silmarieni Reviews

Brad's Status (2017)

Awful

[1/10 · 28 October 2017]

This is an awful movie about an ungrateful little man thinking petty thoughts and that can't stand others having success.

This is the story of a man who think of the death of his wife's parents as the best way to get money.

This is a scenario from a writer with no respect for the viewer: the ticket upgrade story is illogical, the attendant would never have mentioned the price or asked for a credit card if the ticket was not up-gradable in the first place. Clearly, he takes his audience for retards.

Adoration (2013)

Dîsappointing

[5/10 · 22 October 2016]

I have not read the book, so I don't know if the failure comes from it or from the screenplay. But the ending of the film, to me, is utterly unconvincing, and destroys the good impression I had of it.

I can't believe for a second that Tom and Lil are stupid enough to think they can get away with copulating while everybody is at Roz. It is utterly unbelievable, as the film has made it clear throughout that they had more than an IQ of 60.

Conversely, I can't believe they are evil enough to have done it on purpose, to destroy two families.

In addition, I find it hard to believe that all the following are true at the same time: A. Tom decides to be unfaithful to his wife just weeks after his marriage. B. Lil is fine with it and a willing participant. C. Neither Roz nor Tom have any inkling of the affair happening under their nose, with people they know like no other. D. Tom is such a coward that he is fine with being unfaithful, doesn't break up his marriage as soon as possible, doesn't break it up at the beginning of his wife pregnancy nor after his daughter is born.

Otherwise, the film is fine. Naomi Watts and Robin Wright are perfect, the sons are very good, as is Ben Mendelsohn and the other characters. The photography is top not. The music is rather boring and uninspired though.

Take Me to the River (2015)

Too cryptic

[5/10 · 19 September 2016]

Yes, most movies coming out of Hollywood are formulaic, unoriginal and always follow a very restricted set of structures and stories. Yes, movies that are out of the mold, more subtle and that appeal to the intelligent participation of the viewers are to be cherished.

Still, I found Take me to the river way too cryptic. There aren't enough clues to hazard one or two solid interpretations. The storytelling is too open, and one leaves frustrated.

I like open-ended, I don't like non-stories.

On the plus side, the acting is very good, and the atmosphere is as electrical as it is sexually charged, for those who like suspense and do not dislike being taken a little outside their comfort zone.

In my opinion, with a little reworked screenplay, it could have been a very good, perhaps an outstanding film.

Suits (2011–2019)

Disappointing season 5

[2/10 · 12 April 2016]

Warning: spoilers.

Overall, season 5 was a letdown. The second half with Mike Ross' will he-won't he I would rate with 1. It only proves that you can have photographic memory and be a retard.

Someone as intelligent as Ross is supposed to be would know his only chance was to fight till the end. Or, as he already did in another season stop working as a lawyer and do something else such as finance.

There is absolutely no logic in not waiting for the verdict and taking a guilty plea at the last moment. He had to know the consequences is all the procedures he touched would be tainted and opened to lawsuits, destroying the firm and its partners .

THe hundreds of back and force in the last episodes are as tiring for the viewers as they are illogical and senseless.

As senseless as letting down everybody 5 minutes before the wedding after having spent days lobbying everybody into attending.

Frankly, this makes Ross more antipathetic than ever, and I couldn't care less what happens next.

I'll try to keep the fond memories of season 1 instead.

The Trust (2016)

Nonsensical screenplay

[1/10 · 9 April 2016]

Wow I had not watched a movie with such a nonsensical screenplay for a long long time, and I advise you to better use your time.

The first half, while incoherent, still makes the story go forward. But the second part, the heist, does not make sense at all.

Why would you not trust the guy who serves you potentially hundreds of millions on a plate, the guy who financed the whole operation and worked his ass off to find the information, the guy who is supposed to be your friend, the guy you have been more or less working with for years?

If you had such misgivings in the first place, why go along ?

And why are you so willing to trust a woman that you don't know, but is waiting in a house with other criminals, where there are more weapons than in an armory ?

Why, when you have opened the safe and the millions are ready to be taken, do you let her make a call ? If you are so gullible to believe her reason for the call, why are you so stupid to think it can't way 30 minutes that the wealth is transferred in the van and you are ready to go, before letting her have her phone call?

Why are you so willing to kill your partner in crime without any reason to doubt him?

