wjspears Reviews

Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths (2022 TV Movie)

Enjoyable Hallmark mystery

[9/10 · 23 March 2024]

This was a well written and well acted Hallmark Mystery show. Hunter King as Nikki, and Rhiannon Fish as Nora are believable playing fraternal twins, who have a rocky relationship.

Like all of the best Hallmark mystery shows, there is a pleasing blend of lightly staged mystery, intelligent characters, and a healthy dose of humor to keep things moving and lively.

As an example of the show's humor, late in the movie, Nora's police officer friend, Robby, remarks, "Can I trust you two to stay our of trouble until--I don't know--lunch?"

From opposite sides of a kitchen, Nikki and Nora both turn and give Robby the same silent stare.

Robby winces, while putting on his jacket, "I can finally see the family resemblance!"

For anyone who enjoys Hallmark mysteries, this is a good entry into their video library. I certainly hope they produce another Nikki and Nora mystery, with the same cast and much of the same writers.

The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango (2023 TV Movie)

Dance and detect

[8/10 · 16 March 2024]

This was an enjoyable Hallmark mystery, lightly plotted with fun and interesting lead characters. Also, pretty much like all Hallmark mysteries, it is a pairing of a male and female who are typically "oil and water" at the beginning, and gradually come to respect one another, and their different approaches and perspectives.

When these Hallmark series work, it is usually because of the writing and the chemistry between the male and female leads.

Lacey Chabert plays the stiff, loner detective very well. Her character is polite, but tightly wound, and serious minded. Lacey does a good job playing gradually loosening up. Her reveal of her mother's death at 14, and how that affected her ever after, was very believable.

Will Kemp, who I was not familiar with, was equally good, playing a character that could have been written, and acted, as a caricature in so many different ways. Kemp kept the character grounded, while also making him funny, intelligent and charming.

The other feature of Hallmark mysteries that often makes or breaks the show is the banter between the lead characters. As another reviewer mentioned, Detective Bailey, calling the dancing instructor by different fictional detective names every time she wanted to bring him back down to earth, was funny, and gradually became sweet as their partnership grew.

The mystery itself was okay. But the setup really made no sense. No police detective would ever have an unknown civilian as a partner in an undercover operation, never mind the added complication of making them husband and wife.

There were other implausibilites. But all that is just nit picking, so far as I am concerned.

As long as the mystery itself is agreeable, and the solution doesn't strain credibility, I'm generally content with Hallmark mysteries. As I said, it is the writing and chemistry of the performers that matters most to me.

And The Dancing Detective delivers on both counts.

The Flight Attendant (2020–2022)

Season One review

[7/10 · 5 March 2024]

I am rating this based only on Season One (the reviews for season two look pretty awful, so I'm guessing that I'm going to skip it). I would rate it more like 6.5, but upped it to a 7.

My problem with the show was Cassie's alcoholism, which ran rampant throughout the entire season. It lost appeal for me, as it was portrayed either as a plot mover or as an amusement after about the end of second episode.

How does a main character, who is clearly intelligent overall, but feels scared that her own life is in danger, keep drinking herself into delirium or blackout? Stress and fear can explain that behavior for a couple of episodes. But eight episodes?

Even a raging alcoholic--which Kaley clearly is not, since she is normally able to perform her job as flight attendant-- would make an attempt to stay straight, I would think, so she could get a handle what's happening around her.

She would very likely "fall off the wagon" in the process. But that, in itself, would be more interesting than what the writers dreamed up for Kaley to play. (Check out the Jane Fonda movie, The Morning After, for a different "take" on much the same plot).

It seems to me that the reason the writers kept Cassie's alcoholic binges, was so they could have Cassie's interior monologues with the hallucinatory murdered Alex. That worked for me also for about two episodes.

Then I was hoping for more genuine relating between Cassie and some of the interestingly written secondary characters: like Cassie's best friend, Annie (well played by Zosia Mamet) or her older estranged brother, Davey. One of the most pleasing parts of the whole show was when Miranda, (played by Michelle Gomez) becomes a more complicated--if not entirely plausible--ally of Cassie's.

The show's success and enjoyment comes from Kaley Cuoco, who has immense appeal as a performer. It also benefits from some well written secondary characters and an initial set-up that was intriguing. I just wish they had dialed back a bit on the binge drinking angle and the hallucinogenic conversations with the dead Alex.

