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BRITISH CRIME DRAMA. “Coldwater.” / “Mayday.” / “Mudtown.” / “Captivated.” / “Crossfire.”

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“Coldwater” (Britbox) British thriller. John moves his family to a remote Scottish village after a traumatic event in London, seeking peace but finding himself entangled with more problems.        Weirdly comical, the culprits in this whack-job are Andrew Lincoln as the lost and confused John and Ewen Bremer as the nutcase Tommy. And Eve Myles as Tommy’s religious zealot wife Rebecca. This series is magnetic for its surreal implausibility and sinister humor. 🎥💻📽 “Mayday” (Britbox) British drama thriller. The series is about the sudden disappearance of a 14-year-old girl in a small town with a relatively affluent rural setting and strong pagan traditions.         I think the British are better TV storytellers than Americans. This series is a vivid example. Also, most Brit shows are compressed in 4 to 6 episodes, compared with a typical America-made series, which runs for 12 episodes.     ...
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DRAMA. “Imperfect Women.” / “The Madison.” / “Industry.”

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“Imperfect Women” (Apple TV+) drama series. The story is about a devastating crime that has an impact on a decades-long friendship, based on Araminta Hall's 2020 novel.         First of all and I say it again, why the dim lighting? Most U.S.-made movies and TV series insist on this very annoying style. Very annoying. It was hard to finish this series, not because of an edge-of-your-seat suspense. But because my eyes (eyeglasses and all) were struggling to see what's going on, visually.        Topbilled by the trio of exemplary actresses Elisabeth Moss , Kerry Washington , and Kate Mara, and supported by Joel Kinnaman and Corey Stoll , the only thing doing good in this stagnant series are the performers.        The middling storytelling that doesn't seem to push along and the repetitive arguments would have sufficed in 4 episodes, not eight. I also question why a boss of a suppo...
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CRIME DRAMA THRILLER. “Scarpetta.” / “DTF St Louis.” / “Red Eye” Season 2.

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“Scarpetta” (Amazon Prime) crime drama, based on the book series of the same name by Patricia Cornwell .         Kay Scarpetta is a brilliant forensic pathologist. Inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro , she employs advanced forensic technology to unravel mysteries and solve crimes. Throughout the series she navigates her investigative journey across various settings, including Florida, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.        The back and forth in time or two Scarpetta stories (1990 and 2021, with 8 or 10 in between) interfaced in one is a little disjointed and distracting, and can be confusing. I had to situate myself in the continuity each time Scarpetta goes to Rosy McEwen and then back to Nicole Kidman again.         Then there's the side story of the sisters, Kay and Dorothy (Jamie Lee Curtis), in collision one day, a...
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MYSTERY THRILLER. “Memory of a Killer.” / “Troppo.” / “Behind Her Eyes.”

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“Memory of a Killer” (Hulu) crime drama . About an NYC hitman, who is living a double life as a suburban father and copier salesman. Diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, his two worlds collide as he races to save his family from threats connected to his past while battling his deteriorating memory.           Patrick Dempsey is sharp dresser cum contract killer Angelo Doyle, fresh from a GQ cover onto the next hit. He doesn't talk much, just like the Bee Gees’ “I'm a woman's man, no time to talk.” But Mr Doyle is more into his job to really focus on romance and such.         Michael Imperioli is his boss Dutch, who is of course Italian, and a chef. How stereotypical can you get! But what he does here is pretty much what he did in “The Sopranos,” but this time he is a less bombastic gangster Boss.         This series, which is supposedly based on the 2003 Belgian film “ ...
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HISTORICAL (based on) TRUE-LIFE. “A Thousand Blows.” / “The Lady.” / “The Gray House.”

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“A Thousand Blows” (Hulu) Season 2. British historical drama about the Forty Elephants , an all-female crime syndicate who clash with the world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing in 1880s London.        Season 2 follows Hezekiah Moscow, Sugar Goodson, and Mary Carr through a bleaker, more brutal 1880s East End, roughly one year after season one. The plot features Hezekiah seeking revenge and returning to boxing, a broken Sugar seeking redemption and sobriety, and Mary reassembling the Forty Elephants for a massive art heist.        The storytelling remains crafty and tight, and the acting, topnotch. The grit and grime of 17th century London is textured and nuanced, heightened by the stellar performance of leads Erin Doherty as the spunky Mary Carr, Malachi Kirby as the cool and calculating Hezekiah Moscow, and Stephen Graham as the torn and troubled Sugar Goodson. 🎥💻📽 “The Lady” (Britbox) British drama. Partly ficti...
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BRITISH CRIME DRAMA. “The Capture.” / “After the Flood.” Season 1. / “Hijack” Season 2. / “Grace” Season 5.

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“The Capture” (Amazon Prime) Season 1. British mystery thriller . Deals with the terrifying, modern-day dangers of AI, deepfakes, and manipulated surveillance footage.         Storyline: After his conviction for a war crime in Afghanistan is overturned on appeal, former British army Lance Corporal Shaun Emery finds himself accused of kidnapping and murdering his barrister Hannah Roberts, backed by CCTV evidence. Whilst Emery works to clear his name, fast-tracked Detective Inspector (DI) Rachel Carey of Homicide and Serious Crime Command begins to uncover a complex conspiracy surrounding Emery, calling into question the validity of the footage.        The timely subject offers a binge-watch allure and it didn’t disappoint. Although the characters are pretty much cliches, Holliday Grainger as lead cop Rachel Carey and Lia Williams as cool villainous DSU Gemma Garland manage to inject their individual charm ...
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