Category Archives: Alcoholism

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Cross Dressing, Downs Syndrome, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Friendship, Gay theme, Happy Family Gatherings, Hopeless Love, Lesbian Theme, Love Triangle, Masturbation, Mother-daughter relations, Music Scenes, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Offbeat, Philosophic Discussions, Privileged Upper Class, Rich versus Poor, Sex Scenes, Single Father, Single Mother, Soap Opera, Social Class Inequality, University Politics, University Professor, University Students

Merlí Sapere Aude (2019)

From IMDB:

Pol Rubio starts to study Philosophy at the University of Barcelona while the relationship between Bruno and him begins to strengthen. Pol will meet new friends, new colleagues and new teachers apart from having to face conflicts in his new student stage, his complicated family and his new relationship with Bruno Bergeron in this way until becoming a Philosophy teacher.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 episodes of the second season of this Spanish (Barcelona) young adult soap opera. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. Catalan is the original language of the series.

Season one was entitled  simply   “Merlí” and is not available. Merlí is the name of a favorite teacher who dies at the end of season one. Season two takes up from there with Pol grieving over the loss of his teacher Merlí.

All episodes center on a group of students studying philosophy at a university in Spain.  This group of friends quickly formed at the beginning of their studies.  Another notable character in particular is one of their teachers María Bolaño who is lonely and struggles with alcoholism. Each student has his or her own story to tell.  Relationships, sexual and otherwise, are formed and fought over.

My recommendation for this forgettable series is that it is a light-hearted young adult snapshot of the culture of 21st century Spain.

2021, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Antique Cars, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Bullying, Clever Plot, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dancing, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Embarrassing episodes, Emotional child abuse, Erotic Tension, Family Conflict, Gay theme, Homophobia, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Period Piece, Puzzling Conclusion, Sexual Tension, Suicide, Suspense, Uncle-Nephew relations, Western

The Power of the Dog (2021)

From IMDB:

Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.

From Netflix:

A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother’s new wife and her teen son — until long-hidden secrets come to light.

From Netflix you can stream this stunning 2 hour 8 minute film.

Filmed in New Zealand (and supposedly taking place in Montana), Jane Campion’s mystery film ended with my saying “Whoa! What just happened?”  After sitting for awhile in a daze, I thought I finally figured out what was going on in the story.  To check my conclusion I googled for “The Power of the Dog” and discovered that my own reaction was typical for the film.  There are lots of discussions and explanations concerning the plot. To my satisfaction, I had correctly solved the whodunit. And not a word more from me about the details. (Out of desperation, you might read a review.)

Needless to say Benedict Cumberbatch (as the villain Phil Burbank) shows off his consistently amazing skill as an actor-chameleon.  Note that his American English is pitch perfect.

But credits are due also to:

  • Kirsten Dunst as Rose Gordon, the fragile wife of George Burbank.
  • Kodi Smit-McPhee as her son Peter Gordon.
  • Jesse Plemons as Phil’s soft-spoken but steady a rock brother George Burbank.

Be prepared for Phil’s nasty cruelty. Let me know if you solved the puzzle.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Abandoned child, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, America of the 1950s, Amusing banter, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Brother-Sister relations, Coarse manners, Could Be Sad, Crude Talk, Disrespect toward women, DO NOT MISS, Eccentric cast of characters, Failed Father, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Feel Good Not For Children, Friendship, Happy ending, Husband leaves wife, Local color, Sex Scenes, Social class differences, Uncle-Nephew relations, Vulgar, Wife Beating

The Tender Bar (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

​​From director George Clooney and based on the best-selling memoir, The Tender Bar follows an aspiring writer (Tye Sheridan) pursuing his romantic and professional dreams. From a stool in his uncle’s (Ben Affleck) bar, he learns what it means to grow up from a colorful group of local characters.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this gem of a film which lasts for 1 hour 46 minutes.

Ben Affleck’s resumé has seen its ups and downs, successes and embarrassing flops.  But with this wonderful film he has nailed a really memorable role.  Even one critic who found the film “bland” still conceded that Affleck (as Uncle George) delivered an excellent, terrific performance.

Although that Long Island neighborhood, home of a lot of foul-mouthed but warm-hearted men and women, was rougher than anything I ever experienced, nevertheless I admired their tight friendships.

