Staying On 1980

     This film is based on a 1977 novel by Paul Scott and is a sequel to Raj Quartet (Jewel in the Crown).  When India gained it’s independence on 15 August 1947, a British colonel and his wife decided to remain in McCluskiegunj in North India.  This is a hill station where many of the British stayed on.  Col Smalley was head of his regiment until he retired.  In 1957, Tusker and Lucy Smalley are receiving a small pension from the British Indian Army and it will go further in India than in Britain. They live in the Lodge, an annex to Smith’s Hotel.  Lucy finds herself ranked fairly low in the social standings among the non-Indian women in Pankot.  Tusker can be obstinate, obtuse and he can get frightfully drunk.  So much so that he needs to be conveyed home in a tonga, the local means of transportation with a horse and cart. The Smalley’s are having difficulties with their landlord Mrs. Lila Bhoolabhoy.  She has terminated caring for the lawn and gardens.

     Tucker and Lucy are quite opposites of each other, maybe that is why they got married.  They are in their late sixties or early seventies at this point.  She tries to ignore his faults, minimize bickering and quarreling and keep the peace in the household.  It’s a comfortable life with Ibrahim to help with the house.  Lucy worries what will happen if Tucker passes before she does since he is older.  3* (This movie is OK)

90 min, TV Movie, Drama directed by Silvio Narizzano with Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson, Saeed Jaffrey, Pearl Padamsee, Fida Bai, Zia Mohyeddin, Ajit Saldanha, Habib Tanvir, Raj Bharti, Sushma Seth.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 12 reviews.

Special Note:  Staying On was filmed first as a test run for the filming of the more complicated Jewel in the Crown.  Filmed in Simla, Himachal Pradesh, India.  There was a lot of controversy and dispute over this film and it was only aired one time.

The Song of Lunch 2010

     This film is an adaptation of a poem by Christopher Reid.  A former couple meet over lunch at a Soho Italian restaurant after not seeing each other for fifteen years.  She is married to a successful novelist, she has two boys and he is single.  She is a homemaker and he works as a London book editor and writer of poetry.  Neither knows what will happen during this short encounter.

     Both Thompson and Rickman don’t say very much to each other but there is a voiceover of Rickman reciting the narrative poem.  They don’t have names but are referred to as he and she.  It seems that Thompson is satisfied in her life but Rickman wished for more in his.  3* (This movie is OK)

50 min, TV Movie, Drama directed by Niall MacCormick with Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Andi Soric, Siubhan Harrison, Joseph Long.

Note:  Imdb 7.6 out of 10, 78% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.7* out of 5* with 50 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Tottenham, London, England, UK.  The photo on the dust jacket of the she character's husband's book is of actor Greg Wise.  He is Emma Thompson's real life husband.  Alan Rickman passed away on January 14, 2016 at the age of 69 in London, England, UK.

Blue Murder: Season One 2003

     Recently promoted DCI Janine Lewis has a marriage that is falling apart and she is expecting a new baby at the same time.  She still has an important and stressful job to do with her police team.  Her main team consists of DI Richard Mayne, DS Butchers, DS Shap.  They work out of the Manchester Police Station.  They are investigating the murder of the deputy headmaster at a local school.  He was found on an allotment plot where he grew produce.  A local youth with a previous conviction was seen running from the area.  Janine is not convinced he is the perpetrator.  Titles for this season are Cry Me a River Part 1 and Part 2.

     I thought this was good and interesting.  The case does not clearly point to the youth as obviously the perpetrator.  The characters are likeable and they are good at their jobs.  Janine has a lot on her plate with crime solving, wondering what will happen with her marriage and raising her children.  She can’t do it alone with four children, the older kids need to help out and she has hired a woman to take over when she’s on the job.  3 ½* (I liked this series)

138 min, Crime created by Cath Staincliffe with Caroline Quentin, Ian Kelsey, Paul Loughran, Nicholas Murchie, Ceallach Spellman, Joe Rucker,

Geoff Breton.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 79 reviews.

Special Note:  There is also a book Blue Murder written by Cath Staincliffe with 3.80* out of 5* on goodreads.com.  DCI is Detective Chief Inspector, DI is Detective Inspector and DS is Detective Sergeant.

Bridge of Spies 2015

     In Brooklyn New York of 1957, Soviet spy Rudolf Abel retrieves a secret message from a park bench.  He is immediately followed and detained at his apartment.  He manages to conceal the message.  James B. Donovan is assigned as his attorney.  Donovan goes above and beyond in his defense of Abel.  They begin a type of friendship that continues to the end of the movie.  Everyone in America would like Abel to be given a death sentence.  Donovan persuades the Judge that an Abel alive could be useful to our government later down the line.

     This is my second viewing and review of this film.  I think it was better on the second time around.  I saw small details that I didn’t catch before and I didn’t need to be tense about any of the outcomes.  I could just go along for the ride this time as well as appreciate the story and the characters.  4* (I really liked this movie)

142 min, Drama directed by Steven Spielberg with Tom Hanks Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Domenick Lombardozzi, Victor Verhaeghe, Mark Fichera, Brian Hutchinson, Joshua Harto, John Rue, Bill Magnussen.

