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AppleTV+ Brings Us THE VELVETEEN RABBIT

Jeri Jacquin

Streaming on AppleTV+ from director Jennifer Perrot and Rick Thiele adapted by the Margery Williams story is a story of love with THE VELVETEEN RABBIT.

William (Phoenix Laroche) is a young man who has difficulty making friends. His parents are very worries about him but do not know how to handle the situation. For Christmas, William receives a stuffed rabbit in his stocking and he is instantly captivated and found a friend.

Almost immediately William and Rabbit (Alex Lawther) set out for adventures and his new friend is absolutely delighted. Later, in the nursery, Rabbit meets the other bedtime toys with Wise Horse (Helena Bonham Carter), the King (Paterson Joseph), Car (Lois Chimimba) and Lion (Clive Rowe). They explain what it means to be real and Rabbit wants to be seen that way by William.

Left under a tree, Rabbit begins to questions William’s feelings and by the next morning, Rabbits world is about to change. Understanding what has happened and what must be done for his best friend, Rabbit begins to understand that love has no bounds. Doing what is right and based in love is what makes someone real – even a small rabbit.

Laroche as William is just endearing and so lovely as a young boy who can not seem to find his place in the world. He does, however, find adventure and love in a stuffed rabbit who is as real and alive to the boy as anything else in the world. I was so drawn in by Laroche’s portray of the young boy who just needed one rabbit to open his world.

Lawther as the voice of Rabbit is so soothing, calm and even when he is trying to understand the new world around him, remains ever dependable. There is something to be said for the way he speaks in that its almost a ‘thinking’ voice, the voice we all have within us but in Rabbit’s case is outside for William and his toy friends to hear.

Carter, Joseph, Chimimba and Rowe are sweet as Williams other nursery toys. They are gentle with Rabbit explaining how their world works. Even when things look dire, their explanation is filled with understanding and sympathy. We should all have such friends.

Other cast include Ellie Mejia as Miss Forrester, Samantha Colley as Mother, Leonard Buckley as Father, Tilly Vosburgh as Mary, Elizabeth O’Toole as Lucy, Nathaniel Parker and Bethany Antonia as the rabbits. 

AppleTV+ is a video on demand web television that debuted in 2019 viewable through the Apple TV app. CEO Tim Cook wanted original content calling it “a great opportunity for us from a creation point of view”. From THE MORNING SHOW to TRYING and THE BANKER and Jason Momoa in SEE, there is plenty of choices for everyone. Plenty of genres? That is exactly what they are bringing to viewers and to see more of what they have to offer please visit www.apple.com/tv/.

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT is a stunning mixture of cgi and animation in a story of love between a boy and his stuffed rabbit. It only has a running time of 40 minutes but personally it is probably all my emotions can take. The mixture of mediums offers an even more in-depth look at the relationship of adventure and fun for William and Rabbit which is amazing.

Bringing this story to AppleTV+ offers the opportunity for the family to not only see the story come to life once again, but perhaps invite the youngsters who have not experienced it. For those of us a little older, the story is reminiscent of childhood and, for some of us, remembering our own Rabbits (yes, I still have mine).

As the holiday season gets busy, this is the perfect film to sit back with a cup of tea for yourself and hot chocolate for the kids and cuddle together for a story of the ages. William and Rabbit have something to teach us all about friendship, loyalty and the ultimate in love.

In the end – when a child loves you with all their hearts!


FOR ALL MANKIND Sends Season One into Space

Jeri Jacquin

Coming on Bluray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and creators Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, Ronald D. Moore is the world of ‘what if’s’ about the history of the space race with FOR ALL MANKIND.

It is 1969 and, in this universe, Soviet Alexei Leonov has just landed and step foot on the moon ahead of NASA and the United States is stunned. Edward Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), an Apollo 10 astronaut, is furious and is out drinking when he tells a reporter that NASA basically didn’t do enough to win the space race. Baldwin’s wife Karen (Shantel VanSanten) knows this is trouble. 

Director Wernher Von Braun (Colm Feore) is not happy with this and send him to, well, Siberia refusing to work with him again. When Apollo 11 does go up, Armstrong (Jeff Branson) and Aldrin (Chris Agos) run into problems. Crossing the border into the United States, Rosales and his daughter Aleida (Coral Pena) start a new life and gets a job working at NASA. Aleida also finds that she has an interest in space.

Nixon wants a moon base and he wants it now even though Director Braun says it is not possible. The president doesn’t like being told no and a campaign against Braun begins and Baldwin finds himself in the middle of the mess. Margo (Wrenn Schmidt) has been loyal to Braun and is shocked to hear what has been happening. Deke Slayton (Chris Bauer) brings Baldwin back into the fold but not before another Soviet moon shock happens.  

Slayton is frustrated as Nixon once again makes demands of NASA and this time, he wants female astronauts. Included is Tracey Stevens (Sarah Jones), wife of Gordo Stevens (Michael Dorman) of Apollo 15, Molly Cobb (Sonya Walger), Patty Doyle (Cass Bugge), Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall) and Ellen Waverly (Jodi Balfour). The women are excited and the men are nervous as training begins, and it is all dangerous.

The Soviets are having problems of their own as well but NASA is pushing hard. Slayton has decided to remove Gordo from Apollo 15 and send Cobb instead. The problem is she has a chip on her shoulder the side of the moon. Margo tells her that she needs to rethink her attitude and that Cobb has the potential to blow the mission, the switch is flipped and she is on point.

Once on the moon, Cobb makes a discovery that allows the team to claim success in the mission. Poole is dealing with her husband who has returned from Vietnam with mental issues. That doesn’t stop from NASA’s Moon base names Jamestown. It’s now 1974, Baldwin, Gordo and Poole are living on the base and they are worried about communism. President Ted Kennedy is now running things and Apollo 23 causes a disaster that reworks NASA. Margo revisits Braun and finds a reason to get NASA to put her in charge and the Soviets have their Zvezda base. 

Apollo 24 is having its issues delaying its meet up with Jamestown and it is becoming clear that Gorgo needs to go home and how that happens is intense. Ellen and Larry (Nate Corrdry) are dealing with issues that the FBI are bringing to the forefront and there is only one solution. Home lives of other astronauts are becoming serious and Baldwin doesn’t know that his son has been in a serious accident. Baldwin also discovers that the Soviets are truly spying on their base. 

Karen is struggling and Apollo 24 continues to have technical failure. So much so that Ellen and Deke are dealing with the fallout. Dennis Tracy and Molly are preparing with Apollo 25 as the Soviets infringe on the U.S. mine but find they need their help from a country they shouldn’t. 

Ellen and Deke are dealing with what is happening aboard Apollo 24 and once again there is a need between two countries. Baldwin has a chance to find out firsthand what the Soviets are thinking and what they are doing. That does not stop the expansion of Jamestown, no one or nothing is going to stop it.

Kinnaman as Baldwin is a man determined to get to the moon even if he sometimes steps in a bit of trouble. Trying to balance a home life and a career, he sees the effect it has on his wife but the drive to go to space is powerful. I have always enjoyed Kinnaman’s performances and in this series, he does not disappoint and delivers a strong storyline with tension and emotion. VanSanten as wife Karen goes through a series of every emotion possible when trying to support the choices her husband makes but there comes a time when it is now her choice in what comes next in her life.

Dorman as Gordo has a history of being a ladies’ man and everyone knows it, but after a mission to the moon things begin to change for him. Dorman gives his character such complexities and I never know what he’s going to do next and that’s everything. Jones is wife Tracy who knows her husband has predilections and turns the other way. That is until she is recruited into NASA where the balance of their marriage shifts. Jones portrays Tracy as going through being a housewife to a career that no one saw coming.

Balfour as Ellen is working hard to get up the ladder at NASA and is making choices about her life because of the stigma push of society. Balfour is quietly powerful and it will all come to radical decisions for their time. Schmidt as Madison leans heavily on her friendship with Von Braun but will find her own footing. Schmidt carves a path for her character and its again subtlety strong. Walger as Cobb jumps into training but it doesn’t mean she isn’t clear about who wants to be in power and who is in charge of the fake socials. Marshall as Poole is a woman of color who knows what she needs to do to get to the moon. When it comes down to it, Marshall is put in the position that conflicts with NASA and home. 

Pena as Aleida has a match problem but once her father introduces her to the possibilities at NASA, she is taken under Margo’s wing to find where she wants to be. Her father has a melt down when she makes it clear than rather going to college to become an engineer, she wants to stay in school with her friends and the boy in her life. 

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

The Bluray includes the 10 Episodes: Red Moon, He Built the Saturn V, Nixon’s Women, Prime Crew, Into the Abyss, Home Again, Hi Bob, Rupture, Bent Bird, and A City Upon a Hill.

FOR ALL MANKIND: Season One introduces the viewer to a world that would not be expecting. It is not upside down or twisted but a linear view, side by side, with the basic history of space. There are issues and incidents that keep us on the ground and then on the other line is unexpected and fantastic storylines that compel continual viewing. 

The cinematography of space is pure joy if even if you might not be a total space fan. It shows exactly what we would expect of the cosmos and of life on the moon. The intensity of the missions is filmed beautifully and keeps the suspense exactly where it should be, thumping in the middle of our chests. The political issues are interesting because it tackles the story of ‘what if this didn’t happen’ scenarios and everything is challenging.

Let’s not forget the drama and intrigue of the cast of characters either. It is vast and for both men and women, families and friends, life decisions and issues that although playing in the linear universe to our own, are totally relatable and equally frustrating. The first few episodes are a mixture and take a moment to place but once it happens, everything else expands like the universe. 

Strap down because this rocket doesn’t slow down.

In the end – the space race is never going to end!


THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW: Celebrity Holiday 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on the Roku Channel is a signal that the holidays are here as THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW: Celebrity Holiday bakes up the goods.

This year hosted by Casey Wilson and Zach Cherry, celebrities Joel McHale, Phoebe Robinson, Heather McMahan, DeAndre “DJ” Jordan, Ego Nwodim, and Arturo Castro will be judged Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. Their culinary talents (maybe) will be judged on three challenges and the final creations.

First, for their Signature Bake, they are making sandwich cookies with the filling of their choice. and the only instruction is to make something that invoke holiday memories. The minute they are told to “bake!”, the chaos begins with only one hour and forty minutes to impress Paul and Prue. The offerings of snowmen, Christmas tree decorations and many more are up for judging. Paul knows what he is looking for and is not about to cut them any slack and Prue is enjoying the sweets.

For the Technical Challenge, they have no idea what they will be baking. All they know is Paul loves to push the limits of reading instructions. Making six Sufganiyot (jelly donuts) that are pure perfection, they have only two and a half hours to complete the task. It is clear that there is no way the excitement can be contained – especially when one particular celebrity is thrilled to be using a ‘proving drawer’ for the first time!

Finally, to get the coveted GABS Cake-Plate, the gang’s final challenge is the Show Stopper Challenge. They are asked to make a novelty cake decorated as their favorite childhood toy. Using sponge cake, they can use any filling of their choice and they have a little over three hours to make it all come together. Prue knows what can happen if they are not accurate in their measurements for their cakes to stand up to the decorations.

Joel is banging a drum which is close to his comedy roots (ba-da-dum), Ego is making the toy of her childhood dreams that actually works for her time baking, Phoebe is doing something that has Paul questioning her color choices, DJ recalls the best Christmas present he ever received and its going to be proudly atop his vegan cake, Heather is working on an homage to her blondeness in strawberries, and Arturo is twisting his colors in eggnog while Prue runs off with a certain ingredient. 

Roku pioneered streaming on TV. Connecting users to the content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku TV models and Roku streaming players are available in various countries around the world. Roku also operates The Roku Channel, the home of free and premium entertainment with exclusive access to Roku Originals. For more information go to www.therokuchannel.roku.com. 

I am a huge fan of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW and never miss a season (and have even re-watched seasons). Witnessing the changes the show has take and always happy to see the return of Paul Hollywood and Prue. Let’s be honest here, when Paul stares with those icy blue eyes, the world stops spinning. That being said, he also knows his profession and even in good fun he lets each baker know what they can do better next time.

Watching the fun, excitement and creativity in each of the celebrities is always fantastic and with the holidays it’s a tasty good start. The competition has these six contestants talking to themselves, being openly hilarious and even helping one another a bit to bring goodies to the holidays. I’m a tad jealous that they are in the tent but I’m determined to someday stand inside it myself, not to bake – just stand.

THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW: Celebrity Holidays is truly a fun way to start the holidays. Watching these celebrities come together, enjoy each other’s company and learns so much than they could have imagined is so cool. Baking has already started in many households to prepare for Thanksgiving so there are plenty more days till Christmas to become our best creative selves. Each of the challenges offers up new and exciting ideas to test out on friends and family.

Am I going to give away the winner? Of course not! I’m not a Scrooge so gather the bakers together and have a great time watching THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW: Celebrity Holidays.

In the end – it is everything delicious!

She Escapes to THE WINTER HOUSE

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to streaming services such as Apple TV, Amazon, and Sling TV and also on VOD from writer/director Keith Boynton, Choice Films and Freestyle comes the story of the 
unexpected when looking for solace in THE WINTER HOUSE.

Eileen (Lili Taylor) has found the most remote place on a lake in New Hampshire to spend time alone. Happy for the solace, she spends time walking, reading and thinking - which can be dangerous for a writer. The days pass with some semblance of routine until one night there is a stranger in the kitchen. Stumbling around is Jesse (Francois Arnaud), intoxicated and also unsure of what is happening.

After introductions, Eileen makes it clear that she is renting the house and that Jesse needs to find his way to his own home. Trying to sober him up, she decides to let him stay the night. After a few days of his company, a bit of irritation sets in feeling that her whole reason for being at the house feels intrusive.

Even sending him away doesn't last long but their conversations become more personal and deeper. Each has the chance to share what has happened to put them in the spot they are both in. Especially when a man named Paul (Hunter Emery) shows up at Eileen's door demanding to see Jesse and now the whole truth in both their lives comes to a head and neither can run away any longer.

Taylor as Eileen gives the performance clearly of a distraught woman who, after so many years, is no longer sure what she wants from this life. Taking time away has several purposes and none of them will move her forward. Not even the unexpected visitor seems to shock her in any way but instead Taylor’s Eileen accepts it all as it is and not what Jesse might want it to be. Taylor’s performance is deliberate, sadly sweet and filled with details as they come to light.

Arnaud as Jesse reacts the opposite of Eileen. Where she is quiet and deliberate, he is loud and emotional. He also has a trunk load of secrets that cannot stay hidden from anyone, no matter how much Jesse drinks. Trying to find a connection to something that is tangible, Arnaud’s portrayal of Jesse is that of a man who knows what the right thing is, but, as with all human beings with a past, fear can be ever controlling.

Emery as the mysterious Paul is the brute tension to the story and he does it in a short scene. That keeps the guessing high wondering when this character is going to show up again.

Other cast include Stephen C. Bradbury as the Shop Owner and Beth Fowler as Deborah.

Freestyle Releasing specializes in releasing films theatrically and representing independent films. Releasing content through Freestyle Digital Media, their most successful film theatrically to date is the 2014 film GOD’S NOT DEAD. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv

THE WINTER HOUSE is a slow-paced story that is laid out in increments allowing the viewer to be a part of the deeper story that is to come. Keeping the cast small is a favorite of mine because it allows us to quietly enter into the room and experience for ourselves the story’s we don't tell each other. Eileen is a complex character in her own right trying to hide the bag of bricks she carries in solace. Jesse is less complex but still a man who has created his own path and now it’s time to clean it up.

Taylor and Arnaud together are a powerhouse but in a subtle way. In fact, the entire film is subtle with nothing earth shattering or loud but instead, a deep quiet dive into the lives of two human beings who are looking for a connection that allows their existence to make sense. That is what makes the film relatable as well, two people with the same feelings in a shared space with only one thing separating them – secrets.

In the end – how far away is far enough?



PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Digital from director and award-winning photographer Fabrizio Ferri and VMI Worldwide is a look at one of the most photographed women with PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN.

This documentary, narrated by Charles Dance, looks at the life of an iconic queen and her legacy. This is a perspective on how she came to be so visually represented throughout her long and memorable reign. Referred to as a stable for in the lives of millions, people from all over the world have been affected by her presence. Her decades long presence in the life of her own subjects, they share their true feelings for the monarch.

But her pictures have always stood out beginning with the most prestigious with her first royal portrait after becoming queen. Equally stunning are photographs of the crowds on that very same day and the pride felt in their royal traditions.

Emma Blau, photographic artist and curator/co-owner of Camera Press, has a dedicated archive of the Queen. Photographers do their best to be original in their portrayal of her majesty. Blau makes her case in how photographing the queen from the first has brought about so many changes in the way a portrait is done.

John Swannell is one of the photographers of the Queen and recalls his encounter as the second big occasion to photograph the new queen was her wedding to Prince Phillip. Brian Aris was invited by the palace to do royal photographs as well. Meeting and photographing the Queen became quite a nervous experience, as one would expect.

Even Canadian singer and performer Brian Adams took photos of the Queen in 2004. What came of it is that one of his photos became the center of a Canadian postage stamp and her majesty loved it.

Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino, believes the Queen’s expressiveness spoke louder than words. Her clothing does the same thing and shows through photographs. Vivid colors and pastels become a staple of photographing the Queen. 

Photographer Julian Calder speaks about the lasting images of the photographs taken at Balmoral. His photos of the queen near a river in her robes creates stunning and images that are unique and timeless.

Having informal photographs of the Queen, it shows a different aspect and perspective of her life. Photos with her children, family, husband and her beloved corgis brings about a sense of relatability to those who view them.

David Montgomery came to England in the 1960s and stays busy with his work. Getting his chance to photograph the queen, at first, he declines. After speaking with his wife, he agrees to take the pictures. He begins his work photographing the queen at Balmoral in Scotland in, what would be considered, a relaxed atmosphere. Fireside, corgis and her beloved horses all become prominent in these photographs. It is an amazing experience that he holds very dear.

Jason Bell is the photographer at the 2013 christening of her great-grandson Prince George. Bell did his research of previous portraits of the royal family. He gets to observe the family life of the royals as they come together for the photograph.

Chris Levine, an artist, uses light and laser to create his art. The queen sat for a holographic portrait. Explaining the process in detail is complicated, yet at one point Levine feels someone behind him and it is the queen herself. As an avid photographer herself, her interest in what is happening becomes very clear.

The queen has represented so much to the people and the biggest word to describe feelings is – respect. England is a complicated country, as most countries are, but the feelings toward the queen are clear, she is a beloved monarch.

Even after her death, this documentary is a beautiful, stunning and colorful reminder of a woman who spent her life in service, caring for a family and became an unwavering symbol during times of distress as well as joy. 

Other voices in the documentary are Isabella Rossellini and Susan Sarandon. 

VMI Productions started off with BLOOD OF REDEMPTION, starring Dolph Lundgren and Vinnie Jones (2012), and WICKED BLOOD, starring Sean Bean, Abigail Breslin, and James Purefoy (2014), which were both distributed and co-produced by Entertainment One in North America. VMI’s third film, WAR PIGS, starring Mickey Rourke and Luke Goss (2015), was released theatrically by Cinedigm in the US as part of a multi-picture output deal with Cinedigm for North American distribution for in-house productions. For more information, please visit http://www.vmiworldwide.com/

As a result of this evolution, VMI possesses the ability and desire to board the right project, at any stage of development, and is capable of attaching cast and/or financing as well as finding the right distribution partners for a film. VMI seeks to establish long-term working relationships with its production partners.

PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN is a stunning look through photography and those who created the images, the life of England’s monarch. Charles Dance is a voice worth listening to in every performance he has done but more so throughout this documentary. He reads diaries, stories and ideas on photography of those who had the honor of photographing her majesty. 

Director Ferri says, “Elisabeth II has, over the years, worked with great photographers from whom she has commissioned the portraits used to build, communicate and manage her image. Paola Calvetti, author of the book Elisabetta II. Ritratto di Regina, asked me to direct and do the photography for the film PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN written by her. Paola’s intuition to take an unprecedented point of view and make a film about the collaboration between Queen Elizabeth II and the great photographers in compelling and winning. I started working on it with care and attention and began imagining a point of view that was also unprecedented in order to turn the book into a film.”

I enjoyed having Dance read and narrate the documentary as well as perspectives from Rossellini and Sarandon on their feelings towards not only being photographed but meeting the Queen. Each photographer brings something wonderful to this story and its telling of an icon while being in her presence. Each of them seems to tell of her interest in what they were doing and, having an opinion on their artistry.

For myself, I have always admired Queen Elizabeth II as a strong figure and personable in her own gracious way. From deaths, wars, family tragedy, political struggles, and the change in times – she made her own way through each. I never once saw in photographs or reels any sign of a woman overcome but it all. Instead, I saw a woman who showed how to make it through it all.

Of course, that is the image the palace wanted but it does not mean it wasn’t who she was and I’d prefer to believe that her gift was just that – a woman of strength and dignity who just happened to also wear a crown. 



A SMALL LIGHT Shines So Bright

Jeri Jacquin

Currently available from National Geographic Studios and ABC Signature in a limited series is the story of the Frank family and another part of the story from the view of A SMALL LIGHT.

Miep Gies (Bel Powley) was born in Austria but was adopted by a family in Holland. It is 1940 and she loves her family but they see she is not married and without a job and they are worried0about her. That’s when Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) comes into her life and a job that she wasn’t even qualified for happens. 

Miep becomes close to the Frank family and enjoys the company of Edith (Amira Casar), Anne (Billie Boullet) and Margot (Ashley Brooke). She also meets Jan (Joe Cole) and finally makes the second thing her parents are worried about happen – she is married. Everything is going well for Miep even though things are a bit strange with the war begun by Hitler.

One afternoon in 1942, Mr. Frank asks Miep to come into the office to talk. He tells her that leaving Germany was for the protection of his family and now fears that he did not go further enough away. He asks that Miep help him to go into hiding with his family and she does not hesitate to agree. The story is that the Frank family has gone to Switzerland. 

