Category Archives: Government cover-up

2020, Abandoned child, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Trash, Action sequences, Addiction, Adopted child, Aliens from outer space, Anti-Immigration, Bisexual theme, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Conspiracy, Cooking and food, Corny, Dancing, Drugs, Father-daughter relations, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gay theme, Government cover-up, Government medical experiment, Immigrants, Incomplete ending, Latino Culture, Lesbian Theme, Love Story, Love Triangle, Melodrama, Mental Illness, Mildly Suspenseful, Mildly Violent, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nice Aliens, Occasionaly violent, Racial Prejudice, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sister-sister relations, Strange Ending, Unusual ending

Roswell (2020)

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From IMDB:

Centers on a town where aliens with unearthly abilities live undercover among humans. But when a violent attack points to a greater alien presence, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose them.

From Netflix;

A decade after the death of her sister, Liz reluctantly returns to her small hometown and reconnects with her teenage crush Max.

From Netflix you can stream 2 seasons of this sci-fi soap opera. Each season consists of 13 episodes, each episode usually lasting exactly 42 minutes (think of the film cutting involved!)

Ignore the seemingly serious thumb print summaries above. Nothing about this pseudo sci-fi love fest should be taken seriously. Rather the point is to just relax and enjoy the corny and acceptable trash.

As far as the virtually unknown actors let us briefly note that Nathan Parsons (who plays Max Evans) is Australian and that Jeanine Mason (who plays Liz Ortecho)  won Season 5 of FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” and earned the title of America’s Favorite Dancer. So much for fame!

If there is anything serious about this fun time-waster, it is the theme of the problems faced by illegal immigrants. In this respect the story is often political. Border agents are painted as racist bullies.  And there there are the fairly common difficulties of drug addiction.  Finally let us not overlook the prominent gay theme.

Because season 2 ends so abruptly,  the series demands another season.

I LOVE TRASH!

2018, Abduction, Binge worthy, Danish, Danish security authorities, Danish TV series, DO NOT MISS, Drone warfare, Ethical struggles, Government cover-up, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Occasionaly violent, Redemption, Revenge, Romance, Suspense, Swedish, Terrorists, Well developed plot

Grey Zone (2018)

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From IMDB:

Victoria works as an engineer specializing in drones. She is taken hostage in the home of terrorists, while the security police in Sweden, led by SÄPO agent Eva, and the Danish colleagues at PET are trying to prevent an imminent terrorist attack. The destiny of the two women is intertwined in a gray zone where morality and responsibility are put at risk.

From MHz Choice:

Dangerous events are set into motion when a brilliant drone engineer is taken hostage in this high octane Scandinavian thriller. 

From MHz Choice you can stream the 10 episodes of this one season Danish thriller. Each episode lasts 44 minutes. English subtitles are provided.

Victoria and her son Oscar are lured into being taken targeted hostages by Lyad, a decent man turned into a terrorist because an American drone killed Lyad’s wife and son.  Victoria is being forced into programming and launching a bomb carrying drone attack on a populated target. Victoria is clever and finds a way to notify the security police who convince her to carry on so that the details and location of the bomb, drone, and target can be discovered.

As a secondary theme,  the almost unscrupulous methods used by the “good guys” ( the state security apparatus) are examined.  Jesper Lassen is devastated when a  close friend and informer is murdered while helping the authorities.  As Henry Kissinger would probably say “What difference does collateral damage make, as long as I achieve my political goals?”

Whereas I had to anxiously wait week after week for the next installment, now (Nov 11, 2020) you can binge watch all 10 episodes.

 DO NOT MISS!

2020, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Athletes, Bloody scenes, Conspiracy, Corrupt lawyers, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Forensics, Gangs, German, German Detectives, Government cover-up, Greed, Journalist, Kidnapping, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Must suspend disbelief, Police Corruption, Police Politics, Rape, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Sex trafficking, Sex with underage girls, Short-lived suspenseful episodes, Suspense, Various Romances, Violent

Tatort: Lindholm (2020)

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From MHz Choice:

Lone wolf detective Charlotte Lindholm has an uncanny talent for solving crimes and fumbling all personal relationships.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 12 episodes of the only season available in this German series. Each episode is about an hour and a half.

“Tatort”  is German for “scene of the crime.”  MHz Choice offers 4 different series entitled “Tatort:” followed by either the name of a detective or of a German city.

