tim-Chinchen Reviews

The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (2024– )

Blackadder's little brother!

[8/10 · 4 March 2024]

Great fun comedy, completely irreverent, yet very watchable with the family! We were trying to fill a void left from the various Traitors options (another family favourite!) & found this.

Noel Fielding plays the part excellently with a very talented and experienced supporting cast. The first episode was a great introduction and kept my 12 year old very engaged (he's typically glued to YouTube shorts!!!!!!)

Looking forward to the next few episodes, I would compare it more to a cross of Blackadder and horrible histories than IT Crowd. The humour is more for a young teen audience (& their parents!)

Foundation: Creation Myths (2023) Season 2, Episode 10

From lack lustre season opener to 2 episodes of TV masterpiece!

[10/10 · 15 September 2023]

What a great end to a season that started with a struggle and ended spectacularly.

Bel Riose and Hober Mallow stole the show with their closing toast! Becky's a-hole! Lol.

Liked the use of the Vault at the end, really like Brother Constan, but wish Hober had got more screen time and survived!, I'd warmed nicely to his character!

Some of the end scenes returned a bit to meandering, but now you can see season 3 being set up to take us to a new level. Whilst not quite at the level of a GoT or Expanse finale, there's now a lot of potential & to someone who hasn't read the books, there's a hole now in my TV watching until we return to this world and find out more about the Mule.

Overall loved it - great sci-fi TV, hopefully the major streamers continue to deliver to this standard.

Hijack: Brace Brace Brace (2023) Season 1, Episode 7

A beautifully Ambiguous ending!

[10/10 · 2 August 2023]

It ends abruptly with multipls unresolved threads, which initially was annoying but I kinda like that.

I had my suspicions given Sam works in finance that he was actually the architect of the whole thing! (And still could be - just because we all see him as "Luther" the gruff but good guy really!)

Enjoyed the twists and turns watching weekly, but felt that Edgar could have lasted a bit longer he was a fantastic antagonist - and thought he'd really push it further.

I envy you now you have the pleasure of binge watching - I've enjoyed the weekly cliff hangers especially with Amanda taking control of the cockpit in the last episode.

So overall want to know: * was Sam in on it?

* did Misha and Dec Daniel drive off into the sunset * what was the fate of the Politicians * what happened to the other escapee and the money?

* who was running the org and did Amanda's daughter survive?

* who was the mysterious man pulling the strings with the "twitter guy" / handed over the demands

Possibly worthy of a second series - might have to have a different title! "Sam Nelson Chronicles Part 2" not as slick as "Luther" LOL.

Silo: Outside (2023) Season 1, Episode 10

Loved it and loved the books

[10/10 · 2 July 2023]

What a great ending to S1, I rad the books a while back and it's great to see this on screen!

A few spoilers just to help with some of the questions if I recall correctly - you would have heard them talk about the quality of the tape - that's why no one lasted long outside - because the tape was inferior so IT and those in on it knew Cleaners would only last so long & that's why Juliette hasn't succumbed. The projection into the helmet is what Juliette uncovered on the hard drive not the real world - that's why it was labelled as XXX's clean - that's why they always clean - the world is still in a terrible shape.

They aren't other entrances to the same silo, hopefully everyone's spots the number 18 on the key Bernard looks after! (What is it with the secrecy surrounding characters called Bernard!! LOL)

Great series massively looking forward to S2 because now it's going to get much more interesting and the character count is going to have to go up! ;-)

Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Season 1 & 2... Fine for a hardcore sci-fi fan S3 is sublime!

[10/10 · 26 March 2023]

Season 1 & 2... "Fine" for a hardcore sci-fi fan who's willing to tolerate a different direction in Trek... however S3 is sublime for a Trekkie who's lived and breathed this stuff for years esp DS9, Voyager & First Contact/Nemesis !

You'll read all the other reviews here and I agree. S3 now warrants Picard a 10. The seasons couldn't be much different - so much fan service in S3 - expecting DS9 to be in it!!!

Great performances from the original crew + 7of9 - Jack, Sydney and Shaw are brilliant additions to our favourites.

Check it out and if you want just watch S3 as a stand-alone and come back to the other seasons!

Andor: Narkina 5 (2022) Season 1, Episode 8

As well as developing the story, shows the fragility of the "Alliance" in Rebel Alliance

[10/10 · 27 October 2022]

A great episode again - music, atmosphere, plot everything just works together well & I love the pace! Gut there's only 4 left of the season!

