claudio_carvalho Reviews

Invasion: The Hunt (2005) Season 1, Episode 6

The Orange Being and Obsession with Water

[6/10 · 15 April 2024]

Russell is tagging crocodiles with Mona Gomez in a boat when they see an old Cuban refugee in shock that lost his family to "The Lights". Russell decides to go later to hunt one light and Dave and Jesse ask to go with him. He succeeds to tag one orange being but has difficulties to follow it. Derek is driving his truck with Kira, when they are stopped by Sheriff Underlay. He asks Kira to go to his car and tells Derek to leave Kira. However, Derek goes to his house to see Kira, but when he sees Mariel, he becomes obsessed with her. Larkin is followed everywhere, and she tries to escape from her followers on the road but has an accident.

"The Hunt" is another weird episode of this strange series. "Invasion" is so far the most bizarre series where nothing special happens, only weird things like the guys Russell stumbles upon, or the situation between Tom Underlay and Derek. I have the DVD Box and I will continue to see the episodes. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Caçada" ("The Hunt")

The Blue Dahlia (1946)

Weak and Rushed Conclusion

[7/10 · 15 April 2024]

The pilot Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd) returns to Los Angeles with his best friends Buzz Wanchek (William Bendix) and George Copeland (Hugh Beaumont). Buzz has lost part of his skull in the war that was replaced by a steel plate and has problems with music that gives him headache. Johnny leaves his friends in a bar and goes home to see his wife Helen Morrison (Doris Dowling), who is partying with friends in their home. Soon he learns that Helen is alcoholic since she killed their son, and has a lover, Eddie Harwood (Howard Da Silva), who owns the night-club The Blue Dahlia. Johnny leaves Helen and his gun in the couch and walks in the rain. The stranger Joyce Harwood (Veronica Lake) offers a ride in her car to him and takes him to a bar. Soon Johnny learns that Helen was found murdered, and he decides to leave Las Vegas in the first moment. Meanwhile, Capt. Hendrickson (Tom Powers) is investigating the murder with his team, and he calls Eddie Harwood, Buzz, George, and the security guard "Dad" Newell (Will Wright) to give their testimony in the precinct.

"The Blue Dahlia" is a film-noir with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in the lead roles and a good story where the killer of Helen is a mystery and there are many suspects in the row of Capt. Hendrickson. Unfortunately, the conclusion is weak and too rushed, with the killer having a stupid attitude. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Dália Azul" ("The Blue Dahlia")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Airplane (2002) Season 1, Episode 12

The Killer Passengers

[8/10 · 15 April 2024]

Monk goes to the airport with Sharona, and out of the blue she discloses to him that she will travel to New Jersey to visit her Aunt Minn. Sharona has bought a ticket and packed Monk's clothes and he accepts to fly with her. He disturbs the flight attendant Leigh with his paranoia while Sharona meets the star Tim Daly in the flight. Monk notes that the passenger Stefan Chabrol and his wife Barbara are not the same in the airport concourse, and he believes the man has killed her to flee to France with her fortune. He calls Randall Disher from the plane to help him in the investigation in the airport.

"Mr. Monk and the Airplane" is another funny episode of "Monk". The paranoid Monk in the airplane is hilarious, driving the flight attendant mad along the trip. Sharona's advice to Tim Daly is probably the funniest moment of the show, when he tells her that George Clooney accepted his role he had just declined, and Martin Scorsese would be the director. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Sr. Monk e o Avião" ("Mr. Monk and the Airplane")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger (2002) Season 1, Episode 11

Willie Nelson and the Blind Eyewitness

[8/10 · 15 April 2024]

After the rehearsal with his band for two sold-out concerts in San Francisco, Willie Nelson has an argument with his manager 'Sonny' Cross that might have embezzled four hundred thousand dollars from his account. Then Sonny goes to a radio station where he will be interviewed with Willi Nelson, but there is a note asking Jason Cross to go through the lateral door in an alley. Out of the blue, there are shots and Sonny is murdered, the blind woman Wendy Maas is screaming, and Willie Nelson arrives and finds his manager dead. Willie Nelson becomes the prime suspect with the statement of Wendy and Stottlemeyer asks Monk to help him in the investigation. Willie Nelson is Monk's favorite singer, and he wants to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Sharona is dating the architect Justin and does not want Monk to meet him to avoid criticism.

"Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger" is a great episode of "Monk". The country singer Willie Nelson is the guest star and sings various songs along the show. Sharona finding that Justin is the streaker is one of the funniest scenes of this season. The idea of a blind eyewitness is also hilarious. The crime is very well-resolved in the end. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Sr. Monk e Willie Nelson" ("Mr. Monk and Willie Nelson")

Invasion: Unnatural Selection (2005) Season 1, Episode 5

A Series Where Nothing Happens

[6/10 · 13 April 2024]

Russell's friend Carl visits him expecting to have lunch with him and discloses his problems, but Russell is busy and asks him to talk on the next day. But Sheriff Underlay kills Carl in a supermarket. Meanwhile, Larkin meets her former boyfriend, who is a sergeant at the military base, and snoops around the base. Mariel is invited by the local priest to participate in the survival meeting of hurricane Eve that he promotes.

"Unnatural Selection" is another episode of "Invasion" where nothing happens. The plot is annoying and there is nothing special in the episodes. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Seleção Não Natural" ("Unnatural Selection")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Earthquake (2002) Season 1, Episode 10

The Earthquake and the Death of the Millionaire

[7/10 · 13 April 2024]

There is an earthquake in San Francisco and Christine Rutherford uses the earthquake to kill her husband, the millionaire and philanthropist Henry, dropping a bookshelf over him. Christine is a friend of Sharona, and she goes with Monk to visit her. Monk is affected by the earthquake, speaking in an incomprehensible way but soon he realizes that Christine has killed Henry. However, their apartments are blocked by the police, and they have to stay with Sharona's sister Gail Fleming. Meanwhile Christine's lover Darryl Wright poses of reporter to Sharona to retrieve the answering machine tape who indicates that Henry was murdered and gets close to Sharona and her sister Gail.

"Mr. Monk and the Earthquake" is another funny episode of "Monk". Sharona seems to have the gift to find Mr. Wrong, and this time she dates the killer, Darryl Wright. The dispute with her sister Gail is silly. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sr. Monk e o Terremoto" ("Mr. Monk and the Earthquake")

Airport (1970)

A Blizzard Night at an Airport

[7/10 · 13 April 2024]

The general manager of the Lincoln Airport in Chicago, Mel Bakersfeld (Burt Lancaster), is having a troubled night due to a blizzard. A Boeing 707 is stuck in the snow and blocking the two-niner lane to other flights. His friend Joe Patroni (George Kennedy) is trying to clear the lane. Mel is also facing personal problems with his wife, Cindy Bakersfeld (Dana Wynter), who wants him to quit his job and work with her father. The arrogant but efficient Captain Vernon Demerest (Dean Martin) is married with Mel's sister but is having an affair with the stewardess Gwen Meighen (Jacqueline Bisset), who tells him that she is pregnant of him. Mel's assistant Tanya Livingston (Jean Seberg), who is in love with Mel, is having problem with the stowaway Ada Quonsett (Helen Hayes), an old con-artist that uses to travel for free luring the attendants. Meanwhile, the down-to luck D. O. Guerrero (Van Heflin) hires a life insurance to his wife and travels with a bomb inside his briefcase. Ada flees from the clerk that is taking care of her and embarks to Rome and sits side-by-side with Guerrero. Soon the airport people learns that Guerrero might be a bomber and the control tells Vernon that he might be transporting a bomber. He needs to set in motion a plan to save passengers and crew.

