Category Archives: Amusing banter

2008, Acceptable Trash, Acorn TV, Amusing banter, Australian, Australian Aborigine, B-movie, Brother-Brother relations, Corny at times, Divorce, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Greed, Horses, Nothing special, Nudity, Police Culture, Prison, Sex Scenes, Soap Opera, Suicide, Surfing, Teenagers, Trailer Life

East of Everything (2008)

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From AcornTV :

In this addictive Australian drama, travel writer Art Watkins (Richard Roxburgh, Rake, Moulin Rouge!) is forced to return home to Broken Bay when his mother dies and dictates in her will that he reopen the family resort along with his estranged brother, Vance (Tom Long, SeaChange).

From IMDB:

2 brothers who are always at odds are forced by their just-deceased mothers’ strange will to work together and rescue her deteriorating backpack hostel called ‘far out east’. A small town, Broken Bay, is home to most, but not all, of the characters where they work, play and generally get into trouble. A funny, sometimes sad look into the lives of people who are just trying to be themselves.

From AcornTV (all things British) you can stream 2 seasons of this Australian soap opera.  Season 1 has 6 episodes. Season 2 has 7 episodes. Each episode is about an hour.

Even if it is only a B-grade soap opera, still it is relaxing to watch a show without violence, serial killers, and other grim features. Season one is self-contained but leads naturally into season 2.  Many of the characters are somewhat eccentric or hippie or dopey or all of the above.  Other adjectives such as corny or maudlin or predictable come to mind.

Not exactly an enthusiastic recommendation.

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Amusing banter, British, Comedy, Courtroom scenes, Lawyers, Mother-daughter relations, Office Love Affairs, Witty dialog

Newton’s Law (2017)

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From Acorn TV:

Newton’s Law follows Josephine Newton (Claudia Karvan) as she juggles the high-powered and lucrative barrister’s caseload upstairs and the haphazard legal tangles of her former solicitor’s office ten stories below.

From Acorn TV you can stream 8 episodes of this British law comedy. Each episode is a bit less than one hour.

Frothy and light, this series offer you a relaxing escape from the murder and violence presented in so many TV series.  If its style of British comedy appeals to you, you can have a few happy chuckles.

Josephine Newton gets an offer to work for a law firm whose office is in some high floor of a skyscraper. Meanwhile her colleagues from her former firm are eking out a living in an office in the underground parking lot of the same building.  Josephine works upstairs with a former romantic interest while her home life involves Josephine’s fruit cake sister, Josephine’s daughter, and Josephine’s former husband.

Hope you get a laugh or two.

 

2008, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Amusing banter, Catholic Church Corruption, Comic Moments, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Financial malfeasance, Flirting, German, German Detectives, Insurance Fraud, Interest in automobiles, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Made For TV, MHz Choice, Mixed Martial Arts, Murder Investigation, Police Politics, Religious Theme, Revenge, Suspense, Unbelievably smart detective, Uncategorized

Marie’s Mind for Murder (2008)

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From MHz Choice:

After the death of her policeman father, Inspector Marie Brand (Mariele Millowitsch) said goodbye to homicide – or so she thought. But after being called in to consult on a difficult case she finds herself back on the job, working with the very handsome Inspector Jürgen Simmel, a ladies’ man with a soft spot for Marie. With her brilliant, analytical mind for murder and Simmel’s more hands-on approach, these two form a perfect team!

From MHz Choice ($7.99 per month) you can stream 10 episodes of Season 1.  Each episode lasts about an hour and a half. Speech is in German with English subtitles.

To the above summary I can only add that these detective stories are easy to watch (no gore, no serial killers). Brand and Simmel engage in amusing quasi-combative banter. Simmel gets involved with many beautiful women, who unfortunately are often part of the crime du jour. Brand has some personal troubles. Simmel is often clumsy while physically active most of the time ( since he really wants to show off his martial art skills).

All in all, this series is a pleasant way to pass the time.

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Science, Acorn TV, Adopted child, Alzheimer's disease, Ambiguous Conclusion, Amusing banter, Animal story, Assisted Suicide, Australian, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Cancer theme, Comic Moments, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drugs, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Jealousy, Love Story, Made For TV, Melodrama, Mother-son relations, Nudity, School Teacher, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Sex Scenes, Small Town, Small Town Atmosphere, Somewhat trashy, Terminal Disease, Uncategorized, Witty dialog

The Heart Guy (2017)

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From Acorn TV:

Hugh Knight is a rising star in the Sydney heart surgery ranks. He is gifted, charmed, and infallible: a hedonist who – due to his sheer talent – believes he can live outside the rules. But after an incident involving drugs and alcohol, his world comes crashing down. Placed on the Impaired Registrants List for his part in the debacle by the Medical Board, he is banned from surgery and can only work as a local doctor. 

