Category Archives: Uncategorized

2019, Abuse of Women, Acceptable Trash, Bad high school, Career Competition, Child abuse, Cold Cases, Complicated, Corny at times, Dancing, Detective, DNA, Drama, Emotional child abuse, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Fashion, Gay theme, Illegitimate Child, Mediocre, Melodrama, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Narcissistic Personality, Netflix Streaming, Psychopath, Sex Scenes, Sociopath, Suspense, Uncategorized, Unscrupulous drive to power, Violent, Womanizing

What/If (2019)

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From IMDB:

An anthology series which tackles a different morality tale, and the ripple effect of a single decision that changes the trajectory of an entire life.

From Netflix you can stream 10 episodes of this soap opera. Each episode lasts between 40 and 60 minutes.

Anne Montgomery is the villain and most prominent feature of this acceptable trashy melodrama. She is played by Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones) who looks awfully good for her 50 years. Of course it does not hurt her appearance to wear not only tons of makeup but to wear in each new appearance an astounding designer creation. Best of all you can hear her lisp for all ten episodes.

Harlequin Books, the leaders in trashy bodice-rippers, will send you a story plot and will pay you to fill in the details. Suppose, in similar fashion you want to write a Netflix Original screenplay. What should be in the plot to be current in 2019?  Here are some suggestions (where we were motivated by this marvelous series):

  • In each couple, one of the partners must be hiding some terrible, guilty secret which prevents that person from being truly open with the other person.
  • One of the couples must be a gay couple. They should engage in least some filmed threesome sexual activity.
  • For each couple there must be a third party who has some destructive relation to one of the partners.
  • Some character must be a homicidal sociopath.
  • Financial dealings must complicated by the fact that you can never know whom to trust.

Probably I could extend the list, but those selling points should be enough to tempt you to watch almost 10 hours of acceptable trash. As a further inducement to wasting all that time, I am happy to reveal that by the end of episode ten, all problems have been resolved. Moreover, the plot leaves an opening for another thrilling set of trashy episodes.

Thanks to former colleague Kellie Trainer for suggesting this binge-worthy series. She and I have a motto:

WE LOVE TRASH!

Amazon Prime, Amnesia, Clever Plot, Conspiracy, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Government cover-up, Government human experiment, Harmful Medicine, Military, Paranoia, Psychological Thriller, PTSD, Suspense, Uncategorized, War Veterans

Homecoming (2018)

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From Amazon Prime:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes, including Best Drama Series. Good intentions. Erratic bosses. Mounting paranoia. Unforeseen consequences spiraling out of control. Heidi (Julia Roberts) works at Homecoming, a facility helping soldiers transition to civilian life. Years later she has started a new life, when the Department of Defense questions why she left Homecoming. Heidi realizes there’s a whole other story behind the one she’s been telling herself.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 1 season, 10 episodes of this complete story.  Each episode lasts approximately  a half hour.

Julia Roberts  ( age 57) is no longer a young romantic figure. Instead she does a credible and serious job as a woman unwittingly caught up in a sinister plot that takes awhile to reveal itself.

Bobby Cannavale  (age 48) does a superb job at portraying an amoral and smooth operator in the destructive enterprise.  Here is a man who can put a verbal deceptive spin on whatever scheme his corporation is concocting.  We see a lot of this  behavior nowadays (in plots and political life and military life): characters that convince you that everything is just fine and legitimate using standard business world speech patterns. Meanwhile, in reality, nasty things are happening.  Vietnam?

Stephan James (age 25) is somewhat of a newcomer.  His role here as one of the many victims is well done and convincing.

However, of all the characters I most admired  how Shea Whigham presented Thomas Carrasco, a determined and humble Department of Defense cog-in-the-wheel who stubbornly refused to stop investigating.

Because the episodes are so short, it is easy and compelling to binge straight through to the end.  When you have finished, ask yourself if such a thing could really happen.

2019, Acorn TV, British, British Mystery Series, Detective, Drug Dealers, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Father-daughter relations, Lesbian Theme, Mental Illness, Mildly Violent, Missing Person, Murder, Murder Investigation, Police Culture, Psychopath, Revenge, Serial Killer, Suspense, Uncategorized

London Kills (2019)

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From IMDB:

With the world’s most recognizable city as its backdrop, LONDON KILLS will dramatize the experiences of a team of top murder detectives. Slick, modern and fast moving, the series will be shot like a cutting-edge documentary. Each episode of LONDON KILLS will focus on a different murder following the detectives as they uncover the truth behind the killing but will also have a serial story involving the lead detective’s missing wife.

