Category: TV

The English Girl by Daniel Silva

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

I’ve been disappointed by a number of books recently. Not Silva. He keeps getting better.

REVIEW:

A beautiful woman is snatched from her vacation on Corsica. A ransom note reaches 10 Downing Street. An ambitious, unfaithful prime minister seriously needs a fixer.

… Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon, one of the more believable and likable heroes in recent spy fiction.

To call The English Girl a page turner is an oversimplification.

Smart, unpredictable, and packed with bits of history, art, heart, and imagination, this is a page turner to be savored. Let me just say that I like John LeCarre. Big fan. Still impressively relevant and prolific into his 80s. But the torch must pass to someone. …

Daniel Silva isn’t quite LeCarre. He’s a more modern breed, with some major DNA overlap. (Other DNA-sharing: Graham Greene, Joseph Kanon, Alan Furst.) When it comes to the vast club of practitioners of international spycraft, Silva is a cut above them all, and The English Girl is a masterwork. —Neal Thompson

 
related – MGM TV Acquires Rights to Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon Spy Novels

The Good Fight

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Good Wife, I downloaded the sequel.

Diane Lockhart is the star now. She wanted to flee Trump’s America and retire in Italy. But an enormous financial scam wipes out her savings.

She joins Chicago’s pre-eminent (Black) law firm because she needs the money.

Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold is back too as Diane Lockhart’s secretary with a knack for investigating.

Rose Leslie as Maia Rindell, Diane’s goddaughter, is a new lead character. Quite good.

The Good Fight has received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes awarded the series with a rating of 100% based on reviews from 38 critics and an average rating of 8.1 out of 10.

It’s not as good as Good Wife. But I’m still recommending it for the interesting legal cases.

My only complaint is that this series is only 10 episodes where seasons of Good Wife were MUCH longer.

Homeland – season 6

On By Rick McIn government, Islam, TVLeave a comment

Still must watch TV.

Nothing else in public popular media addresses the issues of the day so well.

The sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland … concluded on April 9th, 2017.

Carrie Mathison is back in the United States, living in Brooklyn, New York with her young pre-school aged daughter. She is now working at a foundation whose efforts are to provide aid to Muslims living in the United States.

Saul Berenson and Dar Adal are still CIA operatives and are dealing with counter-terrorism …

Peter Quinn is alive but has suffered a major stroke and is incapacitated. …

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Rupert Friend should win all the acting awards as Peter Quinn, a disabled Vet recovering from sarin poisoning.

Jake Weber as Brett O’Keefe, TV host and fake news provocateur is fascinating. Something between Bannon and Alex Jones. A very scary guy.

Elizabeth Marvel was cast in the role of Elizabeth Keane, a senator from New York who was just elected to be the next President of the United States. This was written while it was still expected Hillary would be President.

Fortitude – season 1

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Intense. Well acted. I recommend this series if you are OK with scary TV.

Fortitude is a British sci-fi psychological thriller television series …

A 12-episode series started airing on 29 January 2015. …

The series is set in the fictional Arctic Norwegian settlement of Fortitude. …

It is described as an international community, with inhabitants from many parts of the world (population of 713 inhabitants and 4 police officers). The series was filmed in both the UK and in Reyðarfjörður, Iceland. …

Critics gave positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season an 88% rating …

Dennis Quaid joins the cast for season 2. Amazon picked it up.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Black Mirror – season 3

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Intense. Very well done.

Black Mirror is a British science fiction television anthology series …

Episodes are standalone works, usually set in an alternative present or the near future. …

93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Mr. Robot (season 2)

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Mr. Robot is an American drama–thriller television series …

It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker who suffers from social anxiety disorder and clinical depression. …

I enjoyed season 1.

Season 2 is even better, despite being a bit confusing at times.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

 

 

The Good Wife – season 7

On By Rick McIn product endorsements, TVLeave a comment

I just finished the 156th and final episode of The Good Wife.

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% fresh rating …

The finale episode of The Good Wife: “End” had a divided reaction among viewers and critics, with many praising a fitting ending to a complex character with others who argued of its ambiguity and absence of a conclusion – particularly with Alicia’s love life. …

I’ll be downloading the sequel – The Good Fight.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Black Mirror – season 1 (2011)

On By Rick McIn TVLeave a comment

Warren and Sandy introduced me to this innovative series.

Black Mirror is a British science fiction television anthology series …

… “each episode has a different cast, a different setting, even a different reality. But they’re all about the way we live now – and the way we might be living in 10 minutes’ time if we’re clumsy.” …

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.