wentworthstreet Reviews

A Discovery of Witches (2018–2022)

Are you serious?!

[2/10 · 2 October 2023]

I have just finished watching Season 1 and will be going no further. I have awarded two stars for unintentional hilarity and the outrageous cut and paste job of all supernatural tales that have gone before.

There is absolutely nothing new under the sun here. Unfortunately, a middle-aged version of Edward and Bella is not going to cut it. All that action must be murder on their knees! I nearly choked on my cup of tea when they started time walking or whatever the hell it is they do. I have never seen anything quite so ridiculous in my life.

Apart from the obvious and unfavourable Twilight comparisons (hunting animals instead of humans to satisfy vampy cravings - you don't say!), the 'Aunts' are straight out of Practical Magic only this time they are lovers instead of sisters. I could go on but I can't be bothered..

Performances range from OK to Yikes! However, I do have some sympathy with the actors given the ludicrous dialogue they are lumbered with.

How the author of this utter pile of tripe has been allowed to get away with it is quite beyond me.

.

Endeavour (2012–2023)

Ho hum!

[5/10 · 28 September 2023]

Over the years I have dipped in and out of Morse, Lewis and Endeavour but cannot say I have ever been a true fan.

I often find storylines and dialogue completely unrealistic, pretentious or both. Indeed, some Endeavour episodes have been quite farcical with obvious references to the Carry On films yet the audience is expected to accept this is serious drama. Hardly!

Roger Allum excels as DCI Thursday. Other than his stand out performance there is little I would go out of my way to recommend.

Some police procedural dramas work better than others. Like many things, in the end it just comes down to personal preference.

In respect of police dramas set in the 1960s and 1970s, for many Gene, Sam, Annie, Ray, Chris and Phyllis will always be a very hard act to follow!

Dalgliesh (2021– )

So Good!

[10/10 · 13 May 2023]

I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1 of Dalgliesh and hoped Season 2 would be just as good. I was not disappointed.

Bertie Carvel's portrayal of DCI Dalgliesh is masterful and matched by all the the way by Carlyss Peer as DS Kate Miskin. Two wonderful lead performances are supported by highly experienced familiar faces and talented newcomers. Clearly, the casting department knows what it is doing.

Acting, directing and production values are all first rate and, despite not following the novels in chronological order, so is the adaptation of P D James work.

This excellent series deserves to be seen and appreciated by the widest possible audience. Channel 5 has a growing reputation for creating first rate Drama. I hope this continues and more seasons of Dalgliesh will follow in due course.

I am not sure if Bertie Carvel has ever considered lending his considerable talents to reading audio books. If not, he should. Listening to his gorgeous voice before bedtime would allow me to drift off to sleep a VERY happy woman indeed!

The Turning (2020)

Poor adaptation!

[2/10 · 23 October 2022]

Why did they bother? Over the years there have been a number of large and small screen versions of this story, some better than others. Unfortunately, this is has to be the worst so far. Although I do not object to the present day setting, the story does tend to lose something when it is moved away from its Victorian origins.

Other versions manage to convey something 'other' about the children. In this version, Miles is older and just a bog standard stroppy teenager while Flora is a sweet little homebody. So far, so not terrifying in the slightest!

The character of Mrs Gross is different, the Uncle does not feature at all and Quint and Jessel look like they missed their audition for a Grunge band and ended up in this movie instead.

Then we have Kate ... and her mother ... and a totally different ending. Why?!

I suggest skipping this misfire and watching The Innocents instead. The BBC version with Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey's Lady Mary) is pretty good too.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

Smells Fishy!

[1/10 · 12 August 2022]

What a huge disappointment. Every bit as bad as a Richard Curtis film. This movie tries to be both drama and comedy and it fails spectacularly at both. The main premise of the film is hijacked by an unconvincing and rather offensive 'love story' plus extremely half hearted faith vs science and terrorist sub-plots.

Of course, the wife is portrayed as a cold career woman (yawn!) and we are supposed to believe Harriet is beside herself with worry over her missing Special Forces boyfriend but falls in love with the fish bloke. Hmm, you can tell this nonsense was written by a guy.

A Cure for Wellness (2016)

Terminal Boredom!

[2/10 · 7 August 2022]

This film is one big fat Zzzzzzzz! Just a bunch of waaay too long, seen it all before nonsense with German accents thrown in. If horror is your thing then re-watching a classic of the genre will be far more rewarding than wasting your time on this complete yawn fest.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

They never met FFS!

