Baptiste (serial)

Season 1

Julien Baptiste is a retired British policeman currently living in Amsterdam. He is old friends with a local police commissioner and is asked to consult on a missing persons case. In the process, nothing is as it originally seems (surprise?) and Baptiste is pulled further into a web of deceit and danger. His original missing person (a missing niece) turns into a sex trafficking and money laundering case for an infamous multinational Romanian organized crime operation. Throughout, Baptiste is a calm and confident, knows no fear and seems to somehow direct the investigation from the perspective of both the police and the criminals. A strong character. Looking forward to season 2. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Matrix Resurrections

Number 4 in The Matrix trilogy, almost 20 years later (60 years in storyline time). I would describe this as an adequate action thriller. It in no way stands on its own, and in fact is very much like Bill and Ted #3 in terms of reliance on knowledge of the backstory. In fact, probably more so as the Matrix trilogy has reached such meta-status in terms of philosophical pondering that in this episode, the characters are having the same discussions that viewers have likely had about the importance of the trilogy. Unfortunately for me, I'm not an avid fan, and don't remember most of the details, putting me on the outside for much of the motivation and meaning for the characters actions. The story is Tom Anderson is back in the matrix, with a life as a video game designer who designed "the matrix", the most popular immersive video game of all time. Then he is again "set free" and meets up with Trinity to again change the rules of the matrix. 

2 stars (out of 5)

The Wheel of Time (serial)

Season 1

The long awaited production based on Robert Jordan's fantasy series. It has been nearly a decade since I read the novels, so I clearly don't remember many details. Which is probably good since it seems like the plot mixes elements from different timeframes of the novel series in order to tell a coherent story for serial television. The basic story is classic good v evil, where the magical One Power (wielded by women of the Aes Sedai) has been tainted for men. In true epic fantasy style, there are many characters and many concurrent storylines. The main cohort of friends (Rand, Matt, Perrin, Egwene, Nynave) are led on a journey by mysterious Aes Sedai Morraine. By oath, she cannot tell a lie, but we all know that she does not need to tell all of the truth. So the friends (and viewers) are doled out information "as needed" along their travels, with everything pushing toward the goal of defeating the Dark One. I really enjoyed the casting, the storytelling, and the character development. And this season was a great intro to the series while also standing on it's own (it didn't feel like a full season preview, and didn't end with a giant cliff hanger). 

5 stars (out of 5)

Kung Fu (serial)

The CW series that follows protagonist Nicki, who left her unsatisfying life to live and train in a Shaolin monastery in China. After three years, she returns home (tragedy at the monestery) and is pulled into a magical sword / ancient historical mythology quest with new acquaintance Henry. Not sure if this is meant to be a CW remake of prior Kung Fu properties, but it is truly CW in feel. If you are looking for a lightweight comic book mythology, it is enjoyable and complete as a season. 

3 stars (out of 5)

van der Valk (serial)

Feels like a British police procedural, but set in Amsterdam. The season is 6 episodes, which is 3 cases, 2 self-standing episodes each. van der Valk is a detective and has his team and can pretty much do what he wants (he has built the reputation of closing cases which gives him the latitude with the bosses). A solid, if not overly enticing, series.

3 stars (out of 5)

Emma (serial)

This is really only a couple of episodes in what seems to be an aborted French TV series. A french police detective is assigned a new intern only to find out that she is in fact an android. We start to get the development of the relationship between the two and a hint at a backstory for Emma (the andoid). Alas, only two episodes so I can't give it a rec.

2 stars (out of 5)

Amsterdam Undercover (serial)

A German police officer (Alex) is the handler for an undercover agent embedded with a drug smuggling, corporate tax evasion bad guy in Amsterdam. Alex teams up with local cop Bram to take this international scourge down. A very European feeling drama in the approach to action/thriller story telling. The cop relationship is straight forward and business like, but slowly develops. Not goofy or overly violent. Subtle. A fun short series. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Princess Bride

It still stands alone among giants. 

5 stars (out of 5)

My Name (serial)

Oh Hyejin is a mob affiliated young woman embedded in the police as a drug enforcement detective. Her primary goal is to find the police officer who killed her father. I like these types of plots since it is clear that not everyone tells the truth. As the characters begin to realize that their initial circle of trust is broken, they must learn again who to trust. And with any good story, the machinations and lies pile up in ways to make even the viewer wonder who to trust. In many ways, a classic police v gangster series with a super badass protagonist. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Lawless Lawyer (serial)

This K-drama hits the right balance between story and action. A gang affiliate lawyer returns to his hometown to exact revenge on the powerful and corrupt officials who murdered his mother 18 years ago. He enlists another local lawyer (cue romance) and some low level gangsters (for comedic interludes). The "Lawless Law" firm uses the law to punish the lawless... which means that this becomes a battle of planning and coercion instead of street fights. I like how the story plays out, with twists and setbacks. But you never doubt who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. 

4 stars (out of 5)

School of Chocolate (serial)

A fun reality show where the contestants are professional chefs going to "school" with a world renown pastry chef and chocolatier. The challenges each week start with chef teaching a new technique and then that needs to be used. Also, the chef will help during the challenge with ideas and hints about technique. So while it is a contest, it is more collaborative and "let's get better at our craft" than just about winning.

4 stars (out of 5)

Hanna (serial)

Season 3

This season may be the conclusion of the series Season 1, Season 2. Hanna is working with her handler Marissa to take down the organization. There are relational issues (Hanna's new target/boyfriend, Marissa's father) but overall, the plot stays tight, the action appropriate and the struggle real. Not sure where it would go, but I would watch a 4th season.

