Category Archives: 2016

2016, Amazon Prime, British Mystery Series, Revenge

One of Us (2016)

From Amazon Prime:

A horrific double murder shocks two families living in isolated rural Scotland. In the aftermath of the tragedy, they are faced with a terrible dilemma when the murderer arrives on their doorstep one stormy night. His fate lies in their hands – will they show mercy or get their revenge?

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 4 one-hour episodes of the only season available for this British murder story.   Hiding guilt is the main theme of the series. Familiar British actors include Juliet Stevenson as Louise Elliott and John Lynch as Bill Douglas.

Well worth watching.

2016, AIDS, Gay theme, Homophobia, Sundance Now Streaming

Holding the Man (2016)

From Sundance Now:

The sweeping love story of two high school boys and their enduring relationship. Based on the international best seller, starring Guy Pearce and Geoffrey Rush.

From Sundance Now (through Amazon) you can stream this 2 hour 8 minute complete film.

If I had known in advance that both men die young of AIDS I might not have watched. Such films are sad and somewhat formulaic.  Fortunately I did start the film which is very well done.  Expect explicit sexual activity.

Worth watching, but still a real downer.

2013, 2014, 2016, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Anxiety Attacks, Bloody scenes, Boarding school, Cold Cases, Corrupt Politicians, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cover-up, Crime thriller, Cruelty, Danish, Danish Detectives, Danish Police, Danish TV series, Dark, Disrespect toward women, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Ethical struggles, Extremely Violent, Failed Father, False Imprisonment, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Flirting, Grim, Grisly, Hunting, Kanopy streaming, Murder, Murder Investigation, Narcissistic Personality, Panic Attacks, Police Culture, Prostitutes, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Sex Scenes, Sociopath, Suspense, Thriller, Violent

Department Q (2013)

From Kanopy you can stream 3 full-length episodes of this series of intense crime Danish dramas. Unfortunately each episode will cost you one viewing credit.  There are many more Department Q episodes which are not available on Kanopy.

As you learn in the first episode,  chief detective Carl Mørck is such an oddball, that the police assign him to a dead-end job in the basement running Department Q where he is supposed to merely catalog unsolved cases.  Instead, he and his new partner Assad prove to be determined detectives doggedly solving difficult and ugly cases.

  • The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013) 1 hour 36 minutes

Police inspector Carl Mørck is put in charge of a department of cold cases, joined only by his assistant Assad. They dig into a case about a missing woman.

  • The Absent One (2014) 1 hour 59 minutes

The murder of young twins initially implicates a group of upper class students as the killers, though the case takes a turn or two from its starting point.

  • A Conspiracy of Faith (2016) 1 hour 52 minutes

Two intertwined cases linking the past with the present require the aid of Department Q to catch an elusive serial killer while time is running out.

All these stories involve brutal, ugly crimes. If  you can stand the nasty tension, then

DO NOT MISS!

2016, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Basically Sad, Discussions about Emotions, Dishonest father, Drama, Embezzlement, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Flashbacks, Fraud, Friendship, Gay theme, Jewish Religious Observance, Love Story, Love Triangle, Manipulative personality, Mother-son relations, Pianist, Prison, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Unhappy Ending, Wonderful acting

Those People (2016)

From Amazon Prime:

On Manhattan’s gilded Upper East Side, a younger painter, Charlie, finds the man of his dreams in an older pianist from across the globe, Tim. If only Charlie weren’t secretly in love with his own manipulative best friend, Sebastian, who is embroiled in a financial scandal. In the wake of Sebastian’s notoriety, their tight-knit group of friends must confront the new realities of adulthood.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 29 minute complete film.

Alone the acting would be a reason to watch this film. But Charlie himself is a sympathetic, naïve, and engaging character.  Root for Charlie BUT (spoiler to follow) do not expect a happy ending.

2016, Abduction, Abortion, Abuse of Women, Adultery, Art as worthless fakery, Art Gallery, Author, Bullying, Cancer theme, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crude Talk, Cynical, Dark, Depression, Detective, Disrespect toward women, Disturbing Image, Eccentric Detective, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Extremely Violent, Failed Marriage, Failing Marriage, Grim, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Psychopath, Rape, Romance, Ruthless Killer, Serial rapist, Social class differences, Suspense, Tragedy, Unhappy Ending, Upsetting ending, Violent, Vulgar

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

From Netflix:

Reading her ex-husband’s violent novel manuscript destabilizes gallery owner Susan’s life, upending her present while digging up their past.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 56 minute complete film.

WARNING:  Almost certainly you will find this extremely violent film upsetting.  In addition the  opening videos of an especially obese naked woman are  quite revolting.

However, as usual, Jake Gyllenhaal delivers his usual impassioned performance.  Just don’t try and sleep afterwards.

Basically the entire film is a downer:

  • Amy Adams as Susan Morrow has reached the pinnacle of an unhappy life.  Her failing faux-modern art gallery features worthless but expensive junk.   She rejected the real love of her life, Tony Hastings. Her second marriage to Hutton Marrow is a lonely empty shell.
  • Armie Hammer as Hutton Morrow is the handsome, suave, and habitually unfaithful second husband.
  • Laura Linney as Susan’s mother Anne Sutton plays the completely materialistic, domineering Texan society matron.
  • Michael Shannon is the tough, chain-smoking lawman who is dying of metastasized cancer.
  • Jake Gyllenhaal is Susan’s first husband, a writer whom Susan loved but discarded as impractical.
  • Robert Aramayo as Turk.  His portrayal of a violent, psychopathic alpha thug is pitch perfect.

