TV Ramblings: Mad Men S4 E1

Mad Men Season 4 Episode 1 'Public Relations'
Mad Men is back, all is right with the world. Love this show and it's great to have it back. The performances were spot on, the costumes were great, the color, the sets, all lavish and lush looking, per usual.

So we pick up about a year after the events in the season finale. The new agency is up and running and struggling. Don is Don. He doesn't seem to be enjoying that bachelor life, nor did he enjoy married life either. The season is young. Don gets his agency in a bit of a jam with a bad article in the paper. He's got to make it right, which he finally does much against his will. Basically he's mopey. I like seeing Don suffer.

I'm not gonna recap the whole episode, just gonna write what I liked about it.

One of my favorite characters is Betty. I was in agreement when she left Don, he lied to her and was a bad husband in the sense that he wasn't true to her. When she found out the truth about who he really was, that was the last straw. What I didn't agree with was her running off with another man, that's not going to end well. That said, it was really hard to like her in this episode. I'm always supporting her, even when she grabbed Sally's pony tail and locked her in the closet. I like that Betty is a mess, she married to soon and had kids to soon. If she was brave enough to follow her true self instead of trying to fit the mold, wife/mother/perfect housewife and just continued to be a model and run wild, she'd be far happier. I'm looking forward to seeing her new marriage crumble. That's kinda mean but I'm not feeling the smuck she married. On a shallow note, Betty looked stunning.

Joan! Not enough of her in this episode. Joan is always fun to watch. Pete and Peggy were them usual selves. That phone call that Peggy made to Don, I need bail money was hysterical. Is it just me or are Don and Peggy soul mates?

Gotta run, baby crying.

Doctor Who - TV Ramblings Part 1

Well, catching up on the new series of Doctor Who. I won't say how fantastic it is like every other review. It's not for me. It has more misses for me than hits. I'm a big fan of Doctor Who and have loved almost all the other Doctors but I'm having trouble getting into this new series and I've almost watched all the episodes. I'm just shy the last two. I won't gush about how great the new Doctor, Matt Smith is. I'm not gelling with him. I actually might need another series but as of right now, I'd welcome a new regeneration. I won"t gush over Amy either, hate her. She's way to annoying and doesn't own a pair of pants. But I love Rory who's just to cute for words.

Episode 1 'The Eleventh Doctor'
Picking off were they left when the Doctor regenerated and screamed out the stupidest catch phrase ever, Geronimo. Who came up with that one? The Doctor crash lands on earth and meets a little girl who he befriends, she feeds him for hours and he eventually starts getting better. The Doctor discovers a crack in her wall but the Tardis needs to be fixed so off he goes with a promise to come back. He does come back, some ten years later and encounters the little girl all grown up. That sweet young child became the brat we all know, Amy. Turns out the crack in the wall was serious and Amy is kinda a stalker in training.

What was Good: The episode was pretty good overall. The best part was when there was the flashes of all ten Doctors and then faded in to Matt Smith. I was in fan/geek mode over that.

What was Bad: Amy.

My Last Words: For an episode that introduces a new face for the Doctor and a new companion, wasn't so bad. It actually was a solid episode. Not sold on the new Doctor and I dislike Amy immensely.

Episode 2 'The Beast Below'
Amy, who's still in her pjs, is on her first adventure with the Doctor. They go to the future and discover that Briton is now a floating space ship, Starship UK, searching for a new planet to call home. Guess we screwed the earth up. Of course not all you see is good, they got the terrifying Smilers. There not terrifying, just like those weird guys on the street you encounter sometimes. Plus a really creepy voting booth you never want to go into.

What was Good: The Queen in her red riding hood cape and that white face mask. That made a striking picture and was ultra bad ass.

What was Bad: The plot, Amy, everything. What a dull story for the second episode. Got into a friendly fight with my friend who loved it. I say, to each their own. I actually fell asleep watching.

My Last Words: It's to late to get David Tennant back, damn. I guess I'm just being overly critical. I've loved Doctor Who for years and I'm just not feeling it.

