Category Archives: Nudity

Dressed to Kill (1980)

From IMDB:

A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist’s patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.

From Kanopy or Amazon Prime you can stream this 43 year old film starring Michael Caine and Angie Dickinson.

While watching this vintage film, I was struck by how young the actors were,  how sexually daring this film must have seemed way back then, how acting has changed, and what a good story and plot shock the film still provides.

Give this piece of film history a try.

Red Dragon (2002)

From IMDB:

A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down “The Tooth Fairy”, a mysterious serial killer. Aiding him is imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour complete Hannibal Lecter movie.

Same old, same old, but still fun if you like that sort of horror show.  Somehow at least 7 known actors joined in the fray.

The Diplomat (2023)

From IMDB:

In the midst of an international crisis, Kate Wyler, a career diplomat, lands in a high-profile job for which she is not suited, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 episodes of Season One. Each episode lasts exactly 50 minutes.  (How do they do that?)  This series has been so popular that another season has been announced.

Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) is the U.S. ambassador to England.  She is accompanied, fortunately or unfortunately, by her political star husband Hal (Rufus Sewell) who meddles in everything.  Their marriage is suffering.  Some unknown party attacks a British naval vessel and all political hell breaks loose.  Season one ends in a cliff-hanger. There is never a dull moment in this somewhat complicated and fast-moving storyline.

There is a huge cast of able characters, one of whom is the familiar Rory Kinnear as Trowbridge.

DO NOT MISS!

A Girl and an Astronaut (2023)

From Netflix:

An astronaut’s return after a 30-year disappearance rekindles a lost love and sparks interest from a corporation determined to learn why he hasn’t aged.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 episodes of this sci-fi romance, complete with young pilots competing for a woman and the chance to fly a space mission.  In Polish with English subtitles.  Each episode lasts less than 50 minutes.

Interesting plot and lots of human interest and interaction.

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)

From IMDB:

A drama based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson’s covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute complete film starring Tom Hanks.

Based on true history, not only is this about helping the fight against the Soviets, but it ends with criticizing the U.S. for its habit of entering a country to fight an enemy but then abandoning that same country afterwards.

Charlie Wilson was a bit of a libertine, so expect some nudity, sexual content, and drug use.  But all told, it is an inspiring story of a capable politician.

DO NOT MISS!

 

Glória (2021)

From IMDB:

In the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, in the small village of Glória do Ribatejo, João Vidal will take on several high-risk espionage missions that could change the course of Portuguese and world history.

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of this Portuguese spy thriller.  Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. In Portuguese and English with subtitles.

RARET is short for portuguese RAdio de RETransmissão (Retransmission Radio).  Think of RARET as Radio Free Europe.  An article in the New York Times suggested this film to me. That article, which is worth reading, begins as follows:

————————————————————————-

Anyone who didn’t live through the Cold War might find the Portuguese Netflix spy thriller series “Glória” improbable.

Deep in the Portuguese countryside, in the tiny village of Glória, a complex radio transmission operation run by Portuguese and American engineers springs up in the 1950s, a branch of a Munich-based news organization called Radio Free Europe.

It broadcasts news and anti-communist messages in languages of various Soviet republics, but, in the show and in real life, that’s only part of its early mission: It’s also a C.I.A. front.

Until 1971, Radio Free Europe was a covert U.S. intelligence operation seeking to penetrate the Iron Curtain and foment anti-communist dissent in what was then Czechoslovakia, in Poland and elsewhere.


João (Portuguese for John) is a Russian spy seeking to undermine the activities of RARET.  Through 10 episodes we watch his masterful deceits while many around him get hurt as a result. To really appreciate the story you might brush up on some Portuguese history such as its imperialism (especially in Angola), the dictator Salazar, and PIDE (the Portuguese secret police).

Because the very ending comes as a complete and puzzling surprise, after finishing the series you can read an explanation.

Do not expect much happiness. But – DO NOT MISS!

Inspector La Brea (2009)

From Global Screen:

Based on the successful detective novels by Alexandra von Grothe. Mourning his wife’s death, Inspector Maurice LaBréa leaves Marseilles for Paris with his daughter Jenny. But Paris is no respite, for a ghastly copycat killer is imitating a killing spree around the Bastille that went on ten years ago.