The plan is made for the Frank family to move into the upstairs small loft that was not being used and that no one knows about. During the day the family would have to remain silent and quietly move about at night. Miep is all in on the plans to get everyone to the loft before the Nazi’s arrive. Helping from the office as well is typist Tess (Eleanor Tomlinson) and Victor Kugler (Nicholas Burns).

Also going into hiding is Hermann Van Pels (Andy Nyman), wife Auguste (Caroline Catz) and son Peter (Rudi Goodman) and joined later by Dr. Pfeffer (Noah Taylor). Now the challenge begins on how to keep the family safe, fed and out of the reach of the Nazi’s. Once Miep tells Hans, who is a social worker who sees how wrong people are being treated, decides he also wants to be a part of the Dutch resistance.

As the Frank’s are hiding, Miep learns how to help run Mr. Frank’s pectin business and along with that are a few secrets that make things a little difficult. Jan starts his part by helping people with children get them to a safe place. Relationships are obviously strained as Miep learns who she can trust, who she cannot, how far people are willing to go to betray one-time friends and what will happen to them all?

This is a story of friendship, survival, loyalty and hope for the future!

Powley as Miep is exceptional in this role. She gives Miep a powerful voice, even if it does get her in trouble occasionally, and an equally powerful sense of right and wrong. Once she begins working for the Franks, Miep blossoms even more if that would be possible. She takes the Franks and others under her protection and takes on the role of protector, provider and keeper of secrets that could hurt them all. I just loved every time Powley was on screen as she truly is a force to be reckoned with. Taking on this iconic role, she made it look easy and brought out so many emotions from the first episode to the last.

Schreiber as Otto Frank is a big task for any actor yet Schrieber handle it with such grace and a sense of calm when everything around this character was in chaos. From accepting Miep and her ways to saving his family and a few others, it is clear that Frank was constantly thinking and staying as informed as he could. The relationship on screen with Powley is just breathtaking.

Cole as Jan has a rough beginning with Miep but when he sees how strong she is and the possibilities of doing right by others, he jumps right in. Cole gives his characters strength as a human being but also as a husband (and he needs it!). I thoroughly enjoyed his performance and teared up more than a few times as Cole’s portrayal of Jan is compassionate beyond measure.

There are so many strong performances in this limited series that I could write about them all day. Casar, Boulette and Brooke as the Frank women are trying to do their best but with all mothers and daughters – there are issues as it become a tense situation in the loft. Tomlinson as Tess does what she can and helps when she is able, including a little secret milk run. Burns as Office Manager Kugler also puts his life on the line to help the Franks and the intensity comes every time there is a knock at the door.

Other cast include Liza Sadovy as Mrs. Stoppelman, Ian McElhinney as Johannes Kleinman, Laurie Kynaston as Casmir, Sebastian Armesto as Max Stoppleman, Bill Milner as Tonny Ahlers, Sean Hart as Willem, Preston Nyman as Kuno Van Der Horst, Hanna van Vliet as Frieda, Tom Stourton as Daniel Van Dijk, Daniel Donskoy as Karl Silberbauer, Dylan Edwards as Isaac Schwartz, Sarah T. Cohen as Maya Schwartz, Sinead Phelps as Anka, and Brian Caspe as Laurens. 

National Geographic is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society. They support a diverse, international community of changemakers — National Geographic Explorers — who use the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. For more information, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

ABC Signature is an American television production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is a division of The Walt Disney Company. 

The episodes include Pilot, Welcome to Switzerland, Motherland, The Butterfly, Scheilfeld, Boiling Point, What Can Be Saved and Legacy

The cast is absolutely stellar as each of the directors Susanna Fogel, Leslie Hope and Tony Phelan seamlessly bring the story of Miep Gies and what her contribution was to the Frank family and the people of the Netherlands. The intensity is palpable and the heartbreak felt to the soul as Meip and Jan make it perfectly clear that a few can make a large difference.

From the loft, to the office to the streets, there is such a constant fear and yet a hope that the viewer will feel in each episode. Living in a time where being Jewish came with consequences, there was once a time no one could imagine what the war would cost them. It was also a time where good people put their own lives in jeopardy by doing the right thing for the Jewish community and humanity itself.

This series should be a must-see for educators because then it becomes a teaching tool. The Diary of Anne Frank became one of the most memorable books I ever read in school and I have re-read it so many times the cover is tattered. A SMALL LIGHT goes even further in explaining how things happened and what was happening on the other side of the bookcase door.  

A SMALL LIGHT is streaming on the National Geographic channel and available next day on Hulu and Disney+. 

In the end – sometimes you have to risk everything!


Apple TV Brings Answers to the Final Season of SERVANT

Jeri Jacquin

Streaming on AppleTV+ tomorrow from M. Knight Shyamalan is the conclusion to the twisted and complicated series SERVANT.

Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) is decorating the house in anticipation of the return of Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose). After her accident, it is time for Dorothy to return home to work on recovery and being home with son Jericho.

Husband Sean (Toby Kebbell) realizes there is a disconnect between he and Dorothy. He has his highly successful cooking show but it is on the back burner to the chaos in his home. Wanting to be there for his wife, she is distant and untrusting of him. Brother Julian (Rupert Grint) is wary of everything and even having problems in his relationship with Leanne.

There is something outside the brownstone that is determined to get Leanne back into the fold. Attack after attack, she manages to keep them at bay. When Dorothy returns, there is animosity between the two women that Leanne can not seem to grasp. Dorothy is determined to get well and calls on two women Bobbie (Barbara Kingsley) and Bev (Denny Dillon) to care for her.

Leanne is starting to unravel and everyone in the house sees it – especially Julian. As Bobbie and Bev make their mark on the Turner household, Leanne makes it clear that she is not happy with what is happening and it must be said, when Leanne isn’t happy bad things begin to happen.

As if they already haven’t been happening.

Ambrose as Dorothy is a woman who is clearly on the warpath. She may not be able to physically get to Leanne but she sure knows how to play the game. There are concessions to be made where Jericho is concerned but Dorothy is going to have her way. Ambrose has always given such complexity to the role of Dorothy and it has been mind boggling and delightful all at the same time. Keeping it together mentally was worth watching every moment of, now it’s time to see what Ambrose does physically with Dorothy and I’m all in. Well done!

Free as Leanne has gone from a sweet, loving, caring – oh wait, that was only in the first few episodes. Clearly this character begins to come into her own and discovers that she has something that other people want. Trying to stay away from those who would keep her captive, she makes a place for herself with the Turner family. The problem is that they are starting to question whether she truly does have a place. Free is absolutely stunning as Leanne and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her embrace and take this role in places I didn’t see coming. 

Kebbell as Sean is dealing with his own personal guilt. Constantly being pulled from Dorothy to Leanne and back again, I’m surprised he doesn’t have whiplash from the first three seasons. Now, with Dorothy literally down in the dumps, he might find a way to get back to her with the help of two little old ladies and a bit of ‘chef’ing. Kebbell has shown his character to be a bit of a narcissist and self-centered, but in this season, Kebbell has to show contrition with Sean and I have no doubt in my mind that will lead to choosing between Leanne and Dorothy for the fight of their lives.

Grint as Julian has, through these seasons, been the reason I laugh, a lot of jaw dropping and wondering what part his character will play in this last season. Right now he is shagging the nanny as it were but there is a price to pay for playing with crazy. I have so enjoyed watching the subtle and not so subtle changes in Julian and Grint is the reason for it. Come hell or high insanity, Grint’s portrayal of Julian is there in the thick of it and even if he doesn’t understand anything or everything, he doesn’t hesitate to talk about it. 
Shout out to Kingsley and Dillon for being the new gals in town. They bring their own brand of crazy that I kind of like. Moving into the Turner home isn’t a cake walk (chef pun intended) but these two women aren’t about to let anyone in the house push them around or stop them from helping Dorothy get well. That is making Leanne crazy!

Other cast include Tony Revolori as Tobe, Molly Griggs as Isabelle, and Todd Waring as Frank Pearce. 

Apple+ is a video on demand web television that debuted in 2019. Viewable through Apple’s TV app, CEO Tim Cook wanted original content calling it “a great opportunity for us from a creation point of view”. From THE MORNING SHOW to TRYING and THE BANKER and Jason Momoa in SEE, there is plenty of choices for everyone. Plenty of genres? That is exactly what they are bringing to viewers and to see more of what they have to offer please visit www.apple.com/tv/.
SERVANT has been a series I could not stop watching, so much so that I have watched it twice to look for any clues as to where the story might be going. Honestly, I don’t think I wanted to know everything because it ruins the startling surprises and twists that are thrown into each thirty minute episode.

Yes, the thirty minutes never seems enough time but that’s the brilliance of SERVANT. Those thirty minutes are jam packed full of story telling and when the credits roll, I can guarantee you that those watching are practically throwing things at their television screens. To me, that is awesome!

This cast has brought four seasons of intensity, laughter, head smacks, and no denying a lot of ‘wtf’s along with way. Shyamalan, along with creator Tony Basgallop, have brought something unique and a bit mind blowing to Appletv+. But all good things must come to an end whether we like it or not right? It has been one heck of a unique wild ride!

Gawd what a great show.

He is QUASI

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on HULU from director Kevin Heffernan and Searchlight Pictures is the twisted hilarity and the story of QUASI. 

It is 1800’s France and the very hunched Quasi (Steven Lemme) is hanging out with his friend Duchamp (Kevin Heffernan). Walking to work, Quasi is subjected to, well let’s just say, bad manners by the people of his village. Working at the local torture chamber, the rest of the village is celebrating Pope Week. 

King Guy (Jay Chandrasekhar) is bored with life at the moment and with the new Queen Catherine (Adrianne Palicki). She is stunning but more importantly, very smart as well. She visits the torture chamber below wanting a tour led by Quasi taking an interesting in his work. 

In the town square, Quasi finds himself the winner of an audience with the Pope but also the King. During a private conversation, the King reveals what he really wants – the Pope gone! Pope Cornelius (Paul Soter) does not want to spend one dinner moment longer than he has to with King Guy as it seems there is a history there as Cardinal Claude (Erik Stolhanske) gets caught in the dining crossfire.

When Quasi finally has his confessional win with the Pope, it seems the King isn’t the only one who wants a person knocked off with a jewel encrusted dagger. Now Quasi is caught between two men who want each other dead and a Queen who has plans of her own. As with everything in Quasi’s life, things go awkwardly wrong with death is at his doorstep, he shows that even a hunchback can be a hero!

Lemme as Quasi is so sweet and really doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Shocked at the attentions of Queen Catherine, that has to be put aside while he finds his way out of a serious mess. Lemme is just cool, period, and, if it can be said – nice hump dude! Heffernan as buddy Duchamp is a little more than upset that Quasi won the lottery. Getting attention from the lovelies of the village is about one step more than he can handle. Heffernan takes his role and makes me want to spend the evening doing shots with him.

Chandrasekhar as King Guy is a ruler full of, well, himself and has no conscience where death is concerned. That all being said, Chandrasekhar looks frakken fantastic in a crown! I do have to say that I miss his moustache but I can’t be greedy (or can I?). As the King, he is greedy, arrogant and petulant – and I love it. 

Soter as the Pope is a man of some god or other with a long-standing grudge toward the King. Soter’s version of the Pope is probably the most hilarious ‘pope’ I’ve seen mainly because he says what a lot of us think. Stolhanske as the Cardinal is the perfect pairing with Soter, their whispering session was sheer hilarity. 

Palicki as Queen Catherine is hilarious, beautiful, smart and is not about to let a King or a Pope stand in her way of making sure Quasi is saved. Well, truth be told she isn’t thrilled about being married to this particular King either. Palicki is charming and hilarious all rolled into one, but then again, I’d expect nothing less! Long live the Queen!

SHOUT OUT to Brian Cox, seriously, you can not reunite the gang without bringing back the leader with the voice that makes you want to buy a burger from McDonalds and crushes family in succession. Yea, I did that.

Other cast include Buck Heffernan, Quinn Heffernan, Kelsey Heffernan, Eugene Cordero, Marcus Henderson, Michael Yurchak Hassie Harrison, Gabrielle Lane, Gabriel Hogan and Phil Hudson.

Hulu is the leading premium streaming service offering live and on-demand television and movies. The platform gives viewers instant access to current shows, libraries of hit television series and film as well as Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning originals such as The Handmaid’s Tale and The Act. For more of what Hulu has to offer please visit www.hulu.com.

Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

The SUPER TROOPERS band of Broken Lizard consisting of Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske join writer/director Heffernan in creating their newest comedy. Based on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, this 1831 class is being set on its ear!

It is nice to see the band is back together again taking on a period piece with the coolest set designs. Running along the borderline of appropriate, I’ve always thought this group is the funniest because of their unique ability to dance along that line while making us all laugh. As a superfan of the 2001 film SUPER TROOPERS and use the lines from the film in everyday life, my funny bone needed a good laugh right meow!

Taking the story of Quasi and giving it every hilarious moment they could squeeze out is not only what I would expect from this gang of comedy misfits but, to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have watched otherwise. The pairing of Lemme with Heffernan, Chandrasekhar with Soter and Palicki as the sparkling, sugar coated cake topper is everything.

Get ready for a new twist on an old tale, or should I say a new twisted story just waiting for this particular group to share.

In the end – every day is a hump day!

Disney+ Brings PETER PAN & WENDY

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Disney+ from writer/director David Lowery based on the story by author J.M. Barrie is the classic tale of PETER PAN & WENDY.

In London, Wendy Darling (Ever Anderson) is at home with her brothers John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe) enjoying her last night at play. Parents George (Alan Tudyk) and Mary (Molly Parker) have decided that it is time for her to grow up and go off to boarding school. Make it clear to her mother that she is unhappy does not change their decision.

Mother may not be listening but Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and fairy Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi) are! They decide to take the Darling children back to Neverland. Almost immediately they are introduced to Captain Hook (Jude law) who just can’t get over losing his hand to a crocodile. Helping in the chaos is Mr. Smee (Jim Gaffigan) who stands at Hook’s side even though he might not always agree with what is happening.

Becoming separated, Wendy is on her own and meets Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatahk) and the Lost Boys as they all watch when John and Michael are captured by Hook. Peter sees this all as part of the adventure but Wendy sees it as her brothers are in serious trouble. Following them to Skull Rock, the skirmish begins.

Wendy is furious with Peter Pan but the Lost Boys explain to her the history with Captain Hook and Peter. She also learns the story of James, Peter and Neverland as she begins to understand her friend more. Captain Hook makes another attack and he believes his problems with Peter are over.

Tiger Lily makes sure that Peter Pan has one more chance to rescue the Darling children. Now, it is time to finally settle their differences one last time, or is it one last time?

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment continues to bring quality programming to kids and kids at heart. Home of the most beloved animated features including SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO and SLEEPING BEAUTY to name a few is what keeps families coming back for more. To see what is currently available to add to your own family library please visit. www.movies.disney.com for their At Home titles!

Disney+ is the subscription home streaming entertainment with Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. There are exclusive originals with new feature films, shows, short form content, documentaries, and actions series such as THE MANDALORIAN. For more information, please visit www.disneyplus.com.

Other cast include Forence Bensberg as Curly, Sebastian Rodriguez as Nibs, Jesse Pierce as Skylight, Ian Tracey as Sallyport, Skyler and Kelsey Yates as Twin 1 and 2, Diana Tsoy as Birdie, Noah Matofsky as Slightly, John DeSantis as Jukes, Gargield Wilson as Gurley, and Caelan Edie as Tootles. 
PETER PAN & WENDY is a sweet family film that deserves to be on Disney+ along side the animated film and Robin Williams version of the same name. Attempting to expand on the tale is fine but nothing earth shattering. Flying boy - check, fairy - check, Lost Boys – check, Hook and pirates on a ship – check, adventures – check, and crocodile – check. Done.

Basically, it is the Peter Pan story told again when it truly didn’t need to be. Disney has gone well out of its way to rewrite their own story telling and it isn’t really doing much for me. To be honest, my family watches Disney+ more for the original telling because that is what we love. The original animation and characters have continued to delight us again and again.

The re-telling, re-thinking, re-imaging and whatever other label they want to attach to their filmmaking in the past few years isn’t needed. You can tell the story of Peter Pan any way you want but it’s still the story of Peter Pan so instead of rehashing old stories, making our favorite animation into silly live-action – I have a great idea.

How about the money go for new and smart storytelling? Create new characters that are fair and balanced, spend the funds on all those great writers and directors and actors just waiting to be a part of something special, something Disney.

That’s my opinion for what it’s for, PETER PAN & WENDY is a nice, charming family fun film but it doesn’t offer anything new and exciting and I miss that about an icon that is generational. Oh well, it was the wonderful world of Disney.

In the end – it is the next adventure!

BLACK BIRD 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Apple+ from director Dennis Lehane is the story of a man who had it all and became careless with it in BLACK BIRD. 

Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton) is a handsome and impeccably dressed young man who finds himself in a position of losing money and defending a friend who cheated and lied. Thinking that event was over, his house is raided by the FBI. Now he has traded in his impeccable suits for an orange coverall.

Visiting his son is, Big Jim Keene (Ray Liotta), a former cop, tells Jimmy that local prosecutor Edmund Beaumont (Robert Wisdom) can not be bought. Pleading guilty, he discovers that everyone who promised a few years lied as the judge hands down a 10-year prison sentence. Seven months in Jimmy comes face to face with Beaumont again and with Agent Lauren McCauley (Sepideh Moafi).

Admitting that Jimmy could charm his way out of anything, Agent McCauley wants Jimmy to get information from a serial killer. In exchange for his help, Jimmy would get full commutation of his sentence. If he doesn’t get the information then he is back where he started. At first, he says no because he does not trust Beaumont, but McCauley leaves the file for him to see what they are up against – and he starts to read. 

In 1994, Brian Miller (Greg Kinnear) is a Chief County Investigator for the sheriff along with Officer Holt (Trazi Lashawn) found one of the young victims in a corn field. Beginning their investigation, Miller discovers that the information they have matches with other incidences that have happened. Officer Chris Drysdale (Carlo Alban) mentions Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) and Miller’s ears are burning. 

A chance to interview Hall, Miller also meets Det. Aborn (Cullen Moss) and they all think that the talk is a waste of time. That is until Larry starts talking about what he dreams about and about brother Gary (Jake McLaughlin) and then when presented with a photograph of a young woman, it all falls apart. 

Miller has no choice but to take it up the chair, enter Beaumont and McCauley and deciding if Jimmy can handle dealing with a serial killer. Bring Larry in again, he again starts talking and this time about his depression and loneliness and it leads to a shocking confession. As the team gets things on paper, they are shocked once again. Brother Gary is furious with the police and refuses to believe anything they say about Larry.

Now, Jimmy is being transferred to Springfield to the prison where Larry is being held. The rules are simple, don’t make an instant friendship with Hall, don’t break any rules and the only people who know who he really is are the warden and Dr. 

Outside, the court of appeals is moving forward and so is the schedule that Jimmy is on. Now the real story begins.

Egerton as Keene is a kid who has spent most of his life without doing what ever he wanted as if almost feeling bulletproof. Prison definetly is not for him so when offered a way out, he did not trust it because of lies he had been told before prison. The more he talks with the FBI, and with his father ill, Keene decides this is a way out. Egerton gives his character so much charm and, dare I say, almost as sly as Larry Hall without the murder. As he listens to the stories that are meant to free him, the walls are closing in and Egerton shows us that Keene is no longer bulletproof – he is literally crawling his way to freedom.

Kinnear as Miller is struck from the moment he is taken to the body of Jessica Roache. The look that this actor gives lets you know from that moment on, nothing is going to stop him from finding the killer. Hitting wall after wall, Miller twists, turns and dodges until he gets the answers. Kinnear does a stellar job in this role and I enjoyed it immensely which is odd considering the content of the material.

Moafi as McCauley is the proverbial dog with a bone. No one is going to convince this agent that anyone else is responsible other than Larry. Teaming up with Miller, they pull apart and piece together clues that lead to shocking revelations. Moafi gives her character courage, righteous anger and a coolness that I gave plenty of nods too.

Liotta as Big Keene is a father who is trying to do the right thing after knowing he was not the father he should have been. The problem is, now he is going overboard and puts his son’s life in danger. It was awesome to see Liotta and will be missed on big and small screens. Wisdom as Beaumont is doing his job but, in Keene’s eyes, he is not to be trusted. Alban as Drysdale can not believe that Larry could do anything wrong and refers to him as a “serial confessor”. McLaughlin as Gary is a dedicated brother who will protect him to the end – but what will it cost humanity?

Now, I save this for last because I still am stunned (but I shouldn’t be) at the performance of Paul Walter Hauser as Larry. The first time I truly noticed this actor was in the 2019 film RICHARD JEWELL and was gob smacked at his performance. When I read that he was in BLACK BIRD along with Egerton, I knew I had to see it. I was not disappointed – instead, I was disturbed, disgusted, confused, angry, yelling at the screen and exhausted by the end of the series. THAT is how you know that only Hauser could have played this role. Every moment Hauser is on screen is pure perfection (again, is weird considering the material, right?). He takes the audience on a journey as Larry of insanity, justification, weird innocence, even weirder childhood and a way of talking that is almost hypnotic and explanations that are jaw dropping. 

Apple+ is a video on demand web television that debuted in 2019. Viewable through Apple’s TV app, CEO Tim Cook wanted original content calling it “a great opportunity for us from a creation point of view”. From THE MORNING SHOW to TRYING and THE BANKER and Jason Momoa in SEE, there is plenty of choices for everyone. Plenty of genres? That is exactly what they are bringing to viewers and to see more of what they have to offer please visit www.apple.com/tv/.

Director Lehane should be awarded for what he has put together with a cast that is so well chosen and riveting to watch. The mixture of flashbacks, the victims’ stories and those involved whirlwind around Keene and Hall as their own story unfolds. It is the bouncing back and forth between Keene and Hall that is a match that will send the brain scrambling. 

There is not one episode that wavers with the breakdown at the end of reality for almost everyone involved. The breaking point is so fragile in each of the characters that being prepared for it – I wasn’t. 

In the end – only one knows the truth until now!

