Netflix TV Series: Wanted - Seasons 1, 2 and 3

Genre: Crime Thriller, Mystery
Language: English

No. Of Seasons: 3
No. Of Episodes In Each Season: 6

Original Network: Seven Network in Australia
Original Release Dates Of 3 Seasons: 9 Feb 2016, 5 Jun 2017, 15 Oct 2018

Director: Peter Templeman, Jennifer Leacey and Rob Sarkies
Cast: Rebecca Gibney, Geraldine Hakewill, Stephen Peacocke, Ryan Corr, Nicholas Bell

Introduction:

Made somewhat on the lines of 'Thelma and Louise' and 'Fugitive', 'Wanted' is a chase based TV series, filled with twists and travels.

The Plot:

Lola Buckley (Rebecca Gibney), a bold, no-nonsense and fiesty supermarket teller and Chelsea Babbage (Geraldine Hakewill), a hard-working plain Jane styled senior accountant, share the same bus spot during the late night hours for returning back home post the working hours.

During on such late night, while waiting for their respective buses, they happen to witness the murder of a car driver, which was the result of a drug and money exchange gone wrong between him and two masked goons. Lola shoots one of the two goons in defence, in order to save Chelsea's life and both of them end up getting abducted by the other goon, who is eventually assassinated by Ray Stanton (Nicholas Bell), a high ranking police officer.

Though caught innocently in the wave of crime, they unwillingly sink deeper and deeper into it, as they happen to possess both the drugs and it's price money, all of it belonging to someone extremely powerful and well connected. They cannot report or return it to the police as they are tainted even at the highest level and they cannot destroy or lose the same, as they would be as good as dead without them.

What follows is a series of chase sequences woven intrinsically with slices of Lola's and Chelsea's pasts and presents. While the duo come across a series of bad and threatening guys, they also encounter a few good and helping ones. Bullets miss them by a hair's breadth and they also learn to shoot and throw a mean punch when necessary. Even their family members are caught and tortured.

This continues for the first two seasons of the TV series.

By the end of it all, they successfully dodge all of their enemies and take care of the matter at the highest level, thereby putting an end to the anti social activities on a national level!

The third season of the TV series opens with both of them behind the bars, anticipating to be released soon guilt-free and that too with accolades, as promised by the higher authorities.

They soon realise that the concerned authorities plan to keep the accolades to themselves and make them the escape goats!

This makes the duo strike a deal with a hardened and seasoned inmate, who assists them in their escape from the prison in lieu of information about her daughter who seems to be incommunicando and missing, suspectibly on the account of her overpowering and dangerous boyfriend.

Once outside the prison, Lola and Chelse embark on an altogether different chase, wherein they shield themselves from getting arrested, track down the concerned daughter and her boyfriend along with a human trafficking racket and with great effort and risk end up freeing the girls caught up in the aforesaid racket!

Series Analysis:

'Wanted' is quite well scripted and directed. Both the protagonists are brilliant in their acting. They are extremely natural, always in continuity and never over-the-top. The TV series is filled with surprises. But everything happens in a flow without any major thud or bang. Thankfully, there is no nudity.

The cinematography is extensive and quite good. The first two seasons cover Sydney, Queensland, Thailand and New Zealand. The third season covers the vast expanse of South Australia including Flinders Ranges and Adelaide Hills.

Conclusion:

It's an engaging and tension-free watch.

Palm Trees In The Snow (25 Dec 2015)

Genre: Drama/Romance
Language: Spanish, Bube, Pichinglis and Benasquese (Patués)
Duration: 163 minutes

Writer: Sergio G. Sánchez
Producer: Nostromo Pictures, Dynamo Producciones, Atresmedia Cine and Warner Bros.
Director: Fernando González Molina

Cast: Berta Vázquez, Mario Casa, Celso Bugallo, Adriana Ugarte, Macarena García, Slain Hernández, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba

Music: Lucas Vidal
Editing: Irene Blecua and Verónica Callón
Cinematography: Xavi Giménez

Introduction:

Palm Trees In The Snow is the english translation of Palmeras En La Nieve, a critically acclaimed Spanish movie based on the novel of the same name, by Luz Gabás.

