prylands-389-567480 Reviews

Ted Lasso (2020–2023)

BELIEVE

[7/10 · 6 June 2023]

Ted Lasso is an imperfect wonder: it is clichéd, ridiculous, unbelievable and overly sentimental... and yet it is inspiring, sometimes very funny and relentlessly optimistic. It boasts an excellent production, great music choices and a wonderfully crafted script but more than anything, it embraces the best values - the importance of friendship, loyalty, self-respect and trust. It tells us that everyone has a place and can play an important role in life.

One of its greatest successes is its cast - this is what carries it beyond its imperfections and holds its viewers in front of their screens. It is true that the third series loses its way a little and finally spills over into mawkishness but this can be forgiven - by then the characters feel like old friends. It's not really about the football, of course but offers a collection of personal stories. It is not always realistic but the sentiment is tangible and it somehow manages to make you think about your own loved ones and your own passions. It is lovely to see the scenes in Richmond and Twickenham. It could do with less swearing and some of the humour is unnecessarily crude but overall it proves to be an entertaining romp.

The Thin Blue Line (1995–1996)

Thin On Laughs

[3/10 · 21 May 2023]

I watched this back in the 1990s and did not like it and so I felt it was time to revisit and reassess... and this is what I have done.

I watched most of it and gave it a fair chance to grow on me. It did not - if anything I hated it more than before.

The reviews here surprise me but clearly viewers enjoy witless interaction between ridiculously exaggerated caricatures. The canned laughter is unbearable - frequently applied at random moments. The plots are awful and if people find swearing and idiocy hilarious at every turn then good luck to them.

I found nothing remotely amusing in any episode. It seems to be that racial sterotypes are fine here but then almost everything is a stereotype. It is just immature crud from start to finish. I thought this had to be said. Utterly over-rated drivel.

Boomers (2014–2016)

Likeable Trash

[6/10 · 20 May 2023]

Ah - this is prime fare for retired Waitrose farts - gentle, undemanding comedy that does not require too many brain cells to fire at the same time. The cast is good and their likeability is the key attraction of this series - it is comfortable, simplistic and pleasant waffle with the occasional musical accompaniment and a contrived amusing social situation.

There's a large amount of inconsequential nattering - it's like eavesdropping in a murder-free Midsomer. If you have the patience for it then it will probably afford you a few gentle chuckles but this is largely forgettable stodge.

I've given it a 6 because I failed to laugh at anything in it but I sort of enjoyed it all the same...

Bluestone 42 (2013–2015)

Light-hearted but also Light on Laughs

[5/10 · 20 May 2023]

I managed a couple of episodes of this before I realised that I had not laughed or even smiled once - indeed I had all but forgotten that this was meant to be a comedy. It is unrealistic, crass, and witless - imagine The Thin Blue Line set in Helmand Province and you have it.

There is a certain novelty to it and the characters are likeable but there is scant realism, not genuine sense of danger and the dialogue is glib idiocy after a fashion that you would not find away from TV.

Perhaps I am missing the point of this but the gags, such as they are, are tired and obvious. Even allowing for some willing suspension of disbelief, this does seem overly facile and approaching disrespectful. It's light, that is true and seemingly there are viewers out there who find crude references and inane exchanges hilarious but I quickly found this as dull as can be - seems like a comedy written by a teenager for teenagers.

Young Wallander (2020–2022)

Anti-Wallander

[5/10 · 19 March 2023]

The Yellow Bird Swedish series of Wallander is my favourite television - particularly the first series featuring the wonderful Johanna Salstrom and the splendid Ola Rapace. I did not expect too much from Young Wallander but I was surprised how unsatisfying it is...

The 'real' Wallander is character based and ponderous, it has scenes of gravitas and raw emotion.

Young Wallander possesses the gravitas of an extended pop video and it fails in so many ways - its music, it obsessive close ups, unbelievable dialogue, obvious narrative and the fact that it bears absolutely no resemblance to Mankell's writing. The decision to cast English actors and have the dialogue in English has been heavily criticised but this seems the least of its failings to me.

My greatest dislike is casting Adam Pålsson as Kurt Wallander. He is as convincing as the least talented singer in a Nordic boy band... his fey, girlish persona would indeed be more suited to a pop video where he could strut about looking pretty rather than doing that here.

Rather than ride on the successful brand of Wallander, why didn't they call this series something more suited to its content... something that suggests the protagonist is more concerned about messing up his hair than solving crime. This is watchable... but not good and ultimately not very pleasing. There is never any sense of a bigger world just an immature then this happened and then this happened approach... all accompanied by music that suggests a tension that is never there.

It's fluff - poor television with all of the usual ingredients but nothing to make you care about any of it.

Agatha Raisin (2014– )

So Disappointing...

