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philipwright
Reviews
Quirke (2013)
Fascinating but a little bleak
Concerning the first episode. (Spoiler here!) I first learned about the Magdalene laundries (in the Republic of Ireland) from the movie Philomena. And it shocked me to the core. So I already understood what was portrayed in the episode. But it's still profoundly shocking. The Catholic Church has A LOT to answer for.
The portrayal of postwar Ireland is bleak. But I'm guessing it's pretty accurate. I was a student living in 1960s Salford (UK), down by the Manchester Ship Canal. (Near Old Trafford, actually. Manchester United's famous soccer ground) This portrayal of 1950s Dublin is eerily similar to the area we lived in, just 10 years or so later.
Gabriel Byrne is excellent. And Michael Gambon is one of my favorite actors. It was also nice to see Geraldine Somerville ('Panhandle' from Cracker).
Anyway, a great little miniseries that's well worth watching.
Enjoy!
The Woman in the Wall (2023)
Very good but VERY frustrating!
This review contains some spoilers! So be careful.
Lorna (Ruth Wilson) drove me absolutely bananas. Virtually every action she takes makes everything more difficult. I understand that she's in mental anguish and has been since she was sent to the convent (Magdalene Laundry). But it's all so frustrating!
Particularly, she had SO many opportunities to save Aoife. And she missed them every time!
That said, this is a very good production. And it does not disappoint. It's a story that was repeated many times in Ireland, right up till the late 1990s (at least}. And it's all so terribly sad.
But it points out yet again what Christopher Hitchens wrote in his book (titled 'God Is Not Great.') - 'Religion poisons everything'. Reminds me of the quote from the 1960s hippy years: 'More and more people are leaving the Church and going back to God.'
The Firm (1993)
I'd forgotten how good this movie is!
I just watched it again - For the first time in probably 15 years, perhaps longer. I did read the John Grisham book again about 7 years ago, however.
But the movie is very good! Just look at the cast! And the director, Sydney Pollack.
And it's also a great story - with good acting and great cinematography. And (I noticed for the FIRST TIME) a pretty good musical soundtrack, too.
Hal Holbrook (a favorite actor of mine) had a smaller role in the movie than I remembered. So I was a bit surprised this time around. But you know it's a shady firm as soon as you see him. So he did his job.
And Gene Hackman lives up to ALL expectations. Very good performance.
As Roger Ebert pointed out in his 1993 review, the (later) scene in the Cayman Islands between Gene Hackman and Jeanne Tripplehorn is an absolute master class in acting.
Ed Harris, as always, turns in a stand-up performance. And David Strathairn, another favorite, has a rather small but interesting role, too.
Gary Busey (smallish role) is pretty good. And Holly Hunter as his secretary is fantastic!
And it was rather a joy seeing 'kindly old' Wilfred Brimley as a remarkably convincing villain.
It's true that, towards the end, the story gets a bit confusing. So having read the book at some point helps. So that makes the movie a good movie rather than a great one.
Nonetheless, I highly recommend revisiting this movie. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
And one of the final scenes, between Tom Cruise and the two mafia guys (Paul Sorvino and Joe Viterelli - both un-credited!) is particularly fun to watch.
Prime Suspect: Inner Circles (1995)
Who was the redhead in the car? DEFINITELY CONTAINS BIG SPOILER!
!!! WARNING !!!
Do NOT read this if you haven't watched the episode to the end!
Very good episode of a truly outstanding series!
I personally still feel uncertain about the indentity of the redhead in the car with Hamish when he murdered Geoffrey Brennan.
Maria Henry clearly confesses to being the redhead in the car. But it seems to me that Maria COULD have confessed in order to protect her daughter.
And that seems to be supported in the last few minutes of the movie.
Tennyson is shown staring into space, seemingly uncertain about the case. Then it cuts to Maria's daughter, Polly, behind bars in a cell. Not her mother.
The voice-over at that moment (between Tennyson and Cromwell) is still ambiguous about whether it was the mother or the daughter that manipulated Hamish into murdering Brennan.
Jack Ryan (2018)
Pretty good so far!
So far (up to S1E5) this series is turning out to be pretty damn good!
I've always been in two minds about Clancy as an author. One the one hand, most of his books are basically right-wing militia-style nonsense.
But 'The Hunt for Red October' was a truly great novel. And it was made into a pretty good movie, too!
For 'Patriot Games' and 'Clear and Present Danger', both novels were partisan nonsense. But both were made into pretty good movies.
Despite what some say, John Krasinski is not just another square-jawed, two-dimensional killer machine of the type beloved by too many testosterone-driven young American males.
