Category Archives: Drama

2012, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Ageing Couple, Drama, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Inevitable Ending, Kanopy streaming, Love Story, Mother-son relations, Murder, Redemption, Suspense, Torture, Unhappy Ending, Violent

Deadfall (2012)

From Kanopy:

Two siblings (Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde) fend for themselves in the wake of a botched casino heist, only to reunite during another family’s Thanksgiving celebration in this thriller.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 34 minute complete film.

During this violent thriller there is never a dull moment.

  • Eric Bana, as the brother Addison, is a killer through and through who also happens to lust after his sister Liza.
  • Olivia Wilde is the sister Liza.
  • Charlie Hunnam, as Jay Mills, is the prodigal son of the Mills family. He leaves prison as the film starts
  • Sissy Spacek, as June Mills, is Jay’s mother.
  • Kris Kristofferson, as Chet Mills, is Jay’s father. Chet has more or less disowned Jay.

As Addison flees the law while killing one person after another, he arrives just in time for the Mills’ family Thanksgiving. So also do Liza and Jay arrive for the dinner. By this time they are in love due to Liza’s manipulations.

Expect and ending which is violent, exhausting, and not especially happy.  Worth watching!

Abduction, Abortion, Abuse of Elders, Amazon Prime Brit Box, Amputation as revenge, British Legal Series, Career Competition, Contract Maiming, Contract Torture, Corrupt lawyers, Corrupt policemen, Could Be Hard To Watch, Courtroom scenes, Crime, Crime Family, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Flirting, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Gay Prostitution, Gay theme, Homophobia, Lawyer Politics, Lawyers, Male Prostitutes, Mentally impaired person, Murder, Occasionaly violent, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Rape, Sadism, Suspense, Theft, Torture

Silk (2011)

From BritBox:

Martha Costello is a brilliant barrister who is about to embark on the next step of her career and apply for ‘Silk’. 

From BritBox you can stream 3 seasons of this superb British legal series.  Each season consists of 6 episodes. Each episode lasts about one hour.

If you wish to subscribe to BritBox (entertainment from only members of the British Commonwealth) , then subscribe through Amazon Prime. In that way all the BritBox offerings will appear under the Amazon Prime collection. Accessing BritBox shows becomes that much easier.

————————————————————————–

QUEEN’S COUNSEL (SILK)  (quoted from Wikipedia)

Queen’s Counsels are appointed by letters patent to be one of “Her Majesty’s Counsel learned in the law”. They are not a separate type of lawyer. They are more than long serving lawyers, because their status is given by the Crown and recognised by the courts.

Queen’s Counsel have the privilege of sitting within the Bar of court, and wear silk gowns of a special design (hence the informal title Silks). The special robes are the reason why becoming a QC is often called “taking silk”.

In order to “take silk” a lawyer usually has to serve as a barrister or a Scottish advocate for at least 10 years. Recently solicitors have also been appointed Queen’s Counsel.

A QC’s status means they generally charge higher fees than ordinary barristers, and always have another barrister as an assistant. This assistant is called a “junior” even if the junior has been a lawyer longer than the “silk”.

———————————————————————————

In a certain sense the plot format resembles the American “Law and Order”.  Personal drama and office maneuvers lead to one or several trials. Although the trials do not span episodes,  the drama and intrigue is an ongoing soap opera.  No trial issue is trivial and often brutally engaging.  Be prepared for some difficult viewing.

After you have watched British TV drama for awhile,  you will see the same excellent actors over and over.  Since there are too many to mention, just a few are listed as follows:

  • Maxine Peake plays the series lead Martha Costello. Her courtroom skill is astonishing. Think of Martha as “the good guy” versus the “bad guys”.
  • Rupert Penry-Jones plays Martha’s rival Clive Reader, a handsome cad of a ladies man.  Recall him as DI Joseph Chandler in Whitechapel or Adam Carter in MI-5.
  • Neil Stuke is the ever conniving office boss Billy Lamb. Recall him as Chief Inspector Cooke in Silent Witness.
  • Alex Jennings plays Alan Cowdrey QC. Recall him as Andrew Aldridge in Four Weddings and a Funeral or as Dr. Tim Finch in Unforgotten.
  • Phil Davis plays Mick Joy. Recall him from just about everywhere, for example as DS Ray Miles also in Whitechapel.
  • Nina Sosanya plays Kate Brockman. Recall her as Kate in Last Tango in Halifax.
  • Indira Varma plays George Duggan. (Yes, the female character’s first name is George.) Recall her as Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones.

Relentlessly engaging. DO NOT MISS!

 

2022, Abduction, Anxiety Attacks, Arson, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Boating, Cocaine, Contract Killing, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dark family secrets, Detective, Dishonest father, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Dog episode, Drama, Drug Dealers, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Frame someone for a crime, Hopeless Love, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Motorcycles, Murder, Murder Investigation, Prison, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish Crime Thriller, Violent

Gasmaman (2022)

From MHz Choice:

Alexandra Rapaport stars as a suburban mom pulled into the criminal underworld to pay off her murdered husband’s debts.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 8 episodes of Season 1. Each episode lasts about 44 minutes.

