Category Archives: Drama

1987, Anti-Gay Laws, Anxiety Attacks, Based on a Book, Blackmail, Boxing, British Drama, Cambridge University, Church of England, Classic, Drama, Ethical struggles, Explicit sexual discussion, Father-son relations, Friendship, Gay theme, Good Acting, Good Production Values, Government Prosecutions, Happy ending, Homophobia, Kanopy streaming, Love Story, Mostly About Sex, Mother-son relations, Nudity, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Sex Scenes, Uncategorized, Upstairs - Downstairs, Wasp Snobs

Maurice (1987)

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From IMDB:

After his lover rejects him, a young man trapped by the oppressiveness of Edwardian society tries to come to terms with and accept his sexuality.

From Kanopy you can stream this 2 hour 20 minute vintage British film made by Merchant Ivory and  based on the 1971 novel Maurice by E. M. Forster

34 years ago some very young but now well-known British actors made what  has been called Ivory’s best film. In 1987 it got rave reviews and awards everywhere except England.  In the Wikipedia article about the film, the director James Ivory is quoted as saying:

… in England, where almost every important film critic was gay, they came out against the film. Their reactions to it were extraordinary! You’d think that they would have been supportive, but they were afraid to be supportive.

Despite those actors being so young, it is easy to recognize Hugh Grant, James Wilby, Rupert Graves,  Judy Parfitt, Ben Kingsley and others.

If there is a secondary theme, it is the strict division between the upper and  servant classes.

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Brain Invasion, Brother-Brother relations, Complicated, Computer hacking, Controlling personality, Drama, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Identity Theft, Jealousy, Mother-son relations, Narcissist, Nothing special, Revenge, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

The Feed (2019)

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From IMDB:

A man’s invention of a brain implant that allows people to share thoughts and emotions gets into the wrong hands.

From Amazon Prime:

In the near future, people’s minds are connected to The Feed, giving them instant connectivity. When something or someone invades it, everyone is at risk

From Amazon Prime you can stream 10 episodes, each  lasting about 55 minutes, of this one season sci-fi series.

What a mess!  This complicated story and set of characters seems to go on forever.  As a concept, the idea that we could all be part of some mental “Facebook” is scary and also a good theme for a sci-fi story.  But “Takers” keep stealing people’s bodies and often you might not be sure just what person you are seeing.

Besides the sci-fi mumbo jumbo, a background issue is the narcissist scientist who created this mess and how he treats his adult children as well as the rest of poor inferior mankind.  Maybe that counts as drama.

Not a complete waste of time.

2016, Based on a Book, Basically Sad, Brother-Brother relations, Cancer theme, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, French, French Culture, Good Acting, Kanopy streaming, Medical Theme, Plot Twist, Quiet, Slow, Suicide, Things Left Unsaid

Le Fils de Jean [A Kid] (2016)

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From IMDB:

Mathieu has never known his father. His mother has always told him he was the fruit of a one-night-stand. One morning, in his Parisian flat, he receives a call from Quebec telling him his father just died. Mathieu decides to go to the funeral and meet the two Canadian brothers he just found out he had. In Montreal, nobody is aware of his existence, and Mathieu realizes he is in a hostile territory.

From Kanopy you can stream this quiet, understated, moving French film which lasts 1 hour and 38 minutes.

Let me again remind you that Kanopy is offered free by your local public library. Just google for “Kanopy”.  If you like older films, you will find them in Kanopy.

Hopefully you have streamed “Wonderland” from MHz Choice.  In that marvelous series Jérémy was played by the French actor Pierre Deladonchamps.  Confusingly enough, if you want to find Wonderland  in IMDB, you have to look for a film named “Romance” because looking for “Wonderland” will get you nowhere.

Deladonchamps plays Mathieu in “Le Fils de Jean”.   He and his supporting actors produce a sad and effective portrait of family confusion.  With very little violence (some minor scuffles) the story slowly moves toward probably the only conclusion it could reach.

Perhaps Deladonchamps is an actor to watch. Good film!

2012, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, Anxiety Attacks, Brother-Sister relations, Career Competition, Character Driven, Corruption, Could Be Sad, Cover-up, Danish, Danish Politics, Danish TV series, Depression, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Embezzlement, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Husband leaves wife, Love Story, Love Triangle, Marital Infidelity, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Newspaper Culture, NOT violent, Personal Betrayal, Political Intrigue, Politicians, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Romance, Thought provoking, TV Culture, TV news industry, TV Reporter, Well developed plot, Womanizing

Borgen (2012)

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From IMDB:

A political drama about a prime minister’s rise to power, and how power changes a prime minister.

