The Oxford Murders (film)

Earlier in the week, I was looking for something to watch.  after a long debate, I finally decided to go ahead and watch The Oxford Murders.  It had a strong cast with Elijah Wood and William Hurt.  Revolving around on murder and mystery, I figured I couldn't lose on this one.  The Oxford Murders became an engaging and unique film, in a most unexpected fashion.

Martin, Played by Elijah Wood

The Oxford Murders stars Elijah Wood as Martin, a grad student from the states.  He is hoping to further his work under Arthur Seldom, played by Hurt.  Seldom is a well renowned and highly respected professor but is also a recluse, shying away from any public attention. Martin resides in Julia Eagleton's home as a renter.  Eagleton is a dear friend of Seldom, a tidbit Martin is fully aware of.  After coming back to Mrs Eaglton's house, after being humiliated during a lecture held by Seldom, Martin is surprised to find Seldom is there on the front porch also.  As they both walk in, they make a grisly discovery.  Julia Eagleton has been murdered.  Piecing together what little they could, Martin and Seldom find they are caught in a web of mathematics and deception, as a serial killer is on the loose and leaving bodies as clues for a greater message for the pair.

William Hurt as Seldom

Good - When is comes to acting chops, The Oxford Murders is top tier.  Hurt and Wood bring their best to this flick.  The back and forth they have feeds each other.  They play off each other very well.  Still, the film is about Martin and how he can learn from Seldom's mistakes.  Hopefully, Martin does not become the jaded old codger that Seldom has become.  The focus is more on Martin, as he tries to figure out the balance that Seldom never did.  Seeing these two acting greats together is just plain fun and intriguing.

Bad - The plot is not something  would consider bad.  In fact, I really enjoyed it.  But it can be conceived as being convoluted or too complex.  It can be hard to follow for someone not paying attention.  So this is more a warning then a complaint.  If you plan on watching this movie, and I think you should, make sure you are paying attention.

The pair making a gruesome discovery

Overall - I really liked The Oxford Murders.  It was not at all what I was expecting.  Despite the title, this is less a murder mystery and more a cautionary tale for the obsessed.  Seeing Hurt and Wood really get into both their characters and the interaction between themselves really pushes this film into a high pedigree. I recommend this film for sure.  4 out of 5 stars.

Similar To: Pi, Deathnote

Un-go (anime)

Watch it on Hulu! For free! Now!

My anime urge as not been satiated.  Still not satisfied with my cartoon diet, and possibly avoiding jumping back into the fall schedule, I decided on watching another anime.  My only requirement was that I wanted to look into something short and didn't look like total trash.  After skimming through the Hulu recommendations, I decided that Un-go fulfilled this.  So I jumped in.  And folks, let me tell you. I couldn't get enough of this show!  I think I killed Un-go within 4 days.  I would have done it in less if life hadn't gotten in the way!

Shinjuurou and Inga

Un-go follows Shinjuuruo Yuuki, the Defeated Detective.  Someone after the complete truth, he goes around solving the seemingly unsolvable.  Yet for his many correct deductions, he is overshadowed by Rinroku Kaishou, the head of JJ Sytems and a detective himself.  What the public at large does not know is that Rinroku is constantly a step behind Shinjuurou. Yet with Rinruko's pull and influence, the truth gets buried underneath a fabricated story the masses can more easily consume.  Un-go follows Shinjuurou has he finds his life directly intertwined with Rinroku's

Izumi and Rie

Good - I really enjoyed this series.  First off, each episode was inspired by a Japanese mystery story.  The idea of taking something old and weaving it all together to create something new was really interesting to me.  Each episode specifically named each story it was based off, very blatantly wearing it's influence on it's sleeve.  Un-go did a great job of plotting and pacing.  This was not a collection of episodes but a large web of mystery.  Yuuki was a very intriguing character, a mix of L from Deathnote and Ginko from Mushi-Shi.  Really, the whole cast was very engaging and fun to watch.

The gang looking cool

Bad -  Hmmmm......nothing sticks out that except for I could have done a bit more action.  I say this because the little action there was, was done great! I want more!

Overall - I thought this was a great series.  I was unsure at first but after finishing the first episode I was sold.  And Un-go fully delivered.  This was a series that knew exactly the story it wanted to tell and told it in the time it needed, nothing more.  Concise and focused.  If you've read any of my other reviews, a big problem with anime series is that it has a story it can tell in 5 episodes but it is a 26 episode series.  So you waste a lot of time watching the show, with no real weight on most of the series. Un-go does things right though.  The characters are great, and fleshed out just enough.  Seriously, this was a great time to watch.  So stop reading and go watch it!!! 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Un-Go on Wikipedia

Similar: Deathnote, Sherlock Holmes, Mushi-Shi