Episode 3 'Victory of the Daleks'
The Doctor answers the call of PM Winston Churchill and goes back to World War Two London during the blitz. He discovers the Daleks working on the side of good to help the British win the war. No freaking way.

What was Good: Not much folks.

What was Bad: Pretty much everything. The Daleks again? I just don't care anymore. The story was weak and nothing happened that was at all exciting. You call that a confrontation? Major let down when the Doctor and the Daleks have their showdown. Dull, dull, dull.

My Last Words: I'd rather see the Cybermen. This episode almost made me quite the series this year. I don't know what is wrong with me. Everyone is loving it so far and I'm just, meh.

Episode 4 'The Time of Angels'
The Doctor and Amy run into River Song as she sends a coded message to the Doctor asking for help. Help with what, creep fest that are the Weeping Angels. They got one and are in search for some answers. Can they find it in a cave full of potential Weeping Angels? Sure they can.

What was Good: River Song and the Weeping Angels.

What was Bad: Almost everything and nothing. The plot was good, the script seemed okay. I just think at the end of the day the episode was missing something. I can't pin point exactly wahat is was, but it left me feeling, that was it. Even though the Weeping Angels were present, it was no 'Blink'. The ever annoying Amy who doesn't own a pair of pants has got to go. But she won't. Over dramatic sobs from me.

My Last Words: River Song rules! Her grand entrance was pretty cool. The Weeping Angels were still creepy as all out. Not a strong episode, but those caves full of potentially Weeping Angels were pretty creepy. Worth a watch simply because of River Song. On to part two.

Episode 5 'Flesh and Stone'

Well everybody is still trying to get away from those Weeping Angels but there's more to worry about, that dang crack in the wall shows up again. Uh oh.

What was Good: River Song. The Weeping Angels. River Song.

What was Bad: The forest setting. Amy. Actually this was a pretty good episode overall. I just don't care about the ongoing story point about the crack in the wall. This is gonna hang on till the end of this series. Ugh.

My Last Words: A much stronger episode than The Time of Angels. The Weeping Angels were awesome per usual. All that creep factor and they were still scary. River Song is bad ass. Can she please come on next season and be the permanent companion. Please.

Episode 6 - 'The Vampires of Venice'
The Doctor, Amy and Rory land in 16th century Venice. They come upon a mystery surrounding the House of Calvierri, were girls from needing families go to better themselves end up missing or have the appearance of the blood sucking undead.

What was Good: The costumes were fantastic and it looked and felt realistic to the era. Most likely since it was filmed in the medieval town of Trogir in Croatia. The makeup was pretty well done, the best this series for me. I mean when they turned into the 'vampires' that was pretty epic. I have to say the vamps creeped me out just a bit. I mean it wasn't scary but the creep factor was totally there. I also just love Rory to bits.

What was Bad: Nothing. I was actually pretty satisfied. Amy still does not own a pair of pants.

My Last Words: Hands down the best episode of the series for me. Helen McCrory was mega awesome as Rosanna, the head of the House of Calvierri. I'm kinda happy I didn't give up the show like I was planing on doing. This episode has renewed my faith. Somewhat. No not really, why give up at this point.

TV Ramblings: 'Murder on the Orient Express'

Well, life is good when Agatha Christie's Inspector Hercule Poirot is on screen. The first of three new Poirot films that will be airing/aired on PBS as part of this seasons Masterpiece Mystery. Let us begin.

Murder on the Orient Express starts out with Poirot solving a case in Istanbul when he's called back to London. Off he goes and encounters Xavier Bouc, who manages the Orient Express and gets Poirot a last minute ticket to board. Characters galore appear and introduce themselves. Well, if you know the drill by now a murder happens. Pretty gruesome one in fact, what a way to go. Inspector Poirot is on the case and taking names. I want to add more but I'd be giving away some major spoilers and it would just kill the story for anyone not familiar with it. Overall this was the best Poirot movie to date. It doesn't matter that their was a motion picture done before, that this is a remake or that you know the story or read the book a hundred times before. It matters on how you tell that story on the screen and how it's presented that makes or breaks it.