What!!! You still want to see this movie?

 

2016, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corrupt Corporation, Corrupt lawyers, Corrupt policemen, Cover-up, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Environmental concerns, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failed Father, Failed Marriage, Father-daughter relations, FBI, Frame someone for a crime, Gay theme, Government cover-up, Illegal Weapons, Lawyers, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Office Love Affairs, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Trial Scenes

Goliath Season 1(2016)

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From Amazon:

Once a powerful lawyer, Billy McBride is now burned out and washed up, spending more time in a bar than a courtroom. When he reluctantly agrees to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest client of the massive law firm he helped create, Billy and his ragtag team uncover a vast and deadly conspiracy, pitting them all in a life or death trial against the ultimate Goliath.

From Amazon Prime you can stream 4 seasons of this lawyer series.  This review is just for season 1 which consists of 8 episodes where each episode is roughly one hour.

Billy McBride is played by Billy Bob Thornton who has often taken unusual roles. You might recall him as Lorne Malvo in “Fargo”.  In season one he is up against the Goliath of law firms named Cooperman and McBride which he helped establish.  His personal nemesis is the other name on the company name,  Donald  Cooperman. Cooperman as one of the best “bad guys” I have ever seen is played to stunning and eccentric perfection by William Hurt. Not that Cooperman is the only villain.  His most notable lawyer-in-crime, Callie Senate,  is played with cunning malice by Mollie Parker, whose every smug smirk is a masterpiece of acting.  When you really hate one of the villains, that actor is doing her job. Mollie Parker played Jackie Sharp in “House of Cards”.

Rest assured the daemons get their comeuppance.  But the journey to get to that point is agonizingly frustrating.

DO NOT MISS!

 

2016, Action sequences, Coarse manners, Defies Categorization, Eccentric cast of characters, Exaggeration Comedy, Explicit sexual discussion, Father-son relations, Friendship, Improbable details, Kanopy streaming, Masturbation, Must suspend disbelief, Offbeat, Philosophic Discussions, Vulgar

Swiss Army Man (2016)

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From Kanopy:

Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on a deserted island and given up all hope. Everything changes when a corpse named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) washes ashore. The two become fast friends, and go on an epic adventure to bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams.

From Kanopy you can stream this 98 minute complete film.

Easily one of the strangest films I have ever seen.  No holds are barred in the outrageous conversations,  more than frank sexual discussions, and visual effects.

Just one example should convince you that this adventure is not your average film experience.  As Hank prepares to commit suicide on a deserted island, he spots a corpse that has just come in from the sea and landed on the beach.  This corpse noisily farts repeatedly. Eventually Hank uses Manny as a flotation device and the two sail off into the sea using Manny’s fart power as an outboard motor.

Heard enough?   Keep an open mind and I’ll bet you can’t stop watching.

2016, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Barely Acceptable Trash, Coarse manners, Comedy, Contract Killing, Crude Talk, Eccentric cast of characters, Exaggeration Comedy, Explicit sex, Father-daughter relations, Friendship, Gay theme, Often downright silly, Outrageous Behavior, Quirky, Sex Scenes, Violent, Vulgar

Nice Package (2016)

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From IMDB:

A wannabe professional thief, his gay best friend, a sexy hostage, some thugs and a mystery package everyone wants.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 38 minute complete film.

If vulgarity, goofy characters, tongue-in-cheek violence, satiric sex scenes, and absurd conversations are your thing, this barely acceptable trash will hopefully provide you with some laughs.

Motto: I LOVE TRASH!

2016, Based on a Book, Basically Sad, Brother-Brother relations, Cancer theme, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, French, French Culture, Good Acting, Kanopy streaming, Medical Theme, Plot Twist, Quiet, Slow, Suicide, Things Left Unsaid

Le Fils de Jean [A Kid] (2016)

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From IMDB:

Mathieu has never known his father. His mother has always told him he was the fruit of a one-night-stand. One morning, in his Parisian flat, he receives a call from Quebec telling him his father just died. Mathieu decides to go to the funeral and meet the two Canadian brothers he just found out he had. In Montreal, nobody is aware of his existence, and Mathieu realizes he is in a hostile territory.

From Kanopy you can stream this quiet, understated, moving French film which lasts 1 hour and 38 minutes.

Let me again remind you that Kanopy is offered free by your local public library. Just google for “Kanopy”.  If you like older films, you will find them in Kanopy.

Hopefully you have streamed “Wonderland” from MHz Choice.  In that marvelous series Jérémy was played by the French actor Pierre Deladonchamps.  Confusingly enough, if you want to find Wonderland  in IMDB, you have to look for a film named “Romance” because looking for “Wonderland” will get you nowhere.

Deladonchamps plays Mathieu in “Le Fils de Jean”.   He and his supporting actors produce a sad and effective portrait of family confusion.  With very little violence (some minor scuffles) the story slowly moves toward probably the only conclusion it could reach.

Perhaps Deladonchamps is an actor to watch. Good film!