Movie Review: Knives Out

I went to see Knives Out with my daughter who’d likes a good mystery and can tolerate some potential scares.  I didn’t have a lot of expectations, but thought I’d heard it was a good classic murder mystery and was up for an award or two (it was).  

I really enjoyed it.  It took a few scenes to buy into Daniel Craig’s ridiculous accent, but the setup, the killer combinations and the quirky cast got the ride moving quickly.  Great bits of humour and just the right amount of twists delivered a great, classic whodunit.  

Movie review: 1917

I saw this at the “legacy” Manulife cinema (I later found out that the movie was in preview only and isn’t officially officially released until Jan 10 here in Canada) a few hours before the Golden Globe Awards.  I try to see some of the nominated films ahead of the awards and will be adding a few more (The Irishman) ahead of the Oscars.

1917 lived up to the billing of a high-action, stressful, cinematic masterpiece, but for me, that was about it.  The screenplay was ok and the acting good, but to me it fell way short of some of the wonderful films of the last 12 months in originality, screenwriting and wow factor. I’m sure it deserves it’s fair share of technical awards, but I didn’t think it deserved the best drama movie at the Golden Globes.

7/10

Favourite TV shows from 2019, plus deeper look into the past decade

Digging up this one that was drafted back in July - no way I can deliver on its title, but after the Golden Globes, there’s a few clear additions.  The original title was “ Emmy triggered thoughts and reviews of favourite TV shows EVER”.

The 2019 Emmy Award nominations were announced this week and I was pleased to see a few of my favourite get nominations (and pleased more were nominated for Golden Globes).  I also used it to consider the nominations are tips for future viewing and in fact for that very reason, I watched a few episodes of Schitts Creek while having dinner.  Funny, but not Modern Family funny (and now enjoying something a little similar and a recommendation from my daughter - Life in Pieces).

This also gives me a chance to comment on the state of TV in 2019 (and 2020) - if we can actually call it TV these days (Wikipedia appears to include "television signals...via the internet").  I believe that when TV was first introduced, as long as you had a TV set and were in the vicinity and range of the over-the-air signal, then you could watch a TV program.  Today, that is a very different situation and only 1 of the 8 nominations for best drama series is on "regular" TV.  All the others require the viewer to pay for a premium channel and in some cases, may not be able to see the show at all if the channel is exclusive to the US market.  I believe that even though you may not have access to a particular channel, most, if not all, shows should be available for purchase via iTunes or your favourite video purchase platform.

Although I do watch quite a lot of TV (and movies), I perhaps watch only half of the nominated shows.

So without further ado, may I have the envelop please - favourite PJMixer shows this past year that are also nominated for an Emmy (and some for a Golden Globe):

• Bandersnatch (Netflix, Black Mirror TV movie) - a new interactive TV experience that's worth the setup
• Bodyguard (Netflix) - intense and surprising
• Fleabag (Prime Video) - incredibly funny and edgy, but also deeper than you'd think
• Ozark (Netflix) - not one likable character, but you're kind of still rooting for them, especially Ruth
• Russian Doll (Netflix) - mind bending fun with great soundtrack
• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - yes, too much Trump, but so well written
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video) - superb writing, pacing and cast

Favourite PJMixer shows this year that are not nominated for an Emmy or are just older/newer shows that may not qualify

• The Umbrella Academy - lots of wacky superhero fun with a killer soundtrack
• Formula 1 - Drive to Survive (Netflix) - supposedly making new F1 fans in the US - super, alternate video content, amazing sound, but most importantly, great behind the scenes stories of the drivers, the team, the history.  And yes, they’re finishing up season 2 for the 2019 F1 season.

Adding newer ones since this was first drafted...

• The Morning Show (Apple TV+) - massive cast delivers the goods, modern story and complex characters
• For All Mankind (Apple TV+) - fun alternative history space action drama

Where does one start with best TV shows EVER, maybe let’s narrow this down to the past decade.  Of the shows above, I think it’s include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, especially since it’s one I share with my wife.  Others that shouldn’t really need much explanation:

• Breaking Bad (2008-2013) - some work to get into it, but once onboard I loved the ride.
• Mad Men (2007-2015) - yes, awkward at times, but superb period piece with gobs of style and humour
• Black Mirror (since 2011) - the one some people still haven’t heard of - highly recommended creations of never future tech mostly going wrong, some episodes much better than others - please do NOT watch season 1 episode 1 first
• Downtown Abbey (2010-2015) - say no more
• Modern Family (since 2009) - keeps my laughing (with my daughter)
• House (2004-2012) - so much to love, but mostly the complexity of House
• Entourage (2004-2011) - guilty pleasure

Stay tuned on this one as I’m sure I’ll think of a few others as soon as I turn in for the night.

I did find an older post that includes some of the above with even older shows too - Television.