Category Archives: Father-daughter relations

2012, Acceptable Trash, Action Film, Action Hero, B-movie, Bad Acting, Bloody scenes, Car Chase, CIA, Contract Killing, Corny at times, Father-daughter relations, Greed, Improbable details, Mediocre, Suspense, Thriller, Violent, Weapons Dealer

Erased (2012)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

An ex-CIA agent and his estranged daughter are forced on the run when his employers erase all records of his existence, and mark them both for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 40 minutes single film (not a series).

Formulaic (CIA killers, CIA agents moving to the dark side, invincible ex-CIA agent hero and his estranged but  brave and clever daughter, amoral weapons-dealing corporation) film with lots of action, chasing, and sometimes really bad and corny acting.

You have seen it all before, but it just fun seeing the bad guys get what is coming to them.

2016, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Amazon Prime, Ambiguous Conclusion, Amnesia, Australian, Bloody scenes, Complicated, Conspiracy, Creepy, Crime, Detective, DNA, Drugs, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, Good Production Values, Improbable details, Medical Theme, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Police Politics, Possible a put-on, Psychic Phenomena, Sad small town, Sex Scenes, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Suspense, Unusual, Upsetting ending, Violent

The Kettering Incident (2016)

Leave a comment

From Amazon Prime:

Two girls disappear in identical circumstances in the wilds of Tasmania 15 years apart, and Doctor Anna Macy finds herself linked to both cases. To clear her name, Anna must delve into her troubled past and face some truths about herself and the otherworldly nature of this gothic land.

From Amazon Prime you can stream 8 episodes of season 1. Each episode last about 50 minutes.

Possibly it was the adolescent side of my brain that kept me interested in staying with the series. Each episode added some new mysterious element. At any minute I expected little green men to arrive in a space ship. Alas the green men never arrived and the creepy details just piled up. Still I forged onward hoping for the best.

WARNING:   Do not expect a satisfying conclusion to the story. Instead you get a semi-conclusion that must lead into the next season, which does not seem to exist yet.

Why did I fall for this possible put-on?  Probably because this Australian production is well done with good acting and believable character interaction. In fact, I don’t regret having watched it at all.

2011, Abduction, Action Film, Adultery, Bank Robbery, Bloody scenes, Boating, Cancer theme, Car Chase, Chase film, Complicated, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dark, Detective, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, FBI, Forensics, Gangs, Grim, International thriler, Iraq War, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Murder, Nudity, Plot Twist, Psychopath, Sadism, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Spy Theme, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Swiss detective, Terrorists, Thriller, Torture, TV Series, Various Romances, Violent, Well developed plot

Arne Dahl (2011)

Leave a comment

From MHz Choice:

Rough. Raw. Real. This is the world of Arne Dahl, whose crime novels have been transposed to the screen in adaptations that follow the dramatic tradition of all best-selling Scandinavian thrillers. The series revolves around cases taken on by the ‘A Unit’, an elite force of officers recruited after a series of assassinations rocks Stockholm’s high society.

MHz Choice streams several seasons (from many years beginning with 2011) of this Swedish thriller.  There are 5 complete stories, one per different year. Each story consists of 2 episodes. Each Episode is about 1.5 hours long. Swedish script with English subtitles.

REVISION 1 (Feb 2021):

There are now 2 seasons available from MHz Choice.  In the second season several of the excellent first season actors are missing or have been replaced.  Season 2 is acceptable, but not (in my opinion) a good as season 1.  Season 2 is a bit more of a soap opera. Still worth watching.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Throughout the 5 stories the same team of detectives are together. As is usual in such productions, the personal lives of the detectives are easily as important as the mystery plots.

As powerful and as grim as the stories are, they are so well done that they are really worth watching. But you should expect blood, torture as well as some explicit sex. Many scenes involve foot or car chases.

Not only are the stories complicated, but there are many surprise turns including some endings you might not expect.

This series is so compelling that I will rate it a DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

2014, Arson, Bloody scenes, Boating, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister Relations, Bullying, Child abuse, Detective, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Insurance Fraud, Jealousy, Lawyers, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Melodrama, MHz Choice, Mildly Violent, Murder, Nudity, Physical child abuse, Soap Opera, Suicide, Swedish, Swedish Soap Opera, Various Romances

Thicker Than Water (2014)

Leave a comment

This Swedish series was reviewed after season 1 was released. Since then season 2 was released.

