A seaside holiday, 13 May 2017
While visiting family friends at the seaside, Phryne stumbles on a dead body under a pier. Quite naturally, Phryne investigates. Complicating matters are missing servants, bootleg rum, and a stolen gold doubloon. How are they all related?
There's really nothing wrong with Dead Man's Chest, but I haven't rated it as highly as some of the other episodes simply because it didn't appeal to me as others have. I realize it's a personal thing and may not hold true with other viewers. Phryne is in fine form. Her relationship with Jack continues to get more interesting. The seaside settings are filmed quite nicely. And, as usual, the costuming is a real highlight. But the mystery didn't work as well with me as other episodes. I didn't find myself being drawn in. It might have had something to do with the unsympathetic friends Phryne and Co are visiting. Neither character, Hilly nor Gerald, worked for me. Gerald, in particular, was incredibly hard to care for. And, as I've said countless times, if you don't care about a character, it's difficult to care what happens to that character.
Overall, Dead Man's Chest is a good episode, it's just not among the best of the series. A 6/10 from me.
6/10
"Drop that zero and get with the hero!", 13 May 2017
Drop that zero and get with the hero - talking about a "zero", that pretty much sums up Cool as Ice. After watching this assault on the senses, I have one question - Why? Why was this thing made? Why did anyone think Vanilla Ice could act? Why did someone think it would be a good idea to make a movie with no real dialogue? And, why did I watch this "movie"? I thought about answering each of the questions, but really, what's the point. Cool as Ice is literally scrapping the bottom of the movie barrel. This thing makes Spice World (another cash-in movie) look like Academy Award worthy material. It's one of the most cringy movies I've ever seen. I really felt bad for almost everyone involved. Michael Gross must have really been hard up for cash to agree to appear in this dud. And, Kristin Minter, the only other actor with a lick of talent, is wasted trying to carry scene after scene with the acting equivalent of a baboon. It's all just so horrible!
1/10
Joan Collins is wasted in this incredibly dull movie, 12 May 2017
Stopover Tokyo tells the story of a US Secret Agent named Mark Fannon (Robert Wagner). He's sent to Japan to foil a communist plot to assassinate the American High Commissioner. His main contact is murdered soon after he arrives. Before Mark can stop the assassination, he gets himself tangled in a love-triangle with a fellow agent and a woman named Tina (Joan Collins).
Stopover Tokyo is one exceptionally dull movie. It took me almost three viewings to get through the thing – I kept falling asleep. For an espionage film, there's very little action. Until the last few minutes of the movie, the most exciting thing I can remember was Mark being locked in a steam room. Not exactly a thrill a minute. I could forgive the lack of action if the rest of the movie was good – which it's not. The Mark/Tina relationship is about as boring as everything going on around them. Robert Wagner is a fine actor. I've enjoyed his work in a number of things he's done over the years. And Joan Collins is one of the most criminally underrated actresses to ever work in film. But here, they look about as disinterested as I was. Maybe it was the dull screenplay or the uninventive direction, whatever, they look bored. The only reason I haven't rated the film lower is for some wonderful post-WWII Japanese photography. Really nice stuff.
4/10
Phryne and the Psychic, 12 May 2017
Phryne's friend, Freddy Ashmead, is set to receive an award for bravery during the War. However, he can't remember the events that led to his award. Aunt Prudence has hired famous psychic Mrs Bolkonsky to contact her dead godson, Roland, to provide details on Freddy's heroism. Later that night, someone murders a gravedigger while trying to break into Roland's grave. Surely these events can be random. There has to be a connection. Phryne thinks so and starts investigating.
I always enjoy these séance scenes where everyone sits around a table, holding hands, waiting on the voice of a long relative to reveal some secret. Lots of fun. The one in Death Comes Knocking is a little toned down to some of the others I've seen, but it is nicely filmed. Mrs Bolkonsky does the appropriate swaying, etc. before speaking for Roland. The mystery here is particularly strong. Phyrne goes down a lot of incorrect blind alleys before finally stumbling on the solution. Speaking of the solution, it's a little out of left field, but satisfactory nonetheless. Overall, it's a solid mystery story.
Since I began watching the episodes, I've been impressed by the costuming, sets, and locations. The attention to period detail never fails to amaze me. Here, the producers did a nice, though limited, job of recreating a WWI battlefield. I was shocked and delighted by the detail they put into these brief scenes.
