Category Archives: Teenagers

2003, Acorn TV, British, British school girls, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Jealousy, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Narcissistic Personality, Nothing special, School Teacher, Sex with underage girls, Sister-sister relations, Stepchild, Suspense, Teenagers

Lloyd and Hill (2003)

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From  Acorn TV:

Inspired the beloved characters created by Jill McGown, former lovers and detectives, Chief Inspector Danny Lloyd (Philip Glenister, The Level, Outcast) and Inspector Judy Hill (Michelle Collins, Coronation Street) investigate the death of a 15-year-old schoolgirl found strangled and deserted in a public park.

DCI Lloyd and newly arrived DI Hill (who were lovers years before) investigate the murder of a schoolgirl. The girl was possibly having a sexual relationship with one of her teachers, one of whom is receiving anonymous love letters which puts his marriage at risk. This adds the man’s wife to the list of possible suspects.

From Acorn TV you can stream the 98 minutes of this full-length, one episode film.

Both quotes above from Acorn TV tell you enough about the plot which was clever enough that I twice guessed wrong about the identity of the killer.  Because of the way the two former detectives and lovers parted at the end, I suspect more episodes were planned.

Nothing special, but acceptable.

 

2015, Abortion, Acceptable Trash, Adultery, B-movie, British, Crude Talk, Divorce, Drama, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Jealousy, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Melodrama, Middle school students, Mostly About Sex, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Revenge, School Teacher, Self-Deception, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Suicide, Teenagers

Doctor Foster (2015)

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From IMDB:

A woman suspects her husband of having an affair. After following several lines of inquiry far more unravels including a streak of violence below the surface

From Netflix you can stream two seasons of this BBC soap opera. Each season consists of 5 episodes. At this point (July 2018) it is uncertain as to whether there will be a third season, even though the ending of season two cries for a continuation of the story.

Make no mistake, these 10 episodes comprise nothing better than a sex-and-revenge fueled soap opera. Nonetheless, yours truly binged frantically from episode to episode long after my wife lost interest in “pure tripe.”  But I have never been ashamed to admit that “I Love Trash!”

If you watch much British TV, then many of the actors will be familiar faces.  Most probably you may recognize Suranne Jones, who plays the lead role as Dr. Gemma Foster, as one of the team of women police detectives in “Scott & Bailey” (which I heartily recommend).

If for no other reason than to enjoy watching one of the best revenge dinners I have ever seen, put this potboiler on your list of guilty pleasures.

2018, Acceptable for teenagers, Based on a Book, British, British Mystery Series, Cancer theme, Complicated, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Gay theme, Harlan Coben, Missing Person, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Revenge, School Teacher, Sister-sister relations, Teenagers, Terminal Disease

Safe (2018)

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From IMDB:

After his daughter goes missing, a widower begins uncovering the dark secrets of the people closest to him.

Originally this thriller was offered on Acorn TV.  In 2020 Netflix started streaming the  8 episodes of this real pot-boiler. All the characters live in a gated community. All have guilty secrets to hide. In fact, many if not most of the inhabitants are not very nice people.

You will recognize  Michael C. Hall  (the gay undertaker from “Six Feet Under” and also the lead character in “Dexter”).  Hall is an American born in Raleigh, North Carolina, but his British accent in this series is flawless (to my ears at least).

Some pot-boilers are done well and this is one of them, very binge-worthy. One attraction, if that is what it is, is the fact that things just worse and worse. Additionally the film is based on a book by Harlan Coben, one of my favorite leisure thriller authors.

DO NOT MISS!

2017, Could Be Sad, Drama, Explicit sex, Father-son relations, French, Gay theme, Italian, Italian culture, Masturbation, Mostly About Sex, Mother-son relations, Nudity, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Small Town, Teenagers, Various Romances, Wonderful photography

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

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From IMDB:

In 1980s Italy, a romance blossoms between a seventeen year-old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant.

British Airways offered this film with subtitles. In fact, there is a mixture of languages.

