Category Archives: Romance

Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action sequences, Anxiety Attacks, Big Pharma, Controlling personality, Corrupt Pharmaceutical Firm, Discussions about Emotions, Disturbing Image, Drug trip, Ending too convenient a solution, Ethical struggles, Fight Scenes, Human experimentation, Incompetent or unfit mother, Medical Theme, Must suspend disbelief, Narcissistic Personality, Netflix Streaming, Occasionaly violent, Pharmaceutical Experiments, Psychological Drama, Psychological Thriller, Romance, Unscrupulous drive to power

Spiderhead (2022)

From IMDB:

This film is set in the not too distant future. Convicted criminals are used as Guinea pigs in the hope that they can get their sentences shortened, by volunteering to take new synthetic drugs that a pharmaceutical company manufactures. This film focuses on pills that are given to such criminals, to make them feel many emotions, but mostly “Love”. One particular patient struggles with these feelings and starts to question if it’s all in his head. And so he starts on a path to get to the truth.

From Netflix:

A prisoner in a state-of-the-art penitentiary begins to question the purpose of the emotion-controlling drugs he’s testing for a pharmaceutical genius.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 47 minute complete film.

Abnesti, the director and pharmaceutical genius in the island fortress, is played by a scholarly looking Chris Hemsworth wearing aviator glasses no less.  Miles Teller plays Jeff, the convict that proves to be Abnesti’s foil.

Be prepared for a bit of ugliness as one of Abnesti’s experiments lead to a convict’s suicide.

Give the film a B- if for no other reason then that the ending is just too conveniently contrived. Still, the entire conceit is thought provoking and worth a watch.

 

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Adopted child, Amazon Prime, Ambiguous Conclusion, Amnesia, Attempted Murder, Bizarre, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Bull Riding, Bullying, Confusing Plot, Dark family secrets, Defies Categorization, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, Family Conflict, Family Secrets, Fantasy, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Fist Fight, Flashbacks, Incomplete ending, Manslaughter, Marital Infidelity, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Mysterious, Mysterious Disappearance, Paranormal theme, Police Investigation, Problematic Ending, Puzzling Conclusion, Romance, Unusual

Outer Range (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

A rancher fighting for his land and family discovers an unfathomable mystery at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness.

From Amazon Prime you can stream all 8 episodes of Season 1. Each episode lasts between 42 minutes and about 1 hour.

So far there is only one season. And that season is a real head-scratcher. Wonderful acting, beautiful scenery, interesting plot details. But what on earth is the story about?  Certainly this is a fantasy film (but not a horror film).   Episode 8 ends in a very uncertain manner with no hint of a conclusion.  Is there to be another season or have I really missed the point?

Josh Brolin, who plays Royal Abbott, is probably the best known actor.  He and all the other actors do a really fine job in keeping us confused.

Beats me?!

2018, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Androids, Attempted Suicide, Discussions about Emotions, Drama, Romance, Sex Scenes

Zoe (2018)

From Amazon Prime:

ZOE tells a tale of forbidden love between an engineer and a robot. ZOE (Léa Seydoux) and COLE (Ewan McGregor) are colleagues and veiled lovers at a lab working to perfect romantic relationships. But their
relationship is threatened when Zoe discovers the truth about their relationship, sending them into a spiral of confusion, betrayal and the most intense of human emotions, love.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 43 minute complete film.

Rather than a sci-fi story, this film centers on the divide between human emotions and manufactured emotions injected into a robot body indistinguishable from a human body. Can that divide ever be genuinely crossed?

In addition to the relation between Zoe and Cole,  there is a relevant third party Ash, also a robot (played by Theo James who plays Sidney Parker in “Sanditon”).  Imagine being sentient enough to realize you exist but can be “turned off” at any time.

Consisting almost entirely of discussions about emotions and the possibility of happiness, do not expect any action sequences.

2020, 2021, Acceptable for teenagers, British Drama, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Dancing, Drama, Erotic Tension, Family Conflict, Family Secrets, Fashion, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Flirting, Fraud, Gambling, Hopeless Love, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Period Piece, Prostitutes, Regency Era Britain, Remarkable Costumes, Romance, Sex Scenes, Soap Opera, Social Class Inequality, Too Long, Unhappy Marriage, Unloved Child, Unmarried mother, Unwanted Pregnancy, Verbose

Bridgerton (2020)

From IMDB:

Wealth, lust, and betrayal set against the backdrop of Regency-era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.