THE GOOD NURSE

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Netflix from Film Nation is the suspense drama based on a true story with THE GOOD NURSE.

Amy (Jessica Chastain) is an ICU nurse trying to make ends meet while also raising a daughter. Learning that her heart is in trouble, Amy continues to work and keeps the condition to herself. Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne) is the new hire who is just as compassionate and caring as Amy which makes for a good friendship. 

Daughters Maya (Devyn McDowell) and Alex (Alix West Lefler) are under the care of Jackie (Marcia Jean Kurtz) while Amy works. The great part is that they also enjoy the company of Cullen so it is a really good friendship.

They are both working the night shifts so it is easy for them to share what is happening in each other’s’ lives. When patients pass, Amy believes they should be just as compassionate in death as they should be in life. In the case of one patient, Ana, something seems wrong. Led by Risk Manager Linda Garran (Kim Dickens), they inform the authorities including Det. Danny Baldwin (Nnamdi Asomugha) and Det. Tim Braun (Noah Emmerich).

The police aren’t happy with the length of time the hospital waited to call them making their investigation more difficult. Even more so when they are told that they cannot question staff in a room alone. Linda announces to the nurses that there is a case that is being investigated and it makes them all nervous. 

Charlie sees that Amy is struggling and he reiterates that he wants to do whatever he can to help and explains things to daughter Alex. In the meantime, Baldwin and Braun are losing their collective law enforcement patience and let Linda know they understand that she is hiding something.

The investigation starts to heat up as Amy tries to help the police figure out who is responsible and the hospital hides behind itself. What’s more – there may be other patience like Ana.

Chastain as Amy is a mother of two girls and trying to keep it all together. The new health issue is making that even more difficult than ever. That is what Chastain does in this role, manage to keep it together when it becomes even more and more dangerous. Taking on the different and unusual, Chastain has always been the actress who has never put herself into one category of roles and it is always awesome. 

Redmayne as Charlie is charming and caring but there is something that causes Amy to question their friendship. Having his own difficulties with not being able to see his kids, he is drawn to Amy and the girls so he can have a bit of something he’s missing in his life. Redmayne gives his character a struggle and a mystery that I love about the roles he chooses. 

Asomugha as Det. Baldwin is a man who is not going to stop looking no matter how little evidence they have to go on. Taking it step by step, he works with Amy to do whatever they can with the little they have. Asomugha gives this character strength of character but that doesn’t mean he won’t be shocked in the end. 

Emmerich as Det. Braun sees that the one responsible is tricky and has managed to slip through the cracks. Frustration seeps in and the time comes when he will be face to face with questions. Emmerich has always been a straight forward actor who takes his roles to places never expected.

Dickens as Garran is the risk manager at the hospital who clearly understands what is at stake. That doesn’t stop her from working the system that has done nothing to stop the deaths. Dickens is straight forward with a straight face and 

Lefler as Alex is a pre-teen that has the attitude to match. She does understand that her mother is ill but at the same time is struggling to understand it all together. She is a strong actress who gives a stellar performance. 

Other cast include Judith Delgado as Ana Martinez, Jesus-Papoleto Melendez as Sam Martinez, Myra Taylor as Vivian Neal, Ajay Naidu as Dr. Robert Hind, and David Lavine as Duncan Beattie. 

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films, Netflix is across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere and on any internet-connected screen. For more information, please visit www.netflix.com.

THE GOOD NURSE is a hospital thriller that is filled with twists and unexpected turns. Once again, one woman takes on an establishment that is not only hurting her physical existence but mental as well. Making it clear from the beginning that they will do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, Amy is the only way to find the answers.

One thing that the film says under its breath is that hospitals were not held accountable for anything that happened to patients. That was aggravating to see because it is easy for them to hide with the money and power of good lawyers over patients who do not have the same access. 

This is also a crime story because of what happened these patients and who caused it. That is the twists because suspicions are just flipped through distractions and ways around accepting what the truth really is. Yes, I’m been a little bit vague here because I want the viewer to take the same ride through it all as I did. 

In the end – this is an unthinkable true story!



THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW – Celebrity Holiday

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to The Roku Channel to prepare us for the holidays is the famous tent but this time filled with non-Brits is THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW: Celebrity Holiday.

It should not be a surprise that I am a huge fan of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW since its very beginning. Throughout the years and changes of host and judges, I have never missed an episode for a holiday show. This time, it is the Americans tackling the challenges of baking for the holidays!

Chloe Fineman, Nat Faxon, D’Arcy Carden, Liza Koshy, Marshawn Lynch and Joel Kim Booster are attempting to take home the cake stand and the Star Baker crown. Hosting the show is Ellie Kemper and Zach Cherry who go from stand to stand to see what each star is creating. Watching with his steely blue eyes is Paul Hollywood and looking for boozy buns is Prue Leith.

Starting out with the Signature Challenge, they must make 12 identical filled cream puffs, the tension is on as each baker brings his own idea of a delicious puff to fruition. Of course, most of the tension is caused by Paul Hollywood giving each baker the stare-of-steel and the straight-face Prue. During the judging, history is made and bakers are thrilled.

That isn’t all, for Round 2, the Technical Challenge set by Paul – they must make a meringue wreath and very detailed. The recipe is only written for them in slight detail and the bakers must decide for themselves how long their creations must bake. The bakers come to realize that first of all they are not sure what a meringue wreath is! The panic in the tent is palpable and hilarious at the same time. 

Finally, the Show Stopper Challenge will decide who will be the winner! They are being asking to bake a cake decorated with a 3-D element in the theme of their favorite winter holiday tradition. Given three hours, on your mark, get set and bake!

Made with sponge cake, Paul and Prue are looking for sheer perfection and to know exactly what the story is to the cake. Then again, anyone who is a fan of the show knows that these two judges are committed to their jobs and it keeps bakers either sweating or cheering. As you can imagine, each baker has a unique story to tell and the word ‘unusual’ would be absolutely appropriate.

That is what happens in the tent of the THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW: Celebrity Holiday!

The Roku Channel streams hundreds of hit movies, popular shows, 24/7 live news and is the home for free and premium television anywhere you go. There are also amazing Roku Originals such as Swimming with Sharks. 

THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW: Celebrity Holiday comes in time to celebrate the baking that starts this holiday season. Watching the celebrities bring their stuff to the tent is interesting, especially since most of them say they are not bakers. I have to say that my favorite taking on the challenges is Marshawn Lynch. 

Facing the wrath of Paul Hollywood is always a thrill with his eyes giving away nothing as he watches each of the contestants whip up their creations. Prue is less with the frightening stares but instead gives insight to the bakers and praise with anything that might have a little boozy bits in it which cracks me up every time.

Hosts Kemper and Cherry keep an eye on the bakers as well but from a more comical perspective. Knowing this is stressful, they each interact but stand back when things get a bit – well – holiday baking rushed.

THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW: Celebrity Holiday is holiday from for everyone actually. I mean, we don’t have to bake but the creations sure will make you wish you could eat. Each of the celebrities bring creations and even take chances and find themselves really wanting to win the coveted cake stand.

I give nothing away and yet give everything because this is a show that should be enjoyed, give everyone many laughs and marvel at what these celebrities come up with. Not always successful and not always pretty to look at but darn it if you won’t find yourselves cheering them on with each challenge.

That’s what makes the holidays cheery and bright so get ready for mouth watering holiday treats from the celebrities!

​Topic Brings the Finale to THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on the streaming service Topic from writer/director Arian Moayed are the last four episodes of the amazing series THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF.

Katie (Kelli O’Hara) is still in search of the woman named Tala. The woman who called begging for help sending Katie on a whirlwind of family drama, people chasing her and ending up in dark places. Husband Brad (Mike Doyle) is making her personal life difficult and now, he has told everyone that Katie has been kidnapped.

Katie’s mom Nancy (Judith Ivey) is keeping granddaughter Mary safe as she waits with anxiety to find out where her own daughter is. What they all do not know is that Katie is with T (Marsha Blake) and they are getting help from the most unlikely person. They are still running and exhausted but they are so close to the answers.

The story unfolds and begins to piece together how Katie became involved, what T’s role in all of this is, who is helping her find answers and, most of all, will Tala ever be found?

O’Hara as Katie is on the run with T but with each step she takes, the answers slowly start to come. The change in this character from season one to season three is a woman who no longer allows people to dictate to her, that includes her husband and father-in-law. Both of these men want to use the situation to their political advantage instead of believing that Katie has pure motives to now help T and still find Tala. I have enjoyed watching O’Hara take her character and give her everything strong and empowered.

Blake as T might not have been able to talk but her emotions are very clear. From a bit of fear to standing up for Katie, there was no mistaking her own strength in wanting to bring to the attention of the world what has happened not only to her, but other women as well.

Ivey as Nancy is another female character that starts off with a mass number of insecurities and anger, but when Katie is being lied about and used, Mama bear comes out fighting. I love when she takes on Brad and his father because that’s exactly what I would do.

Doyle as husband Brad is about to discover that the wife he once had is gone. Trying to control the situation, he soon discovers he is in control of nothing. Doyle gives his character narcissism that is brought on by the way he was raised because, like father like son.

Other cast includes Bisserate Tseggai, Michael Chernus, Hend Ayoub, Aasif Mandvi, Zainab Jah, Joe Mantello, Frank Wood, Paul Sparks, Judith Light, James Naughton and Sahr Ngaujah.

Season 3 includes the episodes Found, Hand in Hand, Future of Angels and The Last Gate.

Topic is the boundary-pushing streaming service for thrillers, mysteries, dramas and documentaries from around the world, serving viewers who crave entertainment beyond the mainstream. Whether it’s a Nordic-noir crime thriller (The Killing), a back-stabbing, an Italian political drama (The Miracle), or a mind-blowing supernatural mystery from Russia (Dead Mountain), Topic expands your view of the world. For more of what Topic has to offer please visit www.topic.com.

Executive producer Damon Owlia says of the series, “In all its versions, THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF has been rendered with empathy, gratitude, and a belief that there’s a way to keep building deepening this story. Season 3 continues in this tradition through the generosity and resilience of a special community of artists. Central to all of this happening is Arian’s preternatural ability as a storyteller to allow human beings to feel seen, heard and understood.”

The wrap up of THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF is so good on many levels. Not only does it tell the story we didn’t know from the beginning, but it allows us to see Katie finally proves to everyone that there was a call for help and that more than just Talla needed that help. So many reached out along the way because they believed she could help.

Katie is a character that starts out very insecure and believing she was not good enough for her own husband let alone be a good mother. Brad continually pushed those beliefs on Katie, she could never have imagined that one phone call would change her life in such a drastic way.

Best of all, this story is wrapped up in a way that is full of twists that I just loved. THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF is truly a series worth binging now that they are all available on Topic. Follow Katie and T on the journey to answers and especially the question of who is Talla?

In the end – she is the accidental wolf!

Fear the BARBARIAN


Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming from director writer/director Zach Cregger and 20th Century Studios is the fear in a house with BARBARIAN.

Tess (Georgina Campell) is coming to Detroit for a job interview going to the Air B&B house she rented in the neighborhood of Brightmoor. Arriving late at night and during a rainstorm, she learns that someone else, Keith (Bill Skarsgard) has also rented the same house on the same dates. Both upset about the situation, there is only one answer, to share the house for the night until they can resolve the situation in the morning. 

Over the course of the evening, Tess and Keith discover they have a lot in common and that eases the tension of being around a stranger for her. Sometime in the night, she is woken up by the sound of a creaking door. Going to see if it is Keith, he is asleep which is even more confusing. 

In the morning light, Tess sees the neighborhood that is totally derelict and run down. Taking her mind off it, she interviews and is excited about the potential new job. Returning back to the house, a man is running up on her screaming and Tess makes it inside the house in time. Calling for help, it is clear that the police have no interesting in coming to her part of town. 

Going into the basement for supplies, Tess discovers an opening that leads into the darkness. At first she is not about to go in but her curiosity gets the better of her. She does not like what she finds and when Keith returns, she tells him all about it. He decides to go down and investigate which brings about a whole new set of horror.

Back in Hollywood, AJ Gilbride (Justin Long) is an actor who is about to have his world blow up. Needing an influx of cash, he decides to go to Detroit and the house he owns. Turns out it is the same B&B Tess and Keith have rented. He arrives to find the house has been used but not cleaned, which makes no sense. Hearing a noise in the basement, he makes his way down and finds more horror and mayhem.

This is no ordinary house and it has no ordinary story!

Campbell as Tess is a strong character (even though she makes seriously stupid mistakes) that is not afraid to fight for her life. She has the 'spidey tingles' but does not trust them once she realizes that what is happening in the house is just plain wrong. I think Tess needs a class on how to recognize HUGE red flags! Well done Campbell. 

Skarsgard as Keith is a sweet guy who only seems spooky. It could be because the actor has already freaked out everyone with his gruesome role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown from the IT remake. So you can understand why I am waiting for him to go 'boo!'. 

Long as AJ the panicked actor is a mixture of curiosity and comedy. There are scenes where he just needs to run but instead he hangs around and other scenes where he is screaming and for very good reason. He is also a character I'd push off a bridge easy so there is that bonus.

Other cast include Richard Brake as Frank, Kurt Braunohler as Doug, Jaymes Butler as Andre, Sophie Sorensen as Bonnie Zane, Zach Cregger as Everett, Devina Vassileva as the Property Manager and Matthew Patrick Davis as "The Mother". 

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BARBARIAN is a jumpy thriller that has one yelling at the screen with 'awwww…why are you doing that' or 'are you serious?' and 'oh hell no!'. There are plenty more things to say but there might be kids present. That being said, it is what makes the film kind of really cool. 

The focus takes place in the house and on the street without distractions from anything else. That’s when the nervousness sets in! I actually leaned over at one point to look into a hallway forgetting that I am not a participant, just an observer. It’s a slow ride into the basement and once there, the real story unfolds. 

So for the Halloween spooky season, BARBARIAN is the right kind of fright to binge watch tonight after gather up all the ghoulish candy you can lay your hands on. But be very careful, you never know if Mother is lurking in the dark!

In the end - right street just the wrong house!


THE MISSING CHILDREN

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Topic is the shocking and heartbreaking documentary about the children of Ireland and the Mother and Baby Homes filled with THE MISSING CHILDREN. 

Tuam is a small town in Ireland and in the town was St. Mary’s, Tuam’s Mother and Baby Home that was once a workhouse. Women had their babies and could not take them home. Now having that stigmatism, the children were treated differently and could not socialize normally with other children. 

In the corner of the home was a small grotto, two boys jumped over the wall to get apples and the ground gave way. The boys discovered the horror of child remains, it was reburied and life went on. That was until Catherine Corless, a local historian of Tuam, started researching about the home and discovered all the children that died at the Tuam home.

The thing is, the register is supposed to have a location where over 700 children were buried and there was no record at all. Getting maps of the home, she discovered one place where they could be. The journalist Allison O’Reilly took over the story with the thought that an investigation would start – none did. 

Catherine confronted the nuns at Bon Secours Convent told that the sisters vehemently denied any such thing occurred. Caelainn Hogan, also a journalist, heard that the story of the Tuam children was not true. Terry Prone, who represented the sister of Bon Secours emailed people saying, ‘if you come here, you’ll find no mass grave’.  

Fergus Finaly of the Irish Government found it hard to believe that the nuns would not keep a record of the deaths as they were so meticulous with their record keeping. He believes the nuns know something. In Manchester, England, Annette McKay was a child of a woman who went to the Tuam home to give birth to another child. The sister’s told her the baby had died and she was turned away.

Dr. Maeve O’Rourke, a human rights lawyer, explains how Ireland was a Catholic country and wanted to show that by being a morally pure country. The homes were a way of keeping those who didn’t tow the religious line out of sight. It did not matter how you got pregnant, having a baby brought shame and was a sin.

PJ Haverty was born in 1951 and survived his time at Tuam. He tells of how his own mother was treated by the family and was eventually taken to Bon Secours Convent. This particular convent was filled with nuns that had nurses training. When PJ was born, his mother continues to work at the convent and he rarely saw her until she eventually was made to leave.

Peter Mulryan, born in 1944, also remembers his time and the memories still haunt him. He remembers the sounds most of all. Pat Duffy explains how they were just kept in their beds with nothing but their own selves. This is the horror grown men still remember.

In 2015, the Irish government finally began an investigation into the mother and baby institutions. They announced they would look at the years 1922 to 1998 but also other homes as well. Tuam’s was just the beginning of the story and now the plot that Catherine believes existed, would finally be looked at in 2016.

Beginning with Dr. Linda G. Lynch, Human Osteoarcheologist, the digging began along with Dr. Niamh McCullagh, Forensic Archaeologist and Excavation Director. There job is to decide if the spot was an official burial spot or not. A 19th century sewage structure is what they found along with human remains. What Catherine believed had finally been proven to be true.

In 2017 at the House of the Oireachtas, which is Ireland’s Parliament, Katherine Zappone, Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, announces their findings at the digging site in Tuam. Now, people want to know what really happened to these children and Catherine is still asking the hard questions. One of the people who has been asking questions as well is Anna Corrigan who had two brothers die in Tuam. 

Anna, like Catherine, starts collecting information about what happened and discovers that there was something wrong with her brother John. Backing up her suspicion is an inspection report yet no one then followed up. When starvation becomes a reason for death, it does not make sense since the sisters were paid by the government to take care of these children and they grew their own food in large quantities. 

Catherine wonders if it is possible that some of the children did not die, if that is the case, where are they? Patrick Naughton was born in 1954 and later adopted from Tuam but he never knew until he confronted his loving parents. He discovered the true story from his mother Lucy and it was devastating. Now, it is not only the deaths of the children at Tuam but the unknowing parents who are adopting children.

Mothers were led to believe that their children had died when, in fact, the nuns and priests were sending the children away for adoption in other countries like the United States. Journalist Mike Milotte learned that in the 50’s over 500 children arrived in the United States in one year. One of those children is a little boy named Michael. 

What becomes more disturbing is that as the adults who survived Tuam begin to find paperwork from their ‘parents’ and learn the truth of who they are and where they came from. Looking for records or anything that could help them trace their own roots becomes important to them all.

The answers are slow in coming but with the determination and anger of those who see the injustice done to the children of Tuam and holding accountable those who are to blame.

Topic is the boundary-pushing streaming service for thrillers, mysteries, dramas and documentaries from around the world, serving viewers who crave entertainment beyond the mainstream. Whether it’s a Nordic-noir crime thriller (The Killing), a back-stabbing, an Italian political drama (The Miracle), or a mind-blowing supernatural mystery from Russia (Dead Mountain), Topic expands your view of the world. For more of what Topic has to offer please visit www.topic.com.

THE MISSING CHILDREN is just a horribly heartbreaking documentary about the blatant disregard for human life both living and dead by the nuns and the church for these children. Once the box was finally opened, papers came flooding out about how many children actually died and how many were ‘bought’ by adoptive parents. I never believed through the storytelling of this documentary that the adoptive parents knew what was happening.

That means that the church, an institution that people have generationally believed that they could trust, was an agent of destruction both physically and mentally of human beings. If the children truly died, their remains were treated with such disrespect and if they lived, they became victims of human trafficking. Calling the purchase money for the child a ‘contributions’ can only be described as disgusting. 

Those who are trying to piece together the story and those who are living this injustice are so patient and, to be honest, I know I wouldn’t be. They are continually blocked by a system that is clearly afraid of what more the documents they are holding back will expose about those responsible. Using their power to block any legal action is once again a slap to survivors.

THE MISSING CHILDREN won the BAFTA Award in 2022 for Tanya Stephan, Rachel Cumella, Brian Woods, Anne Morrison, Paddy Garrick, Ella Newton, True Vision, Nevision and Itv. 

This documentary is just so hard to watch at moments because all of the child-survivors of Tuam share their heart, story and soul. There is no way to watch and not become angry at the way they have been treated from birth until now, in their senior years. Their emotion just breaks my heart but, there are moments of joy and that has to be enough – for now.

Finally, the speech given by the Prime Minister holds nothing but disgust for me. Hiding behind laws, the church and making the records unavailable for thirty years proves that he is just as complicit as everyone else who is hiding the total truth. 

In the end – they are finding who they truly are!


Paramount+ Frights with SIGNIFICANT OTHER

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Paramount+ from writers/directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen is a weekend in the woods with the SIGNIFICANT OTHER.

Ruth (Maika Monroe) and Harry (Jake Lacy) are off for an adventure on the Red Ridge Trail. It does not take long on the trail before Ruth begins to suspect that something is off. As they continue on, Harry makes the big move on a picturesque cliff but it doesn’t get the effect he had hoped for. 

Camping in the woods, Ruth discovers a deer that has been killed and it disturbs her a bit but Harry makes it alright. Later, she discovers a cave and can’t help but go inside finding a glowing blue substance on the ground. More frightening is that she is not alone. 

Continuing their walk, chaos ensues and Ruth is sent flying through the woods. Couple Vivian (Dana Green) and Ray (Matthew King) find her injured and not remembering anything. They sense something is happening with her but cannot place it until Harry walks into the camp. Ruth cannot get away fast enough because her fear is pushing her hard.

She discovers that the something in the woods is more than she could have imagined as the game of cat and mouse continues. 

Monroe as Ruth has a character full of issues. Going on this hike with her boyfriend seemed like the way to get out of her head. The problem is that the opposite happened but because of what she discovers. I enjoyed Monroe’s portrayal of a woman that is clearly trying to enjoy her life but has unresolved issues and now the stress of what is in the forest.

Lacy as Harry just wants to love his girlfriend and thought their time in the forest would be a way to just clear their heads – and he has a bit of a surprise. Unfortunately, the surprise is on him as he discovers his ‘human-ness’ and wants Ruth to be a part of it all. He has patience to a point but when she doesn’t respond the way he wants, the true story of what is going to happen becomes clear and frightening.

Other cast include Loudon McCleery as Jimmy and Teal Sherer as Dolores.  

Paramount+ is a subscription streaming service with content from CBS Media Ventures, Paramount Media Networks and Paramount Pictures. Leading with original series, films and sports coverage, programming also includes shows like Big Brother, The Good Fight, and Star Trek: Discovery. For more of what they have to offer please visit https://www.paramountplus.com.

