Television reviews – Unhealed Wound

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart– Planting Seeds of Power

Written by Diana Paul on September 10, 2023. Posted in Television reviews. 1 Comment

This seven-episode mini-series, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, is based upon Holly Ringland’s novel of the same name.ittle Alice Hart (Alyla Brown), a nine-year old girl, suffers a very violent set of family circumstances living in the outback of Australia. Her father is abusive , especially when Alice wants to feel somewhat safe around him. Always guarded, the mother she adores is almost an angel for the child’s living hell. When her parents die in a horrific fire, Alice finds her life changing dramatically when she is sent to live with her grandmother, June Hart (Sigourney...

Full Circle–Around and Around

Written by Diana Paul on August 28, 2023. Posted in Television reviews. Leave a Comment

The title, Full Circle, represents a belief in Guyana ritual and magic to break a family curse. Savitri Mahabir (CCH Pounder), a Guyana racketeer, has had a curse placed on her family, resulting in the murder of her beloved brother-in-law. Intent on breaking the curse, Mahabir creates a circle of vengeance–what comes around, goes around. Literally, she orders a retaliatory murder in Washington Square Park, in New York City. To break the curse Guyana traditions must be followed, requiring a circle for the crime to be drawn...

Paradise–Time is Money?

Written by Diana Paul on August 21, 2023. Posted in Television reviews. Leave a Comment

In Paradise, a German dystopian sci-fi thriller, Aeon has become a multi-billion dollar big-pharma conglomerate, founded by Olivia Theissen (Iris Berben) and her team of scientists. The biotech corporation has developed a revolutionary genetic tool that can reverse the aging process and presumably delay death. Donors of DNA, who are compatible with wealthy recipients, exchange years of their lives for money–lots of it. Time is the currency. And only the very rich can benefit from this age-defying technology. In...

Hijack–Unfriendly Skies?

Written by Diana Paul on August 11, 2023. Posted in Television reviews. Leave a Comment

In this seven-episode miniseries, released June 29, we see Sam Nelson (Idris Elba), a professional business consultant and expert negotiator, attempt to persuade four terrorists to peacefully land a Dubai-London flight. Each one-hour episode simulates an hour of the seven-hour flight. The panicky passengers, mostly from Dubai and Great Britain, are ill-suited for the required teamwork and unified strategy to overcome the terrorists. Sam, walking a tightrope between the passengers and hijackers, must convince the hijackers that passengers only want to see their families...

Trial by Fire–A Personal Ordeal

Written by Diana Paul on July 26, 2023. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews. Leave a Comment

Trial by Fire, based on the memoir written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, explores the lack of legal accountability and justice following the Uphaar fire in a Delhi movie theater in 1997. Fifty-nine people were killed, mostly families treating themselves to an afternoon at the movies. The Krishnamoorthy couple lose both of their teenage children in the tragic disaster. What follows is a first-hand look at the frustration of the victims investigating the Uphaar theater fire. Neelam organizes other victims’ families to advocate for a fair...

The Last Thing He Told Me—Things Unsaid

Written by Diana Paul on July 9, 2023. Posted in Television reviews. Leave a Comment

Based on the popular novel by Laura Dave, The Last Thing He Told Me is an Apple+ mini-series in eight episodes. It tells the story of Hannah, a newly married second wife (Jennifer Garner) and her teenage stepdaughter, Bailey (Angourie Rice), who go in search of the suddenly gone-missing husband and father, Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau- Jaime Lannister in “Game of Thrones”). The FBI suspects Owen of involvement in a high-tech Ponzi scheme. Owen leaves a two-word message for Hannah: “Protect her.” The problem: ...