From Netflix you can stream 2 seasons of this Regency-era serial soap opera.  Each season consists of 8 episodes, each episode lasting roughly one hour.

During the American revolution George III was king of England. Because he suffered from periodic madness due to porphyria (disputed), his son acted as regent and later became George IV. For this reason this period of history is called the Regency era.

Among the wealthy London aristocrats of the Regency era, social competition and ambition centered around gossip,  fancy apparel, and above all else finding suitable husbands for one’s daughters. “Suitable” here means wealthy and hopefully titled, as in prince beats duke beats lord.  Bridgerton in it entirety is about gossip, fancy apparel and husband pursuits.  And what fun it is to watch!

SLIGHT NEGATIVES:

  • Do not be put off by the very beginning in which we see a bare-assed Anthony Bridgerton copulating with his lower class lover against a tree.  Although there are plenty of sex scenes, this is not a trashy production.
  • Talk, talk, talk and more talk.  There is much repetitious talk.

NOTABLE FEATURES:

  • As far as being “woke”,  irregardless of any particular role, parts are mixed between races. For example: Simon Basset, Lady Danbury, and Queen Charlotte are black;  members of the Sharma family are from India; most actors are white.
  • You may not recognize her, but the voice of Lady Whistledown reading her gossip column is none other than Julie Andrews.
  • Underlying all the husband and wife hunting is the motivation for the main protagonists Daphne and Anthony Bridgerton and the Sharma sisters that despite all the imposed societal ambitions,  true love is the oft scorned but most desired quality of a good marriage.

SEASON ONE

Season One is devoted to finding Daphne Bridgerton a husband. After much  pretending and maneuvering,  Duke Simon is the one.  As far as difficulties are concerned, Simon has taken a vow against his much despised father to never produce an heir to the title.

As an extra major distraction, the search is on the discover the identity of Lady Whistledown, the weekly publisher of a gossip paper that more or less rules society.  My lips are sealed.

One further theme is the friendship between Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington.  In reality the Featherington family is penniless, meaning that their daughters MUST marry well in order to rescue the family from its gambling induced poverty.

SEASON TWO

Season Two is devoted to finding a suitable wife for Anthony Bridgerton and a suitable husband for Kate Sharma.   Along the way Anthony misguidedly proposes marriage to Kate’s sister Edwina.

We learn the identity of Lady Whistledown while Queen Charlotte threatens Eloise Bridgerton with ruin if she fails to discover the true identity of Lady Whistledown.

Season Two does not end happily ever after for all. Will there be a Season Three, dear reader?

2021, Abduction, Action Film, Anxiety Attacks, Binge worthy, British Mystery Series, Car Chase, Cocaine, Conspiracy, Corrupt policemen, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cover-up, Crime Family, Crime thriller, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Family Conflict, Gay theme, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Panic Attacks, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Plot Twist, Police Corruption, Rape, Romance, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Thriller, Torture, Undercover police work, Violent

Before We Die: Season One (2021)

From PBS Masterpiece Streaming,

Determined to solve her lover’s murder, Detective Hannah Laing persuades one of his confidential contacts to help her. But when Hannah discovers the informant’s identity, she realizes there is far more at stake than bringing the killers to justice.

From PBS Masterpiece Streaming you can stream the 6 episodes of this tense British thriller. Each episode last about 45 minutes.

Lesley Sharp played DC Janet Scott for 33 episodes of “Scott and Bailey” from 2011 to 2016. In 2011 she was 51 year old  In the 10 year span from 2011 to the filming year 2021 she has aged  considerably and to her credit sits for many thoughtful and still screen shots despite the wrinkles.  Brits seem to value the acting skill above any appearance.

In this series Lesley plays  detective Helen Laing and the mother of Christian Radic (played by Patrick Gibson). Her sidekick in an off-the-books investigation of a unscrupulous and violent family of Croatian criminals is Billy Murdoch (played by Vincent Regan). Vincent played DCS Dave Murray in the same “Scott and Bailey) series.

From the very beginning Christian volunteers to be part of the murder investigation by inserting himself into the crime family. In doing so he invites great risk to himself and causes great anxiety for his detective mother.

Season one ends in such a way as to lead into season two. However season one is complete in itself with an almost satisfying ending.  But conspiratorial villains remain undetected.

