Astrid (serial)

Season 2

Sophomore season picks up right where season 1 left off. Astrid and Raph are getting into a groove together, learning each others limits and how to work together. Essentially, they are becoming friends that rely on each other. The star of the series is Astrid and her ability to make connections between disparate cases. But this season she spends more time in the field, making Sherlock Holmes like observations of crime scenes that are not seen by anyone else. We also get to have Astrid's social group get more involved a couple times which is fun. Maybe I've built it up in my mind over the past year, but I love this series. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

In the year after T'Challa's death, there is no longer a Black Panther. But Wakanda is increasingly under global pressure to share technology and vibranium (mostly pressure by the war hawk nations like the U.S.). When a new source of vibranium is discovered under the sea, Namor the sub-mariner and his people protect it by attacking and killing all the navy SEAL "explorers". Wakanda is blamed for the attack on the explorers, Namor attacks Wakanda, Wakanda attacks Namor... everybody hates everybody. Basically, this entire movie is a way to get Shuri to process her grief of T'Challa's death, accept her own strength, and take her place as the leader in Wakanda.

3 stars (out of 5)

Dog

Channing Tatum is a former Army Ranger, unwillingly retired by TBI. Lulu is a former Army Ranger K9, unwillingly retired by handler death. The two are teamed up on a cross country trip and become friends, each saving the other. Predictable, bland, and remarkably avoiding the traditional sympathetic dog emotions.

2 stars (out of 5)

Wrath of Man

It has been quite some time since I have seen a Jason Statham action thriller. In this Guy Ritchie directed adventure, Statham is a highly trained killer who goes undercover to avenge the death of his kid. As expected, the characters are at best 1 dimensional. What you see is what you get, and the only motivation and personality is built to serve the action and killing. It is a straight up revenge thriller. The two things of note here are 1: the telling of the heist story is at least moderately interesting, including the mechanism of flash back, flash forward and 2: the soundtrack is effective and building tension. Unfortunately, for the soundtrack, the effectiveness was diminished as time developed since tension can't really build for an entire 2 hours. For example, the tension building soundtrack played the first 10 minutes straight, with no payoff. Eventually, my brain tuned it out. Actually, I got exactly what I expected from this formula of a movie.

3 stars (out of 5)

The Imperfects (serial)

Rogue scientists have created artificial stem cells as a mechanism to treating certain incurable diseases. This series picks up a decade in, when the participants in the medical trial are finding that the stem cells are causing some side effects... like becoming a banshee, a succubus, or a chupacabra. So the three protagonists band together with one of the rogue scientists to find the other scientist to insist on a cure. A rogue government agency gets involved. As the story develops, each "victim" goes through a process of coming to terms with their side effect and moves toward a decision of whether they even want to be fixed or not. Final rating... kinda fun. 

3 stars (out of 5)

Emily the Criminal

Aubrey Plaza is Emily, a young woman in debt, unemployable as an ex-con, basically a downtrodden young woman with no options. She gets pulled into a credit card scam group and finds that it is both exciting, lucrative, scary and dangerous all at the same time. 

4 stars (out of 5)

How I became a superhero

This French action-thriller follows Moreau, a formerly great but now down on his conviction rate detective. He lives in a Paris where some people have been born with super powers, and a local crime boss has found a way to turn those powers into a drug to market on the street. What could be more high inducing that the temporary ability to shoot flames out of your hands. But there are complications and Moreau and his new partner seek out the bad guys, saving the good guys and discovering themselves along the way. 

3 stars (out of 5)