[2/10 · 3 January 2022]

Against my better judgement, I watched this film on TV during the festive season. I hoped it might defy my expectations but all it accomplished was to confirm my initial instincts.

It infuriates me beyond words when film makers insist on including scenes where Elizabeth and Mary meet. They never did! Their story is epic enough without some moron (usually male) thinking they know better.

The story of Elizabeth and Mary has been told many times on film and TV with some versions being far superior than others. This version was an inferior cut and paste job of one of the most significant periods of British history.

Apart from decent performances by James McArdle, David Tennant and the always reliable Ian Hart, this film was a disjointed, inaccurate and disappointing mess.

The six-episode 1971 BBC series Elizabeth R starring Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth I and Vivien Pickles as Mary, Queen of Scots remains the gold standard.

A Very British Scandal (2021)

Toxic Toff Marriage

[8/10 · 27 December 2021]

Foy and Bettany kick acting arse in their depictions of two dislikeable people in a marriage from hell. Excellent supporting performances from the rest of the cast make this drama a 'must watch'. Acting awards for the 'Duke and Duchess' to follow please!

South Pacific (1958)

Has not aged well!

[2/10 · 22 December 2021]

Distracting shifts in colour, poor casting, dubbed singing, second rate songs and unsavoury attitudes towards sex and race. Even in the the golden age of musicals, this was never one of the greats.

Man of Steel (2013)

Explosions vs Substance

[2/10 · 14 November 2021]

With far too many of the former and not nearly enough of the latter! Amy Adams, Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe are wasted on this disappointing mess of a movie and poor old Henry Cavill is only required to exercise his torso muscles rather than his acting muscles as The Man of Steel. No humour, no warmth and very little romance - just mind numbingly tedious explosion after explosion.

I am very glad I caught this on TV and was able to switch off. Had I paid good money to see this crap in the cinema I would have asked for a refund!

Miss Scarlet & the Duke (2020– )

Too obvious!

[4/10 · 18 October 2021]

Instead of creating a subtle organic slow burn romance, it is painfully obvious that Rachael New, creator of Miss Scarlet and The Duke, desperately wants the audience to buy into her will-they-won't they tension between the two leads as soon as possible, thereby totally killing the mood and spoiling the show.

The tired 'wasp-chewing' gruff irritation of the Inspector and the constant prim and perky behaviour of Eliza soon begins to wear very thin indeed! It is a great shame that such capable actors have been lumbered with a storyline that leaves very little room for light and shade.

Each episode I feel like I am being smacked over the head with a Valentine's card. The writer(s) should have dialled it way back and not made the intended romance between Miss Scarlet and The Duke so obvious, and desperate!

Tulip Fever (2017)

Much Ado About Nothing!

[3/10 · 12 May 2021]

This has to be one of the most disappointing films I have seen for some time. It promises much but delivers little. On paper, it should have worked. The whole thing looks beautiful but, unfortunately, the cast were saddled with a poor script.

Instead of presenting the audience with an intelligent and engaging storyline, the emphasis appears to have been on cramming in as many sex scenes as possible which seem forced and completely unnecessary.

The only saving grace of this film is Dame Judi Dench playing a kindly, but no-nonsense Nun. Cinematography and costumes also deserve credit, but I'm afraid that is about all for this bargain basement 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' wannabe film.

Monster (2017)

Norwegian Weird!

[5/10 · 10 May 2021]

It is a little difficult to know where to start with this review. There are seven episodes in total of this Norwegian-noir. By the end I think I had just about managed to work out who had killed whom and why, but in the process I had also slightly lost the will to live!

As other reviewers have already observed, seven episodes is far too many for this drama. There probably was potential for a decent thriller here but, sadly, this was sabotaged by a convoluted storyline including the now well worn trope of strange religious and ritual practices, plus some very odd directing choices.

There are a few positives. Despite mixed performances, the actress who plays Hedda is very good, and snowy Norwegian landscapes are always beautiful to look at. I must also commend two actors for their sheer bravery in filming a post-sauna scene outside (not what you might be thinking!).

One final thought. I am still trying to comprehend why two of the younger characters leave with each other right at the end, as friends, to begin a new future for themselves after one essentially tortured the other in an earlier episode. All very strange - much like the entire series of Monster.

Sthlm Requiem (2018– )

Season Two, please!

[8/10 · 4 May 2021]

I watched all ten episodes of Stockholm Requiem just over a year ago and watched them again more recently. I enjoyed the series just as much as I did the first time. Quality drama is always worth a second viewing.

