Category Archives: Suicide

2015, Action Film, AIDS, Alcoholism, Bloody scenes, Cold War, Communists, Drama, Father-son relations, Gay theme, German, German History, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Nudity, Political Suspense, Sex Scenes, Spy Theme, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Deutschland 83 (2015)

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From NetFlix:

After U.S. President Ronald Reagan describes the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” in 1983, rising suspicion between the two superpowers prompts a bold move to plant a communist spy in the midst of NATO’s military leadership.

If you want to see this excellent TV series, you can get Season 1 in three DVDs. Discs 1 and 2 contain 3 episodes each, whereas disc 3 contains 2 episodes.

Dialog is in German with English subtitles.

Martin Rauch (played by Jonas Nay) is the center of the plot. He is a young East German whom the East German communists convinced to spy for them as a soldier in West Germany. As he is manipulated by his handlers, he is forced to make moral decisions, something that would never occur to ardent communists. In this series we see unconscionable acts perpetrated by the East, although I would assume both sides got their hands dirty (CIA anyone?).

Suspense is constant as this young, clever, inventive spy does his work. Will he at any moment be caught? Will his masquerades be discovered?

Usually I try not to rave, but this series is a DO NOT MISS!

2014, Acorn TV, Action Film, Alcoholism, Bloody scenes, Canadian Police, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Lesbian Theme, Love Story, Murder Investigation, Pedophilia, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Police Politics, Police Story, Private Versus Professional Life, Psychiatrists, School Shooting, Senior citizens, Sex Scenes, Small Town, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, TV Series, Violent, Vulgar, Wife Beating

19-2 (2014)

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Fronm Acorn TV;

Officer Nick Barron (Adrian Holmes, Arrow, Smallville) patrols the streets of Montreal with Station 19’s newest squad member, Ben Chartier (Jared Keeso, Falling Skies, Elysium). Back on the job after a shooting incident, guilt-ridden Nick immediately clashes with overzealous Ben. Absorbing and authentic, with an outstanding ensemble cast, this award-winning drama follows first responders beyond the crime scenes and into their own messy lives.

Acorn TV revamped its arrangement of this series so that now (2016) you can stream 10 Episodes of Series 1 and 10 Episodes of Series 2 and 10 Episodes of Series 3.

Acorn’s summary more or less says it all. Most police procedurals will be somewhat similar and “19-2” fits that description. Taken as a human drama, however, the plot details, characters, and acting are better than average.

Series 1 centers on Ben and Nick and Ben’s romance with Nick’s sister. Series 2 centers on finding a mole in the police department that is responsible for leaks that lead to the death of several officers.

WARNING: Series 2 Episode 1 is consumed by a lone teen gunman running amuck in a school shooting. This episode is long, harrowing and adds nothing to the other episodes in the series. Feel free to skip this episode without losing a beat.

Not a repeat of other police series, and not a waste of time. In fact, the more I watched, the more involved I became. Expect surprises.

2013, 2014, 2015, Acorn TV, Anti-Semitism, Australian, Bicycles, Catholic culture, Corny at times, DO NOT MISS, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Flirting, Gay theme, Homophobia, Italian culture, Japanese WWII Behavior, Jewish Culture, Love Story, Made For TV, Melodrama, Mildly Violent, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Optimistic, Religious Theme, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Soap Opera, Suicide, TV Series, Unmarried mother, War Veterans, Wasp Snobs, Wonderful photography, WWII

A Place To Call Home (2013)

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From Acorn TV:

An instantly irresistible saga (Wall Street Journal) brimming with secrets, passion, romance, and intrigue, A Place to Call Home explores the ties that hold families together and the betrayals that can tear them apart.

In this case Acorn’s description got it exactly right: INSTANTLY IRRESISTIBLE!

UPDATE May 2016:

Usually I hate spoilers, BUT — you at least have to know that this soap opera is destined to go on forever. Each season ends with agonizing cliff-hangers that force you onto the next season.  Unfortunately that includes season three which ends with all the characters in their own separate threads in great difficulty and with evil about to triumph. As of this update there is no season four, which makes me cry “Foul!”

Our audiologist alerted me to Acorn TV and especially to this Australian soap opera. Acorn TV shows presentations exclusively from the British commonwealth, including New Zealand and Australian. Currently Acorn TV costs $5 per month and offers a huge selection for streaming. We use ROKU to do the streaming.

