Category Archives: 2015

2015, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Complicated, Corruption, Finance, Financial malfeasance, Thought provoking

The Big Short (2015)

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From IMDB:

Four denizens in the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.

Although this scary (because it is a true story) film tries to explain the financial concepts involved, it may help to read the Wikipedia summary which contains a link to Credit Default Swaps (CDS).

Plot moves quickly, acting is good, and the lineup of stars is promising.

If you or your financial adviser rely on the rating agencies (who knowingly lied about the worthiness of the mortgage backed instruments), how safe do you feel?

Not only is there not a happy ending, but the same corrupt practices are continuing even as you read this review.

2015, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, Based on true facts, Bolivia, Political Campaigning, Possibly depressing, Thought provoking, Violent

Our Brand Is Crisis (2015)

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From IMDB:

A battle-hardened American political consultant is sent to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival working for another candidate.

Oddly enough there is a 2005 documentary with the exact same title that discusses American political campaign marketing tactics and their consequences.

Up to now I always thought of Sandra Bullock as a comedian. In this film, however, there is nothing funny about her role as Jane who is a take-no-prisoners stop-at-nothing campaign consultant.

Jane is additionally motivated to win because her opposing campaign consultant is her arch enemy from earlier campaigns, Pat Candy played by Billy Bob Thorton. Just the fact that Thorton is in this film makes it very likely that this film is worth seeing.

Joaquim de Almeida plays the Bolivian candiate that Jane is promoting. You have seen this Portuguese actor in many presentations but I suspect you do not know his name. In fact, I found him in an IMDB list of “Most underrated European actors in hollywood”.

However, the film is rightfully depressing because it rings so true. It is almost as if the film was motivated by our current presidential campaign with its almost entirely negative atmosphere.

As a drama the film could easily have more of an effect than a documentary. At the very least, it will reach a larger audience.

Expect no happy ending.

2015, Acceptable for children, Comedy, Corny at times, Extramarital Affair, Senior citizens, Young Adults

The Intern (2015)

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From IMDB:

70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

Feel-good films appropriate for everyone are an endangered species. So grab onto this pleasant and not overly sentimental film.

Robert De Niro plays Ben Whittaker, whose role is that of an experienced father figure.

Anne Hathaway plays Jules Ostin, whose role is that of an ambitious, young entrepreneur whose successful two-year-old start-up is experiencing the usual growing pains.

Sub-plots include romances, extra-marital affairs, the difficulties of today’s young people starting their work life, “can a woman have it all?”, etc.

Watching a friendly film free of violence can be relaxing.

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!

2015, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Acceptable Science, Astronauts, Could be boring, Ethical struggles, Human spirit, NASA, Suspense

The Martian (2015)

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From IMDB:

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

Nerds with a scientific bent will love this long (2 hours, 21 minutes) film. However, others may find this long film boring and indeed I have heard that complaint from friends. Personally I was compelled by the film, but am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I had to watch in pieces, interrupted by some lesser form of entertainment.

What takes so long? As you might expect, things do always go smoothly. During most of the film, after NASA has learned that Mark Watney is still alive and kicking, there are various schemes and efforts to rescue Mark. Each scheme involves politics such as: who tells whom what, who pays the expenses, what should the public learn, when does someone tell Mark’s former crew members? Mark is a botanist as well as a scientist of all trades who never gives up trying.

“Martian” just has to be Matt Damon’s best film, better in my opinion than “Good Will Hunting”. He has matured.

So if you enjoy scientific mumbo-jumbo, are thrilled by space travel, are a survivalist interested in growing potatoes on Mars, or any of the above, then you will enjoy this adventure.

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.

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!

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!

2015, Acceptable Science, Based on a Book, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Time Travel, Unmarried mother

Predestination (2015)

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From NetFlix:

Dispatched on a mission intended to alter the fabric of history, a temporal agent from a remote reality travels through time to prevent a criminal madman from carrying out a devastating attack on New York City.

Time travel films generally confuse me and this film is no exception. For 97 minutes I sat there glued to the screen without ever really understanding what was going on. At the very least it was a series of pleasant revelations as many pieces of seeming random information became related, even if I did not have a clue.

If it is any help, there is a Wikepedia article about the film that tries to explain the plot. In that article I learned that the film is based on the Robert A. Heinlein short story “‘—All You Zombies—'”.

Ethan Hawke never disappoints. Sarah Snook was new to me, even though her IMDB resume is quite impressive (for example, she played Andrea Cunningham in “Steve Jobs”).

If you watch this film and think you understand something, anything, about the plot, please feel free to fill me in.

2015, Acorn TV, Adultery, British Mystery Series, Conspiracy, Corruption, Detective, Gangs, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Police Corruption, Suspense

Black Work (2015)

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From Acorn:

Hailed as tight and intriguing (Guardian, UK) this powerful crime thriller created and written by Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies) dives into the murky depths of undercover police work and tells the story of a woman willing to risk everything to protect her family. Sheridan Smith (Jonathan Creek, Accused) delivers a powerhouse performance as Jo Gillespie, a police constable who embarks on a dangerous investigation of her husband’s death.

Recently my audiologist introduced me to Acorn TV. At the present time Acorn TV costs a mere $5.00 per month while offering a large selection of attractive programs. Most of the shows come from Britain, Australia, or New Zealand.

From Acorn I streamed the three episodes of “Black Work”. Every detective procedural involves the usual routine investigations, personal problems of detectives, possible corrupt policemen, plot twists, and occasional violence.

Some of these detective shows are worth watching, but sometimes explaining what is special about a particular show can amount to a “spoiler” in the review. In this case let us just say that in investigating her husband’s death, Joe Gillespie runs up against some very surprising twists and turns.

Because we watch so much British TV we were pleased to recognize old faces such as Geraldine James as CC Carolyn Jarecki, the Scotsman Douglas Henshall as DCS Hepburn (don’t miss him in the wonderful series “Shetland”), and the ever-present Philip Davis as Tom Piper (don’t miss him in “Poldark” and “Silk”).

Enjoy “Black Work” and stay tuned for more reviews for Acorn TV offerings.