4 stars (out of 5)

King Richard

A biopic origin story for Venus and Serena Williams and their journey to tennis GOAT-ness. I am presuming that some creative license was taken with the family history and the struggles, but overall this is quite an uplifting and inspiring story. There are lots of little things that niggled at me about how people are portrayed, or assumptions that are made about characters, or decisions about who to emphasize in the telling of the story, all of which just touch on being tone deaf in a highly sensitive diversity/equity world. That said, I am not sure that it matters if they niggled at me when it is not my story to tell. So go see this and enjoy the greatness that is the Williams sisters.

4 stars (out of 5)

Red Notice

Action, heist, con-artist extravaganza with big names (Johnson, Reynolds, Gadot). The three traipse around the world, looking to find and steal the three eggs of Cleopatra. Who is good, who is bad doesn't really matter as allegiances change from scene to scene. The characters seem to be written specifically with these actors in mind, and unfortunately, with these three actors caricature personalities in mind. So we get exactly what we have gotten before with nothing new for these to show us. In the end, that leaves the entire plot flat because I just couldn't really get interested. 

2 stars (out of 5)

Dune: Part 1

A very nice prologue. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Ted Lasso (serial)

Season 2

Picks up where Season 1 left off. Richmond is battling back to the Premier league and Ted and group continue their overly dramatic life with quirky problems and the occasional effort to be more serious about mental health. Still loved it, but the novelty had definitely worn off.

5 stars (out of 5)

Baking Impossible (serial)

A combo between an engineering show and a baking show. Teams of two (one baker, one engineer) compete to bake structures. So an edible robot that can traverse an obstacle course, or an edible boat that can float down a river, etc. It is a moderately fun show, with neither the baking or the engineering really standing out. 

3 stars (out of 5)

The Good Witch (serial)

Seasons 6-7

Same as before - but the witchery gets acknowledged explicitly in these seasons, and the series wraps up nicely. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

A solid fantasy action movie to introduce a new character. Shaun is just a regular guy living in San Francisco and Katy is his slacker friend. The two of them make a great pair of fun loving 30 somethings. But then Shaun gets exposed as a martial arts expert as a group of bad guys attack him to get a pendant that was given by his mom. Slowly revealed throughout the rest of the film is the extent of Shaun's martial arts badass-ness and his family background of mysticism and save-the-world responsibility. And dad is a bad guy who just wants to control the world. I generally like the cinematic effect of good martial arts action, and this did not disappoint, with the dragons and the forrest. Looking forward to more in this story line.

4 stars (out of 5)

Metal Shop Masters (serial)

My type of reality show. Seven master metalworker-artists compete in challenges to weld and fabricate installations like avatars, kinetic sculpture, musical instruments, etc. It is fun to watch the artists at work and it is all about the work, not about snippy relationships or interpersonal strategy. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Kate

Kate is an assassin working a series of jobs in Japan. A kid gets involved in her latest job and she begins to question her willingness to continue in the job. Woody Harrelson is her handler and convinces her to finish the current contract series and then she can get out. We all know how this will go. Nearly John Wick-ian in terms of body count and in terms of originality (i.e. lots of bodies, not much originality). 

2 stars (out of 5)

Home Ground (serial)

A Norwegian 2-season series following Varg - a newly promoted premier league football club who has recently lost their coach. The general manager goes out on a limb and hires Helena, a proven coach with the women's national teams. She is the first woman to coach at this level, and she is all football, all the time, and definitely has the necessary talent to lead the team. But she has a lot to learn about the local team, the local players, the team culture, and herself and her family. I really liked this series. In many ways a classic sports show with the underdogs and winning and losing, but also serious plot elements built around the humans who participate in the sports. And it has bit of Norwegian dark edge to it as well. Great series.

5 stars (out of 5)

Astrid et Raphaëlle (serial)

Season 1

French odd-couple / buddy-cop procedural. Raphaëlle is a police commander in the crime squad and Astrid works in the Criminal Records division as an archivist. Raph is brash, a rule breaker and messy (stereotypical TV detective). Astrid is autistic, loves puzzles and organization. When Astrid is discovered (by Raph) to be a brilliant criminologist by way of her attention to detail and vast collection of historical crimes remembered from her scanning of documents, the two are increasingly interacting on high profile homicides. The cases are interesting, and the development of the relationship and growth in each of them in understanding the other is well worth watching. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Summer of Soul

Documentary with newly found footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969. This was a weekend outdoor music festival (8 consecutive weekends that summer) in Mt. Morris park in Harlem. I had never heard of it, nor I am sure have many people. A veritable hit parade of artists, including musicians (Stevie Wonder, Gladys Night, etc.), preachers (Jesse Jackson, etc.), and comics (Moms Mabley, etc.) to explicitly celebrate black culture. Director Questlove does a great job of allowing full songs to play-out with original footage of the festival and voiceover interviews of both attendees and performers reflecting on the impact of the festival on them some 50 years later. Really good. 

