Thursday, July 10, 2025

The Art Detectives (serial)

British series following the Heritage Crimes Unit. Actually, to start the unit is one person DI Mick Palmer. In episode one, he picks up an assistant in DC Shazia Malik, and the two of them solve any type of crime involving Art. They get called to any type of crime, but there always seems to be a murder. Whether it is paintings, music, antiquities, etc. Palmer and Malik navigate their newfound partnership and complementary skills to solve the case. Not a super-dark, serial-killer type of police drama that often comes out of Britain. I quite enjoyed this. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

17 Again

Zac Efron was a high school all star who gave up his college athletics to father his child. Matthew Perry is the 30-something dad version who regrets his choices. He is given the chance to go back and do it all again, waking up as his 17-year-old self (but in the present day). So Zac goes to school, befriends his son, helps out his daughter, and reconnects with his wife in a new way. All so that he can realize how good he has it and can return to his real-time life. Classic time-travel-coming-of-age tale. Not bad. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Murderbot (serial)

Season 1

An outstanding interpretation of the Murderbot books by Martha Wells. This season is based on her first entry in the series, All Systems Red. The titular protagonist is SecUnit, a cyber/organic creation with a governor chip that has been hacked (meaning the SecUnit is independent of human control). He is trying to stay under the radar (since independence is illegal), but his current assignment as Security Unit for the survey team of "The Preservationist Society" makes it hard. They recognize the sentience of robots, and are consensus decision making, anti-violence, world explorers that are quirky enough to see through his non-traditional behavior. The shining piece of this portrayal is that the irreverence and cynicism of the SecUnit are spot on with the tone created by Wells. I am all in on the book series and more seasons. Can't get enough. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Long Way Home (serial)

The fourth installment of the Long Way series with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman taking extended motorcycle trips. This time they start and end in the U.K. with a 17 country European loop in between. This was a better season than the prior, with the focus here being the locations and people (vs the focus on the electric bikes last time). This earth we live on really is a massively diverse place, both environment and people. I particularly enjoyed the trip north, through Scandinavia and the Baltics. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Sherlock & Daughter (serial)

This series plays like late 1990s, BBC spinoff of the Sherlock Holmes genre. And I say that in the best sense with the look and feel appropriately British and early century time frame. In this version, a young woman travels to London from California after her mother is murdered, following a clue that Sherlock Holmes is her father. She becomes entwined in a series of cases with him, effectively replacing the Watson character, honing her investigative skills with a brash, American sensibility. It's new, without feeling like a reboot. Well done. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Old Guard 2

What a massive disappointment. While the first film was excellent, this has no purpose. It is clearly an "episode 2 of 3" film, and on its own is purely interstitial. Yes, it reveals some backstory. Yes, it sets the stage for a grand conflict. But this is not serial TV. This is film. this 90 minutes needs to stand on its own and be worthwhile. It is not. 

If you want plot, Andy and her gang of immortals continues to do good, even though Andy is now mortal. We find out why, we find an immortal who is not good, and we have personal conflict. The plot is a mess and even the action scenes are deflating. 

2 stars (out of 5)

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

The Intern

A re-watch of the Robert DeNiro film from a decade ago. That man can fully act with just his face. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Moxie

An Amy Poehler produced vehicle that is a bit too much "on the nose" to be authentic. Vivian is a teen girl entering her Junior year, basically a wall cat. As she is paying attention in a new way to discrimination, to new peoples ideas, and to her mom's (Poehler) activist past, she starts a feminist zine that spurs action for change in her high school. Even though this is formulaic at best, I do appreciate the formula. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Monday, June 23, 2025

Maine Cabin Masters (serial)

Season 10

Another season of good natured building. Happens concurrently with the Italy season, the show is still fun mostly because the people are fun and friendly and the pace of each episode is appropriate. I will say that the projects are much different than the beginning, with new construction about 1/2 of the scope, which loses some of the fun of the dramatic change.

