Category Archives: Child custody

2017, Abandoned child, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Character Driven, Child custody, Conspiracy, Controlling personality, Cult, Cult Brainwashing, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Eccentric Detective, Emotional child abuse, Ethical struggles, Lesbian Theme, Mental Illness, Missing Person, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Investigation, Rape, Serial Killer, Small Town, Suspense, Trial Scenes, Violent

The Sinner (2017)

Leave a comment

From Netflix you can stream 4 seasons of this intense series centering on the central detective character Harry Ambrose.

Each season consists of 8 episodes, each about 42 minutes.

  • Season 1: “Cora”  Cora is a young mother that inexplicably stabs and kills a young man during a family beach outing.   Detective Ambrose must discover why she killed in order to defend her.
  • Season 2: “Julian” Julian is a young boy who confesses to murdering his parents. Ambrose has to investigate the cult to which the boy belongs in order to defend the boy.
  • Season 3: “Jamie” Jamie is the father of a family and is also a serial killer. Ambrose needs to understand Jamie in order to stop his killing and prove his guilt.
  • Season 4: “Percy” Percy is the troubled daughter of the Muldoon fishing family.  In the start of the story Harry thinks he sees Percy commit suicide.  Alongside personal relationship  problems, Harry must once again put himself in danger to get to the bottom of a serious corruption scheme.

As Harry Ambrose the actor Bill Pullman plays a stubborn detective with a very unique personality.  Quiet, always with a knowing shy smile on his face, Harry is his own mystery.  With the other “criminals” he shares a tortured past which we learn bit by bit. Harry takes some remarkable chances in order to solve a mystery.

As far as detective series are concerned:

DO NOT MISS!

2020, Abandoned child, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime Acorn, Athletes, Baby snatching, Beautiful Seaside Town, Boating, Child custody, Danish, Danish Police, Danish TV series, Divorce, Failing Marriage, Father-daughter relations, Jealousy, Lottery Winners, Love Triangle, Mother-daughter relations, Sex trafficking, Swindlers, Unhappy Marriage, Unmarried mother, Violent, Wife leaves husband

The Sommerdahl Murders (2020)

Leave a comment

From Amazon Prime Acorn:

DCI Dan Sommerdahl investigates murders in a lovely Danish coastal town with his best friend, Detective Flemming Torp, and his wife, Marianne, a criminal technician. But Dan’s years of devotion to
the job have hurt his marriage, and with Marianne wanting a divorce, Dan discovers his rival for her affections is none other than his best friend. And they all must still work together to solve crimes.

Amazon Prime offers some subscriptions to special sets of shows, one of which is Acorn TV.  You can, of course, subscribe independently to Acorn TV. But Acorn TV gave me such headaches when I tried to login on my TV set that I switched to the cheaper Amazon version of Acorn.

From Amazon Acorn (and probably Acorn TV) you can stream the 8 episodes of this Danish crime series. Each episode last about 45 minutes. Some stories require 2 episodes.

As explained in the  summary above,  the important theme that runs through all the episodes is the continuing tension between Dan and Marianne.  Somehow the crimes are interesting but secondary in importance to their marriage problems.

Crimes are varied: Sex trafficking, baby theft,  serial swindlers, financial fraud, murder in an athletic setting.

Nothing special but watchable.

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Amusing banter, Chick Flick, Child custody, Comedy, Cooking and food, Corny at times, Flirting, Gay theme, Happy Family Gatherings, Improbable details, Lawyers, Love Story, Motorcycles, Netflix Streaming, Romance, Romantic comedy, Sex Scenes, Sports TV

Life As We Know IT (2020)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

Two single adults become caregivers to an orphaned girl when their mutual best friends die in an accident.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 54 minute complete romantic comedy film.

For anyone who has cared for small children this film presents many familiar scenes.  Add to that mix the fact that Holly Berensen (played by Katherine Heigl) and Eric Messer (played by Josh Duhamel  are suddenly forced to replace the deceased parents and you have many comic moments.

Before the film reaches a happy ending there are the usual clashing career choices, side romances (including Holly with Sam, played by Josh Lucas), and an eccentric social worker. 