Why are you so stupid that you waste time bringing back the charged money and jewel, and put them back in the safe, as if A. You are such a genius you absolutely remember where each belongs, although you did not take part the load up in the bags and did not even watch you partner fill them up. B. You are so sure nobody will come, and you have all the time in the world, and why not make a pizza party while waiting for the mafia to reclaims its due ?

The Intern (I) (2015)

A very good film

[8/10 · 11 October 2015]

I enjoyed every minute of this well made and very well acted film. The script, while not earth-shattering in originality and surprise, is tight and solid, with a little additional je ne sais quoi here and there. De Niro delivers a nuanced and wonderful performance, as is Anne Hathaway. He is very believable as an ex top-executive that is very modest and helpful no matter the chore. You feel he has much more to offer to anyone willing to ask for business advices. Hathaway in the same way, I found absolutely believable both as a super-woman-high-energy-startup-founder-and-ceo, and at the same time fragile and at risk of being crushed. She is so charming and so classy. She does not strike me as one of Hollywood's top beauty, but she sure sparks on the big screen and must be a dream for fashion designers, as everything she wears looks outstanding.

The film also benefits from superb supporting actresses/actors such as Rene Russo.

In short, I would recommend this film to anybody wanting to enjoy a good, intelligent story, free of car chases and explosions, but full of nuanced and great performances.

How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020)

A mediocre series

[3/10 · 26 July 2015]

The series, which conceptually is a badly disguised Dr. House meet the good housewife rip-off, disappoints on so many levels: - A little suspension of disbelief as the price to pay for entertainment is fine, why must some producers/scriptwriters insist on outlandish retarded plots with zero credibility? - The main plot that last for so many episodes is A. remarkably unoriginal and uninteresting. B. Shows the almost infinite laziness of the producer, trying to make it interesting by showing small playbacks each episodes, so that the viewer is tortured by being force-fed the same boring sequences again and again and again and again. That's a fantastic way to amortize a cheap production financially, but what about the sanity cost for the viewers? - You will not mistake the cases with those of the good wife, as most of them are uninteresting and you end-up the episode wondering if you learned anything. - Not sure if the scriptwriters or Viola Davis are responsible for the atrocious Keating character, so far from the brilliance of a Dr. House, and more whiny and crying than a baby - while supposed to be a fear inspiring lawyer, boss and teacher.

The disappointment is all the more bigger because the cast isn't bad, because the law is complex enough to be the source of many interesting cases and because group dynamics could make for interesting situations.

Chasing Life (2014–2015)

So looking forward to season 2

[9/10 · 25 March 2015]

I took a chance on this series not being particularly attracted by the heavy subject and not knowing the actors.

Since then I learned it was an American remake of Terminales, a Mexican TV series. Having not seen it, I don't know how much or how little Chasing life owes to it.

It is anyways quite a remarkable series. It succeeds in interesting the viewers in a difficult story, and it seems to me it largely succeeds in depicting cancer and its consequences for all involved, in a realistic, nuanced way.

The cast is attractive with good to great performances from Italia Ricci, Richard Brancatisano and Scott Michael Foster. And outstanding performances from Aisha Dee and Mary Page Keller. Not that the rest of the cast isn't worthy of praise but it would take too long to mention them all.

The tempo of the series seems right with each episode keeping things interesting.

The screenwriters succeed in producing 'pro life' episodes without being too preachy and we're never sure if a patient will fight until the end or will loose hope.

The secondary stories and roles are rich and it's a joy to follow them little by little and getting to know the people.

Fortitude (2015–2018)

A great show

[9/10 · 25 March 2015]

Fortitude is a great show: exotic, thrilling, well played, with an outstanding story.

The photography as well as the music are perfectly in tune with the story, making it a must-watch thriller series in my opinion.

At about episode 7, I must say I fear for the worse as I'm not sure the story can develop and keep getting interesting and still realistic with no cheap trick, but I'm placing hope in the screenwriters that did a brilliant job so far.

TV seems to be the best format for actors to show their worth. I'm never been that impressed with Stanley Tucci.

I did not know the other actors that well, but many deliver super solid performances, among them Richard Dormer, Sofie Gråbøl and Darren Boyd.

Bloodline (2015–2017)

Too bad the beginning was great

[3/10 · 23 March 2015]

The series started very well with great acting and an interesting if classic situation with dark family secret.

As episodes go by the series becomes increasingly illogical and unbelievable.