From Acorn TV:

London’s best detectives take on its worst crimes in this sleek mystery series from the creator of Suspects. DI David Bradford (Hugo Speer, Father Brown) heads an elite murder squad, but the one case he can’t crack is the one closest to him – the disappearance of his wife. Also starring Sharon Small (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries), Bailey Patrick (Bodyguard), and Tori Allen-Martin (Unforgotten).

JULY 2019 ADDENDUM:

From Acorn TV you can now stream both season one and season two.  Season two also consists of 5 episodes. Finally in season two we learn what happened to Bradford’s wife and what he has been hiding from his team. Nonetheless, season two leaves enough unsolved threads so that there could be a season three.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

From Acorn TV you can stream the first season on this detective series. Each of the 5 episodes last about 45 minutes.  Although the 5 episodes of the first season bring an investigation to a close, throughout all the seasons there is the continuing mystery of what happened to DI Bradford’s wife. In addition the investigation in the first season is closely related to that disappearance.

As far as detective series go, this one is on a par with most and offers some genuine suspense and character portrayal. Season one’s villain is effectively creepy.

Not bad!

 

2007, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Boating, Bullying, Depression, Detective, Divorce, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Gay theme, German, Jealousy, Lawyers, Mental Illness, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Revenge, Swedish Detective, Uncategorized

Inspector and the Sea (2007)

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From MHz Choice:

Based on the international best-selling mystery novels by Mari Jungstedt, the blockbuster German crime series The Inspector and the Sea is set on the idyllic Swedish island of Gotland. Walter Sittler stars as Robert Anders, a laid-back German police inspector who has moved to the island to be with his Swedish wife, Line, and their two children.

From MHz Choice you can stream 2 seasons of this German production that takes place in Sweden.  Each season offers 6 episodes each of which lasts 1.5 hours.

Each episode is self-contained although the family theme continues throughout both seasons. In fact all the stories center around the Anders family and their social group such as friends, relatives, and their children’s school society.  Throughout Robert Anders and his wife Line and their children have their problems, the worst of which is that Robert is so busy with his detective work that he somewhat neglects his family. In my experience this “neglectful detective” theme is present  in the majority of such TV series.

After watching a few episodes, Kathy and I find that the Swedish society, at least as it is portrayed in this series, is somewhat ugly: high school children are as entitled and cruel as their unfaithful parents.

Despite the defects of the portrayed Swedish society, the plots, characters, and acting (for the most part) are excellent and make watching such long episodes well worth the effort.

2008, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Amusing banter, Catholic Church Corruption, Comic Moments, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Financial malfeasance, Flirting, German, German Detectives, Insurance Fraud, Interest in automobiles, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Made For TV, MHz Choice, Mixed Martial Arts, Murder Investigation, Police Politics, Religious Theme, Revenge, Suspense, Unbelievably smart detective, Uncategorized

Marie’s Mind for Murder (2008)

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From MHz Choice:

After the death of her policeman father, Inspector Marie Brand (Mariele Millowitsch) said goodbye to homicide – or so she thought. But after being called in to consult on a difficult case she finds herself back on the job, working with the very handsome Inspector Jürgen Simmel, a ladies’ man with a soft spot for Marie. With her brilliant, analytical mind for murder and Simmel’s more hands-on approach, these two form a perfect team!

From MHz Choice ($7.99 per month) you can stream 10 episodes of Season 1.  Each episode lasts about an hour and a half. Speech is in German with English subtitles.

To the above summary I can only add that these detective stories are easy to watch (no gore, no serial killers). Brand and Simmel engage in amusing quasi-combative banter. Simmel gets involved with many beautiful women, who unfortunately are often part of the crime du jour. Brand has some personal troubles. Simmel is often clumsy while physically active most of the time ( since he really wants to show off his martial art skills).

All in all, this series is a pleasant way to pass the time.

