Category Archives: Netflix Streaming

2019, Abuse of Women, Acceptable Trash, Bad high school, Career Competition, Child abuse, Cold Cases, Complicated, Corny at times, Dancing, Detective, DNA, Drama, Emotional child abuse, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Fashion, Gay theme, Illegitimate Child, Mediocre, Melodrama, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Narcissistic Personality, Netflix Streaming, Psychopath, Sex Scenes, Sociopath, Suspense, Uncategorized, Unscrupulous drive to power, Violent, Womanizing

What/If (2019)

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From IMDB:

An anthology series which tackles a different morality tale, and the ripple effect of a single decision that changes the trajectory of an entire life.

From Netflix you can stream 10 episodes of this soap opera. Each episode lasts between 40 and 60 minutes.

Anne Montgomery is the villain and most prominent feature of this acceptable trashy melodrama. She is played by Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones) who looks awfully good for her 50 years. Of course it does not hurt her appearance to wear not only tons of makeup but to wear in each new appearance an astounding designer creation. Best of all you can hear her lisp for all ten episodes.

Harlequin Books, the leaders in trashy bodice-rippers, will send you a story plot and will pay you to fill in the details. Suppose, in similar fashion you want to write a Netflix Original screenplay. What should be in the plot to be current in 2019?  Here are some suggestions (where we were motivated by this marvelous series):

  • In each couple, one of the partners must be hiding some terrible, guilty secret which prevents that person from being truly open with the other person.
  • One of the couples must be a gay couple. They should engage in least some filmed threesome sexual activity.
  • For each couple there must be a third party who has some destructive relation to one of the partners.
  • Some character must be a homicidal sociopath.
  • Financial dealings must complicated by the fact that you can never know whom to trust.

Probably I could extend the list, but those selling points should be enough to tempt you to watch almost 10 hours of acceptable trash. As a further inducement to wasting all that time, I am happy to reveal that by the end of episode ten, all problems have been resolved. Moreover, the plot leaves an opening for another thrilling set of trashy episodes.

Thanks to former colleague Kellie Trainer for suggesting this binge-worthy series. She and I have a motto:

WE LOVE TRASH!

2012, Abandoned child, Bloody scenes, British, Child abduction and murder, Child abuse, Complicated, Creepy, Emotional child abuse, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Ghost story, Grim, Horror, Merely acceptable, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder by poison, Netflix Streaming, Orphans in Foster Care, Physical child abuse, Psychic Phenomena, Psychopath, Romance, Sadism, Suspense, Unmarried mother, Violent

The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012)

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From IMDB:

A year after their son goes missing, a family moves to Crickley Hall. When supernatural events begin to take place, Eve feels the house is somehow connected to her lost son.

From Netflix you can stream this 1.5 hour complete film.

Horror films can sometimes be silly or exaggerated. At best there is always some “manifestation” that is a bit over the top. However, this particular horror film successfully glues the paranormal to the gradual uncovering of the abuses of a madman.

And guess who plays the madman! Immediately I recognized the face but it took a while to register that the sadist Augustus Cribben is played by no other than the actor that plays DI Jimmy Perez in “Shetland”, namely Douglas Henshall. Possibly I took so long to make the connection because the two characters are complete opposites.

Eve Cleigh, the mother, is played by Suranne Jones (detective Rachel Bailey of “Scott and Bailey”).  Gabe Caleigh, the father, is played by Tom Ellis (who unfortunately plays the devil in “Lucifer”).

Because the scenes constantly shift between present and past, you have to equate the young character with the older counterpart. Moreover there are many characters.  So pay close attention to the good guys and the bad guys.

Give this film a “merely acceptable.”

2018, Bloody scenes, Contract Maiming, Drama, Drugs, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Grim, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Rape, Spanish, Tragedy, Violent

Your Son (2018)

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From IMDB:

When his son is sent to the hospital after being hit by strangers, a father tries to find them regardless of the consequences.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 43 minute complete from  Spain. Dialog is in Spanish but  you can choose English subtitles.

From beginning to end this Shakespearean tragedy is a slow-moving downer.  Throughout the film  the constant foreboding suspense centers on what on earth the surgeon father is going to do. next.

As far as film making goes, this is a very well done, frighteningly understated story. Do not expect a happy ending.

2015, 2016, Abuse of Women, Adopted child, Adultery, Ambiguous Conclusion, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, British, British Mystery Series, Cancer theme, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Cold Cases, Contract Killing, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Depression, DNA, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Incest, Male Prostitutes, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Pedophilia, Personal Betrayal, Police cover-up, Police Politics, Prostitutes, Racism, Rape, Revenge, Romance, Sex with underage girls, Sister-sister relations

Unforgotten (2015)

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From Netflix you can stream the first two seasons of this excellent British cold-case series.