4 stars (out of 5)

SAS: Red Notice

Action thriller set in England where a black ops private contractor is abandoned by their government sponsor when a job they were hired to do (clear a village of protestors so an oil pipeline can go through) goes viral for the wrong reasons. To 'clean up' the problem, the contractor is being eliminated, having had a Crimes Against Humanity red notice applied to them by the Hague. Ruby Rose is the protagonist (antagonist?) contractor who forces the truth into the open with a hijacking and Sam Heugan the antagonist (protagonist?) who is chasing her down. There really isn't anyone to root for here, which makes this possibly the most realistic war/conflict film in awhile. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Coda

Ruby is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). In fact, both her parents and her brother are deaf. So from the earliest age she has been translating for the family in their small town northeast fishing village. But Ruby likes to sing and it turns out is pretty good at it. So when she joins her high school choir, and is invited to private lessons by the director as a way to prepare her to audition for college at Berklee, the Ruby is finally happy and her family is really confused. They need her to help with the family fishing business, but the brother is tired of not being given responsibility and she is tired of too much responsibility. And, as a feel good movie about deaf people, everything works out in the end. For me, the singular most impactful scene is at the high school concert. We have heard throughout the film Ruby practicing with her partner for their duet. We know the song. So at the actual concert, we watch the entire performance from the perspective of the parents, silent. We see can only gain clues about what is being heard from the facial expressions and actions of those around. So cool as a 'bring me into the world' device. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Sweet Girl

Ray Cooper (Jason Momoa) and his daughter Rachel are coping with the recent loss of wife/mom to cancer. Turns out that a drug that could have helped her was too expensive on-brand and the Pharma company made a deal to buy out generic manufacturing. Wife/Mom dies and Ray and Rachel really don't get over it. The rest of the film plays out as a revenge thriller, and while the target is a particular Pharma CEO, the web of culpability gets more tangled the further we go. We get family survivalist vibes as well as conspiracy theory police psychology and straight up revenge action. Definitely one of those films that is fun to watch and think about later.

4 stars (out of 5)

Azorian: The Raising of the K-129

Documentary detailing an ocean salvage project from the 70's. A Russian nuclear sub (K-129) sunk in the Pacific to a depth of nearly 3 miles. The U.S. detected and pinpointed the accident and wreckage pretty quickly, while the Russians had no real idea where it was. This led to a massive secret CIA project to raise the sub and glean intel that would help win the cold war. The documentary chronicles the engineering challenges and methods that were undertaken to enable this salvage. Fascinating cold war history and even more fascinating engineering problem solving. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Protégé

Maggie Q is the protégé of Samuel L. Jackson. He found and rescued her in Vietnam in the 90's, adopted her and trained her into the family business (assassinations). She is very good at it. The current job they are working on is a "make amends" type of job for Jackson that takes her reluctantly back to Vietnam. There she re-encounters Michael Keaton and the two face off in a love-hate sort of tussle. While largely staying within the action-assassin formula, Q and Keaton have a well-written relationship and they portray a chemistry that is fun to watch. 

The most surprising event of the movie is at the end when the credits started to flash. The screen goes black and the first thing you see is a big 'Michael Keaton' on the screen. Wait, what? Maggie Q is so clearly the protagonist and star, carrying this entire film (she is the title character after all). Why does Keaton get first bill? Normally I don't notice that stuff, and maybe it is just that I was so engaged with Q's performance throughout, but it struck me as unfortunate.

4 stars (out of 5)

A Map of Tiny Perfect Things

Teen rom-com version of Groundhog Day. Mark has been living the same day for quite awhile and enjoys helping different people out every day. Then one day he encounters Margaret, who is also living the same day repeatedly. So they strike up a friendship and go about showing each other the perfect moments they have discovered (stand in a certain place at a certain time and see confluence of events that is perfect). They start to map these (and presumably make the map new every day), a tesseract is involved and a kiss of course as they work out if they want to move on and if so,  how to do it. Cute, charming rom-com.

3 stars (out of 5)

Beckett

John David Washington is an American traveling through Greece with his girlfriend. They change their itinerary to visit the countryside as a way to avoid planned protests in the city. Along the way he gets in a car crash, sees something he "shouldn't", and then is in escape mode. Presumably he is an average guy pushed to the brink. This plays like The Fugitive, and a little bit of a revenge action movie like Taken. We get conspiracy and American projection of power and arrogance. And it feels like an action film going through the motions. 

3 stars (out of 5)

The Vault

A marine salvage team has finally found some high value treasure from Sir Francis Drake, and it is promptly seized by the Spanish government. It is stored in the main vault of the Bank of Spain, which is famously unbreakable. So the salvage team gets a young engineering prodigy to join the team and help them out. This is a perfect heist film in that we get to see the heist planning and execution and experience the curveballs along with the characters. So fun. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Car Masters: Rust to Riches (serial)

Season 3

The next iteration of the Gotham Garage crew continues their model of restoring cars and then trading up. After several restore and trades in a chain they end up with a big payday. Or at least that is the idea. This season, following on the high profile replica they did for the Peterson Automotive Museum, they were expecting high profile clients. And they got them, but with strings attached. The jobs started to be cash jobs or add-parts-to-this-car jobs, losing out on the creative fun of building Gotham vehicles. So the eight episodes documents that journey of finding out how to be a high profile garage AND maintain your character. The cars this group builds are pretty fun (e.g. a short school bus and a wide body prius) , and the crew are all likable. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Suicide Squad

Not to be confused with Suicide Squad (sans The) from 5 years ago, but in the same world. A group of violent criminals is offered the option to go on an important mission in exchange for taking time off their sentence. The mission is impossible (they will likely die) and if they choose not to do it, the explosive implanted in their brain will be triggered. With this premise, I can imagine some super gritty, interesting machinations for a group of highly talented sociopaths. But that is not what we get here. Instead, this is cheeky banter, over the top characters, and absurd scenarios. So much so that I was not engaged and actually disinterested for most of it. As much as Margot Robbie and Idris Elba have to offer, they could not save this movie from itself. For insight into my thinking, the best part of the movie was when the giant starfish started walking across the city. The first few steps were each leg in succession stepping down (like a wheel rotating) emphasizing that there was not a "top" to this creature. I thought (because I had spare brain cycles) that it was a clever way to have this creature walk. But then after a few steps, the thing started just walking on two legs, with two functioning as arms and one as a head. So regular.