4 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Plane

Gerard Butler is a commercial pilot making a New Years flight from Singapore to LA. He is a former RAF pilot, has only 15 people on the flight, and at the last minute this includes a prisoner extradition passenger. A weather check right before takeoff includes a money saving decision by the airline to send the plane on the shortest route through the center of a storm. Enough foreshadowing for you? The plane goes down, lands on a remote island in the Philippines controlled by bad guys. Butler and his new buddy the prisoner are all about saving lives. Classic action thriller. 
3 stars (out of 5)

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Celebrity Bear Hunt (serial)

A silly reality show where 2nd Tier famous Britons do challenges created by Bear Grylls. The challenge losers are sent into the "bear pit" where they have to escape before being caught by Bear. Sort of fast forwarded through these and the challenges themselves got lame after a bit. 

2 stars (out of 5) 

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

The Cleaner

A young woman is a window cleaner (the outside the building, high rise kind) who lives on the edge of her means. She takes care of her autistic brother, which is very expensive, and her boss is an ass soshe has no actual job security. On the job this night, she is cleaning windows late only to find that the building has been taken over by eco-terrorists who have crashed the party of a big energy corporation. The terrorists turn violent and she is the only one who can stop them. It's actually a pretty consistent plot, no matter how far fetched. The lines all pull together and the characters have motivation and personality beyond just being in the right place at the right time. Well done. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Tulsa King (serial)

Season 1 and 2

Sly Stallone plays an old school, NY mobster just out of prison on a 25 year murder sentence. He comes back to a "new way of doing things" and since he doesn't fit in with the new order, he is shipped to Tulsa to be out of the way. Of course, he starts new, using his old school mafia tactics in a world that is not ready for him. Stallone has a way of simultaneously inhabiting both charming and aggressively violent, which makes this series simultaneously light-hearted and gory. Kind of average TV, but after Season 1, I was looking forward to Season 2, which continued with all the same vibe. So

3 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, June 8, 2025

The Accountant 2

Ben Affleck is again "the accountant". A former colleague/fed is killed and he gets pulled in to find out what happened and avenge the death I suppose. Or more likely, to solve the puzzle. Continuing to tease out life with autism, relationships and happiness - but in the context of being a massive badass with the goal of saving kids lives, but no ethical qualm with killing the unsavory types. Very "American Individualist" in approach to cleaning up the world. There is a 10 second attempt at due process and rule of law, but (I guess) when the guys are SO BAD, you just gotta be a vigilante. And also insightful in the developing relationships between adult brothers. It really is well made, and in this context I continue to increase my awareness of the subtle and not-so-subtle messaging that media drills into my psyche.

4 stars (out of 5)

Counterstrike

A Mexican Special Forces team encounters a drug cartel boss with a vendetta against Mexican Special Forces. This is an excellent portrayal of how war and violence are lose-lose scenarios. We are supposed to say the good guys won since only two of them die vs scores of the bad guys. But there is no win. Short term or long. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Saturday, June 7, 2025

Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal (serial)

A short series documenting the return to basketball shoes for Reebok, with Shaq and Allen Iverson leading the charge. In some ways, this is a 6 episode commercial for Reebok. But it is also a behind the scenes look at the shoe business and Shaq is just a monster personality to make anything he is in fun.

3 stars (out of 5)

Man on the Inside (serial)

Ted Danson is the lead in this amateur detective comedy. He has recently lost his wife, is retired and is looking for a new thing. He connects with a PI who needs an undercover senior in a retirement home to uncover a chain of burglaries. While this plot provides a through story, the real joy in this series is the "coming of age" for Danson's character Charles. The friends and relationships he develops and re-energizes even with his family are touching and meaningful and fun to watch. It surprised me, but really worth watching. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Fountain of Youth

Billed as a National Treasure and Indiana Jones genre, it fits the bill. Jon Krasinski and Natalie Portman play a sibling team of treasure hunters who are going up against a secret society of protectors to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. Since it is not set in WWII, we can't get the Nazis-seeking-Ark exactly, but it is as close to derivative to that storyline as you can get in the modern era. Which is both the joy and the problem with this script. Familiar and fun, and derivative. Maybe this is all we get anymore???

