Category Archives: FilmReview

2014, Amusing banter, Conspiracy, Corruption, Crime, Flirting, Lawyers, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Netflix Streaming, Plot Twist, Police Corruption, Politicians, Sex Scenes, Soap Opera, TV Series, Witty dialog

Reckless (2014)

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From Netflix:

A gorgeous Northern legal eagle and a charming Southern lawyer clash in and out of the courtroom in this soapy drama set in Charleston, S.C.

Looking for a worthwhile soap opera? Try this 2014 TV series featuring beautiful Anna Wood as Yankee lawyer Jamie Sawyer versus handsome Cam Gigandet as Charleston native lawyer Roy Rader. These two smart people are always opposing lawyers (who help each other). Of course, as is often the case in soap operas, the question is: when will these two finally get together?

An entire year’s series is spent trying to answer that question. Meanwhile each episode features one trial plus a continuation of the efforts by Georgina Haig as fired policewoman Lee Anne Marcus who is suing the police department for defamation of character and unwarranted dismissal. In addition there is a continuing investigation into police gun smuggling.

First the good news: This is an easy to watch romantic soap opera. Now the bad news: For some reason that outraged fans, CBS cancelled the show after only one season. Here is a series that cries for more episodes, especially considering the final plot twist and the fact that Roy and Jamie _ _ _ get together. Here I leave it to you to fill in the _ _ _ blanks with “do” or “do not”.

No spoilers allowed! Have fun!

2014, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Bloody scenes, Dancing, Dystopia, Gloomy, Human spirit, Imperfect, Pessimistic, Sci-Fi, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Suspense, Thought provoking, Violent

Automata (2014)

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From Netflix:

This futuristic thriller stars Antonio Banderas as Jacq Vaucan, an insurance investigator for a robotics company. While looking into a case involving a robot malfunction, he uncovers a massive threat to all of humanity.

Despite enough logic holes to sink a space ship, a lot of imagination went into this intelligent sci-fi dystopian thriller. Moreover you get to watch a bald Antonio Banderas playing what for him is a very uncharacteristic role. He even gets to dance with a robot.

Plot and action are important, but the underlying theme is very thought provoking: Would the universe care if human life, owing to its self-destructive mentality, ceased but a more intelligent race of self-creating robots survived?

Who were the heroes and who were the villains? You might notice that your loyalties shift by the end of the film.

Note that this film got poor reviews. Nonetheless I was glued to the screen without any idea of how this plot could ever end. But end it did with one symbolic gesture that for me was one of those gooseflesh moments.

Not perfect, but quite passable.

2005, Abduction, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Clever Plot, Corruption, Crime, Dark, Depression, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drug Dealers, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, Gay theme, Interest in dogs, Kidnapping, Lesbian Theme, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Corruption, Revenge, School Teacher, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Teenagers, Tragedy, Violent, Well developed plot

Swedish Wallander (2005-2012)

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From Netflix:

Detective Kurt Wallander is an intense, headstrong maverick who’s prone to eating poorly, sleeping irregularly and drinking too much. Wallander relies on instinct and experience and doesn’t shy away from using illegal means to solve crimes.

Kathy and I have just finished stream-bingeing on all the Swedish Wallander episodes of which there are many. Cable TV gets worse each day and we were grateful to have something well-written, well-acted, and gripping to watch in the evening. Thank you, Netflix. “Gripping” is an important keyword (picture Kathy leaving the room during violent encounters).

To be precise about numbers of episodes:

Season 1 comprises 13 episodes.
Season 2 comprises 13 episodes.
Season 3 comprises 6 episodes.

Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander is a dedicated (even better – obsessed) detective whose personal life is one of drinking, loneliness, and coldness to his family. In other words, he is a mess. To his credit, the Swedish actor Krister Henriksson portrays such a man to perfection. However, as in often the case in such types of TV series, as much time is spent exploring his relations with others as in solving murder cases. For example, “Dicta“, which I have strongly recommended is cast in the same mold.

Quite a bit of camera footage is devoted to leisurely scanning the Swedish landscape and waterways. Wallander and his beloved dog Jussi take many walks on the beach outside his house.

During the course of the three seasons, characters come and go, never to be seen again.

Season 3 ends tragically. But I will not say more because that would be a spoiler. If you want to know what I mean, then send me email.

Once again, if you enjoy intense detective procedurals DO NOT MISS either “Dicta” or “Wallander”.