What was Good: Every new Poirot film looks better than the last. This film looked incredible. The cinematography, direction, the color were excellent. The coloring I especially loved, it was rich but subdued at the same time, gave such an eerie feel. The look was fantastic. The costumes, makeup, hairstyles all looked period correct and weren't over done. The cast was phenomenal. As always for a Christie adaption the casting directors go all out and get well known faces or hire newbie actors that hit it out of the ball park. Susie Parriss did an excellent job with casting, can't stress that enough. On a totally not important note but made me happy, the American accents were spot on. I must give huge credit to the screenwriter Stewart Harcourt who wrote and excellent script and colorist John Claude. I think I love that man, I was in love with the color.

Let me go into a bit more about the cast members that stood out for me because I can't express enough how excellent the cast was. David Suchet as Poirot was excellent as always but he even out did himself. There is this scene were Poirot is praying, something new to show about this man that we haven't seen before in previous films, it was so moving. Suchet really opened himself up at showing and hiding Poirot's feelings. His beliefs on whats right/wrong and how a person should act upon that knowledge of right and wrong. The last scene of this film, the way the shot lingers on his face and his emotions that he's subtly expressing, amazing. My dream wish would be that he gets an Emmy nomination for his performance. Hugh Bonneville, David Morrissey, Eileen Atkins and Toby Jones were all spot on and just as excellent as they always are.

Actors I'm not to familiar with such as Canadian actress Marie Josee Croze and American actress Jessica Chastain were excellent. I was so drawn to them. There scenes were so good they stood out above some of the seasoned pros. Croze had a dozy of a scene with Suchet about protecting children, Chastain had a hell of a dozzy scene again with Suchet about whats right/wrong and how it's unfair when everything just blows up. A very international cast, as is always in most Christie adaptions. Shout outs to French actors Denis Menochet, Serge Hazanavicius, and Stanley Weber, American actors Brian J. Smith and Barbara Hershey, German actress Susanne Lothhar, and the rest of the cast Elena Satine, Samuel West and Joseph Mawle. The entire main cast needs to be named, everyone brought their A game.

What was Bad: Nothing. My one and only complaint is that Hugh Bonneville and David Morrissey didn't have more screen time.

My Last Words: Best Agatha Christie Poirot film made to date starring David Suchet as the brilliant sleuth. A must watch for Christie fans, Suchet fans, Poirot fans and for everyone who loves good drama, good mystery and just plain old good television.

More info about the program can be found here
http://http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/poirot/orientexpress.html

Ramblings About Miss Marple

I have a love for Miss Marple and I truly enjoy Agatha Christie. I also have a love for PBS Masterpiece Theatre, er I mean Masterpiece Classic/Mystery/Contemporary. I'm also a self confessed costume drama whore. Naturally I'd tune in to the new adaptions of my favorite sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. Well, they've all aired by now but I thought I'd put something up. Spreed the word. Mainly cause I'm bored and can't sleep. I should point out that I'm not a purist who never enjoys film adaptions of novels because they aren't pure to the book. What's exciting on the page sometimes does not translate well in visual media. I still love 'em. Onwards bloggers. I swear nobody cares. 8D (Yes, it's a happy smiley face.)

First up, 'The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side'
Marina Gregg, a glamorous but fragile Hollywood starlet, has settled in St. Mary Mead with her dashing husband - the young director Jason Rudd. Gregg has captured the fancy of the quaint English village, even Miss Marple, who along with everyone else is eager for a party at Gregg's stunning home. The hospitality turns horrific when a guest drops dead due to a poisoned daiquiri. Was Gregg herself the intended target? Miss Marple's friend Dolly Bantry has lots to say about the case (and everything else), even offering up some surprising clues. But the high drama isn't over - another murder grabs the spotlight, leading to a shocking conclusion far beyond what even Hollywood could concoct. (Synopsis from the official PBS Masterpiece website. www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/marple/index.html)

The film opens up with Marie Antoinette. Well, it's the film Marie Antoinette that American actress Marina Gregg is in. Of course, who's watching it in the theater, Jane Marple and Dolly Bantry. What's the first thing I notice, the costumes for the Marie Antoinette were gorgeous. As always the Miss Marple films look really good. The rich colors, the cinematography, the sets, the scenery, the costumes, everything is so lush. The acting was good, though some of those American accents were scary. Marple and Dolly even go to a film set where Marina is filming Cleopatra, of course she's the star. Again, I liked the change of costumes.