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Science, Acorn TV, Adopted child, Alzheimer's disease, Ambiguous Conclusion, Amusing banter, Animal story, Assisted Suicide, Australian, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Cancer theme, Comic Moments, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drugs, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Jealousy, Love Story, Made For TV, Melodrama, Mother-son relations, Nudity, School Teacher, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Sex Scenes, Small Town, Small Town Atmosphere, Somewhat trashy, Terminal Disease, Uncategorized, Witty dialog

The Heart Guy (2017)

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From Acorn TV:

Hugh Knight is a rising star in the Sydney heart surgery ranks. He is gifted, charmed, and infallible: a hedonist who – due to his sheer talent – believes he can live outside the rules. But after an incident involving drugs and alcohol, his world comes crashing down. Placed on the Impaired Registrants List for his part in the debacle by the Medical Board, he is banned from surgery and can only work as a local doctor. 

Acorn TV offers Series 1 with 10 episodes, each of approximately 45 minutes length.

Love, loss, sex, comic banter, medical practice, family, jealousy, close friendships, cancer, fatherhood: you name it, it’s all there in this fun-to-watch, very popular Australian TV series. Best of all there is nothing more violent than a fist fight or two.

This Aussie series is much less serious than another Acorn TV offering (which I highly recommend) called “A Place To Call Home” even though there are some sad parts.

WARNING: Episode 10 ends ambiguously, probably in preparation for another season.

Need something “feel good” to watch?  Then don’t miss this show!

 

2016, Addiction, African American centered, Amazon Prime, Basically Sad, Bullying, Could Be Hard To Watch, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Emotional child abuse, Gay Bashing, Gay theme, Grim, Human spirit, Love Story, Middle school students, Mother-son relations, Personal Betrayal, Sex Scenes, Teenagers, Thought provoking, Uncategorized, Violent, Vulgar, Wonderful acting

Moonlight (2016)

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From IMDB:

A chronicle of the childhood, adolescence and burgeoning adulthood of a young, African-American, gay man growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.

From Amazon Prime:

A moving, transcendent, award-winning look at 3 defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to adulthood, as a shy outsider dealing with difficult circumstances, is guided by support, empathy and love from the most unexpected places.

From Amazon Prime you can stream “Moonlight”.

Gooseflesh must mean that I have just seen a perfectly made, beautifully acted, true to life, and really moving film. Here is a film all of whose actors are African American speaking their own patois. But much more important are the things left unsaid. Dialog is terse to non-existent, but each word carries a lot of weight, sometimes a world of pain. Hats off to the writer and director Barry Jenkins for getting his actors to exercise such verbal restraint.

Because each of the three parts of Chiron’s life (childhood, adolescence, adulthood) had its own set of players, there are just too many actors to mention. Nor is it fair to omit a name because each part was chiseled to perfection.  Therefore, to mention just a few:

  • Mahershala Ali (who played Juan) is instantly recognized as the character Remy Danton from “House of Cards”.
  •  Naomie Harris  played Chiron’s crack addicted mother. She presented both ugly, hurtful scenes and also a touching reunion with Chiron.
  • André Holland (who played the adult Kevin) played Dr. Algernon Edwards in the TV series “The Knick”.
  • Trevante Rhodes (who played the adult Chiron)  played Ramsey Walters in the TV series “If Loving You Is Wrong”.

Let us be grateful for our own situation in life as we watch this sad, sad portrait of Americans who have such limited opportunities.

DO NOT MISS!

 

 

2016, Abduction, Acceptable Science, Cancer theme, Computer geeks, Creepy, Father-daughter relations, Grim, Mother-daughter relations, Nudity, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Sociopath, Suspense, Teenagers, Thought provoking, Uncategorized, Violent

I.T. (2016)

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From IMDB:

Mike Regan has everything he could ever want, a beautiful family and a top of the line smart house. The company he owns is on the verge of changing flight leasing forever. That is, until the relationship with his I.T. advisor turns nasty, to the point where his teenage daughter is being stalked and his family is under attack through every technological facet of their lives.

On our British Airways flight to London I was able to watch both this film as well as “Jason Bourne” which is reviewed elsewhere. As I mentioned in that other review, both films deal with the current War on Privacy. Whereas in “Jason Bourne” the CIA wants “Apple Corporation” to let the CIA have access to everyone’s data, in “I.T.” Mike Regan  (played convincingly by Pierce Brosnan , age 64) foolishly allows his new IT employee Patrick (played eerily by Jason Barry,  a young looking age 46) to convert Mike’s home into a “smart house” which allows Patrick to see all and tell all that occurs there. That was a big mistake!

