Category Archives: FilmReview

2012, Abduction, Bank Robbery, Car Chase, Child abuse, Clever Plot, Complicated, Conspiracy, Corruption, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Dutch, Dutch politics, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Horses, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Orphans in Foster Care, Pedophilia, Police Corruption, Political Suspense, Revenge, Sociopath, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Violent, Well developed plot, Wonderful acting, WWII

Salamander (2012)

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From NetFlix:

As he investigates a bank robbery, a Brussels police inspector uncovers a complx conspiracy with the potential to bring down the nation.

On a par with Wallendar, House of Cards, etc. Tense, complicated but understandable, well-acted, you cannot go wrong watching this series as long as you can stand the suspense. We streamed all 12-episodes of this 1-season Dutch series from Netflix. There does not seem to be a DVD version.

Bank robbers steal the contents of exactly 66 safe deposit boxes from a prominent bank in Brussels. These 66 boxes contain the secrets of 66 well-placed individuals who achieved their status by being part of a powerful cartel called Salamander. In fact the bank robbers are masterminded by a rich former factory owner who is seeking vengeance on the members of Salamander because they were responsible for unjustly portraying his father as a World War II traitor. When an honest and determined policeman gets an inkling that something is amiss (the bank robbery was immediately hidden from the public), he doggedly continues to investigate despite dangers to himself, his family, and to lots of other people.

Read along with the English subtitles and have a wonderful, action-packed adventure. DO NOT MISS!

2013, Amish Culture, B-movie, Brother-Sister Relations, Family Conflict, Imperfect, Mediocre, Profiler, Rape, Serial Killer, Suicide, Suspense

An Amish Murder (2013)

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From NetFlix:

Years after a series of murders tore apart her Amish hometown when she was a girl, a woman returns home to be the police chief as the killings resume.

Except for the Amish flavor, this so-so TV movie about a serial killer is nothing special. In fact the Amish culture is interesting in itself and does play into the plot.

Note briefly that the star Neve Campbell (who plays Kate Burkholder) and Christian Campbell (who plays Kate’s bother Christian) are in fact brother and sister.

Ignore unlikely situations and there might be enough suspense to keep you interested.

2015, Abduction, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Child abduction and murder, Child abuse, Crude Talk, Detective, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Male Prostitutes, Orphans in Foster Care, Physical child abuse, Police Politics, Politicians, Prostitutes, Psychiatrists, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Bosch (2015)

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Because I am an Amazon Prime member, I could stream for free Season 1 of “Bosch”. Bosch, as you are probably aware, is the detective character who appears in many novels written by Michael Connelly.

Season 1 consists of 10 episodes. As is often the case, throughout the series there are three running themes: The obsessive detective work which destroys Bosch’s family life; The search for a serial killer named Renard Waits; The constant political battles taking place in the police department. Of course Bosch sleeps with one of his female colleagues, which is a no-no according to the rules.

IMDB offers the cast rundown.

Titus Welliver (who played Glenn Childs in “The Good Wife” TV series) plays Bosch, and plays him VERY WELL.

Jason Gedrick (who played George Novikov in the “Dexter” TV series) plays the serial killer Renard Waits, and plays him VERY WELL.

Those two actors steal the show. But there are a zillion other supporting actors. Thanks to the IMDB site for helping me remember that Shawn Hatosy, who played the character Johnny Stokes, also played Terry McCandless in “Reckless” and Detective Sammy Bryant in “Southland”.

TV serials featuring serial killers and lonely detectives are a dime a dozen. But some, such as “Bosch” are done very well.

2014, Brother-Brother relations, Cancer theme, Could Be Sad, Divorce, Drama, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Lawyers, Melodrama, Murder Trial, Small Town, Violent, Well developed plot, Wonderful acting

The Judge (2014)

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From NetFlix:

Big city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town’s judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family.

Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thorton, and Vincent D’Onofrio put together a well-written, well-acted, well-plotted 2 hours and 21 minutes. Potentially a tear-jerker, the dialog was competently restrained to project all the conflicting emotions without adding syrup.

At least Robert Downey Jr. is not a super-hero or super-sleuth. He is, however a super-lawyer who earns hefty fees defending guilty clients. As he puts it, “Innocent clients cannot afford me.” He goes home after many absent years only because his mother dies. Part of the film’s charm are all the clever sarcastic quips delivered by Robert Downey.

As with most films of this nature, as the story develops we learn more about the family history: Why did the father Judge Palmer seem to reject his middle son the super-lawyer? What happened to the elder son who was on track to be a great baseball player? Who will care for the youngest somewhat retarded youngest son? Who is Carla’s father?

Judge Palmer is dying of Stage 4 cancer but still an active judge. One night he hits and kills a man with his auto. Most of the film is about the trial and how that trial is complicated by the family relations, especially the ongoing resentment between Downey and Duvall.

DO NOT MISS this well-done melodrama.

