BBC iPlayer | the m0vie blog

Wallander: One Step Behind (Review)

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Darren

The wonderful folks at the BBC have given me access to their BBC Global iPlayer for a month to give the service a go and trawl through the archives. I’ll have some thoughts on the service at the end of the month, but I thought I’d also take the opportunity to enjoy some of the fantastic content.

And so we reach the end of the first season of the British adaptations of Henning Mankell’s acclaimed Swedish crime novels. Wallander is a series that is probably much stronger than it really should be, offering ninety-minute-long mysteries that are produced the standards of feature films. Director Philip Martin returns after directing the first episode to helm the final in the first trilogy of adaptations. (There would be a second set of three broadcast in 2010 and another set of three to be shown in 2012.) Strangely enough, this final episode actually manages to give a significant amount of depth to the title character, finally suggesting a role worthy of the depth Branagh imbues into it.

We've got a hit on our hands...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: Arts and Entertainment, bbc, BBC iPlayer, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Henning Mankell, kenneth branagh, Kurt Wallander, One Step Behind, Sky Arts, Sweden, tom hiddleston, Wallander, Wallander: One Step Behind | 8 Comments »

Wallander: Firewall (Review)

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Darren

Firewall feels a bit more like a conventional little mystery thriller, especially measured against Sidetracked, the pilot episode of Wallander. It’s very much a conventional television “whodunnit” (or, perhaps, a “whydunnit”), with our lead character opening an investigation into a fairly simple case, but asking a series of questions that point towards something all-together larger. It does feel a bit lighter than its direct predecessor, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, it retains the two key virtues of the series. Kenneth Branagh is still on fine form as the eponymous detective, while the Swedish scenery is still absolutely haunting.

Hitting a brick Wallander...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: art, bbc, BBC iPlayer, Firewall, Firewalls, Henning Mankell, IPod, kenneth branagh, Kurt Wallander, Maryville Tennessee, Niall MacCormick, Organization, Organizations, Philip Martin, Recycling, Sheriff, United States, Walland Tennessee, Wallander, Wallander: Firewall | 2 Comments »

A Month on the BBC Global iPlayer…

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Darren

Thanks to the wonderful folk at the BBC, I’ve been given a month’s subscription to the BBC Global iPlayer to try out the service. The BBC is probably the best national broadcaster in the world, and the international standard for original drama. There’s a reason that so much talent (whether in front or behind the camera) developed there. So the app handily streams BBC content to my iPhone to enjoy at my leisure. It seems perfect for the traveller on the go.

Over the next month, I’m going to be using it, reviewing some content and trying to appraise the service. If you have anything on the BBC you’d like to point me to, feel free to leave a comment below. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I’m looking forward to tucking into a rick library of shows I missed the first time around. I’ll be back at the end of the month with a more in-depth review of the service, and with my own findings. I’m already ready to tuck into Wallander and Sherlock.

Thanks again to the great sports at the BBC for giving me access.

Filed under: Television | Tagged: Australia, bbc, BBC iPlayer, Handhelds, IPad, iphone, IPod Touch, Smartphones | 1 Comment »