Category Archives: Complicated

2021, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Addiction, Amputee, Angola, Attempted Murder, Based on true facts, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Bureaucracy, CIA, Cold War, Communists, Complicated, Conspiracy, Corrupt Military, Corrupt Politicians, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cover-up, Cruelty, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, FADO songs, False Accusations, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Frame someone for a crime, Government cover-up, Historical Fiction, Hostage Taking, International thriler, Invincible villain, Jealousy, Lesbian Theme, Local color, Longsuffering wife, Love Story, Male Chauvinism, Marital Infidelity, Military, Missing Person, Monstrous Father, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Mysterious Disappearance, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Pianist, Plot twists, Police Corruption, Police cover-up, Political Intrigue, Portuguese, Portuguese History, Portuguese-Angola War, Promiscuity, Puzzling Ending, Radio Free Europe, Rape, Revenge, Russian Anti-USA Scheme, Russian Spy, Ruthless Killer, Sex Scenes, Sexual promiscuity, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Surprise Ending, Suspense, Tennis, Thriller, Torture, Traitors, Trust Nobody, Unhappy Marriage, Unwanted Pregnancy, Violent, War, Wife Beating, Womanizing, Wrongful Arrest

Glória (2021)

From IMDB:

In the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, in the small village of Glória do Ribatejo, João Vidal will take on several high-risk espionage missions that could change the course of Portuguese and world history.

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of this Portuguese spy thriller.  Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. In Portuguese and English with subtitles.

RARET is short for portuguese RAdio de RETransmissão (Retransmission Radio).  Think of RARET as Radio Free Europe.  An article in the New York Times suggested this film to me. That article, which is worth reading, begins as follows:

————————————————————————-

Anyone who didn’t live through the Cold War might find the Portuguese Netflix spy thriller series “Glória” improbable.

Deep in the Portuguese countryside, in the tiny village of Glória, a complex radio transmission operation run by Portuguese and American engineers springs up in the 1950s, a branch of a Munich-based news organization called Radio Free Europe.

It broadcasts news and anti-communist messages in languages of various Soviet republics, but, in the show and in real life, that’s only part of its early mission: It’s also a C.I.A. front.

Until 1971, Radio Free Europe was a covert U.S. intelligence operation seeking to penetrate the Iron Curtain and foment anti-communist dissent in what was then Czechoslovakia, in Poland and elsewhere.

João (Portuguese for John) is a Russian spy seeking to undermine the activities of RARET.  Through 10 episodes we watch his masterful deceits while many around him get hurt as a result. To really appreciate the story you might brush up on some Portuguese history such as its imperialism (especially in Angola), the dictator Salazar, and PIDE (the Portuguese secret police).

Because the very ending comes as a complete and puzzling surprise, after finishing the series you can read an explanation.

Do not expect much happiness. But – DO NOT MISS!

2022, Abandoned child, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Arson, Based on a Book, Binge worthy, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Child Social Services, Clever Plot, Complicated, Dark family secrets, Detective, Discussions about Emotions, DO NOT MISS, Failed Mother, Frame someone for a crime, Hopeless Love, Incompetent or unfit mother, Lawyers, Marital Infidelity, Monstrous Mother, Mother-son relations, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, Parkinson's disease, Personal Betrayal, Plot twists, Prostitute, Psychological Thriller, Psychologist, Revenge, Ruthless Killer, Self-cutting, Self-harm, Shocking Ending, Sundance Now Streaming, Troubled Personality, Wrongful Arrest

The Suspect (2022)

From Sundance Now:

Joseph O’Loughlin has the perfect life: a beautiful wife, a loving daughter, and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But it all begins to unravel when the police seek his professional opinion about the murder of a young woman. Caught in an increasingly complex web of deceit, Joseph risks everything as he embarks upon a search for a killer.

From Sundance Now (through Amazon Prime) you can stream the 5 episodes of this clever suspense series. Each episode lasts about 47 minutes.

Thanks to my neighbor Terry for introducing me to Sundance Now which currently through Amazon Prime is $6.99 per month after a short free trial.

Someone is killing a series of people.  Although DI Vince Ruiz almost obsessively zeroes in on the psychologist Joe O’Loughlin, you will probably spend all 5 episodes bouncing your suspicions from one character to the next. After many character twists the conclusion is a knock out.

Joining Sundance Now just to watch “The Suspect” is worth the price. Besides, you can cancel at any time.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Attempted Murder, Binge worthy, Blackmail, British Politics, Career Competition, CIA, Complicated, Corrupt Politicians, DO NOT MISS, Ethical struggles, Everybody lies, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Friendship, MI-6, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Netflix Streaming, Plot twists, Political Intrigue, Revenge, Russian Spy, Suspense, Trust Nobody

Treason (2022)

From IMDB:

Adam Lawrence was trained and groomed by MI6; his career seems set. When the past catches up with him in the form of Kara, a Russian spy with whom he shares a complicated past, he is forced to question everything and everyone in his life.

