pwebber13 Reviews

Midsomer Murders: The Black Book (2009) Season 12, Episode 2

Not a bad episode, but...

[6/10 · 30 March 2011]

...as the other reviewer mentioned, a little dull. Too many Midsomer's lately have been heavy on exposition and a sort-of character development, and light on the reason most of us watch: murder and mayhem. The higher body counts and the often downright wacky methods of killing people in earlier seasons made for, well, a lot of "fun." Still, it's an enjoyable show and miles ahead of most American cop/mystery shows.

Two questions for UK viewers: Are there any ex-pat American actors living in Britain? And do Americans affecting British accents sound as bad to you as Brits doing American accents? Gavan O'Herlihy (as George Arlington in this ep) comes pretty close, and kudos to him for doing a softer Southern accent. But really, find someone who doesn't sound completely stilted and affected when "speaking American." It always sounds like Graham Chapman from Monty Python doing his outrageously broad movie mogul voice: "You'rrrre fi-errred!" (And no, we don't all say "goddammit," "bullshit," and "ass" every time we speak, either.)

Pride and Prejudice (1980)

Just Plain Bad

[2/10 · 18 February 2011]

Definitely the worst of the three versions of P&P that I've seen. (The others being the best, the 2005 movie, and in the middle, the Colin Firth TV version.) While it may be somewhat faithful to the book, almost none of the energy, vitality, or even wit of the book comes through here. The production is overcome by too many dull scenes, some bad acting (esp. David Rintoul as Darcy, who provides another answer to the question from Monty Python's Sir Bedivere, "What else is made of wood?"),and way too much inappropriate music. At times I thought I was watching a nature film made in the 60s or 70s.

Skip this one. If you want something faithful to the book, try the Firth version. If you want one that captures the feeling, the energy, and the spirit of the book, then definitely try the 2005 Keira Knightly version.