Category Archives: Mother-daughter relations

2017, Acceptable for children, Child custody, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Family Conflict, Mathematician, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Psychological Drama, Suicide, Uncle-Niece relations

Gifted (2017)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

In this wonderfully moving film, a single man (Chris Evans) strives to give his child prodigy niece (Mckenna Grace) a normal life, despite interference from the girl’s grandmother.

British Airways offered this gem of a film on a flight to London.

Chris Evans, in a break from adolescent action films, gives a sensitive performance as a higher education drop-out, Frank Adler,  who scrapes by repairing small boats.  His sister was a brilliant mathematician who committed suicide, leaving her equally brilliant young daughter Mary without a mother.  Evelyn Adler, Frank’s mathematician mother, is a grandmother from hell who wants her granddaughter to do nothing but develop her prodigious abilities in mathematics. Trying to provide Mary with a normal happy childhood means Frank must engage in a constant tug-of-war with Evelyn.

Not only because this is a positive well played film, but also  because it has a happy ending (for a change),  I am recommending this film.  However, expect to shed a few tears before you reach the happy conclusion.

DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Addiction, Child custody, Drugs, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Irish, Lawyers, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Orphans in Foster Care, Personal Betrayal, Sex Scenes

Striking Out (2017)

Leave a comment

From Acorn TV:

Tara Rafferty (Amy Huberman, The Clinic) is living the good life: she’s a successful Dublin lawyer engaged to a fellow solicitor. But Tara’s life is turned upside down after she discovers her betrothed in bed with a colleague. Abandoning her wedding plans (and her job), Tara strikes out on her own, starting an unconventional private practice. Hailed as “a roaring success” (Irish Independent), this legal drama charmed audiences across the pond, quickly becoming Ireland’s #1 new drama. Neil Morrissey (Line of Duty, Grantchester, The Night Manager) and Rory Keenan (War & Peace, Peaky Blinders) co-star.

From Acorn TV you can stream the 4 episodes of Season One. Season Two is now in production over the summer of 2017.

Kathy and I could not wait to see each new episode. Along side of the continuing saga of her fiancée  Erik’s betrayal (and the accompanying pressures of both their socially ambitious families), each episode presents a different law Client for Tara. There is absolutely no violence.  Tara gathers around her a really quirky and nice set of characters.

Expect a cliff-hanger ending of episode 4, which clearly means to suggest an oncoming new season.

If you are a “Doc Martin” kind of person, you will enjoy “Striking Out”.

 

2016, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Acceptable Science, Aliens from outer space, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Divorce, Military, Mother-daughter relations, Suspense

Arrival (2016)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

When twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, linguistics professor Louise Banks is tasked with interpreting the language of the apparent alien visitors.

Netflix sent me the DVD for this film.

Despite the introductory rating which cautions children under 13,  probably there are very few children that young that could maintain their interest in this somewhat cerebral sci-fi adventure. However, yours truly was fascinated by the non-sensational approach to the events.

Of course, news reports abound describing hysterical looting, school closings, and military posturing.  But for the most part the investigators brought in by the government engage in calm conversations centering around linguistics. Just how, in fact, would you communicate with aliens who are just so inconsiderate as  to not speak English?

Aliens, at least these large octopus-like septapods (7 legs), seem to have a non-linear concept of time quite different from our own notions. Matching this non-linear theme are all the out-of-sync portions of this film. From this point on you will have to suspend a whopping portion of disbelief.  Linguistics professors Louise Banks, played beautifully  by Amy Adams, and Ian Donnelly, played by Jeremy Renner, quickly unravel the language puzzle. To which I say “HUMBUG!” Moreover Louise can conveniently see into the future and has “suffered” from that ability for most of her life, possibly without fully appreciating her giftedness. This fact accounts for the puzzling and challenging film sequencing. But it also adds charm and the essential elements needed to draw the story to a satisfying conclusion (to which I refuse to even hint) which offers clever twists and turns.

Sensible and satisfying sci-fi.

 

 

2016, Abduction, Acceptable Science, Cancer theme, Computer geeks, Creepy, Father-daughter relations, Grim, Mother-daughter relations, Nudity, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Sociopath, Suspense, Teenagers, Thought provoking, Uncategorized, Violent

I.T. (2016)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

Mike Regan has everything he could ever want, a beautiful family and a top of the line smart house. The company he owns is on the verge of changing flight leasing forever. That is, until the relationship with his I.T. advisor turns nasty, to the point where his teenage daughter is being stalked and his family is under attack through every technological facet of their lives.

On our British Airways flight to London I was able to watch both this film as well as “Jason Bourne” which is reviewed elsewhere. As I mentioned in that other review, both films deal with the current War on Privacy. Whereas in “Jason Bourne” the CIA wants “Apple Corporation” to let the CIA have access to everyone’s data, in “I.T.” Mike Regan  (played convincingly by Pierce Brosnan , age 64) foolishly allows his new IT employee Patrick (played eerily by Jason Barry,  a young looking age 46) to convert Mike’s home into a “smart house” which allows Patrick to see all and tell all that occurs there. That was a big mistake!

