Tag: Murder

Bloodline: Season 1 (Netflix)

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NOTE: This review contains MILD spoilers for the first season of Bloodline (Netflix).

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The leads: Kyle Chandler and Ben Mendelsohn (USA Today)

Blackmail, drugs, lies, and more…. it’s ALL in the family!  Who CAN’T relate to family drama?  We know that parents can play favorites, we have roles w/in our families, and some have a harder time than others as adults (though raised in the same environment).  Can we let go of long-held grudges?  How far would we go to protect what we built?  

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John Rayburn (Kyle Chandler) basks in his father’s praise at a family party.

I began watching this show w/o any prior knowledge, so had no expectations.  I saw one ad and knew that the parents were being played by GREAT actors (Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard).  I ended up getting REALLY into it after the first 3 eps (it’s NOT for the impatient viewer), and watched all 13 eps in one week.  (Season 2 will be out in 2016.) 

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Danny (Ben Mendelsohn) knows JUST how to win over his mom (Sissy Spacek)!

The tight-knit Rayburn family, headed by Sally (Spacek) and Robert (Shepard- still trim and striking at age 70), are respected/well-liked members of the community in a small beach town in the Florida Keys.  They run a lovely inn that is their pride and joy, aside from their grown children.  The second oldest son, John (Kyle Chandler- huskier than before but still handsome), is the sheriff w/ gorgeous wife Diana (Australian actress Jacinda Barrett) and two adorable teens (a boy and girl).  Another son, Kevin (noted Broadway actor Norbert Leo Butz), is fiercely protective of the little marina that he runs and deeply in love w/ his wife Bonnie.  The baby of the family is the also the only girl, Meg (Linda Cardellini from ER fame- looking better w/ age), a lawyer who helps her parents with their business.  Meg’s long-time boyfriend is Marco (Enrique Murciano from Without a Trace), a tall/handsome deputy working under John, and hailing from a big family of Cuban-Americans. What could upset their (seemingly) happy/ comfortable lives? 

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Danny at the bar- escaping from his family for a BIT.

Into this picturesque scene comes oldest brother Danny (Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn in a breakout role), the black sheep of the family.  All the sibs wonder why he has returned; Kevin doesn’t hide his disgust and disapproval.  Sally is overjoyed to have her firstborn home, especially when he takes an interest in the business (giving tours on the family boat, taking visitors fishing, and sharing his knowledge of the area in general).  It turns out that Danny has a way w/ kids.

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Father-son beer summit (Episode 4)

John, at first, is cautiously optimistic- he and Danny are very close in age and used to be tight as kids.  He is also wary, b/c Danny has been in trouble w/ the law before.  Robert is distant and cold, and it takes SOME time to figure out exactly why.  (There are innovative flashbacks and flash forward scenes which give us bits and pieces into the conflicts w/in the family.)

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Sally (Sissy Spacek), Meg (Linda Cardellini), and Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz) wait in the hospital.

Danny also gets close to his old/best friend, Eric O’Bannon (character actor Jamie McShane), who’s into making easy money.  Eric’s little sister, Chelsea (Chloe Sevigny- recently on The Mindy Project), begins to flirt w/ Danny- the guy she probably had a crush on as a young girl.  However, there is more to Eric’s schemes than what we first see.  (This is a thriller, NOT only a family drama.  There are some gruesome scenes that could be difficult for some viewers.)  I recommend this show to those of you who like to a good book, or those who want to get a sense like that from a series.  Is Danny a villain?  Or is he an antihero?  Well, he’s certainly a complex/mysterious guy!  I especially liked the scenes between Danny and John; the actors must’ve developed a LOT of chemistry before/during filming.  Character dramas are SO rare (in network TV), but I find them VERY appealing!         

Spoiler-Free Review: The Fall starring Gillian Anderson & Jamie Dornan

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Stella Gibson (Gillian Gibson) is a cop in a league of her own!
Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) is a cop in a league of her own!

This show is brilliant, and really made me look at American television women in such a new and terrible light. I had seen an episode of “The Mysteries of Laura” and I know that I am comparing apples and oranges, but was really struck by the childishness and immaturity of women in their 40’s often seen in American TV and the Fall, Happy Valley, Broadchurch (these British shows) are such contrast.