7/10
A solid episode, 11 May 2017
Series 2 of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries gets off to a great start. In Murder Most Scandalous, Phryne is approached by a hostess at a gentlemen's club to investigate the death of a friend and co- worker. The woman was found dead in a locked study with the incapacitated Deputy Commissioner George Sanderson. Sanderson claims to know nothing of the young woman and how she came to be in his house. Sanderson also just happens to be Detective Inspector Jack Robinson's ex-father-in-law. To get to the bottom of things, Phryne goes undercover at the gentlemen's club to find a killer.
Murder Most Scandalous is a solid episode featuring everything I've come to love and expect in a Miss Fisher episode – an interesting mystery, plenty of suspects and red herrings, and Phryne's wild and crazy antics (including scaling a building at night with rope and grappling hook). As a bonus, this episode even features a locked room mystery. The murder's resolution is handled nicely. The acting is first-rate. All the technical and artistic touches that make the series so special are present – interesting lighting, great cinematography, outstanding costuming, nice locations, and on-point musical selections. And then there's Phryne's fan dance. Like I said, it's a solid episode.
But what makes this episode really stand out is the initial development of a big, series long story arc – similar to the Foyle story in Series 1. One of the things Phryne learns while investigating the case is that there are dark secrets that go all the way to highest levels of the police and government. These secrets must be protected at all cost. Phryne discovers that the gentlemen's club kept a record of these secrets and that record has gone missing. Who has it? Who's trying to find it? And who will kill to protect it? I can't wait to find out.
7/10
What a great way to wrap up Season 1, 11 May 2017
King Memses' Curse picks up right where Murder in the Dark left off. Phryne is frantic to track down Murdoch Foyle and heads off to the local university for some answers. While she's gone, however, Foyle is able to get his hands on Jane. But does Foyle really want Jane or is she just a pawn in a game he's playing? Phryne learns that she is Foyle's actual target and has always been his target. Sister Jane was taken by mistake. Will Phryne sacrifice herself to save those close to her?
What a great way to wrap up Season 1 (I suppose that being Australian television, I should say Series 1). While not quite as good as the tension and anticipation of the build-up in Murder in the Dark, King Memses' Curse delivers. As with the last episode, this is edge-of-the-seat type stuff. It's got a lot of atmosphere and an actual horror feel to it. The death of Foyle's first victim in the episode is more graphic than anything I expected to see in Miss Fisher. It goes a long way to showing just how crazy the man, Foyle, truly is. Throw in his ramblings about being the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian King and you've got one nut-job on your hands. It's good stuff.
I was especially impressed with the direction in this episode. There's a lot crammed into the 53 minute runtime with all the characters, locations, events, and plot revelations. Daina Reid handles it masterfully. It's a nicely told, tight story, with little-to-no superfluous fluff.
8/10
Phryne as Cleopatra, 10 May 2017
While preparing for her son's engagement party, one of Aunt Prudence's servants turns up dead in the pool. It's an obvious murder, but who did it? Of course, Phryne investigates and finds a series of clues that are eerily similar to her sister's disappearance. But the man responsible, Murdoch Foyle, died - didn't he? Phryne's not so sure. Before she can discover the truth, her ward, Jane, finds herself in real danger. Phryne's got to act fast.
This review will most definitely contain spoilers. There's no other way to discuss what happened in Murder in the Dark. A few episodes ago, I complained about the relative ease and little fan fair involved in Foyle's death. I hoped that something happened and he really wasn't gone. His mere presence means a lot to the Miss Fisher series. I'm relived and overjoyed to see him back. Foyle makes Murder in the Dark probably the best episode I've seen so far. I don't look ahead at episode descriptions because I want to be surprised, but I really hope this is the first of two part episode. Surely, Foyle will be back for the season finale.
Like I said, this is a top notch episode. It was edge-of-the -seat for me. Interesting murder, plenty of suspects, a couple red herrings, and the usual wonderful locations, sets, and costumes. All the regulars hare here, with Mr Butler's brownie binge being a real highlight. It's a definite winner. Normally, I would rate Murder in the Dark an 8/10, but Phryne's Cleopatra costume is worth at least one point on its own. Good stuff!