Danny, The fragile defrauded in his youth brother, a drunk cocaine user that must rely on his family's charity as well as dirty business with a childhoods friend, which BTW pays way too much, suddenly becomes an entrepreneur, a drug dealer, a killer of professional killer and what not.

He doesn't give back the kilos of drugs, probably worth dozen and dozen of millions. His cop brother John puts him again on the bus as if it would make him magically disappear, whereas the first time he tried his brother stayed on the island.

Of course Danny does it again and stays on the island where he has zero problem going wherever he wants and meeting whomever while the drug team is supposedly looking for him and the missing drugs. Please. How realistic can that be?

CSI: Cyber: Kidnapping 2.0 (2015) Season 1, Episode 1

A collection of clichés served by third rate actors

[1/10 · 9 March 2015]

I can find only one explanation for this extremely bad first episode of a new franchise. Their creators, despite having made tens, and more probably hundreds of millions with CSI, still want more money by milking an audience with a product they know is subpar.

The episode is a collection of idiotic clichés. Source code in green. Vibrating screen every few minutes, the equivalent of Michael Bay's lens flare over-abuse. The FBI analyst that discovers security vulnerabilities in cam software in minutes, because it's that easy. Same security analyst is directly connecting his laptop to a server in a data-center full of racks because that's of course the easiest way to read source code. I could go on and on, let's just say no cheap trick was spared to dazzle a non-specialist audience.

All this played by third rate actors who do not seem to believe or understand what they say, worse of all Patricia Arquette, as believable in the role of a cyber task-force commander and George W. Bush in a protest against Guantanamo. Her monotonous, inarticulate diction would put anyone to sleep.

The base problem with cyber is that it isn't sexy, it's quite hard to depict in an interesting but truthful way to an audience. It's a world heavily dominated by men, with lots of source code and hard maths. Granted, social hacking isn't to be underestimated. Still, this isn't a world filled with special effects or where believe it or not in which people conduct a Skype conversation on 400 square meters of computer screens just for the fun of it.

There are plenty of great crime series on television now. Bosch. Fortitude. True detective. Don't waste your time with CSI: Cyber.

Tom at the Farm (2013)

Boring

[4/10 · 28 October 2014]

I really fail to see the brilliance of the movie or of Xavier Dolan. Admittedly, it is the first movie of him I watched, and I will Watch others to try to understand why everybody think he is a Genius.

On the story. Parents not aware of their child's sexuality and relatives trying to hide the truth. Really not original or special. It isn't enough to make a good film, perhaps a short. Other than that it's very slow, and there is little to feed on, be it images or music. And full of clichés such as the violent and rough farmer. It is also not clear why he feels the need to disfigure the brother's friend in a bar, nor why he wasn't jailed for it or nobody questioned him about it, neither brother nor parents nor police. Or was it fine for his brother to have someone disfigured for him in a bar?

What strikes about Dolan is this movie, apart from the horrible hair color, is how he seems to like filling the screen most of the time. I hadn't a stopwatch, but it feels like he is filling the screen, mostly his head, 50-70 % of the time or more. Are we supposed to be ecstatic about the acting?

All in all, this is a movie, that in my opinion, one can afford not to watch.

Let's just say that nothing strikes as interesting or remarkable, from the story to the photography to the original soundtrack. Acting is OK.

Dexter: Remember the Monsters? (2013) Season 8, Episode 12

An OK ending

[4 October 2013]

So this is the last episode of an outstanding TV series. The 8th season clearly was the weakest of all and perhaps it should have stopped a year before.

Still, the season gave us wonderful moments with Hanna McKay, a father-son Relationship blooming and a scene to remember with the beautiful Jamie Batista.

Regarding the end of the series, I found it quite weak that Dexter lived. I'm sure the commercial pressure was extremely intense to leave doors open for an encore.

It would have been wonderful if Dexter went to meet his maker with Debra still in his arms, driving the boat towards oblivion.

Empire State (2013)

You can afford not to watch this movie

[1/10 · 24 August 2013]

Empire State is a very bad movie because it is based on a super weak unrealistic script. It may have roots in a true event but so much changed that it has become the biggest travesty.

If you can temporarily completely suspend your disbelief and lower you IQ to 40 or less then maybe you can enjoy it, otherwise the probability is you'll ask yourself if the screenwriter is openly making fun of the audience or God forbid if he is completely retarded.

• Tens of millions of dollars (probably hundreds of millions of today's money) are kept in an unsecured warehouse guarded by a single untrained unchecked guard.

