Category Archives: 2013

2013, Car Chase, Crime, Crude Talk, Frenetic, Gangs, Mediocre, Mixed Martial Arts, Nothing special, Revenge, Violent

Parker (2013)

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From Netflix:

Parker is a thief who lives by a personal code of ethics: Don’t steal from people who can’t afford it, and don’t hurt people who don’t deserve it. But when his crew double-crosses him, Parker teams up with an unlikely partner to even the score.

If you like Jason Statham then you will like this film since it is pretty much like all his other films: much violent action, unconvincing romantic touches, and an amoral philosophy.

This last note bothered me: the film for the most part condones and makes attractive stealing and killing. “Don’t steal from people who can’t afford it, and don’t hurt people who don’t deserve it.” What nonsense! It is OK to kill crooks because they are nasty people. It is OK to steal jewelry from other crooks have already stolen the jewelry – but wait: did not that jewelry originally belong to someone? At least Jennifer Lopez gets to live happily ever after with the proceeds from selling those stolen gems.

Is there something wrong with Nick Nolte’s throat ?

If you are not a solid Jason Statham fan, don’t bother with this film.

2013, Alcoholism, Car Chase, Complicated, Crime, Crude Talk, Detective, Gay theme, Political Suspense, Politicians, Revenge, Suspense, Thriller, Violent

Broken City (2013)

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From NetFlix:

After private detective Billy Taggart informs the mayor of New York that his wife is having an affair, the woman’s lover turns up dead. In short order, the PI learns that his mayor boss is at the center of some very shady real estate dealings.

Once you start watching you will be glued to the screen. Russel Crowe is the perfect smooth talking corrupt mayor of New York. He makes such a good villain that you can’t wait for Mark Wahlberg to render Crowe his just desserts.

And just when you think Mark has him it turns out to be not that easy, which makes the final 10 minutes really interesting. But if you were “Billy” (Mark Wahlberg), what would you do ?

Hold on tight!

2013, Clever Plot, Complicated, Crude Talk, DO NOT MISS, Political Suspense, Politicians, Suspense, TV Series, Unscrupulous drive to power, Wonderful acting

House of Cards (2013)

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From NetFlix:

A ruthless Congressman, Francis Underwood, and his ambitious wife Claire, will stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama slithers through the back halls of greed, sex, love and corruption in modern D.C.

March 13, 2015: Having earlier streamed season Two, I have just finished streaming season Three from NetFlix. You MUST watch the series in order. Anything I would say might be a spoiler. At the very least, the plot and acting are worth the price of admission. Question: Do you think this political series is too cynical? Are our politics really that dirty? In fact, season Three rings true in light of events in 2015. Look out for the Russian president who is a dead ringer for Putin.

Kevin Spacey is perfect for this political page-turner. No one plays a smarmy corrupt personality better than Kevin Spacey.

To be more beautiful than Robin Wright (who plays Kevin’s wife) would be a tall order. That she is 47 years old during the filming seems hard to believe. Come to think of it, Kevin Spacey is doing OK at age 54 – just the right age to be Vice President.

Pay attention, the plot is a bit complicated but worth the trouble. Each of the three seasons ends leaving you scratching your head and possibly feeling somewhat disappointed (or should I say, apprehensive?).

For a political melodrama, I would call this series a DO NOT MISS!