Category Archives: Fatherless child

2002, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Ageing Couple, America of the 1930s, Bank Robbery, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Career Criminal, Catholic Church Corruption, Catholic culture, Contract Killing, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime Family, DO NOT MISS, Dog episode, Drama, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Gangs, Grim, Invincible villain, Irish Mob, Kanopy streaming, Mother-son relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Psychopath, Redemption, Revenge, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Uncategorized, Wonderful acting

Road to Perdition (2022)

From IMDB:

A mob enforcer’s son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.

From Netflix (and Kanopy) you can stream this 1 hour 57 minute Irish mob classic film which  earned five Academy Awards  nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Paul Newman. Originally the story was a graphic novel.

Tom Hanks bemoans the seeming obscurity of the film. He is quoted as saying  “For one reason or another, no one references Road to Perdition, and that was an incredibly important movie for me to go through.”  In fact, it was just his comment that motivated me to watch the film.

Consider the outstanding actors involved:

  • Tom Hanks plays the enforcer and father Michael Sullivan. At the time of filming he was 46.
  • Tyler Hoechlin plays the endangered son Michael Sullivan Jr. At the time of filming he was 15.  Later he played superheroes.
  • Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the mother Annie Sullivan.
  • Paul Newman plays the mob family head John Rooney. This was his  final live-action theatrical film acting role at which time he was 77. Newman died in 2008,
  • Daniel Craig plays the out-of-control son Connor Rooney. At the time of filming he was 34. Craig began filming at age 24.
  • Ciarán Hinds plays the witnessed murdered man Finn McGovern.
  • Stanley Tucci plays the Chicago mobster Frank Nitti.
  • Jude Law plays the psychopath Maguire who photographs his victims’ corpses. At time of filming he was 30. He began filming as a child actor of age 16.
  • Anthony LaPaglia was cast as Al Capone and filmed a single scene, which was omitted from the final cut  and can be found in the DVD’s deleted scenes.

Of course, it is a violent gangster film, but a tasteful one (if that is possible).  At the center of the film is the son Michael who is an essentially good kid that worships his father and whose salvation is at stake.

DO NOT MISS!

2015, Character Driven, Fatal Accident, Fatherless child, Kanopy streaming, Narcissist, Quiet, Reconciliation, Slow, Talking Heads, Unusual ending, Wim Wenders, Writer

Every Thing Will Be Fine (2015)

From IMDB:

One day, driving aimlessly around the outskirts of town after a trivial domestic quarrel, a writer named Tomas accidentally hits and kills a child. Will he be able to move on?

From Kanopy:

A horrific car accident alters the lives of James Franco & Rachel McAdams in legendary director Wim Wenders’ gripping film about love and redemption.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 59 minute drama film.

Slow, quiet, heavy on conversations between Tomas (played by James Franco) and one of the many people in his life, this film doesn’t drive toward some conclusion, but rather seems to want to understand Tomas’ character.  You should draw your own conclusions about Tomas. Is he a selfish, unfeeling narcissist? Does he really care about the people he affects?

While watching the film, at several points I asked myself “Why am I enjoying this really slow, understated story that seems to jump from one point in Tomas’s life to some later unrelated point?”

Would someone volunteer their reading of Tomas?

2014, Abandoned child, Ballet, Crude Talk, DNA, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Explicit sexual discussion, Failed Father, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Gay theme, Happy ending, Kanopy streaming, Marijuana, Narcissist, Plot Twist, Promiscuity, Psychological Drama, Psychological Tension, Reconciliation, Revenge, Sexual promiscuity, Tender, Unhappy Marriage, Unusual

Match (2014)

From IMDB:

As a Juilliard professor is interviewed by a woman and her husband for her dissertation on the history of dance in 1960s New York City, it becomes increasingly clear that there are ulterior motives to the couple’s visit.

From Kanopy:

Patrick Stewart is riveting as a Manhattan ballet instructor concealing a sordid past in this explosive drama of sex, secrets, and lies based on the Tony(R)-nominated play.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 32 minute film drama.

There are three characters in this superb but harrowing drama:

  • Patrick Stewart plays the ballet teacher Tobi Powell.  His character is a mixture of guilt,  libertine,  and genuine caring for others.  WARNING:  His conversations offer some of the most explicit sexual discussions I have ever heard. You might be offended.
  • Carla Gugino plays Lisa Davis the unhappy wife of Mike Davis.
  • Mathew Lillard plays Mike Davis the policeman on a mission.

You may never have heard of Gugino or Lillard, but their IMDB resumés are extensive.

Once again, it would be worthwhile to join Kanopy (it costs nothing) just to see “Match”.

DO NOT MISS!

 

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Bullying, Detective, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Fatherless child, Flirting, French, French Detectives, French Mystery, Longsuffering wife, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Occasionaly violent, Revenge, Small Town, Suspense

A Long Lost Silence (2022)

From IMDB:

During the summer, Jules, 10 years old, is welcomed by a young couple in the countryside, because his mother had an accident. How to feel at home in a village where its inhabitants are shaken by deep antagonisms?

From MHz Choice:

French thriller about a 10-year-old boy encountering secrets among the people who’ve taken him in for the summer.

From MHz Choice you can stream this 3 episode French mystery thriller. Each episode lasts no more than 55 minutes.  The French title is “Les Hautes Herbes”. English subtitles are provided.

Jules, the 10 year old center of attention, hardly ever speaks. But his glances and stares speak volumes as he watches the adults around him misbehave in various ways.  When episode 3 reveals the killer, things get very tense.

Lots of contention between characters and  emotional scenes make this very French film watchable.

 

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?

2022, Abandoned child, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, America of the 1950s, Amusing banter, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Brother-Sister relations, Coarse manners, Could Be Sad, Crude Talk, Disrespect toward women, DO NOT MISS, Eccentric cast of characters, Failed Father, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Feel Good Not For Children, Friendship, Happy ending, Husband leaves wife, Local color, Sex Scenes, Social class differences, Uncle-Nephew relations, Vulgar, Wife Beating

The Tender Bar (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

​​From director George Clooney and based on the best-selling memoir, The Tender Bar follows an aspiring writer (Tye Sheridan) pursuing his romantic and professional dreams. From a stool in his uncle’s (Ben Affleck) bar, he learns what it means to grow up from a colorful group of local characters.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this gem of a film which lasts for 1 hour 46 minutes.

Ben Affleck’s resumé has seen its ups and downs, successes and embarrassing flops.  But with this wonderful film he has nailed a really memorable role.  Even one critic who found the film “bland” still conceded that Affleck (as Uncle George) delivered an excellent, terrific performance.

Although that Long Island neighborhood, home of a lot of foul-mouthed but warm-hearted men and women, was rougher than anything I ever experienced, nevertheless I admired their tight friendships.

Expect notable acting from:

  • Tye Sheridan as the young JR.  Naïve, plain looking, and hopelessly attracted to
  • Briana Middleton as Sidney. Did she ever love JR or was she looking for “experience” (as in “sex”)?
  • Quincy Tyler Bernstine as Sidney’s mother, whose sneering, smug, cruel treatment of JR left me boiling.
  • Daniel Ranieri as young JR.
  • Christopher Lloyd as Grandpa. “Don’t tell anybody I’m a good grandfather, everybody will want one.”
  • Lily Rabe as the  Mom whose life is centered on her son JR.
  • Max Martini as JR’s cringe-worthy drunk of a father.

In the IMDB entry for this movie, there is a sizeable user review that is much harder on the film than I have been. Still —

DO NOT MISS!