Category Archives: Drama

2011, Drama, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, French, Italian, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Unusual, Violent

Unforgivable (2011)

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From NetFlix:

This moody drama follows the increasingly chaotic life of Francis, a crime novelist who moves to Venice to write his next book. After starting an affair with a young beauty, Francis suspects her of cheating — even as his own daughter goes missing.

“Unforgivable” is spoken in French and Italian with subtitles. Its other name is “Impardonnables”.

What a crazy mixed-up bunch of dysfunctional people! Not a single character would classify in my book as “normal”, whatever that means.

Nor are all the subplots entirely believable. We start with Francis who was a womanizer that left each woman if she confronted him about his multiple affairs. At this point he is probably in his sixties. He is in Venice and visits a rental agency looking for an apartment to rent. Lo and behold the rental agent, Judith, is the former Chanel model Carole Bouquet who just happens to be “drop dead beautiful”. You may not believe it, but during the filming she was 54 years old. At any rate she shows Francis a house on one of the Venetian islands and during that house inspection he asks her to live with him in this island house and she, of course, accepts. For me, seeing an older man having sex with a younger beauty was a first. Needless to say Judith is bi-sexual.

And the plot continues on its bizarre path. We get to meet fatherless sons finishing prison terms for violent tendencies, Judith’s former (woman) lover who is dying of cancer, Francis’ married daughter who is currently on leave from her husband in order to pursue a young Italian drug dealer, etc.

You probably get the idea by now. Not that the film was boring, just weird. Good luck!

2011, Based on true facts, Biographical, British, Could Be Sad, Drama, Political statement, Psychological Drama, True Story, Violent, War

The Iron Lady (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Meryl Streep provides a subtle and nuanced portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, whose political career and determination changed the rules that had limited women’s opportunities for leadership.

Sometimes I criticize Meryl Streep for some annoying and often used facial smirks. However, in this film she is the best I have seen. If nothing else she portrays the sadness of aging and the accompanying changes in personality, memory, and looks. My own mother (who died at the age of 97 on March 1, 2012) went through the same changes during the last 5 years of her life. Streep gets it right. And speaking of “looks”, whoever did Streep’s makeup did a remarkable job. No matter the age portrayed, you knew it was the same person and the makeup artist had captured that stage in Thatcher’s life perfectly.

It would be helpful to hear from a Brit who had seen this film in order to know how well Streep captured Thatcher’s manner of speaking.

Do not be put off by the main theme of Thatcher’s late life decline. You get to learn the history of her career from political neophyte to her success as prime minister. There are actual film clips that show some horrible violence during the riots as well some ugly Falkland Islands war clips. If the film is accurate, it was sad to see her career end owing to an arrogant hubris (sound familiar?).

Most touching of all was her relationship with her beloved husband Denis Thatcher (played by the wonderful Jim Broadbent).

Many British actors appear in the film (Iain Glen, Nicholas Farrell, Anthony Head) , most of whom are familiar from British TV.

Ignore any naysaying critics. This film is well worth seeing.

2011, Based on true facts, Drama, Explicit sexual discussion, Imperfect, Mostly About Sex, Psychological Drama, Sex Scenes

A Dangerous Method (2011)

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From NetFlix:

In this David Cronenberg-helmed biopic, Viggo Mortensen stars as Sigmund Freud, whose relationship with fellow psychology luminary Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) is tested when Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), one of the first female psychoanalysts, enters their lives. This World War I-set drama also stars Vincent Cassel as Otto Gross, a disciple of Freud, and Sarah Gadon, who plays Jung’s psychoanalyst wife.

Although the story is interesting (and let’s hope somewhat historically accurate), the dialog is at times rather stiff. At a few points in the film I was a bit bored (but that is very subjective).

Keira Knightley as Sabina Spielrein starts out exaggeratedly hysterical only to suddenly appear as a cured patient about to become a famous psychoanalyst. Whatever happened to believable transitions?

You will hear quite a bit of academic psychological discussion that at times seems almost didactic.

Do you suppose Carl Jung actually engaged in S&M sexual practices with his patients?

Personally I found this film to be not terrible but still somehow imperfect. Sorry.

