Category Archives: Crude Talk

2014, Amusing banter, Art Treasures, Comedy, Crude Talk, Farce, Imperfect, Possible a put-on, Satire, Trains

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

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Fron Netflix:

Between the world wars, Gustave H, the concierge at a prestigious European hotel, takes a bellboy named Zero as a trusted protégé. Meanwhile, the upscale guests are involved in an art theft and a dispute over a vast family fortune.

Despite some great sight gags, the constant tongue-in-cheek patter is a bit overdone. Perhaps as a conciliation prize we get to watch a constantly changing series of often exaggerated scenes and situations. At times the scenery, if it is real, is breathtaking. Much of the constant and rapid movement is hilarious probably because it is unlikely in not downright impossible.

Is it a tip-off that the film is imperfect when there are so many notable walk-ons? Besides Ralph Fiennes through most of the film, we also get to see Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, and Edward Norton. Not only was some of the acting (more precisely, script reading) not very good, but why was it that for me in this film the American accents sounded so flat?

Maybe I am over critical or expected too much. But I did get a few good laughs.

2014, Addiction, Car Chase, Crime, Crude Talk, Detective, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Nothing special, Police Story, Revenge, Violent

Blood Ties (2014)

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From Netflix:

When 50-year-old Chris is released from prison, his younger brother Frank, an up-and-coming member of the police force, welcomes him with open arms. But when Chris has trouble staying straight, Frank is trapped between duty and family.

We should probably coin a name for those films featuring two brothers, one of whom is a crook and the other a cop. How about “Good Brother, Bad Brother”? There are an awful lot of such GBBB films. What makes this GBBB film a bit better is the fact that Bad Brother is Clive Owen and Good Brother is Billy Crudup. In this case we might change “Good Brother” to “Conflicted Brother” although that is often the case in GBBB films.

Remember Marion Cotillard who played Edit Piaf in that wonderful 2007 film “La Vie en Rose“? Here she plays a drug-addicted woman sadly misused by Bad Brother.

James Caan is the aged and dying father of the two brothers.

Nothing special, but not a waste of time.

2013, Abduction, Addiction, Based on true facts, Child abuse, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crude Talk, Detective, Drugs, Grim, Nudity, Prostitutes, Serial Killer, Suspense, Thriller, True Story, Violent

Frozen Ground (2013)

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From Netflix:

In this fact-based thriller starring Nicolas Cage, an Alaska state trooper looking to bring a notorious serial killer to justice teams with a 17-year-old prostitute who escaped the predator’s clutches.

Oh no! Not another serial killer film! Nevertheless the film is well-done, exciting and engaging. Of course it doesn’t hurt that John Cusack portrays to perfection a very disturbed serial killer Robert Hansen. It always helps to have a really clever and devious bad guy. Nicolas Cage is excellent in his relentless drive to convict Robert Hansen.

Dean Norris plays Sgt. Lyle Haugsven. Every time I see Dean Norris I identify him with the DEA brother-in-law in the not-to-be-missed TV series “Breaking Bad”.

When you realize that this is a true story, the film takes on more urgency. At the end of the film the screen text tells us what happens to Robert Hansen after his conviction.

More than likely, I will never move to Alaska. But I was really caught up in this suspenseful film.

2013, Acceptable Trash, Amusing banter, Based on true facts, Comedy, Corruption, Crude Talk, Cynical, Drugs, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, FBI, Financial malfeasance, Gay theme, Greed, Lawyers, Nudity, Scam Artists, Vulgar

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

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From Netflix:

Martin Scorcese’s high-rolling Wall Street drama is based on the memoirs of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, whose giddy career — involving audacious scams and confrontations with the FBI and other agencies — ended in federal prison.

Pop quiz: Who is America’s worst enemy? Answer: Her own financial institutions.

Normally I do not consider myself a prude, but I was shocked to:

  • see nude, explicit heterosexual activity
  • see nude, explicit male gay activity
  • hear some of the crudest, most explicit sexual references I have ever heard
  • hear a lot of screaming in place of worthwhile scripting.

Is this film merely an excuse to present the above items? Can the bar go any lower?

On the positive side, this film IS entertaining: tongue-in-cheek banter, a true parade of idiots, nude explicit sexual activity. What’s not to love? And if you ever wanted instruction on how to enrich yourself at the expense of gullible investors, this film is textbook. Have you ever seen a broker talking to a client on the phone while simultaneously giving that client the finger? You can also learn a lot from the shady Swiss bankers.