Season 1 ends as a cliffhanger which sent us diving immediately into Season 2. Originally there were to be only two seasons, hence Season 2 ends happily ever after. BUT — when someone decided to do Season 3 they cleverly offer a Season 3 on Acorn TV which begins with a substitute episode for the last episode of Season 2. This rewrite ends with cliffhangers to prepare us for Season 3. Never before have I found such a maneuver. Season 1 has 13 episodes, Season 2 has 10 episodes, and Season 3 has 11 which includes the substitute final episode of Season 2.

“Schmaltz” is German for rendered chicken or goose fat. Have no doubt, this is a real soap opera with lots of schmaltzy emotions, nasty villains, noble heroes and especially heroines. If you do nothing more than just stare at the beautiful and entrancing Marta Dusseldorp (who plays the heroine Sarah Adams), you will have enjoyed yourself. Deborah Kennedy plays the best town gossip I have ever seen. All the conflicting topics are there: Catholic versus Anglican, Jews versus Gentiles, Italian workers against the upper class snobs, homophobia, veterans versus the Japanese, and the enticing list goes on. Australia is beautiful, especially in a perfect rendering of the years just after World War II.

Don’t blame me if your life is devoured by this captivating series.

DO NOT MISS!

2011, Acorn TV, Adultery, Ambiguous Conclusion, British Mystery Series, Clever Plot, Detective, Forensics, Lawyers, Made For TV, Mildly Violent, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Police Corruption, Prison, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Wonderful acting

Injustice (2011)

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From Acorn TV:

James Purefoy (Rome) leads a distinguished cast featuring Dervla Kirwan (Ballykissangel), Charlie Creed-Miles (The Fifth Element), and Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) in a taut five-part thriller of murder, conspiracy, secrets, and guilt created and written by Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War). CC Available.

From IMDB:

A defense barrister is faced with the proposition: what can you do when you have defended the indefensible?

When you have the combination of James Purefoy and Nathaniel Parker, then you know you have a winner.

In this 5-episode mini-series that I streamed from Acorn TV, almost from the very beginning you know at least one of the killers. Probably the underlying question is: Will that killer get away with the crime?

Plot, writing, and acting are all wonderful. Expect some small amount of violence. Expect a clever surprise ending.

If you like British murder-trial entertainment, DO NOT MISS!

2014, Adultery, Bloody scenes, Complicated, Conspiracy, Crude Talk, Detective, Divorce, Drama, Drugs, Erotic Thriller, Explicit sex, Grisly, Marital Infidelity, Mostly About Sex, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Prostitutes, Psychological Thriller, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

The Loft (2014)

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From NetFlix:

Five married co-owners of an upscale loft enjoy their investment as a discreet hideaway for their adulterous pursuits. But when a murdered woman is discovered in the apartment, each suspects the others of committing the grisly killing.

At least titillating, with the addition of a clever plot, a set of new actors present an involving who-done-it with at least one good plot twist.

As far as actors are concerned, I personally recognized only Rhona Mitra whom I first saw in the TV series “Boston Legal” in 2004 playing Tara Wilson.

None of the five friends are especially honorable (they have, after all, pledged themselves to an adulterous pact in their lofty hideout). Nor, possibly, is there honor among thieves. But when the film ended, I found myself wondering how many of the five men got their just desserts.

But I had a lot of fun watching.

2012, Abduction, Bank Robbery, Car Chase, Child abuse, Clever Plot, Complicated, Conspiracy, Corruption, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Dutch, Dutch politics, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Horses, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Orphans in Foster Care, Pedophilia, Police Corruption, Political Suspense, Revenge, Sociopath, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Violent, Well developed plot, Wonderful acting, WWII

Salamander (2012)

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From NetFlix:

As he investigates a bank robbery, a Brussels police inspector uncovers a complx conspiracy with the potential to bring down the nation.

On a par with Wallendar, House of Cards, etc. Tense, complicated but understandable, well-acted, you cannot go wrong watching this series as long as you can stand the suspense. We streamed all 12-episodes of this 1-season Dutch series from Netflix. There does not seem to be a DVD version.

Bank robbers steal the contents of exactly 66 safe deposit boxes from a prominent bank in Brussels. These 66 boxes contain the secrets of 66 well-placed individuals who achieved their status by being part of a powerful cartel called Salamander. In fact the bank robbers are masterminded by a rich former factory owner who is seeking vengeance on the members of Salamander because they were responsible for unjustly portraying his father as a World War II traitor. When an honest and determined policeman gets an inkling that something is amiss (the bank robbery was immediately hidden from the public), he doggedly continues to investigate despite dangers to himself, his family, and to lots of other people.

Read along with the English subtitles and have a wonderful, action-packed adventure. DO NOT MISS!

