Category Archives: Prostitutes

2013, 2014, 2016, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Anxiety Attacks, Bloody scenes, Boarding school, Cold Cases, Corrupt Politicians, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cover-up, Crime thriller, Cruelty, Danish, Danish Detectives, Danish Police, Danish TV series, Dark, Disrespect toward women, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Ethical struggles, Extremely Violent, Failed Father, False Imprisonment, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Flirting, Grim, Grisly, Hunting, Kanopy streaming, Murder, Murder Investigation, Narcissistic Personality, Panic Attacks, Police Culture, Prostitutes, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Sex Scenes, Sociopath, Suspense, Thriller, Violent

Department Q (2013)

From Kanopy you can stream 3 full-length episodes of this series of intense crime Danish dramas. Unfortunately each episode will cost you one viewing credit.  There are many more Department Q episodes which are not available on Kanopy.

As you learn in the first episode,  chief detective Carl Mørck is such an oddball, that the police assign him to a dead-end job in the basement running Department Q where he is supposed to merely catalog unsolved cases.  Instead, he and his new partner Assad prove to be determined detectives doggedly solving difficult and ugly cases.

  • The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013) 1 hour 36 minutes

Police inspector Carl Mørck is put in charge of a department of cold cases, joined only by his assistant Assad. They dig into a case about a missing woman.

  • The Absent One (2014) 1 hour 59 minutes

The murder of young twins initially implicates a group of upper class students as the killers, though the case takes a turn or two from its starting point.

  • A Conspiracy of Faith (2016) 1 hour 52 minutes

Two intertwined cases linking the past with the present require the aid of Department Q to catch an elusive serial killer while time is running out.

All these stories involve brutal, ugly crimes. If  you can stand the nasty tension, then

DO NOT MISS!

2020, 2021, Acceptable for teenagers, British Drama, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Dancing, Drama, Erotic Tension, Family Conflict, Family Secrets, Fashion, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Flirting, Fraud, Gambling, Hopeless Love, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Period Piece, Prostitutes, Regency Era Britain, Remarkable Costumes, Romance, Sex Scenes, Soap Opera, Social Class Inequality, Too Long, Unhappy Marriage, Unloved Child, Unmarried mother, Unwanted Pregnancy, Verbose

Bridgerton (2020)

From IMDB:

Wealth, lust, and betrayal set against the backdrop of Regency-era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.

From Netflix you can stream 2 seasons of this Regency-era serial soap opera.  Each season consists of 8 episodes, each episode lasting roughly one hour.

During the American revolution George III was king of England. Because he suffered from periodic madness due to porphyria (disputed), his son acted as regent and later became George IV. For this reason this period of history is called the Regency era.

Among the wealthy London aristocrats of the Regency era, social competition and ambition centered around gossip,  fancy apparel, and above all else finding suitable husbands for one’s daughters. “Suitable” here means wealthy and hopefully titled, as in prince beats duke beats lord.  Bridgerton in it entirety is about gossip, fancy apparel and husband pursuits.  And what fun it is to watch!

SLIGHT NEGATIVES:

  • Do not be put off by the very beginning in which we see a bare-assed Anthony Bridgerton copulating with his lower class lover against a tree.  Although there are plenty of sex scenes, this is not a trashy production.
  • Talk, talk, talk and more talk.  There is much repetitious talk.

NOTABLE FEATURES:

  • As far as being “woke”,  irregardless of any particular role, parts are mixed between races. For example: Simon Basset, Lady Danbury, and Queen Charlotte are black;  members of the Sharma family are from India; most actors are white.
  • You may not recognize her, but the voice of Lady Whistledown reading her gossip column is none other than Julie Andrews.
  • Underlying all the husband and wife hunting is the motivation for the main protagonists Daphne and Anthony Bridgerton and the Sharma sisters that despite all the imposed societal ambitions,  true love is the oft scorned but most desired quality of a good marriage.

SEASON ONE

Season One is devoted to finding Daphne Bridgerton a husband. After much  pretending and maneuvering,  Duke Simon is the one.  As far as difficulties are concerned, Simon has taken a vow against his much despised father to never produce an heir to the title.

As an extra major distraction, the search is on the discover the identity of Lady Whistledown, the weekly publisher of a gossip paper that more or less rules society.  My lips are sealed.

One further theme is the friendship between Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington.  In reality the Featherington family is penniless, meaning that their daughters MUST marry well in order to rescue the family from its gambling induced poverty.

