and scrupulously well-kept. And if Berenger's character was a priest before becoming a detective, there is not even a hint of this anywhere in his screen presence. I mean, he knew exactly where all the pertinent verses were in Revelations in an instant -- turned directly to them. But other than that, he seems more like a bored boss in a pants factory. How did he get Gish? And btw, no chemistry whatsoever between them.

This one is a snore/bore.

Crime Story (1992–1995)

Quirky, fun, utterly delicious!

[10/10 · 6 January 2024]

How refreshing! I don't know when the current public craze for true crime TV started, but this show takes the genre to a much more likeable level. These are not the typical "reconstructions" or basic retelling of the facts as they might be represented in a news story with bits of personal testimony. Instead, they are somewhat fictionalized versions using what well could have been real conversations between real people. Deliciously quirky characters. Especially Mrs. Calhaem -- a senior citizen who becomes obsessively jealous of an equally older married man and decides to have his wife killed. It's funny because he wants to take her to bed, and that's not what she wants. The viewer is left guessing as to what she really wants. Mostly, it appears she just wants him to be free from matrimonial obligations to be available as her companion. Eventually she forces him away with her obsession. Watch it to see what happens then. You don't ever see older people represented in these types of love/obsession stories. Each story is very watchable and funny, and you get a real sense of the utter mindlessness of murder.

Homicide: Hours to Kill (2017– )

excellent, but cut corners in production

[10/10 · 30 November 2023]

I've watched hours and hours of true crime. This is one of the better series because the detectives that solved the crimes speak directly to the camera and give the highlights of the 24 hrs that comprised the victim's life just before their death. There is little reinactment, not too much blood, shows some home movies and photos of various involved persons, and they tell the story of the community. This is important because it helps unpack the mystery. The only problem is they would use the same scenes, like a bedroom with the bed made up, to typify a bedroom scene where the victim slept or was murdered. But they used the same exact bedspread (unusual pattern) and pillows and it was in fact just re-using the one shot in multiple episodes. Different victims, different years, different states, same bedroom. It would have been cheap and easy to change it up a little. And they would use the same shots of neighborhoods with the same gray and white houses. The stories were succinct, the detectives came across as honest and true, and the victims and sometimes the suspects were treated respectfully in the narratives. But after I saw the same exact settings over and over, it took away from the "documentary" they were supposedly creating. It didn't spoil the stories or annoy me to the point I stopped watching, but it was a bit of a stretch.

Heartland Homicide (2022– )

new crimes; unwatchably slow reinactment

[3/10 · 28 November 2023]

This is like a dream where the events are being played out in slow motion. Even the narrator's voice is an agonizingly drawn out monotone. I checked to see if I could change the speed settings, but no. The choice of crimes is great -- I had not heard of any of the first three crime episodes, and I watch a lot of true crime. If the script, dialogue, acting and direction had been done well, I wouldn't stop at the third episode. I stopped at the third episode. A lot of the "action" is even filmed in slow motion and the same scenes shown multiple times in one episode. Maybe that was supposed to create suspense, but once was more than enough. Just. Plain. Stupid. Z-z-z-z-zzzzz.

Traces (2019–2022)

lovely town, ludicrous plot

[5/10 · 12 November 2023]

It should have been named "Coincidences" instead of "Traces." There was no trace of believability, for sure. There were so many totally preposterous links between characters who supposedly never met before, so many absurd happenstance relationships that came to bear on the solution to the cold case, I began to wonder if this was supposed to be a detective-farce. Then, since the main character had taken club drugs during the first episodse, I decided it must all be some drug-induced psychotic dream sequence. Sadly, no. The viewer is expected to set aside all rational thought to indulge a plot that is poorly stitched together, leaves many ragged holes, and comes up with a conclusion that really has nothing to do with anything. Plus, why take 6 episodes to tell a tale that could very easily have been dispensed with in an hour. The setting was lovely, I'll give them that much. But not even one of the characters rang true. What about the fire? What about the drugs? What about a detective who devotes all his energies to an oldie coldie? There were patches in place to cover these holes, but they were ugly. The worst "twist" was the 18-year old boot print in pristine shape, then the boots discovered right where they happened to dig, and DNA on the boots enough to solve everything! Yay! I can stop watching now! No Season 2 for me.