• Chris potamitis steals money but apparently money in the warehouse is never checked. Then he goes on a shopping spree with his totally idiotic retarded brother Eddie in a hip club in town, people are wondering how in hell he's got so much money to spend, Eddie clearly says in front of 3 girls that his brother stole the money where he works but of course everybody get away with this.

• His brother is obviously so retarded that any sane person would never ever have talked about a robbery plan with him.

• A highly unrealistic robbing takes place at exactly the same day and time as planned by the 2 brothers: what are the odds? Assuming this was possible one can only assume that the robbery was prepared with internal help. The cops have to assume it. The brothers have to assume it. The company has to assume it and all should change their plans accordingly.

• But nope, the depository does not seem to think it has to increase the guard count and take additional measures even temporarily.

• Main cop Ransome notices main character when his partner dies. Then during the failed robbery attempt by strangers he sees Chris Potamitis calling someone on the phone but there are no reasons to become highly suspicious right? - Shortly after that the alarm rings again during Chris' watch, and of course nobody is concerned that it is the second time in a row that the alarm rings during Chris watch, that it also was during his watch that a robbery attempt took place and that his partner was shot while touring with Chris. Frankly it is really strange that Chris hasn't been name president & CEO yet.

• 9 million dollars are taken, there is a huge hole in the ceiling, the robber had to have the code or someone knowing the code had to open the door but no problem, Chris can go home and doesn't spend a second at a precinct.

• It's the biggest heist in US history but apparently it's not enough to check employee cars trunks. Also, only a genius would hide the money in the trunk of his brother's car trunk right? Because he knows for certain that the least suspicious robbers are employees right? - The cop is in his car, watching the 2 brothers arguing about what is in the car's trunk. He was suspicious enough to follow them but he isn't suspicious enough to run & go see what's in the trunk and confront them.

• You are a drug dealer. You hear about the heist of the century for 8 million dollars. A few days' later 2 low life losers come and want to purchase for 8 million of drugs. Are you A. suspicious or B. so happy you just go the biggest order in the history of drug dealing? Are you A. Taking the money and congratulating yourself or B. Try to rob they guys that got you 8 mil? - You just did the heist of the century. You A. Keep incriminating drawings in your locker for the fun of it or B. try to be as discreet as possible? - You just did the heist of the century. You A. lay low for a few years or B. think you will be the next big thing in drug dealing and buy drugs? - I could go on and on but you get the drill. Too bad there are decent actors there. If you want to see a decent movie about a true heist go see 11.6. -

Girls Against Boys (2012)

Disgusting sorry excuse of a film

[1/10 · 20 February 2013]

I rated this movie 1 because it's not possible to rate it zero or less.

Basically a half a page of screen writing seems to satisfy the director in justifying a badly played idiotic gore fest which is frankly borderline pervert because it hides behind would-be feminism and pseudo female abuse to try to justify showing atrocious violence. Let's just flash a policeman her private parts behind transparent underwear then kill him in a painful humiliating way top punish him for a short concupiscent glance.

As a tasteless comedy striving to be funny it could perhaps have satisfied a few blood hungry hormonally supercharged drunken teenagers.

As it is I bet it will disgust even violent film lovers who will see right through it, e.g. just an excuse to film inhuman tortures, dismemberment, exploding organs

Did I mention that the acting, filming, (lighting?), costume or music did nothing to save the movie? Frankly a direct-to-dustbin would have been the correct distribution.

Killing Them Softly (2012)

word diarrhea

[1/10 · 19 December 2012]

A splendid cast does not always make a great movie. I was looking forward to watching great actors such as Pitt and Gandolfini, then I was looking forward to forgetting this film.

This looks or should I say hears like a Tarantino movie at its worst. Hours and hours of word diarrhea, nonsensical uninteresting ramblings to fill the time and have nothing to do with the would-be storyline, a tremendous success in illustrating emptiness with words.

As even those sad little pieces of inept screen writing dialogs weren't enough, one has to hear boring yes-we-can't I get the Nobel price for doing nothing Obama propaganda whose relevance to the plot is Nada.

House M.D. (2004–2012)

One season too many

[7/10 · 24 May 2012]

House MD was an unforgettable series which had it all: - interesting medical cases if probably not that realistic - interesting characters, notably House - interesting relationships - great scripts - a dream cast with Hugh Laurie, R.S. Leonards, Lisa Edelstein, Olivia Wilde, Jennifer Morrison, Jacobson, Spencer and a few more.

