aislingdublin Reviews

Beyond Paradise: Episode #1.6 (2023) Season 1, Episode 6

What a let down

[1/10 · 22 August 2023]

Myself and my wife are avid detective show watchers

From Columbo to Morse to Midsommer Murders to Blue Murder. Every show brings something unique and entertaining.

One of our favs was Death in Paradise. Wonderful writing, characters and scenery

When I heard Beyond Paradise was in the making we were overjoyed. That joy lasted till 20 minutes into the 1st episode.

Weak characters and horrific soap like storylines.

I then commented that if they had to at any time go back to St Marie then it was a sign that the show was desperate. Sure enough here we go.

This show is more like a soap than any detective show i had ever seen. Horrible.

Its really fantastic however that Devon/ Cornwall is now more diverse and ethnic than London.

Beyond Paradise: Episode #1.5 (2023) Season 1, Episode 5

Death of a Show

[3/10 · 15 August 2023]

I looked forward to the Death in Paradise offshoot so much.

Humphrey was a fantastic DI and the best character to have the offshoot based on.

The 1st few episodes were so so. I was willing to allow for bedding in and character development.

This episode however ruined it for me. I will not be continuing. Someone already mentioned Scooby Do in another submission. I wish this had the fun and quality of scooby do.

Sloppy and silly.

Also..his colleague was talking in a slightly menacing way with a pig farmer who had just had a barn burned down. After the conversation where he was polite and answered all her questions, he asked for her number in case he needed to contact her. Her comment to her friend....i know who the pig is here....wtf..he was polite and respectful and then asked for her number...appallingly badly written..man bashing fir no reason at all.

Death in Paradise: Death in Flight (2022) Season 11, Episode 3

Again no evidence

[1/10 · 3 June 2022]

Loved the show up to last series. Problem is in this episode their yet again is no actual solid evidence that a jury could use to convict. Having watched some proper detective shows recently DIP which used to have great characters and be great fun is now lacking everywhere. Only the commissioner makes it worthwhile.

Poirot: Five Little Pigs (2003) Season 9, Episode 1

Wonderful up to a point...slightly ruined by progresiveness!!

[9/10 · 12 June 2021]

Am amazing adaptation, great performances, wonderful backround music than enhances each scene, amazing sets that make you believe it was filmed in the era it was set. Then the usual stupidity takes over and the SJW / Woke brigade make a character gay for no reason...but a film without a gay or minority character ain't allowed even if the author and the period wouldn't have had them. No point in having everything perfect for the period and then writing it as you would want it and not as it was.

Midsomer Murders: The Ghost of Causton Abbey (2018) Season 20, Episode 1

Sad demise

[1/10 · 18 May 2021]

Box ticking and lack of comedy has taken this show down a cul de sac that they will never get out of. Most diverse villages in history....more like Central London. Story dreadful and has lost its way. Middle England has never been so boring but wonderfully diverse.

The Brokenwood Mysteries: Dead Men Don't Shoot Ducks (2019) Season 6, Episode 3

Donald Duck(er)

[10/10 · 9 May 2021]

As huge detective show fans, myself and my wife watch all from Poirot, Midsommer Murders, New Tricks, Bosch, Colombo, Inspector Lynley to name but a few. Brokenwood can proudly say its as good as any of the above. Tremendous humour, wonderful settings, nice simple stories and non convoluted motives etc. From the constancy of Simms bad coffee, Gina's unrequited love for Mike, Frodo and Mrs Marlowe and her cheese rolls and knowledge of all that happens you may feel like selling up and moving to New Zealand immediately. This story has humour mixed with showing 2 sides of the country v Environmentalist argument. Never preachy and always fun. Best show on TV at the moment.

Malcolm in the Middle: Motivational Speaker (2005) Season 6, Episode 19

One of the greatest episodes of a comedy show ever

[10/10 · 1 April 2021]

Great comedy, adult humour hidden in a conversation between Lois and Dewey, Reese finds a group he really belongs to and Hal excels. Wonderful.

