TV episode review - "Insight - The War on Eggs" (1971) ** (warning spoilers)

 Saw this because it was written by Michael Crichton. Insight was a TV anthology series - one set, three actors, shot on video. The plot has an injured two year old brought in, doctor James Olson (who was in The Andromeda Strain) becomes suspicious the parents (Bill Bixby, Elizbeth Ashley) did it. He cross examines them  as a psychiatrist - I assume Crichton took this from a real case. Turns out mum did it - highly strung with a highly strung dad. Bixby is uptight. Very good actors. Not bad. No twists. A lot of chat. Entirely decent low budget effort though a little dodgy the woman did it. Lamont Johnson directed.

TV review - "Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Silent Witness" (1957) **1/2

 Best seen for Dolores Hart's performance as a sexually aggressive student sleeping with married lecturer Don Taylor (Pat Hitchcock is his wife). He strangles her, a baby watches, the baby is kind of like the Tell Tale Heart. But really they can't think of a third act. Maybe the cops shoud've suspected and used it to trap him. 

TV review - "Stranger Things - Season 5 Part 1" (2025) ***1/2

 Looks amazing. They spin the plates well. Slight uncanny valley with some of these kids growing up. Terrific action. The writers have watched a lot of movies.

TV series - "Platonic Season 1" (2023) *****

 Just a great show. Funny, smart, with heart, different. Magnificent chemistry of the leads and the support are wonderful.

TV series - "The Buccaneers - Ep 1 Blackbeard" (1958) **1/2

 I watched this because it was on Tubi. Robert Shaw is credited as the star but he's not in it. The hero is Alec Cunes as Woodes Rogers, offering a pardon to pirates including Blackbeard. Ralph Smart directed.

It's fun. Low budget but big enough to have a pirate ship and taverns and costumes.

TV review - "Noon Wine" (1967) ***1/2

 This brought Sam Peckinpah back after the double whammy of Major Dundee and Cincinatti Kid.  The plot hasJason Robards and Olivia de Havilland running a farm - a mystery man turns up to work for them. He does a good job. Then its revealed the man has a history of mental instability. A visitor says this, causes trouble, and Robards kills him .

Interesting parallels to Straw Dogs - a simpleton innocently accused.

Plenty of story. Unexpected developments that are logical - the bounty hunter after the guy is slimy but Roberts still overreacts killing him, the simpleton is killed by the posse, Robards is full of guilt. Ben Johnson is a local sheriff.

TV review - "The Westerner" Ep 3 Brown (1960) **

 A saloon owner, John Dehner, wants to buy Brian Keith's dog, Brown. Bruce Geller wrote this. Peckinpah directed. 

Keith's character is drunk a lot of the time, Dehner is sly. There's plenty of production value - dancing girls and celebrations. It's not really funny.

TV review - "The English Teacher" Season 1 (2004) *****

 Excellent comedy. Funny. Differentiated characters. Well cast. Has a point. Love the editing.

TV series "The Westerner" ep 2 "School Days" (1960) ***

 This one is directed by Andre de Toth and was not written by Sam Peckinpah, but it still has a strong story: Brian Keith kills a man, takes him to the nearest house... owned by the dead man's brothers. The dead brother had just killed a woman. It's solid story and the lynch mentality, wanting Keith to dig his grave and die is well done. Tough. Serious.

TV review - Alfred Hitchcock Presents - "The Case of Mr Pelham" (1955) **

 Based on the short story later filmed as The Man Who Haunted Himself. Its good source material but this is surprisingly bland and talky, like a radio play - that might've had more atmosphere. It was directed by Hitchcock himself too. This was early days so maybe that was it.

Tom Ewell plays the lead. Maybe someone more nervy.

The best bit is the out-tro where Hitchcock watches Hitchcock be carted off. A Hitchc doppleganger would've been more fun.

TV review - "Mare of Easttown" (2021) ***1/2

 Good solid story very well put together, Some wonky dialogue especially episode four. At heart a good old star vehicle with Winslet having two guys pant over her, and being smart and kind and saving the day. Gripping story. Well acted all the way through. Terrific atmosphere.

TV review - "The Bear Season 3" (2024) **1/2

 A reluctance to put its characters through the wringer, stars directing episodes, boring guest stars (John Cena sticks out like a sore thumb, Josh Harnett not much better), unresolved plot lines that are unresolved in uninteresting ways... it's the third season blues. Carmy used to have an obstacle to overcome, his family and the obstacles of a restaurant, now it's mostly him being a boor and causing trouble. Too many flashback eps, and episodes that repeat what we know. Also th final party... why are our regulars so heavily involved? I mean Carmy worked there but the cousin dude only for a short time... wouldn't Olivia Coleman celebrate at her own place?

