The Little Things (2021)

Joe Deacon has a simple travelling task, but he gets distracted by a local serial murder investigation that shouldn't be his problem.

"The Little Things" is a police thriller with a traditional recipe and a few surprises. With an appealing cast, the film already has expectations from the get go. Not quite perfect, but perfectly entertaining. Denzel Washington, even on his own, deserves attracting an audience, but together with Rami Malek, with whom he has a very interesting rapport, the reasons to watch the film multiply.

Director:  John Lee Hancock    

With: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Chris Bauer

Rating: 8/10

Stay Close (2021)

Events from the past have new echoes in the present, affecting the lives of a detective, a housewife and a photographer.

'Stay Close' is a miniseries based on a popular thriller novel, written by Harlan Coben. It has an intriguing beginning, a strong suggestion of something intense and deep at the root of all the mysteries, but the unfolding of events reveals only disappointing conclusions and many elements are used only for sensational effect, taking advantage of the assumed naivety and impressionability of the audience.

Director:  Daniel O'Hara, Lindy Heymann

Production:  Netflix   

Duration:  1 season of 8 episodes (with a total of 6 hours and 15 minutes)   

With: Cush Jumbo, Richard Armitage, Daniel Francis, Jo Joyner, Sarah Parish, James Nesbitt, Eddie Izzard

Rating: 6/10

Elementary (2012–2019)

Sherlock Holmes e un detectiv in New York-ul prezent si este ajutat de Watson sa scape de dependenta de droguri.

'Elementary' este o reimaginare moderna a perechei de detectivi formata de Sherlock Holmes si Dr Watson, in care Sherlock este dependent de droguri iar Watson femeie. Tandemul celor doi si chimia actorilor functioneaza perfect in noua reteta si istetimea cazurilor si punerea investigatiilor in scena sunt elemente ce mentin calitatea intregului serial la nivel inalt si constant. In asa puternica masura, ca cei ce au degustat Elementary nu se vor mai putea uita la ceva gen Criminal Minds cu acceiasi ochi.

Regia:  Guy Ferland si altii

Productie:  CBS   

Creator:  Robert Doherty   

Durata:  7 sezoane a cate 13-24 episoade (1 ora fiecare)  

Cu: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn, Jon Michael Hill, John Noble, Ophelia Lovibond, Nelsan Ellis, Desmond Harrington, James Frain, Rhys Ifans, Natalie Dormer, Betty Gilpin

Rating: 9/10

Also available in English

Elementary (2012–2019)

Sherlock Holmes is a detective in the present New York and is helped by Watson in controlling his drug addiction.

'Elementary' is a modern reimagining of the pair of detectives formed by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, in which Sherlock is a drug addict and Watson a woman. The tandem of the two and the chemistry of the actors work perfectly in the new recipe and the cleverness of the cases and the staging of the investigations are all elements that maintain the quality of the entire series at a high and constant level. To such an extent that those who have tasted Elementary will no longer be able to look at something like Criminal Minds with the same eyes.

Director:  Guy Ferland and others

Production:  CBS   

Creator:  Robert Doherty   

Duration:  7 seasons of 13-24 episodes (1 hour each)  

With: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn, Jon Michael Hill, John Noble, Ophelia Lovibond, Nelsan Ellis, Desmond Harrington, James Frain, Rhys Ifans, Natalie Dormer, Betty Gilpin

Rating: 9/10

Slasher Season I - "The Executioner" (2016)

Sarah Bennett returns to her hometown, where her parents were brutally killed by The Executioner, but the moment coincides with a series of new copycat killings using the same murderer's MO.

Slasher is an anthology series that offers fans exactly what the title promises: stories with many characters that last a season, during which spectacular murders take place, in a true slasher tradition. Similar to American Horror Story, the actors are recycled for each new season, and each season can be watched independently of the others, in any order. 

The first season begins very strongly with memories from the '80s and the return of the main character. Then, one by one, in each episode, a character guilty of one of the 7 sins dies. The murders are theatrical, well thought out, but the story that connects them often resembles a soap opera with implausible causality and explanations (which can be forgiven up to a point), and the weak and inconsistent ending greatly reduces the overall impression of the entire season unfortunately.

Director:  Craig David Wallace   

Production:  Shudder, Chiller   

Creator:  Aaron Martin   

Duration:  Season I of 4, each lasting 8 episodes (1 hour each)   

With: Katie McGrath, Brandon Jay McLaren, Steve Byers, Dean McDermott, Christopher Jacot, Mayko Nguyen, Rob Stewart, Wendy Crewson, Jefferson Brown, Mark Ghanimé

Rating: 6/10

Criminal Minds (2005–2020)

Serial crime investigations, as they take place within the BAU team of the FBI (the Behavioral Analysis Unit).

Criminal Minds is a self-described TV show, where what you get is exactly what you expect. The cases are many, complex or simple, interesting or trivial, but they all have elements of analysis that follow what we all know about profiling (from the multitude of genre series like CSI, Mindhunter, Profiler, Dexter and many others). The team makes sense in terms of the variety of personalities and their ability to see new angles for a case, and the actors are mostly well chosen (with a few exceptions in the early seasons, later corrected as is with Elle's character). In terms of quality, the episodes vary a lot, with improvements over time, but it's not lacking moments with cringy reactions and exchanges of words. Two elements common to all episodes, which raise the bar consistently, are the introduction and conclusion using an extremely relevant quote that has an undeniable meditative effect.

Director: Glenn Kershaw and others   

Production:  CBS   

Creator:  Jeff Davis   

Duration:  15 seasons of 10/24 episodes(42 minutes each)   

With: Matthew Gray Gubler, Kirsten Vangsness, A.J. Cook, Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Paget Brewster,  Mandy Patinkin,  Jeanne Tripplehorn

Rating: 8/10

w Delta z (2007)

A rookie detective is working with a veteran one in trying to catch a serial killer who chooses victims who deserve to be punished.

w Delta z is a cop thriller that wants to seem more clever than others but it is not. The film uses some mathematical references that should create a bit of fog and mystery but the logic of their use is not very well verified in practice. It's also filmed with a free hand camera which is meant to give it an original and indie vibe, but all it manages is to annoy the viewer. The film is not bad but many of its aspects could be improved or removed completely.

Director:  Tom Shankland   

With: Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George, Ashley Walters, Tom Hardy, Selma Blair, Sally Hawkins

Rating: 6/10