'Midsomer Murders - Set 14'
(John Nettles, et al / 4-Disc DVD / NR / (2007) 2010 / Acorn Media)
Overview: The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé, Detective Sergeant Ben Jones.
DVD: In 'Death and Dust,' which is actually Season 10 in the UK, Barnaby and Jones are called to investigate a series of murders involving a pair of feuding families. And, this tale actually begins with a marriage proposal, but as the first murder takes place you have one of two reasoning's to consider a) the doctor knew the killer or b) the doctor was innocent killed under a case of mistaken identity! Anyway, a trip to Wales for our good guys sees them on a long hills trek to protect and serve, but come the end, the actual killer was (for the first time in a long time) completely unguessable!
In 'Picture of Innocence,' a rivalry breaks out between film and digital camera users in a small Midsomer village. I have to say, this was a great, quaint episode and one that I could have watched the acting in over and over. Some real props here to old photography, some lovely photographs shown on the walls. A real great quote comes from this episode too: 'We are suffering from the modern disease - Chrome Dissatisfaction - which is a the state of photography today.' And, the unexpected ending is, well, just that!
Next up is 'They Seek Him Here' - A film about the French Revolution is made in Midsomer. People lose their head in the guillotine, and it's not a film trick! Yup, yet another GREAT episode this one. Full of backstabbing (verbal), wonderful acting (on and off the sound stage), and heads a' roll! But, none of that happens before the half hour mark, so you have to say tuned! And patient. The killer is obvious from the very start, sorry, but the way it unravels, including the big reveal ending is VERY well brought to the fore.
In the weirdly-titled 'Death in a Chocolate Box' (a statement made early on about the closeness of the village and the villagers within it), Lord Holm, an aristocrat who once served a prison sentence for killing his sluttish wife, has turned his home into a rehabilitation centre for other ex-offenders. No obvious killer here as soooooo many red herrings are dangled in front of us throughout that your head will spin! Anyway, Gina and Jack Colby, married ex-police officers, assist him - Jack as administrator and Gina as a counselor. Jack is then murdered and so begins our good guys' close examinations of all the usual suspects. Oh, and if you're a Red Dwarf fan, the fantastic Chris Barrie is on deck as a bad guy! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs, but does not come with any Special Features.
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