Beware: Episode 8, “The Disposable Girl”,  is harrowing and ends with all the corruption revolving around sex trafficking winning the battle. Because I did not understand that the story continues into episode 9, I was really depressed.  Do not watch such stories at bedtime. However,  as in most fairy tales, the good guys win and the bad guys lose in episode 9.  As usual Charlotte in episode 9 loses yet another love interest.

As in many less-than-perfect such presentations, the solutions are often just too easy. Somehow the Lone Ranger always shows up at just the right time.  But that is just fine with me, I gladly trade some realism for some release in the story tension.

Charlotte is a beautiful young unmarried mother with a very young son. She keeps searching for that one true love. Sadly that is not in the cards for our Charlotte.  Just enjoy her in-your-face, determined fight for justice in the face of bureaucratic or corrupt opposition.

At least it is not boring and, in fact, not bad at all.

2017, Binge worthy, Brother-Sister relations, Conspiracy, Corny at times, Cynical, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Financial malfeasance, Government cover-up, Government Prosecutions, Illegitimate Child, Jealousy, Lawyers, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Money Laundering, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Promiscuity, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Swiss banking, Tax Evasion, Transvestite theme, Unscrupulous drive to power

Banking District (2017)

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From IMDB:

A private banker goes into a coma. His sister becomes the director and finds out his coma might not be accidental as she finds obscure transactions her brother was involved in.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 6 episodes of season 1 of this French-speaking Swiss intrigue film with English subtitles.  Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.  IMDB seems to indicate that there is or will be a season 2 which, in my opinion, would be a shame.

REVISION for Season 2 which also consists of 6 episodes, each lasting about 50 minutes.

My above opinion about season 2 being a shame, is WRONG. Season two was just as good as season 1.  At least we know from the beginning of season 2 who the bad guys are. But now Elizabeth has the difficult task of removing the bad buys and cleaning up the bank ethics. However, the line between good and evil becomes increasingly blurred as the plot develops. Elizabeth has her troubles in spades. Expect cynical plot turns. And once again DO NOT MISS!

ORIGINAL review for season 1.

From the very beginning up to the very end there is a palpable atmosphere of intrigue, suspense, and danger (for the good guys at least).

Elizabeth Grangier is the black sheep of the Swiss Grangier banking family. In fact she is the black sheep because of her disdain for the crooked dealings of the Swiss bank.  More to the point, the whole series is an indictment of the shady Swiss banking system. We quickly learn that her beloved brother Paul, who lies in a coma for the entire season, was quite corrupt.  Besides Elizabeth, the only other honest adult seems to be her newspaper journalist former husband.   Impetus for most of the action comes from the United States hunt for American tax evaders.  Add murders to the mix.

Some details are left hanging.  Elizabeth cries a lot. We never meet the owner of the female phone voice that orders killings.  But the story grabbed me.  At last I have gotten used to and in fact admire the plotting technique in which the conclusion leaves many details hanging. Just use your imagination.

Despite some negative criticisms,  I rate this series a DO NOT MISS!

 

 

2000, Abuse of Women, Acorn TV, Alcoholism, Arson, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Conspiracy, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Eccentric Detective, Extortion, Forensics, Government cover-up, Ian Rankin, Journalist, Lawyers, Murder, Murder Investigation, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Romance, Scottish, Scottish Detectives, Suspense, Torture, Womanizing

Rebus (2000)

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From IMDB:

DI John Rebus is a hard drinking, unkempt, womanizing police officer whose job is his whole life. He is the most senior and most experienced DI at his station. He has a mysterious past that his partner DS Siobhan Clarke learns about from time to time through various comments Rebus makes. She is a young woman who wants to succeed, but does not have much of a personal life. She feels being paired with Rebus jeopardizes her career because of his unorthodox methods, but she is also fascinated by the man and is extremely loyal. DI Rebus’ boss is Chief Superintendent Templar, a woman who was one of Rebus’ lovers in a distant past. Their relationship is now one where they barely tolerate each other.

From Acorn TV:

Based on the novels by Ian Rankin, this gritty crime drama stars Laurence Olivier Award winner Ken Stott (The Hobbit) as gruff Scottish detective John Rebus. The world-weary policeman investigates the grisly crimes that mar Edinburgh’s historic streets in these sharply written and intricately plotted mysteries.

From Acorn TV you can stream seasons 2,3,and 4. Season 1, which is described in IMDB, seems to be missing. Season 2 has 2 episodes. Season 3 has 4 episodes.  Season 4 has 4 episodes. Each episode is a complete story.  Each episodes lasts approximately 68 minutes.