Wikipedia claims Krasinski based his character on Harrison Ford's Jack Ryan (in the above two movies). And so far I tend to agree.
Bravery is not never being afraid afraid. True bravery is being afraid but doing the right thing anyway.
Wild Bill: Welcome to Boston (2019)
Pretty good first episode
Important note !!!
There's serious spoiler info in this comment. Stop now if you haven't watched the episode yet!
Good story. Acting's a bit wooden but I expect it to get better in the next episodes.
Surprise ending --- > BUT!
What happened to the headless body? Are we supposed to believe nobody happened to notice it in a plowed field in rural Lincolnshire?
Lincolnshire's not exactly the Gobi Desert or the Australian Outback. I'm guessing somebody would report such a grizzly find to the authorities. Especially the body of a teenage girl.
It's not the kind of thing you come across all the time, right?
Turbulence (1997)
A Wild Ride
This movie doesn't get very good ratings. But it's one of my favorites. Ray Liotta is at his craziest here. And he does a fantastic job. He good all the way through. But he doesn't really get going until the 2nd half of the movie. There are lots fo good moments. And his performance tearing up the avionics bay is a joy to behold.
Sure, the movie's not very believable. There are plot holes you could drive a double-decker bus through. So, you can criticize if you like. Or you can just sit back and enjoy the wild and crazy time.
Lauren Holly is good. She does some silly stuff. But this type of movie always has those moments. But she hits all the right notes and that's what matters.
The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat for the whole 2nd half.
Brendan Gleeson turns in a good performance. Hector Elizondo is great and Ben Cross is the perfect English gentleman.
Bull (2021)
a LOT better than I expected!
This movie is a LOT better than most here give it credit for.
Just and hour and a half long and it's ALL action. A stripped-down production and a bare-bones script. But it's absolutely gripping anyway.
The violence is stomach-turning. And there are NO good guys.
And the ending is ubiquitous. But that's OK.
It leaves you wanting to know more about the final scene. But then you realize the answers you're looking for are not really all that important.
The movie is not for the squeamish. But it is VERY good!
The whole movie was shot over just 18 days with a budget of $500,000. And it way better than most movies costing MANY MANY times that!
Stone Cold (1991)
An astoundingly bad movie (that's actually rather good)
As another reviewer wrote, it's a 'Wonderfully Over-The-Top' stupid action movie.
I actually started watching this thinking it was the Tom Selleck 2005 original Jesse Stone TV movie 'Stone Cold'.
I was about ten minutes into it before it dawned on me that I was watching the wrong movie.
I was going to give up on this total nonsense when it struck me that, despite myself, I was actually enjoying it anyway.
It's an unoriginal plot with a main actor who really can't act. But it DOES have Lance Henrikson, one of my favorite actors. And, even though he's almost unrecognizable, has ridiculously corny lines and is overacting the whole time, he actually turns in a sterling performance.
Even Brian Bosworth's wooden performance actually kinda works.
The violence is so far over-the-top it becomes good. But don't watch this movie for any redeeming qualities or concepts or anything. It IS better than 'Plan 9 from Outer Space'. But only just. Even the ending is bad - with Lance Henrikson and another simply acting out Alexander Godunov's final scene at the end of 'Die Hard'.
This is a movie that has no right to work. But I freely admit I enjoyed all one hour and 32 minutes of badly-acted violent bloodbath.
And I think you will, too.
Screen One: Hostile Waters (1997)
Not a bad movie all round. But ...
The movie is quite suspenseful. But ...
At two points in the movie there are hatches or valves on the Russian sub that had to be opened but the controls were OUT OF REACH of the crew members.
Can someone tell me? Is it likely that critical controls perhaps required in and emergency would be placed out of reach for an average crew member?
It sounds like criminally bad design to me.
12 Angry Men (1997)
Good remake
Not as good as the 1957 Sidney Lumet original, which is still a riveting film today. But, on it's own, this 1997 version directed by William Friedkin is an excellent movie, too.
The cast is all pretty good and Jack Lemmon, particularly, is outstanding. George C. Scott also handles the Lee J. Cobb role really well.
All in all, well worth watching, even if you know how it's going to end.
The X Files: Pilot (1993)
Watched for the FIRST time!
I'm 73 years old and never watched the X-Files. So I'm coming at this completely new.
They really hit the ground running with this pilot. I'm already hooked.
It's asking a lot, but I hope the whole series (11 seasons now) lives up to the promise of this first episode.
I look forward to finding out over the next few years.
You may notice that, despite my absolute endorsement, I only gave this episode a rating of 8.
That's not a criticism. I've never awarded ANYTHING a 10, ever. I believe we have to keep the absolute top honor open, just in case there's ever something even better than the best we've ever seen. Because at some point that's bound to happen.