Keep your money in a sock and enjoy this guilty pleasure embarrassment.

2013, Addiction, Alcoholism, Crude Talk, Dysfunctional Lives, Marital Infidelity, Melodrama, Nothing special, Suicide, Vulgar

August: Osage County (2013)

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From Netflix:

When their father disappears, three strong-willed women return to their childhood home and to their equally strong-willed mother. As they search for their patriarch, the dysfunctional family members wind up facing difficult truths about themselves.

What an impressive collection of actors for the family ensemble from Hell! Watching this soap opera may seem familiar because there are so many “family get-together” films just like it. For some reason this new addition to the “Dysfunctional Family Hall of Fame” was for me enjoyable. But then let’s take a look at the roster.

  • Meryl Streep (Violet Weston) – drug-addicted widow of recently self-destructed husband, world-class alcoholic Sam Shepard (Beverly Weston)
  • Julia Roberts (Barbara Weston) Violet’s daughter – married to but separated from Ewan McGregor (Bill Forham). Their daughter is the renowned vegetarian Abigail Breslin (Jean Fordham)
  • Margo Martindale (Mattie Fae Aiken) Violet’s sister – married to Chris Cooper (Charlie Aiken). Their son is the stammering neurotic Benedict Cumberbatch (Little Charles Aiken)
  • Julianne Nicholson (Ivy Weston) is Violet’s unmarried daughter who is the girl friend of Little Charles Aiken.
  • Juliette Lewis (Karen Weston) is the scatter-brain daughter about to marry her latest boyfriend, thrice-married Dermot Mulroney (Steve Huberbrecht).

Once you get all those relations straight the rest is easy. If you are really confused try the Wikipedia summary.

Just be prepared for some ugly surprises. Nothing special.

2013, Acceptable Science, Addiction, AIDS, Based on true facts, Crude Talk, Dark, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Gambling, Gay theme, Grim, Homophobia, Human spirit, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Transvestite theme, Unusual, Violent

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

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From Netflix:

Loosely based on true events, this drama follows Ron Woodroof, who refuses to accept he’ll die in 30 days when he’s diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. He extends his life and eventually helps many other AIDS patients by smuggling medications from abroad.

Repulsive! At least that was my first impression of Ron Woodroof who throughout the film is always “in your face”. His unbridled lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and prostitutes leads to full-blown AIDS. He then spent the rest of his life (which was much longer than the doctors foresaw) smuggling medications from wherever he could. Along the way he eventually accepts as a friend a cross-dressing male prostitute despite the fact that Woodroof is portrayed as virulently homophobic. Also he eventually finds a helper and friend in a woman doctor from the local Dallas hospital.

My criterion for a good actor is one that is a true cameleon, that is to say, can adapt to many different parts. In my opinion, Matthew McConaughey has achieved cameleon-hood. Let’s hope he did not injure his health losing so much weight in order to look like a scrawny AIDS patient.

Be sure to consult the Wikipedia article which at the end contrasts the film plot with the true story.

If you don’t mind a view of America’s low life culture, in view of McConaughey’s performance, I call this a DO NOT MISS!

2013, Abduction, Acceptable Trash, Action Film, Action Hero, Addiction, B-movie, Boxing, Bullying, Car Chase, Crude Talk, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Gangs, Mayhem, Mixed Martial Arts, Motorcycles, Revenge, Sad small town, School Teacher, Suspense, Violent, Vulgar

Homefront (2013)

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From Netflix:

When ex-DEA agent Phil Broker is widowed, he moves with his 10-year-old daughter to a small town in pursuit of a quiet life, but he finds his dream destroyed by a murderous drug trafficker, Gator, and his gang of meth-making thugs.

Once again you have already seen this film with many other names. Jason Statham films are all more or less the same: really nasty bad people trying to kill really good (albeit a bit violent) people like our hero Jason and his 10-year old daughter.

Laugh all you want: I was once again glued to my seat. Does Jason Statham use a double? He sure can fist fight and shoot guns and do kick boxing and do somersaults and withstand water boarding (which according to President Cheney is NOT torture). What a hero!

There has to be a reason what these films are so popular. Putting snobbery aside, they are CONSISTENT. Story line manages to insert human interest, acting is reasonably good, car chases well filmed. Plant a radish, get a radish. You know what you are getting when you invest precious time in a Jason Statham film.

One of my many guilty pleasures.