From MHz Choice you can stream 3 episodes of this German language detective series set in Paris with English subtitles. Each episode lasts about an hour and a half.

All the crimes are ugly and brutal. Mutilated bodies are par for the course.

However, the central theme running through all the episodes is LaBrea’s loving concern for his daughter Jenny who encourages him to romance his beautiful painter neighbor who often takes care of Jenny when duty so often calls.

  • Episode 1: The Beast of the Bastille.
  • Episode 2: Murder in the Rue St. Lazare
  • Episode 3: Deadly Dreams in Montparnasse.

Somewhat old fashioned, nothing special, but plots consist of a nice contrast between the grim crimes and LaBrea’s personal life.

Solace (2015)

From IMDB:

Psychic John Clancy (Sir Anthony Hopkins) works with the F.B.I. in order to hunt down a serial killer.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute complete film.

FBI Agent Joe Merriwether (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) works with FBI Agent Katherine Cowels (played by Abbie Cornish) who has her doctorate in psychopathology.  At a complete loss in learning anything about the serial killer, Joe turns to his old friend and clairvoyant Dr. John Clancy (played by Sir Anthony Hopkins) who, owing to ugly past experiences,  is very reluctant to join the search.

Learning the motive for the killings is a priority.  If I reveal that motive here, I would consider that revelation a spoiler.

Where in all this is the actor Colin Farrell? He plays Charles Ambrose who just happens to be the serial killer. Charles shares a significant feature of Dr. Clancy’s personality.

After watching the film, you will understand why I say the film is a disguised ethical debate with no easy answer.

All the clairvoyance is just too convenient (should I say “contrived” or downright “hokey” ?).  In addition the quick decision action sequences might be hard to follow.   I give the film a B+.

 

 

Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022)

From Netflix:

Unhappily married aristocrat Lady Chatterley begins a torrid affair
— and falls deeply in love — with the gamekeeper on her husband’s country estate.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour 7 minute film adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s (in)famous novel.

In addition to the French 2006 version which we reviewed recently, IMDB lists no less than 4 other versions (which includes this 2022 version).  In a twist of irony Joely Richardson played Lady Chatterley in the 1993 version and now plays the elderly housekeeper Mrs. Bolton in this 2022 version.

Emma Corrin, who plays Lady Chatterley, played the younger Marion in “My Policeman” as well as Princess Diana Spencer in 8 episodes of “The Crown”.

Now I feel compelled to read the original unexpurgated version (99 cents on Kindle) just to see how faithful the screen adaptations were.

Actually the French version was more erotic than this 2022 version directed by the French actress Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre.  Rest assured, however, that both versions offer an abundance of explicit sexual activity.

More than offering mere titillation,  this version continues the tradition of including a social conscience.

My Policeman (2022)

From IMDB:

The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.

From Amazon Prime:

A tale of forbidden romance and changing social conventions, My Policeman follows the relationships between three people—policeman Tom (Harry Styles/Linus Roache), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin/Gina
McKee) and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson/Rupert Everett)—and their emotional journey spanning decades.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 54 minute British drama.

In this intense drama Tom marries Marion all the while carrying on a secret love affair with Patrick.  Such an explanation is far too simple for such a superb, complex, well acted drama.

Because the action switches continually between the past and the present, each of the three characters are presented by two actors,  a younger actor for the past and an older actor for the present.

  • Harry Styles as young Tom also stars in the film “Don’t Worry Darling.”
  • Linus Roache as older Tom is well-known as the assistant DA from several seasons of “Law and Order.”
  • Emma Corrin as young Marion played Princess Diana Spencer in one of the seasons of “The Crown.”
  • Gina McKee as older Marion for me will always be Irene from “The Forsyte Saga.”
  • David Dawson as young Patrick played Alfred in “The Last Kingdom.”
  • Rupert Everett as older Patrick played George Downes in “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”

Critics found many negatives but audiences, including Kathy and me, loved it.

DO NOT MISS!