Unforgettable: Allegiances (2012)
Good episode - but ....
At the end, Steve Cioffi says ".. divinity that shapes our ends" and Carrie says "Romeo and Juliet".
Errk!!! - it's Hamlet - Hamlet to Horatio, Act 5, Scene 2.
But I'm just splitting hairs. Fine episode in a better-than-average series.
Silent Witness (1996)
One of the best ever!
I love Silent Witness. I have every season right from the 'Sam Ryan' start in 1996.
I started watching them again in 2013 and (by taking my time) I'm currently watching Season 19. So, it'll likely be 2022 or into 2023 before I get caught up to date.
Then (it being ten years since I started re-watching) I can just start all over again!
Every season, and every iteration, every change of personnel, has been brilliant. And Nikki (Emilia Fox) has so far been my favorite - Even better than Amanda Burton (Sam Ryan) herself.
Mayday: Choosing Sides (2016)
Episode number mixup
This is a good documentary.
The only concern I have with it is that Wikipedia lists it as Season 14 Episode 1. Whereas IMDB (here) lists it as Season 14 Episode 4.
The Stand (2020)
Pretty good, actually!
Contrary to many here, I liked this miniseries.
The Stand is my favorite Stephen King. And probably my favorite book.
Like most Stephen King writing, it's pretty much impossible to put onto film. King is a master of character development. He creates astoundingly believable characters, and often very likeable characters.
Then he places them in harm's way and, hopefully, they win through.
I get all the objections people have written here. But, in the end, this miniseries captures the ESSENCE of the novel better than the 1994 version.
I actually had no problem with the mixed timelines, the jumping back and forth in time. I'm 72 years old and my memory and other faculties are not quite what they used to be. Yet I could follow everything clearly nonetheless.
I do have some criticisms, but they should only affect those of us who are truly passionate about the novel itself.
Spoilers ??
I didn't really connect with the way Nick is portrayed. He was pretty two-dimensional here. Not the fully-rounded character of the book.
Tom Cullen, while well acted, was much quicker, more intelligent, here than originally portrayed in the novel. Tom's was smart, even in the book. But it was emotional smartness, not intellectual smartness. Again, the beauty of King's writing.
I actually liked things like making more of the major characters female, and other ethnicities. It worked very well.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Incredible music choice
Around 50 minutes into the movie, the ship is fighting desperately against the terrible winds and enormous seas as it rounds the treacherous Cape Horn.
A young seaman is thrown overboard on a broken mast. The sailors can't save him and must watch helplessly as he drowns.
The background music does not, as one might expect, attempt to match the crashing waves and tearing winds of the storm.
Instead it's Vaughan Williams 'Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis' - arguably the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful piece of music ever written. It perfectly matches the sadness and agony each man feels at that moment.
Simply wonderful!
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Vulcan Affair (1964)
Not bad for first episode
I notice that someone here mentioned a longer 'movie' edit of this episode. Perhaps that's why the 50:55 min broadcast has parts that don't make sense.
1. What happened to the woman on the plane? (The one who dropped her lipstick, was watching Pat Crawley in her mirror and had a gun). Perhaps she was helping Solo? We just don't know. She never appeared again.
2. Solo does nothing to cause the reactor to explode. The bad guys were all in the same control room as the targets. They would have burned themselves up anyway, even if Solo had done nothing. Didn't make any sense.
Nonetheless, pretty good performances by all. Well filmed and produced.
Pretty exciting first episode, all round.
Vera: The Ghost Position (2012)
Convoluted story (review contains DEFINITE spoiler !!!!)
I like the Vera series. But I wish this episode had been clearer on who the killer actually was. It's suggested, but not explicitly enough revealed.
~~~~~~ WARNING ~~~~~~~~
!!!! SPOILER ALERT BELOW !!!!
!!!! SPOILER ALERT BELOW !!!!
!!!! SPOILER ALERT BELOW !!!!
Lena has to be the killer. But how did she get the materials together (and the know-how) to actually make the bombs? Doug died just testing one out. And he seemed to be a lot more competent than his fiance.
Seven Seconds (2018)
Very good! But important stuff unresolved
The character that SHOULD have moved me most was Brenton, but we hardly get to see him. So the character that ACTUALLY moved me most was Nadine (the 15 year-old junk smoker). They got away with her death and that upset me very much.
Half-way through episode 9, I almost stopped watching.
So much ended up unresolved in this. If no second series, they need to at least make a TV movie and resolve it all. Otherwise, the police forces, and the state legal system, end up being the bad guys. And that's not really right, either.