Sonja Ek and her husband Fredrik have three children Nina, Gustav and Linus.  Sonja’s brother is Niklas.  Fredrik, Niklas, and their associate Stein have stolen cocaine from a crime boss. Because Fredrik has hidden the cocaine and then been shot dead, the  other two cronies cannot return the cocaine to the crime boss. Sonja is now burdened with appeasing the crime boss. Sonja’s father is also corrupt, which only makes her life more difficult.

There is not a single relaxing moment in this tense Swedish crime drama.  Expect lots of violence. DO NOT MISS!

 

2016, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Basically Sad, Discussions about Emotions, Dishonest father, Drama, Embezzlement, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Flashbacks, Fraud, Friendship, Gay theme, Jewish Religious Observance, Love Story, Love Triangle, Manipulative personality, Mother-son relations, Pianist, Prison, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Unhappy Ending, Wonderful acting

Those People (2016)

From Amazon Prime:

On Manhattan’s gilded Upper East Side, a younger painter, Charlie, finds the man of his dreams in an older pianist from across the globe, Tim. If only Charlie weren’t secretly in love with his own manipulative best friend, Sebastian, who is embroiled in a financial scandal. In the wake of Sebastian’s notoriety, their tight-knit group of friends must confront the new realities of adulthood.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 29 minute complete film.

Alone the acting would be a reason to watch this film. But Charlie himself is a sympathetic, naïve, and engaging character.  Root for Charlie BUT (spoiler to follow) do not expect a happy ending.

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Adopted child, Amazon Prime, Ambiguous Conclusion, Amnesia, Attempted Murder, Bizarre, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Bull Riding, Bullying, Confusing Plot, Dark family secrets, Defies Categorization, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, Family Conflict, Family Secrets, Fantasy, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Fist Fight, Flashbacks, Incomplete ending, Manslaughter, Marital Infidelity, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Mysterious, Mysterious Disappearance, Paranormal theme, Police Investigation, Problematic Ending, Puzzling Conclusion, Romance, Unusual

Outer Range (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

A rancher fighting for his land and family discovers an unfathomable mystery at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness.

From Amazon Prime you can stream all 8 episodes of Season 1. Each episode lasts between 42 minutes and about 1 hour.

So far there is only one season. And that season is a real head-scratcher. Wonderful acting, beautiful scenery, interesting plot details. But what on earth is the story about?  Certainly this is a fantasy film (but not a horror film).   Episode 8 ends in a very uncertain manner with no hint of a conclusion.  Is there to be another season or have I really missed the point?

Josh Brolin, who plays Royal Abbott, is probably the best known actor.  He and all the other actors do a really fine job in keeping us confused.

Beats me?!

2018, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Androids, Attempted Suicide, Discussions about Emotions, Drama, Romance, Sex Scenes

Zoe (2018)

From Amazon Prime:

ZOE tells a tale of forbidden love between an engineer and a robot. ZOE (Léa Seydoux) and COLE (Ewan McGregor) are colleagues and veiled lovers at a lab working to perfect romantic relationships. But their
relationship is threatened when Zoe discovers the truth about their relationship, sending them into a spiral of confusion, betrayal and the most intense of human emotions, love.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 43 minute complete film.

Rather than a sci-fi story, this film centers on the divide between human emotions and manufactured emotions injected into a robot body indistinguishable from a human body. Can that divide ever be genuinely crossed?

In addition to the relation between Zoe and Cole,  there is a relevant third party Ash, also a robot (played by Theo James who plays Sidney Parker in “Sanditon”).  Imagine being sentient enough to realize you exist but can be “turned off” at any time.

Consisting almost entirely of discussions about emotions and the possibility of happiness, do not expect any action sequences.

2020, 2021, Acceptable for teenagers, British Drama, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Dancing, Drama, Erotic Tension, Family Conflict, Family Secrets, Fashion, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Flirting, Fraud, Gambling, Hopeless Love, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Period Piece, Prostitutes, Regency Era Britain, Remarkable Costumes, Romance, Sex Scenes, Soap Opera, Social Class Inequality, Too Long, Unhappy Marriage, Unloved Child, Unmarried mother, Unwanted Pregnancy, Verbose

Bridgerton (2020)

From IMDB:

Wealth, lust, and betrayal set against the backdrop of Regency-era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.

From Netflix you can stream 2 seasons of this Regency-era serial soap opera.  Each season consists of 8 episodes, each episode lasting roughly one hour.

During the American revolution George III was king of England. Because he suffered from periodic madness due to porphyria (disputed), his son acted as regent and later became George IV. For this reason this period of history is called the Regency era.

Among the wealthy London aristocrats of the Regency era, social competition and ambition centered around gossip,  fancy apparel, and above all else finding suitable husbands for one’s daughters. “Suitable” here means wealthy and hopefully titled, as in prince beats duke beats lord.  Bridgerton in it entirety is about gossip, fancy apparel and husband pursuits.  And what fun it is to watch!

SLIGHT NEGATIVES:

  • Do not be put off by the very beginning in which we see a bare-assed Anthony Bridgerton copulating with his lower class lover against a tree.  Although there are plenty of sex scenes, this is not a trashy production.
  • Talk, talk, talk and more talk.  There is much repetitious talk.