We women live in a world in which we constantly have to think about our safety not only from Spector as the stranger lurking in the bushes stalking us we work on a computer in our home, but also from Spectors- the personal lying, manipulating, abusing us as he did to his wife, neighbor, grief patient, etc.

Obviously, Anderson’s Stella is simply incredible. My second favorite actress on the show? Olivia. Girl is adorable and a straight up talented actress. 

–Various comments from Slate readers

Man f*cks woman. Subject: man; verb: f*cks; object: woman. That’s OK. Woman f*cks man. Woman: subject; man: object. That’s not so comfortable for you, is it?

The media loves to divide women into virgins and vamps, angels or whores. Let’s not encourage them.

 -Some of my fave lines (from Stella)

Do you love cop shows, but want something w/ a different perspective?  Do you love well-developed, multi-dimensional characters, especially strong women?  Then, you need to check out this psychological thriller (on Netflix) ASAP!  This show is NOT for everyone!  If SVU scares you, avoid this show.  The Fall contains some (troubling) images/scenes that will linger in your mind for days. 

Jim (John Lynch) & Stella have a complicated relationship.
Jim (John Lynch) & Stella have a complicated relationship.

Metropolitan Police Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) from London is flown to Belfast, Ireland (by a former colleague, ACC Jim Burns) to investigate why a certain murder case is taking longer than 28 days.  She dresses in silk blouses and black skirts (not like a man) using her brains AND beauty.  While Stella is going over routine paperwork and interviewing local detectives, a similar murder occurs.  The victim is a tall, brunette, professional single woman in her early 30s.  Rumors fly in the media that a serial killer is on the loose, and Stella springs into action. 

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Dr. Reed Smith (Archie Panjabi) & Stella share convo/drinks.

Archie Panjabi left ABC’s The Good Wife (which garnered her fame/awards) to play a supporting role on The Fall.  Yes, it’s THAT good!  Almost all of supporting characters are  quite strong, and we learn something about each as the eps go on.  There is eager/brave Officer Harrington, partners McNally and Martin, and the (female) victims, among others. 

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Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) takes a selfie.

As for that Fifty Shades guy, well, he’s a VERY fine actor, too (I was surprised to discover).  Jamie Dornan plays Paul Spector, loving family man by day, serial killer by night.  That’s NOT a spoiler- we know who the baddie is from the pilot ep!  Paul is a hubby, dad to two young kids (Olivia and Liam), and a bereavement counselor working w/ the government.  The viewer sees two sides of the story- very unusual in cop shows (Law & Order: Criminal Intent did that a bit).  Paul truly lives two lives, fooling people closest to him while carrying no guilt.  At one point, I was reminded of the monologues that Shakespeare wrote for his more compelling villains- Edmund, Iago, etc.  Those speeches (directed to the audience) makes viewers into (unwilling) co-conspirators.   

Spoiler-Free Review: Gone Girl (2014)

Emma4 Comments
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Ben Affleck (Nick) & Rosamund Pike (Amy) meet

Marriage is the main villain (as one film critic noted) in this diabolical film directed by David Fincher (Seven, The Social Network, House of Cards).  What goes on between two people within a marraige is a mystery to outsiders.  And individually, we can be a mystery to our loved ones. It’s not a date movie, though one ad mentioned those words.  I went to see this film during its opening weekend with a group of friends; the two who read the novel (by Gillian Flynn) said it was very close to the book.  One of my friend’s really liked Affleck’s low-key (almost a regular guy) performance, as did I.  I only read a few chapters before seeing the film, but it’s very good (Flynn has a way with today’s modern language and dark humor). 

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Nick wipes away some sugar from Amy’s lips

Fincher knows how to set the mood in his work- he succeeds well here, too.  The music, color palette, pacing- it all works together to keep the viewer interested.  One friend said that it really kept her attention, unlike many recent films.  Rosamund Pike (a Brit who had to gain and lose 15 lbs. twice for this role) gets to showcase her talents with her complex character.  Pike wasn’t well-known to US viewers, though I’d seen her in different films and series before (being an anglophile).   One friend commented: “Women can be crazy!” 

