Only Murders In The Building: Season III Overview

Summary

The murders continue as the dynamic frays

You can have too much of a good thing, that simply is a fact.

The first two seasons of this show were good if not great, and did a lot for all involved whereas this season instead gave of the idea that the series was running out of ideas. It was not helped by the fact that a theme of this season was separation and the gang moving in different directions each of which feel a little too familiar. The show doesn’t seem to understand how to write solo stories for their central trio without them ending up in a relationship as all did here. I have no issue with Gomez or Short’s characters relationships as I thought they were well done and the two characters played off well with each other, but Steve Martin’s characters relationship storyline made no sense and was just ill fitting.

The mystery of the season is okay and it isn’t immediately obvious though I would say you can see it from the midpoint. Broadly, I would say the highlight of the season is Meryl Streep as she is easily the most compelling new character.

Overall, there shouldn’t be a season four.

2/5

Pros.

Streep

The new romances, bar Martin’s

Cons.

Its repetitive

It feels like it’s run out of steam

It wastes the talents of Ashley Park

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A Haunting In Venice: A Macabre Puppet Show

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Poirot, played by Kenneth Branagh, is back this time to face off against the paranormal.

I think this film was a much needed return to form after Death On The Nile or as I call it Gal Gadot’s vanity project. The decision to forgo some of Christie’s other better known works and to pivot into the supernatural was a strong way to make this film feel fresh. As an ardent fan of horror I thought that the scares here were actually quite good and worked.

I liked the friendship between Poirot and Tina Fey’s character, Poirot is at his best when he has someone to work off and is part of a duo, that was what worked so well in the first film. It was sad to see that in the end Fey was a baddy and had to go away but I would quite like to see Poirot have an assistant, ward or mentee in the next film.

The mystery itself was okay, it was better than Death On The Nile where it was painfully obvious early on what was going on, but I would still say it was not as good as the first film. The fact that they are all being poisoned and that explains away the spooks is fairly obvious from the jump, but the reveal about who was the murderer was better concealed until the end of the film.

Overall, a return to form.

3.5/5

Pros.

The horror aspects

The cinematography

The cast

The gothic feel

Cons.

The mystery is so so

Having Fey turn out to be a villain

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From: Season One Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A large group of people find themselves trapped in a town they can’t escape from wherein they are hunted every night by a group of monsters.

In many ways you can see how this show was from some of the producers and creative voices behind Lost, asthey have very similar mystery/supernatural aspects to them. However, where this show is much better than Lost is the fact that it knows how to use its tension and usually progresses things at quite a nice pace. Every time the monsters show up, which is in most episodes, the show becomes fantastic and is electric to watch with the threat and the terror being palpable.

Conversely, whenever the show slows down and focuses more on the characters or their drama the show can drag. Now for the most part this drag is a rare occurrence and the character drama is kept to a minimum, but with the largest cast of characters it is inevitable. Speaking off the cast is a deeply mixed bag, some do a terrific job and really can be counted on as reliable pillars of the show, whereas others seem only there to broaden out the show’s potential viewership figures.

Overall, well worth a watch, but with a few issues that hold it back from being the next big tv show.

3.5/5

Pros.

The monsters and the horror aspects

The mystery

The season ending

For the most part great tension and pacing

Cons.

At times the show slows down for character drama and this hurts it

Some of the characters serve no purpose

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Murder Mystery 2: Adam Sandler’s Latest Holiday

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Adam Sandler goes on another holiday on Netflix’s dime.

As far as Sandler fare goes this is fairly passable. Whilst it is not his best film it certainly isn’t his worst either and as it stands it is quite a nice film to turn your brain off to and just space out. In a sense you could view it as the peak of escapism.

Sandler himself is toned down here, and whilst he does get into some whacky situations he is not as mean spirted as he is in some of his projects. I would dare say the earnestness of Jennifer Aniston’s performance works wonders to make Sandler more likeable. Aniston has great comedic timing here and her scenes where she is shooting people and is unexpectedly a great shot and is murdering people left right and centre by accident is actually funny.

In terms of the plot it is another convoluted mystery, but you aren’t here for that, no you just want to see Adam Sandler be Adam Sandler and the film gets that as it offers a plot that wraps up in a ridiculous way that makes little sense and doesn’t try to do anything else because it knows you don’t care.

