CRIMINAL (2016) – My rating: 8.5/10

Criminal really fell way under the radar. I was so impressed with Kevin Costner’s performance as Jericho Stewart, a criminal with no morals. This is Costner as I have never seen him before. Even his voice changed. If you didn’t know it before, you will know now if you see Criminal, Kevin can act his tuchis off! Criminal is about an anarchist, Xavier Heimbahl (Jordi Mollà) who instructs his associate, who is also a hacker known as “The Dutchman” (Jan Stroop) to create a wormhole program that would allow it’s owner access to the world’s nuclear defense codes by bypassing all computer codes via this wormhole. After following Xavier’s orders, the Dutchman panics and attempts to make a deal for $12M with Bill Pope (Kevin Reynolds) a London based CIA agent who secures the money and hides the Dutchman in an undisclosed safe house. Xavier catches Bill, tortures him and leaves him for dead without finding where the money or the Dutchman is being held. In the meanwhile, Bill’s supervisor, CIA Chief Quaker Wells (Gary Oldman) is desperate to find the money and the Dutchman before the Russian, Xavier Heimbahl does. Quaker consults Neuroscientist Dr. Mahal Franks (Tommy Lee Jones) who has developed a treatment that could theoretically plant the memory patterns of a dead man onto a living one. Keeping Pope’s brain stimulated to preserve its knowledge, Dr. Franks requests that convict Jericho Stewart be the subject of the procedure, as Stewart’s criminal behavior is the result of childhood brain trauma, leaving him with an underdeveloped frontal lobe, hindering his emotional development and impulse control, that they can use to ‘graft’ Pope’s knowledge into Stewart’s mind.

Of course there’s lots more to this story and as I said, Kevin Costner really gives a solid performance.  Gal Gadot plays Bill Pope’s wife who encounters the deadly Jericho who is beginning to remember what’s in Bill’s head.  There are some great and funny scenes, as Jericho rocks Criminal with his lack of ethics, morals and compassion.  Criminal is definitely worth seeing.  I, for one, was really entertained and enjoyed the movie.  The ending was truly worth the entire film.

BLACK BOX – My rating: 8.5/10

After only 2 episodes, Black Box is a hit.  This series is about Catherine Black, a neuroscientist who works at the Center for Neurological Research and Treatment, and who happens to be Bi-Polar.  Dr. Black, played by Kelly Reilly, is practicing without revealing her disease.  While she is undergoing therapy with a psychologist (Dr. Hartramph) played by Vanessa Redgrave, she continues to skip taking her meds and confesses all results  of her behavioral problems.  Meanwhile, Dr. Black has a daughter who is being raised by her sister-in-law and her brother.  Of course the child doesn’t know her favorite aunt is really her mother.  Dr. Black also has a fiancé who she’s revealing, little by little, her character along with her many secrets.  So far, the series focuses on strange and unique cases of people with neuro or psychological problems.  Each week Dr. Black and her team resolves their problems.  Black Box  slightly reminds me of House without the rudeness.  This appears to be an excellent series with interesting plots.  Check this one out.