gourbi Reviews

Wingwomen (2023)

As mad as a box of frogs...

[9/10 · 4 November 2023]

"Voleuses" is based on the French cartoon "La Grande Odalisque".

This is a story about friendship. Carole and Alex have an mother-"adoptive" daughter relationship. Carole trained Alex as a sniper. They are a perfect team. They steal for a living, and are excellent at that. But Carole and Alex want to get out. Which is not to Marraine's liking ("marraine" meaning "godmother" in French).

Alex is jealous of the newcomer Sam, partly because Sam is supposed to be a better driver than she is, and partly because she doesn't want to have an "adoptive" sister.

This is also a story about life and death. Carole is pregnant and wants to keep the baby. Sam just lost her partner.

There are some weird and off-the-wall moments: e.g., Albanian thugs on chairs on the street of a seemingly deserted Italian village getting killed by Alex one after the other while Carole and Sam are dancing Flamenco in front of them; Alex fighting with a naked killer; Carole cutting out the painting from its frame while an unsuspecting man is trying to make a pass at her; Alex making plans to run a grill house, not because of the meat but because of the sauce...).

The ending of the film is somewhat confusing, though. So, I had to watch it twice.

It seems that Abner (the Hot Dog man with the slogan "Le chien chaud qui vous donne la frite" a.k.a. "The Brain") is a fake member of the (fake?) police tactical unit. He doesn't wear a mask under his helmet, showing an obvious moustache. He is also the only one who shot at Carole (so with blanks), Carole being probably afterwards carried away by a fake ambulance to a secret place.

Revealing at the same time that Carole was the mastermind behind this stratagem, Abner being too clumsy to planning it.

Mélanie Laurent made a fantastic film (despite the confusing ending). The main characters are a lovely bunch. The whole cast is awesome. They obviously had a great time together.

Agatha Raisin: Kissing Christmas Goodbye (2021) Season 4, Episode 1

What was that?!

[1/10 · 8 August 2023]

Did the writers drink too much mulled wine? Or did someone put something in their Sherry?... (Hopefully they won't suffer the same fate as scriptwriter Jamie Gallagher in the novel of the Hamish Macbeth series...)

I just wonder if M C Beaton would have approved of her work being treated like that on television. Phyllis Tamworthy being grotesquely portrayed as a completely disgusting woman. I never liked the way DCI Wilkes has been re-invented as a dumbbell but, in this episode, him flying to Finland to encounter Santa left me speechless. The silly candy cane duel is another record low. And not to mention all the bad jokes.

My advice to you: enjoy the novel, and forget all about this lousy episode.

Rim of the World (2019)

No logo

[1/10 · 27 July 2023]

Okay, it's a film for young teenagers. But not a very original one. Alien ships are attacking what... the summer camp "Rim of the World", California, the USA, the entire world?... Everybody fled but four kids who have been left behind. Of course, they survive where the adults fail because there are all very smart. And they easily beat the aliens at the end. Without any cliché shortage. But unfortunately, also without any really poignant moments.

The most annoying part of the film are the last 30 minutes with the camera focusing all the time on the *DID*S brand and/or logo as if it were a mere promotional film. This is where the real horror lies...

The Pledge (I) (2001)

Fine adaptation of Dürrenmatt's novel

[9/10 · 27 July 2023]

The Pledge isn't a remake of Ladislao Vajda's Es geschah am hellichten Tag (It Happened in Broad Daylight) but the adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's novel Das Versprechen (The Pledge).

Dürrenmatt who co-wrote the film script was dissatisfied with the ending. He then decided to rewrite the script into a novel with the ending he considered adequate. He didn't write a crime novel since he didn't like this genre.

This is in fact about what could happen when you make a promise that you can't keep.

Jerry Black is so obsessed by finding the murderer that he gradually gets paranoid and finally loses his sanity.

The Longest Night (2022)

A second season is inescapable...

[5/10 · 23 July 2023]

Christmas Eve. A serial killer gets arrested and is brought to a psychiatric prison. A conspiracy to protect him obviously failed, the new one aims to his capture (and possibly elimination?). Heavily armed men besiege the prison. The warden, few prison guards and inmates try to resist the attack. The fact that the assault is aimed to free the serial killer, and that the warden refuses to hand him over isn't to everyone's liking among the prison personal and inmates. What comes next should be revealed in season two...

The problem with Netflix is that they often green-light a new series and cancel it after the first season without explanation. In the case of The Longest Night, it isn't even clear whether there will be a second season. If not, then it is a silly series. If one was initially planned but cancelled afterwards, then it was a silly decision. Otherwise season one might not be very original but is acceptable. Only with a second season will it be possible to say if the series was worth it or not.

The Minions of Midas (2020)

The right ending

[13 July 2023]

Victor Genovés' ethical dilemma and increasing paranoia are developed at a slow-paced tempo which might not suit everyone, but which is crucial to the story's credibility. And to the fact that Genovés gradually realises that he is no longer the master of his own fate.

The ending of the series fits with the logic of the story. The person in the car is only one cog in the whole machinery. It doesn't matter who this is since there are supposed to be hundreds, even thousands of them. It would therefore be completely ludicrous to add a second season.

(And, undoubtedly, this series will make conspiracy theorists happy...)

Luis Tosar's rock-solid acting gives Victor Genovés the required credibility. The rest of the cast is also excellent.

Harry Wild (2022– )

Lightweight whodunit

[5/10 · 6 November 2022]

Just another whodunit set in Dublin with a nosy old lady. Not quite Miss Marple, though, given the use of bad language, drugs and sexual references, too much red wine, and some violence (a bit like Monty Python's old grannies chasing and beating up rockers on the street at nightfall). That's it in a nutshell, really.

Everything is actually quite predictable. This is more about Harry Wild herself and her relationship to other people (particularly her son who is a police detective) than about the crimes and the criminals themselves. The use of clichés is probably supposed to bring some humour in the series.

Caïn (2012–2020)

not suited for persons over 10 years of age

[1/10 · 16 December 2018]

This show is supposed to take place in Marseilles. Well. You won't see anything of it, not a single known place, nothing. You won't hear no one speaking with the typical local accent. So, if it would be the dullest place in France, it wouldn't make any difference. But as the series itself is dull, it's alright... Caïn is an egocentric who lost the use of his legs by his own fault. That makes him bitter and cynical. But he still feels he is a hero. The main characters--that is the police force--are all poorly developed, and they all have a dark past; the plots are ludicrous and always very predictable. The series begin with the warning that it is not suited for persons under 10 years of age. I strongly believe that this is a mistake: in fact, the warning should be that the series it is not suited for persons over 10 years of age. Simply because the whole show is an insult to the viewer intelligence. This maybe the worst series I ever watch on French TV.

Midsomer Murders: The Night of the Stag (2011) Season 14, Episode 6

What a dreadful place

[1/10 · 11 June 2018]

My wife and I, we had planned to visit the region of Midsomer next year in spring. But after hearing on telly about these terrible events which took place in Midsomer Abbas, we decided against it. Who, honestly, would like to spend their holiday in such a dreadful place full of cavemen, I ask you? So, we finally changed our mind, and are now planning to spend a nice time in Shetland, where things should be rather peaceful, I believe...