Suburra: Blood on Rome 2017-2020 Netflix

I highly recommend this series! Suburra: Blood on Rome IMDB

A story of crime, passion, Sicilian Mafia, drugs, Gypsies, murder, the power of the Vatican, the power of crime lords, and corrupt politicians. Those terms all seem synonymous, even passion. Controlling Rome is paramount to all these factions.

This series was, as you can well imagine, is extremely violent. Every one seems corrupt, and if they aren’t in the beginning of the story, the characters all seem to cross over to the dark side eventually.

The one thing that drove me to watch this entire series, was the acting, and the plot, though seemingly implausible at times, but what do I know of these sort of evils and totally morally corrupt sordid types?

I’ve never seen a depiction like this of the Gypsies or Roma. I knew there was prejudice everywhere against them, but as the Sicilian Mafia, they too have a code of conduct. However, that code seems to be widely interpreted at times by all of them.

There are three main characters; ; one is from a successful Roman crime family,

Alessandro Borghi – Actor

• Aureliano Adami – Character

one is a cop’s son,

Eduardo Valdarnini – Actor

• Gabriele Marchilli or Lele – Character

and, one is from an aspiring Gypsy crime family,

Giacomo Ferrara _ actor

• Alberto ‘Spadino’ Anacleti – Character

I loved the character that played Spadino! A character who has a unique personality, body language and expressions. I was howling at some of his gestures and attitude. I also felt for his struggle as a gay man in a rigid family and where most of society being gay is totally unacceptable.

These three young men aspire to take over the crime business in Rome. There unlikely friendship is what drives this unusal series. It also shows a bond that goes beyond their highly different backgrounds. It is formidable and quirky. There is a definite Platonic love story between the three of them. Whatever the connection is, it is to the death, either theirs or even people within their own families.

The personalities of each of these characters is not only what drives the storyline, but it solidifies our interest in their lives. How is it, that I am rooting for these three murderers, drug lords, and morally deficient people? It is their relationship that ties me to them, and to one another.

The corruption seems like a drug, once you have a little you want more. Once their moral compasses were compromised, the easier it got to commit even more loathsome crimes. This series shows too, that one can get into a hole by seemingly obscure happenings, you can get into it deeper and deeper without a way to get yourself out. Once the characters get caught in a quagmire of murder and deceit, the only way to deal with it is by the three counting on one another to survive and hopefully thrive as forces to be reckoned with.

SUBURRAETERNA is the sequel. I started to watch it, but it seems repetitive, and since it is not with the three actors together, it seemed like something significant was missing. I might continue watching it, but right now I am taking a break from it.

The corruption and crime all the characters inflict in Suburra: Blood on Rome, is enough to make one’s head spin! I loved Rome when I visited, but after seeing this series, I was wondering how safe it would be for me to go once again. Oh what the heck, when in Rome do as the Romanians do!

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Animal Kingdom 2016-

I know the ratings for this show on IMDb are 8.2, but I can’t bring myself to agree that the rating is so high.  While I proceed to tell you why it was good and bad, keep in mind there are many spoiler alerts.  I saw this on Netflix.

Animal Kingdom IMDb

Animal Kingdom Trailer

The trailer pretty much tells it all.

Ellen Barkin, or “Smurf” Cody is the matriarchal figure and boss of her sons who do heists for a living.  Her sons, her adopted son, and her grandson all partake in elaborate heists.  That is the interesting part.  The sons all work in unison during their “work”, albeit they argue like Hell before the heist.  The heists are intriguing and unusual.  I love heist films/series.

The downside of this is a major one.  “Smurf” is double dipping, doling out her sons’ money to them like babies, and basically stealing from them.  She claims she is holding onto it for them, NOT.  She is portrayed as a woman to be reckoned with, but even though she calls all her children “Baby” you can’t get over the fact she treats her children et al. like poo poo.  Oh, and she wants slave labor.  Her highpoint of being a mother/grandmother, is to make an apple pie that is eaten in triumph with the whole family after a successful job.  She cooks and cleans because she has OCD, but she is void of sincere motherly feelings.  Apparently this is why all her sons have major flaws.  Where are the fathers of these men, they’re all either referred to lightly, or jump in and out of their son’s lives, causing havoc in their wake.

One son wants to kill “Smurf,” “Pope”/Andrew Cody or actor Shawn Hatosy, is a good actor, but I have to admit Pope’s mother stole his manhood and he doesn’t have the where with all to get his manhood back from her.  So the actor is constantly at odds with his violent self, looking foreboding at his mother and brothers who are have pool parties that rock the planet. He is a typical loner with a grudge.  The only one who seems to have his manhood in tack is “J” or Joshua Cody (Finn Cole).  He is the only one who can kill her, when she asks her sons to, since she has Cancer.  However, it takes numerous episodes and the finale to get to that act.

One instance, out of nowhere we are thrown into flashbacks about “Smurfs” younger self, to try to tie in a shoot out later, where “Smurf” tries to get killed and have one of her son’s killed as well.  It all was terrible TV!

The conclusion was hokey and really just plain stupid.  For having binged watched the show, I expected a lot more, like ending with a really cool heist, instead of the brothers and their nephew “J” tackle some stupid crooks who claim the Codys are all washed up.  They decide to “stick it to some idiots”, and prove that they are still viable even without their evil mother/grandmother “Smurf”.

