Category: TV Series

Genre: TV Series  

Grade: B+

Notable People: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, David Denman, Created by: Brad Inglesby

Title: Mare of Easttown

Review: Quirky seven-part mini-series that the critics were mixed about, but we found quite watchable. Winslet is a depressed detective in a small working class town in the northeast with lot of baggage. Complicated plot with lots of rough family dynamics. Shot grey and gritty and good ensemble cast performances. Dialog seemed over the top at times and the last episode seemed superfluous, but I was drawn into it. Masterful performance from Winslet in a real role departure for her. One and done, I think.

Genre: TV Series  

Grade: B+

Notable People: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Tina Fey, Created by: Steve Martin and john Hoffman

Title: Only Murders in the Building

Review: As you can see, it is quite the Broadway oriented cast for this light and whimsical murder mystery set inside the kind of Manhattan grand apartment building we all dream about inhabiting. Dialog is snappy, all the acting is the quality you’d expect and the filming is nicely done. May seem a bit slapstick for some, and not everyone has a taste for Martin Short. But, Martin is aging gracefully, Gomez is a good fit and Amy Ryan steals the show as an aging, sexy bassoonist. No world changer, this one, but nice short viewing each week. Given the season finale, it is clearly coming back for a second season.

Genre: TV Series 

Grade: A

Notable People: Paul McCartney Created by: Rick Rubin

Title: McCartney 3-2-1

Review: Absolutely brilliant six-part series (1/2 hour each) on the music and times of the iconic former Beatle. I have never been a Paul fan- am solidly in the John camp on the Beatles divide- but this series changed my view of sir Paul immensely. What a joy ride through the development, fruition and end of The Beatles. Whatever junk Paul had with his soul brother, John Lennon, is now long gone and replaced with brotherly love. The film clips and recordings are amazing and Rubin is masterful at teasing Paul out and using his mixing board to show us the intricacies of the Beatles catalog, along with Paul’s alter work. Rubin is master record producer himself and an obvious adoring fan. Loved this guy, and loved this show.

Genre: TV Series    

Grade: A-

Notable People: Billy Bob Thornton, William Hurt, Nina Arianda, Bruce Dern, J.K. Simmons Created by: Jonathan Shapiro and David E. Kelley

Title: Goliath

Review: the fourth and final season of this film noir TV series was the loudest by far. Full disclosure: I have never been a Billy Bob fan….but this series has given him the role of lifetime, and he has seized the day….Carpe Diem!!!!….Set in San Francisco and focused on the drunken, burned out lawyer who takes on Big Pharma, it is an homage to 1940s filmmaking, from the dark black and white dream sequences to the John Ford Western inserts and the Dashiell Hammet/Sam Spade like streets of Frisco moments…with a 40s sound track to match and so darkly me you’ll want to adjust your TV settings. The final scene set to Jack Kerouac reading his San Francisco blues to Errol Garners be bop piano is for the ages………and The Cast…. holy cow…. Simmons is evil personified in another of his fine acting performance, Dern is still kicking and hard to take your eyes off of, and Hurt…. well, it’s Bill Hurt. Billy Bob shines in this complex and sorrowful role, but the show belongs to Ms. Arianda as Billy’s brash, foul mouthed, unfiltered law protégé. This is a  story foe our time ,and by the end you will  be thinking that this should be happening in the real world, as Big Pharma and the crazed cycle of opioid profit meet their match.

Genre: TV Series 

Grade: A-

Notable People: Created by: Ken Burns

Title: Hemingway

Review: Another blockbuster documentary from the laureate, Ken Burns on the life a times of the great American author and icon. Amazingly well researched and delivered, like of all of Burns’ master works, this is the fascinating story of the brilliant and enigmatic king of American fiction. No stone is left unturned, and the story gets more and more difficult….a truly tragic and not all that sympathetic figure, whose genius shines through despite his many shortcomings. Getting Jeff Daniels to narrate the Hemingway parts is s stroke of genius- he’s prefect. And the steady narration of Peter Coyote, who does almost all of Burns’ work is compelling, as usual. The old photos and videos are worth the price of admission. Three two hour segments, but well worth the six hour investment.

