by Doward Wilson
Hallmark Movies and Mysteries continue to give us great movies in the various lineups with new ones coming out every month. For a fun night’s entertainment check all them out. You won’t be disappointed.
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TV
by Kathleen Costa
In 2020, I reviewed a record 181 entertaining books and explored a few cookbooks along with connecting with talented and delightfully friendly authors, including some beta reading opportunities. It was again a daunting task to choose my annual “Tops” because every book, and a few television shows, have provided me with hours of entertainment and some inspiration.
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by Kathleen Costa
It’s 1958 London, and the tabloids are all over the news—Inspector Michael Jericho has received the Queen’s Award for Bravery, and with his impeccable team at Scotland Yard, “London can sleep safe at night.” However, the realty is darker, more intense, more…murderous than the headlines: Jericho: The Man of Action
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by Kathleen Costa
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is a well-worn adage that seems better suited to illustrate cultural and generational differences than an older generation incapable of learning something new. However, maybe it is a better and more successful strategy to combine the old with the new rather than scrapping one for the other. My new find, New Tricks, has a contemporary, yet seasoned, female detective superintendent being placed in charge of three older, retired, male detectives.
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by Kathleen Costa
BritBox has been a lifesaver in keeping me entertained. For a nominal monthly ($6.99) or annual ($69.99) membership fee, I have had access to a huge library, regularly updated, of comedies, dramas, and a mix of both with detectives, private eyes, doctors, and nosy neighbors, some good, some bad, but all entertaining!
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by Kathleen Costa
It’s North West England, and murders from gangland conflicts to family scrabbles from crimes of passion to serial killers to historical cases are investigated by Syndicate Nine Major Incident Team (MIT) as part of the Manchester Metropolitan Police. The group is lead by Detective Chief Inspector Gill Murray (Amelia Bullmore; credited for some writing) whose tough, by-the-book manner is tempered with keen intellect, compassion, and a bit of a sharp tongue. Her team includes several capable professionals, but not without their weaknesses and flaws.
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by Kathleen Costa
BritBox offers a variety of programming options for a reasonable monthly or annual fee. There are movies, documentaries, and television comedies and dramas enough to binge or just for a quiet respite. These days afternoons have been perfect for binging all-time favorite comedies like Are You Being Served?, Are You Being Served? Again, and The Vicar of Dibley, then exploring some engaging dramas like Scott & Bailey, DSI Bancroft, and Casualty 1900s London Hospital. This past month two surprises popped up with new police dramedies McDonald & Dobbs and Wild Bill. Check out the trial offer.
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by Kathleen Costa
PBS is an easy, free way to see some favorite and popular U.K. mysteries and police procedural with access to Masterpiece Mystery on KVIE and KVIE2 (Sacramento) and KQED (San Francisco). Every year Endeavour shows up, but with infrequent reruns the rest of the year. Father Brown is a regular with weekly reruns from the current and some of the previous seasons. I also make regular weekly visits to watch favorites like Vera, Death in Paradise, Prime Suspect, Grantchester, Morse, Lewis, Midsomer Murders, The Dr. Blake Mysteries and more although not the full series and not all the time. However, even with issues of regularity, variety, and completeness, PBS is a good way for many to enjoy these popular favorites.
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by Kathleen Costa
What better way to fill the “stay home” hours than by streaming clever and fun murder mysteries! AcornTV has an excellent library of vintage, iconic, and contemporary mysteries, dramas, and police procedurals. Get your Sherlock on with lots of Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple, then Pie in the Sky, Above Suspicion, and Deadwater Fell. But your reasonable monthly or annual membership also includes comedies (French Fields, Trivia), documentaries (The Family Farm, Bollywood), and feature films (The Return, The Scapegoat).
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by Kathleen Costa
I continue to find enjoyment using my streaming choice, AcornTV. It is a very reasonable monthly or annual membership fee, especially considering all the options available. The quality is excellent whether accessing one’s library through a computer, tablet, or smartphone. So what do I feel like watching today?
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by Kathleen Costa
Staying at home? Tired of the news? Desire something different? Check out whether streaming AcornTV is the answer for you; it is for me! I’ve been a member for a very reasonable annual fee (monthly membership available) for a few years, and have always found something entertaining, engaging, and thought-provoking. From comedies (Ain’t Misbehavin’) and dramas (Pitchin’ In) to amateur and licensed detectives (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mystery and Hamish MacBeth). I plug myself in and…relax!
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by Doward Wilson
The newest addition to the Matchmaker Mysteries series of movies is A Fatal Romance starring Danica McKellar as Matchmaker Angie Dove, Victor Webster as Detective Kyle Cooper, and Bruce Boxleitner as Angie’s Dad, a retired cop.
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by Steven Sanchez
Filmmaker, editor, musician, producer, these are the many titles that shape Robert J. Thissen’s identity. This Central Valley artist has made a name for himself in Hollywood for his work as a television and associate editor on several TV shows ranging from Hart of Dixie, Life In Pieces, Rizzoli and Isles, and that’s just naming a few. He’s become a go-to from the big studios in Tinseltown, maybe you’ve heard of them, the selection being Warner Bros. Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Disney, along with others. But now he’s shifting gear and his focus to another craft…music.
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by Kathleen Costa
Finding entertainment during this “stay at home” season may be challenging, however, for me, it is as close as my iPad and the BritBox app. I am a happy Anglophile with a huge library of movies, mini series, and television shows included in my very reasonable membership (monthly or annual fee options). I can start with a couple comedy shows like Waiting for God and Scarborough or dramas like DSI Bancroft and Casualty 1900s: London Hospital, or get comfy for a long weekend of binging all of thriller MI-5 and police procedural Prime Suspect. I have also found new-to-me shows like Taggart, Blandings, and The Mallorca Files offering lots of entertainment.
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