Month: November 2021
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Review: The Great, season 2, wild and raunchy
The Great, season 2, is improbable and ribald, with its mangled view of Russian history and its dumpster fire attitude toward the human race in general. Mixed in with the coarse vulgarity of its comedy are gems of wisdom about governing, love, equality, and women’s rights.
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Review: Bruised, Halle Berry directs
Bruised stars Halle Berry as an MMA fighter who struggles to get her life in a good place. Halle Berry directs the film, too, her first effort at directing. She does an excellent job at acting, directing, and fighting like a champ. The film is now on Netflix.
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Review: Hawkeye, episodes 1-2
Hawkeye with Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld joined the Marvel Universe with the release of the first two episodes of a six episode mini-series on Disney+. The first two episodes were the opening of the origin story as we learn how Kate Bishop becomes Hawkeye.
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Review: Violet, boldly original
Violet, from writer and first time director Justine Bateman, is a unique and daring approach to storytelling. It’s an often told tale about a woman struggling with the negative voices in her head. However, the film’s style is something you haven’t seen before. The performance from Olivia Munn as Violet makes it totally believable. The…
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Review: King Richard, a man with a plan
King Richard tells the story of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. He planned to raise tennis champions – wrote out the whole thing – before his daughters were even born. All the world knows how his plan worked. This film takes you into the story in the beginning, up to the…
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Review: The Wheel of Time, episodes 1-3
The Wheel of Time is a fantasy series on Prime Video. Three episodes were released last Friday, with more to come on future Fridays. The first season is based on the first novel in a series by Robert Jordan, also called The Wheel of Time.
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Review: Dopesick
The Dopesick series on Hulu looks at the rise of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family from multiple points of view. Even though most of us are unhappily familiar with the opioid crisis, this series adds insider detail to the story. It slowly and meticulously examines every aspect of how one private company created…
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Review: Jungle Cruise, a fun fantasy
Jungle Cruise is finally free to anyone with a Disney+ subscription. So I watched it. The adventure tale was full of magic, fun, fantasy and a terrific Emily Blunt as the woman who made it all happen.
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Gentefied, season 2, the quest for a green card
Gentefied, season 2, takes the extended Morales family from Boyle Heights on a season long journey to get the family patriarch Casimiro, or Pop, Morales (Joaquín Cosío) a green card and keep him from being deported to Mexico.
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Review: Dolly Parton: Here I Am
Dolly Parton: Here I Am is a biopic about the famous singer/songwriter herself. It uses interviews with Dolly and others to tell a story of who she is now and how she got where she is. My main impression after watching it is she is a tough, strong woman who knew from day one how…