SEASON ONE

From IMDB:

A mother sends postcards to her estranged son and daughter inviting them back to the guest house they grew up in. She gives each of her children one piece of advice and leaves them to ponder the meaning.

From MHz Choice:

DRAMA | SWEDISH | SWEDISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES |
A mother’s attempt to reunite her three adult children forces them to confront dark family secrets in this atmospheric drama set on an idyllic Swedish island.

MHz Choice offers only Season 1 with its 10 episodes, each lasting about one hour. For the best listing of the episodes see IMDB.

Here is an involving soap opera about sibling rivalry between two brothers and a sister who agree to run the island hotel for one year.  Brother Oskar and wife Liv have been running the hotel all along. Brother Lasse is a bit of a crook and once or maybe still loves Liv. Sister Jonna is an aspiring actress.

Swedes drink a LOT of alcohol. Such a potboiler!

SEASON TWO

Shakespeare would heartily approve this “Shakespearean Tragedy”.  Season Two begins when Lasse returns to the hotel for Christmas only to discover that Liv has been absent for months and Oskar lives in a depressed drunken state. As a result the hotel is a mess and completely unprepared for the Christmas hotel guests.

Things continue for 10 episodes (lasting about 45 minutes each ) to go steadily downhill with lots of complications which can be summarized by a quote that is mistakenly attributed to Shakespeare:

“Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive. ” – Sir Walter Scott (Marmion, 1808)

Beginning with the cover-up of the murder of the father of the siblings, one deceit leads to another.  Along the way we experience more murder, counterfeit money, betrayed young love, determined police work, love affairs gone wrong, and a final tragic ending in which only Jonna gets a chance for happiness.

In good conscience I could not let you sit through season 2 without first warning you. Despite the warning, as soap operas go, this series of episodes is well done.

 

1997, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Addiction, Bloody scenes, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Complicated, Computer geeks, Contract Killing, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime thriller, Detective, Disturbing Image, Drugs, Father-daughter relations, Financial malfeasance, Forensics, Grim, Made For TV, MHz Choice, Murder Investigation, Pedophilia, Police Culture, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Thriller, Violent

Beck (1997)

Leave a comment

From MHz Choice:

He’s got no style, he’s got no flash and he’s squarely in middle age. But Swedish detective Martin Beck is good at one thing: methodically catching criminals so that they can be put away… for a long time. His tightly-wound partner, Gunvald, is his opposite: an impulsive man who cuts a dashing figure, is in no way politically correct and who never met a boundary he didn’t leap across.

MHz Choice lets you stream 5 seasons of the Swedish detective series “Beck”.  All seasons offer 8 episodes except Season 4 which only offers 2 episodes. Each Episode is approximate 1.5 hours.

Harsh and sometimes hard-to-watch, the episodes are well done. If you want something less tense, try the MHz Choice series “Magellan”.

Through the 5 seasons Beck’s physical appearance does not change much. But the difference between the Season 1 Gunvald and the Season 5 Gunvald is striking in the way that the actor has aged.

Part of the appeal of the series is that the personal lives of the characters continue from episode to episode. Therefore it is best to view the episodes in order. However the mystery story for each episode is self-contained.

When you browse to MHz Choice, just enter “Beck” in the search box. Then you can see all the seasons and episodes listed. If you pause over one of the episode boxes, you get a short description of that episode.

Choosing categories for this series is difficult because after 34 episodes, there is hardly an untouched category.

Never boring, never relaxed viewing.

2011, Abduction, Adultery, Arson, Bisexual theme, Bloody scenes, Child abduction and murder, Complicated, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dark, Detective, Emotional abuse, Extramarital Affair, Father-daughter relations, German, Grim, Mental Illness, MHz Choice, Murder Investigation, Police Culture, Psychiatrists, Psychological Thriller, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent

Anatomy of Evil (2011)

Leave a comment

From MHz Choice:

Heino Ferch (Downfall) stars police psychologist Richard Brock in this dark mystery series set in Vienna. Brock is a loner, still blaming himself for the suicide of his wife and trying to reconnect with his daughter, newly graduated from the police academy. The only constants in his life are his faithful housekeeper, Mrs. Anni, and his friend Klaus Tauber, the owner of the coffee house where he inevitably eats all his meals.

