Author: Diana Paul

“Van der Valk”– Going Dutch

Written by Diana Paul on October 5, 2020. Posted in Television reviews. 2 Comments on “Van der Valk”– Going Dutch

This quirky three-episode police procedural on Masterpiece Theater follows a sullen, street-smart Dutch detective, Piet Van der Valk (Marc Warner), who navigates the seedier side of lively Amsterdam. Each two-hour episode of Van der Valk involves a distinct crime that can be watched on its own. Solving convoluted crimes using astute human observation and inspired detection, Van der Valk is successful, in part, due to the support of Inspector Lucienne Hassell (Maimie McCoy) and rookie Officer Job Cloovers...

“Them That Follow”–Faith, Interrupted

Written by Diana Paul on September 28, 2020. Posted in Unhealed Wound. No Comments on “Them That Follow”–Faith, Interrupted

Them That Follow (2019) is an odd American indie thriller about an Appalachian, Pentecostal, Charismatic snake-handling Christian cult. A close-knit community with extremely strong beliefs, it exists on the far-fringe of mainstream society. This is the backdrop for a love story between the Pentecostal pastor’s daughter and a boy in the community who no longer is fervent in his faith. Mara Childs (newcomer Alice Englert) is a dutiful daughter, raised to believe that her faith unites the community in a holy...

“The Hater”–Social Media Run Amok

Written by Diana Paul on September 22, 2020. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. No Comments on “The Hater”–Social Media Run Amok

The Hater, a Polish thriller, captivates with its young nerd culture gone awry on social media. The movie is intelligent, never simplifying the internecine competition between the elite college professional and those who yearn for that life. The Hater reveals a cold, ruthless world of postmodern haves and have-nots. The online emotional vengeance and despair are palpable as the young computer hacker,Tomasz, wreaks havoc on those he most wants to replace. Channeling his sociopathic, obsessive behavior into a place designed to enhance...

“The Goldfinch”–Art and Loss

Written by Diana Paul on September 15, 2020. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews, Unhealed Wound. 1 Comment on “The Goldfinch”–Art and Loss

Goldfinch (2020), based upon Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, tells the story of a young boy, Theo ( the astonishing Oakes Fegley), who is walking through galleries with his beloved mother at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They gaze at a Dutch Master painting of a chained bird, the Goldfinch, when a terrorist bomb goes off. Theo’s mother dies and he escapes the rubble, clutching the 17th-century masterpiece and a dying man’s insistence that he take his ring. The little boy’s life...

“Belgravia”– Downton Abbey REDUX

Written by Diana Paul on September 7, 2020. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews. 1 Comment on “Belgravia”– Downton Abbey REDUX

Belgravia, based on “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes’ 2016 novel of the same name, opens two days before the Battle of Waterloo at an aristocratic ball. Two London families—the Earl (Tom Wilkinson) and Countess of Brockenhurst (Harriet Walter) and the up-and-coming merchants, Anne (Tamsin Greig) and Philip Trenchard (Philip Glenister), are uncomfortable in their brief interactions. There are insurmountable class differences and if that were not enough, the romance between the Brockenhursts’ son and...

“The Good Liar”–A Story Within a Story

Written by Diana Paul on August 31, 2020. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “The Good Liar”–A Story Within a Story

The Good Liar, a 2019 crime thriller, based on the titular novel by Nicholas Searle, is a cat-and-mouse plot featuring a septuagenarian wealthy widow, Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) and an octogenarian con artist Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen). They meet on a first date scheduled through a dating app for seniors. Roy obviously does not have good intentions and his motives are soon recognized as dishonorable by Betty’s grandson, Stephen (Russell Tovey), who grows increasingly suspicious and resentful. Betty, on the other hand, seems smitten. Will...