hogscape Reviews

Perry Mason (2020–2023)

TV has rarely been better

[10/10 · 4 October 2020]

What's to say? A truly brilliant, complex and satisfying story, outstanding performances by all concerned. The writing is excellent delivering detailed characters with backstories delivered in a scene or two as you might find in some detective novels.

This is one of a very few shows where both my wife and I have not spoken a single word while it was on - but after an episode finished we started discussing the events.

Warrior Nun (2020–2022)

Worst possible title for a TV show

[8/10 · 14 July 2020]

Well, the title really put me off but a friend recommended it to me so I gave it a go. Suddenly I've binged 8 episodes.

This is a solid series with good dialogue, characters that are shades of grey rather than good or bad, some great action scenes and a really engaging star.

The story is deeper than I expected with its fair share of twists and turns.

Maybe, maybe, you could draw some comparisons with Buffy but this tale is more mature. I was a Buffy fan by the way.

What's not to like. :-)

Code 8 (2019)

Grim and Gritty

[7/10 · 16 April 2020]

I think a few reviewers might have been disappointed that this wasn't the kind of vibe you'd normally associate with the Super Hero genre.

This is well made, scripted and acted with a dark, dystopian near-alternate future as its background.

If you're looking for a darker approach with a little moral ambiguity you might enjoy this more than you expected to. Think "crime thriller" rather than supers.

The Outsider (2020)

Outsider Outstanding

[10/10 · 28 January 2020]

I'm up to episode 4 and very keen for 5. This is a well-pace, written and acted high quality show.

Its low-key approach serves to build the tension nicely and direction is superb. How often do you see TV these days where some of the grim scenes play out off-camera, sometimes it's more effective that way. It's definitely a show for grown-ups.

The only downside? Mendo has gone all "method" he portrays his character with a deep mumbling voice, on top of that he sounds like he's perpetually got a mouth-full of saliva. Or marbles. Sometimes it's a struggle to catch his dialogue. grrr.

Goliath (2016–2021)

First two seasons...amazing. Then along came season three.

[6/10 · 13 October 2019]

Oh dear. I loved season one. Season two was astonishingly good. I managed to struggle through one episode of season three and it was hard-going. Sadly, the gritty, realistic, edgy stories of the high and lowest of life turned into Twin Peaks. WTF. Season one was an eight. Season two a nine. Season three would be a one but because I've only seen the first episode I have to give the whole things a six. My tip - stop at season two.

Murder Mystery (2019)

Still worth a look despite a few pitfalls

[7/10 · 28 June 2019]

The very first few lines of the film are genuinely funny and they're not the last ones either.

It's a lightweight comedy with some pleasant surprises; for example, Adam Sandler tries his hand at acting instead of caricature; he's not bad. Jennifer Aniston couldn't put in a bad performance if she tried. David Walliams type-cast as the gay man is still interesting and a brief Stamp cameo is a welcome treat.

The story writing suffers a tad. The viewer is asked to go-with-the-flow when the supposedly brilliant French detective makes a personal quest of proving the Americans guilty without evidence or motive. Surely that could've been handled with more smarts?

There are worse ways to spend 90-minutes.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

Unique

[10/10 · 2 June 2019]

It seems I'm a lightweight; this film left me something of a wreck.

An outstanding movie, destined to become a cult classic and only held back from the spotlight, I imagine, by the oddly pedestrian title. Vince Vaughn is unrecognisable and not because his character doesn't look much more or less than Vaughn with a shaved head but because of the brutal charisma of the his character, portrayed effortlessly. Poor Vince, why did he waste the earlier part of his career with ridiculous "comedies" when he is an astonishing actor.

A friend once suggested that Vaughn would be a good choice for the next Jack Reacher movie or streaming series; I had a chuckle, the guy from Dodge Ball as Reacher, no chance. Now I'm convinced he could do Reacher in his sleep. However, if Reacher and Bradley Thomas ever went head-to-head, Reacher would end up with a selection of broken limbs, ruptured organs and no head.

Watch the movie but brace yourself.

Mute (II) (2018)

Clever

[9/10 · 13 March 2018]

Of all the criticisms I've seen about this fine movie only two warrant discussion: 1. For an Amish chap, he gets angry and violent pretty quickly. 2. Why is it set in the future?

He's mute because he's Amish and surgery is a no-no is a pretty slender thread. He's also a bar tender; isn't that a no-no too? It would have made much more sense to set the story in the modern day where Leo could be saving his pennies to pay for the operation.

Making this a sci-fi story doesn't add anything to the experience. I love sci-fi and this is a great movie but not because it's sci-fi. A gritty modern-day Berlin would have worked better.

I gave t his movie 9/10. This is a compelling slow-burn story that could really have been told in 60 minutes but the exposition was so enjoyable. If you get the chance give it a go: Great characters, dialogue, ambiguous morality, a solid story.

Lethal Weapon (2016–2019)

Buddy cop-show with all the boom and heart of the movie

[9/10 · 30 September 2016]

I was underwhelmed when I watched the trailer; thinking, "Why bother?" So, I wasn't going to until a friend told me to give it a chance.

So glad I did. I've only seen the first two episodes but based on that I can heartily recommend this surprise guilty pleasure. It has the OTT action from the movie which demands complete suspension of disbelief but really scores with the banter between the players - particularly Murtaugh and his wife Trish.

The production standards are top-notch with dialogue and action that is genre-perfect. Originally I thought both leads were miscast but after 10-minutes of episode one I realised they were also spot-on.

This is really a super-hero show. These guys don't have capes but they are indestructible. Riggs gets beaten to a pulp by five or six bikers in episode two with only a black eye to show for it. This isn't Bosch. If you liked the first movie (I loved it but hated all the sequels) and are OK with dropping your brain down a gear to soak up the testosterone; you'll love this too.

Luke Cage (2016–2018)

Report card: Could try harder

[3/10 · 30 September 2016]

Based on the first episode I'm left with the feeling that all of the promise offered by Luke Cage in Jessica Jones was just that. All of it. There's nothing left for his own show. This was a very long 55 minutes spent re-establishing a character we already know; if ever there was a reason to open with a bang and get straight down to business this was it.

That's not what happened.

I got the impression that the producer said "let's stretch this script into 2 or 3 episodes"... Either so little happened it was painful or the pacing was just wrong. Or both.

I'm not giving up on Cage. I remember the first couple of episodes of Jessica Jones dragged a little but I'm expecting big things from Luke's second episode.

London Spy (2015)

For grown-ups only

[10/10 · 13 June 2016]

A unique piece of entertainment. For adults. Not the x-rated variety; mature.

A powerful, grim and gritty conspiracy thriller for uncompromising viewers. Probably a bit too mature for 2016 but it would have been right at home in in the 70s. Back then of course it would have been about a man and a woman.

Isn't it wonderful that in the vapid Kardashians era there's still a tiny bit of room for some real drama.

This is chillier than the best cold-war spy thriller that could be set in any of the past five decades; from Ipcress to Smiley and everything in between.

No explosions, grand gestures or searing monologues. Just good old-fashioned brilliant television drama. There's hope yet!