Detective Hole

 

Highly Americanized Norwegian crime thriller sees Tobias Santelmann as the alcoholic detective Hole and Joel Kinnaman, a corrupt colleague, as they team up to hunt for a serial killer, while playing cat and mouse with each other. Dark, brooding and highly-stylized detective thriller hits all the right notes. These detective thrillers are a dime a dozen so when one comes along that grabs your attention like this you hold on. Kinnaman acting in his native Norwegian is refreshing and gives this instant credibility. Hopefully, the subtitles won't discourage viewers because this maybe the best show that Netflix has done so far this year. This is up their with Task and True Detective. Outstanding stuff. Do not miss.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls

 

Oscar winner for best animated short, TGWCP is a fable about a young boy, the girl he loved and the greed of men. This is 17 minutes long and it took five years to make. It's done in stop motion animation and if nothing else this is a wonder to look at. The story may fall a bit short, but the artistic creation on display here make TGWCP a very worthy Oscar winner. If you have a chance to watch this, take it. It's the definition of short and sweet.

Primal

 

By the creator of Samurai Jack, Primal is a story of a Neanderthal man (?) and a dinosaur who team up for survival in a brutal prehistoric world. This is brilliant, but it won't be for all tastes. There is almost no spoken dialogue whatsoever and the show is all the better for it. Primal is funny, ultra violent and at times even, heartwarming, but it's never ever boring. The hand drawn animation stands out, is unique and offers a welcome change to what we are typically used to seeing. For fans of adult animation, this is top of the heap. Highly Recommended and a must see.

 Song Sung Blue

Based on the true story of Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond cover band Thunder and Lightning. Jackman and Hudson play the lead characters fairly well, but the script is a bit cheesy and there is a LOT of music throughout. You don't have to be a Neil Diamond fan to enjoy this film, but you do have to be one to REALLY enjoy the film. Unfortunately, I was never a fan, so parts of this rang hollow to me and the music became tiresome. Still a fairly decent film that will be enjoyed far more by fans of his music.

Poldark

 After returning from the Revolutionary War, Ross Poldark comes home to try and rebuild his family estate and his life. A rich sumptuous production, as one would expect from a period piece from Masterpiece theatre, gets off to a strong start and has many fine moments throughout. However, there are chinks in the armor. The characters are really black and white. The bad guys are truly loathsome and the good guys are a little too pure. Some of the acting is shady. Its rather slow-moving, at times overly melodramatic and at other times the writing falls apart or is painfully predictable. It's still a worthwhile show, but there are much better period pieces out there making this kind of overrated. Season 5 is just awful.....I would look elsewhere 

Young Sherlock

 If you could pick ONE person in the world to take on a series like this I think the vast majority of us would choose Guy Ritchie. Director of both Sherlock Holmes reboots there really couldn't be a better person to take this to task. Sherlock in his younger years teams up not with Watson, but with Moriarty to solve a multifaceted mystery in Academia. Rock solid in all the ways that matter. Guy Ritchie's work is always worth it and this is no exception. Go with God.

 The Detectorists

Small Prophets led me directly to this show and I am so glad it did. That 8.6 rating isn't a misprint. This is at the top-end of every spectrum I can think of. Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook (writer creator) are a pair of friends who search the English countryside with metal detectors. Lovingly crafted with wit and heart, Detectorists hits all the right notes. This is an example of what is possible in the realm of situation comedy and this rates among the finest the genre has to offer. The writing, acting, setting and soundtrack combine to make something truly special. A must see in every aspect.