Work It

Rewatched Work It from a few years ago. Nothing wrong with a little dance pick me up.

3 stars (out of 5)

The Intern (serial)

Seasons 1-5

A French television drama following Constance Meyer, a middle aged, second career trainee judge. In the French system, the judges are the investigators who stand between the police and the prosecutors. So basically this is a detective show. Meyer is insightful, uses her life experience to bring a different lens to her investigations, and pushes the boundaries just a bit. She also fills that mother role with her colleagues, who all seem to need it. It is a fun series, not super dark like the British or Scandinavian murder-mysteries tend to be. More like Munch or New Tricks.

4 stars (out of 5)

Project Hail Mary

Outstanding offering based on Andy Weir's book by the same name. A mysterious alien "infection" is plaguing the sun and siphoning energy away. Which means that within <50 years, catastrophic environmental system collapse change life on earth. In a remarkable (and likely utopian view of the goodness of humanity) all countries on earth collaborate to find a solution. Yes, there are some science fiction stretches in this story, but "global collaboration" is the most unbelievable part of the entire thing. What ends up happening is a massive effort to use the "alien infection" as a fuel source for an interstellar investigative flight to a system that is also infected but for some reason has reached homeostasis. There are a lot of surprises and fun moments along the way, which you should see or read (or both). For me, the most fun in this entire tale comes with the 'cynical realism' of a stereotypical scientist/engineer. The background dialogue give Murderbot vibes, which I also love. 

5 stars (out of 5)