Some TV and Movie Reviews

I don't think that we're watching more TV shows or movies than we did before the pandemic started, but our tastes may have changed a bit. We're tending to avoid really grim, intense shows. Here's some short reviews of what we've been watching over the last couple of months. In no particular order:

• The Vast of Night: The first feature film from director, Andrew Patterson, is a UFO-themed story set in the late 1950s. It's a promising debut. We liked the writing and acting, especially Sierrea McCormick, who plays a teen working as a phone operator for the local police, and Jake Horowitz, who plays a radio DJ. Recommended. (Amazon Prime)
• In Flight: The story of a jumbo jet racing west trying to avoid some unspecified solar catastrophe. We gave up after three episodes. (Netflix)
• Upload: Nathan Brown (Robbie Arnell) has his personality backup uploaded into a cheesy VR world after he's killed in a car accident. There's some biting satire about technology and late-stage capitalism. We've only watched three episodes of this so far, but might go back to it. (Amazon Prime)
• Animal Kingdom: The story of a young man who moves in with his grandmother and uncles after his mother ODs. The family turns out to be a truly nasty bunch of petty criminals. We gave up after three episodes. Too grim and the characters were just too unlikable. (Netflix)
• Dead Still: An Irish photographer makes a good living photographing the recently deceased for their families but gets involved in some mysterious deaths. It has a nice mix of serious crime drama and dark comedy with some macabre touches. Recommended. (Acorn TV)
• And Then There Were None: A modern adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel. This turned out to be darker and more intense than we expected, but it is good, if somewhat contrived (it is Agatha Christie after all). (Acorn TV)
• Pie in the Sky: Henry Crabbe, a police detective, is trying to retire so he can fulfill his dream of running a restaurant. Light British crime drama with more than a touch of humour. It turned out to be one of our favourite series, mainly due to the acting of Richard Griffiths (Henry Crabbe) and Maggie Steed (Margaret Crabbe). The lighter parts largely revolve around food and the restuarant business. (Acorn TV)
• Lovejoy. A long-running series about a shady antiques dealer. Lovejoy is played by Ian McShane, the Mr. Wednesday of American Gods, and the main reason for watching the show. More light British crime drama. (Acorn TV)
• NOS4A2: This is based on the fantasy novel by Joe Hill, about a young woman who has a gift for finding things. Unfortunately, some things should be lost forever. We're about halfway through the series and liking it a lot. It's reminiscent of American Gods, with its fantastic elements in a modern setting, but I think we like this more. (Amazon Prime)
• Tombstone: My son recommend this 1990s western, which we had never seen, and we liked it a lot. It holds up better than Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garret and Billy the Kid, or the original The Magificent Seven, both of which we also watched recently. 

We do miss watching the Toronto Blue Jays though.