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?!
From Kanopy:
French Army Captain Antares Bonassieu and his squad are assigned to monitor a remote valley of Wakhan, Afghanistan on the border of Pakistan. Negotiating control of the region between local shepherds and possible Taliban sympathizers grows more and more tenuous for them as men from all sides start mysteriously disappearing. Unable to explain this eerie phenomenon, the soldiers find themselves embroiled in an existential nightmare, desperate for their own safety.
From Kanopy you can stream this 105 minute complete French film with English subtitles.
Films involving some paranormal occurrence are often second-rate. But in this military themed film, there is nothing cheesy about the paranormal disappearances of both soldiers and Afghans. What is palpable throughout is the increasingly desperate frustration of Captain Bonassieu (played by Jérémie Renier) and his men to explain what is happening. Even if the solution suggested to the soldiers by a young Afghan shepherd seems implausible, it hardly matters to the story. More important and really central to the drama is the mounting tension, its psychological effect on the troops, and how to explain the disappearances to their loved ones back home. Bonassieu’s final act of self-sacrifice is clever and unexpected.
Slow moving and clearly a genre that may not appeal to everyone, this film presents, nonetheless, a rather unique and possibly moving plot.
From Netflix:
When a plane mysteriously lands years after takeoff, the people onboard return to a world that has moved on without them and face strange, new realities.
From Netflix you can stream two seasons of this fairly awful series. Season 1 has 16 episodes and season 2 has 13 episodes. Every single episode lasts exactly 42 minutes, which may have been the only technical achievement of the series.
Holy Maudlin! There were enough tears shed during this slop opera to irrigate California.
Holy Unbelievable! Find yourself in a tight spot? Just invent some miraculous paranormal intervention.
Holy Gullible! How on earth could I watch all 29 episodes expecting to be satisfied with the ending. Perhaps it is because I LOVE TRASH.
MISS!
From Netflix:
A single mother enters a world of twisted mind games when she begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss while secretly befriending his mysterious wife.
From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes of this British romantic thriller. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.
Louise is a divorced mother with one child Adam. David, a psychiatrist, is Louise’s boss and Adele’s husband. Adele is a mysterious childless stay-at-home housewife. David and Adele are not happily married. But their relationship is more ominous rather than merely not getting along. David and Louise are having a difficult affair, not the least because Louise has befriended Adele. Rob is a gay young man who has become Adele’s best friend after Rob and Adele met during their mutual confinement in a mental institution.
If you are not yet intrigued, then throw in a paranormal element (which perfectly suits the plot and is not the least bit hokey) and lots of sex scenes. Finally, this story has one of the best surprise endings I have ever seen.
If this last paragraph appeals to you, then DO NOT MISS!
Films Tony is comfortable recommending.
