Category Archives: Revenge

2013, Bloody scenes, Corruption, Detective, Drugs, Erotic Thriller, Father-daughter relations, Irish, Mental Illness, Mostly About Sex, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Police Corruption, Police Story, Psychological Thriller, Redemption, Revenge, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Stalker, Strange Ending, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Use of Irish Brogue, Violent

The Trial (2013)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

When the Belfast police are stalled in their investigation of a spate of murders, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson is drafted to investigate. Under her lead, the team uncovers an intricate web of lives entangled by the killings.

These days serial-killer dramas are standard fare and often very similar. Nonetheless some of these presentations are different enough to be of interest. So what makes this one season, 5 episode TV series which I streamed from Netflix worthwhile?

  • Both the police investigation and the ordinary home life of the married-with-kids serial killer develop at the same time. You constantly switch back and forth.
  • Instead of black and white, good and bad, the killer and the cops are humans with their own mixtures of good and bad.
  • Relations between different parties are intricately interwoven.
  • In the psychological makeup of the killer is an element of remorse and a desire for normalcy.
  • Gillian Anderson (of “X-Files” fame) is as good a stone-faced actor as she is beautiful
  • Jamei Dornan, the killer, deserves to be better known.
  • Be on the lookout for Archie Panjabi (Reed Smith in “The Fall”) who is the clever and mysterious woman Kalinda Sharma in “The Good Wife”.
  • Just as interesting as the main thread, are some secondary themes.

Tell me what you think of the ending. Since I was glued to the screen, I can only heartily recommend this TV series.

2014, Based on true facts, British, Could Be Hard To Watch, DO NOT MISS, Human spirit, Japanese WWII Behavior, Military, Psychological Drama, PTSD, Revenge, Sadism, Torture, War

The Railway Man (2014)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Decades after his brutal captivity under the Japanese during World War II, Eric Lomax still has nightmares about the ordeal. But when he unexpectedly meets and falls for Patti, a bizarre coincidence brings his past back into focus.

Harrowing is the first word that comes to mind. My initial reaction was either that war makes beasts of men or that the Japanese are genetic sadists. But in seeing the torture sessions I was reminded that:

In 1898 President McKinley fell to his knees in the White House and had a revelation that he should Christianize the Filipinos (most of whom were already Catholic). McKinley did not know where the Philippines were located. In 1899 American soldiers landed in waves in Manila. Their letters to home said that they had come “to blow every nigger to nigger heaven”. Among American torture methods the most notorious was the “water cure” in which sections of bamboo were forced down the throats of Filipino prisoners and then used to fill the prisoner’s stomachs with dirty water until they swelled in torment. America soldiers would then jump on the prisoner’s stomach to force the water out.

[Material comes from Chapter 2 “Bound for Goo-Goo Land” of the book “Overthrow” by Stephen Kinzer. Henry Holt 2006]

Is the CIA’s water boarding torture similar? “President” Cheney says that water boarding is NOT torture. Tell that to Eric Lomax, the true life hero in this film.

Colin Firth delivers an important role in his career. Nicole Kidman is a beautiful, mature actor. Good directing keeps the film from being over sentimental.

If there is a message, it is one of the final lines “The hating has to stop somewhere.”

Be sure to stay for the explanatory lines just before the final credits.

If you can stand to watch, DO NOT MISS!

2006, Acceptable Trash, B-movie, Corny at times, Crude Talk, Love Story, Nudity, Revenge, Ridiculous plot, Sex Scenes, Slapstick

My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Fed up with his manipulative girlfriend, Jenny Johnson (Uma Thurman), New Yorker Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) gives her the heave-ho and moves on with his life, leaving the heartbroken Jenny — aka G-girl — to do everything within her superpowers to humiliate Matt. Anna Faris, Rainn Wilson and Eddie Izzard co-star in director Ivan Reitman’s slapstick fantasy comedy about a bitter superwoman scorned.

In a moment of TV Wasteland desperation, Kathy and I happened upon this comedy on one of our many HBO channels. Kathy sniffed in disdain and then joined me in laughing at some of the great sight gags. To be sure, this is a B-film which can be silly, vulgar, corny, and still funny enough to be worth the watch.

Much of the humor centers around sex (shocking, right?). Sex with a powerful super hero woman anyone ? Sex while flying in the sky anyone ? What’s not to like ?

Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, and Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute of “The Office”) are featured in the cast.

Have some off-color fun!

2014, Action Film, Action Hero, Ancient Greece, Based on true facts, Explicit sex, Mayhem, Mediocre, Mixed Martial Arts, Navy, Nudity, Rape, Revenge, Violent, War

300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Rodrigo Santoro is back leading the Persian forces in their invasion of Greece as mortal-turned-god Xerxes. Determined to thwart him is Greek general Themistokles, who takes to the sea in his quest to unite his country.