Be aware that there is also the Kenneth Branagh “Wallander” English series from Masterpiece Mystery.

2013, Bloody scenes, Child abuse, Crime thriller, Detective, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Forensics, Journalist, Lesbian Theme, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Melodrama, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Teenagers, Thriller, TV Series, Unmarried mother, Violent

Dicte (2013)

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From Netflix:

A crime reporter starts a new life by returning to her hometown, where she finds herself at odds with the police when she tries to solve their cases.

UPDATE: From MHz Choice you can now stream 3 seasons of Dicte. The stories and writing continue to be captivating and suspense filled. Currently (January 2020) there is a new episode of season 3 released each Tuesday.

OLD REVIEW ————————————————————-

No doubt about it, streaming is taking over. Just today (Dec 9,2014) the papers echo complaints that Netflix streaming is threatening cable TV. No surprise there seeing how cable offerings continue to worsen.

From Netflix I streamed 10 wonderful episodes of the only season made of the Swedish thriller “Dicte”. If you loved the Swedish “Wallander” you will be ecstatic over “Dicte”. Dicte is the character name of the lead actress who is a newspaper crime reporter dedicated to uncovering the truth often by using methods not legally available to the police.

More than crime solving, the series is equally if not more concerned with the personal lives of Dicte and all the people surrounding her. In this respect you can call it a melodrama. Expect to see married couples break up, exchange partners, and so forth: today’s operative word is “blended”.

As with “Wallander” the sound track is in Swedish with English subtitles.

DO NOT MISS either “Wallander” or “Dicte”!

2014, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Love Story, Nothing special, Pseudo Utopia, Psychological Drama, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thought provoking

The Giver (2014)

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From Netflix:

In a future society called The Community, pain, war and disease have been eradicated, as have individuality and free will. When a teenager named Jonas learns the truth about the real world, he must decide whether to reveal all or remain quiet.

Let’s have three cheers for population mind control!

Good visuals, clever use of color, and a few thought-provoking ideas make this sci-fi film watchable.

Jeff Bridges is the Giver and looks a lot like Jeff Bridges. Meryl Streep’s appearance is appropriate and not what she usually looks like. We can suppose that neither of these two well-know actors would appear in a film that was not in some way worthwhile (unless they really needed the money).

Don’t forget “Logan’s Run”, “Brave New World”, “THX 1138”, “Fahrenheit 451” and other similar pseudo-utopian presentations.

‘Nuff said!

2007, Abduction, Amusing banter, Conspiracy, Corruption, Detective, Forensics, Kidnapping, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Corruption, Police Story, Politicians, Prison, Revenge, TV Series, Violent, Zen

Life (2007)

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From Netflix:

Exonerated after 12 years in prison, a former LAPD cop has his life and job restored, but he brings a new Zen attitude to his work

Netflix offers this as streamable.

Thirty-two episodes of the TV series “Life” are a lot of episodes. However, Damien Lewis as Charlie Crews is quirky enough to keep the interest going. Adam Arkin as Ted Earley helps as well.

Each episode is a self-contained who-done-it, but running through the entire series is Charlie’s attempt at finding out who framed him and sent him to jail. Probably because I enjoyed Damien Lewis in “The Forsythe Saga” and “Homeland” I was also willing to plow through the series.

Start from the beginning and see how long you last.

2014, Anti-terrorism, Based on a Book, CIA, Clever Plot, Complicated, Conspiracy, Cynical, DO NOT MISS, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, International thriler, Spy Theme, Spy Versu Spy, Suspense, Wonderful acting

A Most Wanted Man (2014)

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From Netflix:

A half-Russian, half-Chechen man, brutalized by torture, arrives in Hamburg, where he seeks a British banker’s help in recovering his father’s estate. But the man may not be all he seems to be in this riveting adaptation of John le Carré’s novel.

Warning: you may be seething by the end of this film. Possibly that means that this well-acted film based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré is also written and directed quite well. But what is the point of such skullduggery if there is not some truthful basis to the film? Is it worth being cynical about the fun adventures of counter-espionage because a film pushes a fictional point of view? In other words, I wish the story were “based on true facts” instead of “based on a book”.

Every review I read of this film was a rave. Perhaps that is why I was glued to the screen right up to the end.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is his usual sloppy wonderful self in this his last film before he committed suicide. Rachel McAdams succeeds as a sincere vulnerable young human rights lawyer. And then there is the stunningly beautiful Robin Wright playing a cold deceitful role not unlike her role in the American version of “House of Cards”.

