Category Archives: Acceptable for teenagers

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Crime, Detective, Greed, Lawyers, Mediocre, Mildly Suspenseful, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nothing special, Occasionaly violent, Plot Twist, Senior citizens

Dangerous Lies (2020)

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From IMDB:

When a wealthy elderly man dies and unexpectedly leaves his estate to his new caregiver, she’s drawn into a web of deception and murder. If she’s going to survive, she’ll have to question everyone’s motives – even the people she loves.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 37 minute complete film.

“Ordinary”, “mediocre” are a few adjectives that seem to describe this almost-thriller.  As the story unfolds we begin to question the precipitous behavior of Katie’s husband Adam. Eventually that behavior veers into dishonesty.

As far as actors go, it may be worth mentioning the following:

Nothing Special!

2011, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Action sequences, Adopted child, Arson, Attempted Suicide, Cancer theme, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Corrupt lawyers, Detective, DIY Ending, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Ethical struggles, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Gritty, Illegitimate Child, Irish, Irish Gaelic, Journalist, Lawyers, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Pedophilia, Police Corruption, Rape, Serial Killer, Suspense, TV Reporter, Unmarried mother, Upsetting ending, Violent

Corp + Anam (2011)

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From MHz Choice:

Gritty Irish-language drama chronicling the difficult professional and intense personal life of Cathal Mac Iarnáin, a tenacious TV crime reporter who is obsessed with pursuing the story behind the story. But as single-minded as he is about uncovering the truth, he is often too busy chasing stories to notice that the world of crime hits closer to home every day.

From MHz Choice you can stream two seasons of this intense Irish drama. Each season consists of 4 episodes. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.  Irish Gaelic with English subtitles.

“Gut-punching” is the most apt adjective I can apply to these eight episodes.  “Corp & Anam” is Gaelic for “Body and Soul”.

One critic labeled the reporter Cathal as unscrupulous.  Each of the 8 stories centers around some serious injustice.  No matter who gets hurt Cathal is determined to get the scoop first.  On certain occasions he is not above breaking the law to get the story.  In every case he goes out on a sometimes self-destructive limb to broadcast the story on Irish television.  Most often it is his own family which gets hurt because, as with many police detectives, his cell phone often interrupts his family life.

For this series I have created a new category “DIY Ending” which I could have used earlier for many other series.  “Do It Yourself Ending” applies to an ending in which most of the groundwork has been laid to reach a satisfying conclusion in which justice reigns and the bad guys get their punishment but in which you do not get the satisfaction of seeing those final details played out. This category especially applies to the last story of season 2 which uses two episodes 3 and 4 to tell the whole story.  This particular story leaves Cathal in danger of losing his career.

DO NOT MISS!

2019, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, British, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Bullying, Dancing, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Jealousy, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Narcissist, Personal Betrayal, Sex Scenes, Spousal Abuse, Wife Beating, Wonderful acting

Gold Digger (2019)

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From Acorn TV:

On her 60th birthday, Julia (Emmy® winner Julia Ormond, Mad Men, Legends of the Fall) hits it off with handsome young Benjamin (Ben Barnes, The Chronicles of Narnia films, Westworld). But their whirlwind romance is marred by the disapproval of Julia’s adult children. Does Benjamin truly love her, or is he the gold digger her family believes him to be? “Bold and hugely entertaining” –The Guardian.

From Acorn TV you can stream the 6 episodes of this British thriller. Each episode lasts about an hour. There is a 7th episode that interviews the actors.

All the acting is splendid as is this riveting series.

  • Julia Ormond  is perfectly cast as the wealthy, beautiful, lonely Julia Day whose 60 years stand in stark contrast to the young Benjamin Greene.  Her acting resumé is most impressive. During filming Ms. Ormond was actually 54 years old.
  •  In the story no mention is made of the character Benjamin Green’s numerical age. Ben Barnes the actor was 38 years old during the filming.  His own acting resumé is noteworthy.
  •  One good villain is sometimes all it takes to make a story captivating.  In this respect Alex Jennings as Julia’s former husband Ted fits the bill to perfection. His portrayal of an aging narcissist is all too human.  From his resumé you will note that Alex Jennings has appeared in just about everything (slight exaggeration, but wow!)
  •  You might recognize Nikki Amuka-Bird as DCI Erin Gray from the series “Luther.”  In her role as Julia’s  friend Marsha I could only feel sorry for her despite her having betrayed Julia.