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A

Notable People:  Gillian Anderson, Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Created by: Laurie Nunn

Title: Sex Education

Review: Brilliant British show that defies a genre- never sure if it’s primarily a comedy or drama. Extraordinary ensemble cast of young actors portraying life in a an out of control high school in the British highlands. Butterflied, Gatwa and Mackey are pure revelations. The entire cast works on every level, and Ms. Anderson is shockingly funny, in a role that will make you rethink the X-Files or Margaret Thatcher. The music is great, the dialog is great…..this is a don’t  miss show…and it has lots of absurd teen sex.

Genre: Film 

Grade: A-

Notable People:  Alessandro Novola, Leslie Odom Jr, Vera Farmiga, Michael Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Directed by: Alan Taylor

Title: The Many Saints of Newark

Review: Woke up this morning……found myself a gun……. We revisit the early years of Tony Soprano  gangland family in this HBO Max only -compelling prequel, produce by David Chase, and set in the hot summer of 1967, as Newark burns. Full of complicated race relations and harbingers of things to come. Beautifully shot to show the complex times and driven by a great soundtrack, we see the emergence of the mob family that has become part of our lexicon, as familiar as comfort food. The portrayals of the later day characters as their younger selves is extraordinarily detailed and consistent with the original six season show, as we get to know the much younger Silvio, Paulie and Big Pussy…and Michael Gandolfini playing his father as a teenager (in life and in the film) is dead on. The nuances are fabulous and the inclusion of the irascible Ray Liotta as the family patriarch is a bonus, as is the appearance of the original Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore) playing his own father. This was a delightful two-hour watch.

Genre: TV Series

Grade: B+

Notable People:  Mark Warren, Maimee McCoy Created by: Chris Murray

Title: Van Der Valk

Review: Gerity detective drama set in Amsterdam based on the bestselling novels by Nicholas Freeling. Three-part series of 1 ½ hour episodes that may or may not come back (there was a previous iteration that went for many seasons on Dutch TV). Stories are good and ensemble cast does well. Classic PBS Masterpiece type.  Did not like the use of British actors in main roles, but really liked the Amsterdam setting which is nicely highlighted. Worth a watch.

Genre: TV Series    

Grade: B+

Notable People:  Sandra Oh, Jay Duplass, David Morse, Bob Baliban, Created by: Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman

Title: The Chair

Review: The always entertaining Sandra Oh comes back to series TV with this light and airy performance at the recently promoted Chair of an Ivy-League wannabe English department, and all hell breaks loose. Sweet and charming little show that tackles the foibles of academia and the race and gender politics of organizations. Oh and Duplass are wonderful together and the supporting cast is top notch. Light, but worthwhile fare- not sure if it will return for a second season.

Genre: TV Series 

Grade: A

Notable People:  Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Lance Reddick, Amy Acquino, Created by: Michael Connelly

Title: Bosch

Review: Really sad to write this review as it’s reflecting that this long running series has ended. We dragged out the final season for months to avoid the end, which never lost a beat and measured up to all that came before. LA Homicide Detective Hieronymus (Harry)Bosch and his partner J. Edgar tackle the truly gritty underbelly of life in LA. Connelly’s books are magnificent and the show does an amazing job of capturing the nuance of his characters. Welliver, who first appeared in a recurring role on NYPD Blue 30 years ago, sets the gold standard for lit to film character capturing. Reddick and Hector bring their grit from years starring on The Wire to bountiful roles here; Hector is a total 180 from his drug lord presence on The Wire and Reddick almost restoring the same role. The cast of characters is fabulous, the shoots are dead on LA mystique and the dialog leaves no room for snoozing. One of my favorite serials of the last decade. Hoping for some kind of follow up…but it seemed terminal.