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The claustrophobic setting (1 more)
The plot
Twists, turns, misdirection and murder
A murder mystery set on an oil rig with a skeleton staff couldn't possibly make an interesting TV series could it?
Surprisingly it works... The setting is perfect to make the tension greater, with the storm causing problems with power inside and making everything hazardous in the scenes out on the decks...
The crew distrust each other and don't get on, they have issues with the insurance assessor, the boss is about to lose control and its almost Christmas... Something has got to give....
I found it similar in feel (although obviously different) to Fortitude and is very much like a modern remake of a famous Agatha Christie novel (Which I won't mention the title of, as it could give the game away) although I'm sure it probably isn't actually based on it...
One criticism is, I think it was a little rushed in places and could probably have made a 8 or 10 episode series, and maybe explore some of the characters a little more, rather than cram it all into 6 Episodes...
I was going to rate the the ending as a good point and a bad point because I think it will divide people, for me it worked well, but I can see some people having issues with it (in my opinion) ... BUT, that is what makes a good story, something that causes debate......
I really recommend this as a series to slot in after finishing binge watching one long series and before starting another long show... 6 episodes about 45 min each, perfect for a lazy weekend...
Surprisingly it works... The setting is perfect to make the tension greater, with the storm causing problems with power inside and making everything hazardous in the scenes out on the decks...
The crew distrust each other and don't get on, they have issues with the insurance assessor, the boss is about to lose control and its almost Christmas... Something has got to give....
I found it similar in feel (although obviously different) to Fortitude and is very much like a modern remake of a famous Agatha Christie novel (Which I won't mention the title of, as it could give the game away) although I'm sure it probably isn't actually based on it...
One criticism is, I think it was a little rushed in places and could probably have made a 8 or 10 episode series, and maybe explore some of the characters a little more, rather than cram it all into 6 Episodes...
I was going to rate the the ending as a good point and a bad point because I think it will divide people, for me it worked well, but I can see some people having issues with it (in my opinion) ... BUT, that is what makes a good story, something that causes debate......
I really recommend this as a series to slot in after finishing binge watching one long series and before starting another long show... 6 episodes about 45 min each, perfect for a lazy weekend...

Kelly (279 KP) rated Orphan Black - Season 1 in TV
Dec 6, 2018
Unique plot line (1 more)
Fantastic actors
Hooked!
I was originally drawn to the series after reading the synopsis, and was hooked in the first 10 minutes. The story centres around Sarah, who assumes the identity of a woman who looks identical to her, trying to escape her own troublesome past, but instead finding she has just stepped into more trouble. As the story develops, we find out that they are actually clones of each other, and are not alone in the world.
The plot thickens quickly as the series develops, becoming more sinister as Sarah tries to protect her foster family and young daughter. In all, I could the plot line unique and refreshing in comparison to what is currently out their.
The clones are played by Tatiana Maslany, who acts each one individually, the fact that she is able to demonstrate a clear identity of several characters at the same time, is a credit to her acting career.
The show itself does have a lot of drama, suspense and a little violence throughout the series, however it never takes itself too seriously, with regular breaks to add a little light heartedness into the show. The clone Alison/ soccer mom, in particular adds an air of humour to the show, particularly with her turbulent relationship with her husband and the stark contrast between herself and Sarah.
The series itself is worthy of a complete box set binge, and is definitely not one that you want to stop until the very end. This has made it to my list of favourite TV shows of all time.
The plot thickens quickly as the series develops, becoming more sinister as Sarah tries to protect her foster family and young daughter. In all, I could the plot line unique and refreshing in comparison to what is currently out their.
The clones are played by Tatiana Maslany, who acts each one individually, the fact that she is able to demonstrate a clear identity of several characters at the same time, is a credit to her acting career.
The show itself does have a lot of drama, suspense and a little violence throughout the series, however it never takes itself too seriously, with regular breaks to add a little light heartedness into the show. The clone Alison/ soccer mom, in particular adds an air of humour to the show, particularly with her turbulent relationship with her husband and the stark contrast between herself and Sarah.
The series itself is worthy of a complete box set binge, and is definitely not one that you want to stop until the very end. This has made it to my list of favourite TV shows of all time.

Erika (17789 KP) rated The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius (30 for 30) in TV
Nov 25, 2020
I love ESPN's 30 for 30 series (the Tonya Harding documentary is one of my favorite sports docs). When I saw that they had done a series about Oscar Pistorius, I was all in.
This series consists of 4 episodes, that are nearly 2 hours each. To clarify, these TV shows with really long eps are not the norm in the USA, like they are elsewhere.
I had watched the Dateline ep on the Pistorious murder a few weeks before I watched this series. Of course, the narrative is of that one was skewed towards the story of domestic violence, and justice for Reeva. This is the story that's peddled all over the world. Not that it's wrong, I'm a supporter of women in domestic situations, but it's always struck me as extremely biased.
This doc did focus on Oscar, his upbringing, and his quest to complete in the able-bodied (sheesh - that's awful) Olympics. His side of the story is highly plausible, and his actions were a product of his upbringing. The documentary films really shed like on the social situation in South Africa at the time. Honestly, I only took one history class that dealt with continent in general, so there wasn't really a focus on the country itself. Seriously, the only things that stood out in my mind regarding South Africa were their incredibly odd accents, Mandela, and District 9. So, I found the additional information extremely interesting.
Overall, I found it to be far more balanced than anything I had seen in the past regarding the case, which was refreshing.
This series consists of 4 episodes, that are nearly 2 hours each. To clarify, these TV shows with really long eps are not the norm in the USA, like they are elsewhere.
I had watched the Dateline ep on the Pistorious murder a few weeks before I watched this series. Of course, the narrative is of that one was skewed towards the story of domestic violence, and justice for Reeva. This is the story that's peddled all over the world. Not that it's wrong, I'm a supporter of women in domestic situations, but it's always struck me as extremely biased.
This doc did focus on Oscar, his upbringing, and his quest to complete in the able-bodied (sheesh - that's awful) Olympics. His side of the story is highly plausible, and his actions were a product of his upbringing. The documentary films really shed like on the social situation in South Africa at the time. Honestly, I only took one history class that dealt with continent in general, so there wasn't really a focus on the country itself. Seriously, the only things that stood out in my mind regarding South Africa were their incredibly odd accents, Mandela, and District 9. So, I found the additional information extremely interesting.
Overall, I found it to be far more balanced than anything I had seen in the past regarding the case, which was refreshing.