Is Benjamin a gold digger or is he genuinely in love with Julia?

DO NOT MISS!

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Trash, Amazon Prime, Amnesia, Chick Flick, Comic Moments, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Father-daughter relations, Flashbacks, Incomplete ending, Love Story, Murder, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Somewhat trashy, Vulgar

Upload (2020)

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From Amazon Prime:

From the Emmy-winning Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks & Rec) comes a hilarious new sci-fi comedy. In the future people can upload their consciousness to a luxurious digital afterlife. When party boy Nathan gets uploaded to a virtual resort he meets the down-to-earth Nora who starts as his customer service “angel”, but becomes so much more as she helps him find friendship, love and purpose.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 10 episodes of season 1. Each episode is roughly 30 minutes.

Digital effects are a large part of the attraction in this series although basically the story is a romance between Nathan and Nora.

However, in the very last episode ten Nathan is interrupted mid-sentence and that is the end of the season. Moreover, there remains the unsolved question of whether Nathan was murdered. For these reasons there MUST be another season in the future.

You can label it trash or just sit back and enjoy the nonsense.

2014, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Arson, Austrian Detective, Bloody scenes, Boating, Buried Treasure, Crime, Disturbing Image, Divorce, Dysfunctional Lives, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, German, German Detectives, Greed, Gypsies, Illegitimate Child, MHz Choice, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Motorcycles, Murder, Murder Investigation, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Suspense, Trailer Life, Troubled Personality, Unmarried mother, Violent, Witchcraft

Murder by the Lake (2014)

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From MHz Choice:

With Germany, Switzerland and Austria sharing its shores, Lake Constance has stories to tell. German homicide inspector Micha Oberländer and his Austrian partner Hannah Zeiler try to discover its secrets and have a few of their own.

From MHz Choice you can stream two seasons of this  German-Austrian TV crime series which is shot at  Lake Constance.  Season one consists of 7 episodes. Season two consists of 3 episodes. All episodes last about an hour and a half.  German with English subtitles.

Germany and Austria decide to create a small detective unit with dual authority in both countries. Initially the German Micha and the Austrian Hanna don’t get along together.

Each episode is a self-contained crime and solution. Running throughout all 10 episodes are two themes:

  •     Micha’s marriage is unraveling, mostly due to the usual   detective cliché that he is always on the job.
  •     Hannah is a stone-faced cold young woman whose life was tormented by the disappearance of her father.  Eventually her father appears.

Probably Hannah will never succeed in a relationship. However as the series progresses a genuine friendship develops between Micha and Hannah.

If you can sit still for an hour and a half, then this series is worth the time spent watching.

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Acceptable Trash, Action Film, Action Hero, Bank Robbery, Bullying, Drug Dealers, Mistreatment of under class, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Nothing special, Sci-Fi

Code 8 (2019)

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From IMDB:

A super-powered construction worker falls in with a group of criminals in order to raise the funds to help his ill mother.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 38 minute piece of sci-fi acceptable trash.

Again from IMDB:

In a world where people with “special” abilities are living in poverty, Conner Reed (Robbie Amell) is a powerful young man who is struggling to pay for his ailing mother’s medical treatment. To earn money, he joins a lucrative criminal world led by Garrett (Stephen Amell), who works for a drug lord (Greg Bryk).

Not as horrible as it could have been, there is enough imaginative material here to warrant wasting 1 hour and 38 minutes.

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Based on true facts, Bisexual theme, Classical musicians, Cult Brainwashing, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Explicit sexual discussion, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Gambling, Gay theme, Good Acting, Hasidic Jews, Jewish Culture, Lesbian Theme, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Religious Theme, Sex Scenes, Wife leaves husband, Wonderful acting, Yiddish

Unorthodox (2020)

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From IMDB:

Story of a young ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who flees her arranged marriage and religious community to start a new life abroad.

From Netflix you can stream the 4 hour long episodes of this masterpiece.

At this point in April 2020  critics are raving about the film. For example you can find a discussion in the New York Times.  Unfortunately you must subscribe to the NYT to read full articles. From that review we read:

“Unorthodox” is loosely based on the best-selling 2012 memoir by Deborah Feldman, who left the Satmar sect of Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg and ultimately settled in Berlin.

