Category Archives: 2014

2014, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Film, Action Hero, Airline pilot, Alcoholism, Clever Plot, Computer geeks, Drugs, Frenetic, Mayhem, Murder, Netflix DVD, Political statement, Suspense, Thriller, Trouble on an Airplane, Violent

Non-Stop (2014)

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From IMDB:

An air marshal springs into action during a transatlantic flight after receiving a series of text messages demanding $150 million into an off-shore account, or someone will die every 20 minutes.

At the conclusion of this film I had no fingernails remaining. Talk about suspense! Clever and inventive plot, a team of well-known actors, and some human interest make this particular airplane film worth watching. Moreover, the post-ending was not too maudlin.

  • Liam Neeson plays Bill Marks the federal air marshal on board.
  • Julianne Moore is Jen Summers who supports Bill despite the plot to make him look guilty.
  • Corey Stoll (Rep. Peter Russo in “House of Cards”) was the cop Austin Reilly.
  • Linus Roache (King Ecbert in “Vikings”) was head pilot David McMillan.
  • Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley in “Downton Abbey”) was the stewardess Nancy.

Certainly this thriller is better than my all time favorite “Snakes on a Plane”.

2014, Abduction, Action Film, Bloody scenes, Brazilian, Creepy, Crime, Dark, French, German, Gritty, Italian, Mayhem, Motorcycles, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Spanish, Suspense, Traditional Chinese, Unusual, Violent

Stereo (2014)

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From Netflix:

Erik’s peaceful rural family life is shaken by the arrival of sinister figures who claim to know him and a mysterious “friend” who may not even exist.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 30 minute film from Germany.

Many films streamable from Netflix now offer an amazing array of language choices. Take this film as a example. For audio you can choose from Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. For subtitles you can choose None, English, French, German, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.

Why the film is called “Stereo” is something I do not understand. In any case this is a somewhat strange film. Erik wants a peaceful life with a single mother Julia and her daughter Linda. Julia’s father is a policeman and suspicious of Erik’s unexplained past. That past catches up with Erik in the form of a group of men looking to kill Erik out of revenge. Meanwhile Erik, and only Erik, constantly sees , hears, and can talk to a hooded man who eventually we learn is his dead brother Henry.  Erik tries several methods to get rid of Henry, all to no avail. In a violent climax, we learn about Erik’s  past.

Erik is played by Jurgen Vogel who was the teacher in the German film “The Wave“. Henry is played by Moritz Bleibtreu who played Gustav Klimt In “Woman in Gold”.

As far as classifying this film, call it a violent action film. For me the main attraction was solely the opportunity to hear and read simple, basic German. For you that is not a rave review by any means.

 

 

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, Abduction, Acorn TV, Ambiguous Conclusion, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Child custody, Confusing Plot, Could Be Sad, Detective, Divorce, Eccentric Detective, Emotional abuse, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gritty, Lawyers, Made For TV, Murder Investigation, Orphans in Foster Care, Revenge, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Violent

Vera (2011)

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From AcornTV:

Two-time Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn stars as DCI Vera Stanhope a solitary, obsessed, caustic, brilliant investigator, and a bit disheveled; think female Columbo.

From AcornTV you can stream 6 years of this British TV series which first started in 2011 and went on for 7 years through 2017. AcornTV does not offer 2017. Each year, or “set”, consists of 4 episodes. Surely 24 episodes will keep you busy for awhile (binge – anyone ?). Each episode is approximately 1.5 hours.

DCI Vera is as personally distant as her sidekick DS Joe Ashworth (played by David Leon) is personable. An important thread in the series is their relationship. For example, Vera’s refusal in one episode to even consider being the Godmother to Joe’s latest newborn child is really hurtful. But Joe seems to understand her aloofness and accepts it begrudgingly. In one episode Joe insists on taking Vera for a doctor’s visit because of her sudden stress-related faintness.

Just remember that British police procedurals are not for the faint of heart. Could that be why I enjoy them so much?

2014, Abduction, Confusing Plot, Detective, DNA, Drugs, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, Icelandic, Icelandic Detective, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Suspense

The Lava Field (2014)

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From IMDB:

When Reykjavik crime detective Helgi Marvin Runarsson is called in to investigate a suicide case on Snaefellsnes Peninsula, the case turns out to be far from simple. Pulled into a sinister trail of evidence, Helgi’s own deeply hidden secrets are unearthed. Will Helgi turn a blind eye to murder in order to save the life of his daughter?