9/10
Bob Fleming is back, 10 May 2017
Coleman, a top scientist, has developed a new form of energy that will effectively make oil useless. Fearing that his life may be in danger, Coleman goes in for plastic surgery to alter his appearance. The CIA sends in Agent Bob Fleming (Richard Harrison) to take the place of the now unrecognizable Coleman. The big stumbling block will be convincing Coleman's wife to go along with the plan. Posing as Coleman, Fleming's life is in constant peril. Fleming heads to Morocco to meet with the wife, but which side is she on and who can he trust?
Overall, The Killers Are Challenged (or Bob Fleming: Mission Casablanca) is a reasonably entertaining, but ultimately not great Eurospy. It's easily the weaker of the two films in which Harrison played Bob Fleming – the other being 1965's Secret Agent Fireball. This one does have a few things going for it. Harrison makes a solid lead. He's likable enough to create a character I actually cared about. The Killers Are Challenged is filled with a cast of gorgeous women – Susy Anderson, Wandisa Guida (also in Secret Agent Fireball), Janine Reynaud, and Mitsouko. All have terrific parts and most aren't forced to play the stereotypical Bond girl type role. In fact, it was a real treat to see a woman play the villain in one of these movies. The movie includes plenty of action. From fistfights to car chases, things don't stay still for very long. The movie moves at a fairly good pace which is always a positive with a spy film. Finally, I did enjoy certain elements of the plot. The idea of killing to ensure that oil remains king was a good one. There's really a lot here to enjoy.
On to the negatives, while there is a lot of action, sometimes it felt like people were running around needlessly just to pad out the film. The movie suffers from the lack of a big set-piece – not uncommon in these low budget Eurospy films. Also, the ending was a real letdown. The villain, whom Fleming has been chasing the whole movie, just sort of slowly runs off the road and into the water – roll credits. I really wanted something more. With all that being said, the worst part of The Killers Are Challenged has to be the big bar fight scene near the end of the film. It just didn't fit the tone of the rest of the movie. It didn't belong here. And talk about padding – that's exactly what it felt like.
In the end, The Killers Are Challenged is a harmless enough Eurospy. Not great, but now awful either. I was going to rate this a 5/10 until I remembered the really cool jazzy soundtrack. That's worth at least a point, right?
6/10
I can't believe more people haven't seen this, 7 May 2017
A down-on-his-luck American, David Frazer (Cliff Robertson), is recruited by a British fellow he knew during the war to assist with mission. It seems that a Middle Eastern Prince will assume power in just a few weeks. Until then, the boy's uncle is in power. The British government is worried that the uncle will attempt to assassinate the Prince to keep power. And, the British government can't have that. The young Prince seems likely to grant Britain oil concessions in his country. Anyway, Frazier is recruited as part of a plot to kidnap the Prince and hide him in Spain until he comes of age. Quite naturally, there are any number of people who would like to get their hands on the Prince - whether to kill him or for ransom. Can Frazier keep the boy alive?
After writing that rather lengthy plot summary, I realize that I should have just said that Masquerade is the story of a man who is double crossed at every turn. That's what makes this thing so fun. Just when you think Frazier has found someone he can trust, they double cross him. At times, it's hard to tell who is on who's side. Frazier finds himself in all sorts of predicaments - bonked on the head and dumped in a wine truck, scaling the narrow ledges of a castle, part of a clown show in a circus where he is rolled in a carpet and kidnapped, and locked in an animal cage with the beautiful Marisa Mell (tough job). There's just so much going on.
Another big plus for Masquerade is the cast. In addition to Robertson and Mell, Jack Hawkins, Michel Piccoli, Bill Fraser, Charles Gray, and John Le Mesurier are on hand to lend their considerable talents. I was especially impressed with Hawkins. What a great actor.
I'm amazed that Masquerade only has 217 votes on IMDb. I can't believe more people haven't seen this. It seems to me it would appeal to fans of 60s comedies, Eurospy fans, or anyone looking for a bit of fun. It's got plenty of action, comedy, espionage, and other good stuff. It's even got a dangling rope bridge that looks suspiciously like the one in Indiana Jones. I enjoy Masquerade more and more each time I see it. I'm giving it a very strong 7/10.
7/10