SIGNIFICANT OTHER comes out just in time for the spooky season adding a bit of thrill, a bit of horror and a bit of sci-fi all mashed into a trip through the forest. It is nice when the surroundings are a character in the story as well. There is nothing to get in the way of these two characters going through their own madness.

Staying focused on Ruth and Harry, it is a constant twist and turn of events. I found myself puzzled one minute and having ‘ah-ha’ moments the next. That happened a lot through the film which made it fun in a freaky cool way.

Get out the popcorn and stay out of the woods!

She is the BLONDE

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Netflix from director Andrew Dominik from the Joyce Carol Oates book Blonde is the look at the life of the most recognizable BLONDE in the world.

Norma Jeane Mortenson (Lily Fisher) starts out her life with a mother who has mental issues. Gladys (Julianne Nicholson) puts Norma’s life in danger more than once and all because of what she believes to be true. When a fire breaks out, Gladys does the unthinkable! Driving with Norma in a car going towards the fire telling the police the child’s father lives in the Hollywood Hills.

All of it puts Gladys in a mental institution and Norma going to an orphanage. Skipping ahead to 1940, Marilyn Monroe (Ana de Armas) is slowly getting the attention of Hollywood – and sometimes for the wrong and most depraved reasons. Her relationship with Charles Chaplin Jr. (Xavier Samuel) and Edward G. Robinson Jr. (Evan Williams) makes her feel safe, until her agent tells her to be careful since now the 1953 role in the film Niagara is getting attention.

The problem being, Norma is pregnant and it begins a roller coaster of emotions that make her question her own mental issues. Walking away from Cass and Eddy, she meets Joe DiMaggio (Bobby Cannavale) who is absolutely infatuated with Marilyn Monroe and proposes. While filming Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she starts getting letters from someone claiming to be her father.  

Joe begins to become violently jealous of the things Norma has done as Marilyn Monroe. After shooting the dress in the windy grate scene from The Seven Year Itch, Joe becomes physically violent and the marriage is over. Soon after, she auditions for the 1955 Broadway play Magda and meets Arthur Miller (Adrien Brody) the playwright. The same thing happens as Miller becomes infatuated with Marilyn Monroe. 

Moving to Maine, Norma tries to live the life outside Hollywood and the stage. Thrilled to be pregnant, once again the mental issues come into play when everything goes wrong. The cracks are beginning to show while filming Some Like It Hot and director Billy Wilder is about done with it. Her stress leads to a set doctor continually keeping her medicated.

Soon after, Norma is taken to see JKF in his hotel room. What happens there is more than she can handle because, again, it is about being with Marilyn Monroe the movie star. Returning home she discovers the death of Cass, a gift with a note that sets off an ending the world could never understand.

Ana de Armas makes it clear why she was chosen for the role of Marilyn Monroe. She manages to bring the blonde bombshell to a bit of life with her bleached hair and whispery voice. Was I taken away into this world by her performance? Honestly, occasionally I thought ‘wow, that’s a Marilyn moment’ but other times her voice kept changing and the scenes of nothingness were too long. I didn’t need to spend five minutes of my life watching her tear the house apart for her purse is an example. Then again, on the flip side, she wasn’t given the best material to work with.

Williams as Eddy has finally come into his own for those of us who recognize this actor. In this relationship with Norma/Marilyn, it becomes complicated and a bit vengeful. For those who see a familiarity, Williams was in the hit series VERSAILLES portraying Chevalier. Joining his former castmate is Tygh Runyan who played Fabien Marchal. 

Cannavale as DiMaggio was in love with someone who really did not exist. His anger and acts of violence put a bit of a stain on the former beloved baseball player. Cannavale gives DiMaggio the best and worst of a man obsessed. Brody as Miller can play his character in another movie and I’d watch it! Trying to give Norma what she needs while dealing with Marilyn is no easy feat but Brody put in the effort. 

Huge shout out to Nicholson as Gladys. Although her role was short, the impact was large and impressive. 

Other cast include Toby Huss as Whitey, Ravil Isyanov as Billy Wilder, Catherine Dent as Jean, David Warshofsky as Mr. Z, Michael Masini as Tony Curtis, Caspar Phillipson as JFK, Sara Paxton as Miss Flynn, Rebecca Wisocky as Yvet, Tygh Runyan as Norma Jeane’s Father, Eden Riegel as Esther, Ned Bellamy as Doc Fell, Haley Webb as Brooke and Chris Lemmon as Jack Lemmon. 

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BLONDE is not a film for everyone and on so many levels. Personally, after sitting for an extensive period of time watching, wondered what the purpose of making this film was. I suppose being a black and white film that it could be under the guise of artistic. The portrayal by the actors is well done with the material given.

My problem lies with the sadistic, gruesome, misogynistic, drawn-out scenes of rape, talking fetuses and that’s just the beginning of my list. The two-hour and forty minutes dragged on from scene to scene of Norma’s victimization and I had to force myself to continue with it. By the end I felt like a dirty accomplice to those who did the victimizing, like a peeping Thomasina!  

Director Dominik gives us nothing more than event after event of horrors to the point of making sure he has put the deep stamp of disgust with the insides of a woman’s body part. In the middle of these acts of terror are flashing cameras and crowds swallowing Norma/Marilyn up time and time again.

This is a film that does not celebrate the life of accomplishments of Norma Jeane and Marilyn Monroe. It is a slaughter of both these women who tried to live in one person. 

In the end – watched by all and seen by none!

FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Apple+ from director John Ridley and based on true events is the heartbreaking events of Hurricane Katrina with FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL.

Memorial Hospital and Life Care are attached hospitals in New Orleans. On August 29th, Hurricane Katrina was making its way on to land. Dr. Horace Baltz (Robert Pine) is making his way through the hospital to keep things calm. Dr. Anna Pou (Vera Farmiga) begins to make her rounds but notices the other staff not taking the storm too seriously.

Susan Mulderick (Cherry Jones) is the Incident Commander reminds the staff that it is a functioning hospital and that they all have a job to do. Connected to Memorial Hospital is Life Care and they are dealing with their own issues. Diane Robichaux (Julie Ann Emergy) is checking in on their patients.

As the storm progresses, evacuation orders are given for New Orleans and people are now wondering what they are to do. At Memorial, the windows are shattering, gangways are swaying and the waters are coming in with no way to stop them. In the emergency room, Dr. Baltz and Dr. Bryant King (Cornelius Smith Jr.) are moving everyone up another floor. Finally, the power goes out.

Day two comes and the hospital is attempting to clean up and find a bit of normal patient care. Outside of the hospital, the looting has begun and people do not want to leave the hospital. The staff is seeing and experiencing the trauma each person experienced trying to keep everyone calm yet, they are only human with emotions of their own.

Then, the levees broke and what came after became even more cataclysmic than Hurricane Katrina. Both hospitals now know the water is coming and with no flood plan, they are reaching out to who ever can hear them for help! Communications are crossed and no one seems to be in charge but there are those that are trying their best.

As the patients begin to be evacuated, the water inside the hospital is rising and patients are on the roof waiting. Now comes the even harder choices and those who make them are being questioned in the aftermath. People begin helping people without being told because it is not only what is right, it is what is necessary.

After, as investigators Arthur Schafer (Michael Gaston) and Virginia Rider (Molly Hager) take on the work of discovering what happened at Memorial, everyone becomes tightlipped. The two decide to head over to Memorial and try to find out what it is the people are not talking about.  

Now comes the question of what happened to the forty-five patients found later?

Farmiga as Dr. Pou refuses to leave the hospital and the patients that need her. Doing her best to save who she can, there are choices that are could be easily misunderstood and misinterpreted. Farmiga always gives such strong performances and this is one where I am riveted by what this actress achieves and it is met with anxiety on my part. This is a stellar role and she gives an equally stellar performance.

Jones as Mulderick is so amazing I can not even begin to describe her performance. Her character is called upon to do a job that is not even in the emergency manual. Given information, then having it revoked, then told something else and trying to keep everyone calm is a role that Jones gives strength, courage and character mixed with fear. I would expect nothing less from Jones.

Pine as Dr. Baltz is a steady doctor at Memorial but as chaos begins to ensue, he can only offer solace to those who need it the most. Pine gives the performance of a compassionate that I would hope I’d see at any hospital. Smith Jr. as Dr. King watches what is happening and makes judgements on the situation and those around him. Trying to keep the staff helping the patients is his main goal.

Emergy as Robichaux is compassionate and wants the best for her patience. Pregnant, a hurricane and the aftermath of her concern for everyone around her, especially of Mr. Everett, has her emotions collapsing. What a performance. 

Cast includes Adepero Oduye as Karen Wynn, Stephen Bogaert as Rene Goux, Sharron Matthews as Cheri Landry, Damon Standifer as Emmett Everett, Sarah Allen as Lori Budo, W. Earl Brown as Ewing Cook, Jeremiah Oh as Ken Nakamaru, Tammy Isbell as Gina, Katie Boland as Krsity Johnson, Darrin Baker as Dr Martin Bisley and Diane Johnstone as Wilda McManus.

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FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL is one of the most intense series I think I have ever watched. It is shocking, disturbing, full of desperation, fear, anguish and the worst and best of humanity all in seven episodes. 

Every cast memory should be extremely proud of their performance given the emotional material they were working with. There is not ONE character or performance that is not believable and filled with compassion, empathy and, well, frakken guts! 

As the story unfolds, it does not stop at the storm or the aftermath, but delves deeper into what really happened at Memorial/Life Care and who is responsible. That being said, I think the last two episodes although still shocking, leave the door open for speculation. Focusing on one person when the potential for others being responsible should have been an issue as well.

Be prepared to be shocked and dismayed as each episode will test every human emotion imaginable, and all at once. 

In the end - there are decisions that would haunt them all!

The Sisters are Back in HOCUS POCUS 2

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Disney+ from director Anne Fletcher and Walt Disney Pictures is the return of three iconic sisters that are just a little bit magical with HOCUS POCUS 2.

It has been twenty-nine years since the Sanderson sisters, Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker and Mary Sanderson (Kathy Najimy) was around because of the Black Flame Candle. Now in Salem, Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and Becca (Whitney Peak) are getting ready to throw a combination 16th birthday and Halloween party.

Going to the local magic shop, owner Gilbert (Sam Richardson) gives Becca a candle for her birthday ritual and when the girls light it, they discover it is a Black Flame Candle. Well, two virgins and a full moon can mean only one thing – the Sanderson sisters are back!

Not hip to the ways of the modern world, the sisters go on a journey with the two young girls and when things start to turn, Gilbert steps in. He is so excited to see the sisters telling them he saw what happened on Halloween in 1993 and that he has the candle and book.

Well, when they see a flyer with the name Mayor Traske (Tony Hale) on it, Winifred decides its time to even the score with the Traske family and make Salem pay as well but, they need a little Traske blood. Gilbert is more than pleased to help the sisters, while Izzy and Becca spend a little basement time alone.

Winifred is so determined to wreak havoc that she doesn’t listen to the Izzy and Becca when they try to warn her of the consequences of her spell. But, sometimes you have to let a witch do what a witch is going to do.

Midler as Winifred is back to her old tricks but, it is missing something and I’m not sure what that something is. Winnie is such a grand character and the matriarch of the three that, besides her wanting revenge, and I was happy to see her back in her buck teeth again.

Najimy as Mary is still the go-along-to-get-along sister and looks fabulous. Watching her character grow a little bolder is always a good thing. Parker as Sarah is still the sweet voiced sister that continues to drive Winnie crazy but that’s what sisters are for.

Escobedo and Peak as the teen girls who did not expect to be dealing with the Sanderson sisters are pretty clever until they aren’t and then they are again. Let’s face it, the Sanderson sisters are as about as easy to deal with than two-year-old triplets so they had their work cut out for them. They are sweet in their roles and even funny.

Richardson as Gilbert is a bit of comic relief to the story as he is obsessed with the sisters and knowing their history. He is basically the historian of their lives and proud of it.

Other cast include Lilia Buckingham as Cassie Traske, Froy Gutierrez as Mike, and Hannah Waddingham as Mother Witch. Shout out to Ginger Minj, Kornbread Jete and Kahmora Hall who give us Winifred, Mary and Sarah in drag!

Walt Disney Studios continues to bring quality programming to kids and kids at heart. Home of the most beloved animated features including SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO and SLEEPING BEAUTY to name a few is what keeps families coming back for more. 

Disney+ is the subscription home streaming entertainment with Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. There are exclusive originals with new feature films, shows, short form content, documentaries, and actions series such as THE MANDALORIAN. For more information, please visit www.disneyplus.com.

I suppose the studios was put under a lot of pressure by pretty much everyone in the world wanting a HOCUS POCUS 2. Mainly we wanted it because of the garbage that has been coming out of Hollywood for a while now has made us all nostalgic for fun films that took us away from the world’s issues.

The thing is, if you are going to make something like HOCUS POCUS 2, writers, directors and such need to ask themselves ‘how do we get that feeling back?’. This missed the mark for me and I have no problem saying so. I’m glad to see the actresses coming back and reprising their roles but dang girls, if you are going to do that – perhaps you should have watched the original about ten times to find that mojo we were all looking for.

Truth of it is this, you can wait too long to bring characters back and that might be the Sanderson sister’s case. Even though there could potentially be room for another, once again the question the studio should asked is – should we? Of course, my answer would be ‘nope’, you did it now let it go.

HOCUS POCUS is the film my family waits for every year. Kind of like THE WIZARD OF OZ coming to the home screen every spring – it becomes tradition. The Sanderson sisters are iconic, beloved and will always be part of the lives of those who came to know and love them in 1993!

In the end – it is a wickedly glorious return!

Netflix and Stephen King Rings Up MR. HARRIGAN’S PHONE

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Netflix from writer/director John Lee Hancock based on a novella by Stephen King is MR. HARRIGAN’S PHONE.

Craig (Jaeden Martell) lives in a small town with his father attending church on Sundays trying not to think of his life without a mother. During his time at church, the young Craig meets Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland) and begins an extraordinary friendship. Spending time together, talking about everything together, Craig even introduces the elderly gentleman to a cell phone after winning money on a lottery ticket.

School is a sometimes good and sometimes bad experience for Craig. The few friends Craig has are more acquaintances and the school bully Kenny (Cyrus Arnold) that consistently puts the boys life in peril and threat. Even favorite teacher Ms. Hart (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) tries to help the boy but Craig would rather spend time with Mr. Harrigan.

He tells Mr. Harrigan about wanting to go to college and his hopes for the future as the elderly gentleman listens intently. One day, Craig comes for his visit only to find that Mr. Harrigan has passed away. Devastated to have lost someone that has affected his life so greatly, Craig is even more surprised to learn that Mr. Harrigan has taken care of things for him.

But as the days go on, the cell phone that once belonged to Mr. Harrigan begins to act strangely and Craig now goes through a time of disturbing happenings that he can not possibly explain. He also does not know if he will be able to escape it all.

Martell as Craig is a young man who has lost his mother and tries to fill the void by being a good son to his father. The relationship with Mr. Harrigan is one that does not come with any emotional strings for the boy which is freeing. It allows him to be exactly who he is and Martell gives every bit of that hidden behind the eyes of a boy who wants so much more for his life.

Sutherland as Mr. Harrigan is, as always, so very amazing on the screen. The scene where he talks about the problems with cell phones and where it will lead is so spot on that there is no way to disagree with him. That being said, what happens later on is a little more than anyone can find on Goggle that’s for sure. Sutherland is an actor I have always greatly admired and I never miss anything he is in, good or not-so-good because I know his acting is always going to be straight forward.

Howell-Baptiste as Ms. Hart is the kind of teacher many of us can relate to because we have all had that one (or two) that have made such an impact. Ms. Hart sees Craig’s struggles and knows what is happening with Kenny yet allows the young man to decide for himself how to handle it. Arnold as Kenny is a young man who clearly has a life that is out of control. There is something driving him to choose Craig and it is frightening.

Other cast include Thomas Francis Murphy as Pete, Joe Tippett as Craig’s father, Colin O’Brien as young Craig, Peggy J. Scott as Edna Grogan, Ivan Amaro Bullon as the Sheriff, and Daniel Reece as Deane Whitmore.

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films, Netflix is across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere and on any internet-connected screen. For more information, please visit www.netflix.com.

If you are looking to be scared out of your wits, then MR. HARRIGAN’S PHONE is not the film for you. This is more of a lessons-to-be-learned type of film with one or two moments thrown in for good measure. From the beginning it is clear that this is a Stephen King story by how it begins and the small town feel within the story.

Being that it came out in October, I was silly enough to think that perhaps it had spooks, frights and a jump now and then but alas no. Instead, the film sort of gave me a lecture on the evils of cell phones with a bit of vengeance from the grave on the side. As Mr. Harrigan finds himself a little hooked on the phone, the cautionary tale lecture on misinformation and ‘fake news’ has a 2020 ring to it which made me groan.

MR. HARRIGAN’S PHONE had the potential to be so much more but, then again, had it been more we might have been seeing another version of THE BLACK PHONE that was written by none of than Joe Hill – yes, Stephen King’s son. Makes me wonder if their writing desks are just a little to close to one another!

There is no mistaking that Stephen King is the master writer and I have curled up too many of his books. So much so that the thicker ones never left my side until they were finished. I love his writing and his mastery of storytelling. As an avid reader, I owe many nights curled up in the chair until realizing the sun was coming up to Mr. King. Some stories just don’t capture the feel of the story that unfolds in the readers mind and that’s okay. On to the next!

In the end - some connections never die!

THE PRINCESS

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on HBO and director Ed Perkins is the story of the woman we all know as THE PRINCESS. 

Slightly faded in memory of most unless you are English, especially with all the ruckus Prince Harry and wife have caused in recent years, THE PRINCESS is a reminder of the late Princess Diana Spencer. Told through pictures and archival footage, it begins with the excitement surrounding young Diana as she becomes engaged to the most eligible bachelor of the day – Prince Charles.

Their early interviews show a sweet Diana with Charles as they answer questions about what their hopes are for their upcoming marriage. Charles seems to be the one in charge and Diana stays true to her man!

The wedding is the event of a generation with all the glamor and spectacle one would expect in a Hollywood production. Diana looked ravishing and the people of England could not have been happier with something wonderful to celebrate. Some time later, Prince William is born bringing more happiness to the country followed by Prince Harry.

But behind closed doors, Princess Diana is struggling with unspoken rumors of infidelity by Prince Charles with his former mistress Camilla Parker-Bowles. Now the media becomes involved as he goes on the defensive with family issues and secrets. Princess Diana finds ways to spend her time with charities for AIDS, homelessness and land mines.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana finally given their release papers from one another after she gives her own television interview that shocks the country, the books and newspapers do not let up. Charles goes his way and Princess Diana agrees to drop the HRH from her title, is given a settlement and walks away with her two sons.

Life becomes different but not any less media worthy as Princess Diana is constantly being followed, not by one or two photographers but dozens and dozens. Trying to have time with her boys without the paparazzi becomes impossible. 

Being seen with other men also causes a fervor for the tabloids and when she is seen with Dodi Al Fayed. He is an Egyptian film producer but more so is that he is the son of billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed. Seen boarding planes and vacationing on fabulous yachts, readers of the papers cannot get enough.

That is until August 31, 1997, in Paris, France as Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed try to escape a barrage of paparazzi into a tunnel and never coming out the other side. Instead, a crash that takes the life of Al Fayed and Princess Diana. Now the world knows, and the shock reverberates everywhere.

The funeral is one that takes over as the world, the same as witnessed the wedding 1981. The emotion was everywhere in the people but less so with the royal family. Keeping a “stiff upper lip”, Charles brings Princess Diana home as her brother Earl Spencer, Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Phillip walk behind her casket.

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As the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death approaches, director Perkins does not interview anyone but instead, lets the photographs and footage speak instead. What makes the documentary so revealing in a way is that the world knows more about her struggle with bulimia, depression, the emotional abuse and the monarchy that dug in its heels to a changing time.

Princess Diana did the one thing that had not been done since Queen Elizabeth became the reigning monarch, she captivated the world with every move she made. Not always a good thing for Diana but she was beginning to make head way into a life of her own when she died. 

It is important to remember the work that she did for her country and around the world because it is the work that continues today. Her boys have grown up and found happiness in the way that suites them the best, even if the world does not always agree with the choices. 

That being said, PRINCESS DIANA tells its own story, and we have the chance to remember, once again, that she may have been complicated but she was still, after all, the People’s Princess.


THE MAN FROM TORONTO

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Netflix from director Patrick Hughes, Bron and Sony Pictures brings the craziness belonging to THE MAN FROM TORONTO. 

Freddie Jackson (Kevin Hart) is a go getter with attempting to sell the world on his exercise equipment on the internet. His ideas are not getting anywhere which worries Freddie who is trying to pamper his wife Lori (Jasmine Matthews) for her birthday by renting a cabin for the weekend.

Dropping her off at the spa, Freddie drives to the cabin to get it set up for their romantic time. When he gets there, Freddie is met by some very dangerous people wanting him to do something despicable! Being called ‘The Man from Toronto’, he is told by Agent Lawrence (Kate Drummond) who stopped the hit that they need his help.

Wanting him to continue to be ‘The Man from Toronto’, they agents tell Freddie everything he needs to know and offer him incentives. Agent Santoro (Jencarlos Canela) is sent to allow Lori a day of shopping to meet Freddie later in the evening. The problem is, someone else is watching what Freddie has been up to. 

The Man from Toronto (Woody Harrelson), the real one, is hot on Freddie’s trail. So close in fact that meeting up with other bad guys looks easy. Freddie is now heading to Puerto Rico and the agents have lost him! On the plane, the two men from Toronto come face to face and the Handler (Ellen Barkin) is not happy and brings in reinforcements with The Man from Miami (Pierson Fode).

The Man from Toronto, Randy, sees no other choice but to team up with Freddie and the results are stomach churning. All of this is about a weapon that needs a certain man’s voice and a thumbprint. The killer knows that he has to continue the ruse with Freddie because everyone has now seen a photo of him. 