2 stars (out of 5)

Kajillionaire

A slow, strange drama/comedy that definitely shows Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums vibes. A family of small time grifters (super small time, as in looking for the $20 score) traverse Los Angeles looking to make enough money to pay their next rent. Odd is every aspect you can think, the family encounters a young woman, and brings her in to their circle. The main story is the development of the relationship between this young woman and the daughter of the family (Old Dolio). At times emotionally traumatic and others touching. Nice. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Informer

An ex-con (Pete Koslow) has made a deal with the FBI to inform on a Polish crime boss in efforts to make a dent in the drug trade. But when things go horribly wrong (NYPD cop gets shot), he is connected in even deeper with the drug dealer and goes back to prison to run the drug trade there. Still working for the Feds, things still going wrong, Koslow has to decide who he can trust and find a way to protect himself and his family. Pretty formulaic, but I enjoy the formula.

3 stars (out of 5)

Ted Lasso (serial)

Season 1

Ted Lasso is a down-home coach of a 2nd tier Midwestern college football team. He is hired to coach AFC Richmond, a premier league football club in England. A caricature of southern optimism as a person, Lasso finds out that his boss hired him to fail (to get back at her ex-husband). Quirky, hilarious. Lasso doesn't care and does what he can, in spite of not knowing anything about soccer. Super fun first season. 

5 stars (out of 5)

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

Sequel to Hitman's Bodyguard with the same protagonists (Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L Jackson) but add in Salma Hayak as the crazy grifter wife. The three need to work together to save Europe from a Greek nationalist/terrorist and of course they have to work outside the law. Action comedy with a modern keystone cops feel. Lots of action, silly dialogue and scenarios. Maybe exactly what you expect of Reynolds and maybe he is starting to be a one trick pony. But at least for now, it is a pretty good trick. 

3 stars (out of 5)

The Art of Crime (serial)

Season 1

French police/buddy-cop procedural. Or more likely an odd-couple procedural. Captain Verlay is the Parisian cop assigned to the art theft division. But he knows nothing about art. He is a lone wolf, rough guy, solver of crimes. Florence is an art historian at the Louvre. When she is assigned as a consultant on a case, she and Verlay become unlikely partners. This is a fun series as each 2-episode sequence is a single case, based on some art based intrigue. There is great chemistry between the leads along with the occasional wacky scenario that just makes you laugh out loud. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Tattoo Redo (serial)

Reality series where each episode shows 3 clients come in with an awful tattoo that needs a coverup. The twist is that the client's friend gets to choose the cover tattoo. Fun to see the artists do their magic, and the customers always leave happy.

3 stars (out of 5)

Win the Wilderness (serial)

A BBC reality series where 6 British couples go to Alaska and compete to be given the remote homestead of an elderly couple (the Ose's) who have built a super remote (air access only) cabin. Each couple has to complete tasks that show they could survive in the harsh Alaskan wilderness. A quick series, kinda cheesy, but fun to see Alaska.

3 stars (out of 5)

The Mandalorian (serial)

Season 2

Continuing where Season 1 left off, Mando is following up with his quest to deliver the kid to his kind. He is looking for other Mandalorians who might help him, finds some, finds some fake ones, unites with some old ones, meets and helps a Jedi, who can't help him. Every episode is a side action plot with a little bit of motion toward his goal. It feels like a Jack Reacher novel. In the first 5 minutes, the distracting but essential damsel in distress is revealed and the episode will resolve the distress. In the meanwhile, a small step is take toward the season long goal. The one storytelling oddity I find is that Mando regularly asks for information from the first person he sees, receives the info, generally trusts the information, and then acts on it successfully. Probably this is more true to life (there really aren't many people out in the real world trying to "get you") but isn't consistent with dramatic storytelling by any means. I suppose I like it, but it is deviant enough for me to notice. Overall, I just don't get enough exposure to the Star Wars universe to be oversaturated, so I end up loving every minute. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Monster Hunter

After a couple of days, this will be nearly forgettable. But in the moment, it has pretty good visuals and well structured man v monster fight scenes. A military squad is caught in a dust/lightning storm that transports them to another world. After some bad decisions based on bad assumptions, all of them die except one, Mila Jovovich. She meets a local and the two of them fight big spiders and stegosaurus like sand worms things. Then they go to the source to battle big. The back story didn't really work for me, although I am not sure why since it isn't that much different than the Pacific Rim alien monster invasion which didn't bother me at all. 

2 stars (out of 5)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (serial)

Really the only thing these series are prompting in me is the need to go back and find where they fit in the overall storyline. Which is strange since they are more time than the original movies and have the ability to show more depth of characters. Shouldn't the movies fit into this storyline? Maybe they will when they start releasing movies again. Bucky is struggling with his past as a psychologically brainwashed super soldier and Sam is struggling with his decision to not be the new Captain America. They purport to be reluctant superheroes, but when new super-soldiers show up, they jump in immediately with the attitude that "only we can take care of this". Overall, an engaging storyline that fits in well in the universe and keeps us looking forward. Nothing new or novel, but solid.