WAS ISSA AN INNOCENT MAN ?

Take a tranquilizer and enjoy this great film. DO NOT MISS!

2014, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Clever Plot, Corny at times, Good digital effects, Mayhem, Military, Nasty Aliens, Violent, War

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

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From Netflix:

As Earth fights an alien invasion, Lt. Col. Bill Cage is killed in action, and a time loop forces him to continually relive his last day. With each iteration, Cage’s skill grows, as does his understanding of the enemy and how it operates.

Are you ready for 113 minutes of Tom Cruise fighting invading aliens? Those 113 minutes might seem long because he keeps getting killed and then repeating his life from his entry into the war against the aliens. He does this at least 300 times. But fear not, only the first rebirth seems repetitious and the film moves briskly, albeit with some unexpected failures along the way. Needless to say this is a violent film consisting mostly of shooting aliens with really big machine guns.

Cruise’s character Cage is accompanied by another re-liver Rita (played by Emily Blunt of “The Devil Wears Prada” fame). Don’t expect a great love affair from old stone face. In all fairness this is Cruise’s kind of film: lots of action, no need to emote.

Acceptable for children who can take the violence. Clever eye candy suitable for an idle moment.

2013, Action Film, Amputee, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Child abuse, Dark, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Fantasy, Mayhem, Personality or religious cult, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Torture, Violent

Snowpiercer (2013)

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From Netflix:

The Earth’s remaining inhabitants are confined to a single train circling the globe as revolution brews among the class-divided cars. Based on a French graphic novel and set in a new ice age, this futuristic thriller stars a top-notch ensemble cast.

Owing to a failed climate-change experiment that essentially froze the earth, when you look out of a window on this perpetual motion train, you see snow everywhere. Although the idea of a dystopia with a brutal separation of classes is nothing new, placing the only remaining inhabitants of the planet in a train is a novel approach. From a visual standpoint, “Snowpiercer” is one of the more original sci-fi films I have seen. Progress in the story is measured by the struggle of the underclass in the rear of the train to reach the front of the train. Moving through the train offers some wonderful eye-candy.

Chris Evans does a good job as the “hero” Curtis. Ed Harris as the god-like Willford is sufficiently amoral and heartless. But Tilda Swinton as the quirky class enforcer Mason steals the show.

Now for the WARNING: This film is incredibly violent. At certain points the punishments inflicted on anyone foolish enough to rebel are possibly hard to watch.

In all honesty I was mesmerized, but then good guys against bad guys always holds my attention.

2013, Amazon Prime, Comedy, Complicated, Divorce, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sexual discussion, Father-daughter relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Lesbian Theme, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Melodrama, Netflix Streaming, Optimistic, Quiet, Senior citizens, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Small British village, Yorkshire Accents

Last Tango in Halifax (2013)

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From Netflix:

Two widowed childhood sweethearts fall for each other all over again when they are reunited over the Internet after nearly 60 years.

Several sources (Netflix, Amazon) let you stream seasons one and two of this off-beat British TV series set in Yorkshire. We inadvertently started with season two and after getting acquainted with the many characters it really did not matter that we skipped season one.

Expect to find a celebration of multi-family dysfunctionality. Because the circumstances and relationships are so abnormal, you have to call this series a comedy. Of course, it you are willing to take any of it seriously, then you could say there are also sad or serious parts.

Just to give you a sample of the nuttiness:

  • Celia (Anne Reid) and Alan (the wonderful Derek Jacobi) marry in their seventies.
  • Celia’s daughter Caroline (Sarah Lancashire, who was wonderful in “Happy Valley”) is divorcing the loser John and taking up with Kate (Nina Sosanya who was Lucy Freeman in “W1A”).
  • Alan’s daughter Kate (Nicola Walker who was Ruth Evershed in “MI-5” or the remarkable Helen Bartlett in “Scott & Bailey”) is an impetuous unpredictable sheep farmer who has a complicated relation with Robbie (Dean Andrews who as Pete Lewis in “Being Eileen”) which is not at all helped by the fact that she slept with loser John.

Derek Jacobi’s Yorkshire speech pattern is wonderful to hear.

Because of its unrelenting sexual references, this series is probably not for children. But it does offer a pleasant and funny alternative to serial killers and rape victims.