The short-lived sci-fi series Firefly has had a very tumultuous history since its brief run on the Fox network back in 2002. After its ratings failure and abrupt cancellation from broadcast, the show became a hot commodity on DVD and built an avid cult fan base, who called themselves “Browncoats.” That was enough to convince… Read More Burn the Land and Boil the Sea | Firefly (2002)
The latest TV series from Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, arrived on Apple TV streaming surrounded by a considerable amount of mystery. Cryptic trailers and promo clips refused to divulge exactly what the show is about. Even the spelling of its title is unclear. Is it Pluribus or Plur1bus? IMDb… Read More This Won’t Be Easy to Crack | Plur1bus (2025) Apple TV Series Premiere
Apple TV’s latest drama series, Down Cemetery Road, premiered last week surrounded by a fair amount of buzz regarding its credentials. A new mystery thriller from the creator of the streamer’s acclaimed and popular Slow Horses, starring two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson… surely, this must be a can’t-lose proposition? Regrettably, the show turns out to… Read More Enough with the Private Dick Shit | Down Cemetery Road (2025) Apple TV Series Premiere
Following the unexpected blockbuster success of Airplane! in 1980, studio Paramount fast-tracked a sequel for release just two years later. Unfortunately, the original comedy writing/producing team of David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams (collectively known as “Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker” or “ZAZ”) wanted nothing to do with it, and the resulting film made without them (Airplane II:… Read More The Unadorned Firearm | Police Squad! (1982) Blu-ray
Long delayed from its original announcement almost a half-dozen years ago, the planned Star Trek: Discovery spinoff series Section 31 was eventually reduced to a television movie deposited onto streaming in the late January dumping ground. That this project saw any completion at all is no doubt a consequence of star Michelle Yeoh having won… Read More Not Very Starfleet | Star Trek: Section 31 (2025) on Paramount+
I wrote a lot of obituary posts at the last blog I ran. It got to be depressing, and I gave up doing it after a while. Everyone dies eventually, even icons. I didn’t always have the most knowledge about or emotional investment in the subjects I had to memorialize, and doing so became a… Read More I’ll See You in My Dreams | R.I.P. David Lynch
The new animated series from the creators of Love, Death + Robots is, I suppose unsurprisingly, an infuriating mess and generally a huge waste of time. Coming in hot at the end of the year, Amazon Prime’s Secret Level is one of the worst new TV shows of 2024. Judging whether it will turn out… Read More Whatever This Is, It’s Loud and Unpleasant | Secret Level (2024) Amazon Prime Series Premiere
The new Netflix spy thriller Black Doves can feel awfully familiar in a lot of ways. The series is reminiscent of a number of other popular shows, and indulges in some genre tropes that have frankly been overplayed for a while by this point. Somehow, it’s a lot of fun regardless. A good cast, smart… Read More Arouse No Suspicion | Black Doves Season 1 (2024) on Netflix
Even if it has next to nothing to do with the original novel or movie from which it takes the title, the new streaming reboot of The Day of the Jackal is a very stylish and suspenseful modern thriller. The need to adapt it into TV series format, however, may have resulted in the story… Read More Everyone Lies, About Everything | The Day of the Jackal (2024) Peacock Series Premiere
With a terrific sense of foreboding atmosphere and a strong lead performance from its star, the Hulu film Hold Your Breath nails two of the most important qualities necessary for any horror-thriller. By that measure, it’s a success. On the other hand, the further it goes, the story feels more and more familiar to another… Read More Too Much Dust in the Air | Hold Your Breath (2024) on Hulu
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