JUNE 2019 - FILMS + TV (HOME VIEWING)

Nothing too fantastic on the viewing radar this month - one film watched, one true crime mini-series completed, another true crime documentary eavesdropped on, one new TV drama followed, another one started and another one continued.....

More ignored than watched......The Handmaid's Tale, The Shield, The OA, London Kills....

The Virtues (2019) - TV drama

Sadly one one more episode watched in the month. I know it's harrowing and difficult viewing and can only be consumed in small doses, but one in the month? Really....blame the World Cup

Alcoholism, abandonment, abuse, family break-ups, suppressed memories re-surfacing.

From Google....

Written and directed by Stephen Meadows, `The Virtues' is an emotionally charged drama that teeters on the edge of total self-destruction. Joseph is already in a precarious situation battling an alcohol addiction and memories from a dark childhood, but his life is thrown into further disarray when his ex-partner moves to Australia and takes their son with her. With no one to turn to but a bottle of liquor, an all-night bender prompts Joseph to confront his haunting past and he heads to Ireland. There he finds compassion from a sister who thought he was dead but also a familiar face that strikes feelings of fear within him.

68 Kill (2017) - Film

I read the book of the same name a year or two ago. Bryan Smith is the author - thoughts here. Enjoyed it and had the film on the radar ever since. A bit of a mash-up - comedy, crime, horror.... violent, plenty of action, sex content as well - more implied than displayed. Some very funny moments and if my memory holds up quite faithful to the book. Matthew Gray Gubler stars.

From Google......

Trailer-dwelling, sewage-pumping Chip may not lead the most glamorous life, but he's got one thing going for him: he's head over heels infatuated with his girlfriend, Liza. So when she proposes a plot to steal $68,000, he goes along with the plan. But when what was supposed to be a simple heist turns into an off-the-rails, blood-spattered crime spree, Chip learns the hard way just how deranged the love of his life really is.

Evil Genius (2019) - Crime Documentary

Four episodes only start to finish about a bank robbery in the US in 2003 and the fall-out resulting from it. The bank robber, Brian Wells was killed when a bomb collar around his neck exploded while he was in a stand-off with the police. Interesting and entertaining. No real answer as to whether the pizza delivery robber was a manipulated victim or part of the gang.

From Wikipedia....

Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist is a 2018 true crime documentary series about the murder of Brian Wells, a high-profile 2003 incident often referred to as the "collar bomb" or "pizza bomber" case. It was released on Netflix as a four-part series on May 11, 2018.

Wild Bill (2019) - ITV Drama series

One my wife spotted - well done her! Three episodes from a total of six have been watched and enjoyed. I think we're only one behind. Rob Lowe stars as an abrasive US police chief, who has taken a role in Lincolnshire. It's the worst performing police force in the country and hatchet man Lowe has to improve performance while drastically cutting costs - ie making about 600 staff redundant eventually and out-sourcing loads of shit. The modern world eh? Don't you just love it. Lowe's character comes attached with the usual emotional baggage - he's a recent widower and is accompanied by his difficult teenage daughter.

Best series ever? No, but we like it. It's quirky and a bit off-beat. I can't remember the last thing I saw Rob Lowe in, but it's been a while. Where's he been and what's he been doing? Off to look it up.


From IMDB....

US police chief Bill Hixon lands in Lincolnshire with his 14 year-old daughter Kelsey, hoping to flee their recent painful past. New community forces Bill to question everything about himself.

Creators: Dudi Appleton, Jim Keeble, David Griffiths
Stars: Rob Lowe, Bronwyn James, Anthony Flanagan

Killing Eve - Season 2 (2019) - BBC Drama

Enjoyed the first series, but kind of thought it went a bit off the rails towards the end. I can't actually remember if we watched one episode or two in the month. There's eight in total. Let's see how many I can watch in July!

I do enjoy watching Sandra Oh and Jody Comer in this. I have the first book from Luke Jennings which I'll have to read one of these years.

From Google......

Eve's life as a spy is not adding up to what she had hoped it would be when she started. She is a bored, very smart, MI5 security officer who is very desk-bound. Villanelle is a very talented killer, mercurial in mood, who clings to the luxuries of her job. Eve and Villanelle go head to head in a fierce game of cat and mouse, each woman equally obsessed with the other as Eve is tasked with hunting down the psychopathic assassin. Sarah Barnett, BBCA president, says, " `Killing Eve' stands out in a sea of scripted stories as refreshingly entertaining and great fun."

The Staircase (2005, 2013, 2018) - Crime Documentary

My wife and daughter started this one and I initially feigned disinterest, but eventually started following from the reader's chair in the corner. I had heard about this case before and was semi-interested especially as I have one of the author's books on my shelf.

Informative and interesting. I don't think anyone wins here.

From Google.....

In 2001 novelist Michael Peterson's wife died, and he claimed she perished after falling down stairs at their home. The medical examiner, however, determined that she had been beaten with a weapon, which led to Peterson becoming a suspect in what would become a murder investigation. This series, which began with eight episodes in 2005 before being updated in 2013 and 2018, follows the investigation as it proceeds from Peterson's arrest to a verdict being reached in the ensuing trial. The real-life courtroom thriller offers a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial and an examination of contemporary American justice.