SEASON TWO

Season Two is devoted to finding a suitable wife for Anthony Bridgerton and a suitable husband for Kate Sharma.   Along the way Anthony misguidedly proposes marriage to Kate’s sister Edwina.

We learn the identity of Lady Whistledown while Queen Charlotte threatens Eloise Bridgerton with ruin if she fails to discover the true identity of Lady Whistledown.

Season Two does not end happily ever after for all. Will there be a Season Three, dear reader?

2016, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corrupt Corporation, Corrupt lawyers, Corrupt policemen, Cover-up, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Environmental concerns, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failed Father, Failed Marriage, Father-daughter relations, FBI, Frame someone for a crime, Gay theme, Government cover-up, Illegal Weapons, Lawyers, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Office Love Affairs, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Trial Scenes

Goliath Season 1(2016)

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From Amazon:

Once a powerful lawyer, Billy McBride is now burned out and washed up, spending more time in a bar than a courtroom. When he reluctantly agrees to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest client of the massive law firm he helped create, Billy and his ragtag team uncover a vast and deadly conspiracy, pitting them all in a life or death trial against the ultimate Goliath.

From Amazon Prime you can stream 4 seasons of this lawyer series.  This review is just for season 1 which consists of 8 episodes where each episode is roughly one hour.

Billy McBride is played by Billy Bob Thornton who has often taken unusual roles. You might recall him as Lorne Malvo in “Fargo”.  In season one he is up against the Goliath of law firms named Cooperman and McBride which he helped establish.  His personal nemesis is the other name on the company name,  Donald  Cooperman. Cooperman as one of the best “bad guys” I have ever seen is played to stunning and eccentric perfection by William Hurt. Not that Cooperman is the only villain.  His most notable lawyer-in-crime, Callie Senate,  is played with cunning malice by Mollie Parker, whose every smug smirk is a masterpiece of acting.  When you really hate one of the villains, that actor is doing her job. Mollie Parker played Jackie Sharp in “House of Cards”.

Rest assured the daemons get their comeuppance.  But the journey to get to that point is agonizingly frustrating.

DO NOT MISS!

 

2019, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Amazon Prime, Binge worthy, British Mystery Series, Cold Cases, Courtroom scenes, DO NOT MISS, Forensics, Murder Trial, Police Culture, Police Politics, Prostitutes, Serial Killer, Trial Scenes, True Story, Unhappy Marriage

A Confession (2019)

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From IMDB:

Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher intends on catching a killer of a missing woman, even if that may cost him his career and reputation.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 6 episodes of this true  one season British TV crime story. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Using carefully researched material, this series documents a true, riveting, and frustratingly sad case in which DS Steve Fulcher of the Wiltshire police district successfully finds a serial killer only to have his career destroyed because he made a brave and clever decision that did not completely follow guidelines.

Do not be put off by the word “documentary” because this series is a very well done enactment that is anything but a presentation of dry facts.  All the characters come to life in moments of grief, anger, loneliness and love.   Wiltshire police department concern with public relations is maddening and, thanks to this series, fully exposed.

Once again there are many familiar British actors:

  • For me the biggest surprise was the appearance of the actor Joe Absolom who plays the serial killer Christopher Halliwell.  You may recognize him as the young man Al Large who was the son of the very LARGE Bert Large in Doc Martin.  He seems so much older in “Confession” and plays the part of a clever, intelligent but stricken serial killer very well.
  • Siobhan Finneran (who plays Elaine Pickford) played Clare Cartwright in the wonderfully unhappy series Happy Valley. Her acting resumé is enormous.
  • Imelda Staunton (who plays Karen Edwards) is another seasoned British actor with a huge resumé.  Her role as the abortionist Vera Drake was remarkable.

Sorry for the “Do Not Miss” inflation, but DO NOT MISS!

1995, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Acceptable Science, Acorn TV, Action sequences, Alcoholism, Assisted Suicide, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Cold Cases, Courtroom scenes, Crime thriller, Detective, DNA, DO NOT MISS, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Forensic pathologist, Frame someone for a crime, Friendship, Gory, Gritty, Illegitimate Child, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Motorcycles, Murder, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Police Investigation, Prostitutes, Psychiatrists, Psychopath, Sadism, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Violent, Womanizing

McCallum (1995)

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From IMDB:

From deep within the morgue at St. Patrick’s Hospital in London’s East End, Dr. Iain McCallum and Dr. Angela Moloney along with a team of brilliant pathologists and detectives help the dead tell their stories.

