Category Archives: 2022

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, Anti-Gay Laws, Art appreciation, Art Museum, Based on a Book, Bisexual theme, British Drama, British Police, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Gay Bashing, Gay theme, Homophobia, Longsuffering wife, Love Triangle, Marital Infidelity, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Police Culture, Prison, Promiscuity, Sex Scenes, Sexual Seduction, Surprise Ending, Trial Scenes, Unexpected Ending, Unhappy Ending, Unhappy Marriage, Unusual ending

My Policeman (2022)

From IMDB:

The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.

From Amazon Prime:

A tale of forbidden romance and changing social conventions, My Policeman follows the relationships between three people—policeman Tom (Harry Styles/Linus Roache), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin/Gina
McKee) and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson/Rupert Everett)—and their emotional journey spanning decades.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 54 minute British drama.

In this intense drama Tom marries Marion all the while carrying on a secret love affair with Patrick.  Such an explanation is far too simple for such a superb, complex, well acted drama.

Because the action switches continually between the past and the present, each of the three characters are presented by two actors,  a younger actor for the past and an older actor for the present.

  • Harry Styles as young Tom also stars in the film “Don’t Worry Darling.”
  • Linus Roache as older Tom is well-known as the assistant DA from several seasons of “Law and Order.”
  • Emma Corrin as young Marion played Princess Diana Spencer in one of the seasons of “The Crown.”
  • Gina McKee as older Marion for me will always be Irene from “The Forsyte Saga.”
  • David Dawson as young Patrick played Alfred in “The Last Kingdom.”
  • Rupert Everett as older Patrick played George Downes in “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”

Critics found many negatives but audiences, including Kathy and me, loved it.

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.

 

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime Brit Box, Could Be Sad, Cover-up, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Failed Father, Father-daughter relations, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Nothing special, Police Investigation, Police Politics, Shocking Ending, Suicide, Violent

Suspect (2022)

From IMDB:

Veteran detective Danny Frater is called to a hospital mortuary to identify a corpse only to find it is his estranged daughter. Traumatized by the news she took her own life, Frater sets out to discover the truth about her death.

From Amazon Prime Brit Box (or just Brit Box) you can stream this 8 episode murder inquiry. Each episode lasts only 23 minutes.

Danny Frater (played by James Nesbitt) gropes from clue to clue, from suspicious character to sinister character desperately trying to prove his daughter was murdered.  Along the way he comes to the wrenching realization that he failed his daughter completely.

Incidentally James Nesbitt once starred in an 8 episode TV series from 2014 called “The Missing”.  His character name was of all things “Tony Hughes”.

While nothing to write home about, the story was compelling and sad right up to the shocking ending.

 

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Amazon Prime Brit Box, Based on true facts, Basically Sad, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, British Drama, British History, British Police, British Politics, Detective, Drama, Ethical struggles, Everybody lies, Family Secrets, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Government cover-up, Historical Fiction, Manslaughter, Marital Infidelity, Miners, Miners versus Scabs, Murder, Occasionaly violent, Panic Attacks, Personal Betrayal, Police cover-up, Police Culture, Police Investigation, Redemption, Revenge, Sister-sister relations, Small British village, Suicide, Suspense, Undercover police spy, Undercover police work, Violent, Wonderful acting, Yorkshire Accents

Sherwood (2022)

From IMDB:

Two shocking and unexpected murders shatter an already fractured community leading to one of the largest manhunts in British history.

From Amazon Prime Brit Box you can stream the 6 episodes of this north England series. Each episode is just under an hour.

In 1984 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher crushed a coal miner’s strike, thereby earning her title of “Iron Lady.”  Hard feelings between the striking miner’s and those who continued to work, so-called “scabs”,  have persisted from then on.  Sherwood is a small town historically associated with Robin Hood.  Of all the town’s inhabitants only one family is a “scab” family.  Striker versus scab is the paramount theme of this series which continually bounces back and forth between 1984 and the present.

Past tragedies involved the  young policemen and miners who now are middle age going on retirement.  One challenge in watching this series is to match the young characters with their present-day versions.