From Netflix you can stream the 5 episodes of this British political intrigue series. Each episode lasts roughly 40 minutes.

Potentially complicated, this series is actually fairly easy to follow. As usual the theme is “you can’t trust anyone.”  Your task is to figure out who is the Russian spy in the British government.  Is Adam Lawrence the traitor?  Who killed the 5 men in Baku?

Be ready for unexpected twists and turns in this binge-worthy British thriller.

DO NOT MISS!

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Arson, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Complicated, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Eccentric Detective, Embezzlement, Ethical struggles, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Fist Fight, Flashbacks, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Greed, Illegal immigrant, Lawyers, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Social Class Inequality, Suicide, Unbelievably smart detective, Uncategorized

Knives Out (2019)

From Netflix:

A detective unravels the tangled web of secrets and lies
surrounding the death of a successful crime novelist and his
unsettling, eccentric family.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour 10 minute mystery film.

Of the two “Knives Out” films currently available on Netflix, this first installment is in ways superior to the second installment “Glass Onion: Knives Out”.  Probably the more established cast of “Knives Out” accounts for the better acting.  Dialog in “Glass Onion” is often crudely vulgar which sometimes is a clue to compensating for lower quality writing.

That established cast includes:

  • Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc the detective in both “Knives Out” flims.
  • Chris Evans as the wayward son Ransom Drysdale.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis as Linda Drysdale.
  • Michael Shannon as Walt Thrombey.
  • Don Johnson as Richard Drysdale.
  • Toni Collette as Toni Thrombey née Drysdale.
  • Christopher Plummer as Harlan Drysdale, the patriarch.

Ana de Armas as Marta Cabrera is a relative newcomer and is in someway the star of the show.

One of many examples of a household assembly of suspects in a murder in the gathering, this complexly plotted who-done-it is well worth watching. In fact

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Hero, Action sequences, Amazon Prime, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, Based on a Book, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Career Competition, Chase film, CIA, Cold War, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Conspiracy, Corrupt Military, Corrupt Politicians, Coup, Ethical struggles, Everybody lies, Father-daughter relations, Fist Fight, GRU, Invincible Hero, Murder, Narcissistic Personality, Navy, Personal Betrayal, Physical fighting, Plot twists, Political Conspiracy, Political Intrigue, Politicians, Suspense, Thriller, Traitors, Treason, Violent

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

In Season 3 of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Jack races against time and across Europe to stop a rogue faction within the Russian government from  restoring the Soviet Empire and starting World War III.

From Amazon Prime you can stream season 3 of the Jack Ryan series. Season 3 consists of 8 episodes. Each episode runs between 45 minutes and an hour.

Continuing in the view of the first two seasons, this series treats us to one action event after the other. Along the way the cast of characters and their loyalties keep changing in possibly confusing rapidity.  Flashbacks are vital in explaining the motives of the various actors in the plot.

Among the many good performance I would award a prize to James Cosmo for his portrayal of Luka Gocharov.

Expect 8 hours of constant excitement and possible confusion.

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Art Treasures, Bloody scenes, Boring occasionally, Complicated, Conspiracy, Disguises, Ethical struggles, Everybody lies, Fraud, Impersonation, Love Triangle, Murder, Murder by poison, Netflix Streaming, Off-color moments, Personal Betrayal, Plagiarism, Plot Twist, Satisfying Ending, Suspense, Unbelievably smart detective, Uncategorized

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

From Netflix:

World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel
back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his
eclectic crew of friends.

From Netflix you can stream the second installment of the “Knives Out” series. “Glass Onion” runs for 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Should Daniel Craig have stuck to playing James Bond (despite the fact that Bond dies in the last of that series) ?  As the movie starts I thought “Oh, no! Has-beens on parade!”  After awhile the story picks up, so you have to persist. Even Edward Norton’s long-winded boring speeches make a bit of sense.

Be on the lookout for cameo appearances by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Grant.

After two hours the story literally comes to a smashing end. Give the production a B+.

2011, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Ageing parent, Amazon Prime Brit Box, Based on a Book, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, British Police, Car Chase, Career Criminal, Clever Plot, Complicated, Contract Killing, Corrupt policemen, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime, Crime thriller, Death of a child, Detective, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Eccentric Detective, Emotional abuse, Ethical struggles, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Fight Scenes, Flirting, Forensics, Gambling, Grim, Grisly, Gritty, Hopeless Love, Human trafficking, Infuriating, Lawyers, Love Story, Mourning, Murder, Murder Trial, Pedophilia, Plot twists, Poker, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Possibly upsetting ending, Psychiatrists, Romance, Sad ending, Single Mother, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Trial Scenes, Upsetting ending, Violent

DCI Banks (2011)

From IMDB:

The tenacious and stubborn DCI Banks unravels disturbing murder mysteries aided by his young assistants, DS Annie Cabbot and DI Helen Morton.

