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Reviews
The Corner (2000)
An overlooked masterpiece of television drama
Bleak, uncompromising and hard-hitting. The quality of the acting, scripting and direction pull together to create a contemporary urban drama revolving around the lives of drug addicts and dealers living in the slums of downtown Baltimore, a figurative cancer eating away at the American heartland.
Based on the true life story of Francine Boyd (played here by the mesmerizing Khandi Alexander) from the book by Edward Burns & David Simon - subject matter experts on the Baltimore drug scene and writers for TV's "The Wire". As with real life, there aren't any easy answers or happy endings.
With "The Corner" HBO raised the bar on the quality of television drama forever.
Notes for Jerome (1978)
The sad and ultimately depressing tale of a charmless man
Shot almost entirely on location this is a seemingly surreal tale of a man who infuriates people around him with his constant talking. It makes difficult viewing at times because the reactions of his "victims" seem very real and you wonder whether they even knew they were being filmed. It certainly pulls an emotional punch, and doesn't make for easy viewing. I walked away in a slight state of shock feeling as if I might have been watching a disaster happening in slow motion. A slightly entertaining tale at some points, especially when Jerome gets over-excited, but far too easy to parody. Best avoided.