[5/10 · 3 January 2023]

I've read all of the Agatha Raisin novels and recommend them unreservedly as they offer a genteel and playful form of entertainment that I had feared was vanishing.

The TV series take the plots of the novels and largely stick to the narrative. The acting is good, the production professional and the whole thing looks pretty lovely. My main issues are the dialogue which is unimaginative and at times unnecessarily crude and the proliferation of cliches throughout. The viewer is led like an idiot to see the plot milestones - this is a feature of modern comedy drama, alas. There is very little subtlety to how the narrative is delivered and the additions to the contents of the novels is often just silly.

It all has the feel of a team of teenagers having a go at a TV drama - the numerous odd camera angles and the music that tells the views what the emotion is - all far too much. The audio 'flashbacks' are particularly annoying.

It's the sort of drama you might watch while looking at a laptop screen at the same time - writing emails, maybe. It really does not merit close attention. Take another look and watch carefully what is done with the camera and the music... you will soon see how amateurish this is.

It's all a great pity as the original stories are fantastic and this could have and ought to have been a quintessentially sweet detective drama in the same style as The Ladykillers - gentle but with an edge. This has no edge and treat its viewers like halfwits. Such a wasted opportunity...

Have I Got News for You (1990– )

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

[5/10 · 12 November 2022]

To be concise - used to be funny years ago and now it's the same tired jokes every time in a format as stale as it can be. Merton and Hislop are likeable but you know what you'll get every time.

A cheap programme in every sense that ought to have been taken off the air a long while back. Funniest when Angus Deayton was the host - it has grown increasingly awful since then.

Odd how cheap jokes about politicians are viewed as satire these days - it has become so painfully predictable and if you find this funny then television as a whole must be a constant delight to you.

The audience are there to laugh and they do but really - how is this tired old mare still running?

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009 TV Movie)

Enjoyable Fluff

[7/10 · 9 September 2022]

If you focus on the feel-good narrative only then this is an enjoyable dumb kid wins through romp. It has many faults however, the scant attention paid to so many elements of the story, the unrealistic gloss moments and the unrealistic confrontation moments. The emotive cues invite you to sympathise but it feels as though there are numerous missing scenes. The film asks too many questions that are never answered and tries to cover more ground than it can handle. The acting is good but there are too many holes and clichés for this to be considered the great film that reviewers claim it to be. Some characters behave in a wholly unbelievable way and the racism and compassion alike are too stagey. This might have worked better with a focus on the adult and flashbacks on the child - instead it feels like two TV episodes butchered and then partially combined.

The Quiet Girl (2022)

Beautiful

[10/10 · 17 May 2022]

Wonderfully understated and yet filled with a million moments that will resonate - the difficulties of saying what you feel, of leaving the past behind, of understanding and being understood. It brought to my mind thoughts of the many kindnesses I have been shown in my life and I found it very moving.

Nicely shot, often from a child's point of view, it takes the hurt of adult life and suggests that there is always something special to be found in giving people a chance. A simple film that says so much.

Not Going Out (2006– )

Long Time since this was funny

[4/10 · 23 April 2022]

Ah - this used to be genuinely funny and very clever - but alas, no longer.

The best of this series was when it featured Tim Vine (S1-5). Since then it has become tired, hackneyed, predictable and rather tedious.

There was a time when the episode scenario was at least faintly believable but then this moved into a new era where it did not matter what was happening so long as there was time for the usual jokes with their canned laughter accompaniment.

We could just about live with the dim character played by Katy Wix but after she left it became increasingly unfunny. The main characters were given children who seem to appear once in a blue moon and the series is frequently populated by morons who do not question the imbecility of what is happening.

Loved this once - now it has become embarrassing. Such a shame.

The French Dispatch (2021)

Oh really?

[3/10 · 15 November 2021]

This plays out like a pop video that goes on and on - it's pretty at times but eventually all rather exhausting. It is neither amusing nor satisfying. We left the cinema early and the walk home was far more interesting.

Motherland (I) (2016–2022)

Predictable

[6/10 · 29 May 2021]

This affords a few laughs and it is quite watchable but it is very predictable and full of cliches. It will have a mumsy following of course but I tired of it pretty quickly.

Ity contains some truisms but ultimately it is not realistic. Robotic characters and tropes you can see coming a mile off.

Hold the Sunset (2018–2019)

Safe and Pleasant but not Great

[6/10 · 22 November 2020]

The show truly has an excellent cast. And I love sitcoms - especially the old ones, However, this is the slightly the wrong side of silly and features some unbelievable characters that become wholly predictable.

I like that this show exists but I would not rush to watch more of it.

If you want to lazily wtach some gentle humour then this is fine. If you want to laugh then watch the better ones.

