Even more intense than seasons 1 and 2, I have become less and less convinced in the plot line.
It’s more complicated than I would like.
The acting is strong, of course.
Martin Short as Leonard Winstone is added to the cast. A nice touch.
He and Lily Tomlin are two comedians put into dramatic roles here.
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Book #3 in her excellent Cormoran Strike series. Rowling writes under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
Unlike most books I read, in this one are only two important characters: Robin Ellacott and her boss Cormoran Strike.
Both are damaged individuals. Both are flawed. Both are complex.
The relationship between the two drives the plotline.
In this one a killer (who loves Blue Öyster Cult) stalks Robin, whom he sees as part of his plan to exact revenge against private investigator Cormoran Strike.
In the BBC TV series Tom Burke plays Strike. And seems to have one leg missing, as does Strike in the book.
… The team uses unorthodox “fringe” science and FBI investigative techniques to investigate a series of unexplained, often ghastly occurrences, which are related to mysteries surrounding a parallel universe.
FBI agent Olivia Dunham is portrayed by actress Anna Torv, while actors Joshua Jackson and John Noble play father-son duo Peter and Walter Bishop.
Those 3 actors are good. I enjoy John Noble, in particular.
It’s lightweight TV compared with shows that inspired like The Twilight Zone and The X-Files.
If you want to watch a show like this, I’d recommend Black Mirror as a much stronger alternative.
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If you claim Dune is the greatest Science Fiction novel of all time, I’d not argue.
Recently I reread the first 3 books in the series.
Written 1965, it’s superb. Not at all dated.
Dune was rejected by more than 20 publishers—before being published by Chilton Books, a little-known printing house best known for its auto repair manuals.
Frank Herbert wrote 6 books before his death. As I recall from past readings each sequel was less compelling.
Book 2 is Dune Messiah 1969. I again found it slow, dark and overly philosophical.
Book 3 is Children of Dune 1976. Better than Messiah, but still too slow paced. In fact hardly anything happens in books 2 and 3. It’s mostly interpersonal intrigue.
When his son took over for the 7th book they got even worse.
I actually found things to like about both the 1984 film and the 2000 TV miniseries. Sting was excellent, for example.
Still … it’s time for another version of Dune. Happily we can look forward to that December, 2020. Jason Momoa plays Duncan Idaho.
Liet Kynes will be played by a woman.
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In June 2019 it was announced that Legendary Television will be producing a spin-off television series, Dune: The Sisterhood, for WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service, HBO Max. The series will focus on the Bene Gesserit and serve as a prequel to the 2020 film.
Even more intense than season 1.
Still, I found this plot a little weaker. The shifting timeline too confusing.
New this year is Patty’s former lover and baby daddy Daniel Purcell (William Hurt) who is good, as always. All the acting is great.
I will go on to season 3.
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I finally got around to watching this excellent show.
Very intense. Great plot. Very good acting. Especially Željko Ivanek as Ray Fiske. He won a Prime Time Emmy for the role.
Damages revolves around the brilliant, ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and her newest protégée, recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne). …
The series is known for its depiction of season-long cases from the point of view of both a law firm and an opponent. It is also noted for the technical merit of its writing, including its effective use of plot twists and non-linear narrative …
Season 1 (2007) centres about Trump-like billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson).
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I did like Hanna the movie.
Hanna the TV series is … different. But the new actor playing Hanna is just as interesting. Fierce — yet naive and vulnerable. Lost girl with killer instincts.
She didn’t watch the film wanting to bring her own interpretation to the role.
Hanna is a 15-year-old girl living with Erik, the only man she has ever known as her father, in a remote part of a forest in Poland.
Erik once recruited pregnant women into a CIA program, code name UTRAX, where the children’s DNA was enhanced in order to create super-soldiers.
It’s smart. Brave. Multilingual. Good acting. Complex characters.
The fight scenes and explosions are embarrassingly poorly done, however. 😀
A little too much violence for my liking. Still … I might continue with season 2. I’d like to see what happens with those super humans.
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Rowling is an excellent writer. Worth about $1 billion, she certainly keeps putting pen to paper only because she wants to.
I enjoyed this 4th book in her Cormoran Strike series. She writes under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
Still, for me the plot was a bit too complicated. The book a bit long.
I just found out BBC had already turned the series into a TV series.
Robin Ellacott has a crush on her mentor and eventual business partner Cormoran Strike. Seems BBC has cast those two characters well.
Click PLAY or watch the season 1 trailer on YouTube.
Just finished season 2.
It’s the sequel to 7 seasons (156 episodes) of The Good Wife. But is, perhaps, even better.
Plots are derived from important stories of the day. You learn a lot about how the legal system works in the USA.
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Rose Leslie as Maia Rindell is one of my favourite characters. That’s Mrs. Jon Snow to the rest of the world.
Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold is even better.
Possibly best of all is Nyambi Nyambi as Jay DiPersia.
The whole cast is great. Guest stars this season included Alan Alda as Solomon Waltzer, F. Murray Abraham as Burl Preston, Rob Reiner as Judge Josh Brickner, Wallace Shawn as Charles Lester and many, many more.
The show is proudly anti-Trump — a theme I enjoy too.
Unlike many, I thought the writers did a great job with season 8.
It’s not easy to end anything. Books. Films. TV series. It was impossible to tie up every loose end introduced by George R. R. Martin.
This series was my favourite all time — aside from, perhaps, Breaking Bad.
Certainly TV was far better than the books.
I’ll be tuning in for any and all prequels and sequels that come along.
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Rick McCharles 