Essentially consisting of five double episodes, Stockholm Requiem is a well written and directed crime drama with engrossing storylines and engaging performances by the cast, including some familiar faces from The Bridge, The Killing and Borgen amongst others. I loved the theme music too.

Season Two of Stockholm Requiem is definitely needed. Several burning questions require answers. For example, will we see Peder again? Is creepy Torbjörn ok? Will Alex ever crack a smile? On the subject of Alex, for heaven's sake it is blindingly obvious that Fredrika and Alex should be a couple - I shouted it at the screen more than once! Please make it happen.

Stockholm Requiem is a well crafted drama worth your consideration.

The Children Act (2017)

Disappointing final lurch into melodrama.

[5/10 · 13 March 2021]

The first two thirds of this film are commendable. Although not a particular fan of Emma Thompson, she gives a strong performance as Fiona Maye, a family court judge. Stanley Tucci is a fine actor but miscast as Fiona Maye's husband in this movie. Their marriage is in trouble and the husband announces he wants to have an affair and does so, albeit briefly. Meanwhile Maye is responsible for hearing a case concerning a 17 (almost 18) year old leukaemia patient. His hospital doctors wish to perform a blood transfusion but this goes against the beliefs of his Jehovah's Witness parents.

Maye visits the 17 year old in hospital to determine if he is refusing treatment because of his own beliefs, or if he has been coerced by his parents and church elders who visit him in a regular basis, much to the irritation and concern of his consultant.

Maye's hospital visit is where the film begins to lose credibility. The young working class patient apparently taught himself to play the guitar. Nothing odd about that but instead of learning guitar riffs by say, The Clash or Rolling Stones like any normal teenager he starts to play an obscure ditty by the poet Yeats and wouldn't you just know it, Fiona Maye begins to sing along in his hospital room and he is overly keen for her to stay longer.

From here onwards, the final third of the film descends into an unconvincing and embarrassing romantic melodrama.

Jason Watkins is excellent as ever as Fiona Maye's clerk and Ben Chaplin does fine work as the boy's father. This is a film with great potential sadly let down by an unconvincing, rather predictable and pretentious final act.

Wolf Hall (2015)

Where is the charisma?

[3/10 · 26 October 2020]

Thomas Cromwell rose from obscurity to become the second most powerful man in England. At a time when rank and position mean everything, especially at Court, Cromwell's rise was a remarkable feat. How did he do it? Well, it is not easy to understand from Cromwell's portrayal by Mark Rylance.

I watched Wolf Hall when it first aired in 2015. At the time, I thought revered stage actor Mark Rylance was poorly cast as Cromwell. Watching the mini-series again five years later, my opinion has not changed.

Although he went on to win many plaudits for his performance as Thomas Cromwell, I found his one-note portrayal of such a pivotal character in English history completely lacking in range and as a result, I found Wolf Hall a rather unsatisfactory experience. However, Claire Foy did an outstanding job as the ill fated Anne Boleyn as did Jessica Raine as her vengeful Sister-in-Law Lady Rochford.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Terrible!

[1/10 · 4 October 2020]

I am so glad I did not pay good money to see this atrocious film in the cinema. I would have demanded a refund. Instead, I managed to watch approximately 30 minutes on TV before switching off in disgust.

The stellar cast could not make up for a diabolical script, dreadful direction and bargain basement CGI.

Thankfully, we can still watch the very best Hercule Poirot in all his glory thanks to the brilliant David Suchet.

All Creatures Great and Small (2020– )

Not for me.

[2/10 · 9 September 2020]

I approached this reboot with an open mind. Like many, I remember with great affection the original series which ran from the late 1970's to the early 1990's.

I believe the first episode sets the tone of any series. We are now two episodes into this new adaptation and I am afraid this version totally lacks the warmth, gentle humour and pathos of the original.

Samuel West's Siegfried is an unpleasant bully and the local farmers are little better. Anna Madeley is a fine actress but far too young to play Mrs. Hall, and why in God's name has it been deemed necessary to give her a troublesome son?

With all due respect to Dame Diana Rigg, the wonderful Margaretta Scott will ALWAYS be Mrs. Pumphrey.

For me, the only positives are the glorious views of the Yorkshire Dales and the fact that James Herriot now has a Scottish accent.

I'll stick with the original and best, thanks.

The Luminaries (2020)

Woozy, Strange and Rather Wonderful.