If you liked the film “300”, you will like this very similar film. Gerard Butler has been replaced by Sullivan Stapleton. Needless to say, the violence bar was raised considerably. (Is Hollywood having a violence competition ?)

Lena Heydey (Cersei Lannister of “Game of Thrones”) plays the Spartan Queen Gorgo.

If nothing else, you might want to appreciate the importance of the battle of Salamis.

Numb your brain and watch ships crashing into one another, Themistokles attempting rough sex with Artimesia, and lots and lots of blood splatter. Or watch something intelligent.

2013, Arab Culture, Arabic, Basically Sad, Hebrew, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Prison, Revenge, Suspense, Torture, Violent, Wonderful acting

Omar (2013)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

With his girlfriend, Nadia, living on the other side of an Israeli-built boundary wall, young Palestinian Omar regularly scales it to visit her. But he faces even greater obstacles after a lethal confrontation with an Israeli soldier.

From a filmmaking viewpoint, “Omar” is well done. Emotionally, as is true for most films about the Israeli Palestinian conflict, it offers a sad, hopeless view of the lives of those unfortunately born into the situation.

If you are a history fan, you will realize that such an atmosphere of paranoia in which you can trust no-one: friends, lovers, or otherwise is nothing new. In the court of Henry VIII of England there were spies everywhere.

For a good review see what Roger Ebert has to say.

As yet I do not understand why there is a wall between Palestinians and Palestinians. Omar regularly jumps this wall to see Nadia. But Nadia is Palestinian.

Stay alert for the final few seconds of the story.

If you can stand the heartache, “Omar” is worth watching.

2014, Addiction, Car Chase, Crime, Crude Talk, Detective, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Nothing special, Police Story, Revenge, Violent

Blood Ties (2014)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

When 50-year-old Chris is released from prison, his younger brother Frank, an up-and-coming member of the police force, welcomes him with open arms. But when Chris has trouble staying straight, Frank is trapped between duty and family.

We should probably coin a name for those films featuring two brothers, one of whom is a crook and the other a cop. How about “Good Brother, Bad Brother”? There are an awful lot of such GBBB films. What makes this GBBB film a bit better is the fact that Bad Brother is Clive Owen and Good Brother is Billy Crudup. In this case we might change “Good Brother” to “Conflicted Brother” although that is often the case in GBBB films.

Remember Marion Cotillard who played Edit Piaf in that wonderful 2007 film “La Vie en Rose“? Here she plays a drug-addicted woman sadly misused by Bad Brother.

James Caan is the aged and dying father of the two brothers.

Nothing special, but not a waste of time.

2013, Abduction, B-movie, Car Chase, Child abduction and murder, Complicated, Conspiracy, Crime, Mediocre, Murder, Not Recommended, Revenge, Torture, Violent

Collision (2013)

Leave a comment

From Netflix;

On their honeymoon in Morocco, Scott and Taylor Dolan set off on a day trip through the Sahara. When something goes terribly wrong, the couple find themselves stranded in the middle of the remote desert with no way home.

Put about a dozen disparate characters at a crash site in the desert. Learn their secrets one by one. Watch almost everyone of them die or go to prison or get away with murder. Endure a lot of violence and not terribly good lines.

Can you say “Skip this one”?

2014, Abduction, Action Film, Action Hero, Alcoholism, CIA, Clever Plot, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Father-son relations, FBI, Flirting, Love Story, Medical Theme, Motorcycles, Revenge, Spy Theme, Suspense, Torture, Violent

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

CIA analyst Jack Ryan tries to thwart a terrorist plot to bring down the U.S. economy in this action-thriller helmed by Kenneth Branagh. Chris Pine plays the title character alongside an all-star cast that includes Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley.

Although films consisting of spies + CIA + terrorists + international plots + action heroes + car chases + FBI + “you name it” may seem to be all more or less the same, still some writers manage to make a particular film exciting and somehow a little different. Undoubtedly the star cast which includes Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, and Kenneth Branagh helps make this film worth seeing.

Romance between Chris Pine (as Jack Ryan) and Keira Knightley (as Doctor Cathy Muller) is clever and well done.

Needless to say, if our side of the effort does not win, then our world will end in some horrible disaster and major financial depression.

And of course Jack Ryan is a super hero endowed with amazing physical powers of survival. After all, do YOU have a doctorate in complex finance? Can YOU run and catch a moving delivery van? Are you able to physically fight commando style? Are YOU a computer wiz? If not, what is the matter with YOU?

In my case all I can do is watch the fun. All it takes is a really evil bad guy and I am hooked into the plot till the end. Kenneth Branagh excels at being that really nasty villain. He does it with such a straight face. Are Russians really that mean?

Despite the fact that there are an awful lot of clever CIA-like devices and surprises that get our hero out of many jams, if you like this action genre, then DO NOT MISS!