2011, Drama, Not Feel Good, Polish, Political Suspense, Sex Scenes

The Mole (2011)

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A father and son run a business importing used clothes from France to Poland. When the son discovers his father’s photo in a tabloid newspaper with the accusation that he was a secret informer – instead of the Solidarity hero he always looked up to – the son begins to have doubts.

Life in Poland under the Communists meant living in an atmosphere of fear. Solidarity members had the courage to stand up to the regime and sometimes lost their lives or freedom as a result. In this film we see a father and son very close to one another only to have that love threatened by revelations from the past. Well-made with fine acting, the portrayal of doubt creeping into the life of the family is very well done. Even the potentially mundane daily activities (coaxing a child to eat) are never boring and possibly add to the underlying tension of wanting everything to be alright even though something is amiss.

We saw this Polish film (with English subtitles) at a neighborhood film festival. Unfortunately NetFlix does not currently offer the film. But if you get a chance to see this film, the viewing is well worth the time.

2011, Bullying, Comedy, Drama, Medical Theme, Slapstick

Carnage (2011)

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From NetFlix:

In this comic drama from director Roman Polanski, two sets of parents meet in the aftermath of an incident in which one of their children bullied the other. As the evening progresses, the adults confront each other in increasingly hostile ways.

Kathy, my wife, saw “Carnage” as a play at the Huntington in Boston.

Two couples begin a “civilized” discussion over their sons’ playground behavior. Over the course of this meeting, the talk becomes more and more combative. Husbands join forces. Kate Winslet vomits dramatically. Christopher Waltz spends much of the time on his cellphone defending a sleazy company from big Pharma. And eventually everyone gets drunk on 18-year-old Scotch.

Does this sound like fun? At first I thought it was going to be harsh and difficult to watch. But it turned into Sid Cesar and Imogene Coca (two 50’s TV comedians specializing in this type of vaudeville humor). At times there was too much yelling, which is sometimes a sign of bad writing.

Finally I was laughing out loud. No telling how you will react.

2000, British Mystery Series, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Grim, Gritty, Occasional gore, Police Story, Serial Killer, Suspense, TV Series, Violent, Wonderful acting

Without Motive (2000)

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From NetFlix:

Jack Mowbray is a dedicated police officer and a devoted family man. When a vicious serial killer terrorizes Bristol, England, Jack’s obsessive attitude toward the case may nab the culprit while also tearing apart his personal life.

This British TV series comes in 4 discs. Each disc contains 2 episodes. Discs 1 and 2 are one complete story. Discs 3 and 4 are another complete story.

Watching the first story is a bit harrowing. But in fact my experience in general is that British mystery, or suspense, or MI-5 adventures are all tough to watch. Characters get killed. Marriages run into difficulties because of the obsessive attention to crime solving by one of the marriage partners. Some scenes are especially gory. Some characters are really nasty.

Acting in general is almost always professional and wonderful, so much so that British TV of this nature often makes its American counterparts seem weak and tepid.

One example of cringe-worthy acting in story one is the scene in which a Welsh police official is “retired”. You see a tired, stressed, overweight, but not very capable man who has made a muddle of things and mislead the investigation. When he is in an office with two of his superiors and his boss tells him he is off the force, the stream of self-excusing babble that comes out of the poor man’s mouth would embarrass anyone.

Officers come off as crude bullies. In contrast Jack Mowbray is a decent fellow obsessed with finding the serial killer who has moved his killing operations to the very area where Jack lives. Jack’s wife is terrified. Jack’s stressed-out behavior is ugly to watch.

First rate watching if you can stand the tension.

2011, Crime, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Feel Good Not For Children, French, Love Story, Optimistic, Wonderful acting

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Not to be confused with the tale by Ernest Hemingway, this unsettling drama recounts the violent criminal assault and robbery committed against a middle-aged couple, and their discovery that a person they knew orchestrated the attack.

Ignore the NetFlix description. This French film set in Marseille is ultimately a feel-good story in which optimism and kindness triumph. You can find the full plot in the Wikipedia article. If anything the film dramatizes the difficulty of life in Marseille, but actually in any area beset with unemployment, for the younger generation.