Expect notable acting from:

  • Tye Sheridan as the young JR.  Naïve, plain looking, and hopelessly attracted to
  • Briana Middleton as Sidney. Did she ever love JR or was she looking for “experience” (as in “sex”)?
  • Quincy Tyler Bernstine as Sidney’s mother, whose sneering, smug, cruel treatment of JR left me boiling.
  • Daniel Ranieri as young JR.
  • Christopher Lloyd as Grandpa. “Don’t tell anybody I’m a good grandfather, everybody will want one.”
  • Lily Rabe as the  Mom whose life is centered on her son JR.
  • Max Martini as JR’s cringe-worthy drunk of a father.

In the IMDB entry for this movie, there is a sizeable user review that is much harder on the film than I have been. Still —

DO NOT MISS!

 

2021, Acceptable for teenagers, Addiction, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, Big Pharma, Bullying, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Cover-up, DO NOT MISS, Eccentric Detective, Failed Father, Father-daughter relations, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Greed, Lawyers, Mental Illness, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Opioids, Reconciliation, Schizophrenia, Suspense, Trial Scenes, Wonderful acting

Goliath Season 4 (2021)

From Amazon Prime:

In the final season, after Patty takes a job at a prestigious white-shoe law firm in San Francisco, Billy returns to his Big Law roots. Together, they try to take down one of America’s most insidious Goliaths: the opioid industry.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 8 episodes of this last available season. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.

As I have mentioned before,  you do best watching this series beginning with season 1, remembering that season 2 offers some ugly scenes.  Many characters have remained throughout the four seasons, notably  Billy’s sidekicks as well as some old enemies. Surprisingly Donald Cooperman (played by William Hurt) plays a positive role in resolving the lawsuit.  Wonderful performances are provided by:

  • Bruce Dern plays the good brother Frank Zax.
  • J.K. Simmons plays the evil brother George Zax.
  • Jena Malone plays the lawyer Samantha Margolis who is suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Part of the fun, as usual, is watching all the “Lawyer Trickery Bullshit” (which is the title of episode 7) as Billy and friends battle the opioid industry.

DO NOT MISS!

2019, Abandoned child, Adopted child, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, American Indian culture, Attempted Murder, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Corrupt judge, Corrupt lawyers, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Cover-up, DO NOT MISS, Drug trip, Drugging as a weapon, Drugs, Environmental concerns, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Lawyers, Murder, Murder by poison, Suspense, Uncategorized, Violent, Water theft

Goliath Season 3 (2019)

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From Amazon Prime:

The unexpected death of an old friend leads Billy McBride to take a case in the drought-stricken Central Valley where he comes face-to-face with a new Goliath: a billionaire farmer and his sister and their scheme to steal California’s most valuable resource – water. As Billy and his team pursue the truth, old enemies and personal demons resurface forcing him to confront his own mortality.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 8 episodes of season 3. Episode lengths vary but are always less than one hour.

Now (2021) and in the future, water will be a major issue for the entire planet.  Recall that Los Angeles was built using stolen water. In a quote from Google:

Is LA built on stolen water?
Los Angeles finally is giving back some of the water local residents say the city stole from them many years ago. A valve was opened at mid-morning Thursday and water flowed from the Los Angeles Aqueduct into Black Rock Channel, and then into the Owens River, which has been generally dry since 1913.Jun 6, 1986

 

Goliath’s themes are motivated by current abuses. Season one is about the arms industry.  Season two concerned political corruption. Season three is about stealing water. Season four is about opioids.

 

Although season two was cautiously recommended because of the intrinsic ugliness of the characters and their hideous modus operandi,  in order to appreciate season three you need only know that the corrupt character Marisol Silva became mayor of Los Angeles through the efforts of her Mexican brother who amputated the limbs of anyone standing in the way of Marisol ‘s election. Marisol reappears in season three.

 

Season one ended in a jury trial in which Billy’s nemesis Donald Cooperman was maneuvered into committing perjury.  At that moment Cooperman suffered a fairly complete stroke. As that season ended, Cooperman was supposedly bedridden for the rest of his life.  Miraculously in season three Cooperman reappears as one of the evil forces behind the conspiracy.