3 stars (out of 5)

Jolt

Kate Beckinsale plays a young woman with impulse aggression control issues. Her psychologist has prescribed an electronic shock harness that Beckinsale self initiates in order to reset her thinking when she finds herself annoyed enough want to damage someone. When the guy she has dated twice is killed, she goes on a revenge warpath to avenge his death, finding out lots about herself and her situation along the way. Mostly following the action/revenge formula, but uses the shock harness and background story to good effect, and has a consistently sharp comic like color theme throughout (think Dick Tracy or Hotel Artemis). Nice summer action that surprised me with how enjoyable it was. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Endeavor (serial)

Season 7

Morse, Thursday, Strange and Bright are back at it, pursuing two sets of serial killers in 1970 Oxford. The first along a canal towpath and the second a series of fatal accidents. Seems like a lot of murder going on for a small town. Add to this the conflict and tension in the personal lives of Morse (an affair), Thursday (fear of aging out) and Bright (his wife battling cancer), and seeing how all of that interpersonal angst is really tied into the cases. As is the pattern, all of these multiple threads of stories all weave into a single fabric of plot, with everything tying together in the end. And in good murder mystery fashion, there are enough false flag clues thrown about to keep the viewer engaged in "figuring things out" as the story unfolds. Well done BBC.

4 stars (out of 5)

Sniper: Ghost Shooter

Definitely a B-movie in the action/war genre. Both the dialogue as written and as delivered are noticeable as contrived, showing how hard it is to actually have a film feel authentic. The story follows a JSOC sniper team (4 sniper/spotter pairs in a team) who travel around and do sniper stuff. In the current assignment, they are providing protection for some VIPs at a Georgian oil pipeline and the bad guys seem to know exactly where they are. The shooter has an idea about what is wrong, the officers don't believe him, send him to Siberia (literally) where he learns valuable lessons, comes back and saves the day as it turns out he was right. All pretty standard in terms of plot, and pretty plain in terms of execution. 

2 stars (out of 5)

Gunpowder Milkshake

I like myself a good action assassin film. This entry is a grindhouse-like film, with Hotel Artemis vibes, but instead of steampunk coloring (strangely) I kept feeling Roger Rabbit. I know that's not right, but... Anyway, Sam is left by her assassin mother, and then grows up to be an assassin, and then everything goes wrong (she is left hung out by the Firm after on little mistake). This has hints of a #metoo assassin tale, but really is just a straight forward action shoot-em-up a la John Wick...some of which I liked too.

3 stars (out of 5)

Black Widow

My first theater film in 18 months and the first Marvel feature in even longer. Black Widow does not disappoint with action, connections both forward and backwards in the universe and a pretty well written and acted "family dynamic" between sisters. The storyline follows Natasha after the breakup of the Avengers, with nothing to do but hide, finding her sister and joining forces to take down (again) the red room and the widows project. On all those counts, it was a success and well done. But somehow I came out wanting more depth. Marvel, I think, would be well advised to transition out of sci-fi comic entertainment and into sci-fi with social and cultural commentary in order to stay relevant for another decade. Something that makes you think about who you are, why you are, etc. This would have been an easy place to start.

4 stars (out of 5)

Major Grom: Plague Doctor

Russian action film in the vein of a realism-superhero (no super powers, but fighting against bigger than life villians). Igor is a cop who works on his own to bring down the criminals of St Petersburg. When a vigilante serial killer starts taking out the most corrupt businessmen and political leaders, and gains a huge following leading to near anarchy, Igor is on the case. But he can't necessarily do it alone. A fun, comic style action film.

3 stars (out of 5)

Vampire Academy

Like most vampire entertainment of the past few years, this is really a teen drama with some vampire action thrown in. In this case, there are good vampires and their mortal protectors as well as the bad vampires. The good vampire protagonist is the last of her line and the princess heir. She and her protector left the safety of the academy, and upon return, found that someone within the academy wanted her dead. So a mystery, with a little bit of magic, and a little bit of romance and... well you get the picture. Ok as a teen romance drama, not so interesting as a vampire film. 

2 stars (out of 5) 

Big Timber (serial)

A reality series in the vein of Swamp Loggers or Rust Valley Restorers. A family runs a mill and logging operation on Vancouver Island. The series follows the owner as he works to clear a timber claim and keep all his old junky equipment running. Not quite as well put together as Swamp Loggers, but still fun as a short series and seeing some of the behind the scenes of small time logging. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Tehran (serial)

A Mossad agent enters Iran undercover in a plot to disable air-defense systems and allow an Israeli attack on nuclear facilities. The agent is relatively new to undercover work. Her family connections to Iran are what make her the ideal candidate. In fact, there are Persian-Jewish connections throughout this series that is really interesting - highlighting again that fact that people groups and family and culture are generally unrelated to national boundaries and politics. In many ways, this is a classic spycraft series and it is done well, with appropriate near-misses and improvisations and moral-fine-line-walking. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Wandavision (serial)

A limited series in the Marvel universe. Wanda Maximoff and Vision are seemingly characters in a sitcom world, and each episode moves that sitcom another era into the future. So we get Dick van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Brady Bunch, etc. This is a super fun conceit, but fair warning - the first two episodes are played almost entirely straight (no Marvel, only sitcom). After that, things get interesting. Largely this is an origin story for Wanda coming into her Scarlett Witch-iness. The long form of an 8 hour limited series allows some really good story telling. I just wish that if the story only requires 6 hours, don't force it.