Fans of Ian Rankin should enjoy these well-done adaptations with interesting and compelling plots.  Only one, season 4 episode 1 (Resurrection Men)  stands out as especially violent.

Beautiful Claire Price plays Rebus’ long-suffering partner, DS Siobhan Clarke (which is pronounced “sha-von”.) Jennifer Black plays DCS Gill Templer.

As is common in many detective stories, Rebus is a heavy smoking quasi alcoholic.  In all fairness, however, people as portrayed in the British isles and in my own experience drink A LOT of alcohol. In one of the more recent Ian Rankin novels, Rebus’ unhealthy lifestyle catches up with him.

2018, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Acorn TV, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, Based on true facts, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Child abuse, Cold Cases, Depression, Detective, Emotional child abuse, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, Government cover-up, Mental Illness, Mildly Violent, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Physical child abuse, Police Politics, Psychiatrists, Psychopath, Revenge, Serial Killer, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish Detective, Underdogs win

The Truth Will Out (2018)

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From IMDB:

After a long sick leave and recovery police detective Peter Wendel is back on duty. He is commissioned to form a new team to reopen unresolved murder cases, however he soon finds himself with a rather third rank and conflicting staff. Soon they are in the center of a new case. An unknown murderer claims that Sweden’s most infamous murderer is a fraud – that he never committed the murders he’s jailed for. High reaching implications are to be exposed, involving even the Swedish government.

From Acorn TV:

Detective Peter Wendel wants to create an elite team of investigators to crack cold cases. When the police receive a tip that Sweden’s most notorious serial killer is a fraud, and therefore eight killers might have gone free, Wendel gets his chance–but only the dregs of the force are available to work the case. Can his lowly group solve these high-profile crimes? Swedish with English subtitles.

From Acorn TV you can stream the 8 episodes of this complete story. Each episode lasts about 43 minutes. Swedish with English subtitles. Formerly Acorn TV advertised itself as “All Things British” but evidently their intent has changed.

Plaguing Peter Wendel throughout the episodes is the sorrow over his brother’s suicide. Because he refuses to accept the verdict of suicide he becomes so mentally ill and a bit violent and must be hospitalized. Now that he is released from care he faces the prejudice that he cannot do his job properly which only makes his job proving that the Minister of Justice erred in pronouncing a man guilty of serial killings.

His ragtag trio of helpers turn out to be diamonds in the rough, especially the older woman “administrator” who shows herself to be clever, very observant, and even capable of head butting.

What compelled me to binge watch was the injustice of the cover-up by the upper echelons and the efforts of a detected named Temo to discredit and remove Peter Wendel.

Because the pace is quite S L O W,  you might easily be tempted to stop watching after the first episode. Stick with the well crafted plot to see clever vindications.

 

Amazon Prime, Amnesia, Clever Plot, Conspiracy, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Government cover-up, Government human experiment, Harmful Medicine, Military, Paranoia, Psychological Thriller, PTSD, Suspense, Uncategorized, War Veterans

Homecoming (2018)

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From Amazon Prime:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes, including Best Drama Series. Good intentions. Erratic bosses. Mounting paranoia. Unforeseen consequences spiraling out of control. Heidi (Julia Roberts) works at Homecoming, a facility helping soldiers transition to civilian life. Years later she has started a new life, when the Department of Defense questions why she left Homecoming. Heidi realizes there’s a whole other story behind the one she’s been telling herself.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 1 season, 10 episodes of this complete story.  Each episode lasts approximately  a half hour.

Julia Roberts  ( age 57) is no longer a young romantic figure. Instead she does a credible and serious job as a woman unwittingly caught up in a sinister plot that takes awhile to reveal itself.

Bobby Cannavale  (age 48) does a superb job at portraying an amoral and smooth operator in the destructive enterprise.  Here is a man who can put a verbal deceptive spin on whatever scheme his corporation is concocting.  We see a lot of this  behavior nowadays (in plots and political life and military life): characters that convince you that everything is just fine and legitimate using standard business world speech patterns. Meanwhile, in reality, nasty things are happening.  Vietnam?

Stephan James (age 25) is somewhat of a newcomer.  His role here as one of the many victims is well done and convincing.

However, of all the characters I most admired  how Shea Whigham presented Thomas Carrasco, a determined and humble Department of Defense cog-in-the-wheel who stubbornly refused to stop investigating.

Because the episodes are so short, it is easy and compelling to binge straight through to the end.  When you have finished, ask yourself if such a thing could really happen.