The movie is about the journey and discoveries of a young Spanish woman who visits Bioko, the island region of Equatorial Guinea to uncover some secrets and search for some important people who hugely effected the lives of her grandfather, father and uncle, when they were posted there as Spanish colonists, to administer the local cocoa plantations.

The Plot:

In 2003, post the demise of her estranged father Jacobo (Macarena García) at Pasolobino in Spain, Clarence (Celso Bugallo) comes across an old letter, which propels her to journey to Fernando Poo (now called Bioko) in Guinea (now Equatorial Guinea) to uncover some strong links mentioned in the letter.

As her journey unfolds, it is revealed that her uncle Kilian (Mario Casas) along with his elder brother Jacobo i.e. Clarence's father, left the snow-capped mountains of Huesca in northern Spain in 1954 to join his father Antón (Slain Hernández) and his employer company that managed the local cocoa plantations of Bioko.

Upon his arrival to Bioko, Kilian gets amused and baffled by the entirely new style of life, tropical climate and racism. He slowly and gradually learns the rope of the administration, hardens up as per the need of the times and evolves into a hard-working, problem solving and compassionate human, rather than an abusive and dominating colonist.

Post his father's demise, Kilian returns back to Pasolobino for 3 years. Upon returning back, he finds his brother turned into an insane drinker and womaniser and send him back home to Pasolobino. Personally, he stays in Bioko till 1964, visits his home only for a few months and then travels back to Bioko. His final exit from the African island takes place in 1968, when a new president is elected for the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and the Spanish colonists are forced to leave.

Amidst all his travels and stays in Bioko, he comes across Bisila (Berta Vázquez) - firstly as a girl in 1954, silently crying and singing a song to a waterfall in a forest and vanishing in a split second, secondly during her marriage weeks later, when he gets enchanted by her, thirdly post his return in 1957, with her first born and realizing that the feeling is mutual and fourthly while helping her to smuggle her politician friend Gustavo the very next day, to cross military checkpoints which leads to their first kiss and eventually to their first night of love making.

Their affair is lined with true love and their love makings are passionate. Since Bisila happens to be a nurse at the cocoa estate, it's convenient for them to sneak in moments of privacy.

After his last tour to Spain, when Kilian arrives at Bioko, he is shattered to find that during his absence, when Jacobo had returned back to the island, one fateful night in a drunken state, Jacobo and two of his friends had beaten and violated Bisila!

Shortly, both of Jacobo's friends are found hanging on a tree. Bisila's grieving and revengeful husband tries to kill Jacobo, but is instead shot dead by him, due to timely intervention of Kilian, who had already reprimanded and beaten Jacobo for his heinous act.

As per her tribe's rituals, Bisila goes into a year long mourning of her husband, wherein she forbids Kilian to meet her. During this mourning period, she gives birth to her second son Laha, who happens to be sired by Kilian.

In 1968, when there is extreme political turmoil and threat to colonists' lives, Kilian tries to leave Bioko with Bisilia and her sons, but her sons are not allowed to cross the check point because they are Guinean by birth!

Resultantly, all of them return back to the estate and try to leave together happily as a family. But eventually, Kilian is forced to bid final goodbye to Bioko forever.

Movie Analysis:

Palm Trees In The Snow is an extremely well made classic, wherein true love and passion of the central characters has been carefully woven around the last 10-15 years of Spanish colonisation of Bioko in Equatorial Guinea.

It also showcases the selfless and relentless search of the main protagonist, in an absolutely foreign and unfriendly terrain, so that she can deliver justice and bring closure to her departed father and dementia suffering uncle.

The movie shows you both good and evil sides of the colonization; relationships between different family members, lovers and people of different races; and last but not least the bond and power of true love.

The movie constantly shifts between past and present but this doesn't hamper it's visual appeal or makes it difficult to understand.

In the movie, there are multiple scenic references to turtles travelling thousands of miles in the ocean to their homes, which is quite symbolic and quite in-tune with the movie's storyline.

Cinematography by Xavi Giménez is excellent. The soundtrack, Palmeras en la nieve is quite good. All the actors have worked very well. But Berta Vázquez as Bisilia simply stands out. She has displayed a myriad range of emotions with equal ease and conviction.

