tomlinsonbob Reviews

Patrick Melrose (2018)

A Patrick Too Far...

[1/10 · 22 May 2018]

For the benefit of those preparing to feast for the first time on Sky Atlantic's much vaunted dish-of-the-day Patrick Melrose, titillating taste buds with the delicacies served up at Showtime's table, I suggest thinking in terms of 'cannibalism'. A self-consuming passion is exhibited both by the star, whose holy name shall not pass my lips, and his on-screen dad David, for whose persona think Caligula meets Heinrich Himmler, and portrayed by Hugo Weaving, who must fancy a crack at Hannibal Lecter on this evidence. As far as the whole shebang is concerned, think Bridge On The River Kwai, without the jokes. I've no wish to be unkind to the star whose name...oh dammit, to Benedict Cumberbatch, whose portrayal of Sherlock, opposite the brilliantly underplayed Watson of Martin Freeman, has been one delight of my entire sixty-year TV-viewing existence. But I can't help visualise in less than flattering terms his thespian eyes flashing with the brilliance of exploding nebula, at the thought of soul withering antics in the guise of an addict in withdrawal. Lord knows there's enough of that about without having to live through it on one's home sofa. That's what thespians thrive on. 'Challenging' roles, playing Hamlet, Macbeth, Goody Two Shoes with such intensity that they're fit for a leading role in Silence Of The Lambs. Not for me. My wife and I lasted two episodes. Maybe the rest transmogrifies into a sort of Yellow Brick Road with Benedict as Dorothy. I'm of the generation that thought Mary Whitehouse was over the top but had the right idea. Violence and depravity which in Shakespeare's day, portrayed on stage without recourse to 21st century special effects, were confined to the imagination, are now made real by TV and cinema. Bums on seats by any means! Nuf sed!

Bull (2016–2022)

Not so fine for Weatherly

[4/10 · 3 February 2018]

Having watched the entire season 1, I didn't much care if there was to be a season 2. It had been a bit too much 'in your face' American tat, raised a level by Michael Weatherly, who's a real pro, but shouldn't have invested his talent in this . Stars should always, I believe, ask themselves a question before they take a part: if I wasn't in it, would it fly? Without Michael, Bull wouldn't, and the latest one to air. The Illusion Of Control, was rubbish. The so-called legal claim against Bull had no merit even if one did suspend disbelief to the point where you're unconscious. There was no contract, it was merely personal advice for which I assume there was no payment. So free advice which she has legal experts to go over. Why didn't the star sue them? Answer: they're not on TV. Complete rot, an insult to your intelligence with even Monsieur Weatherly floundering to spit out some rubbish words that were supposed to convey his anger. You do that by acting, mate? There are any number of scenarios in which Michael Weatherly could prosper. Teaming up with Cote De Pablo would be brilliant, as long as it was as well scripted and plotted as was NCIS. I hope the guy gets to read this. He's a star. Doesn't need to stoop to conquer, just rise to the occasion.

Hard Sun (2018)

Auntie can do better.

[13 January 2018]

Hard Sun looked promising for starters, but by the time a couple of victims had expired in gruesome circumstances, it became clear that gratuitous violence was endemic, making up, one assumes for a plot that didn't stack up. Once Hard Sun was out of the bag, there was no way it could have been hushed up so conveniently as a hoax. What was the rest of the world doing? And what about all those goons doing the chasing. Didn't they have families? Female lead good in an offbeat way, but the male lead and the black baddie weren't even up to pantomime standard, as one famous critic remarked in different circumstances, "They exploited the whole gamut of emotions from A right through to B". Billed as something quite new to the BBC, the only sense in which that rings true is how abysmally bad was this production. Worst thing is, I helped fund it.

Bancroft (2017–2020)

A wind-up, start to finish....

[3/10 · 14 December 2017]

The anti-climaactic 'finale' left me reaching for something hefty to fling at the TV. If you go to the trouble of absorbing viewers in a potentially fascinating plot, you have to reward them, unless of course, you're Shonda Rhimes, when a breach of the 'rules' is to be expected, lapped up, so skilfully produced is the rabbit out of the hat that you're ready to stroke the bunny and gleefully anticipate the arrival of her offsrping. This centred on a hateful crime, and descended into a hateful and paranoid plot which did more to upset me than to entertain me.

Inspector Lewis (2006–2015)

Works of art

[27 October 2017]

Hard act to follow: the phrase could not be better used than in relation to Lewis and Morse. No problem. Kevin Whateley and Lawrence Fox work every bit as well as did Kevin with John Thaw. What makes these series outstanding? Partly the pace, very much so the intelligent camera work. Every shot is beautifully framed. My only grouse is the panic that seems to set in towards the climax of each episode. Turns into a runaway train, derailing the senses.

Tin Star (2017–2020)

Waste of talent.

[2/10 · 22 October 2017]

Tim Roth never looks comfortable wearing his Tin Star, and no wonder. The dismal plot never gets off the ground, makes little sense and suffers from some weird role-play. The villains, honestly, look like recruits from some Rocky Horror Show, the evil oil company boss straight out of the Adams Family. There's a feel of Living Dead about the production....unabated nastiness. Tim Roth shone in 'Lie To Me', but this is no vehicle to progress his career. He deserves a better break, and so do we.

The Coroner: That's the Way to Do It (2015) Season 1, Episode 3

Not the way to do it...

[1/10 · 3 August 2017]

We made it, my wife and I, as far as the third episode of 'The Coroner' entitled 'That's The Way To Do It', which proved to be a less than fitting title for the plot dished up. I'm 75, have lapped up many favourites in this genre over the years, Doc Martin being a good example, in that is combined genuine drama with tongue-in-cheek humour, and a general feeling that despite trials and tribulations, all will come out well in the end. The character of the lousy Mayor was plain nasty, the drunken Punch and Judy man over the top and not the least bit endearing. The villainous husband found Ronan Vibert most decidedly uncomfortable with the whole shebang: his shaky knife-wielding hand would have done justice to the Punch and Judy puppet master. The face off he had with the Coroner Claire Goose had a ring of insincerity about it. Claire Goose and her partner in crime Matt Bardock are quality actors, it shows, their obvious class only serving to exaggerate a woeful production.Verdict: this is not the way to do; death by misadventure.