But Freddie has to get back to Lori and Randy goes along only to meet Anne (Kaley Cuoco) who gets the uptight killer to loosen up a bit. Things start to go well until The Man from Miami shows up wreaking a lot of havoc and the agents reconnect and see Freddie with Randy. Agent Davis (Ronnie Rowe) tries to get to them. 

The Man from Miami has what he needs to meet with Colonel Marin (Alejandro De Hoyos) and the Handler shows up with the cash Randy wants. As all the bad guys gather together to hear the speech by the new president of Venezuela, the weapon everybody but Freddie wants is in bad hands. Worst of all, Lori has made it clear she does not know her husband anymore.

The new problem is that the Handler does not like what is happening and decides that the only thing left to do it call in all ‘The Man From…’ to send Randy and Freddie on the run!

Hart as Freddie is doing what he does best, crack jokes, be self-deprecating and makes it clear that his character is a jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof. Hart has wracked up quite a few buddy films and now, opposite Harrelson, he can be sure that anyone else that wants to line up for their shot at another buddy film is going up against a pro. Even his action sequences are hilarious!

Harrelson as Randy ‘The Man from Toronto’ gets to play the straight guy who has a few sensitive issues. He does not min a good fight but put him on the dance floor and he gets a bit jittery and sensitive. He is the straight man and anchor to Freddie’s constant chaos. I enjoy his performance and I think it made me laugh a bit more than Freddie.

Barkin as the Handler is a woman on a mission. Her job is calling ‘The Man from…’ to do jobs that pay a lot. When Randy and Freddie screw up her plans, she is not about to forgive or forget. Nicely done!

Other cast includes Lela Loren as Daniela Marin, Rob Archer as Oscar, Patrick Garrow as Brennan, Martin Roach as Marty, Jason MacDonald as Coughlin, Kyle Gatehouse as Todd, and Alejandro Ampudia as Green Guy.

Netflix is the world’s leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films, Netflix is across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere and on any internet-connected screen. For more information, please visit www.netflix.com.

THE MAN FROM TORONTO is a buddy action comedy that does not waste any time getting the action started. Hart is go, go, go and even until the end, he is still going. He is the energizer bunny of action stars. As Freddie, he openly admits he is more afraid of wife Lori than anything Randy can bring to his life.

Harrelson is the anchor to the madness as he keeps his calm when Hart’s character loses his wits. What I loved about this character the most is that what we think we know about him is not what is true. That being said, watching these two actors together is a comedy that will definetly entertain and having a big screen television will make it even more entertaining!

In the end – hitman meets deadman!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to streaming exclusively on HULU from director Sophie Hyde and Searchlight Pictures is a stellar piece of storytelling with GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE.

Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) is a retired schoolteacher and widow who is about to grade herself outside the classroom. In a hotel room she anxious awaits a knock at the door. On the other side is the very young and handsome Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) who enters the hotel room with a smile.

As their conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that Leo is a sex worker and Nancy is his newest client. Sitting down to get comfortable, Nancy begins rattling off her sexual ‘to-do’ list of things she has always wanted to do. Her nervousness is skyrocketing as she tries to talk herself into things as well as talking herself out of them.

Leo is very patient and shares his wit and humor with her trying to get Nancy to just relax. The only thing that seems to work is to just let the words flow. She talks about herself, where she has been, married life, children and her life since. Making it clear this would be their only meeting, Nancy does not keep her word.

They meet again and their conversations become even more intense as Nancy has questions and Leo is good at working around the answers. Each meeting becomes more intense as the reality and fantasy lines begin to blur and a line is crossed.

Nancy discovers who she truly is, and Leo discovers forgiveness and maybe even understanding like he has never known before.

Thompson as Nancy may have just found a character that is more real and relatable than anything I have ever seen on film. As Nancy, the viewer is given the thoughts, impressions, insecurities, humor, truths and realities of what is under the clothing of this older woman. Her story made me laugh, tear up, laugh some more, nod in agreement and wonder if writer Katy Brand has been secretly living in my head all these years. Watching Thompson’s ‘Nancy’ unravel is a marvel and I plan to watch this film again.

McCormack as Leo is clear on what he does for a living and does not offer any apologies to anyone. What he does do from the beginning is gently challenge everything Nancy has known with humor and patience. McCormack gives his character an ease that, at first, made me a tad uncomfortable but the more Leo spoke, the more I went along for the, well, ride! McCormack is just pure delight from start to finish and I cannot imagine anyone else playing opposite Thompson for this story.

Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

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GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE will now be forever on my list of films that should be seen again and again. It should also be talked about, and the word spread to ‘women of a certain age’. Thompson grasps that part of the story and gives us every range of human emotion about issues that seem to still not be addressed.

Her body insecurities top the list and by the end of the film if you are not cheering for Nancy and Thompson then you do not understand the character at all. Watching Nancy unwrap her life in front of a total stranger, she brings out the life that has gone past and the need to experience it all. I am not only speaking of the sex, but of the connection, not necessarily that of Leo but Nancy connecting to herself.

In the midst of Nancy’s journey, Leo is also dealing with issues that he has managed to hide from his own family. McCormack exudes charm and wit, but he also let’s slip occasionally Leo’s own insecurities. Watching these two strangers bring out the craziness in each other is just a firework display of brilliance.

Being the only two characters for 99.9% of the film is an undertaking for any film but Thompson and McCormack make it look effortless. Shot in a hotel room that looks like every other hotel room allows the viewer to never be distracted by literally anything. Instead, the focus remains on Nancy, Leo and why they are in the hotel room.

Of course, from the get-go, the main reason they are meeting is clear, but this story is about so much more. Thank you Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack for the love, laughter, tears and realties because we all have a story to tell.

Director Hyde has stepped into territory that does not get enough light and that is a woman of a certain age believing that there is nothing left when the wife and mother duties are done as well as our bodies hiding in shame instead of exploring love. The expectation that a woman’s worth diminishes with age gets a swift kick in the grade book once Nancy takes ahold of her life. The final scene is something to be cherished forever.

Just a beautiful, beautiful film.

In the end – it is about waking up every part of our being!

THE ADAM PROJECT Hits Netflix

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Netflix from director Shawn Levy is the tale of facing who you are and who you will be with THE ADAM PROJECT.

Adam Reed (Walker Scobell) is a young boy living with Mother Ellie (Jennifer Garner) as they both deal with the death of Dad and husband Louis Reed (Mark Ruffalo). Adam has a problem that not only does he deal with the sadness of mom and asthma, but he suffers from a mouthy problem which gets him in trouble.

After being sent home from a fight at school, Adam realizes his mother is going on a date and cannot help but make a few snide comments. Left at home doing what boys do when they are left alone, four-legged friend Rocket runs off and Adam follows. Into the woods behind the house, he discovers what looks like something blew up!

Following Rocket again, Adam goes into what was his father’s workshop and there is a stranger! Clearly wounded but Adam goes into protective mode but when the two start talking – they both realize they are looking into the faces of each other. Twelve-year-old Adam is staring up at his grown-up self but it is their sarcasm that is a match.

Grown up Adam broke through his time into young Adam’s and there are problems. A woman named Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener) wants something from pilot Adam and sends a killer named Christos (Alex Allari Jr.) to chase him across the galaxy. Pilot Adam is also stunned when he is saved by his wife Laura (Zoe Saldana) and young Adam is impressed.

The only way to stop all of this is for both Adams to go through another portal in space to go back and see their dad Louis who is stunned to see them both. There is no time to chat as they must get to Sorian building and retrieve Louis’ research and keep it out of Maya’s hands!
Two wise-cracking Adams and a dad in the middle on an adventure and reconnection of love is everything.

Reynolds as the pilot Adam gives his usual straight forward wise cracking performance and has a bit of fun with the science fiction aspect of the story. He continues to find roles that allow him to be hilarious and there certainly is not anything wrong with that. I prefer his humor with a biting edge and perfect delivery. Playing opposite young Scobell as the twelve-year-old Adam is nothing short of perfection bouncing off one another with timing that is stunning. Scobell gives as good as he gets while getting a chance to see a bit of his future and a look at what he has been ignoring in his present. Both well done.

Garner as Mom Ellie is dealing with what all young widows with a child deal with – the pain of trying to handle a household, working and making sure the bills are paid. Trying to stay attached to her young son, she sees the problems he has dealing with the death of his dad and not sure how to handle it. Garner takes this sweet role and gives her character the same understanding she does when playing a Mom.
Ruffalo as Dad Louis gets a second chance to see his sons’ (odd to say, isn’t it?) and say some things he wanted to, go on an adventure of a lifetime, and watching both his boys do what they do best because both are dang smart. Ruffalo is funny, sweet and ready to take on whatever he needs to.

Saldana as wife Laura gets the chance to keep her time travelling space boots on and protect her husband as much as she can through time. Keener as Maya is a woman who seems to enjoy chasing pilot Adam through the galaxy. He is like a thorn stuck and it is irritating her to no end. Yes, she wants what he took but Keener gives Maya the look of a woman who just wants to squash Adam like a bug for her own reasons.

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films, Netflix is across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere and on any internet-connected screen. For more information please visit www.netflix.com.

THE ADAM PROJECT is a fun family film that will make kids laugh as well as adults. Having Reynolds and Scobell play the same person at different ages means there are jokes everyone can understand. The wise cracking duo are evenly matched in delivery and Scobell must have taken ‘Reynolds’ lessons to be able to upstage his co-star once or twice.

I see parallels to other “time-travel-meeting-younger-self” films and the bonus here is the fast action and sharp humor that I always enjoyed. Watching it with my granddaughter, she was laughing so much and yelling at the bad guys at the same time. That’s what watching film should be like, generational fun and being comfy at home with our favorite white cheddar popcorn and pj’s.

In the end – the past meets the future!

​MARRY ME

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from director Kat Coiro and Universal Pictures is what happens when you hold up a sign that says MARRY ME.

Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is a mega-superstar who has recorded the song Marry Me with her fiancé Bastian (Maluma). Now, they have decided to actually marry at a concert and gives twenty million fans a glimpse of glamor. But right before the ‘I do’s’, a breaking news story sets in motion a surprise that the world could not have seen coming.

Out in the audience is Math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), teenage daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman) and friend Parker (Sarah Silverman). He has a sign that says, ‘Marry Me’ and once Kat sets her sights on it, she agrees in front of everyone. Coming to the stage, Charlie sees that Kat is devastated but goes along with the ceremony.

Now, Kat is a married woman and manager Collin (John Bradley) has to figure out how to handle the press aspect of the shock. Everyone else is thrilled for Charlie but he admits that he really does not know much about Kat or her music. On a whirlwind media frenzy, Charlie does what he can, but he is a dedicated schoolteacher and makes it clear nothing comes before that.

That is when Kat decides to learn about Charlie’s life and finds that she is truly interested in it. The two become close and there seems to be a true match, that is until Bastian comes back into her life and Charlie doubts he truly has a place in her life.

Music and love need to find a way!

Lopez as Kat gives us the rom-com she has been famous for over the years. Once again, a character looking for love in the midst of her half-eye closed pouty lip whispers of how sad she is. This is not a stretch for Lopez, she followed the formula to the letter.

Wilson as Charlie also gets to stay with the formula of being that average Joe who just happened to be at a concert and – well got married. What I will give Wilson is the characters dedication to the students before any of the glitz and glamor nonsense that came along with getting weirdly married. The equal love for daughter Lou and her needing special attention is also a passing grade for Wilson’s character.

Bradley as Collin is the manager that manages everything, including disasters brought on by this unusual wedding. Running around to make wrong things right, Kat marrying Charlie is something he cannot control. It is nice to see Bradley try different roles, and this is his second film release in two weeks.

Silverman as Parker was relatively annoying throughout the film, but she got the chance to throw out one-liners and be the protective friend to Charlie. Coleman as daughter Lou is thrilled that her father has married the pop superstar and comes out of her shell a bit as the days pass. This actress is very sweet and plays opposite Wilson like a pro.

Other cast include Utkarsh Ambudkar as Coach Manny, Brady Noon as George, Stephen Wallem as Jonathan Pitts, Katrina Cunningham as Tyra and Jimmy Fallon as himself.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MARRY ME is a bit like walking down memory lane of several rom-coms. The snapping of the expensive jewelry box a la PRETTY WOMAN starts off my eye rolling. The first stage performance gives an ode to LIKE A PRAYER nunnery mischief with an added feature of IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME privates-strapping outfit.

The character of Kat being married four times, I’m sure Lopez can easily relate to that herself. Her ‘Queen of the Night’ costuming is surrounded by a song that’s lyrics are repetitive, and again repetitive. I probably could have learned the song in the same take, but my brain cannot do it (i.e. ‘marry me, marry me’ and ‘ring, ring, ring, sing, sing, sing’)

There comes a point where I felt as if I was watching MAID IN MANHATTAN in reverse with an ending that was reminiscent of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. So, basically, I felt like the writers just decided to pull all the rom-coms out of the value and steal pieces here and there.

All of this being said, it was not the most nauseating rom-com that I have seen. It is a formula film with two actors who have made their mark in that genre. It has its moments that bring a grin and a few one liners of wit. Would it make me run to the theatres? Not really, this is more of a rainy-day Saturday curled up channel flicking film.

But, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, there are those looking for a bit of romance, a bit of music and a reason to be back in the theatre seat. Lopez and Owen are charming and that says a lot for the film.

In the end – just marry me!

Apple TV+ Stuns with THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Apple TV+ from writer/director Joel Coen based on William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is the stunning THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH.

The Thane of Cawdor has been vanquished for King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson) by Macbeth (Denzel Washington) and Banquo (Bertie Carvel). On the road back from battle, Macbeth encounters three witches (Kathryn Hunter) who tell him he shall be king! In gratitude, King Duncan gives the title of Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth who then writes Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand) to tell her the news – and the witch prophecy. The king also gives his praises Prince Malcolm (Harry Melling).

Spending the night at the new Thane of Cawdor’s castle, Lady Macbeth speaks to her husband about regicide. After planning and carrying out the deed, Macbeth slays the king and covers it up in the morning. Out of fear, Prince Malcolm and Macduff (Corey Hawkins) escape the castle to England and Macbeth is now wearing the crown. Ross (Alex Hassell) is keeping is ear to the castle stone walls and knows there is something amiss.

Now, Macbeth is worried about another visit from the witches about Banquo and his young son Fleance (Lucas Barker) giving his mental health another shove into darkness. Murder most foul happens again and again including Macduff’s own family. Ross finds Malcolm and Macduff to tell them the news while Lady Macbeth begins to also lose her senses. 

It all comes to a final battle as Malcolm brings his English backed army to Macbeth’s castle and Macduff finds justice for his family. 

Washington as Macbeth is absolutely stunning in this role. His emotions, like his lines, roll off with such grace and ease. Even in the midst of insanity, he brings us in so we can be a little mad ourselves knowing that the heinousness of his acts to be king and stay king are crazy. Be cheery in the light, it is when he steps in the shadows does Washington’s Macbeth utter evil deeds. One of the most amazing performances I have seen this year.

McDormand as Lady Macbeth is equally as jaw dropping as the woman who wants her husband to be king, no matter what it takes. The problem with that is her mental state can not handle everything that is required to make it so. McDormand glides along in her costume like her feet never touch the floor yet every step she takes is for Macbeth.

Hawkins as Macduff has a reason for leaving but a more justified reason to come back to Macbeth’s castle. His character is strong in dedication to Prince Malcolm but even family overrides that. Hassell as Ross is that sneaky fellow lurking around castles making sure that every move he makes is done so to his own benefit. Well done and well played. 

Carvel as Banquo is dedicated to Macbeth but when insanity sets in, dedication only gets a loyal subject so far. Melling as Prince Malcolm has put away his Harry Potter days and has decided to become a future king. 

And extremely deserved shout out to Kathryn Hunter as the witche(s). Never in my life have I been scared and yet transfixed by a character like this. She is daunting, full of riddles and, when looking intensely at the television screen, held my gaze with jaw dropping wonder. Her motion and yet lack of emotion is pure genius. 

Other cast include Miles Anderson as Lennox, Robert Gilbert as Angus, James Udom as Seyton, Matt Helm as Donalbain, Moses Ingram as Lady Macduff, Richard Short as Siward, Sean Patrick Thomas as Monteith, Ethan Hutchinson as Macduff’s young son and Susan Berger as Lady in Waiting. 

Apple+ is a video on demand web television that debuted in 2019. Viewable through Apple’s TV app, CEO Tim Cook wanted original content calling it “a great opportunity for us from a creation point of view”. From THE MORNING SHOW to TRYING and THE BANKER and Jason Momoa in SEE, there is plenty of choices for everyone. Plenty of genres? That is exactly what they are bringing to viewers and to see more of what they have to offer please visit www.apple.com/tv/.

THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH is brilliant on so many levels so let me just say first that the cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel and set design provided by Stefan Dechant is magic. Keeping it simple, with shades of light and dark that all play into the telling. The long foreboding shadows and high architecture where secrets are told, and plans are made is breathtaking.

The costuming by Mary Zophres is equally as simple with no fanfare of gold, heavy amour and ornate throne rooms or thrones for that matter. Taking away everything one would expect of a castle, the viewer is free to focus on the players and the end game. Here are leathers and the fabric of a by gone era that are as rough as those characters wearing them. 

Carter Burwell has worked with the Coen brothers before, so it seemed comfortable to have his bring in the film’s score. He gives a frightening life with the violin over the flapping of the crows that have their own meaning in the film. 

Joel Coen has taken on a wonderful task going solo and has brought a story that has been told many times but with something intensely original. From the moment the film begins, it puts our own minds into a state of ‘what is hell is this?’. As Hunter’s tries to warn us from the beginning, the tale is one of twists, turns and omens.

But oh, no matter the warning, every frame of this tale is majestic to behold!  

In the end – something wicked this way comes!


THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF Brings More Mystery to Season 2

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Topic with Season 1 in time to catch up before Season 2 from writer/director Arian Moayed is the mysterious tale of one phone call and the trail into a different world with THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF. 

Katie Bonner (Kelli O’Hara) is married to successful husband Bradley (Mike Doyle) with his influential father. She is used to that considering she has issues with her own mother (Judith Ivey). Raising a beautiful baby girl, Katie keeps her days as busy as she can. That is until one night she receives a telephone call that is about to change her life.

Almost immediately Katie can hear the sound of people running, bombs exploding and people screaming. The name she hears over and over is Tala, as the man on the phone does not understand that he has reached the wrong person. Katie tries to make them understand but learns that Tala is pregnant. 

Thinking she had lost them on the cell phone, Katie all of a sudden hears a distinctive American voice ask a question. She hangs up quickly only to have the call returned. Telling her husband not to answer the phone is not enough. Soon after there is banging on the door and now, she is in front of someone from the government asking her questions about what she could possibly know.

Katie contends over and over that she does not know anything and that the call was not for her. When those questioning her feel she is not a threat, Katie can not get the call out of her head. Making notes from what she remembers, her family is not happy that she will not let the issue go. 

So unhappy about it all that both sides of the family begin to try and quell Katie into submission. Now she must be mover clever than those around her – play the game to keep her child and play the game to get answers as to ‘who is Tala?’ and ‘where is she?’. Katie finds Ram (Laurie Metcalf) who leads her to Buja (Sahr Ngaujah) but with every step there are drones following her.

Constantly being confronted by her family, Katie is finding something within her that she did not know was there – a desire to break away from the constraints put on by Bradley and his father. Also, the determination to find the woman who has haunted her since that very first phone call!

O’Hara as Katie opens the season with an all-to-familiar look at motherhood. Trying to be everything for everyone, she is beginning to show the signs of strain. That phone call changed everything she thought about herself and those around her. She is living dangerously and at the same time driven to find someone she knows nothing about. O’Hara gives us a round of emotions in season one that are intense and frustrating, get ready for season two because Katie got her groove back.

Ngaujah as Buja is making sure that Katie knows that one more step further into finding Tala means she is stepping into a world that could get her killed. Katie continues to call and follow Buja until he tells her things that are even scarier. Ngaujah is strong but man there are moments where crazy eye comes into play. Giving his character what is necessary to protect his people, I can not wait to see where Ngaujah takes this role.

Metcalf as Ram is just out and out frightening, and I loved every moment of it. She is gritty, harsh, and gives this character a cloak and dagger feel. I have to say that Ram is a character that will not hesitate to bring death close if you pushed her. 

Doyle as husband Bradley is pretty much what you would expect for a successful, rich narcissistic child of a successful, rich narcissistic father. He wants things done his way and expects Katie to do it without question. Doyle makes sure we do not like him from the moment he is on screen giving character Bradly the look and feel of someone Katie needs to get far away from – but there is a price.

Ivey as Katie’s mother is opinionated and sometimes takes it all too far. She makes Katie’s life a tad miserable with the way she thinks things ought to be done. Siding with Bradley and not understanding Katie’s need to find Tala causes friction between mother and daughter. 

The cast includes Mike Doyle, Ben McKenzie, Amy Landecker, Raul Castillo, Erin Wilhelmi, Sahr Ngaujah, Denis O’Hare, Judith Ivey and Laurie Metcalf. 

Season One includes the episodes Who Is This?, You Deserve It, What Is It That You Want?, and 50/50. Season Two begins with The Temptress and Father Figure. 

Topic is the boundary-pushing streaming service for thrillers, mysteries, dramas and documentaries from around the world, serving viewers who crave entertainment beyond the mainstream. Whether it’s a Nordic-noir crime thriller (The Killing), a back-stabbing, an Italian political drama (The Miracle), or a mind-blowing supernatural mystery from Russia (Dead Mountain), Topic expands your view of the world. For more of what Topic has to offer please visit www.topic.com. 

THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF is an intense drama filled with intrigue, questions and more intrigue. Coming in at 25 minutes per episode, it is frustrating in a good way and makes binging totally amazing. O’Hara gives us a character we want to shout at, then we want her to keep going only to shout at the television again! 

The story is not clogged up with special effects or drawn out with distractions. Instead, the story keeps us moving forward and trying to put a puzzle together given only a tiny piece at a time. Of course those of us who have seen season one are speculating constantly about how everything could possibly be connect – and it is fun!