4 stars (out of 5)

Shadow and Bone (serial)

Season 1

A world of magic. The fold is a dark area that splits a continent in two. It is a cloud full of magical creatures and to cross the fold is almost certain death. The magicians of this world each have a specific power (healing, matter manipulation, shield, etc.) and to initiate it they must make a hand signal where their hands are touching. So keeping a spell from being cast is as simple as keeping their hands apart (if you can get close enough). The magicians are born with their talent, so youth across the world are tested, and then set to special training schools. In this world, an orphan mapmaker finds she is magical, but did not get trained as she "cheated" the test to not be selected as a kid. But her magic is powerful and she is the key to dismantling the fold. In all, this is a pretty good world created, and will probably need 2-3 seasons to tell the story and resolve. In this first season, the world is created and the sides are set. And there are at least 4 different storylines running in parallel in true fantasy storytelling style.

3 stars (out of 5)

Charlie's Angels

A re-reboot, of sorts, as the 2019 Elizabeth Banks version. The plot follows the angels as they help a programmer who is blowing the whistle on her clean energy company. Turns out the clean energy device that is about to go to market can be hacked and weaponized. Oops. While they are helping said programmer, they are also embroiled in an internal traitor to the organization situation. As far as basic action plots, not bad. However, the characters are not really given anything special to be. We get some generic action scenes (hanging out of a car while shooting, driving a motorcycle real fast) but no distinguishing skill that can contribute to a team or a sense of rooting for the character. Largely a flat offering. 

2 stars (out of 5)

The Nevers (serial)

Season 1: Part 1

A Joss Whedon creation, and it feels like it. Victorian era english women are "touched" and have gained a particular new power. Molly collects these women together to help them navigate the bias and harassment that comes with their new ability. Oh, and also she is not exactly what or who she seems. This starts as a historical fantasy, and transitions pretty quickly into a sci-fi mystery. Not classically space opera like Firefly, but has the same quirky characters that makes everything fun. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Ragnarok (Serial)

Season 2

The sophomore season of Ragnarok keeps up the quality and culture and feel of the first fabulous season. Magne as Thor is gaining allies in his pending battle with the giants, and his brother Laurits continues waffling as Loki. This season moves the story along and continues to integrate a surprising amount of human angst and emotion into these immortals. I also like the hints and foreshadowing about the ultimate role of land, the physicality of place, in the resolution of the story. Again, 6 episodes is too short. Give me more.

5 stars (out of 5)

The New Mutants

In the X-men world, 5 teens are in a facility to help the learn to control and use their newly discovered powers. But things are never quite right and they are clearly confined. When some of their worst nightmares start to manifest, they band together to fight against the unknown foe. Sort of a Breakfast Club of mutants. Interesting, mostly as a franchise starter I suppose. I would watch the next.

3 stars (out of 5)

Those Who Wish Me Dead

Haven't seen an Angelina Jolie movie in awhile. Here she is a smoke jumper in Montana who was part of a tragic fire event and now has to deal with the PTSD. She comes across a kid who is being hunted by a couple of assassins. As far fetched as that sounds, it is. This comes across as super contrived with the intent of letting Jolie be a badass while showing her softer side (she isn't the assassin this time). Did I say contrived?

2 stars (out of 5)

The Trial of the Chicago 7

A historical fiction telling of the 1969 trial of 8 "conspirators" who led marches to the democratic national convention in Chicago to protest the war in Vietnam. It is a courtroom drama that reveals the events of the case through flashback, testimony and speeches by Abbie Hoffman. It seems like an accurate portrayal of the emotions surrounding the war protests of the time, as well as the strength of the political machinery, the bias and massive power differential between the ruling class and the average citizen. Enlightening, and timely, and infuriating.

5 stars (out of 5)

Bridgerton (serial)

Season 1

The edgy and modern version of Downton Abbey. The Bridgerton Family (3 boys, 3 girls + mom) are high society with oldest daughter Daphne on the circuit looking for a husband. She gains the attention of a Duke and a Prince. There is fake love, then real love, love above station, and love below, love that is forbidden, etc. etc. Seems a bit much but the characters are generally likable and the chemistry is good between the family and lovers and friends. And the narrator as a Victorian Gossip Girl wannabe holds everything together throughout. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Eat Wheaties!

Tony Hale plays Sid Straw, an ordinary middle-age guy in nearly every way. He works as a sales guy at a software company. He reasonably successful, graduated from Penn, struggles with dating, has a somewhat strained relationship with his family, and is just on the other side of awkward. Sid's sense of humor is not quite in line with "common sensibility". There is a little bit of Arrested Development's Buster in Sid Straw. Sid's life takes a turn when he is asked to co-chair the western regional reunion for Penn alumni. His co-chair decides that the entire organization/communication surrounding the event will take place on facebook. Sid gets a facebook account, and of course makes all of the newbie social media mistakes that most people are so far beyond in 2021. We look back at this online ignorance with a bit of nostalgia and knowing compassion and the occasional cringe. Posting publicly instead of DM? Ooomph! And when those posts are to classmate Elizabeth Banks, and go viral, Sid's life is thrown upside down. What I particularly appreciate about this film is the emphasis on Sid and his journey through this storm. And while there are lots of obvious choices in the story, every character seems just enough ordinary. The comedy is not based on put-downs or misogyny or vulgarity, but instead on relatable situations. A pleasant film. 