Of course there are corny moments and very improbable details but at least you can relax for two hours without seeing any violence.

2018, Abandoned child, Abuse of Women, Addiction, Amusing banter, Bloody scenes, Child custody, Clever Plot, Creepy, Disturbing Image, Drugs, Emotional child abuse, Erotic Thriller, Family Conflict, Flirting, Jealousy, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Psychological Thriller, Revenge, Self-Deception, Sex Scenes, Stalker, Suspense, Unusual, Violent, Vulgar

You (2018)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

A dangerously charming, intensely obsessive young man goes to extreme measures to insert himself into the lives of those he is transfixed by.

From Netflix you can stream two seasons of this somewhat creepy series. Each season contains 10 episodes each of which lasts about 45 minutes.

Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley) at first seems just to be an obsessive stalker.  But harmless he is not. Joe spends 20 episodes talking silently to himself and rationalizing his behavior by somehow letting himself believe that everything he does is for love.  Along the way he manages to kill an awful lot of people in the name of love.

Is Joe mentally ill or just some kind of narcissist that chooses murder as a way to continue  his quest for love?  In any case he is not a serial killer in the accepted sense of the word.

Why watch Joe’s lethal progress?

  •  All along we expect Joe to be killed or caught.  But cleverly unexpected events constantly occur to save Joe’s skin.
  • Trendy dialog rules the day, especially in LA.
  •  In face to face conversations, no matter what tight spot he is in, Joe always manages to manufacture a spin response.
  • Good acting enhances a story that is never boring (although the very end seems to drag a bit).
  •  Segments of Joe’s history as a sad, traumatized child are injected often to explain his current behavior.

Curiosity (as to how on earth this story ends) more than anything kept me hooked to these 20 episodes.

2017, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Boating, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Child custody, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime, Cynical, Dark, Drug Dealers, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, FBI, Financial malfeasance, Gambling, Gay theme, Grim, Large-scale gang activity, Lawyers, Mafia, Money Laundering, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Netflix Streaming, Orphans in Foster Care, Police Corruption, Prison, Revenge, Suspense, Teenagers, Torture, Uncle-Nephew relations, Uncle-Niece relations, Violent, Vulgar, Wonderful acting

Ozark (2017)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss.

From Netflix you can stream two seasons. Each season consists of 10 one-hour episodes. You need to watch both seasons to come to a conclusion of sorts. Conceivably  there could be another season.

Before saying anything more let me warn you that this series is very VIOLENT!

In several places I have read that Donald Trump debases everything and everybody he touches. For a step-by-step detailed textbook showing how evil spreads to engulf even the originally most innocent souls, this series will more than suffice. The process of moral debasement portrays at the same time the “Wages of Sin.” Many involved characters receive harsh retribution, most especially the loss of life, love and respect.

Those of you with strong stomachs may well find these episodes captivating for their attention to detail in the plot, excellent dialog, and superb acting. No wonder the series received 9 Emmy award nominations!  Personally I was as hooked as I was horrified.  Seems I have become very jaded.

Hats off to some remarkable performances:

  •  “Arrested Development” was my first encounter with Jason Bateman who plays Marty Byrde. In both cases Bateman exudes a somewhat-repressed, matter-of-fact, nerdish comportment. Nothing seems to rattle him.  At each shock, after a thoughtful and facially inexpressive pause, during which you can almost hear his brain cells clicking, he manages to smooth talk his way through the crisis. You must wait for almost 20 episodes before you can see his despair.
  •  Laura Linney, who plays Marty’s wife Wendy Byrde constantly flashes the always beautiful smile that launches a thousand crimes.  After a while I finally realized that for the most part Wendy is one of the most evil characters.  Here I am reminded of Hannah Arendt’s phrase “the Banality of Evil”.  One rationalization leads to another.
  •  Julia Garner, who plays Ruth Langmore, turns in a bravo performance as a “white trash” daughter of a convicted criminal. Ruth’s character, while never innocent,  grows to recognize the lowness of her given state in life and does mature to rise above and take responsibility.  Her improvement owes much to the fact that she was born with a very intelligent mind.

