What are you watching? Readers recommend 'Rake,' 'Wallander'
Monitor TV and movie fans share what they've been watching lately.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING? Write and tell us at whatareyouwatching@csmonitor.com.
I have been watching Rake, an Australian program that centers on a barrister. It has great dialogue and is funny.
– Wendy Harrell, El Portal, Calif.
I have been watching Vikings and Knightfall, both of which air on History. I like the shows because of their historical basis, although I am aware that artistic and dramatic license is taken. As a history major, I get the overall context.
– Marc Coffey, Virginia Beach, Va.
I’ve been watching mostly Swedish crime shows. I am currently bingeing Season 1 of Wallander – the Swedish version starring Krister Henriksson, not the BBC version with Kenneth Branagh. It’s nice to see some cop shows that have depth, good acting, and good dialogue and that don’t have cookie-cutter Hollywood-style plots in which everything is spelled out for the viewer. Another fantastic example is Bron (otherwise known as “The Bridge”). The American remake starring Diane Kruger and Demián Bichir that aired on FX was really good, and the Swedish version, which stars Sofia Helin, is superb.
I highly recommend “Bron.”
– John Neiberger, Denver
I am watching the mid-2000s remake of Battlestar Galactica, which aired on Syfy. The show has it all: good characters, good plot, and good acting (by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, and James Callis, for example) as well as deeper meaning and relevance.
– Sandra Shaw, Austin, Texas
In the opening scenes of the film Bread and Tulips, one might be hard-pressed to realize it’s a comedy; it appears to be about a normal vacationing couple. But due to unexpected circumstances, the ordinary, taken-for-granted housewife is separated from her demanding husband, and she winds up in Vienna where she is embraced by a host of delightful misfits, all of whom will charm your socks off.
The actors, including Licia Maglietta, Bruno Ganz, and Giuseppe Battiston, are all well-polished comedians whose eccentric characters provide a good time all the way to the peculiar happy ending. The film has some dark humor and more than a few off-color words and incidents, but it is truly funny. Ultimately, precious affection prevails in the story.
– Jeanne Marie Peters, Grants Pass, Ore.