Category Archives: 2016

2016, Abduction, Acorn TV, Australian, Based on true facts, Bloody scenes, Corruption, Detective, DNA, Drama, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Emotional child abuse, Forensics, Gay Bashing, Gay theme, Homophobia, Made For TV, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Police Culture, Serial Killer, Surfing, Torture, Violent

Deep Water (2016)

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From Acorn TV:

This “addictive” (Daily Review, Australia) Aussie drama inspired by real events follows Detectives Tori Lustigman (Yael Stone, Orange is the New Black) and Nick Manning (Noah Taylor, And Then There Were None) as they investigate the murder of a young man in a beachfront apartment in Bondi. Is this brutal murder a domestic, a robbery gone wrong, or a hate crime?

Acorn TV offered one episode each week until finally you can stream all 4 episodes of Series 1 (the only series, so far) whenever you wish.

Although most detective series have become so formulaic and clichéd,  “Deep Water” is an exception.  Soon you realize that the central theme is gay bashing in homophobic Australia, or at least in Bondi Beach, which is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. What helps make the plot interesting is that as the episodes proceed, most of the important characters are revealed to be more and more involved in the killings.  Expect bloodshed and violence.

Definitely worth the time spent watching.

2016, Big Pharma, British Mystery Series, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Detective, Divorce, Eccentric Detective, Extramarital Affair, Harmful Medicine, International thriler, Made For TV, Medical Theme, Mental Illness, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Culture, Psychiatrists, Psychological Drama, Suicide, Suspense, Uncategorized

Paranoid (2016)

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From IMDB:

The murder of a female GP in a rural playground in front of numerous witnesses draws a group of detectives into an ever-darkening mystery that takes them across Europe, aided by mysterious notes sent by the “Ghost Detective”.

Netflix originated this so-far-one-season eight episode British detective series. Wife Kathy and I anxiously streamed each episode. However, if you read some of the 115 viewer reviews you will find tremendously varying opinions.

Basically a woman is murdered in plain daylight in a children’s playground and it takes 8 episodes to learn why and who. Along the way we meet a smarmy psychiatrist, a nervous wreck of a policeman, an uncontrollably outspoken policewoman, a Quaker woman, and lots of other characters with problems. If you liked “Happy Valley”, you may well enjoy this series.

Some reviewers hated the troubled characters, especially the policeman Bobby. But cringing at his  behavior just added to the attraction to the plot.

IMDB gives you the list of actors. Most notable are:

  • Indira Varma is the somewhat wacky policewoman. She played Ellaria Sand in “Game of Thrones”.
  • Michael Maloney is the psychiatrist. Because he so often plays suspicious characters, every time I see him I think “here comes the villain”.
  • Robert Glenister, the nervous cop,  appears just about everywhere in British TV series. He was Owen Preece in “Vera”.

For us this series was a pleasant and compelling discovery, although seemingly not to everyone’s taste.

2016, Acceptable for children, Based on a Book, Comedy, Could Be Sad, Drama, Feel Good For All, Gay theme, Interest in automobiles, Interest in cats, Journalist, Love Story, Senior citizens, Suicide, Swedish, Trains

A Man Called Ove (2016)

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From Netflix:

Despite being deposed as president of his condo’s resident association, 59-year-old misanthrope Ove continues to plague his neighbors with dictatorial demands. But when Ove’s new neighbor runs over his mailbox, the old crank finds he’s met his match.

Beginning December 2016 Netflix will offer the DVD for this Swedish film with English subtitles.

Based on the book by Fredrik Backman first published in 2012, the film adaptation, according to wife Kathy who read this very popular book with her book club, is faithful to the original plot.

Although the film begins when Ove is 59 years old, the films spends a lot of time in flashbacks to his younger years. In a nutshell, Ove has suffered many personal losses in his lifetime, and is now so lonely he contemplates suicide, although his comic attempts never succeed. What saves Ove are all the new neighbors moving into his housing development.

Although the film has many sad points, it also has just as many funny spots.  For example, Ove’s competition with a close friend is based on the fact that  Ove drives  Saabs whereas the friend drives Volvos.

Here is one of those films for the entire family that you could describe as “feel good.” If you want to get away from sex and violence and nasty politics, this is the film for you.

 

2016, Abduction, Acceptable Trash, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Cancer theme, Frenetic, Grisly, Horror, Made For TV, Middle school students, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Occasional gore, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Teenagers, TV Series, Violent

Stranger Things (2016)

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From IMDB:

When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, and his friends must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.

Holy Middle School Nerds!

If my neighbors had not recommended the eight episodes of Season One of this sci-fi creeper, I would not have entered the “Upside Down World”. Unfortunately, once inside this semi-adult fantasy it is obsessively difficult to escape. So instead I binged-watched all the horror, high school romance, middle school bullying, and hysterics this TV series (streamable from Netflix) had to offer. To tell you the truth, it was a lot of fun and possibly a waste of time.

Winona Ryder we all know.  David Harbour has many roles to his name, including David Patrick from “State of Affairs” and Elliot Hirsch from “The Newsroom”.  Most of the cast were very young and did quite well. Indeed it seems to me that the middle school gang of four nerds got their literally hysterical parts just right.

If the plot grabs you, you will never escape. Supposedly there is a Season Two.

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?