"Airport" is still a good movie after fifty-four years of its release. The plot is a combination of soap-opera with action and well resolved in the end. It is great to see how the September 11th affected the security system of airplanes in the present days. The personal dramas are engaging, and the conclusion is excellent. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Aeroporto" ("Airport")

Monk: Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation (2002) Season 1, Episode 9

Where Is the Body?

[8/10 · 12 April 2024]

Monk, Sharona and Benjy take vacation in a fully booked resort. While Benjy is snooping around with a binocular, he witnesses the murdering of a woman. Monk and the hotel security, Rita Bronwyn, goes to the room that is rented to the investor John Fenimore believing he killed his wife, but the crime scene is perfectly cleaned. Soon his wife Irene Fenimore returns to the hotel and clears his name. Meanwhile, one maid is missing and the other four tells the hotel manager that she traveled to get married. Monk and Rita continue the investigation and the four maids become suspects. But where the body is?

"Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation" is one of the best episodes of Monk so far. His unforgettable vacation with Sharona and Benjy is funny and mysterious. His comment about Sharona's flirtation and hee reaction are hilarious. Monk is the only that believe in Benjy that was correct. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Sr. Monk Sai de Férias" ("Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man (2002) Season 1, Episode 8

The Chip

[7/10 · 11 April 2024]

Sharona and Monk are passing by a building, and they see Stottlemeyer and Randall investigating a crime scene and they learn that a young woman was thrown off her building during the San Francisco Marathon. The prime suspect, her salesman lover Trevor McDowell, has the perfect alibi since he was running the marathon, and every participant has a chip on the tennis shoes registering their time and movements. Monk is sure that McDowell is the killer, but how he did it.

"Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man" is a reasonable episode of "Monk", with excessive imbecilities of the lead character. He loses the passage of his hero due to his fixation with a wrong button of a viewer; he reaches the criminal but instead of getting the chip, he celebrates for reaching the guy. Sharona trying to cross the fence is also annoying. The writers exaggerated with the silliness in this episode. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sr. Monk e o Maratonista" ("Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man")

The Wicker Tree (2011)

Terrible Annoying Film

[3/10 · 11 April 2024]

The famous gospel singer Beth Boothby (Brittania Nicol) and her Texan boyfriend Steve Thomson (Henry Garrett) have made a vow to stay pure until their marriage. The leader of their Christian church asks them to travel to Scotland as missionaries before their marriage to bring people back to the church. They are welcomed by Sir Lachlan Morrison (Graham McTavish) and Lady Delia Morrison (Jacqueline Leonard), and soon they feel frustrated since people do not give much attention to them. The couple invites them to move to the countryside, to Tressocks, where the residents are more amicable. They are welcomed but soon they learn the dark secret of the town.

"The Wicker Tree" is a terrible and annoying horror movie. The plot is boring, the songs are irritating, and the conclusion is stupid. The characters are not good and despite the beautiful locations, the film never work. The cameo of less than a minute of Christopher Lee is a great absurd. The Christian propaganda is dreadful. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "A Árvore de Palha" ("The Straw Tree")

The Killer Eye (1999)

Awful Trash Movie

[1/10 · 11 April 2024]

The scientist Dr. Jordan Grady (Jonathan Norman) hires the teenager Japlo (Ryan Van Steenis) to be the subject of his experiment with another dimension. He uses an eye drops in one eye of Japlo to allow him to see the dimension through a special device. However, his wife Rita Grady (Jacqueline Lovell) arrives at the laboratory to demand sex from Jordan, and he does not pay attention that Japlo's eye is used by a creature from the other dimension to arrive in his building. Japlo is killed by the creature and Rita goes to the house of her neighbors Tom (Dave Oren Ward) and Joe (Roland Martinez) to have sex with them. Meanwhile, Jordan sees Japlo's body and calls his neighbor Morton (Costas Koromilas), who is also his employee, to help him to hide Japlo's body in the attic. Morton is ready to date his wife Jane (Nanette Bianchi) and tells her that he will come back soon. However, the creature is hunger for sex and hypnotizes Rita and Jane to rape them. Meanwhile, Jordan's employee Bill (Blake Bailey) finds Japlo's body and team-up with Morton and Jordan to hunt down the creature.