2015, DO NOT MISS, Explicit sex, French, Gangs, Gay theme, Male Prostitutes, Nudity, Several languages, Suspense, Thriller, Violent

Eastern Boys (2015)

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From NetFlix:

A middle-aged Frenchman gets more than he bargained for when he cruises the Gare du Nord train station for a lover and invites an attractive young Eastern European hustler back to his apartment.

Hoping to find an interesting film, I streamed this French film from NetFlix and was rewarded because I was patient with the story’s beginning and pace.

To prevent you from being offended by some parts of the story, let me briefly explain the plot.

Daniel, a middle-aged Frenchman cruises the Gare du Nord and makes an appointment with a young male hustler Marek to come to Daniel’s apartment the next day. During that cruise we note that Marek is part of a large gang of young Eastern European boys aged 11 to 27 who also roam the train station until the police arrive.

Next day Daniel in his apartment hears a knock on his door and opens expecting to see Marek. Instead the apartment in invaded by that gang of young undocumented Russian youths lead by a near sociopath named Boss. Daniel can do nothing because his cruising of an underage boy is illegal so he stands by mutely while the gang strips his apartment bare. What is amazing in this scent is indeed the fact that Daniel just stands silently and watches.

Next day that same Marek comes to the apartment and for a price offers himself sexually to Daniel. You might be offended by the sight of a naked Daniel tenderly caressing a naked Marek and then having anal intercourse (you never see genitals in any of this) during which Marek shows no emotion.

There is less and less sex because the whole point of the story is that over time Daniel befriends Marek, learns of his tragic life in Ukrania in which Marek became an orphan, and ultimately stops sex completely and decides to adopt Marek.

But it is not that easy because Boss, the young Russian psycho is the leader of the gang. Boss holds all their official papers hostage in a locker. Daniil Vorobyov, who plays Boss, does an amazing job of acting and in fact steals the show.

No American film that I have seen could balance the maddeningly slow pace and reactions of Daniel with the suspense of his rescuing Marek. That slow pace drove me crazy as I sat on the edge of my seat rooting for Daniel and Marek.

For what little dialog there is, there are subtitles for the French. At one point Daniel trys to teach Marek some rudimentary French.

If you can get by the explicit gay sex, this is a DO NOT MISS.

2014, Action Film, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Biographical, Bloody scenes, Crude Talk, Iraq War, Love Story, Military, Navy Seals, Suspense, True Story, Violent, War, War Veterans

American Sniper (2014)

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From NetFlix:

Based on his memoir of the same name, this military biopic centers on legendary sniper Chris Kyle, who amassed a record number of kills on the battlefield during his 10-year career as a Navy SEAL.

Certainly each battle episode was exciting. But that is more or less the content of the film, i.e. many harrowing battle scenes. Chris Kyle’s insistence on going back for 4 tours (1000 days) caused his wife much unhappiness. In the film when he finally comes home, his rehab is made to look easy because he dedicates himself to helping other veterans. It could not have been that easy. Toward the end of the film he is murdered by a veteran he was trying to help, although we do not see that murder. As the screen credits go by we see the actual photos of the funeral held in a stadium with much pomp and ceremony. In fact, Bradley Cooper looks quite like the real Chris Kyle. Compare the Bradley Cooper of “Silver Linings Playbook” with the Bradley Cooper in this film, my guess is that he gained quite of bit of muscle for the role.

In the Wikipedia article, Bradley Cooper is quoted as saying:

“We looked at hopefully igniting attention about the lack of care that goes to vets. Discussion that has nothing to do with vets or what we did or did not do, every conversation in those terms is moving farther and farther from what our soldiers go through, and the fact that 22 veterans commit suicide each day.” Cooper said that an increasing number of soldiers are returning from conflict psychologically damaged, only to be more or less discarded.

2015, Abduction, Acceptable Trash, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Erotic Thriller, Marital Infidelity, Mental Illness, Nothing special, Nudity, Psychological Thriller, Sex Scenes, Stalker, Suspense, Teenagers, Violent

The Boy Next Door (2015)

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From NetFlix:

Adjusting to life without her husband, a recently separated mom is pleased when a teenage boy moves into the neighborhood and befriends her son. But before long, she becomes intimately involved with the teen — and comes to regret it.

Looking for an exciting B-movie? Looking for some sexy scenes? Looking for some exciting violence? Want to learn how to stalk someone effectively? Go no farther! Do I have a film for you!

Jennifer Lopez is the beautiful mom currently separated from her philandering but loving and remorseful husband. Ryan Guzman is the creepy, handsome nephew of the elderly next door neighbor. Ryan stalks Jennifer in very inventive and increasingly threatening ways, all of which lead to a blazing and violent conclusion. Meanwhile just keep wincing at all the stalker’s tricks.

At the time of film shooting Jennifer Lopez was 46 years old and Ryan Guzman was 28. Accepting Ryan as a high school student is a bit of a stretch. Jennifer’s parents were born in Puerto Rico and Ryan is Mexican-American.

While nothing special, this film can at least enliven the task of folding laundry.

2014, ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), Based on true facts, Biographical, British, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Human spirit, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, True Story, Wonderful acting

The Theory of Everything (2014)

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From NetFlix:

With his body progressively ravaged by ALS, world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking must rely on his wife, Jane, to continue his life’s work as he faces various challenges. This affecting biographical drama centers on the couple’s fertile partnership.