5 stars (out of 5) 

Without Remorse

A Tom Clancy novel made into film with Michael B Jordan as the protagonist John Kelly. Kelly is a military special ops soldier who is caught up in a multi-layered CIA plot ultimately leading so personal loss. Next step, personal revenge, uncovering a national security threat along the way. But is he being manipulated the entire way? We cannot expect originality since this is a 1993 Tom Clancy story, but even so, this feels like a going-through-the-motions origin story, something that we hope will lead to a new franchise. Technically well done, but it has no heart or soul.  

2 stars (out of 5)

Mortal Kombat

Based on the characters and world of the video game, a battle is brewing between earth and outworld. This movie is a bit of backstory, telling where the characters come from and we see the development of their particular skillset. Having no background with the video game, I found it to be an average, at-best, fantasy world, with many small details clearly meaning more to the gamers than I. 

2 stars (out of 5)

Minari

A family moves from California to Arkansas so they can own their own land, begin farming and build something for themselves. The fact that this is a Korean American family led me to expect cultural or racial tensions as the primary plot driver. I was happily disappointed. Instead, the story of Minari is the story of a family (any family) with a dream, and with family disagreements. With kids who are growing up and learning about life. And with setbacks and difficulties and "regular" life trauma. In many ways it is Little House on the Prairie of the 1980's. Perhaps it glosses over the cultural and racial tension that must have been present, but this allows me a view into a multigenerational family life that I might have been too distracted to see otherwise. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Thunder Force

Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spenser are lifelong friends. McCarthy rough around the edges and Spenser singularly focused on combatting supervillains that killed her parents. When it is time for their high school reunion, Spenser misses (as usual) to work on her project, McCarthy goes to get her and (surprise!) gets accidentally injected with super-strength serum. Spenser takes the other half (invisibility) and the two become a crime fighting duo. Of course, they are still actually middle age women so there is a learning curve. I laughed... I enjoyed...

4 stars (out of 5)

Tough as Nails (serial)

2 seasons

A small reality show competition where tradespeople come together, form teams, and compete for both individual and team glory (and cash). One novelty here is that even if you are eliminated from the individual grand prize competition, you stay on the show for the entire run, helping you team to win cash in team challenges. So eliminated, but not really. The challenges are mostly fun and the personalities are all regular people who mostly you would want to know.

4 stars (out of 5)

Promising Young Woman

Cassie (Carey Mulligan) is a single woman working as a barista with (according to her parents) no ambition in life. She dropped out of med school, haunted by the death of her closest college friend and really spends her time trying to come to terms with what happened. She is battling a culture of misogyny in the only way that she can think of, one guy at a time. When she connects with Ryan, a former classmate, maybe things are turning around. What particularly strikes me about this film is the number of times we hear "It's not my fault" or "I didn't do anything wrong" from completely delusional men who are unable to see that they have any responsibility for their own actions. I hope that that the portrayal is caricature, but I am afraid it is more indicative of main stream toxic masculine culture than not. While there are some light moments and some "romantic comedy" threads, this film is tragedy throughout. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Blue Bloods (serial)

11 seasons

I've been working on this for quite awhile. Tom Selleck is the patriarch of a NYC law enforcement family. He plays Frank Reagan, police commissioner. His father was commissioner before him, one son is a detective, one a former lawyer now uniformed officer, one a killed on the job officer and a daughter who is a prosecutor in the DA office. At times preachy, at times sappy, but still a solid police procedural. The family famously has dinner every Sunday together and that is where the "moral of the story" flies. For me, the glue that holds this entire series together is Donnie Wahlberg (Danny Reagan) oldest son and detective. He is the down to earth, imperfect, perfectly played character that the series needs. He is the only one that finds the right balance. Overall, think NYPD Blue crossed with Touched by an Angel. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Inkmaster

11 seasons

A tattoo art reality series. Each season, 18 artists move to New York, live in a house together, and compete in challenges to determine who is the best. Challenges are sometimes design and art related with strange media (use domino's, or gunpowder, or ...). This show is all about the practice and art of tattoo, so even though the contestants live in a house, and even though there is drama, the drama is way less than on other reality shows where the drama is the show. I also love that from season to season, the formula is adjusted (individuals, then teams, then pairs, then coaches, etc.) to keep the format fresh. Well done. My critique is that the 18 artists are definitely not 18 of the best tattooists in the country. Maybe 5-6 are really good. Some are just bad (poor technique or one style only) so the really good art starts showing up after a few weeks. I don't watch much reality, but this one I like.

4 stars (out of 5)

Godzilla vs. Kong

The titans have been vanquished and Kong is kept "prisoner" on Skull island. But he is lonely. Humans are still worried about other titans and develop a defense program (where of course the leaders have alternative plans to become apex predators themselves). In the end, this plays more like Batman vs Superman (where the "vs" should literally be in quotes), but on a titan scale. Largely forgettable.

2 stars (out of 5)

Space Sweepers

Set in a future where people live in orbit, earth has been deemed irreparable, and colonizing Mars is the next mission. Orbit is messy, so junk collectors (the space sweepers) compete with each other to collect salvaged debris, trying to make money and keep orbits clear of junk. The crew of The Victory are the top dogs in this competitive world and they happen to salvage a weapon that could alter the power balance in the solar system. It so happens the weapon is a young girl. The plot details are revealed throughout the film just when they are needed (too early and you feel things are contrived, too late and you feel manipulated) to make this a proper space opera. Well done.

