Needs Some Introduction
As a lifelong film and TV fan I try to bring historical knowledge of narrative trends to my weekly analysis and reviews (and hopefully a bit of humor also).
Listen on:
Episodes
Saturday Mar 19, 2022
Saturday Mar 19, 2022
I love this week's episode. It appears that the wheels may be falling off this Severance project. But that remains to be seen. The 70's paranoid thriller vibe is stronger than ever. Perhaps the show will pivot completely into thriller territory.
Sona likes it too. Less goats makes Sona happy (and me too, honestly).
Plus I do briefly give opinions on Master (a failed but very ambitious and stylishly creepy drama with overt horror elements) and the hilariously straight faced psychodrama Deep Water that is worth recommending purely for the stupid fun of it.
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The team angers Cobel by forming an alliance.
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Monday Mar 14, 2022
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Sona and I both have issues with some of the weirdest touches in this week's episode. I worry that it is getting quirky for its own sake. But overall this is another strong episode. We do hope that the mystery starts to resolve somewhat in the upcoming weeks.
Also, I saw the new After Yang movie on Showtime and it moved me for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. Sona is reluctant to take my recommendation.
Irving and Dylan confront Burt about his lies. Mark and Helly discover a strange new department.
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Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
The AfterParty wraps up with it's finale, Maggie. It's a good wrap up and the show did play fair but it just feels like it was a missed opportunity for something more interesting and more funny. Plus I review both the new Jamie Dournan show from Australia, The Tourist and the snowbound Hulu thriller, No Exit. I am a bigger fan of the former rather than the latter but there are good central performances in both.
Then Sona and I discuss last week's Severance episode before I break down the most recent episode.
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The Afterparty (AppleTV+)
Maggie
An unexpected eyewitness emerges to help Detective Danner piece together the true story behind Xavier's demise.
Directed by
Christopher Miller
Writing Credits
Christopher Miller...(created by) Christopher Miller...(written by) Nicole Delaney...(executive story editor)
Cast (in credits order)
Tiffany Haddish...Detective Danner
Sam Richardson...Aniq
Zoe Chao...Zoë
Ike Barinholtz...Brett
Ben Schwartz...Yasper
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Severance (AppleTV+)
The You You Are
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Sunday Feb 27, 2022
Sunday Feb 27, 2022
Another interesting episode of this quirky thriller. Plus brief thoughts on The Afterparty.
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AppleTV+ Mark takes the team on a field trip, but Helly continues to rebel. A deteriorating Petey struggles to tell Mark about Lumon's misdeeds.
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Directed by
Ben Stiller Writing Credits
Dan Erickson ... (created by)
Andrew Colville Cast (in credits order)
Adam Scott Adam Scott ... Mark
Zach Cherry Zach Cherry ... Dylan
Britt Lower Britt Lower ... Helly
Tramell Tillman Tramell Tillman ... Milchick
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Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Tuesday Feb 22, 2022
Target is giving away AppleTV+!
We have seen the first two episodes of the AppleTV+ thriller, Severance. We are definitely intrigued.
Plus we get into the new animated episode of The Afterparty.
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Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Two series and a movie that all explore revenge and action with a dose of comedy (to varying degrees). The best of the bunch is the foreign film but they all have things to recommend them.
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Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
How does the film compare to the novel? In many ways, the novel is a far more challenging and disturbing work. The film still has its merits. Listen in to find out more about this strange film noir and the incredible biography of it's forgotten author, William Lindsay Gresham.
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An ambitious carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is.
