Category Archives: Acceptable for teenagers

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Amazon Prime Brit Box, Based on true facts, Basically Sad, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, British Drama, British History, British Police, British Politics, Detective, Drama, Ethical struggles, Everybody lies, Family Secrets, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Government cover-up, Historical Fiction, Manslaughter, Marital Infidelity, Miners, Miners versus Scabs, Murder, Occasionaly violent, Panic Attacks, Personal Betrayal, Police cover-up, Police Culture, Police Investigation, Redemption, Revenge, Sister-sister relations, Small British village, Suicide, Suspense, Undercover police spy, Undercover police work, Violent, Wonderful acting, Yorkshire Accents

Sherwood (2022)

From IMDB:

Two shocking and unexpected murders shatter an already fractured community leading to one of the largest manhunts in British history.

From Amazon Prime Brit Box you can stream the 6 episodes of this north England series. Each episode is just under an hour.

In 1984 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher crushed a coal miner’s strike, thereby earning her title of “Iron Lady.”  Hard feelings between the striking miner’s and those who continued to work, so-called “scabs”,  have persisted from then on.  Sherwood is a small town historically associated with Robin Hood.  Of all the town’s inhabitants only one family is a “scab” family.  Striker versus scab is the paramount theme of this series which continually bounces back and forth between 1984 and the present.

Past tragedies involved the  young policemen and miners who now are middle age going on retirement.  One challenge in watching this series is to match the young characters with their present-day versions.

There are three vital subplots:

  • Someone is murdering people with a crossbow. We soon learn who and the police hunt is intense.
  • Andy Fisher inadvertently kills his daughter-in-law and the hunt is on.
  • In 1984 there was an undercover police spy, dubbed the “spy cop”, who incorporated his-or-herself into the community.  Again there is this third hunt to find the “spy cop.”

If you watch much British drama you will recognize many familiar faces. As usual in British drama the acting is superb.  With such an engaging and suspenseful plot you cannot go wrong.

DO NOT MISS!

2003, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Film, Action sequences, Career Criminal, Chase film, Ethical struggles, Gold Thieves, Interest in automobiles, International thriler, Mayhem, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Professional Thieves, Suspense, Thriller, Violent

The Italian Job (2003)

From IMDB:

After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.

From Netflix:

A clever thief masterminds a major heist amid the waterways of
Venice, Italy — but a betrayal by one of his own spells disaster.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 51 minute car chase thriller.

Car chases, helicopter chases, clever thieves, clever chess game of thieves against thief: Someone spent a lot of money producing such elaborate mayhem.

  • Charlie Croker (played by Mark Wahlberg) and
  • John Bridger (played by Donald Sutherland) and
  • Handsome Rob (played by Jason Statham) and
  • Steve (played by Edward Norton) successfully steal gold bars in Venice. But Steve betrays the bunch and shoots John Bridger to death.
  • John’s daughter Stella (played by Charlize Theron) is an honest security expert who learned to crack safes from her father John. In order to avenge the death of her father she agrees to help the betrayed bunch get back the gold.

What you see is what you get. But the action scenes are fun.

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Anxiety Attacks, Comedy, Dog Story, Failed Marriage, Feel Good Not For Children, Military, PTSD

Dog (2022)

From IMDB:

Two former Army Rangers are paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Army Ranger Briggs (Channing Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois dog) buckle into a 1984 Ford Bronco and race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time. Along the way, they’ll drive each other completely crazy, break a small handful of laws, narrowly evade death, and learn to let down their guards in order to have a fighting chance of finding happiness.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute comedy-drama.

While not exactly fit for children, this dog story has moments of fun, sadness, and eventually redemption.  Definitely a feel-good film.

2022, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Film, Action Hero, Adventure, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Bloody scenes, Comedy, Comic Villain, Dancing, Fight Scenes, Improbable details, Nudity, Pratfalls, Romance, Romantic comedy, Sight Gags, Treasure Hunt, Vulgar

The Lost City (2022)

From IMDB:

A reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with her cover model gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a cutthroat jungle adventure.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 51 minute comedy film.

Sandra Bullock comedies offer an easy way to relax. Here she teams up with Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe. Bullock continues to look good whereas Tatum might be ageing past his young hunk persona.  Pitt’s part of the story comes to an unexpected end. Radcliffe’s agent continues to develop his client’s role variety.

Amazing how Bullock and Tatum can hold their breath and swim for several minutes through an underwater tunnel!

Surprisingly vulgar and explicit at times, but still the kind of fun you would expect from a Bullock comedy.