"The Killer Eye" is one of the awfullest trash movies ever made, with a cheap and senseless storyline and lots exploitation. Fortunately, this film has not been released in Brazil, and I have an Americas VHS. The plot is ridiculous, with cheap locations and special effects. My vote is one (awful).

Title (Brazil): "Not Available"

Invasion: Alpha Male (2005) Season 1, Episode 4

Definitely Something Is Missing to Be a Good Series

[6/10 · 8 April 2024]

In Homestead, Russell finds that the research laboratory where seven monkeys were studied killed the researcher and escaped from their jail during the Hurricane Eve. Soon he learns that they may be carriers of a deadly flu virus, and Sheriff Underlay reinstall barricades to keep the town contained under quarantine. There is a notice to everybody stay at home, but Rose and Jess go to a bonfire near Glendale and do not return home. Meanwhile, Russell, Underlay and another officer hunt down the animals.

"Alpha Male" is another disappointing episode of "Invasion". After four episodes, the series seems to be spinning on the same point and definitely something is missing to become a good series. There are only twnty-two chapter and I usually do noy give up watching films or series after seeing the beginning. But so far, I do not suggest this series to any viewer. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Macho Alfa" ("Alpha Male")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Other Woman (2002) Season 1, Episode 7

The Will and the Woman

[8/10 · 8 April 2024]

A masked man breaks in the office of a lawyer and kills him and his assistant. Then he burns a file in the garbage basket. Stottlemeyer suspects of Lawrence Grayson, whose file was the only one burnt in the office. Monk goes to the house of Grayson to help the investigation and sees his beautiful neighbor, Monica Water that makes him recall Trudy. Grayson has a beef with her since she built garage near his house. Monica is a tidy woman with a very well-organized garage and Monk kind of falls for her and invites her to have dinner with him. When Grayson is murdered, Stottlemeyer suspects that Monica may be a serial-killer and requests a court order to investigate her garage believing that the body of her husband may be buried there. But Monk once again solves the case and finds the killer.

"Mr. Monk and the Other Woman" is a great episode of "Monk", with a story with a surprising end. The participation of the sweet and gorgeous Maria del Mar is the reason why this episode works so well, with a melancholic conclusion. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Sr. Monk e a Outra Mulher" ("Mr. Monk and the Other Woman")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger (2002) Season 1, Episode 6

The Billionaire and the Heist

[8/10 · 8 April 2024]

The billionaire Sidney Teal leaves his home and heads downtown by car. He wears fake mustache and a mask and threatens a couple that is leaving the movie theater with a short knife to rob them. However, the man, Archie Modine, is an armed ex-cop that shoots him dead. Stottlemeyer and Randall are investigating the crime scene trying to understand what might have happened when Monk and Sharona arrive. Archie's companion tells that an affraid police officer fled the crime scene. Monk and Sharona go to Sidney's office and the secretary gives a book to her with his biography. Monk learns that Modine and Sidney lived in the same fraternity while Sharona reads the book and gives a detail to Monk that helps him to solve the case.

"Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger" is another well-resolved case by Monk, this time with the support of Sharona. The sense of observation of the detective associated to information provided by Sharona from the book of the billionaire Sidney Teal resolve another case. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Sr. Monk e o Assaltante Bilionário" ("Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger")

Ice Cream Man (1995)

A Very Bad Flick

[3/10 · 8 April 2024]

The boy Gregory witnesses the murder of the ice cream man "The King of the Ice Cream" and is interned in the Wishing Well Sanatorium. Years later, Nurse Wharton (Olivia Hussey) becomes the tutor of Gregory Tudor (Clint Howard) that reopens the ice cream factory. When the boy Roger Smith (Zachary Benjamin) disappears, the kids Johnny Spodak (Justin Isfeld), Heather Langley (Anndi McAfee) and Tuna Cassera (JoJo Adams) suspect of Gregory. Then Small Paul (Mikey LeBeau) is kidnapped by Gregory and Tuna sees the ice cream man hiding him in his truck. However, the police officers do not find evidence that Gregory is a killer, and he continues his crime spree.