Miss Scarlet & the Duke (2020– )

A show 4 decades too late

[5/10 · 1 February 2024]

Miss Scarlet & the Duke would have fit right in with the popular mystery shows of the 1980s.

Shows like Scarecrow and Mrs. King (with the former Charley's Angel, Kate Jackson, and Bruce Boxleitner), Remington Steele (with future James Bond, Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist), and of course, Moonlighting (with a young Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd).

The whole ongoing subplot of all these shows, and others like it on broadcast TV was "Will they or won't they" (with the answer being: "Of course they will, if the show isn't canceled first!)

I always found the melodramatic subplot annoying pretty quickly. But the chemistry between the two leads could often sustain my interest for a season or two.

That has been the case, for me, with Miss Scarlet and the Duke. (with the added twist that the show was being set in 1882 London, with an intelligent and strong willed young woman wanting to be taken seriously as a detective).

The first season was pretty decent. It held my attention because of the characters and the setting.

The second season was tolerable, but getting old with the contrived melodrama surrounding Miss Scarlet and the Duke, and will they or won't they.

At the end of the third season, the show has worn out my patience. I no longer care if they "do or not do it".

I believe that shows that had these types of melodramatic subplots were easier to keep going in the era of broadcast TV dominance. The melodrama could actually work to keep people tuning in, even as it might tax the viewers' patience. But that was in an era when there were few other options on television.

Today if people become impatient with a subplot that seems never to progress , they tend to move on to another show. One rare exception I can think of is NCIS, where the ongoing melodrama involving Tony and Ziva, never seemed to hurt the ratings).

Reading other reviews here, I can see I am not alone in my complaint, and I suspect the audience ratings would bear out my complaint, as well.

It is a bit of a shame though. The storyline of a woman in late 19th century London trying to make her way as an independent private detective was an interesting one, I thought.

Oh well, on to the next show!

Harry Wild: A Corpse In My Soup (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

Don't drink the water!

[8/10 · 22 January 2024]

I find it amusing that an episode, the whole show in fact, rates much higher by the IMDB raters, while the reviewers rarely seem able to give this show much more than a 6. Oh well.

What makes this show stand out is the cast--which I guess in the case with most television shows. Jane Seymour as Harry Wild is terrific, and Rohan Nedd as Harry's partner and foil, Fergus Reid, is a wonderful as well.

The mystery plot of who killed the lady of the house, Melissa Cavendish was finely written and acted by everyone in the cast.

I had two problems with the episode, one plot driven, the other character driven.

The plot driven problem was how. New detective Vicky Boyle, was so dead set on arresting and incarcerating Harry. This was explained as Vicky being eager to impress her colleagues and superiors on the police force. It was an interesting development, I suppose, plot-wise. But highly implausible on a number of different levels.

The character-wise problem has to do with Harry's moral compass--which seems to be all over the place.

On the one hand, Harry is considerate, encouraging and even sweet with Fergus (as well as her friend, Glenn). But Harry takes up with her son's police detective superior, Ray, who is married to an even higher-up superior on the force.

I am sure this conflict will be dealt with in a future episode. At the moment, Harry's poor judgment appears to be attributed to raging hormones, mixed in with a bit of an alcohol problem.

Much of the tension of this episode hinges on Harry being unable to provide an alibi for herself, since she was with Ray at the time in question, and Ray, of course, is being mum.

Neither of these issues really affect my enjoyment of the episode. But they do feel needlessly melodramatic for a show that is intelligently and interestingly written otherwise.

Maigret: The Lost Life (1963) Season 4, Episode 3

A lonely girl is murdered

[9/10 · 3 October 2023]

Having read maybe half of Georges Simenon"s Maigret novels, and watched all of the French 1990s Maigret series starring Bruno Cremer, I have my opinion on what I like about the character of Maigret, as portrayed in the novels and on television.

Maigret explains several times in different stories that his preferred method for solving murders is to get to know the victim, as intimately as possible.

To my mind, showing this method of detection on television generally requires that the episodes be of a longer length than one hour--most have been in the hour and a half range. The longer format allows for a more leisurely pace, where Maigret is among witnesses and possible suspects, and simply talking and observing, seemingly in a random manner--but that never actually being the case (a style Peter Falk perfected in Colombo).