[8/10 · 2 July 2020]

A young man and woman meet for the first time on board a ship bound for the new world. There is an instant and almost magical chemistry between them. Their story unfolds during the mid-19th century New Zealand gold rush. Before watching this six-episode series, I confess I was completely unaware that New Zealand had a gold rush.

Anna Wetherell (Eve Hewson) and Emery Staines (Himesh Patel) agree to meet again when they arrive but their plans are thwarted by nefarious means. Will they ever be reunited?

Sadly, I found Anna's fate very plausible. An attractive young woman, intelligent but illiterate, alone in a strange land with no money and no connections. Easy prey. Although Anna's dreams of starting a new life are dashed and she eventually succumbs to opium to cope with her circumstances, she never competey loses her inner strength even when she suffers a terrible personal tragedy.

Although Anna is the heroine of the story, we also follow the fortunes of Emery Staines as well as the characters Anna and Emery come into contact with. All of the actors give excellent performances but Eve Hewson is outstanding.

I loved it. Beautiful scenery and a terrific cast brought this dark fairytale to life. Some viewers found the time-jump aspect of this series difficult to follow. I did not have a problem with it.

Final Prayer (2013)

Blair Witch meets The League of Gentlemen - sort of.

[6/10 · 11 May 2020]

I have to admit that this is not usually my type of film but thought I would give it a try nevertheless.

It takes a while to get going but does eventually. For me, this was not a horror film as such but it did manage to deliver a few unsettling and disturbing moments in what could almost be a Royston Vasey-esque setting. The locals clearly do not welcome outsiders!

The cast does a decent job and this film might be worth your consideration if you are looking for something to occupy your time during the current Covid-19 lockdown.

The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)

Good visuals but otherwise a very disappointing experience.

[3/10 · 29 January 2020]

I am not quite sure how he managed to do it, but Director Armando Iannucci has succeeded in turning a classic story, with an excellent cast, into an incredibly dull movie.

Save your hard earned money and see something else.

Dracula (2020)

I Invite You In!

[8/10 · 3 January 2020]

This is a welcome new addition to the many screen adaptations of the Dracula legend.

Claes Bang gives a mecurial, witty and sexy take on the Transylvanian Count while Dolly Wells is totally storming it as the brilliantly unconventional nun Sister Agatha.

John Heffernan also does a fine job as Jonathan Harker, thankfully banishing all thoughts of a badly miscast Keanu Reeves in the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola film version.

Two episodes in and one to go. Looking forward to the final showdown between two fine protagonists. I do think he might really like her. Although, time will tell!

The Small Hand (Ghost Story) (2019)

Terrifyingly Dull

[1/10 · 27 December 2019]

Oh dear. I was really looking forward to a decent scare over the festive period. I did get a shock watching this, just not in the way that the makers of The Small Hand intended.

An otherwise talented cast mumbled their dialogue in such a way as to suggest they were embarrassed to be involved in what turned out to be a complete yawn-fest of a 'ghost story' with a total absence of atmosphere and shocks.

A lacklustre script and turgid direction made for a deeply disappointing drama which should be done under The Trades Description Act for calling itself a ghost story.

I've had more scares waiting for my Yorkshire puddings to rise!

Do yourselves a favour and give this two hour dud a miss. It is not worth investing your time. On the other hand, Martin's Close by MR James shown on BBC4 on Christmas Eve is definitely thirty minutes well spent.

Giri/Haji (2019)

Superb!

[10/10 · 24 December 2019]

This is simply one of the best TV series I have ever seen. Head spinningly original story telling backed up by brilliant direction and fantastic performances by all concerned, with a special mention for Will Sharpe who plays Rodney.

Brutal violence, complicated family dynamics, a love story - it has all these elements and so much more, including moments of highly amusing black comedy.

I would still like to know more about the snake and the nappy scene will live long in the memory.

A huge thank you to all concerned for making such a high quality, totally addictive and unmissable drama.

A Christmas Carol (2019)

Oh Hell No!

[1/10 · 24 December 2019]

After watching 15 minutes of the first episode, I decided not to waste any more time on such an abysmal travesty.

I am fed up of screenwriters thinking they can do a better job than the original author by then spectacularly arseing-up literary classics by the likes of Austen, Dickens and Christie - to name just a few recent examples.

The 1951 classic film Scrooge starring Alastair Sim is still by far the most faithful, and best, screen adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Do yourself a favour and watch this version instead.

By the way, instead of ruining Dickens, you should have concentrated your efforts on producing Season Two of Taboo!