TV review - Hacks Season 3 (2004) ***

 Lots to like no sharks jumped just felt that a lot of the scripts were written fast and on the spot. Very simple linear plotting. No massive emotional upheavals. Megan Stalter and Paul Downs' scenes are outstanding - they're the breakout. They struggle to find stuff for Marcus to do.

TV review - "Shogun" (2024) ***1/2

 I loved the original novel which isn't a white saviour story - it's a stranger in a strange land story, where that stranger becomes a pawn. I like that they started him as an arrogant Protestant bigot.

The opening ep had some women having sex and a man being boiled alive in a pot noisily so that's the Game of Thrones territory. There's not a lot of it in the series. There is a lot of chat in darkened rooms and plotting. The violence is well handled. It did get a little less gripping as it went along.

TV series - "Girls5Eva" (all three seasons) (2021-24) ****

 The first season is a knock out. The second stumbles -things are too easy - with good eps, mind. The third recovers, although having Wickie's parents being nice and supportive was not a good idea - I get the joke but again they've made things too easy. That was the only dud.

Very well plotted, lots of great pay off of things set up in earlier episodes, and they find way to rework tropes like being helped by famous singers and so on.

TV review - "Better Things Season 2-5" (2017-22)

 Grouping thoughts under the one entry. Very good. Consistently surprising. They key relationships that pop are Sam and white people (her mum, the douche ex of her friend, the gay bestie, her daughters) which I think prompted Pamela A to put in new besties who were diverse. Occasionally it was a drag that scenes were in there where Sam is nice to POC. It's like, alright, I get it, you're not racist. I missed her dating in later eps bc those were so funny but it made sense from a character arc. Love the development of the kids. Very good show.

TV review - "Combat! Ep 1 Season 8 - The Celebrity" (1962) **1/2

 I don't think I've ever seen an episode of Combat! though I've heard of it. This wasn't directed by Robert Altman, but Burt Kennedy, and written by Art Wallace.

The series was famous for its relative realism at the time. It seemed to be to be a stock war story but I'm probably being unfair.

Look this was fine. Tab Hinter plays a baseball star who discovers bravey. I'm sure this was groundbreaking but it seemed like a regular show on the backlot.

TV review - "Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates" (1958) ***

 Really sweet ice skating musical based on a Dutch story that I'm unfamiliar with. Tab Hunter could sing and was a champion ice skater so he's a natural - well, a little too old, but it does work.

Basil Rathbone is in it and Sidney Lumet directs. There's some skaters and it's fun.

Warners should've made an ice skating film for Hunter. Disney did a version of this tale and it feels Disney like in a good way. Sweet.

TV review - "Climax: Fear Strikes Out" (1955) ***

 Tab Hunter is very good in a meaty role, as baseball player Jimmy Piersal, who was apparently a decent player (major leaguer) if not a legend, but struggled with mental issues, being bipolar.

The film version of this in 1957 is a little famous as it helped launch Tony Perkins and was the feature debut of Robert Mulligan - it's become famous in a way too since Tab and Tony went out and Tony pinched Tab's role.

I was surprised how smal the role of the father was - he's barely in it, even if it's played by Robert Armstrong. Mona Freeman has a bigger part as Hunter's girlfriend and then wife.

The TV version was presumably closer to the truth. At the end we meet Piersall who has just played a game who is admirably upfront about his mental struggles and understanding for empathy.

Mona Freeman isn't very good and Armstrong doesn't have a character to play but Hunter is strong and the actors who play shrinks work well.

TV review - "Love Life" Season 2 (2021) ***

I can see why it wasn't as popular as the first. The lead guy isn't a star in the way Anna Kendrick was... I think Jessica Williams is a star and she would've brought them in, but I recognise they wanted to tell the male story.

On the male thing... it was maybe too honest in its depiction of men! In season one Anna is always looking for love... In this one the guy gets sick of his wife pretty quick and has an emotional affair. He meets the one, Jessica Williams, but it takes a bunch of episodes for them to get together.

Maybe the lead could've been dealt a few more curve balls - like if Becca had had the baby and it was disabled, or just had the baby, or he'd fallen out with his friends. Or something.

Some of the writing is terrific though. The acting can't be faulted. It's smart entertainment, easy to watch.