A barfly jazz pianist must commit murder to pay off a drug debt to a crooked cop. Best hold on tight. It’s gonna be one helluva night. Upcoming New Indie Crime Drama “TONIC” (2023): The Perils of The Piano Man Film Preview/Review by John Smistad A couple of summers ago I … [Read More]
TRAPPED: Those Icelanders can be Cold ones, man Streaming Series Review by John Smistad Trapped Synopsis: The Icelandic mystery thriller series “Trapped” is the brainchild of wildly creative acclaimed filmmaker and producer Baltasar Kormákur. Over two series police in a remote town in Iceland work both to solve the mystery … [Read More]
Synopsis Following the loss of their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson. When they discover that he is in the clutches of a dangerous family living off the grid in the Dakotas, George and … [Read More]
A drug trafficker arranges a multi-cartel Fentanyl smuggling operation. An architect recovering from an Oxycodone addiction tracks down the truth behind her son’s disappearance. A university professor battles unexpected revelations about his employer, a pharmaceutical company bringing a new “non-addictive” painkiller to market. Set against the backdrop of the opioid … [Read More]
Iconic singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige throws down the anchor in the new supernatural crime drama “Body Cam”. Blige’s soulful characterization of a conflicted cop captures front and center in this dark and moody chronicle of police corruption and devastating loss. A couple of observations. While moments of suspense-building are certainly … [Read More]
The biggest deal about the new murder mystery thriller revolving around the antics of a voyeuristic young lad with Asperger’s Syndrome, “The Night Clerk”, is not really the story itself. Oh, it’s certainly passably amusing fare if you’ve got about an hour and a half to kill and nothing else … [Read More]
The new crime drama “Blood on Her Name” may best be summed up thusly: The sins of the father are visited upon the daughter and then splattered upon the son. And it’s not lookin’ too good for the pattern to end with a miserably misguided kid in this stark and … [Read More]
There is a lot to unpack in the new Norwegian television crime drama “Twin” streaming now on MHz Choice. Uff da is there ever. Each installment of this entrancing eight-part series is jam-packed with more secrets, lies and diabolical deception than you can shake a krumkake at. (You Norwegians in … [Read More]
In a quiet midwestern town, a deputy named Norman Young is faced with an impossible decision; arrest his older brother Ray for murder or help him cover it up. Norman chooses family. As the ensuing investigation withers, neither of the brothers are prepared for the weight of their guilt or how that guilt will strain their … [Read More]
I have one primary takeaway after having seen the new movie “Wetlands”, opening in theaters on Friday, September 15. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (TV’s “Lost”, “Suicide Squad”) can carry a movie. Oh, veteran pros like Jennifer Ehle and Christopher McDonald are just fine here, too. But it is the simmering beneath the … [Read More]
THE GENERAL IDEA James Caan is Axel Freed, a gambling addict hell-bent on self-destruction in the gritty 1974 crime drama “The Gambler”. A college literature professor by day, Axel wages a vicious war with himself off campus during his off hours, shattering the limits of both underground and legit wagers. … [Read More]