Change Your Image
jcrawley-12178
Reviews
Jagged Edge (1985)
A gripping film with a bit of a silly ending
I don't normally care much for courtroom films and this sort of "did they/didn't they" story, but I thought this one was really well executed.
It was acted brilliantly, in such a way that I really did not want the main character Jack Forrester to be the killer. It was cleverly crafted so that it's pretty darned obvious it's him, as the film gives hints that are subtle yet simultaneously obvious that he is in fact the killer. Such as his use of the word "bitch", which was present at the scene of the crime, and his over-the-top yet tearless crying when he visits the scene of the crime later on. An observant viewer will know within 30 or 40 minutes he's the killer, but yet he is so charming you just don't want it to be. The film will also have you second guessing quite a bit too.
The dynamic between the main characters is what drives this film forwards. The courtroom scenes are a joy to watch, and are genuinely gripping. Barnes is unprofessional in sleeping with the defendant, and in turn gets her heart broken when she realises how she was played during a courtroom scene.
I have a lot of praise for most of this film. But unfortunately, the ending is where the film fell apart and why I cannot give it more than a 7. The final 15 minutes or so was a bit stupid. You have this extremely charming murderer who planned a killing for 18 months, framed another man, and managed to get off Scot free. WHY would he then try and kill Barnes because she found the incriminating typewriter. Why would such a meticulous and clever killer who managed to get away with murder do something so stupid? It's just baffling.
The ending also comes out of nowhere. It turned out she planned all this and had a gun in her bed the whole time. What?!
I feel this whole ending was done without much or any thought because they wanted the Scooby Doo "unmasking" reveal at the end. While this could have been good, it just made zero sense for Jack to try and kill Barnes, and it came clear to me the moment he was unmasked that they had contrived this ending just for that unmasking moment.
I would recommend this film, it is thrilling and nailbiting at times, but the ending is a bit silly.
7/10.
Friday Night Dinner: The Surprise (2018)
Another genuinely mean-spirited episode
While mean-spiritedness is in the fabric of this show, there are times where I feel it is just taken too far, to the point where I just end up feeling bad for a character and end up really disliking the rest. This was one of these episodes.
The concept of this episode is fine. Martin has got the date of Jackie's surprise party wrong and therefore nobody turns up, so Martin has to bring in a load of random characters, including the curtain lady and horrible grandma. Horrible grandma of course delivers some great lines ("How the bloody hell am I supposed to eat this?!") but ultimately, even she can't save this episode.
Throughout this episode, Jackie is expecting a surprise, but keeps being disappointed over and over again. Martin lies to Jackie again and again and again, and just gets away with it scot-free. He never gets ANY comeuppance for all his lying. He even goes so far as to SWEAR ON HIS SON'S LIVES. Honestly, that moment was deplorable. And it is NEVER BROUGHT UP AGAIN.
But the ending was the real kicker. Jackie hears the house is flooded, and she comes home expecting the real surprise to come, and for this to have all been a set-up. What happens when she comes inside? She just gets yelled at by Martin again.
This episode sucks. I come out of it hating Martin and just feeling bad for Jackie. Martin was absolutely heinous in this episode, and never gets punished for his actions. And Jackie just forgives all and the credits roll. What a horrible message, and what a horrible episode.
It has its moments, but this episode was painful. 3/10.
Friday Night Dinner: Buggy (2012)
A classic, and one of my favourites
This episode has almost everything I want to see in an episode of Friday Night Dinner. A simple yet relatable and engaging concept, where the boys fight over custody of an extremely old stuffed animal.
The antics that ensue, the way the boys try to one-up each other, and some truly standout moments like the lake scene make this episode a delight from start to finish. And even though the ending is a little predictable, it still had me howling with laughter when it actually unfolded.
I really like this episode, and I consider it a classic. One of the best. 9/10.
Friday Night Dinner: The Plastic Bag (2020)
A mean-spirited and uninspired episode with two flimsy conflicts
Where do I even start with this episode?
I hated it.
The two main plots of this episode were flimsy, and this episode did not make me laugh once. The A plot of this episode is Martin being driven crazy by....... a bag in a tree. I mean come on, writers. Are you that low on ideas? This episode almost feels like the writers had writers' block, and they were looking around for inspiration, and they saw a plastic bag in a tree. Because this episode feels about as uninspired as a plastic bag in a tree. The B plot was somehow even worse, with Adam refusing to say "I love you" to his mum, because he did not remember going to a concert with his mum when he was 5.
Both plots in this episode were not only skull-numbingly uninspired, but genuinely mean-spirited. This show is by nature a bit mean-spirited, but several moments in this episode just felt downright malicious and not funny in the slightest. The way the boys keep hurting Martin when he is already hurt was not funny for me, it was just painful and filled with malice. Adam was also saying and doing some pretty disgusting things to avoid saying "I love you" to his mum.
The only mildly amusing moment in this entire episode came at the end, with the prank involving Jonnie's silly jacket.
But other than that, I did not crack a smile at this episode. I was not rooting for anyone in this family, I found myself just genuinely disliking them all. A horrible episode with two null conflicts. A true stinker, and one of the show's worst. 2/10.
Friday Night Dinner: The Au Pair (2020)
I don't get the hate for this episode
I will just start by saying that this episode is perfectly fine. But looking at the reviews, and the score, for this episode, I can see this one didn't sit well with the fans.
Is it a rehash of an earlier episodes? Well yes, it is a bit. It does have quite a lot of similarities to "The Other Jackie" in that it features a crazy Jim love interest, but we are in series 6 now. There are only so many plots you can do with a family eating dinner on a Friday Night. And I feel this episode's plot was just different enough to not feel like a total rehash.
This episode wasn't super amazing, but it sure had its moments. The scene where Jim is rambling on about a "very round marble" had me in fits, and Jim's dance in order to entice Gibi out of the bathroom in the cream tea place was also another shining moment.
This episode wasn't one of the best by any means, but it's far from the worst. It didn't do anything really wrong, and I don't see why this of all episodes is the least favourite amongst the fans. 7/10.
Friday Night Dinner: The Anniversary (2014)
A bit too far.
I feel there are a few episodes of this show that just go a little too far, and get a little too silly or ridiculous. This was one of those episodes. The first half was solid, with the hideous painting making me laugh out loud, Jim being drugged is where things started going downhill a bit.
The family being locked in a small room together could've and should've been an episode in its own right. That had so much potential, but it was just so brief here, like it was tacked on as an afterthought.
The conclusion of this episode was really where it felt like the episode was trying too hard to be funny or over the top. SPOILERS: Jim peeing on the painting just plain and simple wasn't funny. Although toilet humour does fairly often feature in this show, it just didn't land here.
This episode wasn't terrible, but it just fell a bit flat. It felt at times it was trying too hard. 6/10.
Friday Night Dinner: The Sofa-Bed (2011)
The First Ever S*** On It!
The one that started it all, I was hooked from this very episode. Although it took me a while for this episode to get going, the second half was absolutely gut-busting. What initially seems like your standard "moving a large piece of furniture" comedy antics takes an unexpected and hilarious dark turn.
This episode does a good job at introducing us to our main cast. The two boys who are constantly pulling pranks on each other - the salt in water being the classic that appears in this episode and many after - and the dad who is always just a little too hot (and bothered).
This episode IS a little slow to get started, but the second half had me sold on this show with its hilarious and unexpected twists. And a conclusion that had me howling.
A very solid first episode. 8/10.