Season Two of THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF will be on Topic December 30th, giving everyone time to catch up with the rest of us as Season One is available also. 

In the end – who is Tala?



THE ETERNALS

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Disney+ from Marvel Studios and director Chloe Zhao is the ETERNALS.

So, here we go with the start of a monolith filled with CLASH OF THE TITANS, I mean Eternals, apparently in an early craft-version without Hal from the 2001 and 2010 films. They arrive on earth with their powers to help the helpless people inhabiting the planet. Robb Stark, I mean Ikaris (Richard Madden), is back to fight off what look like the little annoying cousins of the Krakken along with Anita from HUMANS, I mean Sersi (Gemma Chan). Maleficient, I mean Thena (Angelina Jolie), throws around her lightening staff taking at least three to four minutes to kill said annoying creepy cousin.

In present day, Jon Snow, I mean Dane (Kit Harington), is a professor and teaches along with Sersi (which if you think about it is a little creepy, I mean didn’t Rob Stark die because of Sersi and didn’t Jon Snow fight Sersi already for gawd sake?). When the creepy Krakken cousins reappear, Ikaris turns up and there is a brotherly Stark reunion. Now Sersi has to explain why the Eternals are on earth and Sprite (Lia McHugh) is looking for a good fight.

Are you with me so far? Good, because there are Babylon 575 BC flashbacks that are kind of unnecessary except it gives Ajak (Selma Hayek) a chance to say they Deviants are being kept at bay. Phastos (Brian Henry), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Gilgamesh (Ma Dong-seok), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) and the rest hang out to tell the peasant population CGI stories reminiscent of STARGATE and STAR WARS which is coincidental since the Eternals are from the stars as well.  

Now, Ikaris and Sersi are supposedly all gooey for each other with the “I am yours” (was waiting for “and you are mine” to finish the GOT reference). Moving to the Gupta Empire, they run away for a colorful wedding with everyone watching. Back to present day as dark clouds loom, apparently even the gods get a divorce because Sersi is now with Dane, and they are looking for Ajak but someone else has gotten there first.

Sersi finally gets to talk to a stone tiki called Arishem (David Kaye) but we are not to privy to that conversation. Now back to a flash back and this time they are in Tenochitlan in 1521 AD (gawd my head is spinning, and I don’t know if it’s a temporary bout with insanity or ridicuousness) and it is the last place the Deviants are found. Except now Maleficient, sorry Thena is going on a rampage yet that would be expected right? You can not be a good girl all the time.

Druig decides he has had enough of humans being bad to one another and that pits their beliefs against one another – ahhhh immortal sibling rivalry. But, with the Deviants gone, there is no need for these outer space superheroes to stick together. So, Ajak tells them they are free to go!

Fast forward to present day Mumbai, Kingo is working the Bollywood circuit but Sersi, Ikaris and Sprite let him know he is needed. They also find Gilgamesh who is taking care of Thena who still seems to be a bit out of it. Still, they sit around the table talking about the Avengers, but Sersi runs off to have a conversation with Arishem about celestial seed farming. Apparently, now that the world is ‘full’, something called the Emergence wants to drive it until everything is empty again.

Arishem goes on to give us a lesson on gravity, heat and light – blah, blah, blah. Not even popcorn is going to save me. So apparently all life is going to die blah, blah, blah. Once again, Sersi/Anita finds out the yucky repetitive truth that Arishem is no better than the dude who created THE MATRIX. Time to call Will Smith and claim his I, ROBOT. 

Sersi gets to be Optimus Prime now and I am trying to stay focused on this. The rest of the group get a little pissy and Thena has an ‘I told you so’ look on her face. Ikaris takes the group to the Amazon to find Druig who is living the communal jungle lama life. Once they tell him what’s what, his dander is up, and he is not about to give warm hugs to any of them. 

Sucking the life out of the Eternals, the Deviant finally speaks and makes it clear he has a score to settle all while Thena gets to fall down weeping. Flashback time! Now in 1945 Hiroshima Phastos thinks humanity is not worth saving (speak for yourself since you started some of it dude!) and jump to present day he is now sitting around the table with Ikaris and Sersi saying he will not help. Of course, he is guilted into it by family (insert huge eye roll and sigh here).

Back in the desert of gawd knows where, they magically dig up the monolith-ship-thing where Makkari has been collecting and living. Then Ikaris is in South Dakota six days from I do not know whining with Ajak on her front porch in the middle of nowhere now blaming Thanos for everything (good gawd really?) or maybe global warming I am not sure.

As the ETERNALS split into two camps and have it out – I am over it.  

Madden as Ikaris has his hands full dealing with 7,000 years of dealing with humans as well as the rest of the eternals. He’s the big brother to the rest and is just as moody with laser eyes that do not seem to do much. Chan as Sersi has to deal with the news she is dealt about the Eternals but its even more so when she has to take over the lead with no experience in how to do that. 

Jolie as Thena is crazy moody and do not let her get back in the warrior phase or you could lose a body part. Not sure what her purpose is other than being a bit nutty but okay, I could have done without the muddled accent that I have heard her do TOMB RAIDER. Dong-seok as Gilgamesh is the only one that can keep Thena’s bouts at bay, apparently is a heck of a chef and is good in a fight.

McHugh as Sprite is just that, a tiny sprite of a thing who has been with Sersi since the Eternal split up going their separate ways. She’s smarter than anyone gives her credit for. Nanjiani as Kingo has gone from a ‘superhero’ to a narcissist who needs a camera and a valet more than air apparently.

Keoghan as Druig has a serious mind of his own and is not afraid to make it clear that 7,000 years and the new info has not changed anything. He has a sharp wit that’s for sure. Hayek as Ajak gets in a moment or two but she truth and does not share it – not a good leader in my book.

Director Zhao has gone from such stellar work like NOMADLAND to this. I hope it was at least fun making. 

Other cast include Hannah Dodd as Sandra, Adria Escudero as Diego, Sebastian Viveros as Jano, Bill Skarsgard as Kro, Haaz Sleiman as Ben, Esai Cross as Jack, Alan Scott as Patrick, Harish Patel as Karun, Patton Oswalt as Pip the Troll and Harry Styles as Eros.

Disney+ is the subscription home streaming entertainment with Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. There are exclusive originals with new feature films, shows, short form content, documentaries, and actions series such as THE MANDALORIAN. For more information, please visit www.disneyplus.com.

Bonus Features include Audio Commentary, Immortalized, Walks of Life, Gag Reel, Deleted Scenes, Gravity, Nostalgia, Movies and Small Talk. 

ETERNALS is just a hot mess of characters that had me yelling at my television, and I hate yelling at my wonderful 70 inch colorful monstrosity. I am sure this is probably a precursor to more of the films and all I can do is scream and claw my face. I just can not anymore. Thumbs up to the actors because there are moments that are a little funny, but the rest is just blah, blah, blah.

My only relief is Kingo with his ridiculous narcissism and one liners and a few good shots from Gilgamesh. Good guys, bad guys, special powers, independent thinking, attempt at romance, regret, bad intentions, lies, truths, plans, narcissism, ‘poor me’ stories, realities and the fact that no good deed goes unpunished is all mashed up into another superhero film where the planet needs saving by someone or another. Personally, with all the destruction these superheroes do to humans and the planet, I’d rather save myself!

Staying through the end credits was an accident because I was in the middle of putting together a fairy set for my granddaughter which was much more entertaining. So, without spoiling it for anyone that dares sit through two hours and thirty-nine minutes, Harry Styles makes a colorful appearance that made me slap my forehead and cry out ‘wtf?!’ and schedule a future nail appointment.  

ETERNALS is now available on Disney+ and will be released on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD February 15.

In the end – this is their beginning story.


This is the Story of BEING THE RICARDOS

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres and then to Prime Video from writer/director Aaron Sorkin and Amazon Studios tells the story of BEING THE RICARDOS.

In 1952, Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are televisions power couple of television and are very married. Going into a critical week, Lucy is dealing with stories of Desi’s infidelity, script problems and being called a communist all while preparing for the Friday night performance of I Love Lucy. Desi makes it clear to everyone that he is going to take care of it all.

On the set, the writers Madelyn Pugh (Alia Shawkat) and Bob Carroll Jr. (Jake Lacy) are arguing changes with Jess Oppenheimer (Tony Hale) tries to keep the peace at a table read. Not helping is the William Frawley (J.K. Simmons) who plays Fred and Vivian Vance (Nina Arianda) who plays Ethel being just as sarcastic with each other off stage as well as on.

Tensions rise when Lucy tries to make changes and hits a wall with Oppenheimer. Believing she is right; it is Frawley who tries to guide her into getting the changes she wants. Desi is still jumping through hoops proving that he has more control of the show than the network would like. 

As the “Ricardos” and the staff try and handle each disaster, they also tell the story of a young Lucille Ball who sees the young Cuban singer Desi Arnaz and how their affair began. As both of them try to find their way into Hollywood, their life really takes off when I Love Lucy hits television. 

All of this leads to Lucy trying to keep her family together, Desi dealing with the CBS network and Phillip Morris agency. The television family comes together to fight it all, but some things cannot be re-written into the script.  

Kidman as Lucille Ball is changed a bit with the help of prosthetics and makeup and gives us the best Ball we could have imagined. The actress invites us into Ball’s world behind the camera of a tough woman who knew what needed to be done but had to fight for every inch to move forward. Knowing that there were murmurs of Kidman playing the iconic Lucille Ball, those who spoke out (and you know who you are) can now just pipe down. Kidman gave it everything and everything pays off.

Bardem as Desi Arnaz gave us the Cuban bandleaders life prior to Hollywood and although they do not go into detail, what is shared is sad but at the same time gave Arnaz motivation to succeed. Bardem wraps himself in the role with singing and drum playing and makes it look effortless. He gives Desi’s view of the relationship with Lucille Ball as quick, passionate, loaded with transgressions, successful and protective – but sometimes it is not enough. Well done Bardem!

Simmons as Frawley is so cool, I cannot even stand it. He gives Frawley the quick wit, grumpy sarcasm yet keenly aware of what is going on and supports in surprising ways. I have always been a firm believer that the person who seems less interested in the room is taking in everything in the room. Simmons does all of this while wearing old man chest high well-creased pants. I so enjoyed his performance.

Arianda as Vance is like Lucille Ball, does not take any garbage and does not hold back her emotions. There comes a moment in the script where her looks are called into question and Arianda rolls up her sleeves and gives Vance a voice. I appreciated that so much knowing that even back in the 50’s, women like Vance who were struggling with who she wanted to be against who the public saw her as. 

Shawkat as Pugh is a woman script writer in a man’s world with the same sharp wit at the women around her, sometimes too sharp. Lacy as Bob is Pugh’s verbal sparring partner and script writer who stands back at times and lets the chips fall where they may. Hale as Oppenheimer is someone who not only created a show but stays with it through everything, even when those he protects the most sometimes tests his patience. 

Other cast includes John Ruben as elder Oppenheimer, Linda Lavin as elder Madelyn Pugh, Ronny Cox as elder Bob Carroll, Dana Lyn Baron as Miss Rosen, Daniel Sachoff as David Levy, Nelson Franklin as Joe Strickland, Jeff Holman as Roger Otter, Baise Buzan as Mary Pat, Christopher Denham as Donald Glass, Max Silvestri as David Hart, and Clark Gregg as Howards Wenke. 

Amazon Prime offers television shows and original content included in its Amazon Prime subscription. Original programs such as CARNIVAL ROW, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL are hit shows. Coming soon is the next series with GOLIATH starring Billy Bob Thornton and it promises to another successful and intense series.

BEING THE RICARDOS is funny, sad, interesting, intriguing, surprising and gave me several ‘wow’ moments. This is the 1950’s and the world may have seemed like a different time but interestingly enough, not so different at the same time in the ways of values and barriers. That was the very first thing I noticed but then, the story took me over (not to negate the above).

Kidman and Bardem are absolutely fantastic together and Lucy and Desi. I was not looking to see if Kidman could be Lucille Ball because all I saw was Lucille Ball and the same applies to Bardem. I watched these two characters weave in and out of a week of mayhem and chaos. Of course, although the events may be real, the only thing that did not happen was it all happened in a week. That’s Sorkin doing what Sorkin’s writing does. 

From pregnancy to infidelity to communism to friendship, BEING THE RICARDOS tackles each of these because they had an impact on the Arnaz family and marriage. The reverberations were felt throughout their friendships, the studio and the production of a series that changed American television.

The cinematography and costumes put a seal on the entire project giving is a look of authenticity and kept me totally involved. From Lucy’s big eyes and red lipstick to Desi’s perfect hair and stunning suits, the film is so darn inviting and I fell hook, line and red headed sinker.

In the end – television would never be the same!

NO MAN OF GOD

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on AMC+ from director Amber Sealey is a story based on the real transcripts conversations about Ted Bundy when it is discovered that he is NO MAN OF GOD.

Bill Hagmaier (Elijah Wood) is an FBI agent assigned to the Behavior Science Unit in 1985. His first case given by boss Roger Depue (Robert Patrick) with the unit is Ted Bundy (Luke Kirby) who is on death row. Everyone makes it clear that Bundy does not like the FBI and will not talk to him. After writing a letter, Bundy agrees to meet with Hagmaier. Their first meeting is a test run and the agent understands immediately that Bundy likes to play games. 

A year passes when Hagmaier meets with Bundy once again bringing him an ice breaker of gum to the Florida State Prison. They begin with the case of Green River and Bundy begins to share his insights about murder and murderers. During their conversation, Hagmaier gives Bundy a bit of personal information that makes their talk turn dark. He is warned by Depue that getting to close to Bundy is dangerous and that he could end up in a place he can not get out of. 

In 1987, Bundy starts to get edgy in their next conversations where he begins to share stories about the women he knew. Frustrated at how people have portrayed him, he shares his thoughts and Hagmaier listens. Asking very few questions, Hagmaier is careful not to upset or frustrate Bundy. It is Bundy who makes it clear that Hagmaier could have had the other life. 

It is now 1989 and the Governor of Florida lets it be known that Bundy is to die in seven days even though Bundy is trying for a stay of execution. Depue tells Hagmaier that Bundy is ready to confess everything but will only talk to him. Arriving at the prison, Hagmaier meets Carolyn Lieberman (Aleksa Palladino) who is a civil attorney.

Bundy has changed his tactics believing that telling everything might jeopardize and overturn of execution. He immediately informs Lieberman that Hagmaier is in charge, and she is not happy about it. Hagmaier makes it clear that it is time to come clean and give closure to the families that are waiting for new of their daughters. As investigators come to question Bundy, Hagmaier is now the one that is frustrated.

The clock is ticking and Hagmaier can not believe it when evangelical Dr. James Dobson (Christian Clemenson) comes to do a television interview with Bundy. Down to the wire, a sanity hearing is called but the outcome does not change. Now everything comes to a head, and it is time to hear from Bundy as Hagmaier thought he was prepared for what he is about to hear.

Wood as Hagmaier is a man who is patient and knows exactly how to wait out Bundy’s game of cat and mouse. This is an intense role for Wood but one that I welcome because he is strong, consistent and even kind if that makes sense. The scene where he helps Bundy write a letter is heartfelt toward a man who continues to show no remorse for what he has done. The Wood gives us the opposite when it comes time to go under the water with Bundy. An excellent performance from beginning to end.

Kirby as Bundy is charming, good looking, smart, savvy and knows how to manipulate anyone in front of him in such a way that they do not even realize it is being done. Even his anger seems easily forgiven by those who experience it. When the final scene with Wood comes around, Kirby dives into a dark place and makes sure anyone watching is mesmerized by the terror he so easily speaks about. From that moment on, Kirby’s performance is of a man who can not fathom what is about to happen and still plays games. Excellent!

Palladino as Carolyn is a woman who defends someone the rest of the world can not understand. She makes it clear to Hagmaier why she is doing it but has her own opinion about the man she is helping. 

AMC+ is an American subscription video on demand streaming service owned by AMC Networks that was launched in June 2020. The service streams THE WALKING DEAD franchise as well as MAD MEN, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and currently THE NORTH WATERS. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.amcplus.com.

NO MAN OF GOD is a powerful film carried out by two actors that spend 90% of the film face to face, emotion to emotion, and frustration to frustration. Wood’s character is of a man not only trying to do his job but find closure for the families. He tries to reach Bundy to get him to understand not only the consequences of his actions but of the cruelty that each day brings. 

Kirby brings Bundy from a charming prisoner to a man who has come to realize that his options and his cleverness are not going to save him. Watching these two men come to terms with their lots, one man will eventually not have to worry about it anymore and another man who will not have a moments peace for the rest of his life. 

In the end - it is time to go under the water.


THE NORTH WATER is Chilling in the Tale

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on AMC+ from writer/director Andrew Haigh from the novel by Ian McGuire is the five-part television series THE NORTH WATER. 

It is 1859 and Patrick Sumner (Jack O’Connell) is a surgeon who has joined the whaling vessel Volunteer. He watches the crew and particularly a man named Henry Drax (Colin Farrell). Drax is a ruthless man who has done heinous things so being part of the crew as the harpooner, he manages to avoid the law. 

Sumner has his own past that he is trying to get away from and does so with bottles of laudanum. As they go further north to look for whales, Captain Brownlee (Stephen Graham) has made a deal with the company for what is to happen with the ship. Sumner also tries to help the whalers and discovers the dangers of the waters. On board, it is discovered that a cabin boy has been treated horribly and Sumner is not about to let it go. 

Looking for the man responsible, Sumner’s eyes turn to Drax and with good reason and Brownlee meets the hostility of a crew member. The ship continues north even though the crew does not understand why. With the help of another ship, the Hastings, a plan is put into motion but, as with all evil plans, everything goes wrong. As the ship is in distress, the crew is abandoned on an ice shelf waiting for a good time to board the Hastings. 

Cavendish (Sam Spruell) has taken charge but the next morning the Hastings is no where to be found. What is left of the crew boards the rowboats and try to find a pace to be safe. On a rock surrounded by ice mountains, the crew try to survive. When a pair of Inuit arrive, there is meat for everyone but Drax and Cavendish as always, want more. If things are not already bad, they are about to get worse.

As the others trek across the ice, Sumner follows a bear in hopes of having food. Another storm hits when he is discovered by a priest (Peter Mullan) who takes him in. The Inuit come to hunt with Sumner, and he begins to have a legendary name for himself. But Sumner has other plans and wants to get home. 

Once home, he discovers the truth about the journey and decides to take care of it all once and for all.

McConnell as Sumner begins the series as a young man dealing with the injustices of war, greed and those who held his life in his hands. Taking the vessel surgeon job on the Volunteer was the only thing he had left in his life. It is on the journey that Sumner realizes that treachery can be found anywhere in the world, not just on the battlefield. McConnell is absolutely stunning in this role, and I loved every step he took from start to finish. The growth of the character came to be in good hands with this actor. 

Farrell as Drax is out and out vicious, diabolical, deliberate and menacing. Keeping his character so hidden like a ragged harpooner added such depth to what this character was consistently doing to those around him. That being said, Farrell has the amazing ability to play an amazing, good person but when he goes bad, he truly goes full force bad. Drax is a full-on bad man who does not see anything wrong with what he does. 

Graham as Brownlee is a man who is trying to find his own redemption in the whaling world and the only way to do that means committing a different kind of crime. Spruell as Cavandish, who starts out as friends with Drax, comes to see that there is no future in befriending the devil.

Shout out to Tom Courtenay as Baxter, the man responsible for setting into motion the events that put lives in danger, caused death and the eventual confrontation with Patrick Sumner. I have always been an avid watcher of Courtenay’s work and he continues to shine. 

Other cast include Kieran Urquhart as Jones, Philip Hill-Pearson as McKendrick, Nive Nielsen as Anna, Jonathan Aris as Corbyn, Lee Knight as Stevens, Gary Lamont as Webster, Eliza Butterworth as Hester, Mark Rowley as Bain, Roland Moller as Otto and Tom Courtenay as Baxter. 

AMC+ is an American subscription video on demand streaming service owned by AMC Networks that was launched in June 2020. The service streams THE WALKING DEAD franchise as well as MAD MEN, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and currently THE NORTH WATERS. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.amcplus.com.

The five-part episodes include Behold the Man, We Men Are Wretched Things, Homo Homini Lupus, The Devils of the Earth and To Live is to Suffer. 

THE NORTH WATER is a series you must binge watch. I could not stop and do not regret a moment of it. This is a series about what men do to one another, the reasons they do it (whether good or bad is indifferent to their reasons), the horror of what memories can push someone to and when you put it all in a mixing bowl, the results are disastrous.

The cast is amazing led by O’Connell as Farrell lies low in the background but never letting you forget he is there. The entire cast put their stories out to lead the story in different directions but never straying from the fact that the boat they are on is leading them to death. Using the barren lands of the Artic, there is nothing distracting the viewer from investing in every moment of Patrick Sumner’s experience.

In the end – the hunt will change!

He believes in the ENCOUNTER

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres and then to Prime Video from writer/director Michael Pearce, Joe Barton and Amazon Original Studios is the story of the ENCOUNTER.

Malik Khan (Riz Ahmed) is a veteran of the Marine Corps, and he has returned to take sons Jay (Lucian-River Chauhan) and Bobby (Aditya Geddada) on a trip. The boys soon realize their father is running from something, believing that there is an alien bug that has come to Earth. The only way to know if a person is infected is by their eyes and the only protection is bug spray.

Where Malik is really taking his two boys is a military base in Arizona where he convinces them they will be safe until a cure is found. On the road he begins to train them to survive. Keeping the boys out of site, eldest boy Jay discovers that he and his brother have been, in fact, kidnapped from their mother Piya (Janina Gavankar) and law enforcement are looking for them.

Jay also realizes that something is wrong with his father when he makes a call and talks to Hattie (Octavia Spencer) and more of the truth comes out. As the stressors become more obvious and the world begins to catch up with them, Malik must decide how he is going to handle the situation and Jay decides who his father really is.