From MHz Choice you can stream 5 episodes of this superb but truly grim Austrian TV series spoken in German with English subtitles. Each episode lasts about an hour and a half.

UPDATE March 20, 2021:

MHz Choice now offers  four episodes of season two  as well as season one.  Season 2 now contains:  “Desire,” “Rage,” “Yearning,” “Guilt.”  In the fourth episode of season two, Brock must defeat a psychopathic police commander in yet another brooding, GRIM episode.

UPDATE August 17, 2019:

MHz Choice now offers  the three episodes of season two  as well as season one.  All are at least as GRIM as season one.  See below for a discussion of season two.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

From the best online description I could find, I quote:

I’ve finally met a character more morose than Kurt Wallander.

Sad, isolated, injured detectives who cannot connect with their offspring  are all the rage now. Nonetheless, if you enjoy grim (and I mean G-R-I-M-!!!) you will love these stories. Even my wife Kathy (who usually leaves the room during especially tense or violent scenes) is addicted. In fact both of us manage to stay awake during the entire show.

Episode 3 “Fear” ends with a really devastating scene. You are warned!

SEASON TWO:

“Desire”, “Rage”, and “Yearning” are the titles of the three season two episodes. All, as in season one, are characterized by dark, beautiful, careful cinematography. All are slow moving except for the violent scenes.

“Desire” is perhaps one of the strangest murder mysteries that I have ever seen because not until close to the end does it become clear that there even was a murder.

Brock barely survives “Rage”. When it is over Brock now has a dangerous and corrupt enemy in the police force. Brock’s daughter continues to work in that police force. That corruption and its many murders must eventually (we hope) see justice.

In “Yearning” Brock is recuperating both physically and mentally in his apartment. He spends his time with a pair of binoculars spying on his neighbors across the street. In a story reminiscent of “Rear Window” he witnesses a murder and needs all the help he can get to bring the killer to justice.

“Yearning” concludes with a situation that cries for another season.

What an amazing discovery this series is, even if it possibly means a harrowing viewing.

 

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Addiction, Child custody, Drugs, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Irish, Lawyers, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Orphans in Foster Care, Personal Betrayal, Sex Scenes

Striking Out (2017)

Leave a comment

From Acorn TV:

Tara Rafferty (Amy Huberman, The Clinic) is living the good life: she’s a successful Dublin lawyer engaged to a fellow solicitor. But Tara’s life is turned upside down after she discovers her betrothed in bed with a colleague. Abandoning her wedding plans (and her job), Tara strikes out on her own, starting an unconventional private practice. Hailed as “a roaring success” (Irish Independent), this legal drama charmed audiences across the pond, quickly becoming Ireland’s #1 new drama. Neil Morrissey (Line of Duty, Grantchester, The Night Manager) and Rory Keenan (War & Peace, Peaky Blinders) co-star.

From Acorn TV you can stream the 4 episodes of Season One. Season Two is now in production over the summer of 2017.

Kathy and I could not wait to see each new episode. Along side of the continuing saga of her fiancée  Erik’s betrayal (and the accompanying pressures of both their socially ambitious families), each episode presents a different law Client for Tara. There is absolutely no violence.  Tara gathers around her a really quirky and nice set of characters.

Expect a cliff-hanger ending of episode 4, which clearly means to suggest an oncoming new season.

If you are a “Doc Martin” kind of person, you will enjoy “Striking Out”.

 

2016, Abduction, Acceptable Science, Cancer theme, Computer geeks, Creepy, Father-daughter relations, Grim, Mother-daughter relations, Nudity, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Sociopath, Suspense, Teenagers, Thought provoking, Uncategorized, Violent

I.T. (2016)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

Mike Regan has everything he could ever want, a beautiful family and a top of the line smart house. The company he owns is on the verge of changing flight leasing forever. That is, until the relationship with his I.T. advisor turns nasty, to the point where his teenage daughter is being stalked and his family is under attack through every technological facet of their lives.