In the film the young woman Esther Shapiro, who is called Esty, is played by the slight pixie of an actress Shira Haas.  Shira Hass is an incredible performer who presents her role to perfection. 

There are also short documentaries on the making of this film and how it strived for correct Hasidic details by hiring Hasidic men to help with the filming. Only the mink fur men’s hats are fake.

Constant switching between the past and the present, between New York and Berlin, might be a tad confusing.  Just keep in mind that the Berling portion of the film is fictional while loosely based on the memoir.

For me the most stunningly breathtaking moment in the film occurs when Esty auditions at a music school. We are talking real gooseflesh.

DO NOT MISS!

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Amnesia, Boating, Detective, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Dutch, Dutch detectives, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Father-son relations, Forensics, Jealousy, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Plot Twist, Postpartum Depression, Revenge, Suicide, Surprise Ending, Violent

The Schouwendam 12 (2019)

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From Acorn TV:

Decades ago, teenagers Olaf and Alice disappeared from the Dutch village of Schouwendam without a trace. Then an unknown man suddenly turns up in town with no memories but a clear resemblance to Olaf. The residents are forced to confront the mysteries of the past, but who is lying and who is telling the truth? As new fatalities occur, the community is riven with fear in this Dutch-language drama.

From Acorn TV you can stream this 10 episode one season Dutch mystery drama. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. English subtitles. Now and then the characters speak English.

As this mystery proceeds, one by one residents of this small town are being murdered. Meanwhile the newly appeared “Olaf” who is suffering from amnesia keeps trying to discover if he really is Olaf.

As a subplot the young policeman Pim must contend with his wife and newborn infant because his wife is suffering from serious postpartum depression.  This becomes relevant to the mystery solution.

To help Pim a new superior  woman detective Karlijn van Andel  arrives on the scene.  Her personal story also becomes relevant to the plot.

Be prepared for a very surprising final episode.

Well worth your time.

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Complicated, Conspiracy, Corruption, DNA, Family Conflict, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Norwegian, Norwegian Crime Story, Norwegian Detective, Orphanage, Pedophilia, Physical child abuse, Police Corruption, Police cover-up, Police Culture, Police Investigation, Police Psychologist, Psychological Drama, Rape, Suspense, TV Reporter, Violent

The Valhalla Murders (2020)

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From IMDB:

Police profiler Arnar is sent back home from Oslo to his native Iceland to investigate the country’s first serial killer case. He teams up with the local senior cop Kata.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 episodes of this Norwegian detective series. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Orphanages in which the boys are sexually molested is a theme that has been used several times in other dramas.  In that sense there is a sameness to this series that seems a bit copycat. It takes 8 episodes to find the predator, deal with police bureaucracy,  and fight a conspiracy to cover up the murders and rapes.  Expect at times to suspend disbelief:  injured cops heroically save lives,  TV commentators miraculously save the day, etc.  Sometimes I am happy that a too convenient solution relieves the tension.

Along the way the divorced Kata has trouble with her son while the unusually taciturn Arnar must fight his own personal demons.

Despite any flaws, the clever obstacles created by the bad guys, the personal stories, and the action sequences kept me glued.

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Drama, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Good Acting, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Identity Theft, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Norwegian Drama, Police Investigation, Small Town, Surfing

Twin (2019)

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From MHz Choice:

Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones, Beck) stars in this dual-identity thriller. After the accidental death of his upstanding twin, a ne’er-do-well surfer bum assumes his brother’s identity.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 8 hour-long episodes of this Norwegian drama.  English subtitles are provided.

Hivju plays both twins, Adam and Eric.  Adam is a successful businessman whereas Eric has always been an irresponsible, willful  free spirit.  For years the brothers have been at odds.  After all those years of separation, Eric appears on the scene. During Eric’s visit Ingrid Williksen, Adam’s wife, accidentally kills Adam. She persuades Eric to pretend he is Adam until Eric can disappear.  You learn all this at the beginning of the story. More than that I will not reveal. But this is a worthy drama involving suspicious police, a confused daughter, and a conflicted wife.

Good acting and plot make this series worth watching.