All posts by Tony Hughes

2017, Action Film, Addiction, Amazon Prime, Bank Robbery, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Crime, Detective, Drama, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Forensics, Grim, Police Culture, Prison, Prostitutes, Romance, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Violent

Prime Suspect: Tennison (2017)

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From Amazon Prime:

This is the much-anticipated prequel to award-winning global hit Prime Suspect. Rewind to 1970s London to portray the early career of the formidable DCI Jane Tennison (Stefanie Martini), the role that established Dame Helen Mirren as a household name. We meet Jane as an ambitious 22-year-old probationary officer, starting out as a WPC in a world where chauvinism and rule-bending are the norm.

From Amazon Prime you can download Season 1 of this Prime Suspect prequel. Each of the 6 episodes last about 45 minutes.

Every episode offers tense action and interpersonal interactions. All 6 episodes form one complete story. Along the way there are romances, deaths, male chauvinism, crimes, drugs all of which lead to a suspenseful conclusion.

Well worth the watch.

2017, Acceptable Trash, Amazon Prime, Bisexual theme, Comedy, Explicit sex, Farce, French, Gay theme, Masturbation, Mostly About Sex, Nothing special, Nudity, Romance, Sex Scenes, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Unmarried mother

I Love You 2 (2017)

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From Amazon Prime:

At the age of 35, Hector happens to meet his childhood love Louise, and falls in love with her all over again – but there’s a big problem. He’s gay, and has been in a loving relationship with Jeremie for several years. How long can Hector keep the secret of his double life, the cause of both suffering and joy? Selected for the 2018 Colcoa Festival (Los Angeles).

From Amazon Prime you can download this 3 episode series. Each episode last about 48 minutes.

Although this French production (with English subtitles) is just a mere bauble, it is enjoyable as a comedy of errors. Sexuality is very much explicit, whether gay or straight. There is frontal nudity.

Hector and Jermie and a lesbian friend (who wants a semen donation from one of the men in order to have a baby) live together. Hector at the same time falls back in love with Louise and Louise gets pregnant. Hector tries very hard to keep each lover secret from the other, but now he is faced with two new babies.

Nothing special, but silly and watchable.

 

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Based on a Book, Film Remake, Grungy, Pseudo Utopia, Suspense, Violent

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

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From IMDB:

A young blade runner’s discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former blade runner Rick Deckard, who’s been missing for thirty years.

British Air offered this film with subtitles.

Before you watch this “Blade Runner” update, you MUST watch the original version which ends with Rick Deckard flying off into the wild blue yonder with his female android sidekick. This 2017 version picks up some time after the first version ended.

Try not to compare the two versions. Remakes today use all kinds of visual tricks and techniques to make the films seem snazzy. But sometimes the simpler  filming techniques work just as well (but then who’s comparing?) If you see both versions I would be interested in your opinions. In the original who could forget the powerful android who just as his manufacturer-installed death date  approaches says “Oh – the wondrous things I have seen (THE END)”? Or who could forget watching the frustrated android (oops, we forgot to add the sex feature!)  squash the head of his creator.  Now quote for me some unforgettable portion of the new version.

Despite my old-fart grumbling, Ryan Gosling as usual puts in one of his well-done stone-faced performances. And what a surprise when Harrison Ford finally appears!

Loved both versions!

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Airline pilot, Boating, British History, Docudrama, Father-son relations, French Soldiers, Grim, Human spirit, Mental Illness, Military, Navy, Sea Rescue, Suspense, True Story, War

Dunkirk (2017)

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From IMDB:

Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German Army, and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

British Airways offered this film along with subtitles.

Dunkirk is famous for the heroism of the small British boats that came to the rescue of the surrounded allied soldiers. In this regard I hope you can someday read the beautiful short story “The Snow Goose”.

HOWEVER, this particular film, far from any romanticizing, shows all the horror and death associated with the Dunkirk rescue. There were also large rescue ships. But several ships and passengers perished. Sometimes a sinking ship left a cover of oil on the water which then caught fire and burned soldiers to death. All in all, the scenes are difficult to watch.

As a human-interest note in the film, one British small boat owner and his sons are featured. Along the way they rescue a shell-shocked soldier, further showing the horror of war.

Also featured are the British pilots who tried to battle the German planes that came to bomb the marooned soldiers.

Inspiring, terrifying, but worth the watch.

