New Legal thriller Your Honor stars Bryan Cranston as a respected judge whose son is involved in a hit-and-run accident that leads to a high-stakes game of lies, deceit and impossible choices.
Hope Davis, Sofia Black-D’Elia and Isiah Whitlock Jr. are among the key cast.
I wonder if I’ll enjoy this more than I did Breaking Bad. One other relatively new crime/thriller that Your Honor brings to mind is the very highly rated and good Ozark.
Tony Curran, Hunter Doohan, Lilli Kay, Michael Stuhlbarg, Brittney Tamberg, Jock McKissic, David Maldonado, Keith Machekanyanga and Garrett Kruithof also star.
Is Ratched, Ryan Murphy’s latest crime/drama/mystery starring Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock and Sharon Stone good? I wouldn’t say no. Is it also well-acted, features some great dialogue and is visually pleasing because of the colour-rich cinematography and costume design? Yes. So, with all that said, why did I find it to be a tad taxing to watch this eight-episode mini-series through to the very end?
It certainly didn’t help that the show annoyed me almost immediately. All thanks to the overly dramatic music which persisted throughout episode one. I found no need for the music to be as loud and constant as it was. Luckily, the episodes that followed aren’t as overtaken by the music.
Ratched, the story of Mildred Ratched, a nurse at a mental institution who becomes jaded, bitter and monstrous to her patients opens quite well with some dark happenings. Besides Paulson’s performance and the great dialogue we get to enjoy as soon as we meet Ratched in episode one, I liked Finn Wittrock’s turn as the definitely disturbed Edmund Tolleson.
Ratched (2020), Sharon Stone, Netflix
The whole cast performs very well but it’s Wittrock, Paulson and Sophie Okonedo’s performances that stood out most for me. The latter, particularly in the very last episode. Episodes two to eight contain some twists, turns and more monstrous happenings; some of which you may or may not see coming.
The main reason I’m not overly enthused by Ratched is because the series is the kind that features plenty of scheming, secrets and lies. The kind of scheming, secrets and lies that took me back to the likes of Desperate Housewives, a show I enjoyed mind you. Yet, with Ratched, even though the setting is different, I think I may have fully exhausted my enthusiasm for such stories. That is unless there’s something delightfully different and or the story doesn’t feel rushed which Ratched does, in parts.
In the end, The only reason I stuck with Ratched is to find out how it would end. I think the story will be a lot more impressive if you haven’t seen much out there like it before. As for the ending, I didn’t love it because I wanted a far cleaner conclusion; one with some finality to it. Still, I say give Ratched a chance if you’re curious. There are certainly some highlights to enjoy, even though most of the characters, especially Ratched are not so easily likeable.
Enola Holmes, a drama/mystery about the teenage sister of famous detective Sherlock Holmes is not a terrible film.
Focused on Enola’s search for her newly missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter), which then leads to the teenager becoming a super-sleuth in her own right, Millie Bobby Brown is great in the lead role.
Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin as Enola’s big brothers Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes are also quite entertaining to watch; as are the moments of fun dialogue. Yet, overall, it’s really during the first two or three action sequences that I had the most fun.
Director Harry Bradbeer’s movie is quite engaging at first. It’s just that once the film’s first action sequence had taken place, I found myself disappointed because, not too long afterwards, my engagement started to drift, only to peak again during other physical scenes.
A young woman’s journey to choosing her path in life, regardless of pressures from many around her is what Enola Holmes is really about. I generally enjoy stories like these. Neverthless, even though there are moments in this movie that I’ll remember fondly, the story edit and pacing didn’t leave me as content with the finished product as anticipated.
Watch Enola Holmes if you’re curious. It is quite charming and Sam Claflin is great at playing unlikably cantankerous aristocrats. If you’ve seen him in The Riot Club (2014), you understand.
Starring Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and John Malkovich; Ava is one of those films I watched to the very end for three reasons. Firstly because it’s Chastain, Farrell and Malkovich. Second, even though I wouldn’t call AVA good, I hoped to find something I’d like about it. Lastly, Each quarter managed to do just enough to hook me so I’d stay curious enough to want to find out how the next moments would unfold.