This BBC production is only an hour, and does not generally have a leisurely style to their episodes. For me, what makes up for the more rushed nature of the stories is the cast. Rupert Davies (Chief Inspector Maigret) is wonderful, playing the older wiser Maigret. He has no intention of running after fleeing suspects (in one episode he watches a suspect running down the road and mutters "imbecile!"). But from his office, Maigret is not averse to pulling "all-nighters" that will leave him disheveled, which Davies plays beautifully.

I especially like Ewen Solon (Sergeant Lucas) He is intelligent, extremely respectful and admiring of "patron" (Inspector Maigret). As written for this show, Lucas is a multifaceted character that I often find to be the most interesting character in an episode. Always interesting to watch. But really, all the regulars in the cast were brilliantly chosen, as far as I am concerned.

This episode, "The Lost Life", did an especially good job of capturing the Maigret style of detection I mentioned earlier.

The producers did so, I believe, by contrasting Maigret's slower meditative style with the hurried maneuverings of Inspector Lognon, (Henry Oscar), who has been in several episodes previously.

In the past Inspector Lognon has generally been portrayed as bungling, and uncomfortable, maybe even resentful of Maigret, who Lognon seems to feel is looking to interfere with him

In this episode though,, the producers tone down the ineptness, and play up more the resentful, secretive side of Lognon, which I thought was an improvement.

Lognon rarely seems to share with Maigret the leads he is following up on, as if it was a competition they were engaged in.

By the end of the episode, Inspector Lognon is in Brussels following up on a lead, as Maigret is in his office wrapping up the case and rounding up the murderer--who is in Paris!!

The Brokenwood Mysteries: Going to the Dogs (2023) Season 9, Episode 4

Return to Form

[9/10 · 22 August 2023]

Season 9 has been a bit "hit or miss" for me.

But this episode was true to the form that has made Brokenwood mysteries such a pleasure to watch.

Several moments of humor, such as Gina making the off-the-wall observation that in Russia, only men are allowed to race horses, and do so naked. Kristen is wide-eyed and speechless, while D. C. Chalmers is covering the ears of a young boy he's friends with, who happens to be with them.

The murder being investigated is creepy and odd, and the gallery of suspects is a nice blend of some suspicious, some quirky, and some a wee bit scary. As is often the case with Brokenwood Mysteries, here it does an excellent job of slowly unraveling character and motive, so that we're engaged and paying attention.

On the human touch, Mike's budding relationship with Beth appears to have hit a snag, due to an ex reluctant to sign divorce papers. But D. C. Chalmers has an possibly budding relationship with a Missy Tohoroa, that is pleasingly complex to watch play out.

Again, for me a true return to form where a combination of mystery, oddball characters, and gentle humor make this another winning episode of Brokenwood Mysteries.

Mafia Mamma (2023)

A decent spoof of mafia movies

[7/10 · 24 June 2023]

This movie is a mindless silly comedy, that's all. You either find it humorous, or you don't. I enjoyed it.

None of the characters are original, they're all recycled from other movies. Toni Collette plays a timid wife/mother who suddenly finds herself thrust into the role of the head of an Italian mafia family. She has played this type of character several times in movies, and she is good at it.

Toni Collette is particularly good at revealing the transformation she inevitably goes through, to become a more self confident woman. And her character does so without losing the simple generosity she had previously. Toni Collette plays that transformation well here, as well

The plot is also not particularly original. Some directors try to turn comedies like this into "dark comedy", with scenes that try to jolt the audience out of their complacency. There is one scene in Mafia Mamma that inches in that direction--but steers clear of becoming too "dark".

There are several ongoing gags that some reviewers groan over, but I found amusing.

For instance, Toni Collette's character has never seen the Godfather movies.--shocking and disturbing her entire mafia crew. "Who's got three hours to devote to a movie?!!"

The one time, Toni's character does catch a Godfather reference, and surprises everyone, she explains, "No, I didn't watch the movie. I looked at the Wikipedia page."

I smiled quite often in this movie, and laughed out loud several times--which is about all I ask of a comedy. Mafia Mamma has gotten pretty awful reviews, 21% on Rotten Tomatoes, from critics. (quite a bit higher though from audiences).

My guess is that this movie will "age" well. Audiences will like it even more than they do now, while critics will still give it a big "thumbs down".

