Month: July 2018

“Three Identical Strangers”–Triplets and Eugenics

Written by diana on July 29, 2018. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “Three Identical Strangers”–Triplets and Eugenics

Three Identical Strangers raises difficult questions about how a 1950’s and 60’s psychological study was never made public, even to this day. Much of the data and conclusions remain unclear. In this study by respected psychologist Peter Neubauer, unsuspecting subjects were parents and their adopted sons who were systematically...

La Mante–The Praying Mantis

Written by diana on July 24, 2018. Posted in movie reviews. 4 Comments on La Mante–The Praying Mantis

This must-see French suspense thriller focuses on an imprisoned female serial killer, recruited to help solve a string of copycat murders, but only if her son, Damien, now a policeman, works with her on the case. The mother is nicknamed “La Mante”, the praying mantis. First, it may be helpful to understand the biological nature...

Babylon Berlin–The Fragility of Democracy

Written by diana on July 16, 2018. Posted in Television reviews. 2 Comments on Babylon Berlin–The Fragility of Democracy

Adapted from the best-selling detective novels by the German author Volker Kutscher, the highly praised Babylon Berlin begins less than ten years after the Treaty of Versailles. Germany is in turmoil. (Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party would come to power in 1933.) Set in the golden ’20s (1926-1929), Berlin is not so golden for everyone....

Marcella –Battling Inner Demons

Written by diana on July 10, 2018. Posted in Television reviews. 1 Comment on Marcella –Battling Inner Demons

Promoted as a Scandinavian noir detective series on the streets of Britain, Marcella is written and directed and produced by Swedish screenwriter Hans Rosenfeldt, creator of The Bridge. Two seasons on Netflix, Marcella delves into the psychology of a deeply troubled London detective. In Season One Marcella Backland (Anna Friel)...

“Man in an Orange Shirt”–Thwarted Love

Written by diana on July 2, 2018. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on “Man in an Orange Shirt”–Thwarted Love

Man in an Orange Shirt, commissioned by BBC to celebrate the 50th anniversary of partial decriminalization of homosexuality in 1967, depicts with a modicum of success two love stories spanning seventy years. The first between two gay men hiding their passion and the second involving a duplicitous marriage of one-sided passion. Scripted...