Out of Her Mind (2020)

Oh Dear

[4/10 · 24 October 2020]

Disjointed and puzzling. I enjoy surreal comedy but this has no emtertainment quality. I like Sarah Pascoe and have been to see her stand up but this does not work. Not enough drama or comedy - it's just random scenes which leaves you wondering what is going on.

A pity as I was really looking forward to enjoying this.

Semi-Detached (2019–2020)

Worst guff I have seen for a long time

[4/10 · 9 August 2020]

I miss good quality British sitcoms and this drivel only adds to my disappointment. It is so full of unentertaining cliches that the only reason you would keep watching it is to see it there is ever going to be a laugh. Let me save you some time - a laugh never comes, it will never come.

Instead there is a procession of implausible characters and situations,tired tropes and hackneyed hokum. I struggled through the pilot but I did not get to the end of episode one - I felt a scream building and my bowels stirring. I would rather drink a pint of vinegar and rub salt in my eyes than watch another minute of this crud. It is lazy, witless, unoriginal and quite frankly embarrassing.

I like Lee Mack. I enjoyed Not Going Out (at least while Tim Vine was in it) but this has no redeeming features.

I gave it 4/10 out of sympathy and because I like many of the cast - but even they cannot save this turkey.

Take my advice - give this a miss!

Car Share (2015–2020)

Really?

[3/10 · 18 July 2020]

This programme baffles me - what is the point of it? Dull conversation between two dull characters. To be honest I was surprised to see that it is described as a comedy. If you find this amusing then you'l love the queue at the supermarket - the same calibre of material.

This is what we have for comedy now? I despair.

Carol's Second Act (2019–2020)

Oh Dear

[5/10 · 20 March 2020]

Patricia Heaton is sooo likeable but that is the only reason to watch this - it is unfortunately cliched and corny. There is the occasional nice line but largely you will have seen this done before and done far better.

It is one-dimensional fare - there is no depth to it, no real craft and the laughter track will eventually irritate you into looking elsewhere for some entertainment...

A pity but this is not v good.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Dreadful

[4/10 · 8 July 2018]

This pointless remake is a clichéd, glitzy abomination which offers cheesy jokes, sentimental pap and a ridiculous voice-over. The original film might be a little dated but it is so superior to this crud.

Armchair Detectives (2017)

Utterly Dreadful

[2/10 · 9 December 2017]

Wow but this is possibly the worst thing I've seen in 10 years. You would have to be at the loosest of loose ends to watch this more than once. A wishy-washy whodunit format with a mumsy tone. Three 'enthusiasts' are presented with flimsy clues in order to guess the ID of the murderer. If they guess correctly they win a golden magnifying glass ("ooooh!") The acting is dreadful, the clues largely silly and the motives for the murders mostly ridiculous. Susan Calman has a game attempt at stringing the whole mess together but it does not move beyond a series of chuckling, witless exchanges and finally the revelation of the murderer - by which time anyone with an ounce of intelligence would have switched off or busied themselves with something else. This is pap aimed at people trapped at home in the daytime - no doubt to punish them for a lack of imagination. I cannot believe they made so many of these - it is truly the nastiest, cheapest, dumbest type of television!

The Child in Time (2017 TV Movie)

Loved It

[8/10 · 30 September 2017]

I am surprised at the negative reviews for this work. I thought it was a wonderfully gentle film which explored the ineffable sadness of loss - of a friend, of childhood and of a child. This is about what happens after the crying and shouting has stopped. Life goes on regardless - something most of us have to face at some point. When you doubt your own belief and hope and when ghosts haunt your waking days... this is a film about losing a grip on what is 'normal'.

I found this film very moving - I did not expect any resolution or for everything to be tied up neatly at the end. Instead we are given a glimpse of adults fighting off despair and trying to find some sense and meaning. It was very well written, accompanied by some beautiful music and filled with excellent camera work. The best TV film I have seen for some while.

All Round to Mrs. Brown's (2017– )

Poor Quality

[5/10 · 14 April 2017]

This show is merely a slight re-hash of 'Mrs Brown's Boys' so if you find that show funny you will no doubt find this show entertaining.

Alas, I do not...the recycling of lame jokes, use of childish innuendo and a ridiculous 'Mammy of the Week' award is not for me. The BBC have abandoned creativity to allow this nonsense onto our screens - this is a one-trick pony and the trick was never all that good in the first place. Avoid.

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

I had more fun waiting for Godot

[3/10 · 20 February 2017]

I do not mind slow. I do not mind dour. But I am left wondering what the point of this film was. It drags on and on in a monotone, monochrome torpid crawl. It is difficult to empathise with the characters, difficult to follow the plot - and impossible to care about any of what happens. I cannot believe so much effort went into this sluggish mess. The music was nice but otherwise the best moment was when it finally ended - what sweet, sweet relief.