From Acorn TV you can stream two seasons of this pathologist crime series.  Season 1 has 4 episodes and Season 2 has 5 episodes. Each episode lasts about 1.5 hours.

Gory, riveting, and clever are a few apt adjectives for this engrossing series. Personal relations among the constant set of characters are as important as the plots themselves. Most episodes are complete crime and solution stories.

John Hannah, who plays Dr. Iain McCallum, was 33 years old at the time of filming.  Now (2020) he is still going strong at the age of 58.

Unfortunately season 2 episode 5 is a disappointing episode. At that time in the series, Iain and Angela have emigrated to Canada and are no longer in the episode.  For some strange reason this fifth episode introduces new characters and offers a bizarre almost silly plot. You might want to skip this last blunder of a story.

Otherwise — DO NOT MISS!

2009, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Cold Cases, Corruption, Detective, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Pedophilia, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Surprise Ending, Unmarried mother, Violent

Murderland (2009)

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From IMDB:

A thriller that tells a traumatic murder story through the eyes of three central characters: Carrie the daughter of the murdered woman, Douglas Hain the detective in charge of the investigation, and Sally the murder victim.

From Amazon Prime  you can stream this 1 hour 57 minute full film.

Douglas Hain is an unhappily retired police detective. Carrie runs away from her wedding ceremony because she feels she cannot lead a normal life until she finds out who brutally stabbed her mother to death.  In a determined way Carrie starts digging which leads her to Hain who was the detective that worked on the unsolved cold case.

First impression is that Hain was the killer because he was romantically involved with the victim.  As the story develops using many flashbacks,  little by little the crime details come forth. Expect a bit of a surprise ending.

Sharon Small (played Rose Marshbrook in The Bay which we recently reviewed)  as Dr. Laura Maitland is one of the more familiar actors.

Nothing to criticize in this well-acted suspense thriller.

 

2018, Abuse of Women, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Bullying, Child abuse, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Disturbing Image, Dystopia, Explicit sex, Father-son relations, Fist Fight, Gloomy, Gory, Grim, Human Cloning, Invincible Hero, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Romance, Sadism, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Torture, Valium appropriate

Altered Carbon (2018)

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From IMDB:

ALTERED CARBON is set in a future where consciousness is digitized and stored in cortical stacks implanted in the spine, allowing humans to survive physical death by having their memories and consciousness “re-sleeved” into new bodies. The story follows specially trained “Envoy” soldier Takeshi Kovacs, who is downloaded from an off-world prison and into a combat ready sleeve at the behest of Laurens Bancroft, a highly influential aristocrat. Bancroft was killed, and the last automatic backup of his stack was made hours before his death, leaving him with no memory of who killed him and why. While police ruled it a suicide, Bancroft is convinced he was murdered and wants Kovacs to find out the truth. 

From Netflix you can stream currently one season but soon two seasons of this science fiction series. Season 1 consists of 10 episodes, each of which last about an hour.

Would you like to live forever? Be careful what you wish for. In a dank earthly atmosphere reminiscent of “Blade Runner”, this series presents a really gloomy future in which a “person” is digitally encapsulated into a small disk that is somehow inserted into the spinal column. By now it is unimportant into which body that disk is inserted, so that each person is now wearing their current “sleeve”. Real death can only occur if the disk is destroyed.  Therefore, when you see a person, you don’t really know who that is. Your grandmother can look like a pot-bellied biker.

As you might guess from the last paragraph, the plot can get really complicated.  In fact I must confess that most of the time I am fairly confused about what is happening.  But I understand enough to continue watching this inhuman plot, somewhat to my shame.

Digital wizardry continually produces really bizarre scenes. Unfortunately the series is ultra violent and portrays a very decadent society that delights in cruelty. Ancient Rome anyone?

Of the many actors, two stand out:

  • Joel Kinnaman plays Takeshi Kovacs who is the action [anti-]hero  tof the story.  “But wait”, you say, “that’s an Asian name and Joel Kinnaman is Swedish.”  Ah yes, but that’s because the actor for much of the series is wearing his Swedish “sleeve.”  See what I mean?
  • James Purefoy , as is often the case, is the smooth arch villain Laurens Bancroft.  He does dangerously evil to perfection.

There is an awful lot of Kung Fu fighting which could get boring. Possibly the story drags on too long.  Sometimes the plot turns are too good to be true.  Torture scenes are horribly explicit.  So just begin to watch and judge for yourself whether the slog is worth the effort.

Possibly the only worthwhile effect this story had on me was that I more easily accept that it is fitting that our life has a beginning, middle, and END.