As always with an Agatha Christie adaption, stellar well known British actors are abundant. Julia McKenzie is settling in much better as Miss Marple. This is her second series after taking over from Geroldine McEwan (my fav Miss Marple). Lindsay Duncan plays Marina. I love Lindsay Duncan (check out HBO's Rome, stellar, she was awesome) and she was good, she played that vulnerability so well you really did feel sorry for Marina. She's trying to rebuild her career, she has a disabled son in a nursing home, she's icy, she's both sides of the coin, she's married to a younger man, she's got it all and she's got nothing. Joanna Lumley reprises her role as Dotty, last seen in The Body in the Library. She was great, the comedy relief at times but not over the top. Hugh Bonneville plays Inspector Hewitt, you can't say a bad word about Hugh Bonneville, seriously.

I have no complaints. The story was well told. if you've never seen this adaption before or read the novel you'd enjoy the twist. In fact I enjoyed it knowing what I knew. I put the book aside and just enjoyed it for what it was. Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.

Next, 'The Secret Of Chimneys'
History has been written within the walls of the stately Chimneys estate. But Chimneys luster was tarnished after a grand party that ended in the theft of a revered Indian diamond. Now, more than 20 years later, Miss Marple is accompany Virgina Revel to Chimneys, her family home, for a weekend with Virgina's father Lord Caterham, Austrian count Ludwig van Stainach and an odd array of other guests. But when Count Ludwig is found shot, it seems scandal has come again to Chimneys. Is there a coded message in the dead man's pocket? An esteemed chief Inspector arrives from Scotland Yard, and with the clear thinking of Miss Marple, the two will uncover decades old secrets, and navigate through the smokescreen of perplexing clues to the truth of what happened at Chimneys. (Synopsis from the official PBS Masterpiece website)

This isn't a Miss Marple story. It's a stand alone novel. Though Inspector Battle appears in four other Christie novels. The Secret of Chimneys being his first appearance. He also appears in the Poirot novels Card's on the Table and Murder on the Links, plus stand alone novel Murder is Easy. (Which was adapted for last years series of Marple films, story changed, still good. Go see the version with Olivia de Havilland, she's awesome, it's out on dvd.)

Because of the addition of Miss Marple the story is of course different. It had to, you have to accommodate for Marple being included. Of course it looks good, the colors are lush, good acting, the norms for a Christie adaption. I have to say I felt this adaption was flat. I can't put my finger on exactly why. I don't really care that the story is different or that they added Miss Marple. I was just lelt feeling a bit, oh that was it. Feeling that in a story your familiar with is strange, even with the changes. It was rushed in some places but not rushed in other aspects. I'm going to say that the script was lack luster and if you were new to this story you could of figured out a major twist very easily early on. It 's worth watching simply because these films always look good and the cast is usually spot on. I don't really think it's something you would want to see twice.

And lastly, 'The Blue Geranium'
Mary Pritchard, disliked even by the village reverend, is panicked that she is about to die, and a visit by a veiled fortune teller only fuels more paranoia about her fate. But when the wealthy Pritchard is actually found dead, reportedly from the shock of seeing a pink geranium in her wallpaper turn blue, the tensions and accusations in Pritchard's small village blossom widely. Is it possible that Pritchard was scared to death? Miss Marple, in town visiting an old friend, mingles with the villagers, uncovering any number of people who share in the hatred for Pritchard and also harbour their own deadly sins. More deaths occur in short order, leading Miss Marple in a tangled case rooted in desire, deception and greed. (Synopsis from the official PBS Masterpiece website)

Well, this was adapted from a short story, for those who wanna know or don't know. I was happy with this adaption. All the usual beats were there, looks great, well known cast, costumes. I especially liked Toby Stephens as George Pritchard. The cast is bloated, in a good way, so not everyone has longer scenes then the others but Toby Stephens stood out in his role. (Still swoon worthy in 2006 Jane Eyre). The cast is absolutely spot on. Also excellent was Claudie Blakley, per usual, as Mary's sister Philippa.