On our British Airways flight to London I was able to watch both this film as well as “Jason Bourne” which is reviewed elsewhere. As I mentioned in that other review, both films deal with the current War on Privacy. Whereas in “Jason Bourne” the CIA wants “Apple Corporation” to let the CIA have access to everyone’s data, in “I.T.” Mike Regan  (played convincingly by Pierce Brosnan , age 64) foolishly allows his new IT employee Patrick (played eerily by Jason Barry,  a young looking age 46) to convert Mike’s home into a “smart house” which allows Patrick to see all and tell all that occurs there. That was a big mistake!

In “I.T.” the suspense seemed more intense than in “Jason Bourne”, probably because the former  scenario is today unfortunately very plausible. Would you feel comfortable living in a smart house? Is Big Brother watching you?

2016, Action Film, Action Hero, Based on a Book, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corny at times, Corruption, Drug Dealers, Dysfunctional Lives, Father-daughter relations, Illegitimate Child, Invincible Hero, Mayhem, Military, Military Corruption, Mixed Martial Arts, Murder, Netflix DVD, Suspense, Unmarried mother, Violent

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

Leave a comment

From Netflix who sent me the DVD:

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) returns with his particular brand of justice in the highly anticipated sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. When Army Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), who heads Reacher’s old investigative unit, is arrested for treason, Reacher will stop at nothing to prove her innocence and to uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy involving soldiers who are being killed.

So what if you have seen one then you have seen all the Jack Reacher films (of all the action films, for that matter)!  Once the action starts I am attracted like a fly to fly-paper. Never mind that Tom Cruise looks much older. At least give him credit: not bad for someone who is now 55 years old. Never mind that his street fighting skills are improbably staged, they are still fun to watch. Never mind that he and his fellow fighters for truth and justice get some unlikely breaks from time to time just to let their side win. Never mind that the last 10 minutes or so are unbearably maudlin. Never mind that our hero can just barely speak an emotive line of script.

Who cares! What you see is what you get and it just plain fun!

2016, Abduction, Abortion, Addiction, Amnesia, Arson, Belgian Detectives, Bloody scenes, Boxing, Complicated, Computer geeks, Contract Killing, Corruption, Crime, Dark, Drama, Drugs, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, French, Grisly, Lesbian Theme, Love Story, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Psychiatrists, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Small Town Atmosphere, Soap Opera, Soccer, Sociopath, Suspense, Teenagers, Violent, Vulgar

The Break (2016)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Soon after arriving in Heiderfeld, Inspector Yoann Peeters is called to the scene of a suspected suicide and begins uncovering troubling details.

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of this compelling detective story in French with subtitles. According to Wikepedia The Break (French: La Trêve, “The Truce”) is a French-language Belgian crime drama television series

Actually this series is a soap opera with many characters,  quite a bit of sex and violence, and many surprises. In fact I would estimate that each episode has at least 3 or so unexpected  plot revelations. Not until the very, very end will you discover “who done it”. If you truly guess the answer before episode 10, then let me know.

Inspector Peeters has left Brussels with his daughter after the death of his wife and has returned to his hometown Heiderfeld in the hopes of a fresh start. He goes to work for the local police force populated by 6 or so characters whose own stories and involvements with one another are an integral part of the plot. Peeters’  daughter makes a friend and in order to fit in socially makes mistakes. There are teen friends, a soccer team and its managers, a woman mayor scheming to buy the area’s farms to make way for a dam, and subplots galore. Most of all, running through the entire story is the fact that Peeters is eventually confined to a mental hospital and is in every episode being interviewed by a woman psychiatrist of the institution, who must evaluate Peeters’ mental health. Flashbacks are a principal tool in the story telling.

Oddly enough Yoann Peeters is played by a Belgian actor Yoann Blanc whose performance (as well as his somewhat strange face with his deep set brooding, unemotional eyes that seem to stare all the time) is remarkable.

Getting to the story’s conclusion was so compelling for me that once again I binged, which is definitely not a good habit. But once you start this thriller my guess is that you too will fall under its spell.