films of our lives

the choices of cinema greats

click and watch a documentary on peter sellers (1978)

the perfect couple, s.bier, 2024

The story is practically a classic Christie behind closed door crime thriller, shot in upper-class American locations. Nothing new, not even the talent of the actors who often struggle to find themselves in a plot that doesn't decide whether to indulge in black comedy or family drama. The moralistic accents are unbearable, but the opening credits with the choral choreography on the beach are worth saving.

only murders in the building, s4, s.martin, j.hoffman, 2024

The series has reached its fourth season and does not disappoint. The (exceptional) talent of the three protagonists alone would be worth watching. To enrich everything, exceptional guest stars chase each other in a classic noir and black comedy plot. Irresistible and elegant humor. The best series of this genre in the last 10 years.

palm royale, Abe Sylvia, 2024

Surprising series with a cast that makes the difference.
Set in the elite of ostentatious luxury, in a period of great social changes (1969), it follows the daring adventures of a young american wife who wants to climb (even literally) the wall of social classes. The interaction between the evergreen Carole Burnett and the comedy star Kristen Wiig is simply fantastic.

lady in the lake, alma har'el, 2024

The series develops in a crossroads of tragic events that take place in a Baltimore that is seething with racial tension and corruption. Portman (in the role of the Jewish housewife who asserts her self-determination) is masterful, but the incessant search for twists and visionary moments (all already seen in iconic TV series many times), puts aesthetics above the credibility of events, to the point of rushing an ending that could have been developed better. Beautiful, but disappointing.

bad monkey, bill lawrence, 2024

Put Marlowe and Magnum P.I. together and you can get closer to detective Yancy, played by a Vince Vaughan in great form. Beautiful late summer surprise.

the woman in the wall, j.murtagh, 2024

Lorna - an amazing Ruth Wilson - has a long history of trauma-based sleepwalking that stretches back to her time spent in Ireland’s controversial Magdalene laundries. Lorna finds a body in her house, but has no idea who the dead woman is, or even whether she is responsible for the apparent murder. Rhythm and suspense are masterfully dosed; the main characters always poise between good and evil. Definitely worth watching. .

bodkin, Jez Scharf, 2024

Put together an American podcaster, an Irish journalist who hates her past and a series of crimes that emerge after many years. All this in a movie-like Irish village and with a streak of black humor that saves this very predictable series (but it is perfect for beginners of the genre).

eric, a.morgan, 2024

In 1980s New York City, Vincent is a puppeteer in an unhappy marriage whose nine-year-old son, Edgar, goes missing. Vincent's increasingly volatile behavior alienates him from his friends, family, and coworkers. After issues with substance abuse, Vincent becomes convinced that he can reunite with Edgar with the help of his seven-foot-tall puppet, Eric. Put together the film Harvey, Tibbs and a gay black detective who has to face all the prejudices of the case, and you have a miniseries to enjoy without any regret. Cumberbatch is a monster of talent in every sense.

them, little marvin, 2021

This teleplay was cleverly written to capture an audience of those curious about the genre, but not true fans.
Ghosts, damned souls, psychosis, trauma, racism are mixed together without too much ceremony, everything without respite and without ever a hint of nuance. Scenes of unjustified violence struggle to fill huge gaps in the screenplay, some characters appear for no apparent cause, only to find a pale reason to exist at the end.
The trick works for the first episode, then it fades, watered down by the soundtrack that constantly reminds us that we are in a horror movie, whether we are going to eat a hot dog or being attacked by some ghost. Too many quotes from unattainable classics. an aesthetic research that far surpasses the results and our inevitable desire for the bad guys to get rid of the very boring and predictable protagonists. They say that season 2 is much better than season 1, it's not hard to believe it, but it's easy not to fall into the trap. Unjustifiably overrated.

made men, Matthew Weiner, 2007

92 episodes in 7 seasons, this is how the story of Don Draper, a brilliant and tormented playboy advertising man from Madison Avenue unfolds., along with his colleagues and family. The plots are well constructed, as are all the characters, who navigate a society that is still racist and misogynistic. But what makes this series immune to time is the obsessive attention to detail that completely immerses the viewer in the America that goes from the carefree Sixties to Vietnam. It is no coincidence that the series finishes in 1970, marking the end of an era. Another added value is the impeccable soundtrack.To be seen again.

sugar, F.Meirelles, 2024

That Colin Farrell resembled Glenn Ford was well known, but that the writers could play with it so well in this series was not so obvious. On the contrary, this game on classic noir cinema works wonderfully, everything is very enjoyable and the actors are credible even moving in an artfully glossy Los Angeles. For movie buffs, as Sugar would say...