Assuming you can get through the first stomach-churners, you may well become as addicted as was I.

2007, Abandoned child, Acorn TV, British, Brother-Sister relations, Child custody, Could Be Sad, Drama, Family Conflict, Orphans in Foster Care, Police Story

Five Days: The Train (2007)

Leave a comment

From Acorn TV:

Five days can change a life forever in this acclaimed BBC serial. Suranne Jones (Scott & Bailey) and BAFTA nominee David Morrissey (The Walking Dead) are police officers investigating an apparent suicide that may be connected to a baby found in a hospital lavatory. Also starring Matthew McNulty (The Terror) and Bernard Hill (The Lord of the Rings films), this is “drama at its best” (TV Times, UK).

From Acorn TV you can stream the five episodes of Series 1. Each episode lasts about an hour.

Out of 120 days, this series selects 5 notable days in the continuing story of a train bridge suicide, finding an abandoned baby’s father, the emotional strain on the baby’s immediate caretaker who wishes to adopt the baby, and a young Muslim possibly connected to terrorism.  In such circumstances not everyone can have their wishes fulfilled.

Worthwhile break from violent TV series.

2011, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Hero, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Car Chase, Child custody, Child Molestation, Contract Killing, Detective, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Failing Marriage, Father-daughter relations, Incest, Missing Person, Murder, Prostitutes, Scottish Detectives, Sex trafficking, Various Romances, Violent

Case Histories (2011)

Leave a comment

From Amazon Prime:

Based on the novels by Kate Atkinson. Former soldier and police officer Jackson Brodie (Golden Globe-nominee Jason Isaacs, “Harry Potter,” “Star Trek: Discovery”) becomes a private investigator, assisted by the loyal Louise (Amanda Abbington, “Sherlock”), compelled to bring peace to victims and their families, all while escaping the memories of his own traumatic past.

Season 2 is now available from Amazon Prime.

SEASON 1 REVIEW:

Amazon Prime streams season 1 of this TV series set in Edinburgh, Scotland. Each of the 3 stories is presented as 2 one-hour episodes, giving us a total of 6 episodes.

Jason Isaacs is perfect for the part of Jackson Brodie. Once again his private life is the usual cliché of a detective so wrapped up in his business that his marriage fails. Much of the time he spends trying to convince his former wife not to move to New Zealand and take his young (and really appealing) daughter Niamh with her. His attachment to Niamh and subsequent heartbreak when she leaves for New Zealand is genuinely portrayed.

Jackson’s main line of work is finding lost people. Even in one story he is searching for more than one person. For this reason you must pay a bit of attention. Often these missing people are somehow connected.

SEASON 2 REVIEW:

Season 2 offers 3 episodes. In general the mood is the same: Jackson Brodie is still the lonely seeker of lost persons and solver of cold cases.

Episode 1: Started Early, Took my Dog has Jackson searching for a woman’s birth mother.

Episode 2: Nobody’s Darling (in which his daughter Marlee returns) has Jackson finding the true murderer of a woman’s daughter.

Episode 3: Jackson and the Women has Jackson finding the true murderer of a young man’s mother. In addition Jackson has several unfortunate relationships.

Because I watched this series twice and enjoyed it both times I hereby deem this series a DO NOT MISS!

2017, Acorn TV, Arson, Bloody scenes, Child custody, Contract Killing, Crude Talk, Dark, Depression, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Fishing, Forensics, Gloomy, Lawyers, Murder Investigation, Nazis, Nudity, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Small Town Atmosphere, Suicide, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, TV Series, Violent

Rebecka Martinsson (2017)

Leave a comment

From Acorn TV:

Swedish with English subtitles. Based on Asa Larsson’s celebrated and popular crime novels, the series takes place in the bleak Northern Environment and revolves around Rebecka Martinsson (Ida Engvoll) a Stockholm lawyer. When a childhood friend suddenly dies Rebecka reluctantly returns to her hometown. But not everything is what it seems and she’s drawn into the gripping pursuit of a killer.