Ahmed as Khan is a man who knows that the aliens are on Earth and causing destruction wherever they go no matter the species. Taking his sons to a safer place is his only goal and nothing is going to stop him – or no one. Ahmed gives us the performance of a man split between the war world he served and protecting his family. 

Chauhan as Jay is a strong young man who believes in his father and trusts that what he is doing is right. Knowing that the trip starts off the ways he always thought it would be like, it is what comes after that is so much for a young man. Chauhan portrays his character as a young man who can not let his father down and stands firm till the end.

Geddada as Bobby is a boy who does what all boys do, be rambunctious, inquisitive, and loud. The road trip with him is not easy on Malik which puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of Jay, as if he does not have enough to contend with. 

Spencer as Hattie wants something better for Malik and wants him to bring the boys home before things get out of hand. Spencer gives us a caring woman who wants to do her job naturally but sees Malik as more than just another man in trouble with the law.

Amazon Prime offers television shows and original content included in its Amazon Prime subscription. Original programs such as CARNIVAL ROW, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL are hit shows. Coming soon is the next series with GOLIATH starring Billy Bob Thornton and it promises to another successful and intense series.

ENCOUNTER has been nominated in four categories by the British Independent Film Awards for Best Actor – Riz Ahmed, Best Supporting Actor – Lucian River Chauhan, Best Music – Jed Kurzel and Best Sound – Andrew Stirk, Paul Davies, Morgan Muse, Bernard O’Reilly and Julian Howarth. 

The film gives us a look at Malik’s thought process regarding the aliens, how it is spread and the only protection for human beings. He is dedicated to saving his sons and making sure no one tries to stop him. There is such a dynamic here between father and sons as the eldest has held on to a love for his father that is based on wanting things to be as he believes but the youngest has very little to go on other than Malik is his dad.

They begin to learn about each other but even that is based on a mixture of wanting to protect his sons from the past and the present and two young men who see their father as a hero. Ahmed goes in many directions with his role and each of them are strong – until this character can no longer tell lie from truth.

ENCOUNTER is a mixture of science fiction and the realities of human beings who have seen and been a part of something so traumatic that it changes their life’s perspective. Although there is a mixture of premises here that I have seen before, it does not change ENCOUNTER being an emotionally charged film.

In the end – it is in what we believe!


The Story of FINCH

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Apple TV+ and director Miguel Sapochnik is the story of a world surviving the destruction and a man named FINCH.

Ten years in and Finch Weinberg (Tom Hanks), and dog Goodyear, are living in a world that has been destroyed by a solar flare. Temperatures have turned the Earth into a hot box making it extremely hazardous for human beings. He cannot even go outside without a suit and a warning system that lets him know when radiation becomes too much for him to be outside.

Out looking for food with robot Dewey, he is also looking for parts for another project he has set in motion. Creating a robot, Finch also takes books scanning them into a program for his robot with an emphasis on training and taking care of a dog.

Once his robot comes to life, Finch begins to teach him what he thinks will help when his creation discovers that a dangerous storm is approaching. It also tells Finch that the storm will last forty days. He gathers up everything in a Winnebago, along with Goodyear, Dewey and they head for a place on a post card - San Francisco.

Along the way, Finch tries to teach the newly named robot Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones) about how to survive in a world where there is very little trust. Trying to explain things to Jeff can be taxing at times. Jeff tries to take initiative and it gets them into situations that are difficult and with heavy consequence3s.

But the journey is everything!

Hanks as Finch is, well, just a national treasure and cannot do a wrong roll if he tried. The film does have a bit of a WALLY and THE MARTIAN (except Finch is still on Earth) and I personally love both of those films so there's that! Hanks gives us compassion, frustration, love and teaching moments as he always seems to do. He is a man on a mission, but it is one of love that comes through.

Jones as the voice of Jeff is so sweet and innocent that my heart just melted. Even when he does his happy dance of "initiative" I cheered with him. The lessons Jeff has to learn are harsh at times but in order to survive it is understandable that Finch pushes so hard. He wants something special for Jeff and it has to happen under such intense circumstances. Jones does a wonderful job lending his voice.

Shout out to Goodyear, good puppy and good friend who has to learn the same as Finch and Jeff - that trust can be hard to come by but give it time.

Other cast include: Oscar Avila as the Truck Driver, Lora Martinez-Cunningham as Mother, Maria Wagernman as the Daughter.

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FINCH is a tender and harsh film all rolled into the performances of Hanks and Jones. It is a world of survival and the day-to-day danger of food, water and a safe place to be. Hanks' performance as Finch is just so beautiful to watch, his tenderness with Dewey and Jeff are there from beginning to end (even if there are moments Jeff pushes his nerves).

Filmed in the harshest environments imaginable, director Sapochnik gives us a heavy dose of what our world could look like under those circumstances. Having Hanks and Jones on the creative journey with him allows us to embrace the story, the set and the characters as they take us on their adventure.

In the end – their friendship was more real than they could have imagined!

THE STARLING Flies onto Netflix

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Netflix from director Theodore Melfi comes a story of loss, grief and dealing with THE STARLING.

Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) and husband Jack (Chris O’Dowd) are dealing with a loss in their family. Jack is so distraught that he is in a facility to receive therapy and medication. Lilly deals with her anxiety by working at the local supermarket being watched over by boss Travis (Timothy Olyphant).

It is suggested to Lilly that she seek therapy of her own with Dr. Larry Fine (Kevin Kline) once therapist turned small town veterinarian. Their connection is cock-eyed at best but going home she realize that her home is surrounded by painful memories. Making a change Lilly decides to put a garden in her front yard.

Digging and planting, she is side swiped by a starling who is not happy about her presence. Lilly is not about to let a bird stop her and the battle between human and bird is on! What Lilly does not realize is that the universe works in mysterious ways. Seeing Dr. Fine and dealing with a starling along with a husband Jack and his issues, she becomes more and more aware of what she wants for her life. 

This is where grief and happiness learn to co-exist!

McCarthy as Lilly is her usual hysterical self but, in this role, there is also an element of grief that, although may cause a few chuckles, is completely understandable. What Lilly learns in this process is that everyone grieves differently and once that is accepted, healing can begin. McCarthy is sweet, brave, understanding but bubbling underneath the surface is her own anger and when it comes to the surface – stand back!

O’Dowd as husband Jack is so swallowed up by grief that he does not see that his wife is struggling as well. He finds reasons to stay as it is which means he does not have to accept the challenge of continuing on with life which is the goal. The telephone scene between O’Dowd and McCarthy is so tender and yet strong because it is the turning point for them both and I loved it.

Kline as Dr. Fine is quirky and yet under that is a compassion he is sees for Lilly and Jack. Its not that Lilly does not take pot shots at him because boy does she, yet Kline’s character sees the potential for them both. It is so good to see Kline in a film again doing what he does best, being that voice and figure of reason when everyone else has gone a little mad. 

Shout out to Olyphant as the supermarket manager who always has something interesting to say at the wrong times. Also, to Skyler Gisondo as Dickie, a young man who befriends Lilly and is curious about the starling. Finally, to Loretta Devine who cracked me up as Velma. 

Other cast include Daveed Diggs as Ben, aura Harrier as Sherri, Rosalind Chao as Fawn, Kimberly Quinn as Regina, Jesse Garcia as Hector, Edi Patterson as Margie, Emily Tremaine as Alice and Ravi Kapoor as Dr. Manmohan. 

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films, Netflix is across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere and on any internet-connected screen. For more information, please visit www.netflix.com.

THE STARLING is a charming, heart-felt film that does not forget to make us laugh, even about things that are uncomfortable in this life. McCarthy handles herself in a way that reminds me – well, of me! That is her uncanny quality, to take on serious roles that are relatable. If you have not watched her in the series Nine Perfect Strangers playing Francis Welty, then you are really missing something wonderful. 

O’Dowd gives us the other side of the coin as a man who climbs inside his emotions and lives there in grief. He refuses to see things through the eyes of his wife and that’s how deep his sadness goes. It is a dark place to be and O’Dowd does not hold back giving us another grief perspective.

The cast is wonderful together and I absolutely adored the scenes between McCarthy and Kline. Their repartee had a bit of a snippy bite on McCarthy’s side, but Kline’s character held his ground. Kline gives his character the understanding that grief can bring out the worst in human nature, but compassion is there waiting when they are ready. 

The interaction between Lilly/McCarthy and the starling is creative, clever and hilarious. This is another battle to be fought but there comes a moment when both human and bird realize that a compromise of emotion needs to be reached, yet a starling will always be a starling. 

THE STARLING is a film to enjoy for all reasons.

In the end – hope starts small!

​They Never Expected to Find THE DEEP HOUSE

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to EPIX and on Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment and directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo is a story of what they find in THE DEEP HOUSE. 

Ben (James Jagger) and Tina (Camille Rowe) are social media influencers who share their adventures with viewers on the internet. Going through France, they are looking for the story of an underwater house only to discover what where they thought it should be is now an recreation area.

Trying to figure out what to do next, Ben meets a local who knows what they are looking for and agrees to take them. Driving further and further away, the last few miles they go together on foot carrying their gear. Ben and Tina are so surprised to see a vast lake before them as the local tells them to go straight down and they will find a house totally intact.

Excited, they put on their gear and prepare their underwater drone and dive right in. Making sure everything works, they head down deep into the water talking about how their viewers are going to be thrilled about their adventure.

Finding the house, nothing seemed to be worn down by water damage and Tina points it out to Ben. Going from room to room they discover older recording equipment, dolls and a deep secret that is going to keep them investigating to find the answers.

Jagger as Ben is clearly only thinking about the ratings of his social media viewers. He wanted to find the underwater house and be the first to investigate it. Disappointed at first, he is reinvigorated when the local takes them to another location. Pushing the dive further and further, Tina wants to go but Jagger believes that the mystery will thrill viewers.

Rowe as Tina has been preparing for the dive in her own way. Enjoying the road trip, she does not seem to mind it when they do not initially find the underwater house. Happy to be lying on the beach and relaxing, she agrees to go with Ben to the next location. I sided with Rowe’s character from the get go – how very cool that a house is under the water but send in the drone and stay outside of it. Every time Row’s character had an objection, I yelled, “Listen to Tina!”

Other cast include Eric Savin as Pierre, Alexis Servaes as Mister Montegnac, Anne Claessens as Madam Montegnac and Caroline Massey as Sarah Montegnac. 

Paramount Pictures is the longest operating and remaining major studio in Hollywood that has been on the ground floor of every major development in film. From the advent of motion pictures to the emergence of television, through the digital revolution, Paramount Pictures has been there. During our 100-year history, we have served as the production site for thousands of notable movies and television shows. For more please visit www.paramountstudios.com.

THE DEEP HOUSE is an interesting look at a film that is 95% under water. That adds a crazy element of creepiness because it is dark and murky. Every corner they turn there is something floating by that adds to the mystery or something in the shadows that look far away. The depth perception is as muddled as the water.

As the story unfolds and comes to light, the Ben and Tina are still under the water with the oxygen tank clock ticking as the house begins to turn on them (ergo why I was screaming, “that’s what the drone was for!”). It is now the house against the humans and what Ben and Tina discover is that the house has a reason for wanting them.

In the end – even death may die!


HBO Takes a Look at FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from director Jamie Roberts and HBO is a look at one day that has changed the way we look at our politicians and political system with the documentary FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL.

This documentary starts off with Officer Mike Fanone from the D.C. Metro Police Department with twenty years of duty. Explaining how his day would start it would be even more difficult to experience how his day would end.

At the White House, the then 45th President was giving a hell-fire speech to his supporters but down at the Capitol, proud boy Eddie Block was at the Washington Monument because he could not get to the speech. He sees people moving toward the Capitol, so he follows the group and records what he sees. 

Many in the Capitol know there are people gathering outside including Rep. Buddy Carter and Rep. Jim McGovern but neither could have seen where it was going. Liah Han, assistant to the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi also was becoming aware of the gathering.

Tayler Hansen, a reporter for The Gateway Pundit was in the crowd at the White House speech and is witnessing the reaction of the crowd to what they were hearing. He followed the proud boys even before the violent outbreak. Ashley Gilbertson of The New York Times recalls the crowd as showing “blind devotion”. 

Bobby Pickles, also a proud boy explained, “the president says, ‘go to the capitol’ so we went to the capitol.” Soon after began the pushing past barriers with crowds following and it is when “all hell broke loose”. 

Officer Winston Pingeon from the U.S. Capitol police reports that the incident actually began 19 minutes before the White House speech ended. Already the police are overwhelmed as the crowd grows even larger, chanting gets louder and tempers flare like a flash fire. Trying to enter the Capitol building, the officers are overtaken.

Inside the chamber, Rep. Eric Swalwell and Rep. Ruben Gallego are there to certify the electoral votes of the election and have no idea what is happening outside. Violence erupts as pepper balls are shot into the crowd and pushing past the police now turns to violence against them. Videographer Brendan Gutenschwager feared what was going and for very good reason.

Couy Griffin representing cowboys for the then standing president, saw the outburst along with activist filmmaker Nick Alvear, and car salesman Domic Box all have their opinions about stolen votes and frustrations. As the crowds escalated, Commander Ramey Kyle of D.C. Metro was making his way to the Capitol saying, “we knew we were in for a fight”.

Inspector Robert Glover, also of D.C. Metro talks about officers beginning to fall and becoming injured by the crowds. Civilians were now attacking and beating police officer to get further into the building. Rep. Jim McGovern began getting txt from family about what was happening. The police are now outnumbered and the break in begins as fire alarms go off and Capitol police sweep in to take people away.

Rep. Jason Crow speaks on how everything quickly became intense, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro was told to continue on with government business. It also became quickly clear that those still in the building knew it was time to protect themselves any way they could as the protestors were becoming insurrectionists. 

Officer Goodman tires to keep the crowd away from the Senate Chambers as Officer Byron Evans hears on the radio of the escalation and Officer Keith Robishaw helps to hold the line. Both Majority Whip Dick Durbin and Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer both tell of their experience and how quickly it happened.

The crowds inside grow larger and they are looking for the Vice-President and the Speaker of the House. Finding the Senate Chamber, the intruders ransacked papers and sat in seats while outside it had become complete bedlam as more officers like Daniel Hodge are assaulted and to survive they had to retreat.

The House of Representatives and those inside can now hear the insurrectionists and had to run. Trying to escape to the chant of “stop the steal” reverberating on the floor. There were people in the gallery hiding and making calls to loved ones. Finally, Rep. Adam Kinzinger is led with others to a protective location and is angry that the then president said – nothing. 

Officer Fanone arrives at the Capitol and, along with partner Jimmy Albright get to the Capitol tunnel and see that the insurrectionists were attempting to push their way in as the police hold the line. Other officers begin to show up as well and they managed to push the crowd completely back out the tunnel. 

As control is resumed, so is the business of the government and the continuation of certifying the election. In the end, 140 officers are injured with one officer dead and four protesters die. 

Arrests begin to happen and the reality of it is that the man who pushed the crowds forward promising to be there with them to the Capitol is the same man who stayed behind.

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FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL is a look at the timeline of the attack on the Capitol building on January 6, 2020. I know where I was, because it was hours before I could get up from my seat. Sitting at home with family watching the news about the certification, it started as a low murmur and almost in a blink it became violent, and my jaw dropped. Calling out to my family who were in the next room to join me because there was no way I was seeing what I thought I was seeing.

They looked at the television set and I saw the look on their faces so it became clear that we were witnessing something frightening which would be followed by horror. It became a day that is still talked about 21 months later.

What director Roberts was able to do was gather those who lived and, in some cases, survived the day. Even more poignant are the stories that we did not know about that reignited the horror for my family who thought we had seen it all. It is in these stories and the faces of those telling it that will break hearts.

That day also bring the realization that since September 11th has our country been united in a cause like we all were that day. Now, there is arguing, fighting, accusing, lying, deceiving just to name a few of the divisive things that are happening in the country. The idea of fair play and people who run for office congratulate the winner and look to the next challenge has been damaged, perhaps beyond repair. 

Watching FOUR HOURS AT THE CAPITOL, all I could think was that those protecting the Capitol and its occupants inside must have felt like the day was never going to end. The fear and anxiety was palpable then and it seemed to still be with those telling their story. Each frame of the story lets us know what happened and we have certainly learned why it happened even before January 6, 2020.

The importance of this documentary is to never, ever let this happen again and to do that we have to understand how it all got to this point. Not that many of need a grand outline of that but it is important in the telling about this day.

In the end – the ramifications are still being felt today!


He Can Only Find Her With REMINISCENCE

Jeri Jacquin

Currently in theatres and on HBO/Max from writer/director Lisa Joy and Warner Bros. Pictures is the story of our world through REMINISCENCE.

Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) is living in a world now surrounded by water, rebellion and the have nots. During the day it seems quiet, and the nighttime is when everything comes alive. His business is investigating but also allowing people to revisit the past using a hologram program and the help of partner Watts (Thandie Newton).

At closing time, Nick is about to be thunderstruck when the beautiful Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) walks in with a request. She can not seem to find her keys and while in the program, Nick sees into her life. Starting a relationship that is filled with everything he never thought possible, devastation follows when Mae disappears. 

Devastated, he uses his own program to try and understand if there are clues to where she has gone. Watts, trying to snap him out of it, reminds him that they need to get to the local police station to help a case. In the tank is Cyrus Booth (Cliff Curtis), during questioning Nick sees Mae.

Now he must come to terms with the mystery of who Mae truly is, those that have been part of her life, the connection with the Sylvan family and following the trail of murder.

Jackman as Nick is a love-struck detective that uses the mind technology to trace where Mae would have gone. Instead, he finds the life of bad guys and bad choices realizing that the only truth lies in the end. Jackman does his usual stellar job giving us a hardy performance with intensity and a broken heart.

Ferguson as Mae is a femme fatale songstress who sends Nick on a chase of love and pain. Is she really who she seems to be? That is the question and Ferguson is not giving up any answers to the very end.

Newton as Watts has worked with Nick for years and sees the path of destruction he is going on. They butt heads over the investigation and the choices Nick is making, and Newton makes sure her character is strong and no-nonsense.

Curtis as Booth looks as dastardly as they come, and he knows more than he ever plans to share. Locked inside his mind are a good portion of what has been happening all along and he is not going to give it up easily. Curtis has the remarkable ability to play both a good guy and a bad guy in equal measure because he does it so dang well. 

Other cast include Natalie Martinez as Avery Castillo, Marina de Tavira as Swati Sylvan, Daniel Wu as Saint Joe, Mojean Aria as Sebastian Sylvan, Giovannie Cruz as Cindy, Brett Cullen as Walter Sylvan, Angela Saratyan as Elsa Carine, Javier Molina as Hank, Sam Medina as Falks, Norio Nishimura as Harris, Nico Parker as Zoe and Roxton Garcia as Freddie. 

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Although enjoying the film, I could not help but think that the story is a mixture of other stories and genres (WATERWORLD, INCEPTION, ALTERED STATES, a tad MEMENTO and all black and white P.I. films I have ever watched etc.). The backstory of the new ‘water world’ seems to be a story all its own and gave me more questions than answers. 

Jackman, Newton and Ferguson carry their part of the film very well. I enjoyed their performances as Jackman takes us on the noir mystery thriller set in a future world. Director Joy was co-creator and executive producer of the HBO series Westworld. Also, she might have gotten a few pointers from brother-in-law Christopher Nolan but for her first project, it is all about the mystery indeed. 

So enjoy in a theatre or enjoy at home – just enjoy the mystery and discover REMINISCENCE.

In the end – don’t look back!


Netflix Brings the Original Story of SWEET TOOTH

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Netflix from writer/director Jim Mickle is the story of a world that is wracked with a virus that brought about SWEET TOOTH.

The world is experiencing a deadly virus called H5G9 causing the Great Crumble and children being born are something to behold. Called hybrid-children, they are half human and half animal. One father knows it is time to get away as human beings become unpredictable to raise Gus (Christian Convery) who is a hybrid child being half boy and half deer. Gus and Pubba (Will Forte), which he calls his father, raise their own vegetables and survive wonderfully in the woods.

Ten years later, the problem is that Gus is starting to be curious about the outside world. Pubba reminds him all the time that it outside world is dangerous, but Gus is longing for his mother. As Gus grows so does his curiosity about the fence that has been protecting them and his world is about to change. In an attempt to be caught by poachers, Tommy Jeppard (Nonso Anozie) saves him and Gus calls him "Big Man" and lays out his plans to go to Colorado to find his mother.

In the world, Dr. Aditya Singh (Adeel Akhtar), not only learns the signs of the Sick but deals with his wife Rani Singh (Aliza Vellani) having gone through it and now he is trying to save her. Trying to hide it from everyone, they gone on with their lives the best way they can. As Gus and Big Man travel together, they meet Bear (Stefania LaVie Owen) and through a series of events begins to travel with them.

Aimee Eden (Dania Ramirez) makes a home for herself in the local zoo and raises daughter Wendy (Naledi Murray) who is also a hybrid-child. Trying to create a safe space for hybrids is making it easier for General Abbot (Neil Sandilands) to find any hybrid-children. As he looks for anyone who knows about a potential cure for the Sick, he takes Dr. Singh and his wife and his wife to a place where he can work.

They are all intertwined in a world that is unsettling and dangerous.

Convery as Gus is absolutely stunning, charming and a delight to watch. It is a challenge for any actor to play something different but in Convery's case it is different in so many ways. Playing a deer (who loves sweets hence the name Sweet Tooth), he gives Gus all the characteristics of a deer and not just the look about him. He is curious, has a look when he hears or smells something, and these are all to the characters advantage. I love the fire of Gus and Convery is responsible for that. Well done young man.

Anozie as Big Man is the perfect person to look after Gus even though that was never in his original plans. He has his own story to tell that is just as shocking as what has happened to Gus. As the two travel together, they learn from one another and Anozie becomes more and more protective of Gus. At first it is merely to point him in the direction of Colorado and send the little bother on his way - but it changes with each stop they make. Anozie allows his character to be who he is and then remember what it is like to care for someone. He is strong, grumpy and quietly caring and I like it very much.

