The Literate Kitty

In the mood for a smart detective yarn that requires neither an epic binge session nor an immense cast of characters of which to keep track? BritBox’s The Tower [I watched via Amazon, which counts the streamer among their slate of add-on subscription options] makes for a fine choice. _______________ When a pair of detectives from the Met’s Special Investigations Division—DS Sarah Collins and her partner, DC Steve Bradshaw—are called to take charge at the scene of a tragic accident, they know it means one thing: a police officer was involved in the incident.   Only after they’ve arrived on the scene do they fully comprehend the nature of the tragedy, which has left two crumpled bodies—that of middle-aged beat cop, PC Hadley Matthews, and a teenage girl, Farrah Mehenni—lying facedown, in spreading pools of their own blood, at the base of a multi-story building. Meanwhile, a rookie cop, PC Lizzie Adama, is still on the roof, in shock, holding the hand of a scared five-year-old boy...

You know how “there’s a fine line between [blank] and [blank]” (insert whatever you’re comparing, here)? Well, for me, there’s a mighty fine line between the right amount of over-the-top whatever , and going so far over that something that the point ends up being lost in a sea of so much stupidity (confusion, disbelief, etc).   Enter Wayne (which apparently came out nearly two years ago, back when YouTube was dipping its toes into original content, but—more importantly—got picked up recently by Amazon, and thus brought to our collective consciousness), from the writers behind none other than Deadpool . (Look, if Deadpool ’s not your bag, I get it , but for me? Seeing that in the tagline made it an “okay, I’m gonna start watching this  tonight ” kinda thang.) [Now is when (you either skip this aside down Memory Lane, or stick with me for a hot minute) I should prolly mention that there was actually one other thing in the ad that grabbed me, even before I saw the blurb listin...

You know those ancient TV “family” shows that pop up in syndication on random channels (the ones with numbers so high on the cable or satellite list that you never, ever scroll that far)? I’d rather count the tiles in my bathroom floor than have to sit through something like Leave it to Beaver , My Three Sons , or The Waltons . Why? Because honestly, I’ve never known anyone who had anything like that kind of family; real families are always messy—and usually, a whole lot more crazypants—than those sanitized, unfailingly-polite depictions… and I bet that’s always been the case. (If I wanna watch a fantasy , I’ll find something with dragons or vampires or… basically anything that doesn’t involve Stepford Families. And, if I want to watch a family drama, well… it won’t be saccharine-sweet.) So, when a nice, juicy thriller—about Really Bad Stuff Happening to a Very Messy Family—pops up in the PBS Masterpiece (on Amazon) new releases list, I’m down for it. _______________ Under S...

2020… welp, it’s a year like no other, innit? Still, we do the best we can; we… adapt , certainly but also try to maintain as much of a sense of normalcy as possible. (Honestly, it’s that, or give up, and quitting is so not an option.) Anyway, that's why I've been trying to do some of the “normal” October stuff. (I mean, trick-or-treating, or the adult version—getting costumed up and partying till the wee hours—is totally out of the equation, but the less-people-y stuff? Like, solo, or with my nearest-and-dearest? Still do-able.) So, in a year that's all about surviving-from-the-safety-of-home? Reading and watching seasonally-chilling fare throughout the month is a no-brainer… which brings me to tonight's watch, Black Box , from the Blumhouse (streaming on Amazon). _______________ A young woman introduces her emotional husband to their newborn daughter… a tender family moment touchingly captured on video. Fade out—then back in—to the same man (Nolan), several years lat...

Synchronicity : an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated. Soooooo… pretty sure it wasn’t because I did some search for “cool shows set in Amsterdam” (because I definitely didn’t), but the fact remains, nontheless, that I found myself watching, back-to-back, two different series set… in Amsterdam.  Anywho, I'm going with " synchronicity is totally a thing" , mkay? (The fact that there's also a totally-legit  The Police tie-in, here? I mean, just kill me now.) _______________ The series about the quasi-retired French detective, on holiday with his wife in Amsterdam? Yeah, Baptiste was a no-brainer for me, because I found both seasons of The Missing  riveting (My review of the first of that series’ two seasons can be found here .) Baptiste , let me say, is definitely best appreciated after watching both seasons of The Missing , because—while it certainly stands on its own, just fine—the...

