TV Show Review - Fool Me Once

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Mystery
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2024
Starring: Michelle Keegan, Adeel Ahtak, Richard Armitage, Emmett J. Scanlan, Marcus Garvey, Joanna Lumley

Description: Widowed mum Maya (Michelle Keegan) is disturbed by an image of her late husband captured on her toddler’s nanny cam.

Review: In six years, Netflix has unleashed seven mini-series based on a Harlan Coben bestseller on the world, and with “Fool Me Once”, there’s now an eight series. By now we know what to expect, and the format is working.

The series is based on the novel “The Imagination”, that was released in 2016. Michelle Keegan plays Maya, a veteran of the war in Iraq who has just buried her husband Joe. A few weeks later, she sees Joe on a newly installed nanny cam.

“Fool Me Once” lacks tension and is overall pretty predictable. It has some surprises here and there and the series is still enjoyable enough to finish all 8 episodes. But I think I will forget most of this series in a few days. 

If you like Harlan Coben books and enjoy the previous seven series, you will probably have fun with “Fool Me Once”.
 
 

 

 

10s Movie Review - Ocean's Eight

Director: Gary Ross
Genre: Crime/ Comedy
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Awkwafina, James Corden, Richard Armitage, Elliott Gould

Description: Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City’s yearly Met Gala.

Review: For those who didn’t know it yet: master criminal Danny Ocean has an equally clever sister: Debbie Ocean. And besides the cast being all-female this time, “Ocean’s Eight” has the same set-up as the other films. This is both a reboot and a sequel to the Steven Sodenbergh trilogy.
Director Steven Sodenbergh acts as a producer this time and Gary Ross takes over as a director. The formula has changed very little. The build-up is practically the same as “Ocean’s Eleven”. The opening scene is exactly the same, only it’s not George Clooney, but Sandra Bullock leaving prison.
Debbie Ocean swears that she leaves the criminal life behind her and she wants to live a simple, good life. As soon as she leaves prison, she  finds her friend and partner Lou. Together they plan a jewel heist and they form an all-female team of a hacker, pickpocket, fashion designer, desperate housewife and diamond entrepreneur. The yearly Met Gala is where it will all happen.  
I think that the cast helps to this film’s success. Sandra Bullock is amazing, she is charming as ever and I love her. She is surrounded by a great group of women, that form a powerful team. And I was amazed by the fantastic costume design, which is hardly ever something I pay attention too. But in this film that really stood out.
It never lives up to “Ocean’s Eleven”, but I enjoyed it more then “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen”. I found there was no dull moment in this film and it was highly entertaining. I’m just not a fan of the other Ocean’s sequels and I did like this one. I think that’s mainly because I like almost everyone in the cast. Okay, it’s not the most original. Because it is very similar to “Ocean’s Eleven”, aside from the all-female cast and that this time it’s a jewel heist instead of robbing casinos. But overall, “Ocean’s Eight” was a good time.

Rating: 3 / 5

TV Show Review - The Stranger (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2020
Starring: Richard Armitage, Shaun Dooley, Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders, Jacob Dudman, Misha Handley, Brandon Fellow, Anthony Head, Paul Kaye, Stephen Rea, Hannah John-Kamen

Description: Follows the lives of suburban families whose secrets and lies are made public by the appearance of a stranger.

Review: The story revolves around Adam Price, a loving father of two boys and married to Corrine. Is wife is a teacher and treasurer of their son’s football club. When Adam is approached by a stranger, who tells him his wife faked a pregnancy, his life falls apart.
A good novel doesn’t make for a good TV series. “The Stranger, bases on the book by author Harlan Coben, proves that. The series is filled with tension and unexpected plot twists, but “The Stranger” feels a bit schizophrenic.
It starts with the theme song, which clearly doesn’t fit the overall series. And although it looks like a quality show, it’s more like a soap opera. The screenplay is fine and works, that’s not the problem, it’s they way it is executed. It has its moments, but overall the show misses logic and several important questions stay unanswered (and will probably always stay that way, because it’s not hinting a second season).
The series is just long enough to stay interesting, but overall it’s not the best Netflix has brought us when it comes to crime/ thriller series. You don’t miss out if you skip it.