The Jury, 2002 6 part Mini-Series (Grade C+)

Director: Pete Travis
Cast:  Derek Jacobi; Sonnell Dadral; Antony Sher; Helen McCrory; Gerald Butler; Sylvia Syms; Sturart Bunce; Nina Sosanya; Michael Maloney; Nicholas Farrell, Gillian Barge; Paul Reynolds; Sarah-Louise Young; William Hoyland; Connor McIntyre; Billy Scott; Steve Sweeny; Mark Strong.

sez says: It is a treat to see such great acting--and to a person this is very well done. The story--did he do it, didn't he do it, how can a jury member make a decision without evidence that is absolutely certain --is pretty well done too--but at times a little over done (reasonable doubt is after all the standard, so if you can't feel sure than you can't convict.)   High school students / racism / bullying / revenge/ are all topic ripe for a mystery --so that part was good.  And the attempt to weave the personal lives of the jury members was a good idea..but it fell short. The various transitions in their lives were choppy. In some cases we were eventually TOLD why one or another of them did want they did--but in some cases their was no good explanation.  So the STORY fell shot in doing the full job of working these peoples lives into the background of the trial.  Still, it was diverting, and well acted, and a reasonable mystery--so it easily called a 'good' show -- but it falls way short of being a great show. Grade C+

NURSE JACKIE, Season One

Cast: Edie Falco; Eve Best; Peter Facinelli; Haaz Sleiman; Merritt Wever; Paul Schulze; Dominic Fumusa; Anna Deavere Smith; Daisy Tahan.

 sez says-- we like Edie Falco-- so we decided to watch this-- It starts off well--establishing complex characters and a setting with promise .. but then it fizzles. Once we are introduced to the characters, their contractions and demons it is as if the writers don't know where to go with the character  -- so they keep harping on the same things.. Jackie uses drugs, she is having an affair, her daughter is acting out in school so Jackie must worry. Her pals also have some depth --(not as much as she does) but over and over we see Jackie go in the bathroom and take some more drugs, hide her wedding ring, worry over her daughter's drawings...and...and...and we see her take more drugs, and take off her wedding ring (one whole show is about her having trouble getting her ring off) and worry some more about here daughter not smiling. We are not sure this will be worth watching another season -- they have some strong characters..and there is possibility here. but the story needs to go somewhere. Watching the same dilimma every week--maybe be like real life--but it is not compelling to watch --So far C+

Anna Karenina, 2000, Masterpiece Theater (Grade B)

Director: David Blair
Cast: Helen McCrory; Kevin McKidd; Douglas Henshall; Mark Strong; Amanda Root; Paul Rhys; Paloma Baeza; Abigail Cruttendenl Sara Kestelman

sez says: We have watched every version of Anna Karenina  that we can locate to see how the way the story is told changes over time.  This version is well done and has wonderful production values The sets and costumes are marvelous.  It is possibly the strongest we have seen in depicting the emotional aspects of the characters. Part of that is the good acting--but part of it is focus. The DRAMA of the story is the story here. I rather doubt that is what Tolstoy had in mind. He being interested in bigger issues like God and the Social Order--these are woven into this version, but not at the central story. Via camera angle and wobbly cameras (to show a character's disorientation) --and intense close-ups we are invited to experience the feelings of our cast of characters.  An acceptable approach I guess.  But explorations of the characters beliefs, motivations, moral codes in conflict, are of more interest to me. But still well done. (Grade B)

Miss Marple: The Mirror Cracked From SIde To SIde, 2010 (Grade D)

Director: Tom Shankland
Staring Julia McKenzie, Lindsay Duncan; Gene Goodman

sea says: this is part of a Masterpiece Theater MYSTERY SERIES..and it is exactly what you would expect as such--great production values, settings, costumes, acting are all first rate. .. but I just can't get involved in Agatha Christy stories.they seem so, so,,well so tepid. not not--not cold--just flat. So I doubt that anyone could make one that I'd like--SPOILER ALERT- read no further if you don't want to know the who done it --  This one is about a Movie Star, who got the measles when she was pregnant, and thus her child was born damaged -- in an off-chance encounter she meets the person who exposed her to the measles --and so she goes on a murdering spree.  Then, her husband kills her so she won;t have to suffer any more  (Grade D)

Crime Story, 1986 (grade F)

sez says: I thought this old series might be good -- It has some good names associated with it .... for instance Michael Mann directed some of the shows and Miles Davis is listed as one of the actors.. but --SOOOORRRYY--it is not any good. The best part are the clothes and sets. You see some pretty spectacular furniture and set props  (I am not kidding--it has really cool stuff and a nice look) but the stories are stupid and while I thought it was possible that the acting was intentionality kitsch--my partner in Crime argued it was just BAD. Aany we stopped watching about a 1/3 the way through the series --it is was not a hard decision to say enough of this. (Grade F)

WILD PALMS, 1993 (Grade F)

Six episodes starring James Belushi; Angie Dickinson; David Warner; Bob Gunton; Nick Mancuso; Robert Morse; Ben Savage; Kim Cattrall; Dana Delany; Brad Dourif; Charles Hallahan; Robert Loggia
Bebe Neuwirth.

sez says: this 6 episode series started off looking interesting. The costumes were inspired the sets stylish, the dialogue snappy.  But it descended rapidly into schwarmy trash.  The story is about 'bad guys' trying to take over the world via 3-D TV, tied to a pseudo-religious group that would keep people from thinking--as this 3-D virtual (aka false) world would replaced the good real word.   But before long gratuitous violence and unwieldy story twists takes the whole thing out on a limb that it never gets back from.. So it ends with some trite material saying all that matters is family.  Sure family matters--but that is a dud of an ending for what started out looking like a smart and slightly off kilter-artsy show.
I am warning you: Don't bother with this -- if you watch the first episode you will think -- "this is interesting", than you'll find the second episode slips a little but you figure its worth checking out the third episode, which drops off just a little bit further.  By the time you get to the 5th episode you realize you are lost but you'll  feel obligated to watch the 6th.  At that point you get to see not just the story but the acting fall  to pieces. Then you'll remember you were warned to not get started with this one. (Grade F)

Foyles War, Season 6, #3 The Hide (Grade B)

Masterpiece Mystery Presentation
 Cast: Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks, Anthony Howell

sez says -- we really enjoyed the early seasons of Foyles Wart and were glad to see that they continued itm in this 6th Season of 'After the War' stories.  This one revolves around POW Brits who joined the Nazi to fight the Russians (anti-communists) --and it has a good mystery (what won't the accused young man talk?) that is solved in the course of the story, without introducing a deus ex machina to wrap everything up ( i hate when they do that). There are some extra unnecessary shenanigans thrown into the story (bad guy, greedy developers, and bad dads) But they didn't hurt the story.
This is either the final time we will see  this crew -- or maybe it will continue with Foyle in America--where he is headed --for some mysterious purpose--at the end of this show.  Great production values, great acting. Kitchen is really a great actor but he sure hit his sweet-spot in this show.  (Grade B)