2013, Amish Culture, B-movie, Brother-Sister Relations, Family Conflict, Imperfect, Mediocre, Profiler, Rape, Serial Killer, Suicide, Suspense

An Amish Murder (2013)

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From NetFlix:

Years after a series of murders tore apart her Amish hometown when she was a girl, a woman returns home to be the police chief as the killings resume.

Except for the Amish flavor, this so-so TV movie about a serial killer is nothing special. In fact the Amish culture is interesting in itself and does play into the plot.

Note briefly that the star Neve Campbell (who plays Kate Burkholder) and Christian Campbell (who plays Kate’s bother Christian) are in fact brother and sister.

Ignore unlikely situations and there might be enough suspense to keep you interested.

2015, Abduction, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Child abduction and murder, Child abuse, Crude Talk, Detective, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Male Prostitutes, Orphans in Foster Care, Physical child abuse, Police Politics, Politicians, Prostitutes, Psychiatrists, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Bosch (2015)

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Because I am an Amazon Prime member, I could stream for free Season 1 of “Bosch”. Bosch, as you are probably aware, is the detective character who appears in many novels written by Michael Connelly.

Season 1 consists of 10 episodes. As is often the case, throughout the series there are three running themes: The obsessive detective work which destroys Bosch’s family life; The search for a serial killer named Renard Waits; The constant political battles taking place in the police department. Of course Bosch sleeps with one of his female colleagues, which is a no-no according to the rules.

IMDB offers the cast rundown.

Titus Welliver (who played Glenn Childs in “The Good Wife” TV series) plays Bosch, and plays him VERY WELL.

Jason Gedrick (who played George Novikov in the “Dexter” TV series) plays the serial killer Renard Waits, and plays him VERY WELL.

Those two actors steal the show. But there are a zillion other supporting actors. Thanks to the IMDB site for helping me remember that Shawn Hatosy, who played the character Johnny Stokes, also played Terry McCandless in “Reckless” and Detective Sammy Bryant in “Southland”.

TV serials featuring serial killers and lonely detectives are a dime a dozen. But some, such as “Bosch” are done very well.

2014, Asperger's Syndrome, Based on true facts, Biographical, British, Bullying, Computer geeks, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Flirting, Gay theme, Homophobia, Military, Spy Theme, Suicide, Suspense, War, WWII

The Imitation Game (2014)

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From NetFlix:

Chronicling mathematical wizard Alan Turing’s key role in Britain’s successful effort to crack Germany’s Enigma code during World War II, this historical biopic also recounts how his groundbreaking work helped launch the computer age.

War is complicated business involving heroism, boring minutiae, and a great deal of good or bad luck. Imagine the daily grind of trying to break Germany’s Enigma code, made even more difficult by the clash of egos and arrogant military personnel. Add to that Alan Turing’s Asberger-Syndrome-like personality.

Only a gifted actor like Benedict Cumberbatch could undertake the role of Alan Turing so successfully. Of course, he often plays bizarre characters such as his TV role as Sherlock Holmes.

Keira Knightley is the perfect accompaniment to Turing’s idiosyncrasies. But be sure to read the Wikipedia article that clarifies Turing’s relation to the code breaker Joan Clarke.

As a faithful viewer of “Downton Abbey” I was happy to see Allen Leech in the role of John Cairncross. His place in the plot shows the precarious position of homosexuals in the British society of those times. Blackmail was a serious possibility.

Without further ado, I can only say DO NOT MISS!

2010, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Child abuse, Complicated, Dark, Detective, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, FilmReview, Forensics, Grim, Gritty, Mental Illness, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Physical child abuse, Psychological Thriller, Revenge, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Violent

Thorne: Sleepyhead (2010)

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From Netflix:

Investigating a series of attacks on young women, detective Tom Thorne is dragged back into the nightmares of his past as he races to find a killer.

SLEEPYHEAD

Lasting more than two hours, this British TV one-episode detective story is as good and as harsh as any of the many other British detective shows. This and the next self-contained Thorne episode “Scaredy Cat” may both be streamed from Netflix or be viewed on DVD. Both stories involve serial killers. You should see them in order because the second story refers back to the first story.

In story one “Sleepyhead” the serial perp does not want to kill the girls. Rather he wants to put them into that conscious but immovable state known as “locked in”. Yes, I did mention that the story is harsh. For most of the story I was sure I knew who the serial perp was but I was completely wrong.

SCAREDY CAT

Because of events in “Sleepy Head” we see Thorne come on scene a bit at odds with the rest of his department. In this serial killer episode there are two killers working together. Episode two is just as rough as episode one.

For those strong stomachs out there this is an acceptable pair of serial killer stories.