From Netflix I was able to stream the four episodes, each lasting about 45 minutes. Icelandic with English subtitles.

When was the last time you watched a police procedural based in Iceland?  Indeed, except for its Iceland connection, there is nothing special about this mini-series. As usual, the detective is divorced and needs to relate to his daughter, etc. etc. Sometimes I had trouble keeping all the characters straight.  At least the acting is good.

Only so, so!

 

2012, 2014, Abduction, Acorn TV, Adultery, Bloody scenes, British, Clever Plot, Corruption, Detective, Drug Dealers, Extramarital Affair, Police Politics, Police Story, Possibly depressing, Prison, Sadism, Sex With Minors, Suspense, Torture, Violent

Line of Duty (2012)

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From Acorn TV:

Like other police units, AC-12 investigates criminals–but the lawbreakers it catches are police officers working in the line of duty. Martin Compston (Monarch of the Glen), Lennie James (The Walking Dead), and Keeley Hawes (The Casual Vacancy) star in this critically adored series called unmissible by The Times (UK).

Another lucky find!  This really taut British TV series economically keeps the tension mounting from the first police screw-up, through the ever deepening web of corruption and the corresponding undercover investigations. “Cat and Mouse” would be another good title for the series.

Series One from 2012 has 5 episodes. Series Two from 2014 has 6 episodes. There is a 6 episode Series Three from 2016 that Acorn does not yet offer.

For three episodes of Series One I was pleased to recognize Gina McKee in the role of Jackie Laverty.  Long ago in 2002 she played Irene Forsyte in “The Forsyte Saga” which was presented on public television.

NOT QUITE A SPOILER: Just remember that sometimes criminals escape justice.  And just because you watch two seasons, that does not mean that the bad guys are caught.

Today police misbehavior in the USA is a current hot topic. Hopefully this portrait of British police will not make us more cynical.

WARNING: Despite being on the edge of my seat for 11 episodes of a  DO NOT MISS series, I was not happy afterwards.

 

2014, Abduction, Acorn TV, Asperger's Syndrome, Autism, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Child abuse, Detective, Eccentric Detective, Mildly Violent, Mother-daughter relations, Nudity, Police Politics, Serial Killer, Suspense, TV Series

Chasing Shadows (2014)

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From Acorn TV:

Reece Shearsmith stars as DS Sean Stone, who has an uncanny ability to identify and predict patterns of human behavior. He knows how people work, but he doesn’t understand them.

Welcome to another “Eccentric Detective” TV Series. Most certainly DS Sean Stone must lie somewhere on the Asbergers-Autism spectrum.  In fact autism in a person often exhibits as extreme ability with patterns coupled with a corresponding inability to understand human emotions.  Needles to say his lone wolf behavior and air of infallibility drive his colleagues to puzzlement,  anger, and exasperation whereas his pattern recognition abilities earn respect.  His superiors want to get rid of him while some colleagues defend him.

Good plots, good acting, and an unusual detective make for compelling entertainment (as long as you don’t mind a nasty serial killer or two).

 

2014, Acorn TV, Action Film, Australian, Bullying, Crime, Detective, Ethical struggles, Gay theme, Plot Twist, Prison, Psychological Drama, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Suspense, Violent

Cut Snake (2014)

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From Wikipedia:

Merv (Alex Russell) is an ex-convict who is trying to make a new life for himself in 1970s Melbourne. He has found honest work and even becomes engaged to Paula (Jessica De Gouw), but the prospect of his new life is challenged when his foreboding and charismatic former cellmate James (Sullivan Stapleton) arrives in town and pressures Merv into going back to his old ways.

According to the Wikipedia article, the title comes from the Australian idiom “mad as a cut snake” which describes either insanity or anger so extreme you don’t want to get near it.

Before seeing this film, I had more or less dismissed Sullivan Stapelton as a limited one-tune film actor who usually plays the role of a sexy tough guy.  In this regard, “Cut Snake” was an unexpected discovery. Because I refuse to give away the suprise part of the plot, I will only say that the film starts out with Stapleton seeming to be once again nothing but a mean tough guy determined to drag his former cellmate back into a life of crime. And that part of the plot was indeed tense enough to hold my attention. For some reason good versus evil just keeps me interested. But then all of a sudden there is another complication in the plot that I never expected. After seeing the film, think back to some of Stapleton’s behavior that initially did not make sense, for example his reactions in the night club.  From this point on Stapleton comes through with some very successful emotional acting. He is indeed a “cut snake”.