As a short version: the husband in the older couple is a loyal unionist who loses his job during a layoff which also effect a certain young employee. Whereas for the older man this layoff is not a tragedy (he owns his house, his wife works), the younger man has an irresponsible young mother (you will be shocked) and two school age younger brothers for whom he is responsible. Out of desperation that younger man robs and assaults the older man, his wife, and another older couple. Accidentally the older man discovers who the culprit is. As the film progresses the older man comes to understand the young man’s difficulties. Finally I will tell you that the culprit is sentenced to 15 years (which will mean 2 or 3 years). Beyond that you have to discover for yourself the heartwarming developments.

French with English subtitles. DO NOT MISS!

2011, Drama, Drugs, Grim, Not Recommended, Nudity, Psychological Drama, Suspense, Violent, Vulgar

I Melt With You (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Old college buddies Richard (Thomas Jane), Ron (Jeremy Piven), Tim (Christian McKay) and Jonathan (Rob Lowe) get together one weekend to reminisce about their glory days. As they leave their adult responsibilities behind, they lose control, lured into a getaway of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Picking up the pieces, the men begin to question the wisdom of the choices they’ve made. Carla Gugino co-stars.

What follows is a list of the reasons why you should NOT see this really depressing film:

  • Watching 4 adult men act like drug-crazed teenagers is not a positive experience.
  • Listening to their sometimes crude talk is similarly unattractive.
  • Self-destruction is never fun to watch.
  • Finally, the secret premise underlying the story is too unrealistic to believe.

So why watch the film at all ?

  • All 4 actors do a good job. Each portrays his own personal failures quite well (and what a desperate scene it is).
  • Once the first character reaches his sad end you begin to suspect a pattern and can easily become hooked on seeing each story play out.

Do you really want to watch a depressing film ?

2008, Acceptable for children, Drama, Frenetic, Love Story, Mediocre

Life in Flight (2008)

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From NetFlix:

With a beautiful wife (Amy Smart), an adoring son (Kevin Rosseljong) and an accomplished career, New York-based architect Will (Patrick Wilson) thinks he has it all — until a new friendship with dynamic young designer Kate (Lynn Collins) reveals the cracks in his too-perfect life. With long-repressed doubts now in the open, Will must reconsider the direction of his life from the bottom up. Tracey Hecht directs this existential drama.

Because currently we are in an economic recession where jobs are scarce Patrick Wilson’s choice of his future seems not so black and white. Who would not jump at the opportunity that is offered to his character Will ? On the other hand, he finds himself not giving much attention to his young son and finds little time for family, sitting, talking, in other words for the rest of his life. For me I could not really sense a huge amount of stress in his life, that is to say the type of stress where you feel “when will it ever end ?” His wife was portrayed as a woman who was ambitious and not much else. It was as if she was saying “You want me ? Then you must advance professionally.”

Once again I was busy doing something else while watching this mediocre film, so at least I did not waste all the time solely on the film.

2011, Based on true facts, Conspiracy, Drama, Drugs, Love Story, Sex Scenes

The Rum Diary (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Eager to flee his humdrum life in 1950s New York, booze-loving journalist Paul (Johnny Depp) moves to Puerto Rico and begins writing for a local rag, but his life becomes unhinged when he falls for a gorgeous woman (Amber Heard) and clashes with her shifty fiancé (Aaron Eckhart). Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, this adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s early novel also stars Richard Jenkins as Paul’s editor.

Nice black and white good versus evil where the good guy wins is always easy to watch. Sorry, not this time! Pessimism is the dominant theme here as we watch Johnny Depp drink, try drugs, fall in love with a crook’s girl friend, and start to get involved with the crook’s shady dealings.

You get a sense of how beautiful Puerto Rico is and how vulnerable it is to exploitation by American businessmen whose anti-communist rants are just too outlandish to even begin to take seriously. In fact, the script is not uniformly good and in fact sometimes just too preachy. Moreover, the delivery of those not so wonderful lines by the actors is just plain wooden at times.

Giovanni Ribisi plays a somewhat unbalanced drug addled nutcase, although it is not clear what he adds to the film.

All in all the film for me was only OK, which seems to be the critics’ conclusions in the Wikipedia article.

Read the final screen lines for a historical reference.