In the book by André Aciman as I recall, correct me if I am wrong, there is no sexual contact between Oliver (played by Armie Hammer) the older assistant and Elio (played by Timothée Chalamet) the teenage son. But this supposed screen adaptation shows almost explicit sexual activity. In one review I read, the critic complained that the film could be seen as condoning Oliver’s self-interested grooming of the young, inexperienced Elio. So you must do at least three things: forget the book, prepare yourself emotionally for the scenes, and decide for yourself what you really think about Oliver’s behavior. 

Evocative portrait of a small setting in northern Italy, but quite possibly not to everyone’s taste.

2003, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Based on a Book, British school girls, Detective, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Jealousy, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nothing special, Personal Betrayal, School Teacher, Sex With Minors, Sex with underage girls, Sexual Tension, Sister-sister relations, Teenagers

Lloyd and Hill (2003)

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From Acorn TV:

Inspired the beloved characters created by Jill McGown, former lovers and detectives, Chief Inspector Danny Lloyd (Philip Glenister, The Level, Outcast) and Inspector Judy Hill (Michelle Collins, Coronation Street) investigate the death of a 15-year-old schoolgirl found strangled and deserted in a public park.

From Acorn TV (exclusively British empire productions) you can stream this 1.5 hour British film which is not part of a TV series.

Although nothing special, the hour and half spent watching this detective story is not a waste. To tell you the truth, I suspected the real murderer from the beginning. But there is enough drama, including the personal crisis of an obsessive runner and his betrayal by his close friend, to make the story worthwhile.

Beats being depressed by 2018 USA politics.

 

2013, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Alcoholism, Antique Cars, Bloody scenes, Boxing, Brother-Brother relations, Bullying, Circus, Dancing, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Illegitimate Child, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Norwegian, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Plot Twist, Rape, Sex Scenes, Slow, Teenagers, Unmarried mother, Violent

The Half Brother (2013)

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From IMDB:

The life of a family spanning five generations in the 20th century Europe split in half by WW2, centering around the half brothers Barnum and Fred growing up together in Oslo; Barnum with his father, Fred searching for his.

From MHz Choice:

Based on the internationally acclaimed and best-selling novel by Norwegian author Lars Saabye Christensen, The Half Brother is an evocative family saga revolving around the life of un-produced screenwriter Barnum Nilsen. His family is laden with oddities and secrets, the darkest of which happened on the same day all of Europe rejoiced over the end of WW II.

From MHz Choice you can stream the only season of this complete family saga. Each of the 8 episodes is about 45 minutes.

Past and present flashbacks weave through Barnum’s writing the story of his troubled family. There are not too many characters: Barnum and his half-brother Fred, their mother Vera, Vera’s mother Boletta, Boletta’s mother, Vera’s husband Arnold,  and Barnum’s two best friends Peder and Vivian (who marries Barnum).  Although the plot is easy to follow, there are many plot twists and turns all of which end with a genuine surprise.

Kathy found the film slow at times, but I found the relaxed pace was perfectly suited to the story of two boys trying to understand their lives.  Now days it is hard to find unusual but truly human family stories. Note however that there are rape, violence, bullying, heavy drinking and at least temporary surrender to real difficulties.

For me this series rates a DO NOT MISS!

2008, Acceptable Trash, Acorn TV, Amusing banter, Australian, Australian Aborigine, B-movie, Brother-Brother relations, Corny at times, Divorce, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Greed, Horses, Nothing special, Nudity, Police Culture, Prison, Sex Scenes, Soap Opera, Suicide, Surfing, Teenagers, Trailer Life

East of Everything (2008)

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From AcornTV :

In this addictive Australian drama, travel writer Art Watkins (Richard Roxburgh, Rake, Moulin Rouge!) is forced to return home to Broken Bay when his mother dies and dictates in her will that he reopen the family resort along with his estranged brother, Vance (Tom Long, SeaChange).

