Reviews and more!

 I re-watched this program over the last couple of weeks. I enjoyed it the first time around, and then I read the books a few years ago. Fifteen complete stories on tv and twenty-six novels — hmmmm. And then I was looking for something else to watch, and DCI Banks looked like an old friend. Not the best idea. The second time around, the comparison between the show and books intruded, and the books definitely won. The characters were more one-note than I remembered, especially Banks himself. Disappointing. 🎥🎥

  So I have free HBOMAX for this weekend, and I found this holiday movie. Yay! Henry Golding and Emilia Clarke, both of whom I like. Double yay! But this story is not a typical holiday romcom, so be prepared. Kate’s family is driving her crazy, and she’s a wannabe  actress working in a somewhat bizarre holiday shop. She and Tom meet-cute and spend time together, forming a sort of platonic relationship. But why doesn’t he want to take it further? And why does he disappear every so often? The answer blindsided me, not gonna lie. Back to The Holiday and pretty people getting together forever.  🎥🎥

  I’m so old that I have lived through this era as well as seen the first version of the Tom Wolfe novel when it came out. Our family watched that movie multiple times (“Who was the best pilot I ever saw? Well, you’re lookin’ at him”).  The new 8-episode version moves from the forming of NASA to the choosing of astronauts, ending with the first Gemini manned space flight. It’s quite different from the movie and the book, which include comparisons between the new age of astronauts and the past age of Chuck Yeager and the dare-devil test pilots. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not good television — far from it. By choosing to focus on the astronauts and their families, we get an in-depth exploration of the men that chose this path and the families that had to deal with their choices. Don’t miss this one.  🎥🎥🎥🎥

 A fun romp from British comic actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. By day, Gus is a broadband guy for Smyle, but he’s also a paranormal specialist by night. When new guy Elton joins him, ghosts, etc., seem to multiply! And then Astrid becomes part of the team, bringing her own supernatural baggage. Another show to make you forget 2020’s craziness for a little while. Think UK does Ghostbusters.🤣 🎥🎥🎥🎥

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/16/the-curse-of-the-buried-treasure/amp   What a charming, unassuming little gem this show is. Who knew that in the U.K. there were actually folks armed with metal detectors looking for buried treasure? This 3-season series follows Lance and Andy as they walk the beautiful fields of Essex, UK, searching for Anglo-Saxon or perhaps Roman buried artifacts. Their hobby becomes a bit of an obsession along the way, and their friends and family have their own quirks as well. In the midst of a pandemic, this series brings joy and laughter at the little things in life.  And The New Yorker just published an article about this very subject! 🎥🎥🎥🎥

  Wow. This season just blew me away, and I totally admit to bingeing it in 3 days. With a major emphasis on Charles and Diana, these episodes also encompass Margaret Thatcher’s  tenure as prime minister. I found myself furiously looking up events online after (and sometimes during!) episodes to check what was fact and fiction. And being of a certain age, I remember many of these moments, having lived through them. With a present-day perspective, there were some heartbreaking scenes (Charles and Diana dancing in Australia) as well as a few ironic ones (Prince Andrew explaining a Koo Stark movie to Queen Elizabeth). What a cast. If you start down this road, be prepared to be beguiled. 🎥🎥🎥🎥+

  If you’re looking for a lovely setting and an enjoyable tale of discovery and romance with an environmental element, this is the show for you! Hoping that her next step is the main office in Oslo, environmental consultant Kate Ryan reluctantly agrees to go undercover to an Irish coastal town to help with acceptance of a Norwegian-run wind farm already in the planning stages. Unfortunately, this County Cork village has memories and secrets for her. And that’s one of the main conflicts — but there are also protests over the very existence of the wind farm. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery as foreign business collides with Irish feistiness and Kate’s secrets are in danger of being revealed. 🎥🎥🎥