Presumed Innocent (TV series, 2024)

Presumed Innocent

Watched 2024.

Most murder mysteries can kill the victim, run the trial of the flawed but innocent character, and reveal the unsuspected killer, all in an hour or two. But this show uses 8 half-hour episodes. The actions of all the characters are extreme, the violence is extreme, and the marital betrayal is extreme. The only normal character is the unsuspected killer. I found the final reveal unsatisfying. The killer simply was not presented as someone who could track down the eventual victim ("just to talk"), snap, and beat the victim with a fireplace poker. Also, the copycat staging at the murder scene had to have been devised and accomplished within minutes, which seems unrealistic.

There should have been an outtake of a family celebration of the outcome where the lawyer shows up with a bill for a bazillion dollars which drives them into poverty. Ha ha ha.

Napoleon (movie, 2023)

Napoleon director's cut

I wanted to like this more. It is a grand epic with fantastic technical details of 19th century battles and the horrors of war.

But the drama is pretty boring. Maybe this is unfair because I watched the 3 1/2 hour director's cut. I was curious about the obsessive love Napoleon had for Josephine, but she was not a nice person. There is a brief scene near the end where we hear why Nap's love letters are so well known to this day.

This movie should have been an exploration of the romance with interspersed battles, but instead it was an exploration of Napoleon's hunger for power interspersed with an inexplicable romance.

7 Days in Hell (movie, 2015)

7 Days in Hell

Very funny in spots, but needlessly pornographic, and the pornographic bits aren't funny.

Midnight Diner (movie, 2019)

Midnight Diner

Watched 2024.

Takes place in Shanghai, unlike the original series which takes place in Japan. The format is similar, and I liked the extra focus on the cooking. But the diner seemed to be open all the time, night and day. There were no memorable stories or characters. There is no indication that the setting was a Communist country. Sexist.

Dune: Part 2 (movie, 2024)

Dune: Part 2

Watched 2024.

Wow, this is one of the most boring movies of all time. Chalamet and Zendaya are OK as actors when the scene is dark (which is most of the movie), but once they are in the light, they look like middle school kids. It is practically impossible to tell one reverend mother from another. The best moment of the movie was when "Paul" tells one of the rev moms to shut up.

Vicar of Dibley: The Immaculate Collection (TV series, 1994-2020)

The Vicar of Dibley: The Immaculate Collection

Watched 2010-ish.

Lots of funny moments in each episode, with quirky (sometimes unrealistic) characters. Lots of racy humor and 1990s British pop culture references. Active churchgoers will find good church humor, and an occasional jab at the politics of the Church of England.

It is unclear why IMDB says this ran until 2020. Maybe there was a reunion episode or something like that.

UFO (TV series, 1970-71)

UFO

Watched reruns during the 1970s, then the full series in the 2000s.

Episode 1 showed great promise. 2-6 are OK, but many sloppy plot devices. Like, Straker complaining about security, but all locks are easily picked with a paper clip. The writers want to show the advances in race relations of the '60s, but women are treated like dirt. Still, there are some cool glimpses of the future from the eyes of the '60s, and it's so much fun to watch sci-fi TV without the Sci-Fi network's constant commercials. Final half of season 1 (there is only one season) was disappointing. 26 episodes in all. I was 12 in 1970, and all those short skirts are a schoolboy's dream.