NOTABLE FEATURES:

  • As far as being “woke”,  irregardless of any particular role, parts are mixed between races. For example: Simon Basset, Lady Danbury, and Queen Charlotte are black;  members of the Sharma family are from India; most actors are white.
  • You may not recognize her, but the voice of Lady Whistledown reading her gossip column is none other than Julie Andrews.
  • Underlying all the husband and wife hunting is the motivation for the main protagonists Daphne and Anthony Bridgerton and the Sharma sisters that despite all the imposed societal ambitions,  true love is the oft scorned but most desired quality of a good marriage.

SEASON ONE

Season One is devoted to finding Daphne Bridgerton a husband. After much  pretending and maneuvering,  Duke Simon is the one.  As far as difficulties are concerned, Simon has taken a vow against his much despised father to never produce an heir to the title.

As an extra major distraction, the search is on the discover the identity of Lady Whistledown, the weekly publisher of a gossip paper that more or less rules society.  My lips are sealed.

One further theme is the friendship between Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington.  In reality the Featherington family is penniless, meaning that their daughters MUST marry well in order to rescue the family from its gambling induced poverty.

SEASON TWO

Season Two is devoted to finding a suitable wife for Anthony Bridgerton and a suitable husband for Kate Sharma.   Along the way Anthony misguidedly proposes marriage to Kate’s sister Edwina.

We learn the identity of Lady Whistledown while Queen Charlotte threatens Eloise Bridgerton with ruin if she fails to discover the true identity of Lady Whistledown.

Season Two does not end happily ever after for all. Will there be a Season Three, dear reader?

1994, Action sequences, Bad Acting, Classic, Conspiracy, Drama, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Jealousy, Kanopy streaming, Mediocre, Mother-son relations, Murder, Norse Tale, Nudity, Old-Fashioned, Period Piece, Personal Betrayal, Political Conspiracy, Revenge, Sometimes seems silly, Uncle-Nephew relations

Royal Deceit (1994)

From Kanopy:

An ancient Danish story of evil, power and human spirit, that subsequently inspired William Shakespeare on his tragedy, Hamlet. When the king of Jutland is murdered by his brother, the dark prince claims both the throne and Queen Geruth. Although her son saw the murder, he feigns madness to spare his life.

From Kanopy you can stream this 28 year old film lasting 108 minutes.

Somehow, way back in 1994, the film got past the censors.  Have you ever seen a naked Helen Mirren?  Indeed, there is a lot of nudity in the film.

Give credit to the fact that the filming of this medieval tale hopefully stayed true to the Norse conditions of the time.  Buildings are humble and crude. Clothing is rudimentary.  Weapons and warfare are amateur affairs.  Somehow, killing a man  by simply sticking a short knife somewhere in his body just does not look convincing.

Delivery of the spoken lines is a bit stilted.

Watching a film that is 28 years old gives us a chance to see what familiar actors looked like way back then. And what a difference!

  • Christian Bale as prince Amled was 20 years old.
  • Gabriel Byrne as the evil brother Fenge was 44 years old.
  • Helen Mirren as queen Geruth was 49 years old.
  • Kate Beckinsale as Ethel was 21 years old.
  • Tom Wilkinson as king Hardvendel was 46 years old.

 

2017, Art Museum, Bizarre, Brother-Brother relations, Dark family secrets, Drama, Erotic Tension, Erotic Thriller, Explicit sex, French Mystery, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Kanopy streaming, Love Triangle, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Must suspend disbelief, Nudity, Outrageous Behavior, Psychoanalysis, Psychological Thriller, Sex Scenes, Surprise Ending, Twins, Unusual

Double Lover (2017)

From Kanopy:

Crafting a deliriously cinematic web of suspense, shock, eroticism, and power dynamics, writer/director Francois Ozon returns to master the thriller genre with DOUBLE LOVER.

Chloe, who works as a guard at a museum in Paris, seeks to shore up her resiliency and enters psychoanalysis. Following the end of the treatment with psychiatrist Paul Meyer, both realize that they have fallen in love. A new chapter begins for Chloe when she and Paul move in together…yet Chloe soon comes to believe that Paul is keeping a secret. She impulsively visits another psychiatrist, Louis Delord. Spiraling emotional and sexual stakes will push all three of them to extremes, forcing Chloe to take action in order to solve a mystery and save herself.

Nominated for a Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

“What gives the film its surprising coherence is not only the fluidity of Ozon’s technique but also his mastery of tone, the ease with which he applies serious craft to a resolutely un-serious endeavor.” – Justin Chang, The Los Angeles Times

From Kanopy you can stream this 108 minute French film with English subtitles.

Offering some exciting, explicit sex scenes, this quasi-mystery story is based on a wildly unscientific premise.  In addition to the heavy erotic atmosphere, the film features the  beautiful Marine Vacth who pairs perfectly with the French start Jérémie Renier. Renier featured in “In Bruges”.

Visually, many scenes, especially in the museum, are quite striking and colorful.

Kanopy is available free from your local library.

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!