2017, Could Be Sad, Drama, Explicit sex, Father-son relations, French, Gay theme, Italian, Italian culture, Masturbation, Mostly About Sex, Mother-son relations, Nudity, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Small Town, Teenagers, Various Romances, Wonderful photography

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

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From IMDB:

In 1980s Italy, a romance blossoms between a seventeen year-old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant.

British Airways offered this film with subtitles. In fact, there is a mixture of languages.

In the book by André Aciman as I recall, correct me if I am wrong, there is no sexual contact between Oliver (played by Armie Hammer) the older assistant and Elio (played by Timothée Chalamet) the teenage son. But this supposed screen adaptation shows almost explicit sexual activity. In one review I read, the critic complained that the film could be seen as condoning Oliver’s self-interested grooming of the young, inexperienced Elio. So you must do at least three things: forget the book, prepare yourself emotionally for the scenes, and decide for yourself what you really think about Oliver’s behavior. 

Evocative portrait of a small setting in northern Italy, but quite possibly not to everyone’s taste.

2017, Action Film, Action Hero, Amusing banter, Car Chase, Chase film, Comic Moments, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Mayhem, Suspense, Violent, Witty dialog

The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017)

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From IMDB:

The world’s top bodyguard gets a new client, a hit man who must testify at the International Criminal Court. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.

British Airways offered this film with subtitles.

Car chases galore, gun battles everywhere, conspiracy, genocidal dictators, romance, and a stream of side cracks all amount to a fun suspense fest. Perhaps that list sounds hackneyed, but somehow this film makes it all work.

All those side cracks are Ryan Reynolds’ trade in stock, which he delivers successfully. His banter with Samuel L. Jackson is also amusing.

And of course, the bad guy is really bad and you have to see him get his just dues.  Just as the film was reaching its conclusion the plane landed, but fortunately the plane was delayed for quite a while before we could disembark which let me see the stunning conclusion.

Just let your inner male teenager relax and enjoy the mayhem.

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Based on a Book, Belgian Detectives, British, Detective, Eccentric Detective, Good Production Values, Kidnapping, Murder, Murder Investigation, Revenge

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

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From IMDB:

When a murder occurs on the train he’s travelling on, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case.

On a British Airways flight I could watch this film with subtitles.

Agatha Christie’s murder mystery is one of her most famous. Because I am now reading that book, I can tell that the film is faithful while still embellishing. For example: the entire first sequence about Poirot solving the theft of a relic is not in the book.

Kenneth Branagh plays Poirot. However, in addition the cast is star-studded:  Penélope Cruz, Johnny Depp, Derek Jacobi, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe plus many, many other actors.

Magnificent snowy mountain scenes are just another plus. Imagine sitting in a train dining car high on a trestle and not moving because the train has been derailed by an avalanche.  Add to this scene a dead body. What could be more fun?

Worth seeing.

2017, Abduction, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Bail Bondsmen, Bloody scenes, Card sharks, Complicated, Complicated Scams, Contract Killing, Extramarital Affair, Gambling, Identity Theft, Police Culture, Prison, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Torture, Violent

Sneaky Pete (2017)

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SEASON ONE

From Amazon Prime:

A con man (Giovanni Ribisi) on the run from a vicious gangster (Bryan Cranston) takes cover from his past by assuming the identity of his prison cellmate, Pete, “reuniting” with Pete’s estranged family, a colorful, dysfunctional group that threatens to drag him into a world just as dangerous as the one he’s trying to escape – and, just maybe, give him a taste of the loving family he’s never had.

There are now two seasons you can stream from Amazon Prime. Season One consists of 10 episodes, each roughly an hour long.

Giovanni Ribisi (who plays Pete) has always been one of my favorite chameleon actors. But the bonus is that his “grandmother” Audrey is none other than Margo Martindale whose resumé is enormous but whom I first remember as the cold blooded killer Mags Bennett from “Justified.” You will probably also recognize Pete’s “grandfather” Otto as the actor Peter Gerety who played Judge Timothy Stane in “The Good Wife.”

Clever crime can be extremely technical. In our case the crimes center around fraudulent scams and card shark gambling. Not only can the scams be complicated, but the cheating techniques in card playing are challenging to understand. However, those details do not really matter because the fun is just watching the participants getting caught in their intrigues.  If you think some of our current politicians are “good” at lying, wait till you hear Pete in one tense situation after another instantly concoct some of the most creative lies I have ever heard.

At times the show can be violent. For example, until Pete returns stolen money to a crook, Pete’s captive brother will regularly lose a toe (ouch!).  But after the card shark brother loses just one toe, the captors convince him to deal cards for them in order to discover how one of the client players is cheating.