In “I.T.” the suspense seemed more intense than in “Jason Bourne”, probably because the former  scenario is today unfortunately very plausible. Would you feel comfortable living in a smart house? Is Big Brother watching you?

2016, Action Film, Action Hero, Ambiguous Conclusion, Based on a Book, Black Ops, Car Chase, Chase film, CIA, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, Mayhem, Revenge, Suspense, Torture, Uncategorized, Violent

Jason Bourne (2016)

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From IMDB:

The CIA’s most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past.

Our British Airways flight to London gave me the chance to see this latest installation in the Bourne saga.

Because the very beginning is just noise and chasing I almost gave up watching. But in time the plot was interesting and current enough to warrant continuing to the end. Also on our BA flight I watched “I.T.”  which really shares a theme with “Jason Bourne” in the sense that both stories feature the threatening tendency in this 21st century for intelligence agencies and individuals wanting to eavesdrop on every detail of our lives. In other words, the theme is the War on Privacy. In this regards you can also read Dave Eggers book “The Circle” and watch certain episodes of the TV series “Dark Mirror.”

Acting is a secondary consideration in this production. Tommy Lee Jones as CIA Director Robert Dewey grunts through his scheme to establish a new torture black ops program as well to force the equivalent of Apple Corporation to give the CIA a back door into everyone’s smartphone.  Notice how often in films the CIA is the wicked enemy.  Matt Damon plays his usual unemotional role as Jason Bourne.  For a man of 47 years, Matt Damon has kept in good physical condition. Of course his face has aged to a middle age presence. Tommy Lee Jones at 71 years looks considerably older.

Because of the way the ending is constructed, there could be sequels. But this film in the series was enjoyable enough to have us consider yet another future installment.

2016, Abduction, Anti-Arab, Arab Culture, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Child abduction and murder, Child Molestation, Could Be Hard To Watch, Danish, Danish Detectives, Dark, Disturbing Image, Explicit sex, Grim, Netflix Streaming, Orphans in Foster Care, Philosophic Discussions, Police Politics, Religious Theme, Sadism, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Sociopath, Suspense, Uncategorized, Violent

Department Q (2016)

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From Denmark comes this TV detective series in which each episode lasts most of 2 hours. In other words, each episode is a feature-length film. From Netflix you can stream each episode.  Each episode has its own title. You should watch them in order. One of the reviewers called the series a “top box-office film in Denmark.”   Spoken Danish with English subtitles.

From Decider we learn that there are six books in the series, but that only three have been made into films.

WARNING: Generally speaking, these episodes are grim, violent, and peopled with vindictive, cruel, sadistic, psychopathic villains.  Strong stomachs are advised.

Episode 1: The Keeper of Lost Causes

From Decider:

Precisely. Nikolaj Lie Kaas stars as Carl Morck, a brilliant homicide detective who gets demoted to Department Q. His partner in solving crime? Another detective named Assad (played by actor Fares Fares). Together they delve into the crimes no one wants solved.

Episode 1 introduces us to the two detectives mentioned above. In episode 2 a third member is added to Department Q, which we would call the “Collection of Unsolved Crimes or Cold Cases”.

In this episode a young woman politician in on a ferry with her emotionally disturbed brother when she is abducted and held captive in a barometric chamber. You were warned it could get ugly!

Episode 2: The Absent One

In this episode the detectives uncover a series of brutal crimes planned and perpetrated by students at a posh private high school that caters to the ruling class. Their outrageous behavior continues throughout their wealthy lives as they are protected by a former classmate who is now an extremely powerful lawyer. More Ugly!

Episode 3: A Conspiracy of Faith

Yet another psychopath, this time kidnapping children of fundamentalist Christians and using a type of religious blackmail against the parents.  As we often seen in such films, the sociopath does his damage calmly and with a bland or smiling countenance. But still ugly!

One characteristic of all three stories is the suspenseful and action filled final scene in which our heroes confront the villain. You might even hold your breath in all the (did I mention “ugly”?) excitement. Take a tranquilizer and enjoy.