the three body problem, d.benioff, d.b. weiss, a.woo, 2024

That Game of Thrones is somewhat present in the pen of the creators of this series is quite clear. The references, the small tributes to the glorious dragon series and the passion for the fantastic are omnipresent and can be charming. The story thrives above all on great care in creation and makes up for everything else. Absolutely worth seeing.

the last thing he told me, L.Dave and J.Singer, 2023

It is well known that Jennifer Garner can move from romantic comedy to spy stories. In this TV series she confirms her abilities, making the dismay and desperation in the face of a fairly simple case credible; her husband, implicated in a financial scandal, is also protected by the US government for having testified against mafia leaders, also friends of his father-in-law. But the strength of this series lies in its reassuring aesthetic, almost like a BBC documentary, rather than in the development of the plot and it is a series that can be seen in one go, preferably accompanied by a steaming herbal tea before bedtime. Pay attention to the final slide of the authors...

criminal record, p.rutman, 2023

This TV crime series follows two brilliant detectives locked in a tug-of-war over a historic murder conviction, grappling with issues of race, institutional failure and the search for common ground in a polarized Britain. The typically british aesthetic rigor enhances a superlative Peter Capaldi. Absolutely worth seeing.

true detective-night country, 2024

Night Country is a brilliant inversion of the men-heavy, heat-oppressed, narratively bloated series that have gone before. López has kept the off-kilter essence of the thing but made it – with the help of Foster, Reis and an array of other fine actors, including Fiona Shaw and Christopher Eccleston – its own thing. She has created a brooding, melancholy world of terrible possibilities and made True Detective not just worth watching again but more so than ever.And Jodie Foster (her name is Danvers, Hitchcock fans!) is absolutely perfect in the role.

the chemistry od death, s.beckett, 2023

Based on the best-selling novel The Chemistry of Death, the series tells the story of Dr. David Hunter, who has set up a new life in a small village called Manham. There he works as a partner to the village doctor, Dr. Maitland. When the local police ask him to help solve a murder case, the ghosts of his past plague him. Now Hunter has to decide whether to turn away or return to his old life, which he actually wanted to leave behind forever. Even as the demons of his past haunt him, Hunter decides to return to work for the police and is drawn into cases that brings him to his limits. And Harry Treadaway is just superb.

slow horses, w.smith,m.banks, 2022

Masterfully written and directed, this TV series brings spy stories back to the highest level, without betraying the British tradition of the James Bond saga. But, above all, a phenomenal Gary Oldman, surrounded by top-quality actors, makes everything credible and enjoyable, impersonating the perfect anti-spy. Season 3 is on air, and we are already craving for the fourth.

FRAZIER, C.HARRIS, J.CRISTALLI, 2023

After nearly twenty years in Chicago as the host of a television program, Frasier relocates back to his old hometown of Boston, looking to reconnect with his estranged son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), now an adult and working as a firefighter. There, Frasier takes a teaching post at Harvard, his alma mater, alongside Alan Cornwall (Nicholas Lyndhurst), an old friend from his time at Cambridge who makes the series irresistible at times. Worth seeing, being very well prepared for a bit of rare intelligence.

BEHIND HER EYES, S.LIGHTFOOT, 2021

Behind Her Eyes follows the story of Louise, a single mother, whose world is thrown off kilter when she begins an affair with her new boss, David, and matters take an even stranger turn when she’s drawn into an unlikely friendship with his wife, Adel.The intolerable thing about this TV series is that it goes from the noir genre to the goth genre without any narrative reason. In the sense that we get to spiritism (!) after the first 3 episodes in which the characters reveal all sort of script weakness. We will never have the chance to go any deeper in the story. The trick of pauses and silences has been tiring since the days of silent cinema and it gets very annoying here. A missed opportunity. Even by me, who decided to watch it after two years of reasonable doubts.

columbo, identity crisis, 1975

One of the joys of 2020 lockdown has been rewatching all the episodes of Columbo. A great luxury. An immense pleasure. Hence the addition and the need to see some of them again, in perspective probably all of them. The early seasons see the participation of superstars and Peter Falk gave especially high praise to McGoohan's uncredited work as a writer on this specific episode. In addition to McGoohan's roles both co-starring and directing this one, Falk indicated that McGoohan's contributions as a writer included all of his own dialogue. Falk's commentary gave insight to his view of Columbo's interplay with murderers:

"In this episode, the scenes between Columbo and the murderer are, in my judgment, among the best we ever did. They have that perfect balance between being both compelling and amusing. And that's what we always strive for, that's the trick in those scenes, keep 'em tense and keep 'em funny. And a great deal of credit for that goes to Patrick McGoohan....I'll always remember how much fun I had playing 'em, and to this day I get a kick out of watching 'em."

