Movie and TV Reviews - December 2024

Movies and TV shows that Nancy and I watched in December. I do these posts mainly so I can keep track of what we've been watching, so the reviews are cursory. 

Movies

• Red One: I am NOT a big fan of Christmas movies but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It's not your standard Christmas fare, despite being about Santa Claus being kidnapped. Very well done fantasy elements, lots of action, and not too much gooey sentimentality. (Amazon Prime)
• Die Hard: Another Christmas movie. I'm not sure how it became a Christmas staple, but we're still enjoying it. (Disney+)
• Beatles '64: Excellent documentary about the Beatles' first US tour. Lots of previously unreleased footage including some concert excerpts. The show in Washington was particularly good. (Disney+)
• Dune 1984 Alternative Edition Redux Edited by Spicediver. This is a "fan" edit of David Lynch's movie with material added from outtakes and other sources. It makes the plot somewhat more comprehensible. There are some scenes in this movie that are very good (a few may even be better than those in Villeneuve's movie), but there's a lot that is bad or over-the-top weird. (YouTube)

TV Shows

• The Madame Blanc Mysteries (seaons 2-3):  The second and third seasons weren't as interesting as the first. (Acorn TV)
• Hope Street (season 4): More shenanigans in an Irish port town. Like the last season, the emphasis was on relationships and not crimes. (BritBox)
• Silent Witness (season 27): Probably the best of the forensic procedural shows. We may go back and start watching the (many!) earlier seasons. (BritBox)
• The Nature of Things: A User's Guide to the Voice. This entertaining episode will teach you a lot about your voice that you probably didn't know. (CBC Gem)
• Blue Lights (season 1): This one follows probationer constables in Belfast who go through an improbably event-filled season. I hope season 2 shows up soon. (BritBox)
• The Chelsea Detective (season 3): More crimes to solve in upscale Chelsea. Another of our favourites. (Acorn TV)
• Beyond Paradise (season 3): So far, just the Christmas special is up. This one had an interesting mystery. (BritBox)
• Death in Paradise (seaon 14): The annual Christmas special with a new DI trying to find out who is killing Santa Clauses. (BritBox)
• Shetland (season 9: (BritBox) One of the better British cop shows. This season has a new lead detective but the same bleak setting and grim plots. (BritBox)-
• Dune: Prophecy. We liked this a lot. It diverges from the Dune canon established in Herbert's original novels but it's entertaining and visually spectacular. (Crave/HBO)
• Doctor Who: Joy to the World. The annual Christmas special. Not the most memorable but entertaining enough. (Disney+)
• Eleventh Hour: A short-lived (1 season, 4 episodes) series from 2006 that I think was attempting to be a British X-Files. Mainly watchable for Patrick Stewart's performance as a scientist investigating strange events for the British government. Episode 3, revolving around climate change is quite good and somewhat prescient. (BritBox)