Van der Valk: Blood in Amsterdam (2022) Season 2, Episode 2

Interesting but confusing

[7/10 · 2 January 2023]

Many years ago I read pretty much all of the Inspector Van der Valk mysteries. Their style was very much in the vein of Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret, by which I mean that character was more important than mystery.

This episode felt very much like the style of the books. The "whys" of the mystery are more or less bonkers--as several reviewers have pointed out--but I found the suspects very intriguing to watch.

Several reviewers in this episode and previous ones have compared this show to Midsomer Murders. I don't see much similarity in the past episodes. But this episode, does have the "feel" of a Midsomer Murder mystery. There are three dead bodies, two of them definitely murder, one death is suspect. The fate of one other character is unclear, but likely alive. (The first murder, in particular, would fit right in with Midsomer Murders).

The Cuyper family, with their billions, are at the center of this mystery. As F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me".

The character of the Cuyper family, their "hangers-on", and their enemies make this an enjoyable episode for me--not the mystery of who did the killing and why. (That said, I would have given this episode a higher rating if the mystery itself made more sense).

Also, characterwise, the detective team is growing in maturity and depth--especially the character of Job, which is nice to see. Also nice is that there is no superior over the team and Van der Valk who is being stupid and oppressive to the work of the team--a particularly annoying feature of too many police procedurals.

Signora Volpe: Secrets & Sacrifices (2022) Season 1, Episode 2

Slow, but engaging if you stick with it

[9/10 · 31 December 2022]

Without giving away any real spoilers, I will say that this episode moves at a leisurely pace.

That pace of this episode may fit the locale, but will probably try the patience of some viewers, who are used to more "slam bang" action.

That said, this show must be funded, at least in part, by the Italian Tourist Bureau. It is near impossible to watch this episode and not fall in love with Umbria (and Emily Fox as well--but that is another matter!).

If I have any complaint, it is that Tara Fitzgerald is being used so sparingly. I have been a fan of Tara's since the 1990s, when she starred in Sirens in 1994, and Brassed Off in 1996.

What makes this episode special--and maybe even a bit unusual-- is the last 15 to 20 minutes.

Plot threads are wound together making for a genuinely touching and satisfying resolution to the several mysteries that are interwoven in this episode.

Signora Volpe (2022– )

Interesting first episode

[9/10 · 30 December 2022]

I enjoyed this first episode of Signora Volpe. It was an interesting introduction to a series character, trained as a spy and involved in solving a mystery.

It did a good job, I thought, in making Sylvia (Emilia Fox) into a complex character that viewers are never quite sure what she is thinking or up to.

Sylvia is a dedicated member of MI-6, based in London now. Sylvia is frustrated with compromises that could be endangering her colleagues in the field. Sylvia goes to Italy partly to decompress, and partly to attend the wedding of a niece she is close to.

The show does a nice job of making Sylvia "off-balance", partly because she is in a place she is not familiar with, and partly due to being unsure how she is being received by family and strangers.

But her years of MI-6 training in the field give her a natural self confidence that is believable to watch unfold.

I always find it a little laughable when, mostly males scoff about how unrealistic it is, that a woman is shown handling herself physically against men, as if we are living in the 1950s instead of 2022.

Signora Volpe is being billed as a "limited series". If the next two episodes are as interesting to watch as this one was, I hope there is another season.

Killers (2010)

a decent romcom action movie

[7/10 · 24 October 2022]

Possible Spoilers.

I rate this a "7". It works much better as a romantic comedy than as an action movie. The "Die Hard" movies are action movies with a little humor mixed in. This movie is clearly not trying to be that. It is trying to be a romantic comedy with elements of action. Unfortunately, when the action comes on screen, the enjoyment tends to come to a halt.

In my opinion, that is because the action is mostly car chases and crashes. To my mind that type of action tends to be of dubious excitement value. But it definitely does not further the humor of the movie.

If the action had been more of fight scenes or suspense of possible violence, the potential for humor, added to the excitement is much more. But unfortunately, the director seemed to choose straight action for the fight scenes.

This was doubly unfortunate since you had in Rob Riggle an actor who can be believably threatening, as well as verbally funny. But here, Riggle's potential is poorly tapped.

Kevin Sussman is another actor whose comedic talents are completely wasted here.

The verbal interplay between Aston Kutcher and Katherine Heigl was frequently sparkling and clever. They had a believable rapport together, especially in the early part of the movie before all the explosions began.