3 stars (out of 5)

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Legally Blonde

Definitely needed a brainless comedy and this fit the bill. Witherspoons falling into law school for all the wrong reasons and finding that she has a brain for it, while at the same time seemingly completely unaware of her surroundings. Sort of a charming, socially clueless, narcissist. And yet in this cluelessness somehow both reinforces and subverts social stereotypes. Wait, why was this "good"? It is excellent hollywood giving the audience (regardless of your point of view) something to like. So it feels good. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Friday, April 18, 2025

Last Christmas

A 20-something is wandering aimlessly through life, unsure of her purpose in her post-heart transplant world. With a crazy family, no passion for her former passion and a truly deadend job, Kate is lost. Until she meets Tom, who is relentless in his pursuit of her and fundamentally changes her world view. A real romantic comedy that is more about coming of age and realizing what is important in life. 

3 stars (out of 5)

The Life List

When her mom passes, Alex finds at the reading of the will that she is left only a year long, life purpose scavenger hunt based on a bucket list written by her 13-year-old self. Over the course of the year, anger, grief and listlessness turns into adventure and love of life. Formulaic, but when the formula works, use it. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Somebody Somewhere (serial)

Season 1, 2 & 3

A comedy-drama series set in Manhattan Kansas. Sam is the show protagonist and she is 30 something, working a dead end job, still grieving the loss of a sister to cancer, and dealing with a dysfunctional family. She connects with Joel, who she finds out was also in choir in high school, and the two become best of friends. The next 3 seasons follow this growing friendship and both the drama and the banality of daily life. And in spite of the sadness or difficulty surrounding them, Joel and Sam are the most hilarious pair you will find, able to laugh and love and support each other throughout the years. Hands down one of the best series I have seen. Loved it. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Friday, April 11, 2025

The Lincoln Lawyer (serial)

Season 1 - 3

I largely avoided this for the past couple of years, not knowing anything about it but presuming it was a mid-west lawyer show (I was thinking Lincoln, NE). But in fact, it is an LA based lawyer show, which as an LA resident, is quite fun. Mickey Haller is the protagonist defense lawyer. He has a couple of ex-wives (one prosecutor and one who works with him) and a daughter, and he is a recovering addict. And an outstandingly creative lawyer. The Lincoln comes from Haller's proclivity to work out of his car (a Lincoln). The show has one big case per season, and then a few smaller cases that somehow seem to tie in. These small cases kept each episode fresh and the season moving. I really liked this show. Reminds me a lot of Bosch, but from the law point of view instead of police. 
4 stars (out of 5)

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Canary Black

A spy thriller. Graves is the CIA's best black ops agent. When she is blackmailed into stealing a top secret document, the entire agency comes down on her. She is on her own to actually find the secret document, get out from under the blackmailer, and clear her name. All while shooting thousands of rounds of ammo but never getting hit. Pretty predictable, and yet as an action flick, entertaining. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Wildcard Kitchen (serial)

A food network competition show based on poker. Three chefs bring cash and make bets. Ingredient and dish and wildcards are dealt so each chef has a unique challenge. A quick hitting show (three cooking rounds of 30 min each) so definitely it keeps going. Also, the competition is friendly as all the chefs know each other and seem to get along. It is a fun version of a competition (not much stress manifested as nasty comments or craziness). The chefs are all well established so it is really a bragging rights show.