It is therefore sad that the series didn't stop on a high note at the end of season 7.

Season 8 is an unmitigated disaster. Frankly it is next to shameful, especially on the part of the writers. There is not a single episode to save the season. All are absolutely boring and not watching them is just what the doctor ordered.

As in real life, jerks get promoted, this time its Dr. Foreman, and we have to suffer through his lines and parading as a would-be manager, although he is probably the most antipathetic, boring, petty TV character ever.

Clearly a bad omen in retrospect, most charming characters departed from the series already (Cuddy, Thirteen Cameron) and poor Wilson, Chase and Taub are not given a fighting chance but instead terrible lines.

House is just the shadow of his former self and he seems just as bored and unconvinced as we are.

Finally Odette Annable, which had the potential to become the new thirteen or at the very least a great character, is completely misused as a sleep-inducing frigid what-am-I-doing-here character.

Were I to prepare the ultimate complete House DVD set, I would put the whole season 8 next to the Extras / Deleted scenes, in the Extras / Deleted episodes category.

Contraband (2012)

100% implausible

[4/10 · 7 April 2012]

Contraband would be much more enjoyable were it the least plausible and make a little sense.

As it is it really is a joke and the writers must either think we are IQ-free or they snorted way too much coke while writing the scenario.

I won't go into details to avoid spoilers but I'm sure those who want to check will find everything in other critics and forum entries.

It is still a perfectly watchable action movie thanks to a great cast (but please never use Kate Beckinsale's hairdresser ever again) if you really have 2 hours to loose but otherwise you absolutely can avoid watching it.

Shameless (2011–2021)

A series that will make you suffer

[4/10 · 6 April 2012]

/* Update Season 4 - warning spoilers*/

I am absolutely disgusted by season 4.

Am I the only one to think the evolution of most characters doesn't make any sense at all?

Fiona, a paragon of responsibility, strong enough to support a family of lunatics, juggling between so many jobs suddenly does drug, lets drug in range of her baby brother and most of all refuses to take full responsibility for the incident? She dates a brother and sleeps with the other one many times ?

Lip destroys a handful of cars in front of the university but isn't expelled or investigated in any way ?

Seems only Carl acts like he always had.

Medically, we have one miracle after the other. Frank survives despite having been diagnosed by two doctors as being days away from his death. Kevin and Veronica having babies in spite of a 99,999 % odds against.

I sure hope season 5 reverse the trend or I'm done with the series.

/* End Update Season 4 - warning spoilers*/

After all that happens she has no other idea than violate her house arrest to almost overdose with the brother that destroyed her life ?

Shameless is a TV series with lots going for it.

The excellent cast makes the many relationships (love, romance, brotherhood, friendship) credible, interesting and even addicting.

The writers manage to intertwine many stories at the same time with different views and outlook on life, from kids to elderlies, which is quite refreshing.

While it relates quite a hard and sometimes horrendous reality, the ever present humor helps make it palatable, as well as the drive, the courage and the sense of community of most family members and friends.

It is quite heart braking to watch Monica and Frank though. While most characters in spite of their darkness have some redeeming qualities (the grandmother for example who in the end gives the money to her sons and even wants to get additional city money by trying to get run by a bus) it is very hard to find anything positive about the parents. They are absolutely selfish and one episode after another is a show of how they constantly bend everything to their advantage.

Frank in particular is a tough sell. He will go so far as to kill for money (preventing a heart transplant) and thinks of only one thing: himself.

It is a testament to the brilliance of the writers as well as the formidable acting of Macy that one still cares about his character.

The Informers (2008)

Don't waste your time if you aren't a Heard fan

[1/10 · 24 March 2012]

In hindsight the only reason to watch this movie is to admire Amber Heard's next to perfect physique.

Otherwise it is yet another boring adaptation of king of boring Bret Easton Ellis, who delights in writing about shallow people living their shallow lives - to be sure in luxurious settings. Unfortunately none of these people are the least interesting and one probably learns more about the world studying an ashtray for two hours.

Thanks to an uninspired script and a directing without direction the fantastic cast can't act with either credibility or passion and looks as interested in the movie as we are.

It may be that this film becomes watchable under the influence. Perhaps a DVD is given free of charge for any significant purchase of coke in Hollywood.

Headhunters (2011)

Too bad for the credibility gaps

[6/10 · 21 March 2012]

Headhunter is an excellent thriller.

Unfortunately there are two huge credibility gaps.