From Amazon Prime Brit Box (or just independently Brit Box) you can stream 5 seasons of this outstandingly tense British crime series. Almost all complete stories require two consecutive episodes.  All seasons contain 6 episodes (i.e 3 stories) where each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Season 1 contains 7 episodes because the first episode is the pilot called “Aftermath”. PLEASE DO NOT WATCH this episode because it is so ugly that you might not want to watch the rest of the series. Indeed the crimes in all the stories are disturbing but season 1 episode 1 is especially nasty.

Detectives Alan Banks, Annie Cabbot, and Helen Morton are  present throughout.  Alan falls in love with Annie and a constant theme is whether they will ever get together. Alan’s father is always an annoyance. Shaun Dooley plays a wonderfully infuriating evil criminal Steve Richards.

Kathy and I eagerly ploughed through all 30 episodes, exclaiming after each story “Wow!”  In fact in one sitting we always watched two episodes making one complete story.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Action Film, Action Hero, Amazon Prime, Big Pharma, Bloody scenes, Boating, Brain Tumor, Complicated, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corrupt Military, Corrupt Pharmaceutical Firm, Corrupt Politicians, Cover-up, Ethical struggles, Extremely Violent, Fight Scenes, Flashbacks, Frame someone for a crime, Friendship, Government cover-up, Government human experiment, Government medical experiment, Harmful Medicine, Mental Illness, Navy Seals, Personal Betrayal, Revenge, Sniper, Suspense, Violent, War

The Terminal List (2022)

From IMDB:

A former Navy SEAL officer investigates why his entire platoon was ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 8 episodes of this action thriller. Each episode lasts about one hour.

Essentially, this is a revenge film based on the complications of a quasi-government human experiment gone wrong.  As more details of the government cover-up come to light, the revenge list maintained by James Reece, played by Chris Pratt, of the guilty parties grows as he doggedly eliminates each person on that list.

Violent but engaging revenge series right up to the relentless ending.

2020, Abduction, Action Film, Addiction, Arson, Attempted Rape, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Boxing, British, Car Chase, Career Criminal, Complicated, Contract Killing, Crime thriller, Drugs, Exaggeration Comedy, Extreme Violence as Comedy, Failed Father, Father-daughter relations, Fight Scenes, Fist Fight, Gangs, Lot's of Fun, Marijuana, Mayhem, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Physical fighting, Plot twists, Theft, Violent

The Gentlemen (2020)

From IMDB:

An American expat tries to sell off his highly profitable marijuana empire in London, triggering plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 53 minute complete British action crime film.

Most apt category that describes this film is “Extreme Violence as Comedy” which we saw in other films such as “The Boondock Saints”, “Killers”, and “Fargo”.  Did I mention that this film is  VIOLENT?

But it really is entertaining and fun (what does that say about us?) What really sells the film for me is the well choreographed ensemble work.  And what an ensemble of actors! To name only a few:

  • Matthew McConaughey
  • Charlie Hunnam
  • Michelle Dockery  (who has really escaped from Downton Abbey)
  • Colin Farrell
  • Hugh Grant
  • Eddie Marsan (Familiar or not, you see him in many films)
  • Samuel West  (Another “seen everywhere” British actor)

Another great guilty pleasure.  Not for children.

2022, Blackmail, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Complicated, Controlling personality, Corny at times, Corrupt Pharmaceutical Firm, Corruption, Dark family secrets, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Flashbacks, Greed, Illegitimate Child, Maudlin, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Pianist, Political Terrorists, Revenge, Suspense, Terrorists, Too Long, Witness Protection

Pieces of Her (2022)

From IMDB

When a Saturday afternoon trip to the mall with her mother suddenly explodes into violence, an adrift young woman’s conception of her mother is forever changed. As figures from her mother’s past start to resurface, she is forced to go on the run and on that journey, begins to piece together the truth of her mother’s previous identity and uncovers secrets of her childhood.

From Netflix you can stream 8 episodes of this crime saga. Each episode lasts between 42 minutes and 62 minutes.

Mainly this sequence of flashbacks explains why Laura Oliver (played by Toni Collette) has been in witness protection for many years.   Probably the story could have been told in a fewer number of episodes, but just hang in there while keeping track of the many characters.  Just remove several maudlin scenes and the series might shorten.

Not a complete waste of time.