I almost always enjoy Katherine Heigl in her movies, and she is the main reason I checked this movie out.

Aston Kutcher, for me, is much more hit or miss. But in this movie I thought he was fine.

The IMDB Trivia section mentions that Aston received the "Worst Actor Razzie Award" for this movie. As I am watching this movie in 2022, I don't really remember what came out in 2010. But surely there were worse performances in 2010 than Aston's here.

Cat Run (2011)

Not a good movie

[3/10 · 17 July 2022]

This movie is a clear example of the use of gratuitous violence to juice up a boring, and cliché ridden film.

It is hard to blame Janet McTeer for the character she plays-- a prim middle age British woman who happens to be an accomplished and ruthless assassin. But Helen Mirren did play the part better, and with more humor, the year before in the Bruce Willis movie, "Red".

The fault, however, doesn't really lie with Ms. McTeer, she is only doing what the script calls for her to do. Rather it is the talentless script writers and the director, John Stockwell, who directed this with no sense of subtlety. Which is a shame, because I thought Stockwell's "Crazy/Beautiful", with Kirsten Dunst, was actually a very touching movie about teenage self-destruction.

Here though, with Stockwell's direction, by the time you get midway through the movie, you are prepared that every time Janet McTeer appears on screen, someone is going to murdered in a fairly graphic display--the only tension is whether the victim is going to be tortured first. Predictability is a lot more serious enemy in any film, than an assassin can be.

I rate the movie 3 stars, and not less because of Janet McTeer's performance, which does attempt a certain black humor.

Paz Vega, who is the main reason why I chose to watch this movie, is poorly used here. The DVD cover has Paz crouching, with a high powered gun. This suggests that her character will be exacting some vengeance of her own, which might have had some cathartic appeal, but that virtually never happens.

Paz is simply a "damsel in distress" who is constantly on the run, with a small baby, no less!

Midsomer Murders: Death of the Small Coppers (2018) Season 20, Episode 2

Should have been better

[6/10 · 25 June 2022]

Others have complained on who the killer turned out to be, and I would like to second the complaint.

There have been too many episodes from the recent past where the killer and his or her motive has been basically nonsensical. There is no real logical motive involved, just the killer seeking his or her own form of bonkers justice. That is the case here.

This is particularly dissatisfying for those who watch the show, picking up the clues being spread out throughout the episode in the hopes of figuring out the killer before the eventual reveal. I am not one of those folks.

But I am someone who would like to believe that by the end, the killings have some discernible reason behind them. The writers are good at creating creative and/or gruesome murders that capture the audience's attention. But I believe that creativity mostly dissipates, if at the end, the reason for the murders make no logical sense.

Midsomer Murders: Death by Persuasion (2017) Season 19, Episode 5

A clever Jane Austen story

[7/10 · 4 June 2022]

A knife is dropped from a hovering drone and kills its victim. Surely this second murder was meant to be "laugh-out-loud" funny--it was for me anyway!

The whole episode was more of a light hearted mystery romp, than anything to take be taken seriously.

For example, the first murder is fairly brutal, A woman in 18th century period costume is stabbed to death by a poisoned quill pen--not much amusement there.

But the dirty deed done, none of the participants to this Jane Austen event seem even remotely worried or threatened. Presumably, if the men stopping walking around in their high collared waist coats, and the women took off their corseted dresses and dropped their parasols, that that would be gauche and indicate ill breeding!

Like any number of Midsomer murder mysteries, the resolution to "the why" of the murders feels pretty illogical. It suggests that rather than 18th century garb, the killer needs to be fitted with a 20th century straight jacket.

But for me anyway, that is part of the charm for many, if not most, of the Midsomer Murder episodes.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Honeymoon, Honeymurder (2021 TV Movie)

A good episode

[7/10 · 30 May 2022]

If you like the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, I find it hard to believe that you would not enjoy this episode.

No, it is not the best of the series. And quite possibly Covid restrictions did affect production in some ways. But the challenging mystery and the sweet depiction of all the main characters is just as present as in past episodes.

I start out with the clause "If you like Aurora Teagarden Mysteries" because clearly several of the reviewers here DON'T like the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries. Some complain that Aurora is "nosy", "pushy".

A couple of the reviewers complain that "Candace Cameron Bure can't act".

Hello folks! This show has been on the air for 7 years, 17 episodes, each episode around an hour and a half. Why are you folks still watching if you dislike the actor and the premise of the lead character so much?