From Netflix you can stream 3 seasons of this Danish political drama series. Each season consists of 10 one-hour episodes.  Recent news hints that there might someday be a fourth season. Danish with English subtitles.

In Danish, Borgen, lit. ’The Castle’, is the informal name of Christiansborg Palace where all three branches of Danish government reside: the Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court, and is often used as a figure of speech for the Danish government.

In the very first episode we see  Birgitte Nyborg become Prime Minister of Denmark.  This first episode is OK but does not begin to compare with the gut-punching episodes that follow.  Can a woman “have it all” is one of the issues.  Birgitte comes off as a morally upright and  sincere woman steering her way through the compromising pressures of political life.   She will pay a personal price for her success.

Surrounding Birgitte are a multitude of characters meaningful to the plot,  some praiseworthy and quite a few sneaky , malicious,  ambitious “villains.”  Quite a few of those characters are members of the news media.  All these many characters are involved throughout the series and often have their own personal stories to tell.

Each episode usually centers around a theme:  health care, peace negotiations,  and many others.  Don’t expect each episode to have a happy ending.  After most episodes Kathy and I exclaim “WOW, how do the writers maintain such consistent excellence?”

DO NOT MISS!

2018, Accidental Death, Basically Sad, Bullying, Child abuse, Drama, Flashbacks, Friendship, High school students, Kanopy streaming, Personal Betrayal, Physical child abuse, Romance, Suicide, Teenagers, Tragedy

The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2018)

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From Kanopy

An enigmatic detective (Kyle Chandler) embarks on a cross-country search for a once-prominent author (Logan Lerman) who’s mysteriously disappeared after a string of dangerous arsons have targeted his celebrated but controversial first novel.

From your local library you can get help joining kanopy.com. Kanopy offers free films for streaming. Each town has its usage rules. For example, belmontpl.kanopy.com allows you 10 films per month.  None of the films are current and many are quite old.  Quality varies greatly.  Among the selections are documentaries, science, as well as entertainment.

From Kanopy you can stream this two hour complete drama.  Acting, plot, and production values are well done.  Why has the successful author Sidney Hall become a book-burning recluse?  Watching the answer unfold is worth the effort.

2020, Action sequences, Attempted Murder, Beautiful Seaside Town, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Car Chase, Dancing, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Fantasy, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flashbacks, French, French Detectives, Happy ending, Holocaust Survivor, Identity Theft, Jazz, Jealousy, Love Story, Love Triangle, Magic Realism, MHz Choice, Murder, Murder Investigation, Music Theme, Must suspend disbelief, Paris in the 1960s, Physical fighting, Police Investigation, Revenge, Romance, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Wonderland (2020)

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From MHz Choice:

In this romantic fantasy-thriller, a man from the present travels back to 1960s Biarritz and meets a mysterious woman whose destiny is inexplicably linked with his own.

From MHz Choice  you can stream the 6 episodes of this French romance. Each episode runs between 48 and 56 minutes. French with English subtitles.

Do not be dissuaded by the “fantasy-thriller” label in the summary above.  Most importantly this story is a wonderful romance story imaginatively  filled with atmosphere, music, mystery, intrigue, revenge, and love.

Jeremy, an unambitious medical student and jazz afficionado, working in the nightclub called “Wonderland”,  somehow transports back to 1960s Biarritz and lands in the original Wonderland club.  Tony is the owner of the 1960s club and the father of the owner of the future club. Both owners are played by the same actor.  Jeremy wanders aimlessly to the beach where he saves the life of Chris’ sister.  Jeremy is superb at instantly manufacturing lies. Indeed he needs to. After all, who would believe his story? Jeremy invents a back story as he is “adopted” by the very wealthy and young Chis.  Staying at Chris’ estate is Alice whom Chris hopes to marry. One of Chris’s motives for marrying a beautiful woman  is to spite his father André whom he despises.

Needless to say Jeremy falls in love with Alice who is, in fact, the woman in the photo that captured Jeremy’s attention in the future Wonderland.  But Alice is hiding as many secrets as is Jeremy.  As Jeremy “stalks” Alice the plot thickens.  At this point I provide no more details.

If there is any romantic in your soul then DO NOT MISS!

2021, Abuse of Women, Acceptable Trash, Action sequences, Bad Acting, Bloody scenes, Boating, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Corny, Corruption, Drama, Ethical struggles, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Fist Fight, Gay theme, Illegitimate Child, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Poor plot management, Prison, Rape, Revenge, Spanish, Suspense, Telenovela, Violent

Who Killed Sara (2021)

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From IMDB:

Hell-bent on exacting revenge and proving he was framed for his sister’s murder, Álex sets out to unearth much more than the crime’s real culprit.