But what I want to mention is for the first time, Star Wars seems to emphasise how fragile the "Aliiance" part of the Rebel Alliance is, how the different factions only have in common a hatred of the empire but not much else! I'm really looking forward to seeing how that part of the story develops in parallel with Cassian's journey!

I love the tone of series and hope this continues with some of the other Star Wars series. (It also fills an Expanse sized hole in the sci-fi world!)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Udûn (2022) Season 1, Episode 6

Now it starts coming together...

[10/10 · 30 September 2022]

In an age, where we need everything in "Episode 1", it's great to see it pay off. This was an episode that had you glued! Not quite the intensity of the Two Towers, but felt like very familiar territory. Some may say lazy writing, but I loved the "to and fro" with the traps, ending with Waldreg's moment (without spoiling) (I did have to whizz back to see when the change over happened) The battle scenes were done well enough to keep it safe for a 12/14 audience (helps having kids of that age!) & hopefully satisfy the more bloodthirsty viewer. HoTD it is not but doesn't have to be! LOL! (I love both BTW..)

Great build up love so far. If this wasn't LoTR, then the series would be rated higher than 6.9!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

5 years on and worth a rewatch!

[10/10 · 24 December 2021]

An amazing film and really benefits from a rewatch 5 years after it's release, whilst we're now spoilt as Disney finds its feet with Madalorian, Book of Bobba, etc - we're reminded how to use the Star Wars universe and its potential to best effect! The characters shine in this, when you remove all the fan service - it's a great and gritty war film - just what a lot of us who grew up with Star Wars want (specifically "Empire fans".

There's some great dialog in there - "Do you want to live your life under the flag of the Empire? / It's fine if you don't look up"

Magnificent film - Love it!!!

The Expanse: Force Projection (2021) Season 6, Episode 3

The investment from Ep1 & 2 starts to pay off!

[10/10 · 24 December 2021]

This was one of those Expanse episodes that has you gripped - it works to a formula - just as you worry it will get dull, they pull off a brilliant episode!

The final battle - had the right level of tension - a predictable action from Holden which is my only minor complaint, but again the Expanse delivers the best Sci-fi on TV currently BY A MILE!!!!

I just wonder who will pick up season 7 & beyond as it would be a travesty if there were only 3 episodes left ever after this ;-)

Red Notice (2021)

Not a classic... but Cheesy and good fun nonetheless!...

[8/10 · 28 November 2021]

As the title says, don't expect a complicated plot or reasonable explanations for how they appear in various locations suddenly, but it's good enough for a Sunday afternoon film with a 9 & 12 year and a break from the rubbish on YouTube! LOL...

No Time to Die (2021)

How to keep a 60 year old franchise fresh!

[10/10 · 1 October 2021]

Yes there are elements in the film people aren't going to like... it's not in keeping with previous Bonds, etc. DC made it clear he was leaving so I though it was done well. It will take a while before "that song" doesn't bring a tear to this grown mans eye!!! ;-)

Some cheesy lines, the Villains could have had more potential, minor quibbles with what was a welcome return to the cinema for many! The cars were brilliant, all the Easter eggs - loved the M gallery!

A great job and worth the wait... ignore the negativity, book a seat, turn the brain off and enjoy a great closing film to the DC Bond era...

Bond will return...

All Creatures Great and Small: Andante (2020) Season 1, Episode 3

Well done Channel 5!

[10/10 · 19 September 2020]

A risky venture to bring back such a BBC classic, But they've done a brilliant job - fantastic casting & this episode was the typical feel good with ups and lows! Looking forward to the continued Farnham/Herriot story!

C.B. Strike: Lethal White: Part 1 (2020) Season 3, Episode 1

The return of 2 old friends!

[10/10 · 7 September 2020]

This is a show where the casting feels perfect. Having read the books, Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger just slot into the roles of Strike and Robin with ease. Burke has a challenging character to okay as Strike could probably come across wooden, but there's a lot of depth to the character and he plays him well - I love the simplicity, humour and interplay with Robin of the scene in Ep3 when Lorelai dumps him.

Lethal White was a great read and this is a great transfer to the small screen. It's works well, not too pedestrian and it's a shame we only 4 episodes a year! Looking forward to the next one.

Bosch: Some Measure of Justice (2020) Season 6, Episode 10

Another sad moment... the end of another season and the long wait begins!

[10/10 · 17 May 2020]

I've enjoyed every season of Bosch, a brilliant series and the best you'll find on Amazon Prime.

Love the books and love the adaptation and they're both very different in many respects.

This episode closed off a number of threads - Wise, Clayton and thank goodness for Barrel! (Crate and Barrel are brilliant!)

