Month: September 2021
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Review: Dear White People, season 4
Dear White People, season 4, stayed meaningful to the end with a musical wrap up of senior year for several of the main characters. Creator Justin Simien worked with a number of storylines and time jumps with his big ensemble cast of college students.
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Review: Back to Life, comedy from the UK, seasons 1-2
Back to Life tells a serious story in the British comedy style. It’s about a woman who spent 18 years in prison. She is trying to get her life back to normal. I saw it on Showtime, but I think it’s available elsewhere, too.
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Review: Good on Paper, liar liar
Good on Paper is a true story about a liar. The film comes from comic Iliza Shlesinger, who apparently experienced the liar in question. The film is a stand up routine about the guy, interspersed with a full movie illustrating the story in the stand up routine. That’s a new approach to storytelling, as far…
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Review: Midnight Mass
Midnight Mass is the latest from writer and director Mike Flanagan. Like his two successful series before this one – The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Haunting of Hill House – this series is a foray into horror. I didn’t think Midnight Mass was as good as the first two. You’ll find the series…
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Review: On the Verge, women in mid-life
On the Verge tells the story of four women friends in their 40s who are in various stages of life crisis and change – all of it happening just before the coronavirus pandemic hits. Julie Delpy created and co-wrote the series along with co-star Alexia Landeau. Delpy directed 5 of the 12 episodes in this…
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Nine Perfect Strangers: mystery and drama at a health resort
Nine Perfect Strangers is a complex series full of characters with secrets to reveal and surprises for the viewer. The series is from a novel by Liane Moriarty, who also wrote Big Little Lies. Moriarty is a master at taking a large cast of characters and putting them through various trials that slowly chip away…
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The Courier: Nail-biting Cold War drama
The Courier is based on a true story about the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early 1960s that almost ended in nuclear war between America and the Soviet Union. Even though I lived through that time and was glued to the news about it, this is a part of the story I never knew. The…
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Review: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a musical fantasy based on a true story. It was first a stage play, now adapted for film. The story is about a young English lad who dreamed of becoming a drag queen. It’s streaming on Prime Video.
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Review: Sex Education, season 3 remains outstanding
Sex Education, which has consistently been one of the best things on television, maintains its top shelf status in season 3. The series, created and written by Laurie Nunn, is about students in an English school and the array of adults around them.
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The Killing of Two Lovers: Is Sepideh Moafi worth it?
The Killing of Two Lovers stars Sepideh Moafi, which is why I wanted to see it. The film about a separation between the parents of four children is told from the husband David’s (Clayne Crawford) point of view. It’s streaming on Hulu.