Rebellion — an Irish mini-series set during the Easter Rebellion of 1916 tells the stories from the perspective of several young women coping with the changes in their lives. Unfortunately, the characters in the drama seem to be living their lives in 2016, not 1916, and the choices they make…
Month: April 2018
Varina Lacks Warmth
Varina, is the story of a tragic life — that of Varina Davis, the wife of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. Her saga is indeed sad — an unhappy marriage,drug addiction, the deaths of almost all of her six children, and separation of many years from her husband.…
Greeks Bearing Gifts is not the best of the Bernie Gunther series
In preparing to write this review, I learned that Philip Kerr, the author of the Bernie Gunther books had died last month at the age of 62. One more book is to be published this year or next, but perhaps Greeks Bearing Gifts is a fitting end to the series,…
Paul, Apostle of Christ Film Tops Expectations
Paul, Apostle of Christ, is a religious movie even an atheist can love. It’s the story of the apostle who came after Christ, who started his career chasing and torturing those who came to be known as Christians, until he was struck down on the road by Damascus by a…
Jon Hamm Can’t Carry Beirut
Jon Hamm may have been great in Mad Men, but he’s not that great starring in a major movie like Beirut. There are other problems with the film, notably the script, but I just didn’t buy Hamm playing a labor negotiator cum spy in Beirut. He’s playing true to form,…
The Winchester Goose is a somewhat contrived tale of Tudor England
I enjoyed Judith Arnopp’s other books, including the Beaufort Bride series, the Song of Heledd and the Kiss of the Concubine, about Anne Boleyn. She tells a good Tudor story. But I found the Winchester Goose somewhat contrived. It’s the story of a whore working in London in 1540, during…
Chappaquiddick Hits Home
Anyone old enough to remember the Chappaquiddick incident, and even many of those who are too young to remember it, probably think there is little new to learn about what happened there almost 50 years ago. The new film doesn’t reveal much new, but handles the story from a perspective…
Legends and Lies unveils the U.S. Civil War
Legends and Lies, Fox News’ historical series, is kicking off its third season by focusing on the Civil War. Just like the first two seasons, which centered on western bad guys and then the revolutionary war, this season includes historical reenactments, interviews with historians, some historical photographs and quotes, all…
The Devil’s Bride is a compelling look at 17th century witchhunts
The title, the Devil’s Bride, makes this film sound like a horror movie from the early 70s, and, indeed, a film of the same name was produced then. But this movie is a horror flick of a different sort: the story of what happens to women who are condemned by…
Shanghai is surprisingly underwhelming
Shangai is a 2015 release currently available on Netflix DVD. If you’re a John Cusack fan like I am, and always wanted to appreciate him as a romantic lead, you’re still going to have to wait. He does his best in this film, which sat on the Hollywood shelf for…