All posts by Tony Hughes

2016, Acceptable for children, Based on a Book, Comedy, Could Be Sad, Drama, Feel Good For All, Gay theme, Interest in automobiles, Interest in cats, Journalist, Love Story, Senior citizens, Suicide, Swedish, Trains

A Man Called Ove (2016)

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From Netflix:

Despite being deposed as president of his condo’s resident association, 59-year-old misanthrope Ove continues to plague his neighbors with dictatorial demands. But when Ove’s new neighbor runs over his mailbox, the old crank finds he’s met his match.

Beginning December 2016 Netflix will offer the DVD for this Swedish film with English subtitles.

Based on the book by Fredrik Backman first published in 2012, the film adaptation, according to wife Kathy who read this very popular book with her book club, is faithful to the original plot.

Although the film begins when Ove is 59 years old, the films spends a lot of time in flashbacks to his younger years. In a nutshell, Ove has suffered many personal losses in his lifetime, and is now so lonely he contemplates suicide, although his comic attempts never succeed. What saves Ove are all the new neighbors moving into his housing development.

Although the film has many sad points, it also has just as many funny spots.  For example, Ove’s competition with a close friend is based on the fact that  Ove drives  Saabs whereas the friend drives Volvos.

Here is one of those films for the entire family that you could describe as “feel good.” If you want to get away from sex and violence and nasty politics, this is the film for you.

 

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)

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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!

2015, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Coming-of-age, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Love Story, New Zealand, Nudity, Small Town, Small Town Atmosphere, Surfing, Teenagers, Uncategorized

800 Words (2015)

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From Acorn TV:

Still reeling from his wife’s recent death, widower George Turner impulsively decides to start afresh. Turner packs up his two teenage children and moves from the hustle and bustle of Sydney to the New Zealand coastal town of Weld, where he spent his summer vacations as a child. The Aussie invaders quickly become the center of attention in this small town populated by weird and wonderful locals.

Acorn TV (still $499 a month) offers this feel-good 1 season 6 episode TV series from New Zealand. Subtitles available.

Doc Martin’s small Cornwall town of Portwenn is not a far cry from the small New Zealand town of Weld. One difference is that George Turner is a normal man (although a grieving widower) with two normal children: daughter Shay and son Arlo.

As far as soap operas go, this one is NOT steamy, although sex has a pervasive influence on the entire plot. Shay has her first sexual romance. All the many beautiful women in the series have their eyes on the eligible George.

Every good soap opera needs a villain or villains and the Weld clan will do nicely in that respect.

But this is a feel-good series and the tension is held to a comfortable minimum. Nothing stays wrong for very long. Frankly it is a relief to have easy solutions to problems pop up regularly.

Watching this series is more relaxing than watching either “A Place To Call Home” or even, heaven help us,  presidential debates.

1995, 1997, 1998, Acceptable Science, Acorn TV, AIDS, Alcoholism, British Mystery Series, Brother-Brother relations, Detective, DNA, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Medical Theme, Murder Investigation, Prostitutes, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Uncategorized, Various Romances, Well developed plot

McCallum (1995)

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From IMDB:

From deep within the morgue at St. Patrick’s Hospital in London’s East End, Dr. Iain McCallum and Dr. Angela Moloney along with a team of brilliant pathologists and detectives help the dead tell their stories.

Previously I reviewed the Scottish TV series “Rebus” which in its first season starred John Hannah. Subsequently I discovered the TV series “McCallum” also starring John Hannah. Both can be streamed from Acorn TV (currently $4.99 per month).

“McCallum” is at least as good if not better than similar series. Much like “Vera“,  each episode is approximately one and a half hours. Series 1 offers four episodes whereas Series 2 offers five episodes.

Rather than a simple who-done-it, this series similar to the other high quality series has a running theme which features other story threads. Almost without exception, each such series deals with the home life (or home non-life) of the main sleuth.  Of course, you can expect a few romances along the way.

One possibly unique characteristic, is that John Hannah as Dr. Iain McCallum the forensic pathologist must constantly prevent the detective DI Bracken from rushing to false conclusions.

“McCallum” does not seem to be as bloody as other series, nor as violent Still, however, not for children.