What Doesn't Kill You (Twisted #1)
Book
OUTCASTS. MISFITS. FREAKS. And that was before they discovered they commanded some super dark...

Artie Adams (1 KP) rated The Orville in TV
May 28, 2018 (Updated May 28, 2018)
The best Star Trek on TV
When CBS announced that a new Star Trek series would be coming in 2017, they should have made it clear it wasn't anything THEY were making. But they didn't have Star Trek alumni like Brannon Braga or actual fans (or just people who've ever watched Star Trek) like Seth MacFarlane making their programs.
The Orville is a return to the optimistic exploration of the human condition that made Trek great, featuring social commentary (About a Girl, Krill, Majority Rule), hard sci-fi (Pria, New Dimensions), and a mixture of the both (Mad Idolatry).
The Orville is a return to the optimistic exploration of the human condition that made Trek great, featuring social commentary (About a Girl, Krill, Majority Rule), hard sci-fi (Pria, New Dimensions), and a mixture of the both (Mad Idolatry).

James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Downton Abbey (2019) in Movies
Nov 26, 2019
I wanted a touch more tragedy
Downton Abbey the TV series was incredible, I don't care how uncool people think i am for saying it. Its a spot on piece of British History with strong characters and a great cast.
The film in the same vein although was a little too nice. There was no undercurrent of darkness which stopped this getting full marks. The queen an King are coming to visit Downton along with their horrible staff who are trying to make preparations for the royal visit.
This movie is still wonderful and deserves props for highlighting the backwards thinking of homophobia and although a great film i was hoping for a little more.
The film in the same vein although was a little too nice. There was no undercurrent of darkness which stopped this getting full marks. The queen an King are coming to visit Downton along with their horrible staff who are trying to make preparations for the royal visit.
This movie is still wonderful and deserves props for highlighting the backwards thinking of homophobia and although a great film i was hoping for a little more.

Dean (6927 KP) rated Fantasy Island (2020) in Movies
Mar 13, 2020
Average Island
Well I don't really know anything about the old TV series apart from the actors. There are a few little nods to it but this is very different. The location looks nice and the start of the various fantasies coming to life is fun to see. Once things turn more sinister though the film becomes quite slow and rather dull than amazing. A few twists as to what is really going on with the island, but by then you really won't care about the characters that much. A shame as there was a lot of potential here to be creative but it ends in typical, predictable fashion. I had low expectations and they were met.

PhoebeLV (147 KP) rated Hemlock Grove in TV
Jul 22, 2020 (Updated Jul 24, 2020)
The Story (2 more)
The Acting
Likeable Characters
Excellent TV Series
Contains spoilers, click to show
Hemlock Grove is about a family of Upirs (vampires), a werewolves and witches, all trying to keep their identities hidden from the rest of the town. Each season has a different ‘story’: mainly murders.
I watched Hemlock Grove not really knowing what is was about, therefore, it didn’t have my full attention to begin with. However, after the first couple of episodes, I was completely hooked and loved it so much.
My only problem is that they kill off all the best characters; a couple of my favourites were killed off.
Overall, I 100% recommend this show to anyone with access to it.*
*It can be found on Netflix (UK, don’t know about other countries).
I watched Hemlock Grove not really knowing what is was about, therefore, it didn’t have my full attention to begin with. However, after the first couple of episodes, I was completely hooked and loved it so much.
My only problem is that they kill off all the best characters; a couple of my favourites were killed off.
Overall, I 100% recommend this show to anyone with access to it.*
*It can be found on Netflix (UK, don’t know about other countries).

Rachel Khoo's Sweet and Savoury Pates
Book
Easy ideas to create the perfect homemade tartines from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of THE...

Nickg24 (492 KP) rated Child's Play (2019) in Movies
Sep 10, 2019
Buddhi/Chucky (2 more)
Storyline
Rubbish CGI
Pointless Reboot of a classic
So yet another pointless reboot of a beloved horror franchise turns out to be a load of crap.
This film lacked any of the originality,suspense or sheer fun of the original.There was very little horror in it,just gore for the sake of gore.As for the "new" chucky well where to start...first what was mark hamil thinking lending his voice to this pile of crap,he made chucky sound like a constipated tellytubby and that bloody annoying song he kept singing really got on my nerves.
Just everything about this movie was horrible,thank god we still have the original chucky to come back soon in a tv series.
This film lacked any of the originality,suspense or sheer fun of the original.There was very little horror in it,just gore for the sake of gore.As for the "new" chucky well where to start...first what was mark hamil thinking lending his voice to this pile of crap,he made chucky sound like a constipated tellytubby and that bloody annoying song he kept singing really got on my nerves.
Just everything about this movie was horrible,thank god we still have the original chucky to come back soon in a tv series.