For the 6 45-minute episodes of the first season the plot starts with:

A skeleton found in the cellar of a building prompts investigation from DCI Stuart and her colleague into the murder of a young man that could potentially span back thousands of years.

For the 6 45-minute episodes of the second season the plot starts with:

Cassie and Sunny join together to investigate when a body is found in a suitcase when the river Lea gets dredged.

Although there are 5 seasons, I don’t know where to find the last three seasons.

In each season the plot runs as follows: First and foremost the challenge is to identify the victim. That process leads to a list of names associated with the victim. Each such name carries its own story. Eventually all the personal stories become entangled as the detectives struggle to make sense of the crime.

British crime series strike me as one big repertory group. You see the same actors over and over in different roles. If you want a list of those actors that keep reappearing, “Unforgotten” provides that list. Couple the list with the “Unforgotten” discussion in IMDB just in case you know you have seen that actor before but you just can’t remember who it is.

Both seasons are binge-worthy. DO NOT MISS!

 

2018, Abduction, Action Film, Action Hero, Anti-terrorism, British, British Politics, Car Chase, Career Competition, Complicated, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corruption, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gangs, Made For TV, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Political Suspense, Politicians, PTSD, Romance, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Terrorists, Thriller, Valium appropriate, Violent, War Veterans

Bodyguard (2018)

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From IMDB:

A contemporary thriller featuring the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.

From Netflix:

Sgt. David Budd is promoted to a protection detail for UK Home Secretary Julia Montague, but he quickly clashes with the hawkish politician.

From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes of the only season available.  Each episode is an hour except the last episode which lasts 75 minutes.

In Britain this TV series was a well-deserved smash hit. Character interplay, plot, action sequences, and romance are seamlessly joined. Because certain scenes are meticulously detailed (for example the disarming of a bomb attached to a person), some viewers might at times find the film progress slow. However, for me those details just added to the unceasing tension.  At times I was literally on the edge of my seat.

Purposeful spoiler: the series has a satisfactory end.

WARNING:  British thriller TV series are not squeamish and have no qualms about killing off characters that you might think were essential to the plot.

Gina McKee (who plays Anne Sampson) was familiar to me as the actor who played Irene Forsyte in the 2002 TV series “The Forsyte Saga”.  Along with her character, Richard Madden (as David Budd) and Keeley Hawes (as Julia Montague) steal the show. But all the acting is wonderful.

As far as political thrillers go,  you cannot go wrong with this series.

 

2018, Alaskan wilderness, Creepy, Dark, Dysfunctional Lives, Frontier Life, Gloomy, Grim, Grisly, Gritty, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Police Story, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Slow, Violent

Hold The Dark (2018)

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From IMDB:

After the deaths of three children suspected to be killed by wolves, writer Russell Core is hired by the parents of a missing six-year-old boy to track down and locate their son in the Alaskan wilderness.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour film.

S L O W !  and D A R K ! is the flavor of this story set in dark Alaska (did I mention “dark”?) where the sun comes up at 10AM and sets at 3:30PM.

Russel Core (played by Jeffrey Wright) is a wolf expert who travels to a remote spot in Alaska at the request of Medora Slone (played by Riley Keough) who wants Russel to kill the wolf that abducted her son Bailey. Meanwhile Medora’s husband Vernon (played by Alexander Skarsgård) gets shot in Afghanistan and is sent home. Just before Vernon arrives home, Russel returns from a wolf hunt to find Medora gone and discovers the body of Bailey strangled in the basement.

In Afghanistan we were introduced to Vernon’s brutally murderous side. It would seem now that his intent is to find his wife and avenge the murder of his son. From here on in I reveal no more only to say that the story takes a shocking, unexpected, and violent turn. You have to stick around to understand the local hatred toward the police, the local superstitions, and what makes Vernon tick.

Just be aware that despite the unusual plot, which kept me interested, this film is VERY VIOLENT!

 

2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, Cold Cases, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Human trafficking, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Culture, Police Politics, Quiet, Rape, Scottish Detectives, Suspense, Unjust crime conviction

Shetland (2016)

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Formerly from Netflix:

Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez and his team face storms, corruption, cold cases and more as they investigate murders on the remote Shetland Islands.

2022 UPDATE:

Amazon Prime Brit Box now offers 7 seasons of Shetland.  According to reviews, season 7 sadly is the last. In fact, at the end Jimmy Perez quits the force because it takes too much out of him.   Like a fine wine, the series was good to the last drop.

CHANGE OF PROVIDER:

Netflix no longer (2019) offers “Shetland”. Instead Brit Box offers all 5 seasons. Season 5 was made in 2019.

