I admit that I am not an avid follower of Sherlock Holmes. While I have seen From Hell and both of the Robert Downey Jr. movies, I’ve only watched a few episodes of PBS’s Sherlock. I have not watched any episodes of Elementary. Even with my limited exposure to the character, I understand him well enough to be able to follow along with the plot of Enola Holmes.
Continue reading “Enola Holmes (Netflix)”
“The most controversial movie of the year!”
The “controversy” surrounding this movie was manufactured by the president himself, who dissed the movie in an angry tweet. I doubt he watched this movie himself, and instead relied on his handlers to confirm how awfully it treats his beloved red-staters. Those evil Hollywood liberal elites! Damn them! Damn them all to hell!
Continue reading “The Hunt (2020)”
Not all murders are created equal, or equally entertaining.
This series primarily serves as an examination of the life of Michelle McNamara, a true crime blogger who spent years investigating and chronicling the crimes of a man known under many names, including the East Area Rapist, the Oakland Night Stalker and the Visalia Ransacker. Between 1973 and 1986, the man she would eventually name The Golden State Killer would commit at least thirteen murders, fifty rapes, and 120 burglaries across California (thank you, Wikipedia).
Continue reading “I’ll Be Gone in The Dark”
Bravery – Truth – Loyalty – Devotion to Family
When I initially heard that Disney was doing a live-action version of Mulan, I thought I wouldn’t bother to see it. I hadn’t seen the original cartoon, released back in 1998. Back then, my wife and I had been married six months, so I believe she and I mostly saw films targeted for adults back then. While I was familiar with the plot of the animated film (a young girl with exceptional fighting prowess and no interest in marital affairs takes her aging father’s place in the Imperial Army), I never sought out watching it. I’ve never had more than a passing interest in kung-fu movies, or movies based in the ancient orient that involved a lot of swords clanging and people flying around.
Continue reading “Mulan (2020)”
When you have been a consumer of movies and television for a long time, eventually you get to play the “remember when” game with your favorite actors and actresses. Case in point: Tom Hanks. Remember when he starred in a TV show that was a riff on Some Like it Hot? (That was Bosom Buddies, which ran from 1980-82.) Remember when he starred in an adult sex comedy? (Bachelor Party in 1984.) Remember when he played a thirteen year-old kid transported into a thirty year-old body in Big (way back in 1988)?
Continue reading “Greyhound (AppleTV+)”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Man finds himself reliving the same day until he finds a way to escape the loop. You may have immediately thought of Groundhog’s Day, the Bill Murry classic. That movie came out in 1993. Since then there have been other films that have utilized the concept, including Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day in 2017 (and its sequel, Happy Death Day 2U in 2019). Recent TV shows have also followed this pattern, from Westworld (where the hosts relive the same pre-programmed day until they revolt) to Upload (Amazon Prime), Undone (also Amazon Prime) and After Life (what’s up over at Amazon Prime, anyway?). I could go all the way back to the Greek legend of Sisyphus, but then we would be heading into TL;DR territory. (TL;DR: “too long; didn’t read”)
Continue reading “Palm Springs (Hulu)”
The following commentary is based on episodes one and two of the inaugural season. While my wife and I have watched episode, and if we watch episode four, I’ll post additional commentary. As they say, the jury is out on whether that will happen.
Continue reading “Perry Mason (HBO) – Season 1”
I haven’t watched a movie with Will Ferrell in a leading role since Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which came out in 2013. I can’t state exactly why my wife and I passed on seeing Daddy’s Home or its sequel. Or Get Hard. To me, it looked like Ferrell’s lovable doofus characters were being made the butt of violent jokes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but while his comedy trades in an innocent, child-like stupidity, most of the time there is an intelligence about it. For example, what Ferrell does as Ron Burgundy or Ricky Bobby or Frank in Old School works both as comedy and as meta-comedy at the same time. The jokes are obvious and sly at the same time. You can see the wheels going around in his mind while he performs. When Ferrell’s schtick (for lack of a better word) works, it’s because we can tell he put thought into what he is doing. When it doesn’t work, it comes off as sloppy or slapdash. Being stupid is not enough to get a laugh, or a movies-worth of laughs. Its the why behind the stupid.
Continue reading “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Netflix)”
Years from now, critics will look upon the year 2020 as the Year of the Streaming Blockbusters. With the release of numerous studio pictures into movie theaters put on hold due to the pandemic, moviegoers have turned to streaming services to get their fill of new movies. While Netflix has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the pandemic, Apple TV and Hulu have also gotten into the game. While having an alternative is always preferable to nothing, the alternative has been a decidedly different bag.
Continue reading “The Old Guard (Netflix)”
I finished The Stranger the other day. It was good. Not excellent, but solidly good. Season 1 focuses on several mysterious events and how everyone in the town is somehow connected to said mysterious events. First, we have a young … Continue reading The Stranger (Netflix)
Detroit Cineaste 