And one more thing...

INVASION, Simon Kinberg, David Weil, 2023

One of the most notable things about Invasion is its structure. The show follows a handful of characters spread across the globe, each dealing with the invading aliens in different ways. Season 1 was all about survival for pretty much the whole cast, whether it was a mother in America trying to keep her kids alive, a bus full of students stranded and alone in England, or a Japanese communications expert desperately trying to contact a lost astronaut who also happened to be her secret girlfriend. But in season 2, most everybody has a bit more direction, and it makes the show move forward with more purpose and intensity. Beautiful soundtrack! We can ay that, after Stranger Things, 80s alternative rock is back in Hollywood!

chapelwaite, j&P filardi, 2021

The series is taken from Stephen King's Jerusalem's Lot and that should be enough to watch it on trust. Unfortunately, it is victim of a mannerism that kills, it must be said, the tension that the elements of the story guarantee hands down. The result is still enjoyable, but whispered acting and BBC photography betray a bit the expectations of a clash between humans and vampires. Even the do-gooders of the protagonist, a dazed Adrian Brody, are perplexing. The (announced) end of the head vampire is disappointing too; the losing hair monster, between songs and daydreams, gets himself skewered in less than a minute, after threatening the end of the world for 10 episodes. Hopefully season 2 will put the balance right. Still worth seeing.

PHYSICAL, Annie Weisman,2023

Set in 1980s San Diego, Physical is a dark comedy following Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) through her journey of self discovery via aerobics. Sheila's interior monologues and the almost perfect script justify the excess of Americanness that pervades the whole atmosphere. Flawless soundtrack. Not to be missed.

sTAR TREK, STRANGE NEW WORLDS, 2023

This series (we're in season two) has given oxygen to the most faithful trekkers who, after having revived with Picard, feared having to get lost once again in the claustrophobic world of Discovery. On the contrary, Strange New Worlds brings the irony and growth of all the characters revolving around the captain (the best Pike possible!) to new glories, recalling, at times, the unforgettable magic of TNG and DS9. Challenge within the challenge, Ethan Peck seems to have picked up the heavy legacy of Leonard Nimoy with personality. While we will miss the Gorn in the form we all love them, this series embraces the contemporary of special effects with restraint and a sense of tradition. Chapeau!And s2e9 deserves a mention for being one of the most beautiful episodes of all the Trek series.

platonic, del bianco/Stoller, 2023

The series brings us with elegance, irony and unforgettable gags, to the eternal question: can a man and a woman be friends for real? Apparently yes, but not without a good dose of side effects. Magnificent Byrne and Rogen. Not to be missed.

high desert, n.fichman, k.ford, j.h.house, 2023

The series follows Peggy (Patricia Arquette), an addict, who decides to make a fresh start after the death of her beloved mother with whom she lived in the small desert town of Yucca Valley, California. She makes a life-changing decision to become a private investigator...What could possibly go wrong?

The Essex Serpent, c.bernard, 2022

This is a 2022 British gothic romance period drama miniseries starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston in lead roles. The story, actually quite predictable, is supported above all by magnificent cinematography and the extraordinary interpretation of all the actors. To be seen while enjoying a cup of piping hot Earl Grey.

citadel, the russo brothers, 2023

If you like a predictable mix of spy stories and action movies, with cartoon characters and a sense of irony distributed with a dropper, Citadel is for you. But if you've gotten used to the existential depth and variety offered by products like Slow Horses, just forget it.

grease -rise of the pink ladies- A.Oakes, 2023

The series is a prequel to the film Grease (1978). It takes place in 1954, four years before the events of Grease, and follows four fed-up and misfit students who band together to bring out the moral panic that will change Rydell High forever and become the founding mothers of the first high school clique known as the "Pink Ladies".
All the characters, even the minor ones, stand up to a magnificent staging and an important musical film editing. Not to be missed!