Lately so many Australian films really hit home. And don’t forget to subscribe to Acorn TV to see lots of British, Australian, and New Zealand films, although I streamed “Cut Snake” from Amazon Prime.

2014, Acorn TV, Assisted Suicide, Australian, British Mystery Series, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Detective, Drug Dealers, Gangs, Lawyers, Lesbian Theme, Motorcycles, Murder, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Private Versus Professional Life

Janet King (2014)

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From IMDB:

Senior Prosecutor Janet King returns from maternity leave to confront a high-profile murder, and a conspiracy which will have shocking ramifications throughout the judicial system.

In an earlier review I raved about “A Place To Call Home” which can be streamed from Acorn TV ($5.00 per month). In that Australian TV series the star Marta Dusseldorp was the enchanting Sarah Adams. In addition Deborah Kennedy presented a perfect town gossip.

And now I rave about another Australian TV series streamed from Acorn TV. Here Marta Dusseldorp plays the protagonist Janet King who is a very busy lawyer and mother. Her character is a lesbian with a partner who stays home with their children. Homophobia plays only a small part in the plot. Once again we meet Deborah Kennedy, this time in a slightly more sinister role as murder suspect Dianne Vaslich.

As far as I can tell so far Acorn offers only Series 1.  Beginning late March 2016, a second series of 8 episodes will be shown for the first time on (British ?) TV.

Various themes run through the episodes: slight homophobia, police versus prosecutors, threatening motorcycle gangs, assisted suicide, witness intimidation,  home life versus professional life, and ambitious competition to name a few.

Think of this type of series as the British version of “Law [versus] and Order”. Excellent!

2014, 2015, Amazon Prime, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, Classical musicians, Crude Talk, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay theme, Lesbian Theme, Mostly About Sex, Orchestral Music, Sex Scenes, TV Series, Vulgar

Mozart in the Jungle (2014)

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From Amazon Prime:

A new Amazon Original Series: What happens behind the curtains at the symphony is just as captivating as what happens on stage. Created by Paul Weitz (About a Boy), Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited), and Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore). Brash new maestro Rodrigo (Gael Garcia Bernal) is stirring things up, and young oboist Hailey (Lola Kirke) hopes for her big chance.

Most what this wonderful series is about is music and sex and sex and sex. Get the picture? Also the F-word is used quite a bit. Is it a soap opera? – You bet! Is it something that you do not want to stop watching? – You bet!

Amazon Prime offers free streaming of both seasons, each season containing 10 episodes.

There are too many enjoyable characters to name them all. Gael Garcia Bernal stands out as the young new conductor of the fictitious New York Symphony. Of all the fine female actors, Lola Kirke as Hailey, an aspiring oboist, is probably the second most important character. Malcolm McDowell is perfect as the crusty, aging, and wildly eccentric former conductor.

But don’t miss Bernadette Peters as Gloria, one of the board members. Her character is a non-musician who really wants to be at least an amateur singer. In one memorable scene she gets a chance to sing at an open-mike night where she proves that as a singer she still has what it takes. Think goose flesh.

Give this Amazon Original Series a DO NOT MISS!

2014, 2015, Acorn TV, Airline pilot, Alcoholism, Amusing banter, Antique Cars, Australian, Bloody scenes, Cancer theme, Country Music, Detective, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Fishing, Golf, Hunting, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Murder Investigation, Revenge, Rugby, Small Town, Spousal Abuse, Theater Society, TV Series, Wine culture

Brokenwood Mysteries (2014)

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From Acorn TV:

Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd arrives on assignment in Brokenwood, a small town where memories-and animosities–run deep. He’s an experienced cop with a 1971 classic car, a collection of country music cassettes, and an indeterminate number of ex-wives. The new woman in his life is his assistant, Detective Constable Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland, The Almighty Johnsons), a by-the-book investigator 15 years younger than her boss’s car.

From Acorn TV you can stream two seasons: Season 1 has 4 episodes. Season 2 has 4 episodes.

In keeping with its mandate, Acorn brings us this detective series from Australia. Each episode is self-contained and lasts about an hour and a half. This series is one of so many detective TV series available that there is nothing that distinguishes “Brokenwood Mysteries”. But the plots are interesting, the characters are well done, and the butler did not always commit the crime.

Acceptable Australian detective series.