Now in its third season, Amazon’s Jack Ryan has all the superficial trappings of being a blockbuster marquee title for the streamer. Based (very loosely) on the bestselling book series by the late Tom Clancy, the show is flashy and obviously expensive, with ambitious globe-hopping storylines and plenty of high-octane action. (Michael Bay is among… Read More Back in the U.S.S.R. | Jack Ryan Season 3 (2022) on Amazon Prime
I am frankly puzzled at why anyone felt the world needed two Pinocchio remakes in the same year, much less two bad ones. Disney’s official live-action adaptation directed by Robert Zemeckis was a pretty big bust when it streamed on Disney+ just a few months ago. Now we have another Oscar-winning filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro,… Read More These-a Puppets I Do Not Like | Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Made for a pittance by an untested young writer-director, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs caused a sensation at film festivals from Sundance to Cannes, was enormously hyped when it played in limited theatrical release, and would prove to be one of the most important titles of the 1990s indie boom. Of course, it would also launch… Read More Let’s Get Rambling | Reservoir Dogs (1992) 4K Ultra HD
At this point in the history of television, we need another murder detective procedural about as much as the real world needs more murders. That genre has long since been explored from every possible angle. Even with that in mind, it’s hard to fault a show like Amazon’s Three Pines when it’s done so well.… Read More The Most Welcoming Place on Earth | Three Pines (2022) Amazon Prime Series Premiere
Produced 34 years after the original, Disney’s reboot of Willow is a fair bit better than the film that inspired it. That’s something of a relief, if not exactly much of an achievement. Improvement or not, the new Willow is still a dull, derivative, and uninteresting fantasy adventure. Not every old movie deserves nostalgia. As… Read More The Fellowship of the Underwhelming | Willow (2022) Disney+ Series Premiere
Tim Burton finally tackles The Addams Family. That pairing feels like it was inevitable. (I bet he’d also like to do The Munsters if Rob Zombie hadn’t just sullied it.) Sadly, his new Netflix series Wednesday proves to be a case of many missed opportunities. The show has a good cast, an appealing performance from… Read More Emotion Equals Weakness | Wednesday Season 1 (2022) on Netflix
Be advised that, no, 1899 is not another Yellowstone spin-off titled after a random year from a prior century, like 1883 or the upcoming 1923. Some confusion on that point may be understandable. It seems that show-runners these days have run out of ideas for what to call their TV series set in the past.… Read More What Is Lost Will Be Found | 1899 Season 1 (2022) on Netflix
Making a sequel to a beloved holiday classic that countless families have a tradition of watching every year is a tricky proprosition that rarely works out. Anyone who’s suffered through Frosty Returns can attest to that. Thankfully, HBO Max’s new A Christmas Story Christmas mostly pulls off the task. The film may not be a… Read More The Old Man Would Be Proud | A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)
Emily Blunt both stars in and serves as Executive Producer of Amazon Prime Video’s new Western drama series The English. While handsomely produced and gorgeously photographed, the biggest problem with the show is… well, it’s just too blunt. That little pun is not meant to say that the actress herself is the issue – though,… Read More Welcome to the Real America | The English (2022) Amazon Prime Limited Series
I have long since lost count of how many times I’ve watched the 1986 animated The Transformers: The Movie in my life. A pivotal part of my childhood, I know it practically backwards and forwards, and assumed it could hold no further surprises for me. However, the chance to sit with my 8-year-old son as… Read More Such Heroic Nonsense | The Transformers: The Movie (1986) 4K Ultra HD
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