Category Archives: Failed Marriage

2022, Abandoned child, Acceptable for teenagers, B-movie, Chick Flick, Christmas theme, Corny at times, Death of a child, Drama, Failed Marriage, Family Secrets, Father-son relations, Flashbacks, Happy ending, Netflix Streaming, NOT violent, Quiet, Reconciliation, Romance, Unmarried mother

The Noel Diary (2022)

From IMDB:

The story of a man who returns home on Christmas to settle his estranged mother’s estate. Once there, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and of a beautiful young woman on a mysterious journey of her own.

From Netflix:

Cleaning out his childhood home at Christmas, a novelist meets a
woman searching for her birth mother. Will an old diary unlock
their pasts — and hearts?

From Netlix you can stream this 1 hour 40 minute romance drama.

While a step up from a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, this is still in the same vein.  Of course the famous popular writer Jacob Turner (played by Justin Hartley) will eventually fall in love with Rachel (played by Barrett Doss).

And no, I have never heard of any of the actors.

Still, it is a relief from all the omnipresent violent entertainment in today’s streaming choices.

And it is NOT sappy.

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Anxiety Attacks, Comedy, Dog Story, Failed Marriage, Feel Good Not For Children, Military, PTSD

Dog (2022)

From IMDB:

Two former Army Rangers are paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Army Ranger Briggs (Channing Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois dog) buckle into a 1984 Ford Bronco and race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time. Along the way, they’ll drive each other completely crazy, break a small handful of laws, narrowly evade death, and learn to let down their guards in order to have a fighting chance of finding happiness.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute comedy-drama.

While not exactly fit for children, this dog story has moments of fun, sadness, and eventually redemption.  Definitely a feel-good film.

2018, Adultery, America of the 1960s, Arson, Basically Sad, Depressing, DO NOT MISS, Failed Marriage, Father-son relations, Feckless Father, High school students, Kanopy streaming, Longsuffering wife, Mother Abandons Family, Mother-son relations, Pitch-perfect ending, Unhappy Ending, Wonderful acting

Wildlife (2018)

From Kanopy:

Family bonds are stretched to the breaking point in the emotionally stunning directorial debut from Paul Dano. Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal star.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 44 minute complete film.

If Jake Gyllenhaal is in a film, then you probably want to see the film. “Wildlife” is just the kind of laid-back , sad drama that Gyllenhaal favors. For the most part Carey Mulligan as the mother and Ed Oxenbould as the son carry the story while Gyllenhaal as the feckless father is absent for much of the story (and a disaster when he is present).

Superb acting makes this film a piercing experience. If you can stand the unhappiness, then DO NOT MISS!

2022, Ageing gay men, Amusing banter, Art as worthless fakery, Comedy, Divorce, Failed Marriage, Friendship, Gay theme, Husband leaves wife, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Real Estate Agents

Uncoupled (2022)

From IMDB:

Michael’s life seemed to be perfect, until his long time partner blindsided him after 17 years of being in long time relationship. He has to confront the nightmares of losing his soulmate and suddenly finding himself as a single gay man in his mid-40s.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 episodes of this gay-themed comedy about the difficulty of creating or maintaining relationships. Each episode lasts about 30 minutes.

Neil Patrick Harris plays Michael, a New York city real estate agent dealing in high-priced condominiums. His wealthy client Claire, played by Marcia Gay Harden, becomes an annoying buddy with whom he shares a history of rejection.

So-so comedy that depicts the problems of ageing unattached gay men.

 

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Attempted Murder, Based on a Book, Contract Killing, Corrupt judge, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drones, Ethical struggles, Everybody lies, Extramarital Affair, Failed Marriage, False Imprisonment, Father-daughter relations, Fight Scenes, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Jealousy, Lawyers, Michael Connelly, Murder, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Narcissistic Personality, Netflix Streaming, Occasionaly violent, Plot twists, Police Corruption, Prison, Surfing, Suspense, Trial Scenes

The Lincoln Lawyer (2022)

From IMDB:

An iconoclastic idealist runs his law practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car in this series based on Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels.

From Netflix you can stream 10 episodes of this series. Each episode lasts between 46 and 55 minutes.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who plays the lawyer Mickey Haller, is Mexican. In an interview  he explained that he was very nervous acting this part because he had to work so hard to eliminate his Mexican accent. He played Gabriel Ortega in “Goliath” (which you should not miss).

Mickey Haller is an honest man who works hard to defend seemingly guilty clients.   He also comes off as a loving father trying to come back after some bad times in his life. Neve Campbell does a great job as a prosecution lawyer who is also Mickey’s former wife.

