TV Show Review - Mare of Easttown (Mini Series)

Season: Mini series
Genre: Thriller/ Crime/ Drama
Number of episodes: 7
Year: 2021
Starring: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Evan Peters, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, John Douglas Thompson, Joe Tippett, Guy Pierce, David Denman

Description: A detective (Kate Winslet) in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.

Review: We have known for some time that HBO creates quality series and “Mare of Easttown” is another absolute hit.
Seven hours of about an hour long you can watch this fantastic series that never gets boring. This detective series seems to have taken inspiration from British and Scandinavian genre series, because it has that same feel and quality. “Mare of Easttown” is one of the better shows I have seen this year.
Mare Sheehan is a small-town detective who is torn apart by the death of her son and the fact that she has been searching for a missing girl for a year. Her family seems completely broken, but they are not dysfunctional. On the surface they seem hopelessly divided and don’t really like each other either. But when you dis a little deeper, you see much more love and togetherness.
Mare lives with daughter Siobhan, her grandson Drew and her mother Helen in the same house. The film doesn’t have any wild car chases or action sequences, there are no picture perfect characters. We meet real people with flaws and imperfection. “Mare of Easttown” seems to be taken from life and captivates from beginning to end.
HBO has managed to created another amazing series. Kate Winslet, who plays the titular Mare, does an excellent job. There is little to be said for her acting. She carries the show and truly convinces you in everything she does. Winslet is surrounded by an equally amazing cast: Jean Smart as her mother Helen, Evan Peters as her partner Colin Zabel, Angourie Rice as daughter Siobhan and Julianne Nicholson as Mare’s best friend Lori.  
The plot of “Mare of Easttown” is not that special, but the way it is played out, including the wonderful and surprising conclusion, makes this series a little gem. And it doesn’t need another season, because Mare’s story has been told and the mysteries have been unfolded. I can truly recommend “Mare of Easttown” for anyone that likes a raw, realistic detective drama with lots of surprising plot twists.

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 122: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Director: Jon Watts
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Tony Revolori, Jennifer Connelly, Angourie Rice, Logan Marshall-Green, Martin Starr, Gwyneth Paltrow

Description: Peter Parker (Tom Holland) balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.

Review: Spider-Man has always been one of the most popular superheroes. Iron Man got more popular because of the movies and Robert Downey Jr. The two work together in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”.
Spider-Man has had his ups and downs. “Spider-Man 3” couldn’t keep up with the two previous movies. The reboot films did okay, but weren’t as amazing as the title let us believe. Sony and Marvel had to come up with something new to give the popular webslinger the movie he deserves. The result: Spider-Man is part of the shared universe of Marvel. In “Spider-Man: Homecoming” there are many moments were they show us that. Teen Peter Parker is constantly reminded of his adult colleagues. It’s all sounds like a big marketing trick, but it’s all relevant. Peter struggles with the inner conflict of being the little fish in a small pond.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was shortly seen in “Captain America: Civil War”. And that guest appearance is the starting point for “Spider-Man: Homecoming”. In a world where superheroes are common, Peter Parker thinks it’s an honor to work with the team of Avengers. But after an experience like that, it’s hard for Peter to pick up his old life. Especially when Tony Starks tells him that he might receive a call, but Peter never does. Spider-Man is in the Marvel universe, but he is not yet an Avenger.
This is the sixth Spider-Man film in fifteen years, so it isn’t good enough to let the superhero just do his tricks and fight a random villain. Marvel is clever enough and uses a lot of variation. The origin story, of how Peter Parker became Spider-Man, is left behind. And it’s not Spidey just swinging from huge buildings, he goes further than that.
What keeps it all together? Tom Holland! Where predecessors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were about 10 years to old for the role, the young British actor is perfect to play Peter Parker. His enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air. And his great comedic timing make you almost forget that he is also very capable of performing in more dramatic scenes. Even opposite of veterans like Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Keaton.
Peter Parker still has to prove himself as an Avenger, but this version of Spider-Man promises a very bright future.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 118: The Beguiled

Director: Sofia Coppola
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Oona Laurence, Angourie Rice

Description: The unexpected arrival of a wounded Union soldier (Colin Farrell) at a girls school in Virginia during the American Civil War leads to jealousy and betrayal.

Review: They are no longer helpless and innocent, the women in corsets. Several costume dramas proved that this year. And “The Beguiled” by Sofia Coppola is also one of them, a dramatic thriller with heaps of estrogen.
“The Beguiled” is based on the novel by Thomas Cullinan. In 1971 it was adapted to a movie for the first time, with Clint Eastwood starring as the wounded soldier. Sofia Coppola follows the story of the original film, but it didn’t become a boring repetition of it. Coppola managed to add themes like abalienation and group dynamic to it they way only she can. It’s clear this film was written from a female perspective.
It’s great to see how Coppola managed to let lust and envy be defining for the atmosphere. Especially the scene where the women try to trump each other over apple pie, trying to impress the male guest. The camera work is static and music is minimal, this is typical Sofia Coppola. I always loved her timid way of directing.
Nicole Kidman is very strong as Miss Martha, but Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning are also solid. Colin Farrell, the only male performer in “The Beguiled” is also the right choice. He can easily be a charming gentleman and a foulmouthed brute. “The Beguiled” is a really good film, a good film to show off the talents of the women in Hollywood.

Rating: 4,5/ 5