"Ice Cream Man" is a very bad flick that neither works as a slasher nor as a dark comedy. The lame plot is silly and ridiculous and never funny or scary. However, it is unbelievably cult for some viewers. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "O Sorveteiro" ("Ice Cream Man")

Invasion: Watershed (2005) Season 1, Episode 3

Stay Away from the Water

[7/10 · 7 April 2024]

Jesse and Kira are bringing gas through the woods when they find a partially submerged ROV and decide to investigate. Jesse sees a light that explodes, and Kira looks for Russell to save his son. He brings Jesse to the hospital where Mariel treats him. Meanwhile, Larkin meets Sheriff Underlay to know what is happening in the town and he tries to lure her. But he finally shows that the air force is retrieving pieces of a crashed airplane in the water. Mariel feels a weird attraction for the water.

"Watershed" is another episode of "Invasion" where something is missing to become an attractive series. So far, the plot is more a family drama than an action of sci-fi series. An improvement of the story is necessary to hold the attention of the viewers. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Vertente" ("Watershed")

Monk: Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum (2002) Season 1, Episode 5

The Murderer of the Asylum

[7/10 · 7 April 2024]

Monk breaks in the old house of his former wife Trudy by mistake and is sentenced to stay for 72 hours in an asylum that is renovating. The director Dr. Morris Lancaster holds him under therapy, and Monk learns from his roommate John Wurster that four years ago, a doctor was killed by an addicted patient that stole drugs and dies of OD on the next day. Monk and Wurster decide to investigate the old case and Monk finds that Dr. Lancaster is the real killer. But he is locked inside the institution under the care of the doctor with no contact with the exterior world.

"Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum" is a silly episode of "Monk", more comedy than police story. The title song of this series is annoying, and this show is kind of ridiculous. Dr. Morris Lancaster dressed like Santa Claus is not a good option to find the weapon he used to kill. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Sr. Monk Vai para o Sanatório" ("Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum")

Heart of Stone (I) (2023)

Another Powerful Woman by Netflix

[6/10 · 7 April 2024]

The MI6 team formed by Parker (Jamie Dornan), Yang (Jing Lusi), Bailey (Paul Ready) and Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) are chasing the dangerous arms dealer Mulvaney (Enzo Cilenti) in the Italian Alps. There is an incident with the Internet and Rachel, who is a hacker that works in the van to give support to the agents and not a field agent, needs to go inside the casino where Mulvaney is to access the security system. They intend to fake a heart attack in Mulvaney to extract him from his men, but things go wrong when the hacker Keya Dhawan (Alia Bhatt) infiltrates in their communication. Rachel Stone, who is secretly a Charter agent, helps Parker to be safe from Mulvany's men, and the dealer commits suicide with cyanide. Charter is an independent agency that has the powerful computer The Heart that is capable to hack any system and the agency keeps the world in balance with The Heart and their agents. Then the MI6 assign the team to go to Lisbon to capture Keya, but the team is attacked by several agents. Stone is forced to disclose her skills to save her friends when out of the blue, Parker kills Yang and Bailey. He drugs Rachel and tells that he wants The Heart, and she faints. Now she is recovered by the Charter with a Trojan implanted in her arm to access The Heart. Soon they learn the danger that Parker and Keya are to the Charter.

