Year: 2020

“Blow the Man Down”–Maine Down Under

Written by Diana Paul on April 19, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on “Blow the Man Down”–Maine Down Under

Premiering at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, Blow the Man Down is a film debut by writer-directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy. It opens in Easter Cove, a small parochial fishing village along the coast of Maine, in a somewhat clichéd but contemporary riff on “Murder She Wrote”. We see a history of covering up secrets by the small town’s residents. And we listen to a chorus of fishermen sing “blow the man down” –referring to the shoving of a man to the bottom of a boat, either accidentally or on purpose. ...

Last Days of Vietnam– The Best and Worst of Us

Written by Diana Paul on April 14, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on Last Days of Vietnam– The Best and Worst of Us

Last Days of Vietnam (2015), a PBS documentary in the American Experience television series, is produced and directed by Rory Kennedy, and was a 2015 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature. Forty-five years ago–on April 29, 1975-the US war ceased in South Vietnam. As North Vietnamese army tanks and troops moved into Saigon, the US ambassador fiercely resisted an evacuation. But a large number of U.S. diplomats and military operatives argued for an orderly withdrawal. With no congressional support, the White House ordered American...

“Ozark” (Season 3): Narcos in Missouri

Written by Diana Paul on April 6, 2020. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews. 1 Comment on “Ozark” (Season 3): Narcos in Missouri

Ozark has set itself apart as one of Netflix’s most popular original series, and this season, in my humble opinion, is the best. (See my reviews of Season 1 -September 2017) and Season 2-October 2018) In this third season, Ozark has book-ended the journey that began with Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) inventing a plan to launder the Navarro cartel’s drug money in the Ozarks and evolves into the journey of Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) inventing a plan to create legitimate businesses. The Byrdes have finally broken bad. In Season One Wendy Byrde is primarily...

“Valhalla Murders”—The House of the Dead

Written by Diana Paul on March 30, 2020. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews. 2 Comments on “Valhalla Murders”—The House of the Dead

Kudos to Netflix for another great Nordic noir production. In this eight-episode series, Netflix’s first Icelandic co-production, we have a crime thriller about a gruesome serial killer whose murders go back over thirty-five years. Valhalla Murders is actually based upon a series of murders that took place in Reykjavik. There is some uneven pacing, but it is over shadowed by the unexpected twists and turns of this Nordic murder mystery. In the opening scene the main character, Detective Kata, is severely wounded and on the verge of death. Immediately Valhalla Murders flashes...

The Stranger–or Estranged

Written by Diana Paul on March 25, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on The Stranger–or Estranged

Another series to binge during this C-virus pandemic is Netflix’s The Stranger. Produced by Harlan Coben and based on his novel of the same name, this newly released British series opens with a teenage drug fest complete with bonfire and more than a few hints of mayhem. Part mystery, but most of all, family drama especially between fathers and their children, The Stranger quickly turns seemingly content lives into ones festering with secrets. Adam Price (Richard Armitage), one of several main and deeply flawed characters, is approached by a beautiful stranger (Hannah...

“Earthquake Bird”—An Unpredictable Flight

Written by Diana Paul on March 15, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on “Earthquake Bird”—An Unpredictable Flight

Based on the titular novel by Susanna Jones, Earthquake Bird was released in November 2019. A psychological thriller with film noir features reminding this viewer of Alfred Hitchcock, Earthquake Bird is all about guilt and the insidious nature and burden of carrying it. More slow-paced with a scene or two reminiscent of Memento, this film captures the day-to-day life of guilt and jealousy, pulling back the curtain on what damage and unpredictability can do. In 1989 an American woman is discovered dismembered in Tokyo. Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander), a Swedish...