Note:  Imdb 7.6 out of 10, 91% critic 87% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 4089 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Gleisdreieck, Berlin, Brandenburg, Potsdam, Germany; Dolnoslaskie, Poland; New York, Brooklyn, Jamaica, Manhattan, New York.  This is the second collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Joel & Ethan Coen.  Spielberg was executive producer for True Grit of 2010.

The Bletchley Circle: Season One 2012

     Millie, Jean, Lucy and Susan worked together during WWII at Bletchley Park in London.  Their job was to break the codes used by the German military.  After the war, they signed an agreement that they would never reveal where they worked or the type of work.  The time period now is nine years later in 1952-53.  Susan is married to Timothy and she has a young son and daughter.  Susan is good at finding patterns and she is following the newspaper and radio reports about a serial killer brutally murdering women in the London area.  Timothy arranges for her to talk to the Police Chief but he sends men out to search and they don’t find anything.  The Chief is quick to dismiss Susan's information because she is just a woman and housewife.  Susan realizes she needs to contact Millie, Jean and Lucy to help her.  She needs their special skills to help her solve these crimes and save more women from being killed.

     This is very tense and the timetable is short because the killer can strike again and again if they don’t stay one step ahead of him.  Over time, they don’t realize they are putting themselves and their families in danger.  Susan’s husband doesn’t have any idea that Susan and her friends worked at Bletchley Park and he doesn’t understand the extent of their skills.  Susan is good at recognizing patterns, Lucy has a photographic memory, Jean is an organizer and Millie is good with maps.  Susan is also very good at anagrams, crosswords and other puzzles but she thinks they should be more difficult to solve!  This is SO GOOD!!  It’s very interesting, different, surprising, suspenseful, with good acting and characters.  4* (I really liked this series)

45 min per episode, 3 episodes, TV Series, Crime with Rachael Stirling, Julie Graham, Sophie Rundle, Anna Maxwell Martin, Mark Dexter, Ed Birch, Michael Gould, Elliot Kerley, Jocelyn Macnab, Steven Robertson.

Note:  Imdb 8.0 out of 10, 85% critic 95% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 73 out of 100 critic user 8.5 out of 10, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 697 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Bletchley Park, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire and London, England, UK.  There are two seasons of this series and it’s very historically and visually accurate.  The settings, clothing, hair, makeup and everything else about this time period is carefully followed.  There was a department in the US during WWII like Bletchley but after the war the workers could say their occupation but not add any details.  After Bletchley, the women could only say they were clerical workers.

The Meddler 2015

     Marnie lives in Brooklyn New York and her husband has recently passed away.  Lori is her daughter, she is a writer and she lives in Los Angeles.  Marnie is in her 60’s and she decides needs change in her life now that she’s a widow.  She moves to Los Angeles to be closer to Lori.  Marnie gets involved in a lot of volunteer work and she makes a lot of new friends.  Despite Marnie having a full life of her own, Lori thinks Marnie spends too much time contacting her and worrying about Lori's life.  Lori gets a film assignment to go back to New York and she will be gone two weeks or more. She invites Marnie to visit her later as her assignment is close to being finished.

     Both women are still dealing with a death in their lives and finding a way to live a different life with this loss.  I think this film needed a different title.  Marnie is not really a meddler by my definition and this is a negative title.  Lori is lucky to have her mother in her life and she would feel better if she adjusted her attitude.  Everyone else thinks Marnie is wonderful and she is very giving?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

110 min, Comedy directed by Lorene Scafaria with Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons, Jerrod Carmichael, Cecily Strong, Lucy Punch, Michael McKean, Jason Ritter, Sarah Baker, Casey Wilson, Amy Landecker.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, 84% critic 64% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 15 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Los Angeles, California.  Marnie offers to baby sit for one of Lori’s friends.  The house is from the original A Nightmare on Elm Street. 

Patterns 1946

     Ramsey and Co. is a New York business and Walter Ramsey has just hired Fred Staples.  Fred is very excited to move to the city and have this new experience.  Unfortunately, Fred learns quickly that he’s been brought in to replace Bill Briggs.  Bill has been Vice President for a long time and the President Walter Ramsey would like to force Bill out.  Fred doesn’t know if he wants this job, the atmosphere is tense, he likes Bill and doesn’t want him to be forced to quit.  Fred tries to persuade Bill to resign and stop putting up with daily tirades from Walter.

     This film is based on an Emmy winning original story and screenplay by Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone.  Fred didn’t know what he was getting into when he took this job.  He learns quickly what is going on, he likes Bill and tries to profile the work Bill is contributing.  Fred detests the disregard for humanity that Walter exhibits.  I liked the clothing, hairstyles, cars and social requirements in New York of this time period.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

83 min, Drama directed by Fielder Cook with Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight, Elizabeth Wilson, Joanna Roos, Valerie Cossart.

Note: Imdb 7.9 out of 10, 80% critic 79% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.1* out of 5 with 56 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in New York and Manhattan, New York.