"Heart of Stone" is a spy movie that is a 007 wannabe with a powerful woman instead of a male agent in the lead role, presently the standard followed by Netflix. The screenplay is not good, and the plot begins without any explanation of what is the Charter or The Heart. The agency and the super-computer are developed later, but without explanation of how or by who the agency is maintained. The gorgeous Gal Gadot has good performance in the role of the agent Rachel Stone, but Keya Dhawan is a confused character. The villain Parker is also respectful, and the movie entertains in the end. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Agente Stone" ("Stone Agent")

Monk: Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival (2002) Season 1, Episode 4

The Ferris Wheel

[7/10 · 6 April 2024]

Stottlemeyer brings his friend, Detective Adam Kirk, to meet the informer John Gitomer in the Carnival to learn where a load of drugs will be delivered. Gitome insists to go to the Ferris wheel with Kirk and, out of the blue, start to scream that Kirk wants to kill him. The operator Kitty Malone stops the Ferris wheel, Kirk leaves the seat and Gitomer is found dead, stabbed in the chest. Monk is waiting to be released by the board to be detective again, and Stottlemeyer asks him to secretly investigate what happened in the Ferris wheel since Internal Affairs is investigating Kirk, who is a crucial witness against the criminal Leonard Stokes. Soon Monk resolves the case but Stottlemeyer's evaluation is not he is expecting.

"Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival" is another well resolved case by Monk. The story is mysterious, and Monk's sense of observation easily resolves the case. The DVD released in Brazil by Universal has a ridiculous and shameful translation for Ferris wheel ("roda gigante" in Portuguese, translated as "roda Ferris"). My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Sr. Monk Vai ao Parque de Diversões" ("Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival")

Monkey Shines (1988)

One of the Best George A. Romero's Films

[8/10 · 6 April 2024]

The athletic law student Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) is running on the street when a dog attacks him, and he is hit by a truck. He becomes quadriplegic and his house is adapted to his new way of life with a nurse helping him. After a few days, he tries to commit suicide. His best friend, scientist Geoffrey Fisher (John Pankow), is performing genetic experiments with monkeys and looks for Melanie Parker (Kate McNeil), who trains monkeys for disabled people. He offers his best monkey, Ella, to be trained to help Allan. Soon Melanie delivers Ella to Allan and his life changes for better. However, Geoffrey continues to inject Ella with his experimental drug, and she establishes a dangerous mental connection with Allan, and he believes Ella is capable of killing those that Allan hate.

"Monkey Shines" is one of the best George A. Romero's films, with the tense story of a genetically altered monkey that becomes connected to its owner. The plot is anguishing since Allan Mann is not able to move and sees what is happening. Kate McNeil is very beautiful in the role of Melanie Parker and shows perfect chemistry with Jason Beghe. John Pankow is the typical "mad scientist", injecting experimental drugs in the monkeys to improve their intelligences. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Instinto Fatal" ("Fatal Instinct")

Invasion: Lights Out (2005) Season 1, Episode 2

The Diver

[6/10 · 6 April 2024]

Russell finds the diver Paxton unconscious with bite marks in the neck at the Ranger station and brings him to the hospital. Dave photographs his wounds and Paxton says "don't let them in". Russell brings Dave back home and when they open the trunk of Dave's car, the skeleton is missing. Sheriff Underlay and Dr. Mariel Underly put Homestead under quarantine, But Larkin Groves succeeds to trespass and visit Paxton's wife, who believes he is not in Homestead.