WARNING:  In the beginning of the story there are scenes of torture (another family  specialty) that are hard to watch.  In the reminder of the episodes there is much tension but no torture.

Tension plus a really clever plot twist at the end make this series a

DO NOT MISS!

2015, Autism, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Conspiracy, Controlling personality, Disguises, Divorced Mother, DO NOT MISS, Failed Marriage, Family Conflict, Family Secrets, Father-daughter relations, Gay Bashing, Gay theme, Lesbian Theme, Mother-daughter relations, Muddled biblical references, Murder, Occasionaly violent, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Personality or religious cult, Physical fighting, Police Investigation, Profiler, Religious fanatic, Romance, Suspense, Swedish crime series, Swedish Detective

Modus (2015)

From IMDB;

During a snowy Christmas season in Sweden, psychologist and profiler Inger Johanne Vik and her autistic daughter both get drawn into the investigation of a number of disturbing deaths.

From PBS Masterpiece Streaming you can stream  the 8 episodes of this Swedish mystery series. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Just because the villain intends to kill multiple victims does not, as I understand the term, make the villain a serial killer. Rather in this well-done series his motive has a homicidal rationality.  But I will leave it up to you to guess for yourself that motive before the profiler Inger Vik realizes what is happening.

Many well-presented characters interact.  Throw a romance into the pot and the result is successful suspense.

DO NOT MISS!

 

 

2007, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Bathroom Humor, Blackmail, British Comedy, British Slapstick, Coarse manners, Comedy, Drug trip, Eccentric cast of characters, Embarrassing episodes, Exaggeration Comedy, Father-daughter relations, Gay theme, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Jealousy, Mother-son relations, Nudity, Often downright silly, Romance, Satire, Uncategorized

Death at a Funeral (2007)

From Amazon Prime:

As the mourners at a British country manor struggle valiantly to “keep a stiff upper lip,” a dignified funeral devolves into a hilarious, no-holds barred debacle of misplaced cadavers, indecent exposure, and shocking family secrets. This classic farce blows the lid off the proverbial coffin as “the film’s delicious comic flourishes are served up by an outstanding cast” 

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1.5 hour comedy film.

Although there is an American 2010 all-Black version of this film, the Amazon version is the British 2007 all-White version.

British slapstick is not for everyone. For example, there is at least one  outlandish scene (this one involving human excrement) that could seem distasteful.   Nor is it certain that the treatment of a gay theme from 15 years ago would be  completely acceptable in 2022. These days the extensive nudity will probably not raise an eyebrow.

Among the British actors that might seem familiar, there are:

  • Matthew Macfadyen (Howard’s End, MI-5) as the grieving son Daniel.
  • Peter Dinklage (the dwarf actor in Game of Thrones) as  Peter, who claims to be the lover of the deceased father.
  • Alan Tudyk (Arrested Development) as Simon, who spends most of the time in a drug-induced haze.
  • Rupert Graves (Inspector Lestrade in Sherlock ) as Robert.
  • Peter Vaughan (Maester Aemon in Game of Thrones ) as Uncle Alfie, who spends most of the time on the toilet.
  • Peter Egan ( Martin Hughes in Unforgotten) as Victor.

Possibly not as funny as Monty Python.

 

2022, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action Film, Action Hero, Amazon Prime, Based on a Book, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Cancer theme, Car Chase, Contract Killing, Corny at times, Corrupt Corporation, Corrupt policemen, Corrupt Politicians, Corrupt Prison Guards, Could Be Hard To Watch, Counterfeiting, Country Music, Cover-up, Crime thriller, Detective, Disturbing Image, Dog episode, Extremely Violent, False Imprisonment, FBI, Fist Fight, Forensics, Gory, Greed, Gritty, Hostage Taking, Invincible Hero, Lee Child, Martial Arts, Maudlin, Mayhem, Military, Mother-son relations, Murder, Nudity, Physical fighting, Police Corruption, Police Investigation, Prison, Psychopath, Romance, Ruthless Killer, Sadism, Suspense, Thriller, Torture, Violent, War Veterans, Wrongful Arrest

Reacher (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

When retired Military Police Officer Jack Reacher is arrested for murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen and scheming politicians. With nothing but his wits, he must figure out what is happening in Margrave, Georgia. The first season of Reacher is based on the international bestseller, Killing Floor by Lee Child.