So my rating you ask for this show, 6.7, if that.  Why did I binge watch it, the scenery, the heists, and the cute guys.

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Trapped

Trapped is a unique TV series, not just because it is an Icelandic production, But because it is both sophisticated, interesting and binge-worthy.  You get a clear picture of how justice plays out in Iceland.  It is not unlike our part of the world, but it is clear guns are not the norm.  Often I cringed when one of the detectives came across a criminal and I had wished they had a gun.  It was obvious though guns are mostly unwarranted and the detectives succeed in getting the bad guy.  When guns are needed a SWAT team comes in and takes care of the hunting guns pointed at them.  Most of the accused are handcuffed in front, not in back and they are even led to the cop car before getting cuffed.

I am a tad bit shy about posting the characters and actors names as I don’t have any software with the Icelandic language. Therefore, I am leaving accents out.  Andri is the chief of police in a small town in Iceland, where everyone knows everyone else.  Hinrika she is the next in line, then Asgeir, he’s low man on the totem pole, and a little naive.  However, he is excellent at his computer skills.

IMDB – Trapped

Above is the link to where you can see who the actors are and their characters names.

The character Andri, as any detective, tries to balance his home life with his work.  Of course when you are snowed in and the head office out of Reykjavik, the main city in Iceland is unavailable, things can become very complicated.  Lack of modern technology to guide these snowed bound detectives warrants a whole new approach.

It is noteworthy to mention that everyone speaks English perfectly.  Most even speak without a strong Icelandic accent.  For an Island of approximately 400,000, this for me added to the uniqueness of the characters and their story.  Still most of it is in Icelandic and you have to view subtitles.

The screenwriter did a fantastic job, the director as well.  If you want to learn whodunit, you will be hard pressed to find out.  There are multiple layers, and that becomes even more possible because everyone knows everyone else, and they are likely related to one another in some way.  Family feuds are alive and well in this small part of the world, but so is loyalty to family.  Getting a straight story from someone can prove taxing for the detectives.

The story also has story legends.  We hear an old Norse tale from an old lady, almost soothsayer like.  After she tells her tale, you are left to think is there really this curse that goes back thousands of years.

My favorite character is Andi.  He is a gentle giant, who you really don’t want to mess with.  The name of one of the characters I like the most is Vikingur!  I think my next cat will bear that name.

I highly recommend this series.  You won’t regret watching it, unless you don’t like a great series!

i visited Iceland when I was around nine years old.  I can still remember the geysers, the volcanic ash and rocks and the unisex changing room where my entire family had to change in, so we could go swimming in the hot springs together.  Who wanted to look at one’s family members, there were so many people undressing around me!

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Detectives/Inspectors Spouses/Lovers – Where are they? Most likely DEAD!

Have you ever noticed that most detectives’ spouses or lovers have either been killed off early on in the story, or they are getting a divorce?  This goes for both male and female detectives.  Not only have they lost someone, but they have anger, drug and alcohol issues as well.  It’s a wonder they can solve any murder.

The detective show I am watching now, Hinterland, shows a DCI Tom Mathias as one of the many, angry inspectors who is in denial about his daughter’s death, which he feels responsible for.  Because of this, he loses his wife by running to an island far away from his emotions, or so he thinks.

Shetland is similar, no wife, mind you DI Jimmy Perez is more functional, but still morns his wife in a severe way.  Yes she was killed off before the show even started.

Wait, there is more, Inspectors Lewis, Morse, and Tennyson.

I am watching Elementary too, and this Sherlock Holmes has lost his female criminal/ soulmate/ Lover Moriarty.  He is a drug addict, depicted rather realistically, and he is an oddball, with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  He also has anger, daddy and mommy issues.  And yet he solves crimes while blindfolded.  Did I mention his partner Watson or Lucy Lu, she’s great.  However, she recently found she has a half-sister by her father.  Watson’s father abandoned her when she was young.  Her father died last episode or so, and she has to deal with the demons he left behind.

An oldie but goodie is Columbo.  In Columbo you never saw his wife, ever.  She never died, never really existed.

I have to mention Disney movies, because in those they kill off the mother most of the time.  Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella, Bambi, and I believe The Lion King, Dumbo, and Mary Poppins.

I know that most of the time with Disney, it is a huge plot point, a significant part of the story that makes the film pivot into another direction.  In some cases you can say you’re not in Kansas anymore and it’s time to grow up.

With the detectives and inspectors it works off screen as well as on screen.  Some have it where in the pilot we are made aware of the detectives’ loss.  They come to us already, scared, angry, sad, at odds with the world, drug addicts or alcoholics.  They fight crime while fighting their demons.  We of course root for them to overcome their weakness, addictions, and live happily ever after.  But how interesting would that be, best to keep them crippled in pain, trying to advance and grow slowly out of their agony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My Wiki collaboration on Social Commentary and Film

I did a Wiki for my Social Media class at McMaster University Centre for Continuing Education.  Our class is being taught by Martin Waxman.

My partners in this adventure were Giselle, Suad, and Jotsna.   We looked for a topic we all were interested in, as well as any poignant ones.  Because each of us is from a different country and background, we thought it best to focus on Social Commentary and Film from our individual countries.  What came out of this was a fun, highly educational, and introspective Wiki.

You can find our Wiki on Social Commentary and Film hosted by Wetpaint. 

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