Still in the game with a unique pop culture perspective
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams is a science fiction anthology of 10 episodes streaming on Amazon. Instead of reviewing the anthology as a whole the way I normally would a TV season, I’ll briefly discuss each individual episode.
Various writers took the short stories of Philip K. Dick and made them into the individual tales of Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. There’s no reason to watch them in any particular order. They all stand on their own.
Electric Dreams, or more correctly Phillip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, is an anthology sci-fi series based on the short stories of Phillip K. Dick. It has 10 stand alone episodes. It’s coming as an Amazon Prime original.
Continue reading “Watch This: Trailer for Electric Dreams”
Code 46 is a British film from 2003 starring Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton in a sci-fi love story set in the “near future.” It recently arrived on Amazon Video and the plot synopsis and trailer pulled me in. Continue reading “Review: Code 46”
Netflix has finally obtained season 3 of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, the Australian series that I first reviewed some time ago. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries season 3 has 8 episodes.
With Essie Davis as the fabulous, free-spirited sleuth Phryne Fisher leading the cast, everything about this series is a romp. The series is set in 1920s Melbourne. Phryne’s a detective when a woman shouldn’t have been, at home in society or in a back-alley jazz club. She’s smarter than the police most of the time, and absolutely delightful all of the time.
The costumes are just luscious! The music is exceptionally good. I always sit through all the credits at the end, just to hear the final song playing the episode out. I don’t know Melbourne, so I can’t speak for the outdoor landmarks shown, but the indoor sets and the props are meticulously detailed and rich.
Detective Jack Robinson (Nathan Page) is her crime-solving helper in the police department, as are many others around her from all sorts of social levels. Miss Fisher’s companion/protégé Dot (Ashleigh Cummings), in particular, gets called upon to do detective assistant chores for the dashing heroine.
This is the season 3 trailer for the Australian ABC network.
In season 3, Phryne deals with her slick-talking father’s escapades in several episodes, all the while trying her best to send him back to England. I particularly enjoyed the episode in which Phryne’s Aunt Prudence (Miriam Margolyes) opens her home to a shady doctor who is running a sanatorium for ‘hysterical’ women. His method of treatment is a new invention that we now call a vibrator.
Here’s the season 2 trailer. Ignore the dates and channels mentioned, those applied to Australian TV.
Another season 2 promo offers glimpses behind the scenes.
If you haven’t yet learned to love Phryne Fisher and her elegant world, get over to Netflix and let her transport you into 1920s Melbourne.
There are full episodes of some of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries on YouTube, no doubt illegally, if you don’t have Netflix.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is an Australian series that just appeared on Netflix and Amazon. Season 1 is available on Netflix, season 2 is currently airing in Australia.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries takes place in 1928 Melbourne. Essie Davis is Phryne Fisher, a feminist and free spirit who becomes a detective. The music, the sets, and the costumes are delightful, as are Phryne (pronounced fry-nee) and the people around her. Phryne is bold and clever and a couple of steps ahead of the police in solving crimes.
Other major characters are Nathan Page as Detective Robinson, Ashleigh Cummings as Phryne’s maid Dot. (That’s her in the photo at the top.) Tammy Macintosh is Phryne’s doctor friend (a woman doctor in 1928!). A couple of characters who run general detecting type errands and drive Phryne around are played by Travis McMahon and Anthony Sharpe.
The series airs in Australia on ABC-TV. It’s on Facebook.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Images ©ABC-TV Australia