If this is your genre, you cannot go wrong. In fact, if this is your genre, DO NOT MISS!

2015, Action Film, Action Hero, Amputee, B-movie, Barely Acceptable Trash, Bloody scenes, Car Chase, Confusing Plot, Drugs, Frenetic, Invincible Hero, Mayhem, Motorcycles, Not Recommended, Nudity, Revenge, Ridiculous plot, Satirical ultra-violence, Sci-Fi, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Somewhat trashy, Unusual, Violent, Vulgar

Hardcore Harry (2015)

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From IMDB:

Henry is resurrected from death with no memory, and he must save his wife from a telekinetic warlord with a plan to bio-engineer soldiers.

Seriously in the running for “Most Mindless Film Ever Made”,  there is not a single non-violent scene (more exactly, moment) in all hour and a half of this bizarre form of entertainment. Only because of one unique feature  does this film deserve a review: You never see Harry. Instead you watch the entire sequence of (did I mention “violent”?) events through Harry’s bionic eyes. In fact, just about everything of Harry is bionic. So naturally he is physically super-capable, never misses a shot, is amazing at fist fighting. leaps over tall objects, escapes burning vehicles, and just never gives up. When the film started with a chase sequence I thought “Oh, the usual gimmick to get my attention at the beginning”. But the chase sequence NEVER ENDS.

Possibly there is a plot in there somewhere, but darn if I could figure out just exactly what was happening.

You do get the opportunity to put yourself in Harry’s place and be surrounded for possibly 10 minutes by  voluptuous, ample breasted,  naked women. Probably not a film for children.

You should have some time to waste before watching Harry (who cannot speak) do his thing. Isn’t it great to be a retired film watcher!

2015, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, British, British History, Cambridge University, Culture of India, DO NOT MISS, Docudrama, Drama, Mathematician, Racism, Religious Theme, Wasp Snobs

The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)

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From IMDB:

The story of the life and academic career of the pioneer Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his friendship with his mentor, Professor G.H. Hardy.

Dev Patel (who played Sonny Kapoor in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”) as Ramanujan and Jeremy Irons as Hardy team up to present a wonderful screen telling of the emergence of one brilliant mathematician with the help of another.

For a definitive discussion of Ramanujan see the Wikepedia article. For information on G.H.Harding Wikepedia again offers an article. From this last article on Harding I found the important quote:

Hardy was extremely shy as a child, and was socially awkward, cold and eccentric throughout his life. During his school years he was top of his class in most subjects, and won many prizes and awards but hated having to receive them in front of the entire school. He was uncomfortable being introduced to new people, and could not bear to look at his own reflection in a mirror. It is said that, when staying in hotels, he would cover all the mirrors with towels.[

This quote captures the tone of the film. Harding did not relate to people. For Ramanujan this was another difficulty on top of his unhappy social position at Cambridge where the British racist snobs sneered at the “wog”.

As regards Ramanujan, one essential point is that he was very intuitive and had brilliant insights but was unable or reluctant to provide proofs. It took years to verify his results. Hardings task was to persistently demand proofs for the Indian’s assertions.

For you adults out there, this film is a MUST SEE!

2016, Abduction, Acceptable Trash, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Cancer theme, Frenetic, Grisly, Horror, Made For TV, Middle school students, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Occasional gore, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Teenagers, TV Series, Violent

Stranger Things (2016)

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From IMDB:

When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, and his friends must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.

Holy Middle School Nerds!

If my neighbors had not recommended the eight episodes of Season One of this sci-fi creeper, I would not have entered the “Upside Down World”. Unfortunately, once inside this semi-adult fantasy it is obsessively difficult to escape. So instead I binged-watched all the horror, high school romance, middle school bullying, and hysterics this TV series (streamable from Netflix) had to offer. To tell you the truth, it was a lot of fun and possibly a waste of time.

Winona Ryder we all know.  David Harbour has many roles to his name, including David Patrick from “State of Affairs” and Elliot Hirsch from “The Newsroom”.  Most of the cast were very young and did quite well. Indeed it seems to me that the middle school gang of four nerds got their literally hysterical parts just right.