2016, Acceptable for children, Alcoholism, Amusing banter, Carpentry, Catholic culture, Child custody, Comedy, Divorce, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Feel Good For All, Mother-son relations, Theft

The Confirmation (2016)

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From IMDB:

Eight year old Anthony is somewhat uneasy about spending the weekend with his alcoholic, down-on-his-luck carpenter dad Walt while his mom Bonnie and her new husband Kyle go to a Catholic retreat together. Walt is just as uneasy about spending time with Anthony, especially since their first day together is a series of characteristically unfortunate events, including his truck breaking down, his landlord locking him out of the house, and the theft of his toolbox, which he needs for an upcoming job. As Walt and Anthony set about finding the guy who stole the tools and improvise around their other misfortunes, they begin to discover a true connection with each other, causing Walt to become a better father and Anthony to reveal the promise and potential of the good man he will become.

Clive Owen as Walt the father and  Jaeden Lieberher as Anthony the son are matched perfectly and cleverly. Catholic viewers will get a kick out of Anthony’s two visits to the confessional and its perplexed priest confessor. Especially note the amusing and unending trail of lies that are an important part of the plot.

Sorry, but I do not buy Walt’s quick retreat from alcoholism, even though it contributes to a heart-warming film.

Finally we have here that rarity – a feel-good but not maudlin film for the entire family.

 

 

2016, Action Film, Action Hero, Adventure, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Coast Guard, Docudrama, Drama, Love Story, Sea Rescue, Suspense, True Story

The Finest Hours (2016)

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From IMDB:

The Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952.

Those of you familiar with Cape Cod in Massachusetts may feel a personal connection with this gripping reenactment of a Coast Guard rescue off Chatham harbor. From the Wikipedia article comes this quote:

The Finest Hours is a 2016 American historical disaster drama–thriller film directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The screenplay, written by Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, and Paul Tamasy, is based on The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. The film stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana, and chronicles the true account of the 1952 United States Coast Guard rescue of the SS Pendleton, after it split apart during a nor’easter off the New England coast.[

Do not be put off by the start of the film where Bernie Webber (played by Chris Pines) begins his romance with his wife to be, Miriam (played by Holliday Grainger). Much of the film is involved with this romance.

More than any other theme, the notion of true leadership plays an important part. For the rescue to succeed Bernie Webber risked his life while at times disobeying orders. Equally important was the fact that Ray Sybert (played by Casey Affleck) had to transform himself from a super expert reclusive naval engineer geek into a leader after the tanker split in half.

Try to read the final screen notes, but the Wikipedia article also helps.

Just the harrowing scenes of the rescue  in a raging sea make watching this film an exciting adventure.

2015, 2016, British Mystery Series, Cambridge University, Church of England, Ethical struggles, Gay theme, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Quiet, Religious Theme, Unmarried mother

Grantchester (2015)

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From IMDB:

A Cambridgeshire clergyman finds himself investigating a series of mysterious wrongdoings in his small village of Grantchester.

Currently we can see this  British TV Series on PBS. There are seasons for 2015,2016,and (in the future) 2017. For a really good summary see the Wikipedia discussion. My best reason for recommending this detective series is that despite there being murders, the atmosphere is gentile and pleasant.

All the episodes revolve around the two main characters Sidney Chambers (the priest played by James Norton) and Geordie Keating (the detective played by Robson Green).  Sidney’s guide is his religion whereas Geordie is guided by his hard-bitten cynicism. Sidney and Geordie complement each other, work together well, but are often ethically at odds.

As astounding as it may seem, James Norton also starred in the wonderful but grim British TV series “Happy Valley” where he portrayed the warped, evil, and vengeful Tommy Lee Royce.  Sidney Chambers is as appealing as Tommy Lee Royce is repellant. If you are into “grim but great”, then do NOT miss “[Un]Happy Valley”.

Robson Green is also worth watching in the TV series “Wire in the Blood” in which he is a psychologist who gets inside of the minds of both killers and victims to aid the police in solving gruesome serial killings in Northern England. Be careful, however, because the first episode in that series is a bit ugly.

Again Robson Green is worth watching in the TV series “Touching Evil“, another twisted and gritty series in which he was brought back to life through the miracle of medicine, now walking a tightrope on the edge of sanity as the semi-suicidal detective hunts down serial killers and other perps through his gift for thinking like they do.

In summary “Grantchester” is  civilized whereas so many other British detective series can be grueling to watch.

 

2016, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Comedy, Crude Talk, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Father-son relations, Flirting, Jewish Culture, Lesbian Theme, Marital Infidelity, Mostly About Sex, Nudity, Somewhat trashy, Tennis, Vulgar, Witty dialog, Young Adults

Red Oaks (2016)

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From Amazon:

An Amazon Original Series: A coming-of-age comedy set in the “go-go” 80s about a college student enjoying a last hurrah before summer comes to an end–and the future begins.

Set in a Tennis Club for wealthy Jews, this series follow the ups and downs of David, a college student working at the club during the summer. Billed as a comedy, this series is at times more of a soap opera.

So far there is only one season with 10 episodes. You can stream the series for free with Amazon Prime.

Remember Paul Reiser who played the husband Paul Buchman in the TV series “Mad About You” which was popular in the years 1992-1999? In “Red Oaks” he plays an obnoxious and wealthy Getty, president of the country club and also David’s boss.

David’s problems are manifold and funny: His parents are loopy, he is unsure about his future, he is trying awkwardly to win a girl’s heart, his boss drives him nuts, and the list goes on.

Expect a lot of sex (lesbian, group, and other varieties), nudity, coarse language, pot smoking, another list that goes on.

Relax, possibly smoke a joint, and watch the nonsense.