In “I.T.” the suspense seemed more intense than in “Jason Bourne”, probably because the former  scenario is today unfortunately very plausible. Would you feel comfortable living in a smart house? Is Big Brother watching you?

2016, Abduction, Abortion, Addiction, Amnesia, Arson, Belgian Detectives, Bloody scenes, Boxing, Complicated, Computer geeks, Contract Killing, Corruption, Crime, Dark, Drama, Drugs, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, French, Grisly, Lesbian Theme, Love Story, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Psychiatrists, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Small Town Atmosphere, Soap Opera, Soccer, Sociopath, Suspense, Teenagers, Violent, Vulgar

The Break (2016)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Soon after arriving in Heiderfeld, Inspector Yoann Peeters is called to the scene of a suspected suicide and begins uncovering troubling details.

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of this compelling detective story in French with subtitles. According to Wikepedia The Break (French: La Trêve, “The Truce”) is a French-language Belgian crime drama television series

Actually this series is a soap opera with many characters,  quite a bit of sex and violence, and many surprises. In fact I would estimate that each episode has at least 3 or so unexpected  plot revelations. Not until the very, very end will you discover “who done it”. If you truly guess the answer before episode 10, then let me know.

Inspector Peeters has left Brussels with his daughter after the death of his wife and has returned to his hometown Heiderfeld in the hopes of a fresh start. He goes to work for the local police force populated by 6 or so characters whose own stories and involvements with one another are an integral part of the plot. Peeters’  daughter makes a friend and in order to fit in socially makes mistakes. There are teen friends, a soccer team and its managers, a woman mayor scheming to buy the area’s farms to make way for a dam, and subplots galore. Most of all, running through the entire story is the fact that Peeters is eventually confined to a mental hospital and is in every episode being interviewed by a woman psychiatrist of the institution, who must evaluate Peeters’ mental health. Flashbacks are a principal tool in the story telling.

Oddly enough Yoann Peeters is played by a Belgian actor Yoann Blanc whose performance (as well as his somewhat strange face with his deep set brooding, unemotional eyes that seem to stare all the time) is remarkable.

Getting to the story’s conclusion was so compelling for me that once again I binged, which is definitely not a good habit. But once you start this thriller my guess is that you too will fall under its spell.

 

2016, Abduction, ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), Ambiguous Conclusion, Bullying, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Kidnapping, Mildly Violent, Mother-daughter relations, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Orphans in Foster Care, Philosophic Discussions, Plot Twist, Possible a put-on, Psychic Phenomena, Religious Theme, School Shooting, School Teacher, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Sociopath, Sometimes seems silly, Strange Ending, Supernatural, Suspense, Teenagers, Unusual

The OA (2016)

1 Comment

From IMDB:

Having gone missing seven years ago, the previously blind Prairie returns home, now in her 20s with her sight restored. While many believe she is a miracle, others worry that she could be dangerous.

Have you ever started on a box of chocolates and found you could not stop eating them? In other words you “binged”. Similarly once I started streaming this 8-episode series from Netflix, I was hooked. No sooner did one episode end, but I started the next episode. This went on for days until I had watched all eight episodes.

Characterizing this story is difficult. Partly it suggests science fiction although the style is closer to a fantasy which borders on the supernatural. Such flights of fancy are certainly not to everyone’s tastes. At times I asked myself why I was watching this goofy show. But the originality, the constant suspense, and the interplay of personalities was just too intense. In other words, the story for me was so compelling that after every “happening”  I had to see what came next.

Notable for me was how so many scenes seemed just plain ordinary if not dull or slow moving.  BUT — behind the seeming banality there was real tension because you just knew that something out of the ordinary was just about to happen.

Most of the actors portray high school students, which might also be another turnoff. But this is NOT a teen flic.  Admittedly there were some nakedness and sex scenes which suggests a bit of pandering to the audience.

Both the young, middle age, and older actors turn in excellent performances. You will recognize many faces from other shows. Prairie Johnson’s father is played by Scott Wilson who was  Hershel Green in “The Walking Dead”.

Jason Isaacs, who plays Hap, has a long resumé including the Inquisitor in “Star Wars Rebels”.  His portrayal of an obsessed scientist who can feel no empathy for his experiment subjects is chilling. Watch as his character morphs.

Brad Pitt was one of the producers.

However, you are warned that the ending is problematic. My first reaction was “What! Give me a break! This can’t be happening!” But stop and console yourself with the realization that Prairie was blind as a child, only to return after seven years absence able to see. That could not be faked! I would be eager to hear your opinions about the ending, including howls of outrage.

If anything, this sometimes wacky story is not boring.

2016, Acorn TV, Addiction, Arson, British Mystery Series, Complicated, Contract Killing, Corruption, Crime, Detective, Divorce, Drugs, Extramarital Affair, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, Illegitimate Child, Mother-daughter relations, Murder Investigation, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Suspense

The Level (2016)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

A police detective finds herself at the centre of the most dangerous case of her life when she is seconded on to the investigation into the murder of a drugs trafficker. What nobody around her knows is that she is the missing witness that the police and the killer are searching for.

