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KittenOnTheMoon
Reviews
Cold Justice (2013)
Such a Compelling Show ... except for the MUSIC
It's hard not to respect Kelly Seigler and her team of experts taking on these cold cases in small towns. Each story is painstakingly reconstruction with sensitivity, compassion and heart. Each victim is humanised and the pain of their loved ones acknowledged. Some people get justice, some don't. But all are treated with dignity.
Given that I really enjoy this show, I only have one gripe: the music. Two balladeers take turns singing 'themed' music each episode and it's so incredibly awful. An episode of someone killed during deer hunting season has someone picking at a guitar and singing "He was hunted.....HUNTED!" in the background. Talk about cheesy.
Other than that, it's top notch viewing.
Who Killed Jill Dando? (2023)
Intersting, but also frustrating.
Jill Dando was everywhere in 1990s Britain. She was charming, likeable and her death was beyond shocking.
This documentary does well to keep Jill in the story, splicing clips of her throughout the three parts. Oddly, Jill comes across the most alive person. Everyone else seems so flat. It makes for a frustrating documentary. Information is sparse, and no hard questions are being asked, especially of the police, regarding the slow pace of investigation and some big mis-steps (cctv from local buses, for one, which even the tabloid hacks figured out). Sranger still is the appearance of a random old blagger who says he knows things. Sure.
Ultimately, it makes for a well-made but empty series.
And Just Like That... (2021)
Obnoxious, Over-dressed and Incredibly Dull
The original SATC hasn't aged well. What was sassy and bold for our favourite girls of the nineties, now seems whiney and self-absorbed. But we've all grown over the last few decades, haven't we?
Or have we?
I was prepared to go into AJLT with fresh eyes. Sure, no Samantha was going to be a problem, because she was the most loyal, most grounded and least neurotic of the quartet. But life goes on. To fill the gaping void, the writers have added a whole slew of characters who are so unimpressive that, even here at the end of Season Two, I can't be bothered to learn their names.
AJLT is dreary, self-important, tone-deaf and a tragic waste of a chance to address the challenges of maturing women in a world that largely treats them as invisible and valueless. Instead we're given a check-list of current hot topics that will leave this series as dated as its predecessor.
Be like Samantha, and love yourself enough to avoid this sorry mess.
Mary & George (2024)
Meh...
PROS: Great cast, including the always marvellous Julianne Moore and Tony Curran. Sumptuous sets, costumes and locations.
CONS: The plot was pedestrian, predictable and dull. No delicious twists or shocking turns were to be found. The cast gallumped along from one tedious plot development to the next. The dialogue was absolutely abysmal. No wit or bite. No cleverness. If you were just there for the sex and nudity, you'd be well catered for, and the endless parade of bare bums were beautifully filmed by golden candle light. However, if you were hoping for a well-crafted tale of ambition, power and palace intrigue, you'll probably be sound asleep mid-way through Episode 2.
The makers of toss like this should be made to watch I, Claudius on repeat.
Down Under (2016)
You'll either get it, or you won't.
Ten minutes into this movie, you're either going to get where the writer is going with this, or you'll be totally put off by it. The polarised reviews on this page are no coincidence. It's the darkest of black comedies which takes on a very sensitive subject and makes us look at some truths about ourselves as Australians (both new and old). That can make people pretty uncomfortable.
I actually really enjoyed it. The comedy is handled well, and if you're paying attention, you'll catch some excellent sight-gags peppered through the movie. But it's not just about the laughs. There is a serious message at the heart of Down Under, and it's delivered well by a deft script that doesn't pull its punches, and a gifted cast who can go from funny to horrifying and back.
Kudos to writer/director Abe Forsyth.