From Netflix you can stream two seasons of this never-ending Spanish telenovela. Season one offers 10 episodes. Season two consists of 8 episodes.  Each episode last about 40 minutes. Spoken Spanish with English subtitles.

As is usually the case  “Spanish Telenovela” implies “acceptable trash.”  Be prepared for a complicated, ever shifting plot and characters that seem to pop out of nowhere.  You might want to make a list of characters as this pot boiler proceeds.  Try and guess the fathers of each of the illegitimate children.  Do not get upset if the time sequence is sometimes incorrect.  Nor does it matter if sometimes the chosen actor just doesn’t seem to match the role because that is how telenovelas are made.

For a good time just muddle your way through this cinematic mess that wants to be serious.

1999, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Bullying, Controlling personality, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Escaped Convicts, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Homophobia, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Reconciliation, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Violent

Rites of Passage (1999)

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From Amazon Prime:

When lawyer DJ Farraday discovers his father has been having an affair, the two drive out to the remote family cabin to talk it over. What neither expects is DJ’s estranged gay brother Campbell will already be there for a weekend retreat with his boyfriend. But father and sons are forced to put aside their grievances when two escaped convicts show up and putting everyone lives in danger.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 32 minute film

Over twenty-two years  the styles of film making have changed remarkably.  As witness to that fact, this film feels very old-fashioned.  Acting in this production seems almost stage-like or somehow exaggerated enough to feel corny.

Dean Stockwell is the only actor I recognize, probably because he was in so many films. He plays the father in this sad family.  As a story the plot is compelling and suspenseful.  James Remar, who plays the controlling convict,  portrays an especially strong personality.  If you use IMDB to see the resumés of the other actors, you might be surprised to see that some are still active.

As a piece of film history,  this film seems like a real find.

2021, AIDS, Alcoholism, Based on true facts, Blackmail, Character Driven, Cocaine, Drama, Drugs, Eccentric cast of characters, Emotional abuse, Explicit sex, Fashion, Gay Prostitution, Gay theme, Jealousy, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Occasionaly violent, Promiscuity, Revenge, Sexual promiscuity, Vulgar

Halston (2021)

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From IMDB:

It tracks Halston as he leverages his single, invented name into a worldwide fashion empire that’s synonymous with luxury, sex, status and fame, literally defining the era.

From Netflix you can stream the 5 episodes of this series. Each episode lasts between 44 and 53 minutes.

You need not be one bit interested in fashion to enjoy this acting tour de force.   Ewen McGregor at 50 years of age puts on one of the best performances of his long career. Just take a look at his resume.

If there is a theme here, it is the often typical “rise and fall”  of a public personality (e.g. Senator McCarthy,  Jeffrey Epstein, hopefully Donald Trump).  We can only trust that the details are true to life.  Before this film I personally never heard of Halston, but I do vaguely remember Jackie Kennedy’s pill box hat.

Notice the actor Bill Pullman who plays the business man David Mahoney.  He played Harry Ambrose in the creepy three season series called The Sinner which was reviewed earlier in this blog and strongly recommended.

Hopefully you will not find McGregor’s pitch perfect effete  portrayal and the explicitly strong gay theme too off-putting.  Just admire the acting.

2017, Abandoned child, Adopted child, Adultery, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Character Driven, Clever Plot, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, French, Grisly, Marital Infidelity, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Prison, Serial Killer, Suspense

La Mante (2017)

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From Netflix:

Faced with a series of grisly unsolved murders, a police commissioner turns to imprisoned serial killer Jeanne Deber and her estranged son for help.

From Netflix you can stream the only season of this French serial killer story.  Each of the 6 episodes lasts about an hour. French audio with English subtitles.

Jeanne Deber is an imprisoned serial killer.  Now someone who has studied her crimes is a copy cat who reproduces her murders in exact detail.  Damien Deber, her estranged son, has been enlisted to work with his mother to find the copy cat.  Possibly Jeanne’s intuitions will help the authorities.

Damien is a tortured soul (who always looks tortured)  whose personal relations are equally tortured.  More than just another serial killer series,  this highly inventive story centers around family, friends, and a past filled with secrets.  Jeanne Deber is a beautiful but stone-faced mystery woman.

Warning; the murders are very, very, very grisly. If you can get past those sights, then

DO NOT MISS!