If the plot grabs you, you will never escape. Supposedly there is a Season Two.

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, Abduction, Acorn TV, Ambiguous Conclusion, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Child custody, Confusing Plot, Could Be Sad, Detective, Divorce, Eccentric Detective, Emotional abuse, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gritty, Lawyers, Made For TV, Murder Investigation, Orphans in Foster Care, Revenge, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Violent

Vera (2011)

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From AcornTV:

Two-time Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn stars as DCI Vera Stanhope a solitary, obsessed, caustic, brilliant investigator, and a bit disheveled; think female Columbo.

From AcornTV you can stream 6 years of this British TV series which first started in 2011 and went on for 7 years through 2017. AcornTV does not offer 2017. Each year, or “set”, consists of 4 episodes. Surely 24 episodes will keep you busy for awhile (binge – anyone ?). Each episode is approximately 1.5 hours.

DCI Vera is as personally distant as her sidekick DS Joe Ashworth (played by David Leon) is personable. An important thread in the series is their relationship. For example, Vera’s refusal in one episode to even consider being the Godmother to Joe’s latest newborn child is really hurtful. But Joe seems to understand her aloofness and accepts it begrudgingly. In one episode Joe insists on taking Vera for a doctor’s visit because of her sudden stress-related faintness.

Just remember that British police procedurals are not for the faint of heart. Could that be why I enjoy them so much?

2000, 2005, Abduction, Acorn TV, Alcoholism, Ambiguous Conclusion, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Conspiracy, Crime thriller, Dark, Detective, Drug Dealers, Dysfunctional Lives, Father-daughter relations, Gangs, Grim, Grisly, Gritty, Ian Rankin, Murder, Murder Investigation, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Prison, Prostitutes, Revenge, Scottish, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Violent

Rebus (2000)

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From IMDB:

Set in Edinburgh, the mercurial Detective Inspector John Rebus’s investigations lead him through the city’s ancient beauty and into its more sinister quarters.

From Wikipedia:

Rebus is the title of the detective drama TV series based on the Inspector Rebus novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin set in and around Edinburgh. The series was produced by STV Productions (previously known as “SMG Productions”) for the ITV network.

Four series have been aired; series 1 starred John Hannah and was made for STV by his own production company, Clerkenwell Films. A new cast featuring Ken Stott as DI John Rebus was introduced for the second and subsequent series (which went into production in 2005, made in-house by STV).

From AcornTV:

Adapted from the novels by acclaimed writer Ian Rankin, the Rebus stories have been applauded for their intricate plots, keen characterization, and flawless sense of place. CC Available.

Acorn TV offers all 4 series.

Just be aware that these excellent productions are grim. It seems that a divorced, unhappy, obsessive detective is a standard cliché. But that does not stop the suspenseful, well-acted stories from being a real treat for lovers of the genre.

Never, never expect a happy ending!

2016, Acceptable for children, Alcoholism, Amusing banter, Carpentry, Catholic culture, Child custody, Comedy, Divorce, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Feel Good For All, Mother-son relations, Theft

The Confirmation (2016)

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From IMDB:

Eight year old Anthony is somewhat uneasy about spending the weekend with his alcoholic, down-on-his-luck carpenter dad Walt while his mom Bonnie and her new husband Kyle go to a Catholic retreat together. Walt is just as uneasy about spending time with Anthony, especially since their first day together is a series of characteristically unfortunate events, including his truck breaking down, his landlord locking him out of the house, and the theft of his toolbox, which he needs for an upcoming job. As Walt and Anthony set about finding the guy who stole the tools and improvise around their other misfortunes, they begin to discover a true connection with each other, causing Walt to become a better father and Anthony to reveal the promise and potential of the good man he will become.

Clive Owen as Walt the father and  Jaeden Lieberher as Anthony the son are matched perfectly and cleverly. Catholic viewers will get a kick out of Anthony’s two visits to the confessional and its perplexed priest confessor. Especially note the amusing and unending trail of lies that are an important part of the plot.

Sorry, but I do not buy Walt’s quick retreat from alcoholism, even though it contributes to a heart-warming film.

Finally we have here that rarity – a feel-good but not maudlin film for the entire family.