This episode does suffer from the absence of a couple of the past regulars. Most reviewers mention Peter Benson, as Detective Arthur Smith. For me though, it is the absence of Lexi Doig, Aurora"s best friend, Sally Allison, that is the most missed. Julia Benson (Peter Benson's wife) nobly tries to fill that role, as Lizzie Rankart. But for me anyway, she is a poor substitute.

The one pleasant casting feature of this episode is the expanded role for Chief Lynn Smith, played by Miranda Frigon. She is still a "by the book" police officer who bristles at Aurora's interference. But midway through the episode she softens .And at the end, Chief Smith openly acknowledges that Aurora was pivotal in catching the killer.

I have always enjoyed is the depiction of Nick and Aurora's relationship. Nick's patience and support for the curious, and at times obsessive Aurora has always been nicely handled. Now that they are married, Nick's care and concern is sweetly and openly displayed, which is enjoyable to watch.

Add to this is the scene near the end, when Aurora aggressively goes after the fleeing killer, and tackles the killer, snarling, "That's twice you almost killed my husband!"

Midsomer Murders: Last Man Out (2017) Season 19, Episode 3

So-so episode

[6/10 · 21 May 2022]

I'm afraid that I will play the role of curmudgeon here. Yes, it is nice to see Ben Jones (Jason Hughes) here, but it is a truly implausible scenario they have written for him here.

Jones is sent back to his former "stomping grounds". He is given an alias, and cannot inform his former police superior, Barnaby, of his presence, let alone his mission.

Generally speaking, law enforcement send undercover agents to places where they have never been before, and certainly not to places where they have lived!

Unless Jones was a complete recluse when he formerly lived in Midsomer, why would his present superiors be confident that he would not be "outed" by someone?

These questions, and Jones evasiveness toward his former boss, John Barnaby, strained credibility for me.

Add to this the complete surprise of Cilla Troughton, near the end. Her existence, and presence, ends up featuring prominently in the resolution to the murders, and feels like a cheat.

Finally, given who the killer ends up being, the murders seem to be another implausible, given the strength required, particularly the second one (as well as the threat Jones was faced with at the end).

I definitely enjoyed seeing Jason Hughes again--even if it was for only this one episode. And the story of cricket match fixing was an intriguing one.

There were just too many illogical pieces to this episode that distracted my enjoyment.

Midsomer Murders: Saints and Sinners (2016) Season 18, Episode 5

A better episode

[8/10 · 5 May 2022]

I would agree with other reviewers that this 18th season has not been the best of the series. But I thought that this was considerably more interesting than the consensus here.

The claim that the victims could have simply climbed out of the way of the dirt, or the heavy grave stone, shows a lack of knowledge about what anesthetic does to an individual. More unrealistic is when so many shows have someone chloroformed, and then being able to stagger away minutes later.

The only part of the criticism that might have had some validity, was that the victims woke up, and watched their demise. That might have been a bit of dramatic license on the producers part.

That aside, I found this to be an intriguing and enjoyable episode, with some interesting ideas, such as that archeology sites might attract undesirables looking to loot while the dig was going on.

The list of suspects was long and well played. The possible motives were almost as long, and equally engaging, I thought. While the first two murders were inventive, I found the third to be particularly well filmed and memorable, in a macabre sort of way.

I did find the side story about Kam and her tennis game to be a wee bit Neanderthal.

Kam turns off her current visiting boyfriend by beating him in straight sets at tennis. So he leaves with a bruised ego.

Kam then plays Nelson for her second time--the first time beating him handily. This time--with a clear implication that Kam is holding back-- Nelson wins and is beaming with pride and graciousness. Meanwhile, John and Sarah Barnaby watch from the sidelines, nodding approvingly.

Midsomer Murders: Breaking the Chain (2016) Season 18, Episode 3

Not as bad as all that

[7/10 · 22 April 2022]

Wow! This episode brings out the wolves!

One reviewer complains that shoving a wrench in the spokes of a stationary moving bike, would not cause a person to fly off the front of the bike. How exactly does the reviewer know this, and should we be concerned?

I have no idea if the reviewer is correct. But even if true, its a fictional mystery story, for heaven's sake!. Implausibility comes with the genre. As a murder, I found it effectively shocking.