2013, Barely Acceptable Trash, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crude Talk, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Explicit sexual discussion, Greed, Lawyers, Mediocre, Not Recommended, Revenge, Sadism, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent, Vulgar

The Counselor (2013)

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From Netflix;

Michael Fassbender stars in this thriller penned by iconic novelist Cormac McCarthy as an attorney who mistakenly believes he can dabble in the drug business without any consequences — only to find himself drowning in a nightmarish downward spiral.

With a few exceptions (“In Her Shoes”, “My Best Friend’s Wedding”) Cameron Diaz has been typecast as a slut. This film is not one of those exceptions. In fact she plays a well-dressed completely amoral woman that engineers sadistic deaths for several men and women. “Sadistic” here is not an exaggeration:

  • Witness a motorcycle scene in which the rider is purposely and cleverly decapitated. Heads will roll!
  • Witness a woman’s body being thrown by earth movers into a public garbage dump. You will recognize this victim.
  • Witness an automatic, unstoppable, non-cuttable wire loop that before it strangles its victim, it cuts the carotid artery. You will also recognize this victim.

Does this sound like a sadistic gore contest?

Of course there are always the required sex scenes which in our current sex scene contest offers Cameron Diaz having sexual intercourse with an automobile. For kicks she then tries to confess to a Catholic priest who leaves the confessional in disgust.

You are hereby encouraged to SKIP THIS FILM!

2014, Based on true facts, Basically Sad, Book Review, Crude Talk, Disturbing Image, Explicit sexual discussion, Military, PTSD, Torture, Violent, War, War Veterans

Redeployment (2014)

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From GoodReads:

Phil Klay’s Redeployment takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos.

From Phil Klay’s blog:


Phil Klay is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in Iraq’s Anbar Province from January 2007 to February 2008 as a Public Affairs Officer. After being discharged he went to Hunter College and received an MFA. His story “Redeployment” was originally published in Granta and is included in Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, the New York Daily News, Tin House, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012.

When I started reading “Redeployment” I was horrified at the language and writing style which reminded me of a C-student in a slow track in high school. But the story itself is tragically interesting. After reading more chapters I realized that each chapter is written in the voice of some particular character. Here are some examples of some chapters:

  • REDEPLOYMENT: Told by an uneducated young man who volunteered.
  • FRAGO: Description of a house raid.
  • AFTER ACTION REPORT: Timhead’s first kill is a young boy and he suffers a lot of anguish.
  • BODIES: Lonely Marine at home visits his former girlfriend.
  • OIF: An unreadable satire featuring the military alphabet soup of acronyms.
  • MONEY AS A WEAPONS SYSTEM: American bureaucrat in Iraq eventually learns the impossibility of getting anything done.
  • IN VIETNAME THEY HAD WHORES: Frank discussion of the sexual practices of military personnel.
  • PRAYER IN THE FURNACE: Military chaplain gives his side of the picture.

So far the above chapters cover about half the book and the list goes on.

“Redeployment” may be worth your time for the content rather than the several styles.

But the summary remains the usual: War is hell and destroys soldiers, especially the ones who physically survive.

2014, Abduction, Alcoholism, Child Molestation, Conspiracy, Corruption, Creepy, Crude Talk, Detective, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, FBI, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Philosophic Discussions, Physical child abuse, Police Corruption, Psychological Thriller, Serial Killer, Suspense, TV Series, Violent

True Detective (2014)

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From Netflix:

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson star in this crime drama about two detectives caught up in the 17-year-long hunt for a serial killer. Both cops’ roles in a 1995 murder investigation come back to haunt them when the case is reopened.

Because the DVDs are not yet available and because there was so much interest in this 8-episode series, I weakened and subscribed to HBO so that I could stream all 8 episodes without waiting. For $10 a month for one year, the money was well spent. HBO (and no, I am not getting a selling commission) offers not only streaming on HBOGO but also at least 14 channels on cable TV.

Besides a really gory serial killer and some pretty serious pedophilia, mostly the entire series concentrates on the two detectives. McConaughey and Harrelson have both matured in their acting as they present the two detectives constantly at each other’s throat. Harrelson is a flawed adulterer much to the unhappiness of his long-suffering wife. McConaughy is a moody philosophical pessimistic loner suffering throughout the film from the death of his young daughter and the subsequent failure of his marriage.

Wikepedia offers a very detailed discussion of the film including the plot for each episode. But that would be cheating!

“True Detective” is one of those crime series that can easily suck you into watching all episodes non-stop. But if this is your genre, then DO NOT MISS!