"Light Out" is the second episode of Invasion, but the plot does not develop well for a sci-fi series. So far, the plot is boring and annoying, with a poor mystery and very disappointing. Most of the scenes are too dark and there is nothing special happening. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Sem Luz" ("Lights Out")

Venom (1981)

The Black Mamba

[7/10 · 5 April 2024]

In London, the boy Philip Hopkins (Lance Holcomb) lives with his wealthy family and collects pets, encouraged by his grandfather Howard Anderson (Sterling Hayden) who is a famous hunter. When his mother Ruth Hopkins (Cornelia Sharpe) travels to meet her husband in Rome, Philip stays with Howard, the maid Louise Andrews (Susan George) and the chauffeur Dave (Oliver Reed). However, Louise and Dave have plotted to kidnap Philip with her lover Jacmel (Klaus Kinski). The plan begins to fail when Philip goes to the pet shop to bring the snake he ordered, and the owner commits a mistake and delivers a dangerous black mamba instead. When the owner of the mamba, Dr. Marion Stowe (Sarah Miles), receives the pet snake, she learns the mistake and calls the police. One police officer goes to Philip's home and is shot by Dave. Now the police, under the command of the tough Commander William Bulloch (Nicol Williamson), puts the house under siege. Meanwhile, the black mamba is free inside the house and bites Louise who dies.

"Venom" (1981) is an underrated police story with a stellar cast. The plot is tense, raw and simple, with magnificent performances. Oliver Reed performs a dumb and brutal criminal, while Klaus Kinski an experienced kidnapper. Nicol Williamson is the tough and intelligent commander in charge to resolve the case. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Venom"

Invasion: Pilot (2005) Season 1, Episode 1

The Hurricane

[7/10 · 5 April 2024]

In Florida, a hurricane is approaching the small Homestead town and soon the town is hit. There is a complete destruction, and many residents disappear. While looking for her cat, the girl Rose Varon sees lights landing on the water. Her uncle Dave Groves, who believes in aliens and conspiracy theories, go with her to the place where she saw the lights and sees something strange. He returns later and recovers a mysterious skeleton in the water. He shows his finding to his brother-in-law, the park ranger Russell Varon, and he promises Dave to investigate.

"Pilot" is the first episode of "Invasion", with the introduction of the lead characters. The plot is not engaging for a sci-fi series, and this beginning looks more like a soap-opera. The beautiful Lisa Sheridan is very gorgeous in the role of the reporter Larkin Groves and wife of Russell Varon. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Piloto" ("Pilot")

Monk: Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale (2002) Season 1, Episode 3

The Almost Perfect Crime

[7/10 · 4 April 2024]

A woman calls 911 and tells the attendant that the notorious criminal Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck has invaded her house. Then she is murdered and identified by the police as Judge Lavinio. A young girl is an eyewitness and reports a very fat man as the criminal. Stottlemeyer summons Monk and Sharona to help the investigation since Dale has morbid obesity and weights almost 400 kg. It is not possible to leave his room without removing the window and using a crane to move him. Dr. Christian Vezza, who treats him, tells the police that his client cannot leave the room. But Monk and Stottlemeyer are sure that Dale is the killer, and they have to investigate how.

"Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale" is an intriguing episode of "Monk", with a mysterious plot. The killer is known since the beginning, and Monk has to solve how the crime happened. In 2022, Brendan Fraser performed a similar morbid obese character in "The Whale". My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Sr. Monk Encontra Dale, A Baleia" ("Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale")

Friday the 13th: The Series: Bottle of Dreams (1988) Season 1, Episode 26

Boring Recap

[4/10 · 2 April 2024]

While celebrating the first year retrieving cursed objects, Jack, Ryan and Micki receive an Egyptian funeral urn from a strange carrier that leaves Curious Goods without a word. They check the list of Lewis, and it is an ancient jar where the priests preserve the internal organs of the mummies. Ryan and Micki take the jar to the vault and an evil force locks them inside. Jack calls his friend Rashid and soon he learns that the evil object makes the victims relive their nightmares over and over until their hearts fail and they die. Now Jack has to travel to Micki and Ryan's dreams to rescue them.

"Bottle of Dreams" is the last episode of the First Season of "Friday the 13th: The Series", with a boring recap of the season. Maybe the budget was over, and most of the part of the show are flashbacks of seven episodes. In the end, this episode is a complete waste of time. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Frasco de Sonhos" ("Bottle of Dreams")