Acorn TV offers Series 1 with 10 episodes, each of approximately 45 minutes length.

Love, loss, sex, comic banter, medical practice, family, jealousy, close friendships, cancer, fatherhood: you name it, it’s all there in this fun-to-watch, very popular Australian TV series. Best of all there is nothing more violent than a fist fight or two.

This Aussie series is much less serious than another Acorn TV offering (which I highly recommend) called “A Place To Call Home” even though there are some sad parts.

WARNING: Episode 10 ends ambiguously, probably in preparation for another season.

Need something “feel good” to watch?  Then don’t miss this show!

 

2015, Alcoholism, Amusing banter, Arson, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Comic Moments, Crime, Cult Brainwashing, Depression, Detective, DNA, Eccentric Detective, Financial malfeasance, Firemen Culture, Gay theme, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Personality or religious cult, Philosophic Discussions, Religious Theme, Revenge, Serial Killer, Sex With Minors, TV Series, Unbelievably smart detective

Backstrom (2015)

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From IMDB:

The Portland Police Bureau’s Elite Special Crimes Unit is led by Det. Lt. Everett Backstrom, an alcoholic and smoker who is in failing health, but takes on cases in special circumstances.

From Netflix you can stream 13 episodes of season one.

Rainn Wilson (who played Dwight Schrute in “The Office”) plays Everett Backstrom as a cynical, alcoholic, smoking, bad food (if at all) eater, who must report regularly to a doctor whose reports either keep Backstrom employed or gets him dropped from police work. Repeatedly in the series he thinks out loud beginning with “I’m X (fill in a suspect) and I operate as follows (fill in case facts) …” He is a disappointed heterosexual who shares a dump of an apartment with a gay roommate who won’t accept Backstrom’s nonsense and often tries to help him. Everett Backstrom always looks like the wrath of God.

Backstrom has the help of Nicole Gravely (played by Genevieve Angelson) whose job is really to make Backstrom’s clever case solutions look as if he operated legally.

You may remember Dennis Haysbert as President David Palmer in the TV series “24”. Here he plays a manager in the police unit.

Because the plots and solutions and methods are original, this is as good a detective TV series as most.

 

 

 

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, 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.

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.

2003, Acorn TV, Adultery, Amusing banter, Arson, British Mystery Series, Child abuse, Detective, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Spousal Abuse, Torture, Violent

Blue Murder (2003)

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From Acorn TV :

Janine Lewis (Caroline Quentin) is a single mother of four who also heads up a police team that probes Manchester’s most gruesome murders.

Yet another police procedural. This time the message is: “Never be a police detective if you have children.” After watching Janine Lewis juggle 24 hour on-call status and raising four children without a husband, you might just feel a bit weary. In the first episode while she is pregnant and has just been promoted to detective, she catches her husband in their bed with another woman: end of marriage.

Four seasons are streamable from Acorn TV. Season 1 has 6 episodes, season 2 has 4 episodes, season 3 has 3 episodes, and season 4 has 6 episodes. There was also an unavailable season 5.

Be aware that some of the crimes can be harrowing. Plots are well written and often involve an unforeseen twist. Some parts of the dialog offer a good laugh.

Will this poor woman detective ever get some time to herself?

2015, Action Film, Action Hero, Amusing banter, Car Chase, Chase film, CIA, Flirting, KGB, Mild Torture, Motorcycles, Spy Versu Spy, Suspense

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

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From NetFlix:

With both their countries threatened by a powerful global crime cartel, the CIA’s Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin must work together in this Cold War thriller inspired by the classic 1960s TV series.

Take two young studs (Henry Cavill as Solo and Armie Hammer as Illya) , throw in two beautiful young women (Alicia Vikander as Gaby and Elizabeth Debicki as Victoria) and some good action scenes and SHAZAMM! we can have a lot of fun. Especially well-crafted was the opening action sequence. Constant competition between Solo and Illya maintains the humor. Of course, you have seen all this before (nuclear warheads, double-crosses, “who is an agent for whom”) but some mixes work better than others and this mix worked for me.

And wasn’t it a surprise to see Hugh Grant cleverly disguised as an Englishman?

Not all the acting is great.

Best of all, this film is intended to be the first of a series. Let’s hope the writers can keep the momentum moving.