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Annekin1
Reviews
The Line (2021)
War Crimes are not okay just because you're an American
What is so shocking about this documentary was how the media allowed people to believe that it's okay to commit war crimes as long as you're an American.
Isis has committed terrible crimes against humanity. If we acknowledge this then why do we think it's okay to do the same to them? How does that make us better than them. It doesn't & that's why there is a Geneva convention & that's why we have war crimes, & thats why when someone is convicted of war crimes the American media should not be allowed to try & prejudice the jury and influence the outcome.
There was never going to be a fair trial, regardless of culpability. And when you have a president who himself has committed multiple offences, now interfering in the process, then it's never going to end well for a country already heavily morally compromised.
Whilst compelling in a sort of, I can't believe this is how they do things over there, sort of way this documentary was also an example of everything that's wrong with America & I'm so glad I don't live there.
Mr Good: Cop or Crook? (2022)
Refreshing to get an insight into the Norwegian Criminal Justice System
There are so many documentaries about the US criminal justice system that you would be forgiven for thinking America was the only country in the world (& a number of Americans do indeed seem to think that). So it was a nice change to get an insight into the Norwegian CJS for a change.
Before this doc began I (perhaps naively) believed Norway to have an infinitely superior system to the States where it seems everyone is for sale for the right price. To some degree this still holds true; the Norwegian legal system is independent, and money is invested in all aspects of the CJS from policing through to the courts & prison. Norway also has a relatively low crime & prison rate in comparison to the US & UK, & sentencing tends to be commensurate with the seriousness of the offence, rather than an obscene need to punish the less fortunate. Which is probably why Erik Jenson (ex high ranking police officer) received such a long sentence for his crimes; he was in a position of trust which, according to the courts, he seriously abused by using his position to profit from criminal activities.
Or did he? Because even by the end of the documentary you're still not really sure. Yes he crossed the line, but was this for the greater good (to catch dangerous criminals) or because he was actually corrupt? If he was corrupt, where is all the money he made (the police haven't found it) & why did his superiors claim they did not know what was going on (were they turning a blind eye because he got results)?
This is an interesting documentary which doesn't come down on one side or the other & poses some interesting questions about the role of police officers working with informants to catch criminals. I would have preferred to learn a bit more about how the Court system in Norway works, as it is different to the UK/US. This would have perhaps help explain how the verdicts were reached. However overall a thought provoking programme.
Ted Lasso (2020)
It's okay
Initially I quite liked this comedy. It's sweet in a clichéd aw shucks vs innit US/UK sort of way. But after the first few episodes where it became evident nothing was really going to happen except more of the isn't it funny how the British & Americans are so similar but so different set ups, I found myself losing interest.
Yes it's charming & if that's your bag then go for it. But it's hardly groundbreaking & quite frankly I'm baffled as to why this show is so celebrated. I can only assume the majority of reviews are from Americans who really believe this show represents British culture? Because I definitely don't believe this is actually what Americans are like, even the aw shucks variety.
Scream (2022)
Don't believe the (positive) hype
If you haven't seen the original films then perhaps you can be forgiven for thinking this is a good horror film. After all, there are a lot of bad horror films out there, & this one isn't terrible.
But in comparison to the original Wes Craven franchise it's a terrible disappointment. The new characters have no charisma and the older ones from the original franchise, who lets face it, are the reason most of us watch these films, are given nothing to do, & then they have the gall to kill one of them off!
I was really looking forward to this film as it seemed to have a good buzz. But it gave nothing new to the genre & wasn't even clever or funny in the process of doing so. I understand Neve Campbell won't be returning because the studio is too stupid to recognise that she, along with David Arquette & Courtney Cox, are what make the franchise - If you actually give them something to do that is. Well, just like Neve I won't be returning either.
The Devil's Hour (2022)
Gripping
Yes there are some; you wouldn't do that in real life, moments in this thriller. But I these are forgiven because the story is so compelling and genuinely unsettling in places. You learn to care about & are encouraged to feel empathy for the characters, whilst feeling genuine hate & disgust for others. However the nuance of their development means it is not immediately evident who in this thriller is good & who is bad (or are we all a bit of both?) until later episodes. Peter Capaldi puts in a great performance. In fact there isn't a bad performance in this well written thriller. This isn't one to half watch whilst scrolling on your phone as you need to pay attention to know what's going on. If only more shows were like this one.
Inside Man (2022)
Completely unbelievable
I enjoyed the first half hour of the first episode. The prison setting with Stanley Tucci was chilling, clever & funny in equal measure. If only this had been the main storyline. David Tennant was as always great in his role. But the plotline involving discovery of what was on the memory stick was ridiculous. In no realistic scenario would anyone have acted in the way the characters responses were written. It was far too contrived & ridiculous for me to keep watching (as I could see things were only going to escalate from that point onwards). Less is sometimes more when it comes to storylines, and this one was just far too obvious.
Crossfire (2022)
Disappointing
I was looking forward to this drama, as I'm a fan of Keeley Hawes who has portrayed some strong female leads. I was therefore hoping for a similarly strong character, especially as she was portraying an ex police officer. However the writing & plot were of an incredibly poor standard which made most of the drama unwatchable. Whilst there were some good actors, & it was refreshing to see real life finally reflected in the diversity of the couples, unfortunately noone had much to do except follow an unspiring script which got their characters to do incredibly unbelievable things. The BBC produces some good dramas. This isn't one if them.