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Cross Dressing, Downs Syndrome, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Friendship, Gay theme, Happy Family Gatherings, Hopeless Love, Lesbian Theme, Love Triangle, Masturbation, Mother-daughter relations, Music Scenes, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Offbeat, Philosophic Discussions, Privileged Upper Class, Rich versus Poor, Sex Scenes, Single Father, Single Mother, Soap Opera, Social Class Inequality, University Politics, University Professor, University Students

Merlí Sapere Aude (2019)

From IMDB:

Pol Rubio starts to study Philosophy at the University of Barcelona while the relationship between Bruno and him begins to strengthen. Pol will meet new friends, new colleagues and new teachers apart from having to face conflicts in his new student stage, his complicated family and his new relationship with Bruno Bergeron in this way until becoming a Philosophy teacher.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 episodes of the second season of this Spanish (Barcelona) young adult soap opera. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. Catalan is the original language of the series.

Season one was entitled  simply   “Merlí” and is not available. Merlí is the name of a favorite teacher who dies at the end of season one. Season two takes up from there with Pol grieving over the loss of his teacher Merlí.

All episodes center on a group of students studying philosophy at a university in Spain.  This group of friends quickly formed at the beginning of their studies.  Another notable character in particular is one of their teachers María Bolaño who is lonely and struggles with alcoholism. Each student has his or her own story to tell.  Relationships, sexual and otherwise, are formed and fought over.

My recommendation for this forgettable series is that it is a light-hearted young adult snapshot of the culture of 21st century Spain.

2011, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Trash, Chick Flick, Comedy, Crude Talk, Embarrassing Father, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Happy ending, Love Story, Mostly About Sex, Mother-daughter relations, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Romance, Sex Scenes, Vulgar, Young Adult

No Strings Attached (2011)

From IMDB:

A guy and girl try to keep their relationship strictly physical, but it’s not long before they learn that they want something more.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 48 minute comedy drama.

Want to relax and watch some vulgar, fun semi-trash? Have I got a film for you! It’s wonderful when there is absolutely nothing to take seriously in a move.

Natalie Portman (as Emma) and Ashton Kutcher (as Adam) are a nice, funny couple. Kevin Kline as Adam’s thrice-married father about to marry someone his son used to date also deserves a mention.

When I catch myself grinning while watching some scene, is that a positive recommendation or a lapse of judgement on my part?

 

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!

2018, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Arson, Bloody scenes, Chase film, Culture of India, Drugging as a weapon, Explicit sex, Fantasy, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Gangs, Gay theme, Highly acceptable trash, Human experimentation, Improbable details, Lesbian Theme, Martial Arts, Medical Theme, Monstrous Father, Murder, Must suspend disbelief, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Violent

Sense8 (2018)

From IMDB:

A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world’s order.

From Netflix you can stream 2 seasons of this fantasy soap opera. Each season has 12 episodes. Each episode lasts about an hour except for episode 1 of season 2 which runs 2 hours.

Members of a sensate group are mutually mentally and visibly present to one another.

Given all the sex scenes (sensate group sex anyone?) ,  romances, violence, evil villains, and impossible rescues,  a fitting category for this watch-a-thon might be “highly acceptable trash”.

Don’t be surprised if at times you are not quite sure what is happening in the plot. Just play along for the fun of it.

 

2022, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Ageing Couple, Amazon Prime, Cult, Ending demands sequel, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Ethical struggles, Flashbacks, Mildly Violent, Murder, Mysterious, Plot Twist, Religious Cult, Religious fanatic, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Teleportation, Unexpected Ending

Night Sky (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

Irene and Franklin York, a retired couple, have a secret: a Chamber buried in their backyard that miraculously leads to a strange, deserted planet. When an enigmatic young man arrives, the Yorks’ quiet existence is upended and the mysterious Chamber they thought they knew so well turns out to be much more than they could have ever imagined. Starring Sissy Spacek and JK Simmons.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 8 episodes of season 1 of this Amazon Original series. Each episode lasts a bit less than one hour.

Never mind the escape portal to another planet. Do not think of this story as science fiction. That other planet is not important to the plot. Central to the plot are two themes: The enduring love between the elderly couple  Irene (Sissy Spacek) and Franklin York (JK Simmons); The efforts of a religious cult to discover all the portals and eliminate, i.e. kill,  all “apostates” from the cult.

Acting, especially the interaction between Irene and Franklin, is worth watching.

Among the actors we find:

  • Sissy Spacek was 73 years old during filming. Perhaps you recall her as the telekinetic prom queen in the horror film “Carrie”.
  • Although the name J.K. Simmons might not ring a bell, he played, among zillions of roles, the psychiatrist Dr. Emil Skoda in the original “Law and Order”. During filming he was a young 67 years old.
  • Adam Bartley plays the bearded troublesome neighbor Byron. Previously I have strongly recommended the long-running series “Longmire” in which Bartley plays the clean-shaven “The Ferg”. During filming he was a mere child of 43 years age.

Rest assured that the startling ending of episode 8 obviously demands another season. Season 1 certainly had me hooked.

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.