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Karumen junjô su (1952)
Such a terrific movie
I loved this movie! My husband did also. It was such an interesting satire of post-war Japan, interesting and hilarious. It was far easier for us to appreciate this urban setting than it was to appreciate the first Carmen movie, which was set in a village, with Carmen and her friend visiting. It's true that the many plot lines were hard to resolve satisfactorily. A third installment of the story was promised at the end of the film, and it is hard to know whether that was truly intended or a convenient way to close, but it is pointed out in the comments that such a film was probably never made. The slightly unsatisfying ending brings me from a rating of "10" to "9," because the wild ending was funny anyway. One of the commenters here, William Flanigan, posting as net_orders, says that the English subtitles were hard to read on the version he saw in 2016. We saw the version TCM presented in 2022, and the subtitles in that version were just fine, though there are a lot of them and I had to pause a couple of times and rewind a little on my TiVo.
Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie: Un cadavre au petit déjeuner (2019)
Beautiful goodbye
This was a perfect farewell episode. For this special occasion, the episode is not based on a Christie story, but it was wonderfully done, as usual. There is a special guest from season 1 to add to the fun.
Yellow Canary (1943)
Where to find missing minutes at the beginning
The U. S. version of this film (and also a Spanish-subtitled version on Amazon, apparently) is missing around 11 minutes near the beginning. The minutes are rather important, because they include a scene at the protagonist's home that is helpful for later developments. Those minutes also include Nova Pilbeam, who plays the protagonist's sister. This is the version shown on TCM. However, there is a seemingly complete version currently (2021) available on youtube, and the viewer should watch the first quarter-hour there. I thought I was alerted to this fact here on IMDb, and I wanted to thank the user, but I can't find the note. It must have been two reviewers of the Spanish-subtitled version on Amazon. Enjoyable film, more enjoyable with the minutes included. Happy to see Richard Greene, because I always used to watch him in Robin Hood when I was a child. Margaret Rutherford is terrific in her small parts, and Anna Neagle is very good too.
Professor T.: Het perfecte plaatje (2018)
Music wonderful as usual
I loved this episode and gave it a 10. In answer to the question from another user about a baroque song, I believe he or she is referring to Purcell's "Remember Me," or Dido's Lament, from Dido and Aeneas. The user who inquired about the music mentioned Handel's "Cara Sposa," but unfortunately if that beautiful aria was in the program I didn't recognize it at the time. "Remember Me" is definitely part of the episode.
Cop Rock (1990)
Before its time
Amazingly talented cast. Terrific show. People were not ready for this format for a police series.
The Good Doctor: Decrypt (2021)
Unfinished
Like a couple of other reviewers here, I was shocked at the casual and quick acceptance by three doctors of a lie to an organ donor in order to get an organ (despite the likability and need of one of the organ recipients). I thought that it was likely that this plot line was supposed to tie in with another, that of the supposed cancer victim whose deception led to publicity and much fund-raising for his charity. I thought perhaps the writers meant to examine how much bending of the truth was ethical in order to achieve some good. However, the comparison was never made. Most of the characters were horrified at the fake cancer victim, but the lie to the organ donor was barely dealt with. Very strange.
However, I'm not that familiar with the characters, having only seen several of the shows this season only. Did anyone think of Madison Cawthorn while watching this episode?
Les Petits Meurtres: secrets de tournage (2017)
Documentary about the series
This program about the making of the highly enjoyable series Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie is enjoyable and enlightening in its own right. It's fascinating to hear about the care taken to keep consistency within each shot with the era in which these episodes are taking place. I saw the documentary around the time that people were laughing about the takeout coffee cup visible in an episode of Game of Thrones. I was proud of "MY" show for being much more careful!
Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020)
We love it
My husband and I adore this hilarious show. I'm surprised at some of the negative reviews appearing here. I guess it's a bit like Curb Your Enthusiasm, but the amoral Nora is still not quite as bad as Larry. Both shows this season are better than almost anything else on TV.
Unforgotten (2015)
Not what it seems?
Series 1 only: Definitely lots of spoilers here, because I mostly want to discuss the ending. So go elsewhere if you just want to see whether you would like the series.
Further spoiler: I just saw an interview with the writer, in which he does say that the murderer is the stated one at the end, but that he had been planning for two years to make her husband the murderer and then switched. I think that this change was not at all well executed, and the separation of the brutal, sadistic side of Eric and one of his sons from actual murderous tendencies is not satisfactory for the viewer, me.
I will now continue with the review I wrote earlier today, when I was not sure of the intentions of the writer. I thought at that time that the writer might have intended to show a wrong solution by the police.
Earlier thoughts: I've been so frustrated because I haven't found yet much of a discussion of my take on the ending. It seems that most reviewers here and generally online take the solution of the lead detective, the Nicola Walker character, for granted, and that the most unlikely person did it. I think I see a real ambiguity here, with a strong suggestion that the stated solution is wrong (as suggested by the Sanjeev Bhaskar character). I think that a real shock of a wrong conclusion is intended, with a surprise such as in Josephine Tey's Miss Pym Disposes. When I saw Claire Slater's cruel son mentally torturing her at the end, so reminiscent of his father, Eric, I thought that either Eric Slater did do it and concocted the story blaming his wife, or, more likely, that he was still covering for someone else in order to protect himself in jail, and so blamed his wife, who could never be convicted because of her mental state. I thought that the someone else was Sir Phillip Cross, who did order a hit of a blackmailer but changed his mind when the attention was on Eric Slater. Cross later hangs himself, after all. Also, details and hints of torture throughout the season seem to be unrelated to the solution if Claire is the unlikely killer. It's possible that the intention is to show exactly what I saw, and that Cross was the killer, but I must say that I thought the exposition was unclear and that I missed a bit of the story related to Cross. I did not buy Claire as the murderer. If this ambiguity was intentional, I wish it had been better delineated. Also, throughout the story of the first season, there are flashbacks for each character to the first victim, Jimmy. I think that this is an unfair tease for the viewer, because the characters are not each thinking of the victim in the same way at all. In all, I found it to be a deeply disappointing conclusion, rather a masterpiece of ambiguity.