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Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

Heat of the Sun miniseries…

December 17, 2008

Heat of the Sun Boxed Set (Private Lives / Hide in Plain Sight / The Sport of Kings) What happens if a 1930s up-and-coming Scotland Yard detective is headed for a melt down? (Think vigilante cop!) The Yard might send him to Colonial Africa… and in this case, I’m delighted that’s what they did! The Heat of the Sun is a British miniseries that follows a Scotland Yard detective after he has been “banished” from Scotland Yard.

The miniseries follows Detective Tyburn (played wonderfully by Trevor Eve) from the day he arrives in Colonial Africa as he is greeted by the terrible bigotry that existed in the colonies at that time. He does not conform to what the “elite” British class expects of him. And, as if that’s not enough, one of his superiors is an old boss (as in nemesis) from his Scotland Yard days.

The wonderful Susannah Harker plays Emma Fitzgerald, a woman who is about the only down-to-earth person in the “elite class”… a woman before her times: a pilot and one of the very few Brits who sees the African people as… people, and not as servants.

The mysteries are well-executed, the scenery is phenomenal, the wardrobe is realistic, and the acting is outstanding. The miniseries follows Detective Tyburn as he bucks the system and actually does what he is supposed to be doing>>> He finds the culprits of crimes, even though they could/might be from the upper British hierarchical class. He protects the innocent even though they could/might be from what the Colonial Brits consider the very lowest of classes.

This is yet another terrific character-driven mystery miniseries that we have come to expect from Great Britain. Be forewarned though… it is not for children.

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The Jury Miniseries…

December 7, 2008

The Jury If you have read the other TV and Movie Reviews on the Cozy Mystery site, then you have probably figured out that I only post reviews about shows that I enjoy. Why waste time on the bad when there are so many good? And, The Jury is yet another example of a British miniseries that does not disappoint.

The Jury follows a trial that is a media frenzy. It shows how juries of such “made-for-television-ratings” crimes are affected by the constant barrage of reporters and “looky-loos” who feel that the public’s “need to know” far outweighs the biased agenda that spins uncontrollably…. out of control!

The jury members not only have issues trying to understand the crime, they also have issues in their private lives. This series left me wondering how jury members really relate to the particular crimes they are called to hear and how their different daily moods can affect the outcome of their verdicts.

For you Sir Derek Jacobi fans: he gives yet another great performance. Hopefully a lot of Gerard Butler fans will be attracted to this miniseries and be treated (possibly introduced?!?) to several other exceptional actors.

By the way>>> This is NOT a miniseries for the entire family!

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Manor House Miniseries…

December 3, 2008

Manor House To those of you who have read some of my other TV & Movie reviews>>> you probably have guessed that It was only a matter of time before I reviewed yet another of Sir Derek Jacobi’s works. Manor House is a departure of sorts, as he is the narrator, not actually one of the stars of the show. But his narration is a true joy to listen to… especially if you’re one of his many fans.

The premise of this six part miniseries: People from 2002 are transplanted back in time – the Edwardian period (early 1900s) – to a manor house in Great Britain. This was a time with vastly differing social classes. Upon entering the grounds of this particular manor house world, the twenty first century inhabitants lost all of their twenty first century technology. YOW! Have we improved our circumstances since then!

For those participants of the televised experiment who were lucky enough to portray (as in LIVE!!!) the aristocratic family>>> bravo for you! For those participants who were “lucky enough” to live the parts of scullery maids, stable boy, butler, cook, ETC>>> YIKES! Times were tough! (I don’t personally know anybody who could survive, let alone flourish, in the life of a scullery maid!) And, of course, as expected, the family living the aristocratic family’s part becomes…. Oops! No spoilers here!

My husband and I enjoyed this show immensely and looked forward to each and every episode. The one big draw back for us: we would have enjoyed spending even more time with the inhabitants of this particular Manor House!

If you would like to see more TV and Movies suggestions, click here.

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Kung Fu Panda… It's Not Just for Kids!

November 16, 2008

I know that I have written about my two children from time to time… Our son is 24 and our daughter is 22. Since we live far from our extended families, we don’t have young relatives to take to the movies. With that said, let me also add that my husband and I do not miss seeing the cartoon movies when they come out… We happen to (still) enjoy them!

The latest cartoon movie that we saw was Kung Fu Panda, and we both enjoyed it immensely. I should probably have premised this paragraph by saying that I was in a lousy mood the night we watched it… At first I told my husband that I didn’t want to watch Kung Fu Panda that night because I didn’t want to “waste a good movie on a bad mood.” (Does that make any sense?!) But then I decided… since I am in a bad mood, why not try the movie and see if I can shake it (the bad mood, not the movie!) And, sure enough, that’s what the movie did!

It was absolutely a delightful movie romp… watching the under-dog (in this case the “dog” is the panda) work, work, work, until he triumphs. Jack Black does a wonderful job voicing Po, the overweight Panda who is given a task so large that most of us would not accept it, knowing that it would be impossible to achieve. Dustin Hoffman rivals David Carradine’s “Master” on the old Kung Fu television series. (Remember all of the “Grasshopper” talk?!)

Our daughter has seen the movie several different times, with different people, and she highly recommended it to us. We usually enjoy her recommended movies, and this one surely didn’t disappoint. We loved Kung Fu Panda. If you get a chance to see it, go ahead… (DON’T!!!) act your age, and enjoy it!

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