Going Postal is a mini-series (two episodes) based off of Terry Pratchett’s book by the same name. The movie follows Moist Von Lipwig, an unscrupulous con man, who is given a second chance at life. All he has to do is revive the post office. Simple as it may sound, the post office is threatened by the notorious owner of the Clacks – Reacher Gilt – who will stop at nothing to see his competition annihilated.
Prior to watching Going Postal, I had never heard of Terry Pratchett. While the movie itself is strange, the story line is unique and intriguing. I was incredibly impressed with the caliber of acting and the quality of the dialogue/plot. Most movies these days rely more heavily on action scenes and less so on developing a solid story line. I think that is one of the reasons I enjoyed Going Postal so much; it had a plot.
If you can get past the initial oddity of the movie (especially the first 10-ish minutes), you will find a well-acted, well crafted, and entertaining story.
This is definitely getting added to my “Favorites” list.
With my luck the last couple months (I’ve been in a real dry spell – nothing good to watch or listen too), I didn’t expect much from Disney’sSecrets of Sulphur Springs. At it’s best, Secrets of Sulphur Springs, was going to be a ghost story for kids; at it’s worst, it was going to be a dumb ghost story for kids. Imagine my surprise when it was neither.
Griffin, the main character, and his family are forced to move back to Sulphur Springs, Louisiana when his father purchases an old hotel. Apparently, this old hotel has a reputation – it is haunted. Why? Because years ago, a little girl disappeared from a nearby summer camp, never to be seen or heard from again. What happened? Well that is what Griffin and his new friend Harper try to find out.
Without giving too much away, all I can say is that while Secrets of Sulphur Springs presents itself as a spooky ghost story, things aren’t always as they seem. So if you aren’t one for ghost stories, don’t worry; this series is definitely worth checking out.
This is a TV series that adults and children can enjoy together. (In fact, I don’t remember hearing any profanity. WOW!) I binge watched the entire series in a day and a half. The writers did an excellent job perpetuating the mystery of the disappearance, and Preston Oliver (Griffin) and Kyleigh Curran (Harper) do an excellent job carrying the show.
This will definitely be added to my “Favorites” list.
It has been a while since I’ve written a review because, quite frankly, I haven’t listened to or watched anything worth reviewing. I have been exploring different shows that are available through ACORN TV, which I have access to through my county library.
I’ve watched several shows, but nothing that absolutely stood out.
Agatha Raisin
Agatha Raisin is based on the book series by Marion Chesney. It tells of a well-known public relations manager who retires from her city life to live in a little town. While she desperately wants to fit in, Agatha’s city airs do not make it easy for her, and not long after moving there, she becomes the prime suspect in a murder.
The show itself started off promising. Agatha’s struggle to fit in and adjust to country life is highly entertaining, and the characters are kind of quirky. But as often happens with shows, it is not long before the characters are sleeping with each other and sexual innuendoes are frequent. It is a shame, because the show would have been perfect without it. (I would be curious to see if the books contained as much sleeping around and sexual references as the show, or if it was something simply added for TV. So I plan to check out the book series.)
My Life is Murder
Starring Lucy Lawless (Xenia Princess Warrior), this series tells of a retired cop who is constantly roped in to investigating cases for her former supervisor. This show is entertaining. It is not as comical as Agatha Raisin, but there are fewer sexual references, which makes it more enjoyable. (Just FYI: The first episode deals with a murder where the prime suspect is a prostitute, so their are quite a few sexual references in that one. But the rest of the episodes are relatively clean.)
There are a few instances of the “F” word in a couple of the episodes, but it is only said once in those two episodes.
I did enjoy this show and will watch it when future series are available. The characters are believable and the acting is good. Because of the lack of sexual references, I enjoyed this show a lot more than I enjoyed Agatha Raisin.
Mr. & Mrs. Murder
This show does not immediately draw you in like My Life is Murder or Agatha Raisin. But, I like it for an entirely different reason – the only reason I continued watching it actually.
The show is about a married couple who are crime scene cleaners; however, while cleaning up after crimes, they end up solving them.
What I like most about this show is that the married couple truly love each other; they are faithful and loyal, which is something you don’t see on TV these days. For that reason alone, I continued to watch it.
The story was entertaining enough, but the family dynamics were my favorite aspect of the show.
Trailer works (image just doesn’t display).
Queens of Mystery
This show was entertaining as well, a bit more engaging than Mr. & Mrs. Murder. I liked this show simply because it was a different style than most murder mysteries. In some aspects, it reminded me of Pushing Daisies in that it “read” like a storybook. It had a narrator voice over which gave the storybook feel. I also found it amusing how the show will “freeze” at times, and the narrator will tell you what the characters were actually thinking. While not one of my favorites, it is one I will still watch when more seasons become available.
Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries
For some reason, I couldn’t get into this TV series. I watched a couple episodes, and it seems relatively clean. If you like murder mysteries, it might be worth checking out.
These last two months, I’ve binge watched 12 seasons of New Tricks on Amazon Prime.
New Tricks is a BBC show about a British task force that investigates unsolved crimes and open cases. The leader of the Unsolved Crimes and Open Cases Squad (UCOS) is Sandra Pullman who was given the responsibility of establishing and running the unit after a PR fiasco involving the shooting of a dog during a hostage situation.
Pullman views her new position as a punishment, even more so when she learns that her staff will be comprised of retired police officers. These police offers are old men used to the police work of the 70s, when policy and procedure were lax and the idea of women on the force was out of the question.
Needless to say the combination of old and new policing, coupled with the cast’s quirky personalities, makes for a great story, some good laughs, and endearing characters. Definitely worth checking out!
I just finished season 4 of Netflix’sWorst Witch. Although I was disappointed (and surprised) to learn that the role of Mildred Hubble was no longer played by Bella Ramsey, Lydia Page does an excellent job of stepping into the role of Mildred Hubble. Fans of the show will find that, despite the change in physical appearance, Mildred Hubble is still the same “worst witch” we’ve grown to know and love. So be sure to check it out and join Mildred on her fourth year at Cackle’s Academy. You won’t be dissappointed!
Reading4Fun 