4 stars (out of 5)

Monday, March 17, 2025

The Electric State

Set in a world where robots have become self-aware, and then rebelled against slavery, and then got sent to a reservation. Now robots are feared. In this world, a girl is grieving the death of her brother only to be confronted by a robot who seems to be her brother. Begin journey of discovery and seeking help from unlikely sources, including robots. Kind of an interesting story. I would have liked to see actually social commentary on robot internment, or technological overreach. But that is only subtext at best and so largely plays as a nostalgia comedy. In that world then, the film is pretty good, but I would say an opportunity wasted.

3 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Kraven the Hunter

I am liking how Marvel is doing one-off movies of characters instead of the whole universe thing. It is much more interesting and fresh to the casual fan. Kraven is a half man, half beast who got his powers after being attacked by a lion in Africa as a child and being saved by a local healing potion. Somehow the potion caused an integration of lion abilities. So now Kraven is a shadowy vigilante who is battling his family history by trying to take out bad guys. And has mad lion skills to help him. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

La Dolce Villa

Father (Eric) is a restaurant consultant so wrapped up in his work he doesn't have time for his daughter (Olivia), who is off in Europe finding herself. Both are still grieving the loss of mom. When Olivia plans to buy a 1Euro house in Italy, Eric makes the trip to stop the craziness. Of course, they find the perfect place in the perfect town with a nice, single, cute mayor and buy the house. Completely predictable romantic comedy with completely contrived plot tension... and yet enjoyable. Very "hallmark hall of fame - saturday afternoon TV" vibe. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Monday, February 24, 2025

Shakespeare and Hathaway (serial)

4 Seasons

British comedy/drama built around a private detective pair. Hathaway is former police and guy with the experience in detecting. He has friends in the force, but his credibility is variable. Shakespeare is one of his first cases and her natural talent for observation and detecting leads to a partnership. The series is light hearted and British cheesy. Reminds me in tone of Death in Paradise. The titular reference plays out throughout the series with a wannabe actor as an office admin regularly providing references to the Bard. This has been a great series to watch over the past year - episodes on occasion when something light was needed. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, February 23, 2025

High Potential (serial)

Season 1

A super high IQ single mom who is barely holding it together with her 3 kids is perpetually broke. She helps LAPD detectives solve a murder case after seeing the evidence photos at her night job cleaning the office. Then she becomes an indispenible consultant. The modern Monk.

3 stars (out of 5)

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Girl Haunts Boy

Cole moves to a new house only to find his room is haunted. This is added to the reality of his existing experience of being haunted by the memory of his recently passed dad. Fortunately, the newest haunting is a good looking girl from 1920s New York who he is able to befriend and work out some of his angst. Oh, and he gets to try to figure out how to release her from ghost-dom. Lightweight, feel good rom-com that at least doesn't fall for the 'Girl gets boy in the end' trope.

3 stars (out of 5)

Friday, February 7, 2025

Almost Pregnant

I primarily watched this because of the starring role of a former student of mine. First, it is a good romantic comedy. Amy Schumer makes one, little, bad decision to try on a pregnancy bump and suddenly it is a lie she can't take back. The resulting interactions and relationships are really good and she doesn't want to lose them. Alas, she must. The humor and interactions are not brilliant or hilarious, but instead this is a sweet comedy. And as such, must end up 'happily ever after'. Second, I will comment on watching someone you know (or once knew) acting in film like this is strange. I still see the kid sitting in the back row of my Physics class laughing with her friends. So it was hard to see the character for the actor. But by the end, I bought it, which  I will attribute more to good acting than my own ability to see deeply into characterization. Well done Bri. 