Brit Box is a collection of British offerings.  Currently Brit Box costs $6.99 a month after a free trial. You can subscribe to Brit Box through many different providers. In my case, I went to my Amazon Prime and chose to subscribe to Brit Box. This means that when I choose Amazon Prime Videos, one of my squares which represents a choice is Brit Box. When I click on that Brit Box square, my screen switches to all the choices available to  Brit Box, including “Shetland”.

“Bleak” is the first word that comes to my mind when viewing the landscape of the Shetland Islands. Perhaps you might choose “beautiful in a barren sort of way”.  Because the population is small, you get the impression everyone knows everyone else.

As the episodes develop, you learn that each person has their own story to tell.  Respectable citizens are not often what they seem. Perez (played by  Douglas Henshall) struggles with helping his daughter find happiness, despite her missteps. He shares her upbringing with Duncan (played by Mark Bonnar).

For a complete rundown of all 5 seasons see Wikipedia.

We waited impatiently for each new episode.  Possibly you will feel the same.

 

2018, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Accidental Death, Addiction, African American centered, Basically Sad, Bloody scenes, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cynical, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Forensics, Gay theme, Gritty, Mildly Violent, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Trial, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Pessimistic, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Racism, Religious Theme, Spousal Abuse, Suspense, Trial Scenes, Upsetting ending

Seven Seconds (2018)

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From IMDB:

Tensions run high between African American citizens and Caucasian cops in Jersey City when a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a cop.

From Netflix you can stream this 10 episode series. Each episode is about an hour except the final episode is 80 minutes.

In the very beginning we see Officer Peter Jablonski accidentally run down a black boy Brenton who was riding his bicycle through the park on a snowy day. Immediately his corrupt white police buddies convince him to hide the crime as they drag the living boy to a ditch and leave him to bleed out over 12 hours. All ten very tense episodes relate the effort by a black female Assistant DA named KJ Harper and a white policeman  Joe ‘Fish’ Rinaldi to seek justice. Along the way we spend time with each member of Brenton’s family and the police families as their lives are sadly changed by the killing.  If there is a theme here, it is “Black Lives Should Matter” even if, sadly, black lives do not matter.

Acting is superb. None of the actors were familiar to me. Even the villains stand out as especially heinous, especially the unscrupulous white woman who defends the police.

For me much of the tension was getting to the end to see how the trial turns out.  Enjoy the gripping ride while you predict what a realistic ending would be.

DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

2015, Abortion, Acceptable Trash, Adultery, B-movie, British, Crude Talk, Divorce, Drama, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Jealousy, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Melodrama, Middle school students, Mostly About Sex, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Revenge, School Teacher, Self-Deception, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Suicide, Teenagers

Doctor Foster (2015)

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From IMDB:

A woman suspects her husband of having an affair. After following several lines of inquiry far more unravels including a streak of violence below the surface

From Netflix you can stream two seasons of this BBC soap opera. Each season consists of 5 episodes. At this point (July 2018) it is uncertain as to whether there will be a third season, even though the ending of season two cries for a continuation of the story.

Make no mistake, these 10 episodes comprise nothing better than a sex-and-revenge fueled soap opera. Nonetheless, yours truly binged frantically from episode to episode long after my wife lost interest in “pure tripe.”  But I have never been ashamed to admit that “I Love Trash!”

If you watch much British TV, then many of the actors will be familiar faces.  Most probably you may recognize Suranne Jones, who plays the lead role as Dr. Gemma Foster, as one of the team of women police detectives in “Scott & Bailey” (which I heartily recommend).

If for no other reason than to enjoy watching one of the best revenge dinners I have ever seen, put this potboiler on your list of guilty pleasures.

2017, Abuse of Women, Addiction, American Indian culture, Bloody scenes, Could Be Hard To Watch, Disturbing Image, Father-son relations, Grim, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Rape, Revenge, Violent

Wind River (2017)

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From IMDB:

A veteran tracker with the Fish and Wildlife Service helps to investigate the murder of a young Native American woman, and uses the case as a means of seeking redemption for an earlier act of irresponsibility which ended in tragedy.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 47 minute full feature length film starring Jeremy Renner.

Although the scenery in all its wildness is breathtaking (and beautifully photographed), after watching this film I have decided that you could not pay me to step foot in central Wyoming. Perhaps I got the wrong impression.

Quite simply the story is about the brutal rape of a young American Indian woman and the murder of both her and her white American boyfriend and how this crime is avenged. When I say brutal, be warned: there is some nasty violence portrayed.

Jeremy Renner teams his persona as a tracker with that of a young urban FBI agent Jane Banner played by Elizabeth Olsen.  He is on the side of the law of the land whereas she tries to uphold the rules of the FBI. She has no clue about the wilderness, so to honor his Indian friend and father of the victim, he volunteers to help her while making it clear he follows his own rules.

Expect some ugly violence, much death, and a very fitting revenge. Not for the faint of heart.