august 2024 BREAKDOWN
- 18 films/series total (not including Hallmark films)
- 5 foreign films/series
- 9 re-watches
- 3 classic film
- 4 tv series
Biggest Disappointment: Signore Volpe
Favorite Discovery: It’s too hard to pick a favorite this month
Television Series
Signore Volpe Season 2 – This season our former spy feels less connected to her community as she investigates outside of her little Italian village. I kind of miss seeing more of her interactions with her sister and police detective boyfriend, but we do get to delve a little deeper into her past history and family ties. The mysteries keep me guessing, but I struggled to connect to the main character this time around.
Mallorca Files Season 3 – I’m so happy that Max and Miranda have returned for more crime solving adventures on the island of Mallorca. It’s nice to see they have settled into an understanding partnership full of respect and teasing. This season delves more into Miranda’s personal life, both past and present which is appreciated since she is a more opaque character. I’m loving Max more and more as time goes on. He’s so affable and pleasant which are very un-German like qualities for him to have. Even the mysteries are better this season!
Good Ship Murder (2023) – My mom watch a lot of cozy mysteries, but this is the first series we’ve found set on a cruise ship! A retired detective turned lounge singer teams up with a ship porter and assistant captain to solve crime. Each episode focuses on a crime set in a new port of call so armchair travelers get the experience of travel for free.
Rewatch – Magpie Murders
Foreign Film/Series
Eye Love You (2024) – This little dessert of a show was light as a meringue and felt just as ephemeral with a fairy tale feel thanks to a heroine with the ability to hear people’s thoughts. Her romance with the male lead is tender and sweet. I absolutely love his gentleness and patience with her as she wrestles with her feelings. Their significant height difference is one of my favorite things and further emphasizes her timidity and his protective nature. The cross cultural nature added another layer to their relationship I found very interesting.
Empress Ki (2013) -Based on real historical people, this series features complex characters with shifting alliances which kept me intrigued from the get-go. It’s rather unique as K-dramas go, since the majority of the story occurs in China where the titular character finds herself embroiled with the royal court and all of its’ political power plays which for once didn’t bore me. While the story is all about Empress Ki’s rise to power from a servant to the Empress, I found her early characterization and struggles much more interesting than those after she has won the emperor’s favor when she becomes much more cold and calculating and less of an empathetic person. But the other characterizations in this drama were very well done and fascinating. It’s great to see a male lead that is portrayed as someone with flaws. The emperor is less heroic thanks to his weakness, selfishness, petulance and his lack of true power leading to an inability to protect himself and others. I also got a special thrill out of the evil prime minister and his family of villains. The actors really sank their teeth into the roles and were delicious in all their wickedness. But my favorite characters where the upright and strategic thinkers that were the Korean king and Empress Ki’s mentor. The first was loyal and righteous willing and able to do anything for his nation and the heroine. The second found himself between a rock and a hard place with his divided loyalty for his beloved uncle and Empress Ki but always stuck to his principles no matter the cost. Despite being a daunting fifty episodes long, this series kept me engaged for the majority of the run time, until about the last ten episodes, where it started to feel like a re-hash of similar plots with new characters. Also, the ending felt a bit abrupt since events were rushed and unexplained after the heroine finally became the empress. But overall, it’s still a pretty epic drama, that will remain in my memories for a while.
The Forbidden Flower (2023) – How do you make an age gap romance palatable? Have the younger character pursue the older one. This romantic Chinese drama follows this formula well which eventually helped me overcome my resistance to what appears to be a significant difference in age and experience. The heroine comes on strong and never lets up on her pursuit, but there is a good reason for that. It helps that the male lead is cautious, thoughtful and very tender with her even while he is resisting. There’s really not much else to their romance or the plot as they are both artistic souls who communicate more through non-verbal means than talking. The series itself is leisurely and indulgent with a beautiful palette of color befitting its’ artists’ romance. I skipped all the scenes of the second couple which included her mother. Initially, my opinion of her mother was not positive, but as the writers allow more of her perspective to be shown, I was able to better understand her protective and even controlling nature.
The Story of Kunning Palace (2023) – Oh what fun this historical romance was. The plot had holes and the direction was odd at times, but the actors’ portrayals of the characters more than made up for it. I appreciated the premise of a woman getting the opportunity to go back and live her life again while making better choices and I also loved that she still retained her strength and calculating mind. Of even more interest is her love/hate relationship with the male lead whose path of revenge makes him less than heroic. Their interactions are fraught with intense aggression and misunderstanding. And though they learn to trust each other, their relationship feels more like a raging fire held at bay than a sweet warm glow. Sparks fly every time they are on screen together which is what makes this show so entertaining to watch, despite its’ flaws.
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018) – What a tearjerker! Once in a while I enjoy a good tragedy and this definitely fits the bill. And it’s a tragedy in more ways than one, not the least of which is that what shapes the two leads lives and choices are mostly things outside of their control or understanding. The three main actors give absolutely compelling performances that help overcome some of the plot holes and unanswered questions regarding their characters’ actions and motivations. I was very disappointed in some of the brother’s choices mid-way through this series as they felt very out of character for him as a cop. I also questioned how quickly the “hero” and heroine fall in love especially considering his awful behavior towards her friend, but the actors made me believe it! This is a story that balances on the fine edge between retribution and redemption and I was absolutely heartbroken by the outcome.
Classics
Re-watch: Platinum Blonde, The Philadelphia Story, Sound of Music
Post 1980’s
Invitation to a Murder (2023) — An Agatha Christie copycat, this film is slightly reminiscent of And Then There Were None. The plot involves five strangers who receive an invitation from an illusive billionaire to visit him at his mansion on a private island. Only he never arrives and there are some eery, unexplainable things happening, including murder. This was mildly enjoyable, and even a bit interesting. I didn’t recognize a single actor other than Mischa Barton who plays the lead. It’s a bit disconcerting to see the young girl I remember from The O.C. as a pudgy, adult sleuth.
Rewatch – The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Because I Said So, The Gods Must Be Crazy II, Little Women (2019), Sweet Home Alabama
Hallmark: A Very Vermont Christmas, Junebug, Autumn Dreams, An Uncommon Grace, The Love Letter, My Dreams of You, June in January, Stop the Wedding, An Ice Palace Romance, The Magic of Lemon Drops, Royal Matchmaker, Nelly Knows Mysteries
