From Amazon Prime:
Firebird follows a handsome, soulful young soldier who embarks on a clandestine sexual affair with a charismatic fighter pilot on a Soviet Air Force Base at the height of 1970’s Communist rule.
From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 47 minute film in spoken and subtitled English.
This true story takes place in 1977 Soviet occupied Estonia as well as in Moscow. Both the love story and the details of life under Russian (military) rule are interesting.
From IMDB:
Quirky police detective, in Finland, delves into his mind palace to solve despicable crimes all the while trying to keep his family together. If Sherlock was based in Finland this would be it.
From Netflix you can stream 3 seasons of this Finnish crime series. Season 1 consists of 11 episodes while seasons 2 and 3 consist of 10 episodes. Each episode lasts about an hour. Most often one complete story requires 2 or 3 episodes.
You can always get English subtitles. In seasons 1 an 2 you can get an English sound track which to my ears always sounded somewhat unnatural as if the dubbing was too formal. Oddly enough there is no English sound track for season 3, only Finnish, Spanish, and Italian.
Kari Sorjonen is quite possibly the most eccentric detective I have seen. His odd mannerisms of touching his face and head with outstretched fingers might just get on your nerves. Supposedly when he does this he has ingenious flashes of insight.
Never mind the idiosyncrasies, the stories are as grim as they are good. His supporting detectives and family members fill out the cast well. Indeed a constant theme is his somewhat clueless neglect of his family because, as is the case in so many detective series, that phone is always ringing.
Worth a watch.
From NetFlix:
At the height of the Cold War in 1960, the downing of an American spy plane and the pilot’s subsequent capture by the Soviets draws Brooklyn attorney James Donovan into the middle of an intense effort to secure the aviator’s release.
Steven Spielberg’s films tell stories in a straight forward manner often including quite a bit of schmalz (the German word for “lard”). In this excellent and true Cold War portrayal, Spielberg’s style is unmistakable with a minimum of schmalz.
After watching the 142 minutes continue to stay for the credits because the follow-up explanations are as meaningful as the story itself. Probably because you have accompanied these characters through a very difficult spy exchange negotiation, you will want to know what happened to them after the film story ended.
Not all young film stars mature into fine older actors. Clearly Tom Hanks is a standout.
Throughout the film there are many subtle facial expressions and gestures. As one example, at the very end the East German high official concludes a swap and extends his hand for a handshake because above all else the East Germans wanted recognition as something other than Russian lackeys. But the American agent refuses the handshake and whisks the swapped prisoner away to American safety.
James Donovan’s insistence on due process as part of what defines the United States, even for a foreign spy, was a thought-provoking and essential point of the story.
Bravo Steven Spielberg! DO NOT MISS!
From NetFlix:
CIA analyst Jack Ryan tries to thwart a terrorist plot to bring down the U.S. economy in this action-thriller helmed by Kenneth Branagh. Chris Pine plays the title character alongside an all-star cast that includes Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley.
Seen one, seen them all. But some action films offer at least something that is unique to the film. For me, seeing Kenneth Branagh (who also directed the film) as the Russian villain was a welcome novelty. Nor did it hurt having Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley in the film. Chris Pine as Jack Ryan presents a personality that is a new and more honest approach, namely: he does not pretend to be the perfect, invulnerable hero. Rather the whole espionage game is new and unwelcome to him. When the first attempt is made on his life, he is scared to death with trembling to match. Still, in the several unrealistic action sequences (but then, aren’t they all unbelievable ?) Jack Ryan would never have survived.
Who cares? Just sit back and enjoy the pandemonium.
From NetFlix:
With both their countries threatened by a powerful global crime cartel, the CIA’s Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin must work together in this Cold War thriller inspired by the classic 1960s TV series.
Take two young studs (Henry Cavill as Solo and Armie Hammer as Illya) , throw in two beautiful young women (Alicia Vikander as Gaby and Elizabeth Debicki as Victoria) and some good action scenes and SHAZAMM! we can have a lot of fun. Especially well-crafted was the opening action sequence. Constant competition between Solo and Illya maintains the humor. Of course, you have seen all this before (nuclear warheads, double-crosses, “who is an agent for whom”) but some mixes work better than others and this mix worked for me.
And wasn’t it a surprise to see Hugh Grant cleverly disguised as an Englishman?
Not all the acting is great.
Best of all, this film is intended to be the first of a series. Let’s hope the writers can keep the momentum moving.