If there is a main theme, it is that Pete not only convinces the family that he really is the long lost grandson, but Pete becomes genuinely attached to the family.

Peter never stays out of trouble for long and seems to drag everyone else along with him. But it is just fun to watch.

 

2015, Acceptable for teenagers, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Antique Cars, Australian, B-movie, Bad Acting, Based on a Book, Bullying, Comedy, Corny, Cross Dressing, Eccentric cast of characters, Haute Couture, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Mediocre, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Outrageous Behavior, Quirky, Revenge, Sad small town, School Teacher, Senior citizens, Slapstick, Small Town, Sports, Unmarried mother, Unusual

The Dressmaker (2015)

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From IMDB:

A glamorous woman returns to her small town in rural Australia. With her sewing machine and haute couture style, she transforms the women and exacts sweet revenge on those who did her wrong.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 2 hour film.

Revenge is the keyword in this Australian comedy-drama. Wikepedia offers you more than you probably want to know about this film. Equally important is the ever present theme of haute couture.   It stars Kate Winslet as a femme fatale in the titular role of the dressmaker, Myrtle “Tilly” Dunnage, who returns to a small Australian town to take care of her ailing, mentally unstable mother, played by Judy Davis.  Along the way we encounter a love affair, false accusations of murder, and (did we forget to mention ?) revenge.

Sometimes the acting is over the top if not downright corny. But the visual fun of the film is the outrageous cast of  characters: the policeman is a cross-dresser, Judy Davis is a positive wreck, several women are timid and unattractive until Tilly takes charge. Three quarters through the story we think we see a happy ending … but then suddenly — (you will just have to watch the film!)

Even though I would give the film a B+,  I enjoyed every minute. Visually the oddities and clothing transformations are fun to watch and the story for all its faults is engrossing.

2018, Abduction, Action Film, Action Hero, Amazon Prime, Amnesia, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Car Chase, Child abuse, Complicated, Creepy, Detective, Disturbing Image, Emotional child abuse, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Forensics, Improbable details, Invincible Hero, Kidnapping, Mad scientist, Marital Infidelity, Mental Illness, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Physical child abuse, Psychopath, Revenge, Serial Killer, Sometimes seems silly, Suspense, Thriller, Torture, Unbelievably smart detective, Violent

Absentia (2018)

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From Amazon Prime:

Centers on an FBI agent who disappears without a trace while hunting a serial killer.

From IMDB:

After being declared dead in absentia, an FBI agent must reclaim her family, identity and innocence when she finds herself the prime suspect in a string of murders.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 10 episodes of this one season Amazon Prime Original series. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

With so many categories involved, it is hard to pin down a short characterization: suspense, police detectives, FBI, serial killers, mad scientist, kidnapping, innocent suspect trying to find the truth.

Emily Byrne, who is played by Stana Katic (Kate Becket of “Castle” fame), is central to the story. Emily, an FBI agent, has been missing for 6 years. Her supposed killer, Conrad Harlow, is released from jail when she mysteriously reappears suffering from amnesia. Meanwhile her husband, FBI agent Nick Durand, has remarried Alice Durand. Nick and Alice are raising Flynn, Nick’s son by Emily. Needless to say, Nick will remain conflicted about a choice between Emily and Alice for all ten episodes.

Emily’s energies are devoted for all ten episodes in finding out what ever happened to her. She has nightmare flashbacks to being placed in a sealed glass tank that regularly fills with water to almost drown her. Unfortunately Harlow is murdered and Emily is blamed. More murders ensue for which Emily is again blamed. For the rest of the story Emily is on the run from the Boston Police Department and the FBI in a desperate attempt to learn the truth and clear her name. Emily’s father and brother become involved. Nick teams up with a BPD detective to do the investigation.

Before you devote yourself to 10 episodes, there are some warnings:

  • At least the first time you see that torture tank you will almost certainly cringe. That tank is a persistent fixture in the story.
  • Emily is an unbelievable superwoman: she leaps over walls, she runs for long distances, seeming she hardly ever eats or sleeps, she always invents incredibly clever solutions for each crisis. In other words, just suspend disbelief.
  • Similarly there are just too many suddenly convenient discoveries, clues, escapes, etc. Again just suspend disbelief. But it did help to have a happy (if somewhat lame) ending.

Having warned you, nevertheless I breathlessly binge-watched all ten episodes.