Can't wait until the next season, I hope Titus and Connelly together with the great supporting cast continue to keep it coming!

The English Game (2020)

Magnificent!

[10/10 · 10 May 2020]

It's Julian Fellows... I suppose what do you expect... as a story with a heart it was excellent - everything you expect and a little bit more - the cast were brilliant. Arthur and Fergie stood out of course - would love to see more of them!

Sword, Musket & Machine Gun: Britain's Armed History (2017)

Very insightful - perfect as well for my 10 year old

[10/10 · 23 March 2020]

My 10 year old loves history (probably helped by horrible histories!) and found this fascinating. (On the first day of home schooling!)

A great watch!...

The Trial of Christine Keeler: Episode #1.5 (2020) Season 1, Episode 5

Excellent performance by James Norton

[10/10 · 21 January 2020]

What a great character driven performance and tonight's episode starts to see the investment pay off. Some reviews here have said it's too long but it's a drama not a documentary, you really start to feel for the challenges Stephen and Christine have faces & sadly I suspect those in power - Police, Politicians and the wealthy were THAT bad!

All round fantastic performances! Looking forward to next Sunday's finale!

The Expanse: The One-Eyed Man (2019) Season 4, Episode 8

Spectacular!

[10/10 · 25 December 2019]

Brilliant writing and a gripping episode as things start looking "less bleak" and story lines begin to merge. Well let's see what happens with the returning character at the end!

The connection of the cable between the Roci and Barb was a great sequence, the "simple" parts of the Expanse are so powerful... (I suspect this wasn't a trivial scene to put together!)

I think I'm too much of a "fan boy", but enjoying this series as much as the preceding 3, it's slower in parts than S3, but I'm good with that it pays off every time!

Enjoy.

The Expanse: Subduction (2019) Season 4, Episode 3

You've got to love it

[10/10 · 16 December 2019]

Spectacular series! This is one of those "not a huge amount seems to happen... but really it does" episodes. I don't mind the sub-plots, having now started reading/listening to the books you can understand how it all weaves together.

Every episode is visually stunning and this episode has that growing tension feeling where you know it's building to something big (I haven't seen the episodes yet but wanted to balance out the other reviews!). The Expanse has some breathtaking moments (Hone, Abaddon's gate) I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes!

C.B. Strike (2017– )

The cast are spot on!

[10/10 · 17 November 2019]

Loved the books and the TV adaptation is brilliant Tom Burke is brilliant as Strike!

Looking forward to Lethal White!

His Dark Materials: Lyra's Jordan (2019) Season 1, Episode 1

Setting the scene - "bear" with it! ;-)

[10/10 · 3 November 2019]

It will be a slow start for anyone who hasn't read the books! This is a promising start though, setting up the characters and looking forward to the weeks to come!

The next few episodes will determine if this is a modern day classic and manages to grab the imagination in the way the the film the Golden Compass didn't manage to achieve.

Chernobyl (2019)

Wow!

[10/10 · 1 July 2019]

Probably some inaccuracies & people will complain about the accents. However the accents made it a darker watch, (for an English speaker) "closer to home".

Whatever happened and however close to the truth, it was gripping television, the recreation of the whole event and the era was impressive.

Haunting score, brilliant acting, I think it does deserve the high rating and it leaves you researching something that you thought you always knew, in much more depth.

It also vilifies "white middle aged men in power" (as a white middle aged man!) I know it portray Russia and yes probably a place where we'll all jump on our high horses about but I think it's a good lesson for the rest of the world to learn!

Bosch (2014–2021)

Crate & Barrel are brilliant!

[10/10 · 22 January 2019]

I've binge watched all 4 seasons, with each season vastly different than the last & always delivers. Excellent casting & I really would love to see the Poet brought into this.

I've got to say on a side note Crate and Barrel are great characters, I can't help but smile at every scene they're in!

Looking forward to a well deserved 5th season, Connelly should be proud of his creation both books and TV

Vanity Fair (2018)

A great Sunday night show!

[9/10 · 9 September 2018]

ITV is doing well at chipping away the BBC's crown of period dramas (with the BBC holding on with Poldark) it's a good fun series and I love the reworking of "All along the watchtower" which may not be to everyone's liking! ;-)

The Expanse: Triple Point (2018) Season 3, Episode 5

From start to finish - end of your seat!

[10/10 · 31 July 2018]

What a thrilling episode, a number of breathless moments - the Expanse is a real treat and this season continues to deliver brilliance! This episode was excellent better than most if not all recent movies out there ;-)