Palatkik

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery [2022] Weirdly speaking Southern detective Benoit Blanc travels to Greece for his latest case. Five long-time friends are invited to the Greek island home of a billionaire. The main event is a murder weekend game with said billionaire to be the victim but really, they all have reasons to kill him. This is overpaid Hollywood A-listers hamming it up in somewhat entertaining family fodder with more to doubtless come unfortunately.

All Quiet on the Western Front [2022] A young German soldier's terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during World War I. A remake of the classic story of the futility of war, no heroics just victims, now more timely than ever again, a powerful piece of cinematography.

Detectorists [2014 TV series] The lives of two eccentric metal detectorists, who spend their days plodding along ploughed tracks and open fields, hoping to disturb the tedium by unearthing the fortune of a lifetime. This treasure of a TV comedy drama series previously ended with season 3 back in 2017, but a recent TV movie length episode added to the portfolio at the end of 2022 is also not to be missed.

The Wonder [2022] A tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil. Tourists and pilgrims mass to witness a girl who is said to have survived without food for months. Is the village harboring a saint or are there more ominous motives at work? Wonderfully made haunting nineteenth century period literary tale worth seeing.

Slow Horses [2022 TV Series] Follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve as a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes under a leader with a penchant for living like a slob and breaking wind. Entertaining spy action drama series, now with two seasons complete and a third on the way, based on the Slough House novels, top acting, witty dialogue, Oldman steals every scene. Worth seeing.

Aftersun [2022] A daughter reflects on the shared joy and private sadness of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier in Turkey. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the one she didn't. Two wonderful and seemingly effortless performances in this low budget drama make it rather special.

Bones And All [2022] A young woman, learns how to survive on the margins of society. An unusual romantic US road trip movie involving cannibals with morals that is done in a provocative and intriguing style. Worth a look, although some odd casting choices leaves doubt.

The Confession [2022 TV Limited Series] Docuseries examining the mysterious disappearance of British housewife Patricia Hall from her small Yorkshire town and the polices devious attempts to get a confession. Two part series done with real characters and actors is an intriguing true story of how one guy possibly got away with murder, or did he?

Moonage Daydream [2022] A cinematic documentary odyssey exploring David Bowie's creative and musical journey from visionary filmmaker Brett Morgen, and sanctioned by the Bowie estate. Contains 40 exclusively remastered songs mostly from his early years, directed in a pitch perfect immersive artistic wonderland that is original and entertaining. One of the year's best music genre movies.

The Lost King [2022] An amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richard III's remains, which were lost for over 500 years and dug up in a scruffy council car park in Leicester. Based on true events, this comes across as bland story telling which is brought to life with a rather good subtle lead performance.

The Banshees of Inisherin [2022] Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them. Superbly performed dark comedy set in the remote west coast of Ireland, one of the years finest movies.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever [2022] A man's story of leaving New York in 1967 to bring beer to his childhood buddies in the Army while they are fighting in Vietnam. Based on a true story, partly filmed in Thailand this war drama is flat, forces the humor, has some awful acting and is barely watchable.

Only You [2018] A young couple struggle in their relationship when they cannot have a baby. Not much else happens for two hours besides the premise, but a wonderfully screenplay, no melodrama, performed to perfection in an intimate story. Of note for a subtlety nuanced female lead.

The Walk-In [2022 TV Limited Series] Follows a Neo-Nazi who plans to kill an MP and how his plan was foiled by an inside man who became an informant or a walk-in. Based on the true story of a British MPs murder and attempt on another, this drama seems flat and is only noticeable for its star lead, who can make anything worth seeing.

Skin [2019] A skinhead falls for a woman and her three daughters, and undergoes painful treatments to remove all the tattoos covering his entire face and body - the physical representation of the racist hate he exhibited to the world for more than half his life before he changed it around. Based on the true story of Bryon Widner, a gritty biography, with a superb lead, worth seeing.

The Racer [2020] Follows a support cyclist who, after being dropped from the team, is reinstated following a doping error at the opening Irish stages of the notorious 1998 Tour de France. Entertaining fast moving independent film has a good mix of story-line, cinematography, with some realistic performances. Worth a look.

The Road Dance [2022] A young girl lives in the Outer Hebrides in a small village in the years just before WWI. Isolated and hard by the shore , her life takes a dramatic change when an assault befalls her after a road dance to see off her intended to the front line. Simple old school story, somewhat contrived and clichéd, done well in picturesque surroundings with a strong lead.

The Black Phone [2021] After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer's previous victims. A solid run of the mill B level horror flick with a lead than seems wasted.

The Quiet Girl [2022] In rural Ireland 1981, a quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the summer. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one. Wonderful low key Irish drama, one of the best films of the year, not to be missed.

The Staircase [2022 TV Limited Series] Tells the true story of Michael Peterson, a crime novelist accused of killing his wife Kathleen after she is found dead at the bottom of a staircase in their home where only the two had stayed together, and the 16-year judicial battle that followed. This re-enactment about money and sexual deceit with a cast of A-listers is entertaining and worth seeing.

God's Country [2022] When a college professor confronts two hunters she catches trespassing on her property, she's drawn into an escalating battle of wills. A subtle slow burning thriller that leaves a lasting impression by the end. Worth seeing

This England [2022 TV Limited Series] Follows the events surrounding the Johnson government in the face of the first wave of the global pandemic. A seemingly unnecessary mini TV drama series about events still close to memory, depressing to watch, some good performances but with a distracting odd looking prosthetic laden caricature of the Prime Minister.

Industry [2020 TV series] Workday drama in modern day London's finance hub with 8 parts per series. Season 1 has young bankers and traders make their way in the financial world in the aftermath of the 2008 collapse. Entertaining and not too taxing to watch, with more style than detail. Season 2 (post pandemic) better with a good mix of sex, drugs, market making trades and character development. Pushes the limits for regular TV with some of the sex scenes, a first to show an ejaculation in a banking drama? Likely more to come!

Marriage [2022 TV Limited Series] Follows a married couple, who deal with the ups and downs of their long 30-year marriage. Two good lead performers elevate this drama, that some may find uncomfortable and painfully slow, to a level to beat. A superb portrayal of a mundane existence in Britain today.