Grandma's House (2010–2012)

One of the most under rated shows ever

[10/10 · 31 January 2021]

Funny from start to finish. It's not for your Not Going Out fans (funny in it's own right). Character driven and not a laugh a minute. Just subtle and intelligent writing and delivery. Simon's acting while not top drawer works as he is playing himself. Great cast and guest stars. Samantha Spiro is spectacular as horny monkey Liz. Rebecca front has to deliver the most unique line ever delivered with a straight face...'let him have a wank in the loft' .... having the wonderful grandad get out quite explicit sex guides books for his daughter and grandson....from the local library....a hilarious look at a dysfunctional family who are there for each other. I would rate the Larry Sanders show the greatest comedy ever . This is not that far behind .

Murdoch Mysteries (2008– )

Has had its day

[5/10 · 23 January 2021]

Once upon a time was about quirky inventions that assisted a likeable detective and his colleagues. Also a nice bit of 19th century romance. Then more and more the detective work and inventions disappeared and the show became a lecture about social justice. Its bizarre. Minorities are always spoken about as being very badly treated while at the same time the show has minorities in very senior posts that they never would have attained. A very mixed message.

Death in Paradise: In the Footsteps of a Killer (2017) Season 6, Episode 7

The show goes on very nicely

[9/10 · 17 February 2017]

After the shock departure of Ben Miller (DI Richard Poole) followed by the sudden departure of Kris Marshall (DI Humphrey Goodman) the shows makers could have taken a decision which could have led to the shows demise.

Instead they made one of those decisions that are made once or twice in a career. Ardal O'Hanlon as DI Jack Mooney fits effortlessly into the well defined and very fluid cast. The idea of having his daughter with him looks well chosen and the way he is being gradually sucked into the job is both clever and mirrors the way previous incumbents efforts to leave the island was nicely thwarted by police commissioner Commander Selwyn Patterson.

The story is very interesting dealing with the murder of Drop the Dead Donkeys Joy Merryweather (Susannah Doyle) 8 years previous. The case is reopened when a witness comes forward after the event with further information which throws the verdict into dispute. For Big Bang Theory Fans.. nice to see Barry Kripke. Nice story, nice humour (especially bar scene with Florence and jack Mooney) and another lovely episode.

Still Life (I) (2013)

What a film

[9/10 · 3 January 2016]

This is one of the most impressive films I have seen. Not only in the last year but in the last 10 years. Eddie Marson brings a quiet resolve to a role he was born to play. A supporting cast that perfectly fits in with the pace and mood of the film.

The premise is unpromising. A civil servant in a dead end job doing a job not appreciated by most. Seen as an anachronism in a modern world he does his job with pen and paper in a computer age. He shows more compassion to the dead than they received in real life. He documents and adds a small meaning to lives otherwise forgotten in a city full of people where people slip through the maelstrom of the frantic world and end up alone. At the end of the film I sat and stared at the blank screen thinking about what I had just seen. The last time I had felt as moved by a film was nearly 10 years ago. I certainly did not expect it to happen last night.

Le Week-End (2013)

Great Movie

[8/10 · 14 February 2015]

An absolutely wonderful film. Watched it on valentines night with my wife and we both found it poignant, amusing, engrossing and sometimes all too real.

It realistically showed the trials and tribulations of any medium to long term relationship... especially one where any magic that had been there is starting to slip, the kids have left and the cracks that have been papered over start to re- appear.

Actors excellent especially Morgans (jeff Goldblums) son. A realistic portrait of long term relationships.

A nice way to spend an evening.

The Castle (1997)

What a joy

[10/10 · 18 April 2012]

I did not expect a lot from a film with no stars, no action chases , no big budget. What I got was 85 minutes of joy and laughter about a normal family with no airs, graces or style. Just love for each other and laugh after laugh after laugh. Mr Kerrigan is the forthright Aussie that we all have met over the years travelling. Says what he means and no messing.

Not overly sentimental but right up there in the laughter count with Young Frankenstein and DodgeBall. All people wishing to write / direct should look at the relationships between all the characters - they all work. Every character is not only likable but real. We all know some people like them.

A joy.