Just the acting alone, and especially Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of Stephen Hawking, is enough to make this film a DO NOT MISS!

Reading some discussion such as that found in Wikipedia will help you understand how historically accurate the film was. In fact, it captures the essence Hawking’s life quite well. Just be aware that the film tries to make Hawking seem less like a narcissistic jerk.

When Hawking dismisses his faithful and long-suffering wife Jane Wilde (played beautifully by Felicity Jones) after many years of marriage and three children in order to marry his new, young nurse Elaine, I have to admit I was disillusioned. Again, be sure to read up on the true story.

Once again – DO NOT MISS!

2014, Abduction, Car Chase, Clever Plot, Complicated, Corruption, Crime thriller, Detective, Father-son relations, Forensics, French, French Detective Series, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Mental Illness, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Revenge, Serial Killer, Suspense, Thriller, TV Series, Violent

Witnesses (2014)

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From NetFlix:

A young female detective is put in charge of a case and must delve into her partner’s mysterious past in order to solve it.

Despite the similarity of one detective procedural to every other, some stand out from the crowd as at least a bit better. “Witnesses” is one such series. Accompanying the French dialog you may choose excellent English subtitles. Only one season was made and it consists of 6 episodes. Wikipedia offers very little information.

Many French towns were used for the filming but the story centers on Pas-de-Calais on the northern coast of France. If nothing else, the scenery is worth the viewing. Most interesting is the fact that the town is on two levels: Lower level is on the sea and butts up against the sheer rock cliffs that match the “white cliffs of dover.” Upper level is at the top of those cliffs. To get from lower to upper levels and back, there is a closed-in ski lift that ascends through the rock wall. This lift was built in 1901. Note also the new housing complex of very expensive and spacious homes which figure into the plot.

Personal relations among the characters, especially between Paul Maisonneuve and Sandra Winckler, are essential to the story. Basically the tale is their effort to catch an extremely clever serial killer who has escaped from prison.

Compared with an American detective procedural, this series is less violent. However, there are murders and gun fights.

Because I could stream this from NetFlix, I quickly became addicted.

2010, 2012, Acceptable Trash, Australian, Black humor, Born Again Christians, Comedy, Corruption, Crude Talk, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Farce, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Flirting, Frenetic, Gambling, Lawyers, Lot's of Fun, Marital Infidelity, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Netflix Streaming, Outrageous Behavior, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Revenge, Senior citizens, Sex Scenes, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Suspense, Teenagers, Transvestite theme, Violent, Vulgar, Witty dialog

Rake (2010)

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From NetFlix:

While Cleaver Greene is a brilliant and driven attorney, he’s also an ex-druggie, a current gambling addict and loathed by many of his colleagues.

Four years after I first reviewed this nutty series it is now 2020 and there are 5 seasons of this outrageous and sometimes really funny series.  Just remember: it is really vulgar.

Each season has 8 episodes lasting about an hour. Probably the best service I an provide is to copy a description of each season.

Season 1 –

Richard Roxburgh is Cleaver Greene, a brilliant barrister battling self-destructive tendencies in this hit Australian comedy-drama. As a lawyer, Cleaver prefers to defend those who are utterly hopeless and probably guilty; his clients include murderers, bigamists, and even cannibals. Despite his roguish ways, Cleaver’s wit and charm have won him many cases and loyal friends over the years.

Season 2 –

An alcoholic and former cocaine addict, Cleaver runs up huge gambling debts and makes enemies of gangsters and politicians alike. Despite his roguish ways, Cleaver’s wit and charm have won him many cases and loyal friends over the years.

Season 3 –

As the third season of this acclaimed Aussie drama opens, Cleaver Greene’s life is once again heading south. Clients are rejecting him and he struggles to find anything resembling a case. He takes on a mid-range drink driving charge that he tries to make into a cause célèbre.

Season 4 –

Smart but self-destructive lawyer Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh, Moulin Rouge!, Van Helsing) faces new challenges in the fourth season of the hit Australian comedy-drama. Last seen dangling from a runaway hot air balloon, Cleaver inadvertently crosses paths with a wanted criminal.

Season 5 –

The final season of this “ever-sparkling comedic drama” (The Guardian) sees Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh, Moulin Rouge!) in the Australian Senate, having won on a pledge to do nothing. But even his low expectations fall short of the absurd reality, as he faces a political nemesis.

—————— FIRST REVIEW IN 2016 —————————–

How can two seasons (8 episodes per season) of a Australian comedy series with negative social value be so entertaining? Answer number one: it helps if the viewer is somewhat immature with a really jaded sense of humor. Answer number two: despite the completely salacious series of situations, the plot lines are complicatedly clever. Answer number three: it is just plain fun to watch Cleaver Green go from screw-up to screw-up, sleeping with just about every woman he comes across.

Will all Cleaver’s misadventures eventually catch up with him by episode 16? Stay tuned if you like exaggerated British satire.