Trust no one (as in “everybody lies”) and expect some clever plot twists. 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!

 

 

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?

 

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Bisexual theme, Brother-Sister relations, Cooking, Cooking and food, Could Be Sad, DIY Ending, Drama, English, Extramarital Affair, Failed Marriage, Family Conflict, German, Hebrew, Israeli culture, Jewish Religious Observance, Keeping Kosher, Love Story, Mother-son relations, Nudity, Quiet, Sex Scenes, Slow, Unhappy Marriage

The Cakemaker (2017)

From Kanopy:

Thomas, a young German baker, is having an affair with Oren, an Israeli married man who has frequent business visits in Berlin. When Oren dies in a car crash in Israel, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking for answers regarding his death. Under a fabricated identity, Thomas infiltrates into the life of Anat, his lover’s newly widowed wife, who owns a small Cafe in downtown Jerusalem. Thomas starts to work for her and create German cakes and cookies that bring life into her Cafe. Thomas finds himself involved in Anat’s life in a way far beyond his anticipation, and to protect the truth he will stretch his lie to a point of no return.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 50 minute complete film. Because the story takes place in Germany and Israel,  three languages are used: English, Hebrew, and German. English subtitles are provided.

Kanopy’s description is so complete that I need only say that the economy of dialog, the meaningful pauses at facial expressions, and the slow pace are essential components. Is it boring to watch Thomas slowly and painstakingly bake bread and cakes?  Instead are we not seeing his dogged, determined, accepting attitude toward life?

Warning: You will have to interpret the ending for yourself. Please let me know how you think things turned out.

Patience required for watching this worthwhile film that is not for everyone.

2016, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corrupt Corporation, Corrupt lawyers, Corrupt policemen, Cover-up, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Environmental concerns, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failed Father, Failed Marriage, Father-daughter relations, FBI, Frame someone for a crime, Gay theme, Government cover-up, Illegal Weapons, Lawyers, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Office Love Affairs, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Trial Scenes

Goliath Season 1(2016)

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From Amazon:

Once a powerful lawyer, Billy McBride is now burned out and washed up, spending more time in a bar than a courtroom. When he reluctantly agrees to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest client of the massive law firm he helped create, Billy and his ragtag team uncover a vast and deadly conspiracy, pitting them all in a life or death trial against the ultimate Goliath.

From Amazon Prime you can stream 4 seasons of this lawyer series.  This review is just for season 1 which consists of 8 episodes where each episode is roughly one hour.

Billy McBride is played by Billy Bob Thornton who has often taken unusual roles. You might recall him as Lorne Malvo in “Fargo”.  In season one he is up against the Goliath of law firms named Cooperman and McBride which he helped establish.  His personal nemesis is the other name on the company name,  Donald  Cooperman. Cooperman as one of the best “bad guys” I have ever seen is played to stunning and eccentric perfection by William Hurt. Not that Cooperman is the only villain.  His most notable lawyer-in-crime, Callie Senate,  is played with cunning malice by Mollie Parker, whose every smug smirk is a masterpiece of acting.  When you really hate one of the villains, that actor is doing her job. Mollie Parker played Jackie Sharp in “House of Cards”.

Rest assured the daemons get their comeuppance.  But the journey to get to that point is agonizingly frustrating.

DO NOT MISS!

 

2021, 911 Operator, Abandoned child, Anxiety Attacks, Could Be Hard To Watch, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Failed Marriage, Friendship, Mental Illness, Netflix Streaming, One Man Show, Physical child abuse, Police Culture, Psychotic Mother, Suspense, Troubled Personality, Valium appropriate, Well developed plot, Wonderful acting

The Guilty (2021)

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From Netflix:

A troubled police detective assigned to 911 operator duty scrambles to save a distressed caller during a harrowing day of revelations — and reckonings.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 31 minute complete film.

Ever since Donnie Darko, Jake Gyllenhaal has seemed to me to be a consummate actor, probably because he dares to present unusual and challenging roles.  In this tense film he does not disappoint.  As far as I can remember there is hardly a second of the film in which the camera is not focused on him,  usually a full screen closeup that catches every nuanced facial expression.

Little by little as the film progresses,  you learn more and more about the troubles facing Officer Joe Baylor (i.e. Jake Gyllenhaal).  Let’s just say he is a deeply caring man who has made some bad mistakes. Even the way in which the plot lets us learn more and more about Joe is clever.

If you can stand the tension and are committed to never relaxing even for a second, then

DO NOT MISS!