From Acorn TV you can stream the six episodes of this one-season British detective series.

Acting is good. Plot gets a bit more complicated with each episode, enough so that you might have to work somewhat to remember each of the many characters. As the plot progressed Kathy and I had to keep changing our choice for the guilty party.  And just who is the bent cop?

We recognize some of the faces:

  • Rob James-Collier, who plays Kevin, was James the butler in “Downton Abbey”.
  • Joe Absolom, who plays Shay Nash,  was Al Large (the son) in “Doc Martin”.

COMPLAINT: Probably because the writers were hoping for another season of “The Level”, the sixth episode has an ending that for me was disappointing. Still there was some satisfaction in that at least something good happened.

Consider watching this not-too-violent, intelligent, well-written one-season detective series.

 

2016, Abduction, British Mystery Series, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Detective, Divorce, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gay theme, Greed, Marital Infidelity, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Politicians, Private Versus Professional Life, Serial Killer

Marcella (2016)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

Marcella Backland left the Metropolitan Police for the sake of her family, only to have her husband leave her. She returns to her job on the murder squad, investigating a case that seems disturbingly familiar to her.

From Netflix you can stream 8 episodes of Season 1.  It is not clear from IMDB whether there is a Season 2, but in any case Netflix offers only Season 1.

Although the acting is fine, the story is complicated, new characters seem to pop up regularly, and the 8 episodes drag on a bit.  Marcella herself falls into strange fugue states from time to time without any explanation as she works to catch one and possibly two serial killers. Along with all the murders, not all of which are serial murders, there is no lack of suspicious characters.  Of all the characters, Sinéad Cusack, who plays Sylvia Gibson, is wonderful as a woman you can hate on first sight.

We stuck it out to the end of Season 1 out of mere curiosity.

Cancer theme, Career Competition, Child abduction and murder, Complicated, Detective, Journalist, Love Story, Mother-daughter relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Newpaper work, Scottish, Sex Scenes

The Field of Blood (2011)

Leave a comment

From Netflix streaming:

Paddy Meehan is a new kind of heroine. A young, female, feisty and funny trainee reporter, she often oversteps the mark between reporting crimes and solving them – while sometimes becoming part of the crime along the way.

You can read about the story in Wikepedia. Only Series 1 is currently available. There is a second series.

There are only two one hour episodes:

The Field of Blood Part 1: Paddy has a personal connection in the case of a missing two-year-old. As the story develops, Paddy believes it could provide a much-needed break in her quest to advance from copy boy to reporter.

The Field of Blood Part 2: Paddy continues to investigate even after the case takes a dangerous turn. Convinced of the accused’s innocence, she is getting little support from her colleagues, her family, or her fiancé.

Paddy Meehan, a young Glasgow woman, starts as a “copy boy” in a newsroom staffed by cynical losers who disparage her as a “fat girl”.  But our Paddy never gives up her ambition to be a reporter and when she gets wind of two similar murders that the police refuse to consider as connected there is no stopping her. Along the way she alienates her family, gives up a boy friend, and connects with a young reporter.

Good story (pay attention to all the details) and good acting make for two enjoyable hours

2015, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Basically Sad, Complicated, Detective, Drama, Drugs, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, French, French Culture, French Detective Series, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Nudity, Plot Twist, Police Culture, Prison, Sex Scenes, Teenagers, Tragedy, Various Romances, Violent, Well developed plot

The Disappearance (2015)

Leave a comment

From Acorn TV:

When a teenage girl does not return home from a festival, her parents contact the police.

Acorn TV (still $4.99 per month) offers this one-season 8-episode French TV series with English subtitles.

More than just a “who-done-it”, the plot is interested not only in finding the killer or killers, but in how the deaths affect the families and people involved.

Because the cast of characters is large and possibly confusing, you may wish to use the cheat sheet offered in Wikepedia. Unfortunately the Wikipedia article does not explain the plot, so you will have to pay attention (and maybe take notes). Do not let this challenge deter you from watching this excellent and involving series.

Just a brief glimpse at the very beginning of plot is as follows:

Seventeen year old Lea Morel disappears.  She has a father Julien,  mother Florence, brother Thomas, little sister Zoe. Julien and his brother Jean are close to one another. Together they run a restaurant where their children also work. Jean’s wife is dead and he has a somewhat secret mistress. Jean has a teenage daughter Chris (hence Lea’s first cousin), Florence has a company and works with Lea’s god-mother Sophie. Commandant Betrand Molina runs the police investigation. There are other important characters.

As the plot develops you will see Julien obsessing over solving the murder and constantly interfering with Molina’s investigation. Both Julien and Florence are frozen in grief but must protect and continue to parent little Zoe. Little by little the grief and anguish begins to divide Julien and Florence.

You will need to watch all eight episodes carefully because the surprises keep coming. Yes, it is a soap opera, but a really good soap opera.

DO NOT MISS!