Action Film, Adventure, Catholic culture, Coarse manners, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Docudrama, Father-son relations, Greed, Human spirit, Marital Infidelity, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Occasional gore, Psychological Drama, Rape, Religious Theme, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Slavery, Suspense, Torture, Vikings, Violent, Wonderful acting

Vikings (2013)

2 Comments

2014-2015 REVISION:

November 2015: Netflix offers season 3 but only on DVD, no streaming.

The release date for season 4 is not yet settled. Season 3 was at least as good as the previous two seasons with some very clever surprises at the very end of season 3 which makes the audience ever more eager to see season 4.

For more information about the Viking raid on Paris in 845 see the Wikipedia article. On that occasion the French king was Charles the Bald, one of Charlemagne’s grandsons. By the Treaty of Verdun in 843, Charles became king of what was for the most part modern day France.

Now from Amazon Prime you can stream both season 1 and season 2. Season 2 is at least as good as Season 1. Wonderful but violent!

FORMER REVIEW:

Netflix offers Season 1 on DVD. However, I streamed from Amazon for free because we bought Amazon Prime. Jan 2015 – Now you can stream Season 2 from Amazon. Somehow the story just gets better and better. DO NOT MISS all the VIOLENCE!

From Netflix:

Set in medieval Scandinavia, this gritty drama charts the adventures of renowned Viking hero Ragnar Lothbrok as he extends the Norse reach by challenging the rule of an unfit leader who lacks vision.

Merely appreciating the finesse and details that went into making this remarkable TV series just gives me chills.

His ambiguous smile is mostly that of the fox waiting for its opportunity. Eventually you come to accept and even identify that constant smile with the character Ragnar Lothbrok played to dazzling perfection by the Australian-born Travis Fimmel.

Gabriel Byrne as Earl Haraldson is the only actor I recognized. You may remember him as Dr. Paul Weston in the TV series “In Treatment”. Here he is a brooding, vicious bully.

In order to enter Valhalla a Viking must die in battle. Similar to the ancient Greek culture, violence and personal bravery are everything. Whatever riches a Viking can bury will be his in the next life. Hence the need for plunder. In other words, by its nature this film had to be very VIOLENT!

Perhaps some history will set the scene. Roughly speaking as Rome abandoned England in the 400s, she invited in German mercenaries among which were the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. They liked what they saw and oppressed the original inhabitants, the Celts. After centuries their many dialects would eventually congeal into Anglo Saxon. In the 600s Christianity appeared and the Anglo Saxons converted. In the 800s the Danes, i.e. the Vikings, reached England and were trouble for the Anglo Saxons until that famous year 1066 in which no sooner had Edward Confessor defeated the Danes then the Normans conquered the Anglo Saxons.

In regard to the previous mini-history, in the scenes in which the Vikings speak to the Anglo Saxons, the Vikings speak old Norse and supposedly the “English” speak Anglo Saxon.

Also in regard to that mini-history, probably the most important theme of the series is religion. Ragnar Lothbrok, in attacking his first monastery, brings back as a slave a young Christian monk Athelstan (thoughtfully played by George Blagden). No episode goes by without some discussion, confrontation, or comparison (call it what you like) between the “pagan” religion and the Christian. Odd how violent, vicious, and untrustworthy the Christians are. There are aspects of the Viking religion that may disturb your sleep.

Fighting is really a small part of the story. Interpersonal relations and conflicts are equally important. There is true character development.

And of course you cannot help to notice how these Viking men wore their hair. Let’s hope the costume department got it historically accurate. Needless to say there are many tattoos.

If you can stand the violence, DO NOT MISS !

Australian, Complicated, Crime thriller, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drug Dealers, Ethical struggles, Greed, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Plot Twist, Revenge, Small gem of a film, Suspense, Thriller, Trains, Violent

Swerve (2011)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

This Australian outback thriller brings together the classic film noir ingredients when a man’s cross-country drive is diverted by car trouble. Soon after, he witnesses a spectacular car crash that includes one survivor and a money-stuffed suitcase.

By accident I found this Australian gem that just never lets go.

None of the actors are familiar to me, but all are excellent, especially the trio:

  • David Lyons as Colin. Colin arrives on scene with car trouble, the mere beginning of his troubles. Colin is an honest man accidentally up against the rest of the trio.
  • Emma Booth as Jina is unhappily married to the local sheriff.
  • Jason Clarke as Frank the sheriff is a jealous man with a vicious, homicidal temper.

We are NOT talking about a love triangle. Colin honestly returns the suitcase of money to the sheriff which is when Colin’s troubles really begin. Proceed from there through drug dealers, fighting, murder, bodies dumped in a mine, deception, and a satisfying final set of clever plot twists.

Don’t miss this lucky find!