3 stars (out of 5)

Hustlers

A group of NY strip club dancers led by Jennifer Lopez form a co-op of sorts when the easy money falls out of the market in the 2000's. Their new take is to find a mark, drug them, max out all the credit cards they have on them. They figure no complaints will be filed since the marks will be too embarrassed to admit to being part of the event in the first place. What is clear is that the dancing lifestyle really is a hustle. There is not a lot more happiness or safety or anything positive really than we saw in The Deuce, which portrayed NYC in the 1970's. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Sentinelle

French film following the return home of a special operations soldier who is clearly suffering from PTSD. She is stationed as part of the Sentinel program which deploys soldiers on French soil to preemptively observe and prevent potential terror events. This station is, in her mind, a "beat cop" sort of job and way beneath her training. In this mental state she finds her sister has been raped and beat up by a foreign diplomat who is untouchable by the law. So... vigilante justice. What is a bit interesting to me is the difference between a French and US vigilante justice movie. The French version is much slower, letting the characters emotive state really show through slow and basically silent scenes. The slow pan is a common tool of the director. The action is present, but not dominant. Aside from the exercise of comparison though, this film did not wow.

2 stars (out of 5)

Outside the Wire

A near future sci-fi set in the European conflict in Ukraine where Russians, Ukrainians, warlords and resistance militia all engage in a battle for control. US troops are ostensibly "peacekeepers" in the region an have developed a large DMZ (inside the wire). In reality, the US military is using the conflict to develop and test military technology, including autonomous soldiers. The crux of the conflict is centered around access to former Soviet Union nuclear missiles, of which all parties are looking. And on the US side, a rogue drone pilot and an autonomous soldier are in the middle of the mix. I think this is supposed to be an ethical dilemma, and is supposed to be revealing a hard truth about war. But the supposed hard truth is that mechanized war only increases war and the amount of death. This seems to me to be self evident. So while the sci-fi imagery is pretty interesting and the imagination of what war might look like only 10 years in the future seems on point, the message of the movie falls flat.  

3 stars (out of 5)

Love Sarah

When Sarah is unable to start her bakery in London, her daughter, mother and best friend all join together to start it in her stead. And while the film is largely predictable and formulaic, I like the formula. Granddaughter and grandmother develop a new relationship, the shop pivots from British baking to somehow being a world market and neighborhood bakery at the same time. Everyone discovers something new about themselves, about those they care about and about the world. And it is all too easy by half. But that is also what makes it charming. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Biggie

The story of the rise of Notorious BIG, mostly through the piecing together of selfie video by BIG himself and his crew. We also get interviews and a little bit of voice over. Interesting in that this was not my world in the 90's and while I have listened to the music and heard the names, I didn't know the East Coast v West Coast rivalry or the backstory of some of these artists. Probably more interesting if you are a hiphop fan.

2 stars (out of 5)

Twilight's Kiss

This Chinese film set in Hong Kong tells the story of two retired men who find love. Both men have families and have led full lives, but in these later years are seeking relationship and meaning. Their meeting is subtle and their discovery of each other and of themselves is both tender and exciting. The weaving together of age, masculinity, family, and identity within the Chinese cultural norms warp together to make the developing relationship both complex and compelling. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Nomadland

Frances McDormand plays a 60 something woman who is has chosen to live out of her van and travel around the country. The story follows her as an exemplary figure of a group of "nomads" who have opted out of the traditional, capitalist lifestyle in search of something more real, more meaningful. She has certain waypoints to mark her journey (seasonal work at an Amazon distribution facility, annual gatherings of the "vandwellers", etc.) but effectively has no ties to society as we know it. And this comes with no safety net and no security, which are largely considered overrated by the nomads anyway. Well acted, and well cast (most of the cast are non-actor nomads who invited the filmmakers into their world). While it is definitely a pleasant view of life as a nomad, it is also dramatic and touching and makes you think about your own connection to the "capital" that is deemed so important in our lives. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Leverage (serial)

Five seasons starring Timothy Hutton as a former insurance investigator who falls in with a group of highly specialized thieves. They start taking on jobs utilizing their specific skills (hacker, grifter, hitter, thief) to help powerless clients take down the corrupt and wealthy who are generally above the law. With Hutton being the mastermind to organize everything, this is a lightweight, fun heist drama series. Reminds me a lot, in terms of overall feel, of Burn Notice which was on around the same time (late 2000's), and may even strike you as an updated A-Team. 

3 stars (out of 5)

The Long Way Up (serial)

Third in a series of travel diaries with Ewan McGregor and his buddy Charlie Boorman on a continental motorcycle trip (Long Way Down and Long Way Around). This time it is from the southern tip of South America traveling north to LA. The majority of the 10 episode trip is in South America (actually mostly in Argentina/Chile) and then a sprint through Central America and Mexico. The plot device here is that the trip will be done on prototype electric Harley Davidsons, with support vehicles of prototype Rivian trucks. Because of the electric charging and range issues, 150 miles per day is a really long day, and the trip will take 3 months. I appreciated that this slowed down the travel, forcing them to see more. I also loved the same things here as I did in the others... seeing the scenery and the remote routes and fantasizing about being alone on the open road. The tiresome parts were the repetitive self-aggrandizing "we are so lucky" and worry about "dangerous" areas of Central America and Mexico. 

4 stars (out of 5)