Ballard (Prime, 2025) / Brick & Soleil Noir (Netflix, 2025)

BALLARD (Prime Video series, 2025)

Ballard is the American Dept. Q. Based on the books by Michael Connelly, this Bosch spin-off stars Maggie Q as Detective Renee Ballard, who is leading a new cold case division in the department.

The similarities to its Scottish counterpart (which is on Netflix) are obvious, but there are plenty of differences too.

To wit: in the first scene Ballard closes the first cold case. Her unit may be based in the basement, but at least it’s clean and has windows that let the light in.

In all it feels more like a sleekly efficient police procedural that could also have been made for network television. But that’s not to say it’s bad. In fact it’s rather good.

Maggie Q effortlessly carries the ten part series - developed for television by Michael Alaimo - with effortless grace, and she gets support from a team full of colorful characters, including many women, a mix of reserves, volunteers and interns, as the unit is, of course, understaffed and underfunded.

The cold case unit was basically formed to solve the tragic murder of the sixteen year old sister of a local Councilman, who is friends with the head of the department, and wants Ballard to hurry up with the case.

But Ballard is also attracted to the death of Mexican man six years ago, who had a baby with him that was never found.

Frankly, even if this show isn’t exactly up for an originality award, there is enough going on to keep an audience interested that needs a new police show on the regular.

Courtney Taylor is excellent as an ex-cop who comes back to the job. And Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) also shows up.

(***1/2)

BRICK (Netflix movie, 2025)

Brick is a science fiction thriller from Germany, in which the residents of an apartment building suddenly find themselves surrounded by a mysterious brick wall which makes it impossible to go in or out.

The focus in this movie from writer and director Philip Koch is on a young couple who are still recovering from a tragic experience.

Liv (Ruby O. Fee) has quit her job as an architect, while Tim (Matthias Schweighöfer) is coping by burying himself in his work as an in-demand computer expert. (As you may expect, those jobs will come in handy over the course of the movie).

To save their relationship, Liv wants them to leave Hamburg and drive to Paris, but Tim refuses. When she wants to leave by herself the next morning, she opens the front door and whoops, there it is: an impenetrable wall.

And that’s not all: there is no communication possible with the outside world, and also there is no water. So they have to make contact with their next door neighbors by smashing in the wall. And then the floor to the downstairs apartment, because in the basement it may be possible to leave the building.

Along the way Tim and Liv come across some maverick characters, and soon everyone’s loyalty to each other gets tested to the extreme. And what the hell is that brick wall for anyway? (Slight spoiler: yes, there is a somewhat rational if rather far-fetched explanation).

Brick wants to be a lot of things. It’s a one location thriller with a science fiction edge, it’s a survival drama and relationship drama, it’s Escape Room meets Lord of the Flies and of course there is just a hint of Black Mirror.

Brick also has things to say about fake news and conspiracy theories, so it’s interesting enough, and both Schweighöfer and Fee (who also starred in Army of Thieves together) are up to the job. But as soon as they meet more residents the tension starts to dissipate, at least before in the second half of the movie some horror elements are added to the mix, in a not unwelcome attempt to spice up proceedings.

Brick doesn’t work completely, but at 99 minutes I enjoyed it just as long as it lasted.

(***)

SOLEIL NOIR (Netflix series, 2025)

Soleil Noir (a.k.a. Qui sème le vent) is a French variation on Knives Out.

The six part series tells the story of twenty-something Alba (Amina Ben Ismail) and her son, who flee from home. Not from an abusive lover, but from the man she presumes to be her father.

On the road in her car she receives an email about seasonal work. She is asked to apply in person for work on a flower farm. Once there, the owner, Laserre, doesn’t seem to know about the mail, but he gives her a job anyway, as they are short on staff.

If it seems like Alba is being set up, well, the next morning Laserre is found dead and Alba is accused of murder. An even bigger shock is revealed before we even reach the halfway stage of the first episode, so not much of a spoiler to tell that Alba is Laserre’s illegitimate daughter.

If she can prove her innocence, with help from a young lawyer (Claire Romain), Alba will share in the inheritance with her siblings. Isabelle Adjani is also there, as Mrs. Laserre.

The twists and turns in Soleil Noir come pretty fast, making sure you don’t have to think much about whether we’ve seen it all before. A quick binge is there if you want it.

(***)