Mostly though, this episode brought out the folks bemoaning the departure of Tom Barnaby, sometimes comparing this episode with one from the past, with Tom Barnaby.

For me, this episode had numerous suspects, a bevy of confusing motives, and a couple of gruesome murders, tastefully presented. In other words, a fairly typical Midsomer Murder episode.

There were parts that did not work so well for me--such as the distraction of the side story about harassments of the bar owner/city councilwoman.

And who turned out to be the killer was a bit odd, and the motive was not revealed until John Barnaby announced it--which is a bit of a "no-no" for true mystery fans.

But these flaws are hardly unique to this episode of Midsomer Murders. Nor are they featured only the John Barnaby episodes.

I do wonder sometimes about the seemingly over-polite nature that both DSI Barnaby's exhibit. A potential suspect, in this case Reece Dexter, refuses to cooperate, to allow DS Nelson examination of his office. Nelson seemingly just walks away, announcing that he will be returning with a warrant. Is Nelson actually leaving Dexter free to destroy evidence that he might be trying to conceal?

I found most of the characters sufficiently suspicious, the various nefarious intrigues plausible, and DCI John Barnaby and DS Charlie Nelson interesting to watch unwrapping it all. I thought that the cycling world, its competitiveness, and its sleazy hangers-on were all nicely drawn.

I liked this one more than the previous two episodes from Series 18. I would rate it a "7".

Midsomer Murders: A Vintage Murder (2015) Season 17, Episode 4

A very good episode

[8/10 · 14 April 2022]

Those reviewers who keep "damning with faint praise" the John Barnaby era episodes need to either get over the departure of Tom Barnaby, or give up watching Midsomer Murders altogether. They have been sounding silly for a while now.

If you rate an episode an "8", out of a possible "10", it makes no sense to add the proviso that it rates that score only for "John Barnaby episodes"; if it were a "Tom Barnaby episode" it would rate much lower. What does that even mean?

I rate this episode is a solid "8" no matter what standard you use.

It has a complicated story, multiple suspects, multiple possible motives, and multiple deaths--plus other nefarious act in the beginning for DCI John Barnaby and us to figure out "who done it".

The characters are all interesting, and well played, as the better episodes of Midsomer Murders always have. Some of the characters seem innocent, some seem creepy, and a couple seem a bit batty. It is a nice blend that keeps us engaged.

Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop (2021)

Pleasant enough

[6/10 · 4 April 2022]

Watching this movie, it feels like the beginning of a series, but evidently it is not--it is a "one-off" movie.

If it were a beginning of a series, I would have rated it a bit higher.

Nathalie Cox and Kelsey Grammer are enjoyable enough to follow around for a blessedly short hour and a half. But as a movie on its own, I agree with the consensus of reviews here, that it is too slight to rate much higher than a 6.

Magnetic performers like Tara Fitzgerald are given too little to do here. And the haunted house theme itself is barely developed. There is barely any suspense beyond Louise Bangay as Helen Deakin shivering in fear a few times.

As far as the mystery is concerned, and its solution, Miss Willoughby recounts for Robert how she figured out what was going on. But there's nothing much brilliant going on, in the way she figures things out.

Miss Willoughby simply followed a hapless co-conspirator, who leads her to his partner, and everything is revealed to the watching Miss Willoughby, who then allows herself get captured.

Operation Petticoat (1959)

Early Blake Edwards

[6/10 · 27 March 2022]

This comedy is likely the movie that cemented Blake Edwards career as a director. He would go on to direct a number of movies that were significantly better, such as 10, Victor/Victoria, The Pink Panther, and even Days of Wine and Roses (which was not a comedy).

But Operation Petticoat is a cute comedy of its time, 1959, (the same year, interestingly, that Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot", came out, where Tony Curtis pretends to be a wealthy yacht owner, using a "Cary Grant" accent to woo Marilyn Monroe)

Operation Petticoat was the only movie that Cary Grant and Tony Curtis ever acted in together. They do not seem to connect very well, to me, but their "relationship" is not particularly the point of the movie.

It is a wartime comedy, where submarine captain, Cary Grant--the true star of the movie--finds himself in his "befuddlement mode" due to a group of female nurses being required to board his submarine in the middle of military operations in the Pacific.

Tony Curtis, meanwhile, plays a junior officer who, through most of the movie, seems to feel that honesty is just one of several options he has, at any given moment, which makes for some amusing moments, but not much more.

