Year: 2021

“The Last Kingdom”–“Game of Thrones” meets “Vikings”

Written by Diana Paul on December 27, 2021. Posted in Television reviews. 1 Comment on “The Last Kingdom”–“Game of Thrones” meets “Vikings”

Based on The Saxon Stories novels by Bernard Cornwell, The Last Kingdom first premiered on BBC Two from 2015 to 2017, and on Netflix in 2018. Four seasons (with a fifth in production) cover four of the twelve Cornwell books in the series, loosely based upon the history of tribal and internecine warfare between various factions of Saxons and Danes (=Vikings). In the year 866 we see the protagonist–a Saxon aristocratic boy named Osbert –taken after his father and older brother are slain by Danes. Only his ruthless uncle survives and robs...

“Protégé”–Who’s the Student? Who’s the Teacher?

Written by Diana Paul on December 20, 2021. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “Protégé”–Who’s the Student? Who’s the Teacher?

The Protege (2021) is a throwback to the 90s action thrillers with one exception: a badass, beautiful assassin in the Nikita genre. (Maggie Q, who has played Nikita in a television series.) Anna Dutton (Maggie Q) is rescued as a little girl from the savagery of the Vietnam War by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel Jackson). Raised by him as her surrogate father, she is now an antiquity book store owner in London. Anna–in her secret life– is a fierce, highly skilled assassin who can find people who are hard to find–just as...

“Dopesick” (2021)–Lies Upon Lies

Written by Diana Paul on December 13, 2021. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews, Unhealed Wound. 2 Comments on “Dopesick” (2021)–Lies Upon Lies

Based on journalist Beth Macy’s book Dopesick, this Hulu eight-episode miniseries focuses on the early epicenter of the US’s struggle with the opioid addiction. Purdue Pharma, the Sackler mega-company that manufactured the deadly painkiller OxyContin, is the catalyst for an epic tragedy involving the duplicitous collusion with drug distributors, doctors, university researchers, and government agencies (Department of Justice, DEA, and FDA). Dopesick involves a series of characters impacted by OxyContin:. Finnix (Michael Keaton) a family physician in a small coal-mining...

“Chestnut Man”–A Nut Case

Written by Diana Paul on December 6, 2021. Posted in Television reviews. 2 Comments on “Chestnut Man”–A Nut Case

Chestnut Man, based on Søren Sveistrup’s 2018 novel, belongs to the many excellent Nordic Noir crime thrillers we can currently stream. The iconic formula is all there: violent and gruesome serial murders, a workaholic female detective, an initially ineffectual male partner, and a dark and ominous landscape. This is a story concerned with mangled corpses, haunting blood pools, and a weaponization of a childhood arts and crafts project. In the opening scene in 1987, a local sheriff walks into a barn in response to a call that some of the farmer’s cows have escaped. ...

Impeachment: American Crime Story

Written by Diana Paul on November 29, 2021. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews. 2 Comments on Impeachment: American Crime Story

We revisit former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment from the point of view of Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein of Booksmart). This Hulu mini-series begins with a naive twenty-two years old intern’s infatuation with a charismatic president. There are more than several awful and illegal actions taken against Monica: interrogation in a hotel room by the FBI without legal counsel present; threats by Bill Clinton’s staff; media “slut-shaming” for her testimony–all make Impeachment a compelling narrative presenting facts and corrupt behavior not...

“American Rust”(2021)–Corrosion and Decay

Written by Diana Paul on November 23, 2021. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews. 2 Comments on “American Rust”(2021)–Corrosion and Decay

American Rust is based on Philipp Meyer’s titular novel. This is a Showtime’s original series in which we watch police chief Del Harris (Jeff Daniels), struggle with his past. He is an Army combat veteran with PTSD, investigating the murder of a fellow police officer. Billy Poe, son of the woman he loves , Grace (Maura Tierney), is suspected of the murder. The camera, in the open scene, pans the waste and decay in Buell, Pennsylvania–a “flyover” town outside Pittsburgh. The residents and community are on the margins of life. Two...