Overall, a fun film to mindlessly watch, not much of an advance on that really.

3/5

Pros.

Aniston and her murdering skills

It does have some funny moments

It is very easy to watch

Cons.

The plot is convoluted

It feels very low energy

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The Boston Strangler: Boston Has Never Looked So Washed Out And Grey

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The story of the Boston Strangler is rebirthed yet again to fit within the modern fad of true crime.

This film is serviceable, that is probably as much of a pro as I am going to give it. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with it, but if you view this alongside films like From Hell or Fincher’s Zodiac then you will see where it falls down.

Keira Knightley does all she can to save this film and her American accent is a thing to behold all its own, but it simply isn’t enough. The film takes what could be quite an interesting true crime story and drags it out and pads it until it is boring and you have long since stopped caring.

The film tries to address the sexism of the period, which we would all just assume is rampant anyway, but again doesn’t go anywhere with it beyond the standard, it was bad back then narrative. Although you can understand why the film does it, the more time it takes out to show us the homelife of Knightley’s character the more you tune out as people are hear for the grizzly crimes and the murder investigation not to learn more about Knightley’s characters strained relationship with her mother.

Overall, a crime thriller without any real bite. Bland at best.

2.5/5

Pros.

Knightley is trying her best

It has some good chills

When it is showing the actual investigation it is interesting

Cons.

Too much filler and padding

Brutal pacing issues

A wasted supporting cast

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Marlowe: Neeson Appears In The Golden Age Of Hollywood, The Every-man As Ever

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Liam Neeson does his best Humphrey Bogart impression

I feel that as a long time Neeson fan I will be kinder to this film than a lot of people but even for me it never really gets beyond passively watchable. It is fine.

The truth of the matter is you have seen this film countless times before and there is nothing new or exciting being put forward here for you to be interested in. The mystery is entirely predictable and goes on exactly as you would expect. Moreover, something I thought was odd was the fairly light and fluffy tone this film has when compared to other Neo-Noir film, and yes some dark things do happen but by and large this film is almost goofy, having Neeson able to knock people out in one punch.

The films cast is impressive, there are a number of well-known faces who come to call. However, none of them are really given enough to do to elevate them beyond a glorified cameo, but hey everybody has to eat and they probably just came along for the paycheck.

Overall, you will get something out of this if like me generic Liam Neeson action films are comfort viewing and you can almost always get some kind of corny enjoyment out of. However, if you want a serious Neo-Noir film that is good in its own right then look elsewhere.

2.5/5

Pros.

It is watchable

It has a goofy charm

Neeson is always excellent

Cons.

It is generic

It is incredibly predictable

It wastes its supporting cast

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Servant: Series Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The Turners, played by Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell, have their lives turned upside down when a nanny, played by Nell Tiger Free, turns up on their doorstep and performs the impossible.

This will be a review of the entire 4 season run of the show as it is intended as a series overview.

There was a time when I couldn’t stop watching this show and watched the first few seasons back to back over a number of days, the supernatural mystery and not being able to guess what would happen next kept me on my toes and kept this show as being a must watch. The chemistry between the cast was really quite hard to look away from and I don’t think there was a single bad performance in the show’s whole run, additionally it may be this series that saved the career of Rupert Grint, Ron from Harry Potter.

However, then came the final series and the cracks began to show in a massive way. An argument could be made that if the show had stopped after season 3 it would have been much better, as the final series didn’t seem to know how it wanted to end things and this then resulted in a deeply disappointing finale that felt frankly like a cop out, with character behaving in ways that made no sense to how they had been previously.

The central question of the show was, who is Leanne, played by Free, what is she and ultimately will she win. Over the course of the show these questions had been given slight answers but never anything concreate and the final series tried to address them more but ended up ruining the character. It made no sense for Leanne who was embracing her cult leader status just a few episodes earlier to set herself ablaze in the final episode, it reeked of convenient writing to me.

Overall, the high score I have given this show reflect how good it was in the earlier seasons, if the last season hadn’t ruined the character of Leanne and missteped so badly on the ending then it may even have gotten higher.

3.5/5

Pros.