For those who don't know, she also stood out for her excellent portrayal of Estefanía Kabila "Rizos", in the Spanish TV series Vis A Vis (Locked Up) that aired from 2015 to 2019. 

A Remarkable Tale (12 Jul 2019)

Genre: Comedy
Language: Spanish
Duration: 93 minutes

Director: Marina Seresesky
Cast: Carmen Machi, Pepón Nieto, Kiti Mánver, Jimmy Castro, Ricardo Nkosi, Montse Pla, Malcolm Treviño-Sitté

Music: Fernando Velázquez
Editing: Marta Velasco

Introduction:

I just stumbled upon this movie while browsing Netflix, wherein it was added on 1 Nov 2019.

This simple sweet comedy with subtle imparting of a couple of deep messages reminded me a lot of an old movie named The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980).

Both the movies bring to the forefront the fact that mankind in general is ruled by fixed perspectives and mindset. We find beauty, safety and usefulness in only shapes, sizes, colors, tastes, flavors, noises and patterns that we are accustomed with or are aware of. For this reason, anything out of the ordinary or from a far off land or civilization seems ugly, threatening and useless to us!

'A Remarkable Tale' brings to our notice an addictional fact that more we are secured in a setting, more rigid we are prone to change it's dynamics. But in the event of scarcity or threat of extinction, we embrace just anything and anyone to be able to stay afloat comfortably.

The Plot:

The remote mountain village of Fuentejuela de Arriba, Spain is at the risk of disappearing forever. It's villager count is not even a score, out of which 80% are old people.

The village needs to have a head count of at least 16 people, or else the concerned visiting authorities would declare it extinct, stop the facilities of visiting priest, sweeper etc. and remove it from the map. The fact that later on they plan to use this opportunity to ensure some big commercial gains is a different story altogether.

Though old and clad in funny hand knitted sweaters (which seemed cute to me), the village residents are patriotic about their place of stay and proud of their famous egg custard tarts, which they make in abundance for selling outside the village.

They wait in anticipation with a lot of welcome preparations for the tourist buses to make a stop over at their village in vain. Even when an old man dies, his wife never tells anyone or cremates him due to the fear of bringing to everyone's notice that the village count has decreased by one!

When a dance group of three men and one woman arrive unexpectedly from Africa, the whole village goes into a tizzy because of the sheer culture shock.

Both the original Spanish residents and visiting African dancers find each other's appearance, clothes, food and dance steps funny. They also have trust issues with each other.

While the villagers are worried sick and feeling helpless about ever decreasing village count and ever looming danger of identity crisis, the visiting dancers find the villagers' lives quite blissful as they have comfortable homes to stay and enough food on the table, something that they don't have back home. Also, if caught by the authorities, they would be deported back to the life of hunger and misery.

Using their arrival as a blessing in disguise, the mayor's wife comes up with a shocking plan, which eventually proves to be a rather dramatic and unusual but still a win-win situation for all concerned.

Movie Analysis:

It's a well made movie with apt casting and good - acting, background score and editing. It's light hearted and flows in a singular rhythm. Neither it bores you for a second, nor it accelerates your heartbeat or pumps your adrenaline at any point of time.

Message:

Amongst all it's comedies and mash up of two distinct cultures i.e. of European whites and African blacks, the movie teaches you the virtue of cultural integration and tolerance and depicts the fact that such a mammoth task is actually quite natural and easy if we are ready to see the things from all the possible perspectives.

The movie is a big slap on the mindset that stereotypes communities and races.

Also, it beautifully portrays the fact that, for the humans, post food and oxygen, nothing can surpasses the need of human companionship and two individuals can feel compatible irrespective of differences in their age, race, color, nationality, social status, literacy level and the likes.

Edge Of Tomorrow (3D) (6 Jun 2014)

'Edge Of Tomorrow’ is a sci-fi thriller. In short, it is military science fiction combined with time travel (read time loop) and alien attack! It is based on the book ‘All You Need Is Kill’ by Hiroshi Sakurazaka.

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), who is kind of a figurehead with no combat experience, is forcibly thrown into a doomed-to-die warfare with an alien race called ‘The Mimic’. As expected, soon upon entering the battlefield along with his peers, he faces death. But shockingly, from there itself, he enters into an infinite loop of death and resurrection.