There are three vital subplots:

  • Someone is murdering people with a crossbow. We soon learn who and the police hunt is intense.
  • Andy Fisher inadvertently kills his daughter-in-law and the hunt is on.
  • In 1984 there was an undercover police spy, dubbed the “spy cop”, who incorporated his-or-herself into the community.  Again there is this third hunt to find the “spy cop.”

If you watch much British drama you will recognize many familiar faces. As usual in British drama the acting is superb.  With such an engaging and suspenseful plot you cannot go wrong.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Bicycles, COVID theme, Kanopy streaming, Love Story, Love Triangle, Low Key, Quiet, Talking Heads

Alone Together (2022)

From KANOPY:

Two strangers wind up double-booked in the same upstate New York rental during the start of quarantine. Exacerbating the situation, these polar opposite personalities must learn to cope with each other’s eccentricities ultimately realizing they have more in common than meets the eye.

From KANOPY you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute love story.

Looking for a relaxing, sweet romance story?  This “talking heads” film might be just what you are looking for.  Just listening to the growing rapport between June (Katie Holmes) and Charlie (Jim Sturgess) as they banter on into the night might not be  your bag. For some reason I was drawn into their conversations.

In the future when someone watches this film, will they possibly ask “What’s this COVID business?”

Give it a try. You might fall in love with the film.

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.

2022, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Film, Action Hero, Adventure, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Bloody scenes, Comedy, Comic Villain, Dancing, Fight Scenes, Improbable details, Nudity, Pratfalls, Romance, Romantic comedy, Sight Gags, Treasure Hunt, Vulgar

The Lost City (2022)

From IMDB:

A reclusive romance novelist on a book tour with her cover model gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a cutthroat jungle adventure.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 51 minute comedy film.

Sandra Bullock comedies offer an easy way to relax. Here she teams up with Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe. Bullock continues to look good whereas Tatum might be ageing past his young hunk persona.  Pitt’s part of the story comes to an unexpected end. Radcliffe’s agent continues to develop his client’s role variety.

Amazing how Bullock and Tatum can hold their breath and swim for several minutes through an underwater tunnel!

Surprisingly vulgar and explicit at times, but still the kind of fun you would expect from a Bullock comedy.

2022, Abduction, Action sequences, Bloody scenes, British Drama, Bullying, Burglars, Creepy, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Failed Father, Failing Marriage, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Gay theme, Grisly, Jealousy, Missing Person, Monstrous Father, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Police Investigation, Psychopath, Revenge, Serial Killer, Thriller, Torture, Violent

I Came By (2022)

From IMDB:

Follows a young graffiti artist who discovers a shocking secret that would put him and the ones closest to him in danger.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 50 minute serial killer thriller.

As serial killer stories go, this one is fairly original and never proceeds quite as you might hope or expect. Earlier formulas need not apply.  Try not to get attached to any character in particular because that person might just disappear.

Hugh Bonneville of Downton Abbey fame plays the upper-class retired judge serial killer who never seems to lose his composure when threatened by exposure.  If  you want to portray a true psychopath, never show emotion, especially empathy.  Does that make it easier to act in such an acting role?

Will he ever get caught?  If you are  into serial killers, and ONLY if, then DO NOT MISS!

2022, Action Film, Action Hero, Amazon Prime, Big Pharma, Bloody scenes, Boating, Brain Tumor, Complicated, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corrupt Military, Corrupt Pharmaceutical Firm, Corrupt Politicians, Cover-up, Ethical struggles, Extremely Violent, Fight Scenes, Flashbacks, Frame someone for a crime, Friendship, Government cover-up, Government human experiment, Government medical experiment, Harmful Medicine, Mental Illness, Navy Seals, Personal Betrayal, Revenge, Sniper, Suspense, Violent, War

The Terminal List (2022)

From IMDB:

A former Navy SEAL officer investigates why his entire platoon was ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 8 episodes of this action thriller. Each episode lasts about one hour.

Essentially, this is a revenge film based on the complications of a quasi-government human experiment gone wrong.  As more details of the government cover-up come to light, the revenge list maintained by James Reece, played by Chris Pratt, of the guilty parties grows as he doggedly eliminates each person on that list.

Violent but engaging revenge series right up to the relentless ending.