The chemistry

The mystery

The supernatural tease

The world

Cons.

The answers we got made no sense

The series ruined itself by the end

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The Pale Blue Eye: Satan Riding Large In Rural New York

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A man, played by Christian Bale, investigating a string of grisly murders finds unlikely assistance from a young Edgar Allen Poe, played by Harry Melling.

There is plenty to enjoy about this gothic mystery film though I don’t think anyone would call it perfect by any means either. The atmosphere and central two lead performances certainly create an engaging world, and Bale as always delivers masterfully, however it is with the mystery that things begin to come unstuck.

The mystery itself is not bad, I didn’t see it coming and the twist did feel satisfying at the time it was revealed, however, since then the twist has started to feel far too familiar it is a twist common to this sort of film and narrative and though it does work within the context of the film I criticise it for its over familiarity.

Moreover, I think as with many films the greatest thing going against this picture is its pacing which is nothing short of abominable. The film feels very exciting in the first and third acts but the second feels like an incredibly long slog and becomes more of an endurance test than anything else. Though I will say you should stick it out as the third act is quite lively.

Overall, the cast, atmosphere and mystery do bring something special to this film, however, the familiarity of the twist and the awful pacing make it a taxing watch.

3/5

Pros.

Bale and Melling

The atmosphere

The mystery

Cons.

Though the twist works it feels far too overly familiar and lazy

The pacing is simply awful

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Glass Onion, A Knives Out Mystery: Returning To Excess

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, goes to a private island to investigate a murder yet to come.

Whilst I still think this film is good, it pales in comparison to the first, not hugely, but certainly to a noticeable degree.

The writing is still sharp and the comedy and commentary is still very much on point, I laughed quite a few times during the film and thought that it had a number of insightful points about modern society.

Moreover, the vistas and the locations are still incredible to look at, and the film does present itself as the child of an Agatha Christie book and the excesses of the modern age.

However, outside of the comedy and the beautiful scenery is where the cracks start to immerge, and the hollowness begins to reveal itself more and more. This hollowness can best be seen in the performances, which do greatly lag behind the first film in that the ensemble never really comes together as well as feeling like each actor is playing a cliché or archetype rather than a real person. It feels like a group of actors acting rather than real characters interacting. The weakest member of the cast is probably Jenelle Monae who struggles to emote and gives an incredibly hammy accent turn midway through the film that simply isn’t believable at all, but this is why often musicians don’t make good actors.

Lastly, the runtime is an issue. At the two and a half hour mark the film quickly starts to develop pacing issues in act one and these get worse as the film progresses, there are many needless asides, flashbacks and so forth which whilst interesting to a degree in flushing out the world these characters inhabit, never really need to be.

Overall, still good but in some ways a little disappointing.

3/5

Pros.

The location

The comedy

Craig

Cons

The pacing issues and unsatisfying nature of the ending

The acting is frequently poor

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The Eternal Daughter: You Can Guess The Twist Just From The Title Of The Film

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A mother and daughter, both played by Tilda Swinton, head to an old manor house that has familial significance to both of them and slowly mysteries begin to unravel and things plunge towards the gothic.

I was very disappointed by this film. From the trailer I was expecting a classic British ghost story, with maybe a few modern twists thrown in to update things, however, what I got instead was a suitably creepy film that then delivers one of the most obvious twists used far too frequently within horror cinema which then puts the kiss of death on any hopes of the film being good. The twist, which is that the mother is actually dead and the whole time she and the daughter are interacting it is only in the daughter’s head is incredibly obvious and I could have guessed it from the title alone, I was hoping the film wouldn’t go in that direction and would instead do something more clever and creepy but clearly that was too much to ask for.

It is a shame as the film boasts quite a creepy atmosphere for most of its runtime that does deliver some unsettling moments and leaves a lot of unanswered questions to go over after the film ends, both of which are why this film hasn’t scored lower.

To briefly comment on performance, Tilda Swinton is very capable as usual, but I would say she is hamming things up just a little too much at times here and there are moments wherein you could claim she is overacting.

Overall, a sore disappointment.

2/5

Pros.

The creepy atmosphere

The unanswered questions

Cons.

The twists is incredibly obvious

Swinton goes a little too hammy in her performances

Pacing issues

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