He realizes that the best way to end this in his favour, is to demolish ‘Omega’ i.e. the brain of the Mimic. Apart from him, only two other people aware of this death and resurrection phenomenon are – Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a Special Force Warrior and her scientist associate. In true blue Tom Cruise style, Cage along with the two aforesaid military people, uses his each new life to further strategize his mind and train his physique, so as to decrease the distance between him and Omega by at least a few steps, before he meets his new death!

Like a video game in play, with every death, Cage is required to restart his life from the same time stamp (or level). And like a video gamer, with every new life, though he is required to play the same set of scenarios with pre destined (or planned) succession, he is wiser and better equipped to play the game a tad bit further. So, throughout the movie, he is mostly plotting and preparing for the next day battle, with as many variations as possible. Hence, the movie is titled ‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ and it’s tag line reads ‘Live.Die.Repeat’.

In the world of movies, this plot is rather new and tricky to handle. Director, screenwriters, cast and other crew members deserve full marks for pulling this off in as much audience friendly manner as possible. A noteworthy scene is the one wherein, just prior to one of her deaths, Rita divulges her middle name to Cage. This scene has a subtle tenderness which is aptly absent throughout the movie. In most parts, the film looks like a gothic mesh of bulky metal combat gear, metallic octopus-like high powered aliens, advanced weaponry and repeat upon repeat!

Approximately, twenty years back, Tom Cruise successfully carried off the internationally acclaimed sci-fi thriller, Mission Impossible (1996). And even today, he is carrying such a film with great aplomb. The kind of distinct continuity he has maintained in the film, is no mean feat. Emily Blunt looks extremely athletic and agile. It is impossible to compare this avatar of hers from her stint in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. Herein, she is referred as ‘Full Metal Bitch’. But the significance of the same is lost in the book-to-film translation. Others have performed good as well.

This movie successfully entwines you to the psychology of the protagonist. Alongside him, you will experience the same time frame and level of confusion, mirth, determination, fear, boredom and frustration.  And just because, it already has so many repeat scenes, it is impossible to see it more than once.

The Amazing Spider Man 2 (3D) (1 May 2014)

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Sally Field, Colm Feore

Director: Marc Webb

Though quite a few independent Spider Man movies have released in the past, this one is a sequel of ‘The Amazing Spider Man’ (released in 2012). Wherein, it takes the story forward, it also leaves ample room for the upcoming sequel. Like the search about the disappearance of Spider Man’s parents that started in the prequel, is given a closure here. But out of the three new villains, only two are destroyed.

Undoubtedly, it’s an international class movie, but it lacks the required symmetry and purpose. In many a places, intense scene build up is done in vain i.e. it leads to nowhere poignant. Also, the chemistry between the protagonist (Andrew Garfield) and his love interest (Emma Stone) seem straight out of a Bollywood flick i.e. a tad bit too melodramatic! It seems that Peter Parker aka Spider Man’s primary course of action is following and wooing his beloved, dangle and mount on the skyscrapers in his gear and help the en route citizens in an easy and funny manner. Out of sheer responsibility he has to work towards destructing the big time villains i.e. the abnormal beings capable of mass destruction. Given a choice, he may opt out of it! The makers have justified this by presenting him as a lad who has just finished his graduation. Like it’s prequel, here too the villains are created via accident or robotic gear at Oscorp i.e. the corporate giant where Peter Parker’s father used to work as a scientist.

As expected, the computer gimmicks in the movie are top class. Also the 3D experience is good. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone look endearing together. The way he longingly looks at her and fears for her safety at his close range, you do wish to release him from his superhero duties for once and for all! And she manages to light up each scene with her luminescent face and sparkling teeth. But it is Jamie Foxx who steals the show as Electro. The seasoned actor beautifully acts his way from being a Spider Man worshipping, gawky and lonely Oscorp engineer to a Spider Man despising super villain Electro. Sally Field (Aunt May) and others have also acted well. Compared to the prequel, in fact she looks little younger.

The movie is 2 hours and 22 minutes long, and still it ends rather abruptly!