Blake Edwards does a good job of creating several scenes of mild havoc, when various sailors find themselves suddenly having to "navigate" around females in the tight quarters of their submarine.

Arthur O'Connell playing Chief Machinist Mate Sam Tostin, is particularly enjoyable in this role. Tostin, is an older confirmed bachelor, who finds himself, aghast and amazed facing off against a headstrong nurse, Major Edna Heywood, who is equally adept and comfortable around machinery.

Interestingly, there are no actual battles in this movie, which is unusual even for a war comedy. The closest the movie comes to any battle, is when an American destroyer sends depth charges down, to sink what they assume to be a Japanese submarine.

Midsomer Murders: Wild Harvest (2014) Season 16, Episode 3

Restaurants are murder!

[9/10 · 25 March 2022]

Murder mysteries revolving around high end restaurants are often some of my favorite mysteries. They can be challenging to figure out and fun to watch.

The owners, chefs and staff are often so "full of themselves" that they couldn't possibly eat any of the food they are serving. They invite us to watch and see which pompous a-- is going to die gruesomely!

The deaths are often shocking, A kitchen knife plunged into someone's heart. Someone falling over gagging, face contorting as they die after eating or drinking something that was laced with an exotic poison, that no one has ever seemed to have heard about, especially the police. No one, of course, except the murderer!

And the suspects are often a glorious array of characters. From jealous family members and supposed friends. To other restaurant owners happy to have one less competitor. To disgruntled customers, who didn't like the food or the service!

"Wild Harvest" doesn't use all these ingredients, and tosses in a few not listed. But it blends the ingredients wonderfully to create an enjoyable and memorable Midsomer Murder mystery.

The Sandhamn Murders (2010– )

The Sandhamn Murders

[5/10 · 24 March 2022]

My review only refers to the first 3 part episode from Season 1, titled "The Sandhamn Murders".

I have never read the novels, hopefully they are better than these premier episode. There is a considerable amount of soap opera theatrics revolving around Nora, the female lead (Alexandra Rapaport) and her jealous husband, Henrik (Jonas Malmsjo). Henrik slaps Nora after a harrowing episode with a suspect and a rifle, because he suspects her of carrying on the police detective, Thomas Andreasson (Jakob Cedergren), who she has met only twice or three times in public in the entire episode to that point.

Worse still though is the ridiculously written plot that leads to Nora's confrontation with the suspect with the rifle.

Detective Thomas is pursuing a very possible murder suspect, who has knowingly fled, and has taken with him a loaded rifle.

Detective Thomas brings civilian Nora along--and only Nora--to track Jonny, the rifle suspect. The plot reason for this ridiculously improper police action is that she believes she knows where Jonny might be hiding.

Even more inexplicably though, Detective Thomas does not call for back-up, nor does he even inform his department that he is going to confront a possible murder suspect who is armed with a rifle. Even the worst of the private eye shows of the past were never written this silly.

Predictably, it is Nora who ends up happening upon Jonny and having to face down the barrel of a loaded rifle. This infuriating script writing is only there to present the audience with that "heart in your throat" moment, of whether sweet Nora will be shot.

There were other annoyingly predictable parts relating to Detective Thomas's shaky relationship with his police mates and his superior, showing us how dull witted they are, and how much of a "lone wolf" Detective Thomas is.

Maybe, hopefully, this series will shed some of this melodrama and opt for more realistic portrayals of police work and human relationships. The two leads (Jakob Cedergren and Alexandra Rapaport) are enjoyable to watch and seem to have chemistry. They deserve better than what this episode gave them to play out.

The Mallorca Files: The Maestro (2021) Season 2, Episode 1

An operatic mystery

[8/10 · 23 March 2022]

This was a wonderfully written, tongue in cheek mystery revolving around opera. Watching Miranda's (Ellen Rhys) blank face, as characters emoted gloriously at several points was very well done.

When Max (Julian Looman) explains that he learned to love opera when he was nine, and his mother would take him to see them, because his father hated opera, it was sweet to watch the stoic-faced Miranda smile at Max's explanation and enthusiasm.

As far as the last part, where one woman after another steps forward to declare that it was she who killed Jose Castana, I took that to be more of an homage to the legend of Spartacus, than as any "tip of the hat" to the #Me Too movement.

I found this episode of The Mallorca Files to be a really intelligently written and fun episode to watch.