 

In season three the villains are methodically and cruelly stealing water by tunneling under federal land.  At times that causes the ground to sink. Because the wife of one of Billy’s old friends is swallowed up in such a sinkhole, Billy tries for a class action suit.

 

If you hardened yourself and actually watched season two, then you were probably upset that Marisol’s evil schemes make her mayor. Never fear, in what is almost a Shakespearean tragedy, many bad guys get their comeuppance.

 

Along the way there are all the well-written side issues.

 

Satisfyingly violent. DO NOT MISS!
2020, Alcoholism, Anti-Gay Laws, Anti-Semitism, B-movie, Bad Acting, Barely Acceptable Trash, Black struggles, Career Competition, Corny, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay Bashing, Gay Prostitution, Gay theme, Happy ending, Hollywood Culture, Homophobia, Imperfect, Longsuffering wife, Love Story, Male Chauvinism, Male Prostitute for Women, Male Prostitutes, Marital Infidelity, Maudlin, Mediocre, Mostly About Sex, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Oscar Awards, Preachy, Promiscuity, Romance, Satire, Sex Scenes, Sexual promiscuity, Soap Opera, Unhappy Marriage, Vulgar, Women's Equality

Hollywood (2020)

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From Netflix:

While waiting for his big break, aspiring movie star Jack Castello accepts a job at a local service station that pumps more than just gas.

From Netflix you can stream the 7 episodes of this soap opera. Each episode runs between 45 and 58 minutes.

Maudlin. Salacious. Corny. Subtle as a brick. Clichéd. Barely acceptable trash. Maudlin. Raunchy. Preachy. Woke. Terrible acting. Production errors.  And the list could go on.

My college freshman rhetoric teacher suggested that in order to better appreciate good examples of a given art discipline such as literature, music, and film, it helps to experience the bad examples. Well, with this film we now have a golden opportunity to experience one of the lesser achievements of the movie industry.

“Golden Tip Gasoline” is a gas pumping station that doubles as a gas pimping station for the young male gas attendants who will “fill your tank” if the customer uses the code word “dreamland”, no matter if that customer is male or female.   Not only all these attendants but also their boss and some customers have Hollywood aspirations. One way for such a gas pumper to get his start is to service those customers who are part of the Hollywood management nobility. Instead of casting couches it seems there were casting nozzles.

Rather than merely prurient attractions, this story offers a noble sub-theme: No longer would the film industry suppress black,  gay, and women actors.

Indeed from the goings-on we might suspect that half of Hollywood consisted of closeted gays .  As an example: One client, say Jake, is so stupid that when he drives up to engage Archie Coleman he can’t remember the word “Dreamland”. But they hook up and eventually fall in love.  Jake is told he cannot act. Nonetheless he forges ahead.  Because he could not remember two lines, his first screen text required 67 takes. Because Jake is as handsome as he is stupid, some producer accepts him but says “Jake” is not an acceptable screen name and must be changed to ROCK HUDSON (get it?). His boyfriend Archie is a black man (horrors!) who wants to become a screen writer. Camille Washington is a black woman (even worse!) who wants to have some screen role other than playing a maid (uppity!). And so it goes on and on for 7 episodes.

Is this a satire? Have I missed something here?

If you can last till episode 7, which is aptly named “A Hollywood Ending”,  you will be rewarded with a happy, sappy ending. Amen!

But just remember I LOVE TRASH!

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!

 

2012, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, Anxiety Attacks, Brother-Sister relations, Career Competition, Character Driven, Corruption, Could Be Sad, Cover-up, Danish, Danish Politics, Danish TV series, Depression, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Embezzlement, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Husband leaves wife, Love Story, Love Triangle, Marital Infidelity, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Newspaper Culture, NOT violent, Personal Betrayal, Political Intrigue, Politicians, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Romance, Thought provoking, TV Culture, TV news industry, TV Reporter, Well developed plot, Womanizing

Borgen (2012)

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From IMDB:

A political drama about a prime minister’s rise to power, and how power changes a prime minister.

From Netflix you can stream 3 seasons of this Danish political drama series. Each season consists of 10 one-hour episodes.  Recent news hints that there might someday be a fourth season. Danish with English subtitles.