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Amy and Nick at a book launch party

The supporting cast (yes, even Tyler Perry) does a fine job.  There are a few scenes that will be difficult for more sensitive viewers, including one involving a large quantity of blood.  In a pivotal scene near the end, blood is used in a creative (metaphorical) way.  In the middle of this film, I remember thinking to myself that I was glad to be single! 

Thoughts on New Series Premieres

Emma1 Comment

Black-ish (ABC, WED, 9:30PM EST)

blackish-sitcom-airs-2014-fallYes, the title of this comedy is a bit odd, but it presents real-world issues in a humorous matter.  I checked out this show because Laurence Fishburne plays the granddad!  New VP of marketing at a predominantly white advertising firm, Andre Johnson (a trimmed down Anthony Anderson), worries about his four young kids not knowing much about their black heritage.  His biracial surgeon wife, Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), thinks he’s overreacting- they’ve worked hard for their comfy suburban LA life.  Their oldest son, Andre Jr., wants to have a bar mitzvah (like his Jewish pals) and is chosen for the field hockey team at school (not basketball, as his dad hoped). 

This new show has received mixed reviews, but I think it has potential.  It’s been a long time since The Cosby Show and it’s spinoff A Different World, two successful comedies that presented middle-class black American life and eclectic, interesting, and well-developed characters.  Fans of Girlfriends will be happy to see Ellis Ross in a different role, though still capable and smart like Joan.  The child actors, especially the twin boy and girl, are very cute and come off as natural.  The issues are easy to relate to if you have a foot in two worlds.  My favorite line: “We’re black, not African.  Africans don’t even like us.”  Fishburne’s character says this while Andre and Jr. are attempting to perform an African rites of passage ritual.

How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, THURS, 10PM EST)

davis_aA lot was written about this new Shonda Rimes’ series before it even ran; she’s not the creator, but is producing. Rimes has proven that she can bring in viewers, including women and minorities of all types, with Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal (which has many fans livetweeting each Thursday night).  Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) is a practicing defense attorney and professor at a fictional law school in Philly.  She’s a multi-faceted, complicated character- this attracted Davis to TV.  I’ve seen her on Broadway- in person, she’s a lean dynamo that “can play any role,” as that old song says.

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There are plenty of twists and turns in the pilot, but I wasn’t as impressed as I’d hoped.  Fans of Matt McGorry (Orange is the New Black) were probably wanting more from his character.  Maybe later on?  Wes (Alfred Enoch, a Brit) is the POV character- I liked his wide-eyed innocence.  Check it out for yourself and decide!  Oh, and don’t forget to check out #notclassicallybeautiful hashtag on Twitter.

Red Band Society (FOX, WED, 8PM EST)

Red_Band_Society_a_lThis drama stars several fresh-faced newcomers (teens) and Octavia Spencer, who co-starred with Davis in The Help.  Spencer plays an experienced nurse working with kids who have potentially terminal diseases. These kids are have little in common, aside from the fact that they have to live in the hospital (because they need around-the-clock monitoring).  It’s not like any other show starring teens out there- a big plus in my mind.  There is a spiritual element to the show, centered on young boy in a coma.  I’m not sure if I’ll keep watching- I felt teary-eyed three times watching the pilot!

Selfie (ABC, TUES, 8PM EST)

selfieWhat an annoying title!  Honestly, I tuned in solely for John Cho (who many know from the Harold and Kumar movies).  It started out weak, but I liked the scenes in the second half of the comedy (including a poem and song).  Cho plays Henry Higgs, a marketing guru/loner, who is asked by his self-absorbed 20-something co-worker, Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan, a Scot), to revamp her image after a embarrassing (online/viral) incident.  Yes, those names are from My Fair Lady, which is the inspiration for this series.  Henry, not unlike Eliza, has difficulty connecting to people- she hides behind her cell; he hides behind his work/professional demeanor.  I hope this show gets better and finds an audience!  Favorite line: “Being friended isn’t the same as having friends.”