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

Lee Child’s hero Jack Reacher is supposed to be a big, powerful, imposing man that can intimidate his opponents. Alan Ritchson amply fills that bill (as opposed to Tom Cruise who is much smaller). Ritchson played the superhero Hank Hall in the TV series “Titans”.

Violence is the dominant theme. Part of that violence involves gruesome scenes of torture such as nailing a naked man to a wall followed by much worse. Children should NOT watch this series.

Sad to say, violence in the form of watching Reacher beating and killing villains was for me a satisfying vicarious pleasure.  Making the criminals truly repellent is an effective way to rationalize enjoying such a slaughter.

Reacher never misses a shot, wins every hand-to-hand combat, is always the smartest person in the room, and is a multi-decorated war hero. Have I missed anything? Oh, yes – Reacher speaks Farsi.

In to make this epic a bona fide adolescent entertainment,  Reacher must fall in love with Roscoe the female cop but, of course,  is ever the loner who must eventually move on (so that the series can have another season). Expect many maudlin scenes.

Against my better instincts, WATCHING WAS A LOT OF FUN!

2012, Amateur lawbreakers, Amazon Prime, Art forgery, Art Gallery, Art theft, British, Career Criminal, Clever Plot, Comic Moments, Disguises, Eccentric cast of characters, Happy ending, Hopeless Love, Romance, Scottish, Suspense

Doors Open (2012)

From Amazon Prime:

Mike McKenzie is a self made millionaire with time on his hands and a love of art. He has built an admirable collection for himself at auction, advised by his friend, Professor Gissing. Made bitter by his
impending layoff, Gissing persuades Mike to help him commit the perfect crime – to steal valuable paintings from the collection of one of the country’s leading banks right from under its nose.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 40 minute complete film.

Douglas Henshall, who plays Mike McKenzie, is perhaps better known to us as DI Jimmy Perez from the Shetland series (which you should not miss).  In this film made in 2012 Henshall was a young looking 47 years old. In the 2022 Shetland episodes, 10 years later, Henshall looks much older.

Taking place in Edinburg, Scotland,  this film treats us to pleasant sounding Scottish accents. Stephen Fry, who plays Professor Gissing, is one of those Brits whose face is immediately familiar even if we cannot somehow place him in any particular film.  His resumé is enormous (Doctor Who anyone?)

Kenneth Collard, who plays Allan Cruickshank, is the perfect bumbling pessimist.

Combine a large variety of criminals of one sort or another with lots of clever and funny plot twists to produce a very enjoyable and often tense hour and 40 minutes.

Who says crime doesn’t pay?

2016, Abduction, Abortion, Abuse of Women, Adultery, Art as worthless fakery, Art Gallery, Author, Bullying, Cancer theme, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crude Talk, Cynical, Dark, Depression, Detective, Disrespect toward women, Disturbing Image, Eccentric Detective, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Extremely Violent, Failed Marriage, Failing Marriage, Grim, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Psychopath, Rape, Romance, Ruthless Killer, Serial rapist, Social class differences, Suspense, Tragedy, Unhappy Ending, Upsetting ending, Violent, Vulgar

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

From Netflix:

Reading her ex-husband’s violent novel manuscript destabilizes gallery owner Susan’s life, upending her present while digging up their past.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 56 minute complete film.

WARNING:  Almost certainly you will find this extremely violent film upsetting.  In addition the  opening videos of an especially obese naked woman are  quite revolting.

However, as usual, Jake Gyllenhaal delivers his usual impassioned performance.  Just don’t try and sleep afterwards.

Basically the entire film is a downer:

  • Amy Adams as Susan Morrow has reached the pinnacle of an unhappy life.  Her failing faux-modern art gallery features worthless but expensive junk.   She rejected the real love of her life, Tony Hastings. Her second marriage to Hutton Marrow is a lonely empty shell.
  • Armie Hammer as Hutton Morrow is the handsome, suave, and habitually unfaithful second husband.
  • Laura Linney as Susan’s mother Anne Sutton plays the completely materialistic, domineering Texan society matron.
  • Michael Shannon is the tough, chain-smoking lawman who is dying of metastasized cancer.
  • Jake Gyllenhaal is Susan’s first husband, a writer whom Susan loved but discarded as impractical.
  • Robert Aramayo as Turk.  His portrayal of a violent, psychopathic alpha thug is pitch perfect.

What!!! You still want to see this movie?