American Hustle (17 Jan 2014)

Cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Elisabeth Rohm, Michael Pena, Jack Huston, Alessandro Nivola, Shea Whigham, Paul Herman

Director: David O. Russell

This movie is about a sting operation master minded by an FBI official (Bradley Cooper) on two con artists (Christian Bale, Amy Adams) who con people of hefty commissions in lieu of fake financial investments. Interestingly, with the aid of these very two con artists, in a matter of time, the operation grows multifold. Each new emerging target turns out to be more powerful than the last one. Resultantly, the operation ends up encompassing mayor, mafia as well as senators in its tentacles! 

The setting is that of 1978 i.e. the late 70’s and therein resides the beauty of treatment of the movie. Revelry of the urban population in the modern high society, the royal manner of listening to a record player, amateurish presentation of food, power dinners amongst business associates and their spouses, trend of maintaining an angel faced but dull wife and tramp looking but smart mistress (both wearing almost equally revealing outfits), you name it and it’s there in the movie. The director has brilliantly woven the entire story amidst the 70’s backdrop. Not for a single moment, you will miss the jingle of the 70’s or the pulse of the movie! The movie is well researched and made to appear funny and not serious.

The three main protagonists have done full justice to their roles. Christian Bale as one of the con artists is so natural that you don’t even realize that he is acting! It is hard to believe that he is ‘the Batman’ of the modern day movies. He has put on considerable weight for this role and guffaws through it pretty efficiently. Amy Adams has given a very liberated performance. She has candidly played the character of a woman, who is kind of, in love with two poles apart men, as well as vengeful towards them both! Bradley Cooper has seamlessly blended from the role of an honest official to that of a ruthlessly ambitious one! Remaining cast has performed good as well. There is guest appearance by Robert De Niro (mafia head) sans any impact.

The Wolf Of Wall Street ( 3 Jan 2014)

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cristin Milioti, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Jonah Hill, Rob Reiner, Joanna Lumley, Brian Sacca, Henry Zebrowski, Kyle Chandler, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, P.J. Byrne, Kenneth Choi

Director: Martin Scorsese

An economy is supposed to happen when a section of the population indulges in various stages of creation of different products or deliverance of different services to the other section in lieu of a fixed or fluctuating price. In short, when a consumer pays a price, he/she actually gets something in return. Sadly, this is not the case with the modern world economy, wherein mammoth speculations and manipulations in the world of shares and equities, make people part with their money on a day to day basis, on the pretext of a handsome return, which is nothing but a pure myth created by share brokers and share companies to ensure free flow of their brokerage from share transactions and commission from share distribution. So, in the latter case, a consumer pays a price but gets only false hopes in return, or you can say that he/she pays the price for an imposed dream which will never come true!

The movie shows the con facet of the equity industry like never before. Starting from – putting a client portfolio in unnecessary transaction loop, to selling them nondescript company’s shares by fabricating it’s portfolio, to rigging an IPO, to manipulating a script’s price by selling it’s majority shares from various personal holdings, you name it and it’s there!

The movie also beautifully shows the complete journey of a personnel from this industry who is initially guided and who also chooses the path of malpractice to attain unlimited wealth, power and success, and ultimately ends up paying the price for the same. 

Leonardo DiCaprio is simply amazing as the protagonist. His acting is flawless and dialogue delivery is just perfect. Be it his scenes as a wannabe broker, or as an upcoming one who is over zealous while nailing his client (read striking a deal) over the phone, or as a spoilt power figure who unabashedly uses women and narcotics to ease off his day long stress and later his ever present stress, or as the one in huge dilemma, his takes are well planned between funny and brat like. Never once he appears to be vulgar or repulsive! And not crossing this thin line is not easy. He may not be mindful of the country’s economy, but the sole purpose in his life is the growth of his company and it’s people. If he is brat like, then he also ensures that there is enough fun and freedom like environment in his office. Meaning to say, that his character may not appear rightful, but it damn well appears interesting and lovable. All the other actors have done full justice to their characters as well.

Best thing about Martin Scorsese’s direction is the amazing continuity in all the characters. Also, the dialogue delivery is not theatrical, but very natural throughout the film. Martin has managed to direct a huge room full of people, all at once, talking about the same script (share) on different telephones to different people. And it all looks so real! This kind of execution requires mammoth planning and a very keen eye for detail. Hats off to Martin for pulling this off. His different presentation of a narrative like tale gives an altogether different edge to the movie.