The Wednesday Review

Welcome to the first edition of the Wednesday Review!

I will be giving a spoiler-free review of a book or movie or something, always on a Wednesday.*

Today's review:

Season 1

Introduction: Now past its seventh season (8th series, for my British readers), this lovely ITV British detective show set against the backdrop of World War Two stars Michael Kitchen as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle.  With help from Detective Sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) and irrepressible driver Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks - yes, that is her real name), Mr. Foyle investigates murder, sabotage, and other crimes on the home front.

Blah blah blah.

My Review: This is a fantastic show!  Nobody does detective stories quite like the British - the stories presented here are nicely layered, often involving multiple crimes which may or may not be related.  This makes it hard to guess 'who done it', which is always nice.  The crimes are more complicated than they appear at first, and motives and clues are scattered all over the place.  The stories (there are several in any given episode) are all wonderfully human.

Unlike many period pieces, everyone in this show looks like they stepped out of a 1940s photograph.  It's well directed, the writing is absolutely beautiful, and the acting is very natural and understated (my favorite - the kind that has you leaning forward mentally, wondering what's going on in the characters' heads).

The production values in this season are perhaps not what they could be, but they're not bad, either.  If you're looking for something fast-paced and glamorous, you'd better tune in to Sherlock.  If you want compelling stories, Foyle's War is the way to go.

Statistics:
Episodes in the Season: 4
Episode Length: 98-100 min
Episode Names: The German Woman, The White Feather, A Lesson in Murder, Eagle Day

My Rating: 4.5 stars (out of five)





*Doctor Who Paraphrase: "Every Wednesday?"  "No.  But any Wednesday."

Manifesto

I have no business blogging.

I'm not funny on paper, my pop-culture reference skills are limited, I'm not famous, and I don't have a ridiculous project to chronicle.  If you are interested in consistently snappy writing, beautiful photos, recipes, and the like, I suggest you look elsewhere.

If you're still reading at this point, you're probably a friend or relation.  Or bored.

If you are in the 'bored' category, you may find more to amuse you on a well-established blog.  Just sayin'.





Still here?  Well.  Bored and persistent.  I like your follow-through.



So!  My manifesto.  Right.

According to dictionary.com, a manifesto is 'a public declaration of intentions'.



MY INTENTIONS:

1. To remember that this is a blog, not a class, and should therefore be fun, not, you know, boring.

2. To chronicle the intersection of life and art, as I experience it.

3. To review books and movies, etc.

4. Four is a rubbish number. I'm skipping four.

5. To make as many lists as possible. Because reasons.

6. To have an outlet for nerdiness.  So when my family gets tired of me talking about things like Doctor Who, I have a refuge.

7. To have a blog.  Obviously.



So there you have it.  My blog manifesto.  Ha.  I feel like I have been exceedingly productive.  Now I can go procrastinate whatever I should be doing next.