First untraceable micro devices that can be tracked from miles away with next to no energy is completely unrealistic. Not to mention that similarity with gps is highlighted which makes it even more unlikely.

Second that someone or an organization would kill so blatantly and with such lack of discretion just to remove one obstacle (it may not be the only one) to put someone on the CEO sit - not to mention that any m&a would need board approval, is absolutely 100% unrealistic.

Finally when Roger comes back to clean the house of his partner in crime, one clearly sees the watch he was supposed to have thrown in the lake.

This is why I only grade the film 6 instead of 7 or 8. Because otherwise it is highly entertaining, well played and riveting. Certainly one of the best thriller of the year. As a bonus the character of the wife is surprising and refreshing.

Letters to Juliet (2010)

A great idea but a remarkably poor production

[2/10 · 6 March 2012]

The romantic concept of the film was quite interesting, reuniting lovers decades after their last meeting.

Add the beauty of Italy and a very good cast and the movie had lots going for it.

Unfortunately the production is nothing if bad.

First of all the actors have to fight with poor lines of uninteresting bleak dialogs. And they don't succeed. Gael García Bernal, a great actor, is completely overdoing it, probably to try to salvage his lines, and looks and feels like a third rate actor.

Amanda Seyfried has as many emotion as an ice queen and destroys any doubt one had that Sophie might have a true romantic relationship.

Even powerful and wonderful Vanessa Redgrave can't save the script and her acting falls flat.

Finally I never heard of Christopher Egan before and seeing him perform in this movie makes me want to never hear from him again. He's that bad.

All in all this movie couldn't point with an Italy-loving fan of Bernal and Redgrave with a starry-eyed side. Remarkably disappointing.

Take Shelter (2011)

As beautiful as the light on a stormy day

[9/10 · 6 February 2012]

Take Shelter is a beautiful sad gem.

It shows the heavy price one has to pay defending one's own beliefs against society, how painful it is to be outcast and judged crazy, how hurtful it is to see the doubt growing in one's own wife and daughter and how heartbreaking it is to begin to accept that one may indeed become insane and a danger to one's family.

Michael Shannon doesn't disappoint in the role of the father, delivering an outstanding performance as the troubled soul and I expected no less having seen his fantastic performance in Boardwalk Empire.

Jessica Chastain, who I really appreciated in the Help, brings her unconventional beauty and charm to the role of a mother in doubt and a wife than never abandons her husband. In the midst of the crisis, where her husband loses his job and can't afford anymore their child's treatment, where she faces the reality that her husband may need intensive psychiatric help she is the rock that will save the family. Chastain performs admirably in this supporting role and one can feel all the emotions that she goes through.

Shea Whigham doesn't have much screen time, but he points every second of it, one sees a depth that could have been told in another story.

The cinematography is beautiful and never showy. The FXs are decent except in one shot that reeks of blue screen.

The music is haunting and translates unease really well.

I think the movie would have been even better 5-10 minutes shorter, but all in all highly recommended.

Enlightened (2011–2013)

Charity begins at home

[1/10 · 27 January 2012]

There is very little to like about this story.

Basically this is the story of an angry egoistical self-centered narcissistic woman who thinks she had a Revelation and her revelation allows her to wreak havoc on other people's life, always judging everybody but herself and self-righteous to the point one wants to puke.

She is always ready to fantasize about her doing good in the world and others being losers that need to be shepherded. But the reality is she won't do anything for others except cause grief She survives terrible terrible ordeals such as taking the bus but not without bitching her mother for not letting her use her car for hours on end.

It is really unclear what the message of the series is, or even the direction or the tone. Are we to laugh? Are we to sympathize with this boss sleeping woman? How many episodes are we expected to watch before she begins to do something useful or are we to continue being impressed by so much goodwill and so many fake empty smiles and so little action?

Luther (2010–2019)

A fabulous series

[8/10 · 18 January 2012]

Luther is a great series with wonderful cast, imaginative scenarios, suspense and attractive characters. Its only default is to have so few episodes per season.

Idris Elba didn't ring a bell when I began watching the series, but he sure sets the tone, is believable and acts well. He is supported by a great ensemble cast in season one as well as season two. Notably Dermot Crowley), Ruth Wilson Warren Brown to name a few.

Even with so many crime series the plots remain fresh and interesting and quite believable if sometime horrific.

I hope that there will be more time in season 3 to develop the characters even more.

Highly recommended