Whether police procedurals are strictly your “thing”, you need to check out Scott & Bailey (on Amazon), if seeing women depicted as smart, flawed, and entirely human, is . The British show centers around two detectives working on a Manchester police division’s murder squad: middle-aged Detective Constable Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp, in a splendid performance) and her younger partner, Detective Constable Rachel Bailey (the absolutely-spot-on Suranne Jones)—who, when the show begins, have been partners for about a year. Over the course of five seasons (33 episodes, in all), Janet and Rachel (along with the rest of the squad) solve a lot of cases… but just as importantly, we get to watch the ups and downs in their friendship, other relationships, family lives, and their careers. To say that Rachel is the “crazy” one (into casual sex, messed-up family, aptitude for flying off the handle) and Janet the “proper” one (married for a quarter-century, cautious, in the habit of th...

First, I love a good con job. There’s just something about being able to outwit, outmaneuver, and outmatch another person (a group, a company, whatever)—by using your brain , rather than relying on manpower, weaponry, or whatever, that really appeals to me. But, while there’ve been plenty of good movies about con men (and women, obviously, but no one ever says “con women”)—“ The Sting ” or “ Oceans Eleven ” (et al), for instance—televised examples of the genre have been pretty sparse. With the arrival of “ Sneaky Pete ” last year—and the follow-up second season, which debuted earlier this spring—that’s all changed, though, because “ Pete ” is, most assuredly, the real deal. So, a little background from the first season ( non-spoilery, as per my usual, so no worries ).  A con man (one Marius Josipovic) gets out of prison and, after learning that a lot of really bad dudes from New York are hot on his tail, decides to borrow the identity of his former cellmate (still i...

On crazy-busy days when my Fitbit annoyingly beeps hourly reminders about those steps I still need to complete, cardio equipment is a lifesaver. But let's be real: treadmills, exercise bikes, and elliptical machines are deadly dull.  My life hack? Streaming while pounding out those miles. Over the next two days, then, I'll be walking (haha) you through two of the best things I streamed—while working out—over the past month. Call it inspiration, if you will... Bosch I’ve been a Michael Connelly fan—including his long-running Harry Bosch police detective series (at the time of this writing, twenty books in)— forever.   So, the Amazon show which he exec-produces—based on those same characters, and simply called, Bosch —has been a welcome addition to Connelly’s oeuvre, and the recently-released Season 4 is, for me, the best one, yet.  In the fourth season, the L.A. cop finds himself investigating the murder of a prominent civil rights attorney (killed the ...

The one thing that good storytellers--of any genre--never forget is the importance of the human element at a story's center: why the audience should care about what happens to the characters therein. (If there's a lot of stuff happening, but we feel no connection to those it's all happening to, what's the point?) Finland's  "Koukussa" (or  "Hooked" , in English)--streaming now on Amazon--is a fine example of how to take a group of characters (including some thoroughly unlikable ones), and make us care.   Oskari Autio is a Helsinki cop at the top of his game in the drug unit, with a one-two punch--a reliable network of informants, plus killer instincts--that's led to an impressive conviction rate over the years.  At home, he plays single father to sensitive, smart, teenage son Niko (with whom he has a good relationship, all things considered), and both of them are fond of Oskari's easy-going, girlfriend, Juulia.  So, yeah, thing...

It’s our nature to be sympathetic to others—particularly when they’re going through something horrific. (We could have a big discussion about whether it’s really that altruistic of us, or if the truth is more that we’re just relieved it’s them and not us—which in turn frees us up to feel badly for them—but let’s just leave it as a basic human response for our purposes here.) The first season of “ The Missing ” (which originally aired on BBC One and Starz, but is now available to stream on Amazon) gives an intelligent, thoughtful look at what happens when a child vanishes… what the terrifying experience is like for the parents, how the police proceed, how the media respond, and how everyone else in the vicinity is affected. So, the basics: A couple from the UK, Tony and Emily Hughes, head off to France with their 5-year-old son Oliver for a holiday, in 2006. What seems like a fun little getaway for the threesome in a charming small town soon turns to disaster, though, when Oli...