Akhtar as Dr. Singh is completely taken by surprise at the Sick and feels guilty when his wife comes down with it. He makes it his mission to keep her alive and also keep the neighbors at bay with their questions about how he can help the masses. From the first moment we meet his character there is so much about him that can be intense one moment and flighty the next, especially when he discovers the truth about the lab and the hybrid-children. I expect the second season to tell more about his story.

Owen as Bear is a strong girl who has brought a group of likeminded kids and teens together to fight for the hybrid-children. She sees something special in Gus and when her group has other plans, Bear is going to do whatever possible to save her little friend. Owen gives her character the wisdom of someone much older but then again this is not a world where being naïve helps anything - ask Gus!

Ramirez as Eden finds herself taking over the zoo and making it self-sustainable for herself and daughter Wendy. She is just as curious as Gus and learns everything that her mother has to teach about surviving and staying away from those who would hurt her. In those lessons however are questions about the world that Eden is cautious to answer until she absolutely has to. Murray as Wendy is so dang cute it is ridiculous as she is a hybrid half pig half little girl and terrible smart. Her world revolves around her mother and joins in the desire to help those just like her.

Sandilands as General Abbott is the worst kind of villain in that he can be nice, but you know by the way he talks that there is nothing nice about him. He has a mission that takes him to find Dr. Bell (Sarah Peirse) and it only leads to Dr. Singh's door. Trust me this is not a house call I'd want to have happen. Cannot wait to see his story!

Shout out to Forte as Pubba, his story is slowly told and it is one of love, protection and trying to create a safe world for Gus. He shares the backstory with Birdie (Amy Seimetz) who Gus believes is his mother. They both lay the groundwork for the story of Gus to give us many seasons of enjoyment.

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films, Netflix is across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere and on any internet-connected screen. For more information please visit www.netflix.com.

Based on a DC Comic, this is an amazing cast narrated by James Brolin that has been brought together to bring a beloved story to the screen. SWEET TOOTH is executive produced by Robert Downey, Jr. (yes, Ironman has a soft spot), wife Susan Downey, Amanda Burrell and Linda Moran with Team Downey. 

SWEET TOOTH is such a wonderful series that takes us into a world that, for the past 18 months, makes the series seem a bit believable. Starting with Gus and his story, the young actor gives us so much to be emotional about as his begins to navigate a world he has been protected from. Gus is a very fiery young man who is also a boy who has all the fears of a kid his age. I admit that I cannot wait to see where the story goes next.

This is a story that is like ivy that has entwined itself in each of the characters’ lives. It is not just that everyone is dealing with the Sick or that there are hybrid-children to understand (or misunderstand depending on who is asking or looking), this is a story about humanity and how it handles having the world turned upside down.

It could be any disaster meaning that you can strip down the hybrid situation and the Crumble and just look at how people treat each other with something like a virus - sound familiar? Even the character of General Abbott or "Doug" can be seen as a narcissistic leader being followed by people who cannot even think for themselves and trust every word he says or follow out of fear. Sound familiar?

Netflix has once again brought an amazing series and once again we will have to wait to see where the story goes next. Just do me a favor Netflix, do not leave me hanging to long please. SWEET TOOTH has captured my attention, imagination and emotions for a world created for understanding, friendship and a loyalty that is found in a young boy.

In the end - the end of our world is just the beginning of his.

Freeform Show Us a CRUEL SUMMER

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on FreeForm and streaming on Hulu created by Bert V. Royal is the story of perspective, truth and lies that bring out a CRUEL SUMMER.

In Skylin Texas, Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) is a young girl who feels like she is invisible in her awkwardness. Hanging out with friends Mallory (Harley Quinn Smith) and Vince (Allius Barnes) gives her friendships that hold them all together. She even has a great relationship with older brother Derek (Barrett Carnahan). Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) is the popular blonde girl who is loved by everyone and has a great life. Sharing her days with friends and love Jamie (Froy Gutierrez), mom Joy (Andrea Anders) share in keeping up their lifestyle.

Jeanette, Mallory and Vince love making challenging lists of things to do. Jeanette’s father Greg (Michael Landes) is a local real estate broker which made it easier for her to grab keys to an empty house so the gang can play hide and seek. The problem is the house is not empty as she meets Martin Harris (Blake Lee) and discover he is the new Vice-Principal as Skylin High School where they all attend.

One evening Kate Wallis disappears sending the town into an uproar. Parent Joy and Rod (Ben Cain) try everything to find her and are devastated as the days pass. As times does, an interesting change happens, Jeanette Turner blooms and becomes the popular girl and finds love with Jamie, Kate’s boyfriend.

The change does not go unnoticed by friends Vince and Mallory and Jeanette does nothing to include them in her ‘new life’. When Kate Wallis reappears, the questions surface about where she has been and during a television interview, Kate faces the camera and names Jeanette Turner as someone who knew she was being held captive and did nothing.

Discovering that boyfriend Jamie has moved on and her friends being totally unsympathetic to what happened during her time away, Kate finds herself befriended by Mallory. It seems as if Mallory totally understands Kate and offers her ways to handle the stress that plagues her every day. 

Now, the story rewinds and is told from the years 1993, 1994, 1995 as Kate continues to point the finger at Jeanette and Jeanette defends herself to the point of seeing her life crumble day by day. It is in those years that secrets are revealed, and the truth is told – but what is the truth?
That depends on who you ask.

Aurelia as Jeanette is a young girl who sees and envy’s the fantastic life of Kate Wallis. At home she has Mom, Dad and brother Derek who is heading off to college, but they are together as a family when all of the problems begin. The show gives us a change from gangly young teen to flowered young teen to dark teen. Watching Aurelia navigate this complex story is so impressive that I found myself just jaw dropped when there was a twist exposed and Aurelia plays it so smoothly.

Holt as Kate gives everyone around her the image of a fresh faced young popular girl who has friends and a wonderful home life. When she goes missing and then returns, there is more to having that life than anyone could have imagined. Holt also navigates her character through a complex tale of choices and the result of those choices. Aurelia and Holt take the show neck and neck with the portrayal of their characters. Holt gives a stunning performance as her story takes us deeper into the mystery.

Smith as Mallory is a larger-than-life person who pretty much gets Jeanette and Vince to go whatever she wants. From the beginning I though her such a push individual who did not mind sacrificing friendship to feel justified for her behaviors. Smith gives Mallory free reign and at the same time learns from her friendship with Kate. Barnes as Vince is a young man living during a time where making his sexuality known could be dangerous for him. 

Landes as Greg is a father who believes in his daughter, he believes in her so much that he sacrifices his happiness, life and marriage to make sure his daughter is safe. Even as the story begins to unfold, Landes makes sure that no one tries to sway his decision to protect what he can of his family. Gutierrez as Jamie is confused by the relationship he once had with Kate to the relationship he now has with Jeanette. At the same time, he must come to terms with his own behaviors and reactions to what has happened and realize who it is he trusts.  

Andes as Mom Joy is a woman who is concerned with optics about her life, business and marriage. Even when Kate becomes aware that everything is not as it seems, Joy has a way of talking anyone out of whatever it is they think they see. Andes does a bang-up job of making the viewer love and hate her in the same scene. 

Lee as Harris becomes the casualty in all of this. That is not to say he is not guilty of everything because as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that trying to be the good guy of the high school is going to backfire in his face. Lee gives his character a bit of naivete and at the same time a feeling that there is a part of Martin Harris that is caught up in something he can not get out of. 
Other cast include Nathaniel Ashton as Ben Hallowell, Brooklyn Sudano as Angela Prescott, Sarah Drew as Cindy Turner, and Nicole Bilderback as Denise.

Freeform is part of the ABC Family Worldwide and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Television. Freeform’s platform is geared toward a younger audience and brings about original series and feature films. Freeform can be found in over 92 million households and includes such shows as Motherland Fort Salem, The Bold Type, Good Trouble and Love in the Time of Corona. For more information of original shows and all other content please visit www.freeform.com.

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CRUEL SUMMER is an amazing series that had my whole family captivated from start to finish. The flash between years takes an episode or two to get acclimated but once that happens, it is a ride through years and tears. 

As one of the executive producers, Jessica Biel says of CRUEL SUMMER, “This project was such an exciting and creative thing for Michelle Purple and I. To sit in a space with the younger generation and really give them this platform to really talk about some intense, hard things that these young people [especially for women and for girls] are going through is really exciting for me.” 

She continues with, “It really shines a light on the complex part of being a teenager and trying to figure out who you are and the midst of a million things that are going on.” The best part of that statement is that as the viewer we follow along what all the teens are trying to figure out about their lives. The adults are there yes, but they are mainly adding to the complexity of being a teen.

I guarantee that once the season starts, it is a binger from then on to the shocking conclusions. Once the season is done it absolutely becomes a conversation about so many topics. Parental relationships, teen relationships, inappropriate relationships, lies, deceit, friendships, loyalty – the list is endless. 

Start your season with a CRUEL SUMMER!

THE TOMORROW WAR

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to help ring in the fourth of July weekend from Amazon Originals and director Chris McKay comes the story of the future who want help fighting THE TOMORROW WAR.

Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) has fought in a war and taken his G.I. Bill bringing him to teaching science at the local high school. During daughter Muri’s (Ryan Armstrong) birthday party and watching a soccer game with wife Emmy (Betty Gilpin), a shock happens right before a goal with a lightening blast landing mid-field. 

Out of the light comes Lt. Hart (Jasmine Matthews) telling everyone listening that they are from the future of 2051. The planet is systematically being destroyed by a creature that wants nothing more than to exterminate human life and they need help. Soon after, a draft is begun to bring people from this time to the future aiding in the battle.

Teaching his science class, Dan does not know if or when he could be called, and that question is quickly answered. Emmy wants the family to run, and Muri just wants her Dad. Dan decides he must do what is asked of him if Muri is to have a future of any kind. With a quick fitting and relatively no training, Dan finds himself in the middle of a hellish situation.

He meets fellow soldier Charlie (Sam Richardson), Dorian (Edwin Hodge) and Romeo Commander (Yvonne Strahovski) but there is no time for fellowship! The creatures instantly fixate on the new arrivals, and it is the Commander who gets them to a place looking for scientists. What is important is to find the work that can stop the creatures in 2051 and save the time Dan is from.

The future can save the present!

Pratt as Dan gives us the facial expressions of a warrior that we all have come to expect and with THE TOMORROW WAR he once again delivers. As a man who wants a future for his child, there is nothing he would not do but guarantee he does not expect it to be like this. The thing with Pratt is that he can be as bad ass as he wants but you can bet there are going to be one liner that are memorable in every role he takes – and Dan is no exception. His wit is mixed in with his brawn and it makes the film from start to finish. 

Richardson as Charlie is a character I am never likely to forget. His nervousness brings a reaction that might be hard to keep up with but once you think about it – he makes sense. He is also a brain that when put together with Dan makes a team that is awesome. Hodge as Dorian is a man with issues of his own and he is not going to be talked out of how he handles his life. Dorian might be a little cold, but he has his reasons.

Matthews as Hart is a very strong soldier and even though what is happening in 2051 is truly horrendous, she knows her job and has to keep that strength and Matthews gives her the backbone to make it all happen. 

Armstrong as young Muri is a girl who has a great relationship with her Dad. She quickly becomes a young girl that has to see adult scary things but stands by him. Gilpin as Emmy does not want him to go to war (and who would), trying to find a way out of it. When Dan decides to go, Gilpin puts on her support face and does so the rest of the film.

Shout out goes to J.K. Simmons and I mean that seriously! Who ever decided to pair Pratt with Simmons needs to do it again because dang these two guys have mean stares, sharp wit and no fear of spikey creatures. Simmons has always been a favorite of mine so to see him buff up and gun up was pretty dang cool and I will not mind seeing that again.

Other cast include Mary Lynn Rajskub as Norah, Keith Powers as Major Greenwood, Mike Mitchell as Cowan, Jared Shaw as Tank, Alex Louder as Diablo, Seychelle Gabriel as Sgt. Diaz, Chibuikem Uche as Lt. Ikemba, Rose Bianco as Rose, Alan Trong as Lt. Tran, David Maldonado as Dodd and J.K. Simmons as James. 

Amazon Prime offers television shows and original content included in its Amazon Prime subscription. Original programs such as CARNIVAL ROW, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL are hit shows. Coming soon is the next series with GOLIATH starring Billy Bob Thornton and it promises to another successful and intense series.

There is something spectacular about a big action film that opens during the Fourth of July holiday, and I have always looked forward to them. THE TOMORROW WAR is one such film that lends itself to the resilience of the human spirit and, in this case, the future of the human spirit with the addition of creatures that think we are so easily wiped out.

Pratt and crew make a story full, and action packed which is, lets face it, why we love them. But this film gives us something so much more. Part of good action films is that sometimes the ending just leaves us wanting more and with a few more questions. THE TOMORROW WAR takes it all a step further.

Instead of just beating the aliens, director McKay makes darn sure that in the films two hours and twenty minutes, we get to experience everything. Not just the fact that the creatures want us all as a snack but the how, why and what are these characters going to do about it.

There are reminiscences of films I have seen before, and I see them more as a kudo to the alien-action genre like INDEPENDENCE DAY and even a bit of THE X-FILES, but I am thrilled with every moment of it. 

Honestly, I had a good time. I yelled, I hollered, had my own one-liners that probably are not fit for print, applauded and laughed so much. That is the sign of a good film in getting to just have a fantastic experience AND plan to see it again on my Christmas gift 70-inch TV with surround sound (you have been warned neighbors unless you care to join in…bring popcorn).

See it for what it is, THE TOMORROW WAR is why we love our movies loud, action packed and actors that make it just about the best way to spend time with family and friends.

In the end – to save the present they must fight the future!


Disney+ and Marvel Studios Deliver with LOKI

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Disney+, Marvel Studios and creator Michael Waldron is the series with one of my personal favorite characters because, well, he is LOKI.

After the Endgame and with the tesseract in the hands of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), he is picked up quickly by a mysterious military. Of course, Loki being the god of mischief is not thrilled at all by their pushiness, calling him a variant and learning about time variants. Quickly he discovers that he is to stand trial for some of his antics.

Standing in front of a judge, Loki tries to charm judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) with “madam, a god doesn’t plead” which does not help his cause. Morbius (Owen Wilson) watches with a keen eye at Loki’s reaction to blaming the Avengers for his troubles. Getting Renslayer to agree to begrudgingly allow Loki to help the TVA (Time Variance Authority). 

Morbius spends time with Loki explaining the TVA and showing him things that he would rather not see. Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) is not at all happy with the decision, but it gives the god of mischief time to do what he has always done – get into more trouble. What he discovers is that he is now part of the TVA world.

Now, Loki is sent into the world to hunt one of the most ruthless variants of all!  

Hiddleston picks up the mantle of Loki with such ease or maybe it is just that I am thrilled to see both he and the character again. Personally, I think it is a lot of both and I am just a bag of giggles watching every moment. I truly believe that Hiddleston must be enjoying his time as Loki as it shows in every step he takes in the role and in every frame. From the moments where his emotions betray his usual narcissism to Loki expanding his own universe of narcissism, Hiddleston just makes us all love a character that we probably should not. 

Sitting in the front row when he attended San Diego Comic Con International in July 2013, his speech had all 7,000 Hall H attendees on their feet screaming with joy and chanting the name of Loki. Hiddleston was in full regalia with a mischievous smile and a playfulness that gave us all a moment of ‘glorious purpose’. Now, the series LOKI is going to give us what we need – and that is more of the god of mischief.

Wilson as Morbius sees something in Loki that most just want to evaporate from existence. Calling Loki out on his mischief and the trouble he has caused through time, Wilson turns on the psychology charm. When that does not work, shock does and now Morbius has a way to reach Loki while still allowing Loki to be, well Loki. Wilson gives his character a patience that might give him a medal for sainthood and a calmness that is the opposite of Loki. The two play off each other and Wilson is very, very cool.

Mbatha-Raw as Renslayer is not happy about Morbius’ request but for now she is willing to see where it goes. It is nice to see Mbatha-Raw in a strong role and I think we will see that story play out as well. I mean come on, it probably will not be the last time she sees Loki in her courtroom. Mosaku as Hunter B-15 has Loki’s number but would rather have his head on a platter. She is good at her job and Mosaku gives her character authority and a sense of duty. I am enjoying the give and take between she and Hiddleston and suspect I will see much more of it.

Disney+ is the subscription home streaming entertainment with Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. There are exclusive originals with new feature films, shows, short form content, documentaries, and actions series such as THE MANDALORIAN. For more information, please visit www.disneyplus.com.

Marvel Studios has released sixteen films since 2008 in what is known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel is built on a library of over eight thousand characters featured in a variety of media content for over seventy years. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.marvel.com.

LOKI has started out the timeline-variant-gate catching my attention quickly. As much as I enjoyed WANDA VISION, I can not wait to see where Disney and Marvel take the usual unpredictably predictable Loki and what fun there is to be had. 

So far, the beginning cast is setting the groundwork for adventure and a reason to turn in weekly. Of course, I wish I could binge watch the whole season but there is something to be said for looking forward to the next chapter in the Loki saga. 

Disney+ and Marvel have partnered to do amazing things for the streaming service, and it is so much fun to watch television with the family again. Seeing everything they have to offer on the big screen in my home make for a reason to gather together. We gather for a bite to eat and then popcorn ready to cheer on all our heroes and even a mischievous bit of a villain like LOKI.  

In the end – the world Loki wanted to dominate has just changed up on him!


SERVANT Brings More Answers in Season Two

Jeri Jacquin

Returning to Apple TV+ for its second season from writer Tony Basgallop and executive produced with M. Night Shyamalan is SERVANT.

Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) is devastated by the disappearance of her son Jericho and Leanne (Nell Free). Calling the police to report the kidnapping sends husband Sean (Toby Kebbell) running through the house to hide anything that that would suggest the infant was there. Instead, Sean and brother-in-law Julian (Rupert Grint) tell the police that Dorothy is suffering from the loss of their son and the fake baby was supposed to help.

Once alone, Sean decides he is going to do everything possible to find Jericho even if it means dealing with the cult Leanne has brought into their life and the woman known as May. Julian has other plans for the doll and decides he knows what is best for his sister and even hires Roscoe (Phillip Brannon) to help out. Dorothy begins to use her reporter skills and goes insane on the internet looking for new stories that can tell her more about the cult.

The story of what happened to Dorothy slowly makes its way to the surface, she keeps busy with her on-air reporting and announcing Leanne’s disappearance. When they believe her location is clear at the Marino house, Sean uses his cooking skills to find out for sure. Tobe (Tony Revolori) becomes a delivery driver and does not realize he is also being used to bring Leanne back. Dorothy has no intention of making life easy for Leanne and relies on tactics to get the information about Jericho.

What she does not count on is the arrival of Uncle George (Boris McGiver) who makes it clear that none of this should have ever happened. Convinced that Leanne has gone astray from their beliefs, he brings a mysterious case that is to remind her of why she should return to the fold. The Turners are not exactly sure what his plan is but are blinded with hope when Uncle George assures them that things will work out.

Dorothy is on a spree preparing for Jericho’s return and wants to have a family gathering. Bringing them all together is not exactly going to go as planned as Dorothy, Julian, and Sean deal with their own troubles that are hitting them hard. As if everything was not difficult enough, a knock comes at the door as a woman in a black veil introduces herself as Aunt Josephine (Barbara Sukowa).

Josephine makes it clear to Dorothy and Sean that Leanne has strayed and although the couple are in pain regarding Jericho, nothing more can be done. A showdown is about to happen with all involved and the shock is yet to come.

Ambrose as Dorothy has now been put to every ounce of stress dealing with something she has no control over. The only thing she seems to have control of is not having control. Ambrose give Dorothy moments of sanity where she seems to be on the right track and then she goes whack-a-doodle but in the best of ways that keep my attention because, and let us be honest, it is like a train wreck, and we have to see the outcome. 

Kebbell as Sean seems to be the one that truly understands the insanity of what he and Dorothy are dealing with. Yet, there is that part of him that can not help but be caught up in it all with the help of Julian’s own brand of craziness. He wants Jericho, he wants his wife happy, and he wants his world back so jumping in with both feet – he seems to be landing in quicksand!

Free as Leanne comes from a world that is twisted and altered in the perception of religion. It is her breakaway to Dorothy and Sean’s house that has caused all the issues until the issues start knocking on their door! Free is torn between two worlds and the consequences be damned – literally.

McGiver as Uncle George creeps me out to the highest level of creepiness. That is how you know this character is bringing in more story that is just bursting to be told. Sukowa as Aunt Josephine is another piece to the puzzle and covered in a veil just like the mystery that is still waiting to be uncovered. 

Now, lets talk about Grint as Julian because let’s put in an OMG right here. As Julian he is the go between in the chaos even if he brings a bit of unusualness to the way he thinks. Of course, dealing with his own demons, those demons sometimes cross the lines between what his sister wants, his own life and helping Sean. Then again, being an uncle to a doll is not always easy. Grint is stunning, entertaining and completely engrossing as Julian and this season he crosses a few more dangerous lines.

Other cast include Mason and Julius Belford as baby Jericho, Katie Hillas Kourtney, Alison Elliott as May Markhem, Todd Waring as Frank Pearce, Jerrika Hinton as Natalie Gorman, Molly Griggs as Isabelle Carrick and M. Night Shyamalan as a pizza delivery man. 

Apple TV+ is a streaming service featuring Apple Originals, award-winning series, compelling dramas, groundbreaking documentaries, kids’ entertainment, comedies, and more with new Apple Originals added every month. To see more of what they have to offer please visit www.appletvplus.com.

SERVANT is twisted, mysterious, chaotic, amusing, jaw dropping, and I almost wish it was an hour long instead of the half hour. Thinking about that more I realize that the series would not be as on-the-edge if the show became an hour per episode. Each ending is spectacular and pushes the brain to want more. 

This leads to the anticipated ‘ohhhhh maaaaaaaaaaaaan’ when the season is over for the next year. Let us hope that Apple TV+ can kick into high gear and keep the tension to a minimum, oh alright, I want to know more about the secrets that seem to always be eluding. Both season one and two are available now.

In the end – where is Jericho?