4 stars (out of 5)

XO Kitty (serial)

Season 1 & Season 2

Based on the character Kitty in All the Boys I've Loved Before, and set 8ish years later. Kitty is accepted to go to school abroad to the same school her late mother attended in Korea. She goes to learn as much as she can about her family history. She gains friends, and makes dramatic discoveries. She basically manifests everything that she hoped to happen into being - although the outcomes were not always exactly how she envisioned them. Clearly a YA teen drama (of which I am of course the target audience), but really a pretty well done story telling and sustained freshness. Season 2 could have easily dropped into trite derivative drivel, but instead the storyline was massaged to take you just a bit deeper in exploring and thinking about your own family history. Some of the secondary characters were too stereotypically 2-dimensional, but I suppose someone had to be flat in order for others to feel bright. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Shotgun Wedding

JLo and Josh Duhamel are getting married. Madly in love, but an unlikely pairing based on family history, they choose to initiate a destination wedding in the Philippines (it is cheaper than Bali). Pirates invade the wedding and demand ransom from JLo's rich father. I guess what follows could be considered slapstick action. No real action skills or choreography is exhibited, but the wedding party is successfully taking out armed pirates. A couple of twists (well foreshadowed, so maybe just slight bends in the plot line) help things out a bit. Late night fun

3 stars (out of 5)

Saturday, February 1, 2025

You're Cordially Invited

Vehicle for Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon. Ferrell's daughter is getting married and Witherspoons sister. They get double booked at a wedding venue big enough for only one wedding. But they try to make it work. Cue all the expected conflicts and wedding gags. Meanwhile, each family has their own historical grievances and they all get worked out in the end. And finally, the main plot driving feud between the two stars is resolved. I know, you might claim this is a spoiler, but if you couldn't have written this review without seeing the film, you are not paying attention. The comedy bits were entirely predictable and somewhat stale, but so well delivered that I smiled from time to time. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Saturday Night

A historical reenactment of sorts of the first night that SNL went live. Basically the behind the scenes leadup to "Live... from NY... it's Saturday Night". Lorne Michaels is the star of this telling as he works to put all the pieces together for something that no-one thought could happen and was improbable at best. Great characterizations of Belushi, Chase, Crystal, and a bunch of comics I should know but don't. This was fun and funny. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Sunday, January 19, 2025

The Last Woodsmen (serial)

A 9 episode reality series following a Vancouver BC logging outfit over the course of a logging season. The team has a "float camp", which is a large dorm-barge that operates as their base of operations in highly remote work areas. I love seeing the variety of things that go on with a big operation like this (the fallers, the mechanics, river tug operators, etc.). I get tired of the every episode discussion of money that seems to be used to remind us of the tension. It is not necessary as the rest of the story is sufficient to keep everyone interested. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Back in Action

Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx team up for a spy, action, drama. The two are former black ops CIA spies who have left the business and raised a "normal family" for 15 years. But they are discovered and pulled back into the life as Foxx had stolen a "magic key" back when they were faking their death. So a pretty typical plot line that, I believe, is supposed to be novel based on the witty banter and chemistry between the stars. But it is mostly just a typical offerings. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Astrid (serial)

Season 4

This French PBS series follows Astrid Nielson, an autistic police officer who works in the documents archive. Astrid continues to navigate social integration and the novelty of relationship with new boyfriend Tetsu and Stepbrother Niels. Astrid continues to be the driving force in all investigative break throughs with the team. So entirely predictable. And entirely enjoyable. One of my favorite police procedurals of recent years. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Golden Kamuy

A Japanese period drama which plays out as a treasure hunt / action thriller. A former soldier who seems to have acquired some sort of invincibility in battle joins up with an indigenous girl in the hunt for a treasure stash of gold that was stolen from locals in the prior generation. They are seeking the map (tattoo'd on the skin of a bunch of escaped convicts) and run into both a rogue military unit and a criminal mob seeking the same map. I thought is was going to be a standalone movie, but apparently it is a part one since the gold was not found :)

3 stars (out of 5)

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Skeleton Crew (serial)

Set in the star wars universe, four kids accidentally find a space ship and launch it into hyper space. Turns out they have become the owners of a pirate ship, and have no idea how to get back to their home planet of At Attin, since it is largely an galactic myth - rumored to hold endless wealth. The kids have to grow up quickly, learn to trust each other and find a way home. Quite fun. 

4 stars (out of 5)