From IMDB:

2 brothers who are always at odds are forced by their just-deceased mothers’ strange will to work together and rescue her deteriorating backpack hostel called ‘far out east’. A small town, Broken Bay, is home to most, but not all, of the characters where they work, play and generally get into trouble. A funny, sometimes sad look into the lives of people who are just trying to be themselves.

From AcornTV (all things British) you can stream 2 seasons of this Australian soap opera.  Season 1 has 6 episodes. Season 2 has 7 episodes. Each episode is about an hour.

Even if it is only a B-grade soap opera, still it is relaxing to watch a show without violence, serial killers, and other grim features. Season one is self-contained but leads naturally into season 2.  Many of the characters are somewhat eccentric or hippie or dopey or all of the above.  Other adjectives such as corny or maudlin or predictable come to mind.

Not exactly an enthusiastic recommendation.

2016, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Alzheimer's disease, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, British, Brother-Brother relations, Car Chase, Child abduction and murder, Clever Plot, Complicated, Computer geeks, Corny at times, Drag Queen, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Father-son relations, Forensics, Harlan Coben, Illegitimate Child, Kidnapping, Marital Infidelity, Missing Person, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nothing special, Police Culture, Prison, Prostitutes, Psychopath, School Teacher, Serial Killer, Sexual Tension, Teenagers, TV Series, Violent

The Five (2016)

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From Netflix:

Twenty years after 5-year-old Jesse disappears near his home, his DNA turns up at the scene of a woman’s murder, baffling his family and the police.

From Netflix we streamed the 10 episodes of season 1 (the only season offered). Each episode is about 44 minutes.

After 10 somewhat involved episodes the story does come to a conclusion with no cliff-hangers leading into another season.  Sometimes the acting is not great, but the story is well-constructed and kept me interested up to the end.  In fact, the story is written by the well-known mystery writer Harlan Coben.

“The Five” are four friends who were adolescents when Jesse was just a little boy. One day in the woods, the four older kids tell Jesse to go home because they want to do big-kids stuff. On the way home Jesse disappears. Decades later the four still have guilt feelings and Jesse’s parents never stopped suffering.

Those of us who watch British entertainment might be interested to know that Jesse’s parents are played by Michael Maloney (whose huge resumé includes playing Dr. Crowley in the TV series “Paranoid”) and Geraldine James (whose equally huge resumé includes playing Milner in the TV series “Utopia”).

One of the four friends, the police detective Danny Kenwood, plays Luke Bankole in the TV series “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Another of the four friends,  Slade, may be familiar to you as the character John Bacchus in the TV series “Inspector George Gently”.

Some ugliness, not a masterpiece, but I never guessed the ending and so stayed interested.

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, Acceptable for teenagers, Basically Sad, Boating, Brother-Brother relations, Child custody, Depression, Drama, Explicit sexual discussion, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Fishing, Netflix DVD, Possibly depressing, Sex Scenes, Teenagers, Uncle-Nephew relations, Violent

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

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From IMDB:

A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy’s father dies.

Such a sad film from beginning to end.  Just be prepared to get involved in a story that almost certainly cannot have a happy ending. For two hours you will see an emotionally numb Lee Chandler (played well enough by Casey Affleck) trying as best he can to find a solution for his nephew whose father (Lee’s brother) has just died. That problem is made more difficult by the all-around family dysfunction in which marriages have failed such that wives and mothers have moved away from their families.  Patrick, the nephew, is a normal adolescent seemingly more interested in getting laid by his multiple girl friends than in the death of his father. In this regard Lee is very permissive.  In general the relation between Lee and Patrick are begrudgingly positive.

Only when Lee gets drunk and boils over in a bar is there any violence in the film.

See also the Wikipedia article.

For some reason, it was not until the very end of the film that I realized that Lee is clinically depressed (for very legitimate reasons). Forgive my point of view, but couldn’t anyone have stepped in and suggested that Lee get professional help in this regard? But then that would spoil the story.