Ted lasso, B. Lawrence, J. Sudeikis, 2019

Even if you don’t like sports, chances are you will like—or already love—AppleTV+'s Ted Lasso. The comedy series about an uber-positive college football coach who gets put in charge of a British soccer team was like chicken soup for the pandemic soul in 2020. Clever and funny, not to be missed!

truth be told, n.Tramble Spellman, 2019

Imagine a Miss Marple or an Angela Fletcher 2.0, always involved in one too many crimes. This is Poppy Parnel, played by a magnificent Octavia Spencer, a journalist and podcaster who investigates, without too many pleasantries, unsolved and "in progress" crimes. Three seasons with exceptional guest stars and side characters who grow up giving the story the minimum of credibility necessary to enjoy it.

THE SERPENT, Mammoth Screen, 2021

This TV movie reaches its best in the first two episodes, then, predictably, loses pace and credibility. But the actors are very good and the photography is superb.

picard, the final season,2023

What could be better for a fan of Star Trek TNG? Whatever your answer may be, it's contained in this final season of Picard. Irony, emotions, nostalgia and the essential personality of the most sophisticated and admired commander in the Star Trek saga.
Not to be missed.

SHRINKING, Goldstein, Lawrence, Segel, 2023

A therapist, Jimmy Laird, dealing with severe grief begins to breach ethical barriers by telling his patients what he completely thinks, resulting in massive changes to his and their lives... Shrinking has darker ideas on its mind than its earnest approach can often translate, but Jason Segel and Harrison Ford's sparkling turns make these characters worth close analysis.

tulsa king, s.stallone, 2023

Imagine Stallone as an Italian-American mafia boss who gets out of prison after 25 years and is shipped off to Tulsa, where he is confronted with a world completely unfamiliar to him.
Between gags, fisticuffs and shootings, each episode slides pleasantly away!

from, j.griffin, 2022

Unravel the mystery of a city in middle U.S.A. that imprisons everyone who enters. As the residents struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy and seek a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest...But the real problem with these series is that few authors seem to have learned the lesson by Wes Craven who, in Scream, teaches how to create credibility in a contemporary horror scenario. In fact, it is not credible that characters who live in our own time have no memory of any horror or sci fi book or film. The protagonists of this series deal passively with a mystery that is not a mystery for years, until the arrival of the new unfortunates ... No one who knows how to behave in front of a monster, zombie, vampire, no one who treasures of years and years of movies and books and comics to understand that the key to everything is kept by the madman of the village (come on!) and by the child who trusts him...
Let's just say the monsters have my full support.
Disappointing and sometimes irritating.

space 1999, gerry and sylvia anderson, 1975

Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television programme that ran for two series from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, set in the year 1999, nuclear waste stored on the Moon's far side explodes, knocking the Moon out of orbit and sending it, as well as the 311 inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, hurtling uncontrollably into space. Space: 1999 was the last production by the partnership of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and was the most expensive series produced for British television up to that time. The first series was co-produced by ITC Entertainment and Italian broadcaster RAI, while the second series was produced solely by ITC. The headline stars of Space: 1999 were American actors Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, who were married to each other at the time and had previously appeared together in Mission: Impossible. Over its two series, the programme featured guest appearances from Christopher Lee, Margaret Leighton, Joan Collins, Jeremy Kemp, Peter Cushing, Judy Geeson, Julian Glover, Ian McShane, Leo McKern, Billie Whitelaw, Richard Johnson, Patrick Troughton, Peter Bowles, Sarah Douglas, David Prowse, Isla Blair, Stuart Damon, Peter Duncan and Brian Blessed.

Wednesday, Tim burton, 2022

A telefilm signed by Tim Burton who gives life to one of the most loved characters of the legendary series The Addams Family. With a nod to Harry Potter and Stranger Things, Burton manages to create a 100% goth story that appeals transgenerationally. Quotes and tributes for the most passionate film addicts in each episode.
To be enjoyed unreservedly.

the watcher, season 1, 2022

This suburban nightmare sometimes achieves the campy fright of creator Ryan Murphy's best horror fare, but it sprawls in too many ludicrous directions to satisfy. Hitchcock would have done better with half of the budget and half of the screenplay, but the result is still entertaining and good enough for a relaxing evening on the sofa...

GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, 2022

Playing with tradition and paying homage to the greats of the genre such as Hitchcock and Quayle, Del Toro hosts a mystery series that does not disdain Baroque and Victorian atmospheres, even when it thrives on contemporary stories. Enjoyable and not to be missed.

in my mind, chris rodley, 2017

Beautiful documentary that tells, through an amazing interview with Patrick McGoohan, the conception and realization of one of the most iconic and cult series of all time, The Prisoner. Available on Netflix.

CT Rocks