In Danish, Borgen, lit. ’The Castle’, is the informal name of Christiansborg Palace where all three branches of Danish government reside: the Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court, and is often used as a figure of speech for the Danish government.

In the very first episode we see  Birgitte Nyborg become Prime Minister of Denmark.  This first episode is OK but does not begin to compare with the gut-punching episodes that follow.  Can a woman “have it all” is one of the issues.  Birgitte comes off as a morally upright and  sincere woman steering her way through the compromising pressures of political life.   She will pay a personal price for her success.

Surrounding Birgitte are a multitude of characters meaningful to the plot,  some praiseworthy and quite a few sneaky , malicious,  ambitious “villains.”  Quite a few of those characters are members of the news media.  All these many characters are involved throughout the series and often have their own personal stories to tell.

Each episode usually centers around a theme:  health care, peace negotiations,  and many others.  Don’t expect each episode to have a happy ending.  After most episodes Kathy and I exclaim “WOW, how do the writers maintain such consistent excellence?”

DO NOT MISS!

2017, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime Acorn, Basically Sad, Blackmail, Character Driven, Clever Plot, Complicated, Crime, Detective, Divorce, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Farm Life, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Forensics, Gangs, Human trafficking, Lawyers, Lesbian Theme, Longsuffering wife, Love Triangle, Money Laundering, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Occasionaly violent, Office Love Affairs, Personal Betrayal, Police Culture, Possibly depressing, Prison, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Trial Scenes, Unhappy Marriage, Welsh detectives

Keeping Faith (2017)

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From Amazon Prime Acorn,

Season 1: 8 one hour episodes.

Award-winning actress Eve Myles (Torchwood) stars in this BBC thriller as Faith Howells, a lawyer with a happy marriage until her husband suddenly disappears. As Faith becomes the police’s prime suspect, her search for the truth leads her to the criminal underbelly of her quiet town.

Season 2: 6 one hour episodes.

A year after her husband’s disappearance, Faith (BAFTA Award winner Eve Myles) is drawn into a new mystery in this BBC thriller set along the stunning Welsh coast.

Season 3: 6 one hour episodes.

In the final season, Faith deals with her divorce, one of the most complex legal cases of her career, and her mother returning, threatening to expose long-buried secrets.

So far Kathy and I have seen the first two seasons and watching is a bit exhausting. Faith repeatedly has to face the challenges of her career and well as many personal problems, especially the betrayals of people near her.  Poor Faith never gets a moment’s rest. Season two does not end well for any of the characters. After abandoning Faith for awhile we will return to season 3. which promises to present Faith with even more wrenching difficulties.

Despite her trials and tribulations, the complicated plots  are well done.  Some of the bad guys are especially villainous.  Although each season brings its plot to conclusion, there is a continuity of themes and characters throughout all the seasons.

Well worth the watch. Just don’t expect to come away happy.

2021, AIDS, Alcoholism, Based on true facts, Blackmail, Character Driven, Cocaine, Drama, Drugs, Eccentric cast of characters, Emotional abuse, Explicit sex, Fashion, Gay Prostitution, Gay theme, Jealousy, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Occasionaly violent, Promiscuity, Revenge, Sexual promiscuity, Vulgar

Halston (2021)

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From IMDB:

It tracks Halston as he leverages his single, invented name into a worldwide fashion empire that’s synonymous with luxury, sex, status and fame, literally defining the era.

From Netflix you can stream the 5 episodes of this series. Each episode lasts between 44 and 53 minutes.

You need not be one bit interested in fashion to enjoy this acting tour de force.   Ewen McGregor at 50 years of age puts on one of the best performances of his long career. Just take a look at his resume.

If there is a theme here, it is the often typical “rise and fall”  of a public personality (e.g. Senator McCarthy,  Jeffrey Epstein, hopefully Donald Trump).  We can only trust that the details are true to life.  Before this film I personally never heard of Halston, but I do vaguely remember Jackie Kennedy’s pill box hat.

Notice the actor Bill Pullman who plays the business man David Mahoney.  He played Harry Ambrose in the creepy three season series called The Sinner which was reviewed earlier in this blog and strongly recommended.

Hopefully you will not find McGregor’s pitch perfect effete  portrayal and the explicitly strong gay theme too off-putting.  Just admire the acting.