Although MHz Choice offers only foreign language TV with English subtitles, in this case it is exceptionally Acorn TV that streams this particular TV series. Recall that Acorn TV claims to offer only shows from countries associated with the British empire.

Season 1 offers 8 episodes. Each two episodes comprise one complete story.  Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Watching from the beginning is important because, in addition to the detectives solving murders,  all 8 episodes show continuous developments in Rebecka’s life  as a young adult.

This series was a lucky find. Not only are the stories original and out of the ordinary, but the writing and acting are excellent.

Daily life in Sweden is presented in all its frigidity,  gloom, and hardship. But one of Rebecka’s conflicts is whether to continue her successful career as a Stockholm corporate lawyer (and marry one of her fellow employees) or to remain in the cold north where she grew up. Rebecka is played by a Swedish actress named Ida Engvoll. Despite her golden-haired beauty, the story line puts her through much anguish, including a stint in a mental hospital for clinical depression. For much of the series her eyes are made up to be sunken and red making her look downright miserable.  Her relationship with a one-armed police dog handler is an important part of the series, and in fact seems to lead to an as yet unavailable new season.

For a detective series I vote DO NOT MISS!

2017, Acceptable for children, Child custody, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Family Conflict, Mathematician, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Psychological Drama, Suicide, Uncle-Niece relations

Gifted (2017)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

In this wonderfully moving film, a single man (Chris Evans) strives to give his child prodigy niece (Mckenna Grace) a normal life, despite interference from the girl’s grandmother.

British Airways offered this gem of a film on a flight to London.

Chris Evans, in a break from adolescent action films, gives a sensitive performance as a higher education drop-out, Frank Adler,  who scrapes by repairing small boats.  His sister was a brilliant mathematician who committed suicide, leaving her equally brilliant young daughter Mary without a mother.  Evelyn Adler, Frank’s mathematician mother, is a grandmother from hell who wants her granddaughter to do nothing but develop her prodigious abilities in mathematics. Trying to provide Mary with a normal happy childhood means Frank must engage in a constant tug-of-war with Evelyn.

Not only because this is a positive well played film, but also  because it has a happy ending (for a change),  I am recommending this film.  However, expect to shed a few tears before you reach the happy conclusion.

DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

2001, 2003, 2012, Abduction, Abortion, Abuse of Women, Alcoholism, Bloody scenes, Career Competition, Child custody, Computer geeks, Corruption, Crime thriller, Detective, Divorce, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Financial malfeasance, Jealousy, Journalist, Lesbian Theme, MHz Choice, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Private Versus Professional Life, Psychopath, Revenge, Serial Killer, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Terrorist Attack, Thriller, TV Series, Unmarried mother, Violent, Vulgar

Annika Bengtzon (2012)

Leave a comment

From MHz Choice:

Based on author Liza Marklund’s best-selling crime novels, Annika Bengtzon is a journalist and working mother of two struggling to raise her family. Fearless in her search for the truth, she won’t take no for an answer from anyone: not from prestigious academicians or drug dealers or from colleagues inside her own profession.

MHz Choice streams this Swedish TV crime series (with English subtitles) in two seasons. Season 1 includes 6 episodes all of which were made in 2012. Season 2 includes only 2 episodes made in 2001 and 2003.  First watch Season 1 in which Annika is played by the beautiful Malin Crépin.  Season 2 contains “Paradise” which is a prequel that tells how a young Annika fights to be a reporter, and “Deadline” which takes 2 hours and features Annika as a second-in-command at the newspaper. All the other 7 episodes last about 1.5 hours. In season 2 Annika is played by Helena Bergström who is extremely different in appearance from Malin Crépin. Visually, for example in the physical appearance of actors, season 1 is more of a crowd pleaser.

As is the case with many crime shows featuring a woman doing the sleuthing, the theme is how the woman must battle male prejudice while trying to balance her obsessive drive to do her job (here to deliver news stories)  with the demands of her family (here husband and two children). Quite a bit of really NOT boring film footage is devoted to jealous bickering in the newsroom.

Only one episode was somewhat boring. In every episode, however, the suspense is palpable, especially because  Annika’s life is usually in danger.

If you like an intense rush, try these two series.