Inspector Lewis: Beyond Good and Evil: Part 2 (2014) Season 8, Episode 6

unsatisfactory

[5/10 · 20 September 2023]

With all the possible suspects in this two-part episode, how did they end up with the one who doesn't fit and is barely on screen at all. The story was great, if slightly overused in these detective series -- senior police officer called on when one of his "solved" cases from years ago starts to go awry. So there is the tension between Hathaway and Lewis, between Hathaway and his understudy, and between Lewis and himself. Plus multiple characters drawn from a variety of settings as the Usual Suspects. Those who have studied the original convicted man -- Lawrie -- ex-lovers, fan-boys and fan-girls, the obnoxious solicitor, the psychologist, and so forth. At every turn I thought I had figured out what was going on, but I hadn't. Which is the way every good mystery should be, right? Then the ending. I thought it was disappointing because there were so many compelling reasons why others could have been responsible for the copycat killings. Then they pinned it on someone who had practically nothing to do with anything. Yes, that's supposed to make it the "surprise" but it also makes it all seem much ado about nothing. Or sound and fury signifying nothing. Uh oh, I think I have fallen to the same device used by the script writers of this episode: taking too many liberties with convenience. Overall, the episode was okay. But if they were going to devote two parts to it, why not do something more original.

Inspector Lewis: Life Born of Fire (2008) Season 2, Episode 3

not among the best of the series

[3/10 · 16 September 2023]

I liked Kevin Whatley when he was paired with John Thaw in "Morse," but much less so in "Inspector Lewis." He doesn't have the force of personality (or lacks the ability to act as if he does) to play a major role. In the Born of Fire episode, this is especially apparent. Whatley's attempts to be anything but bland are shown when he plays the inspector angry with his sidekick, Laurence Fox, and when he wants to find out whether Fox's character is gay, and when he is suddenly inspired by an idea...along with every other scene. To me he just walks through the lines and scenes without energy or force, and the whole series suffers. I think it might have succeeded with someone better cast as an inspector. Fox, on the other hand, usually has subtleties of character that keep me guessing what is on his mind and add depth and breadth to the show. In this episode, however, everything is ham-handed by the whole cast. No one is believable. The gays are stereotyped. Whatley's boss on the show takes a warm turn (which is not believable from what we have seen of her so far). The female barrister is totally out of place in the story. The "twist" at the end was one I saw coming from a mile off. And the ending was just yuck. It was like a committee of poor script writers each contributed a few lines, none knowing what the other was doing, and then they stitched it together all wrong. I will give it one more episode, and if it's like this one I won't be watching any more.

The Bad Seed (1956)

spoiled by Hitchcock

[2/10 · 3 September 2023]

I had spent the day watching Hitchcock films, all of which I love and had seen many times. I had time for one last movie, and chose The Bad Seed, which I had not seen before. I knew nothing about its history as a stage play until I read the other reviews here. But while watching, I was struck by the overly-perfect indoor settings -- beautiful houses, overdressed actors, not a wrinkle or crease, and hardly anyone human among them. Including, of course, The Seedling. Patty McCormack came across as another caricature, the cutout paperdoll-like demon child. I think she was a good choice in that she was not overly pretty. But absolutely nothing in the movie was believable, which spoiled the whole thing. All fiction needs to have at least a minimal ring of truth to it, even the horror genre. This didn't. I admit I don't have the expertise or cinema vocabulary to describe why it doesn't work for a modern audience, but I can't imagine why it would interest anyone today, except as a dug-up artifact. I mean, an Egyptian mummy is interesting but not to sit and watch for over 2 hours. And what an awful, incomprehensible ending for any story. It's like they finally got tired of fooling around with lighting, setting, and direction and made up the easiest ending they could think of to draw it all to a close. There was nothing I liked about the movie at all except the beauty of the interiors, and I'm sure they were as unrealistic as the script and characters. Totally disappointed.

The Minus Man (1999)

Soporific in the extreme; put on your eyemask and lie down

[4/10 · 19 August 2023]

Audiences of all ages and preferences are used to serial killer and other murder movies, both fictional and documentary. I have watched thousands. There is news of serial killer arrests in the media every few years. We are used to the psychopath, the malignant narcissist, the sociopath and home-brewed hatred killers. What we are not used to is bland, asexual, casual anyone-will-do atypical murderers who have no clue about their craft or their next victim...and so this movie doesn't ring true. Even what I thought was going to be foreshadowing (the Oregon sweatshirt and later link to Northwest indigenous plant poisons) never came to fruition. Owen Wilson is probably doing his best with the script he was given, or else it was incredibly bad acting and directing. I think the whole thing should be chucked in the "don't waste your time" genre, in which there are dozens of similar B-grade nonthrillers. The biggest surprise is the movie has an all-star cast in every scene. One famous face after the other. They just have nothing to work with here. Then the ending where the road splits? How trite can you get. It was as if there was no beginning, no ending, and nothing in between. What was the story? Where were the pithy lines? Not even any gory or poignant crime scenes. Two wasted hours. Good thing I was balancing my bank account and doing dishes and other interesting things while this was on, else I would have fallen asleep.