What I love most was the WTF that was the killer outcome. After a good start, a so so middle, this Miss Marple series went out on a very good note. I especially loved what the director, David Moore, did. It was defiantly the most stylish of the three. It wasn't the usual bright Marple movies, everything was toned down, giving it a more somber ton. Plus the story is creepy, the reason for the murders, it's like why go threw all that. The story is a stand out. I really really enjoyed, no loved it. Even though I knew the specifics, I was still invested, which is a plus in my book. Out of the three, by far this was the best acted, better told films. It was well paced, so much story was packed into 90 minutes. This is a must see if your new to the revamped, rebooted Marple series of films.

Pardon my incoherent ramblings. my insomnia makes me a weirdo. Don't let the ramblings turn you off, check out the films, read Agatha Christie.

The Secret Hour by Luanne Rice - Review

I first heard of the author Luanne Rice threw Lifetime Television. I kid you not. You know I'm a chick and I readily admit I watch Lifetime. Back in 2005 Lifetime was airing the mini series Beach Girls during the summer. Well, I watched it, really enjoyed it and sought out the book. I loved Beach Girls and decided to pick up another one of her books, Silver Bells. I enjoyed it, not as much as Beach Girls and thought I was about done with this author. Well, long story short, um well no not really. Okay, I was in Target one day desperately searching for something to read when I found The Secret Hour. I was intrigued by the synopsis and having read two of her other books decided why not. Got home, cracked open the novel and read it straight threw. (Speed reader, I just didn't lay there all day and night on the couch reading people, wasting a good day. I reserve that for the Lego games on Wii.) The Secret Hour made me love Luanne Rice and read some of her other work. I haven't read all her books, but I've enjoyed the ones I have. I can honestly say that from what I've read, The Secret Hour is my favorite of all her novels. It'll always be my favorite that's for sure.

The Secret Hour is a romance book of sorts. There's a romance brewing but it's also a suspense filled mystery, a thriller if you like. John O'Rourke is a lawyer with a high profile client, a murder case. His life is pretty much in shambles, his wife died, he's struggling to raise his two kids, Teddy and Maggie. To make it worse, the murder case he's on isn't sitting well with some folks. In fact, it's so bad a flying brick breaks his window.

Kate Harris is on her own mission. She's searching for her sister Willa, who's been missing for six months after a huge fight they had. (I so wanna spoil that fight for you, it's a page turner. But I won't, cause it's wrong.) She high tails it to New England and to John O'Rourke's doorstep. Does his client have something to do with her missing sister? Kate needs answers and John is one of the only people who can give it to her.

This story is about sisters and forgiveness. Kate is searching for Willa because she loves her and is desperate to make amends. She wants them to be close again, no matter what happened between them. It's also about loss and coming to grips with it, accepting it. John and his children have to realize that their life wasn't perfect and that his wife, their mother, is gone and is never coming back. The mystery of Willa's disappearance is gripping, with twists and turns that would do any fan of suspense/mystery stories proud. Also the budding feelings that Kate and John are feeling, both having painful relationships to get over, is slow burning but well worth it. Hey, what's a romance story without issues.

I love this story. It's, well for me, it was a page turner. I was at the edge of my seat for parts of this book. It's definitely worth a read. The characters are very relateable. Everybody has some of the issues and problems they are going threw. What I loved the most was all the weaving storylines. Willa's disappearance, Kate's search, John and his murder client, his family issues, Kate's past relationship issues. I mean it's all there and it's nicely tied together.