Directed by Tate Taylor; Chastain is Ava, a deadly assassin who works for a black ops organisation. While abroad on a high profile hit, things don’t go according to plan and soon our protagonist finds herself a target.
The main issue I found with Taylor’s film is the hugely underdeveloped story and dialogue. There are unfortunately next to zero impressively smart, surprising elements in Ava. A reality that made the movie feel like one of the most ‘basic’ action movies I’ve ever seen.
Even though the three leads can certainly act, none of it proved enough to save Ava. Everyone did the best they could with both the script and stunt direction. Yet, sadly, the action sequences much like the rest of the movie offer minimal delights.
The parts I did enjoy most are the last interactions between Malkovich and Farrell’s characters. It was also great to watch Farrell use his natural Irish accent in a movie again. The last time I saw him do that was inIn Bruges (2008).
If you’re extremely curious about Ava, do what you must. Otherwise, maybe watch Atomic Blonde (2017) instead.
Let Him Go (2020), Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Focus Features
Based on the novel by Larry Watson; New crime/thriller Let Him Go stars Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as a retired sheriff and his wife. Both are grieving the death of their son and set out to find their only grandson.
Co-written and directed by Thomas Bezucha; additional key cast includes Lesley Manville, Kayli Carter, Booboo Stewart…
This one’s going to be intense but I have to see it because of the brilliant cast.
Jeffrey Donovan, Will Brittain, Ryan Bruce, Adam Stafford, Bradley Stryker, Tayden Marks, Caillou Pettis, Connor Mackay and Greg Lawson also star.
Enola Holmes, the teen sister of the famous Sherlock Holmes is the focus of the latest crime/mystery/drama starring Henry Cavill, Millie Bobby Brown, Helena Bonham Carter and Sam Claflin.
Directed by Harry Bradbeer; Enola sets off to find her newly missing mother and in the process becomes a super-sleuth in her own right.
First of all, am I the only one who had no idea that Mr. Holmes had a sister?
I’m definitely watching this one to learn more about Enola and to see the Cavill/Claflin on screen chemistry play out.
Also, I’ve never watched Stranger Things on Netflix so this will be my first Bobby Brown movie. Lastly, as a long time fan of Bonham-Carter’s quirkiness in general, this should be fun.
Fiona Shaw, Adeel Akhtar, Frances de la Tour, Louis Partridge, Susan Wokoma, Burn Gorman and Jay Simpson also star.
The Batman (2020), Robert Pattinson, Warner Bros. Pictures
Eight years have passed since Christian Bale finished his stint as Batman, the caped crusader. It’s been decided that the time has come for another reimagining.
Directed by Matt Reeves The Batman stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell…
I didn’t feel very much the first time I saw this trailer but it’s grown on me. Now I love the music, appreciate the red title artwork towards the end and I look forward to Pattinson doing a good job.
It definitely should be interesting and not just because Bruce Wayne appears to be into the goth look. I say this while knowing very little about goths by the way. So any actual goths, kindly forgive me.
Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, Peter Sarsgaard, John Turturro, Con O’Neill, Max Carver, Charlie Carver, Alex Ferns, Amy Clare Beales, Jimmy Star and Mark Killeen also star.
Death on the Nile (2020), Gal Gadot, 20th Century Studios
Following Murder on the Orient Express (2017), a new murder mystery movie directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh is here. Gal Gadot, Russell Brand, Armie Hammer and Rose Leslie are among the key cast.
Death on the Nile has Hercule Poirot (Branagh) investigating the murder of a young heiress while, while he’s on vacation on the river Nile.
I still need to watch Murder on the Orient Express. I’m a little intrigued by this new story but in truth, I’m mostly interested in the style and elegance on that boat.
Tom Bateman, Adam Garcia, Jennifer Saunders, Letitia Wright, Sophie Okonedo, Annette Bening, Emma Mackey, Dawn French, Nikkita Chadha and Ali Fazal also star.