2007, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Accidental Death, Action Film, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Cold Cases, Contract Killing, Cooking, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime, DNA, Drug Dealers, Extramarital Affair, Father-daughter relations, Financial malfeasance, Forensics, Gangs, Gay theme, Happy Family Gatherings, Jealousy, jiu-jitsu, Kidnapping, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Pedophilia, Physical child abuse, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Swedish Detective, Thriller, Torture, Violent, Weapons Dealer, Wife Beating

Irene Huss (2007)

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From MHz Choice:

From the best-selling crime fiction of Helene Tursten, Irene Huss is a ju-jitsu champion, a mother, and a detective inspector. Her husband, Krister, is a successful chef and luckily for Irene, he gladly shoulders a fair share of the household tasks. In her work with the Violent Crimes Unit in Gothenburg, Irene encounters criminal minds of all stripes: from drug dealers to serial killers to psychotic young girls. Each new case challenges her assumptions about herself and others.

From MHz Choice (only foreign films with subtitles) you can stream 2 seasons of this Swedish crime series. Each season offers 6 episodes where each episode lasts approximately 1.5 hours.

As is common in so many detective series, the main police investigator is constantly interrupted when she is with her family of devoted husband Krister  and two daughters.  Running through all the episodes is the theme of her family life and her husband’s career as a chef. Often, in sometimes threatening ways, the husband and daughters become involved in Irene’s investigations. At times the lives of all four family members are in danger.

Repeatedly throughout the series we see Irene engaged in jiu-jitsu training which goes hand-in-hand with her many physical combats with criminals.  Irene is portrayed as somewhat of a superwoman who is always ready to chase on foot after a villain even if she should be suffering from some injury. Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the action sequences.

Expect a lot of nasty crime and violence. Expect ugly and explicit details of brutality, including rape and torture. This is not a series for the faint of heart.

On the positive side it is a pleasure to watch Irene’s happy family together. Also each story is so compelling and suspenseful that I could not stop watching each episode.

2015, 2016, Abuse of Women, Adopted child, Adultery, Ambiguous Conclusion, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, British, British Mystery Series, Cancer theme, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Cold Cases, Contract Killing, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Depression, DNA, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Incest, Male Prostitutes, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Pedophilia, Personal Betrayal, Police cover-up, Police Politics, Prostitutes, Racism, Rape, Revenge, Romance, Sex with underage girls, Sister-sister relations

Unforgotten (2015)

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From Netflix you can stream the first two seasons of this excellent British cold-case series.

For the 6 45-minute episodes of the first season the plot starts with:

A skeleton found in the cellar of a building prompts investigation from DCI Stuart and her colleague into the murder of a young man that could potentially span back thousands of years.

For the 6 45-minute episodes of the second season the plot starts with:

Cassie and Sunny join together to investigate when a body is found in a suitcase when the river Lea gets dredged.

Although there are 5 seasons, I don’t know where to find the last three seasons.

In each season the plot runs as follows: First and foremost the challenge is to identify the victim. That process leads to a list of names associated with the victim. Each such name carries its own story. Eventually all the personal stories become entangled as the detectives struggle to make sense of the crime.

British crime series strike me as one big repertory group. You see the same actors over and over in different roles. If you want a list of those actors that keep reappearing, “Unforgotten” provides that list. Couple the list with the “Unforgotten” discussion in IMDB just in case you know you have seen that actor before but you just can’t remember who it is.

Both seasons are binge-worthy. DO NOT MISS!

 

2017, Action Film, Addiction, Amazon Prime, Bank Robbery, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Crime, Detective, Drama, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Forensics, Grim, Police Culture, Prison, Prostitutes, Romance, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Violent

Prime Suspect: Tennison (2017)

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From Amazon Prime:

This is the much-anticipated prequel to award-winning global hit Prime Suspect. Rewind to 1970s London to portray the early career of the formidable DCI Jane Tennison (Stefanie Martini), the role that established Dame Helen Mirren as a household name. We meet Jane as an ambitious 22-year-old probationary officer, starting out as a WPC in a world where chauvinism and rule-bending are the norm.

From Amazon Prime you can download Season 1 of this Prime Suspect prequel. Each of the 6 episodes last about 45 minutes.

Every episode offers tense action and interpersonal interactions. All 6 episodes form one complete story. Along the way there are romances, deaths, male chauvinism, crimes, drugs all of which lead to a suspenseful conclusion.

Well worth the watch.