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Nightmare Alley (2021)
Full Cast & Crew
Directed by
Guillermo del Toro ... (directed by)
Writing Credits
Guillermo del Toro ... (screenplay by) &
Kim Morgan ... (screenplay by)
William Lindsay Gresham ... (based on the novel by)
Cast (in credits order)
Bradley Cooper Bradley Cooper ... Stanton Carlisle
Cate Blanchett Cate Blanchett ... Dr. Lilith Ritter
Toni Collette Toni Collette ... Zeena the Seer
Willem Dafoe Willem Dafoe ... Clem Hoatley
Richard Jenkins Richard Jenkins ... Ezra Grindle
Rooney Mara Rooney Mara ... Molly Cahill
Ron Perlman Ron Perlman ... Bruno
Mary Steenburgen Mary Steenburgen ... Mrs. Kimball
David Strathairn David Strathairn ... Pete
Mark Povinelli Mark Povinelli ... The Major
Peter MacNeill Peter MacNeill ... Judge Kimball
Holt McCallany Holt McCallany ... Anderson
Paul Anderson Paul Anderson ... Geek #1
Lara Jean Chorostecki Lara Jean Chorostecki ... Louise Hoatley
Jim Beaver Jim Beaver ... Sheriff Jedediah Judd
Clifton Collins Jr. Clifton Collins Jr. ... Funhouse Jack
Tim Blake Nelson Tim Blake Nelson ... Carny Boss
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Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
We dig into spoilers of the Ozark season 4 first batch. And then we discuss the very promising AppleTV+ series The Afterparty, a comedic high-school reunion/murder mystery. I am on board by the end of the 3 episodes. Sona still has her reservations.
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The Afterparty
When a high school reunion's afterparty ends in a death, everyone is a suspect. A detective grills the former classmates one by one, uncovering potential motives as each tells their version of the story - culminating in the shocking truth.
Series Directed by
Christopher Miller ... (4 episodes, 2022)Series
Writing Credits
Christopher Miller ... (created by) (6 episodes, 2022)
Christopher Miller ... (written by) (6 episodes, 2022)
Christopher Miller ... (story by) (6 episodes, 2022)
Christopher Miller ... (teleplay by) (6 episodes, 2022)
Nicole Delaney ... (executive story editor) (4 episodes, 2022)
Nicole Delaney ... (written by) (4 episodes, 2022)
Anthony King ... (written by) (2 episodes, 2022)
Jack Dolgen ... (written by) (1 episode, 2022)
Kassia Miller ... (teleplay by) (1 episode, 2022)
Bridger Winegar ... (written by) (1 episode, 2022)
Phil Lord ... (written by) (1 episode)
Rachel H. Smith ... (written by) (1 episode)Series Cast
Tiffany Haddish Tiffany Haddish ... Detective Danner
Sam Richardson Sam Richardson ... Aniq
Zoe Chao Zoe Chao ... Zoe
Ike Barinholtz Ike Barinholtz ... Brett
Ben Schwartz Ben Schwartz ... Yasper
Ilana Glazer Ilana Glazer ... Chelsea
Dave Franco Dave Franco ... Xavier
Tiya Sircar Tiya Sircar ... Jennifer #1
Genevieve Angelson Genevieve Angelson ... Indigo
Kelvin Yu Kelvin Yu ... Ned
Everly Carganilla Everly Carganilla ... Maggie
Jamie Demetriou Jamie Demetriou ... Walt
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Ozark (2017–2022)
Series Directed by
Jason Bateman ... (10 episodes, 2017-2020)
Series Cast
Jason Bateman Jason Bateman ... Martin 'Marty' Byrde
Laura Linney Laura Linney ... Wendy Byrde
Sofia Hublitz Sofia Hublitz ... Charlotte Byrde
Skylar Gaertner Skylar Gaertner ... Jonah Byrde
Julia Garner Julia Garner ... Ruth Langmore
Lisa Emery Lisa Emery ... Darlene Snell
Charlie Tahan Charlie Tahan ... Wyatt Langmore
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Sunday Jan 23, 2022
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
A potpourri of topics, this week. Ozark has returned for it's final season. This leads to a conversation of the show as well as its relationship to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I wonder if network executives would still have the patience to allow a Breaking Bad to develop.
We also preview our next group-watch, The Afterparty, on AppleTV+. Which also lead me to try to watch Servant (also on AppleTV+). And, boy, do I have thoughts on that crazy show (and on M Knight's career, in general).
It's a broad conversation but fun, nonetheless. Get ready to watch The AfterParty, starting this Friday.
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Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
30 years ago, billboard magazine published it's post-Christmas chart week issue and the music industry was shocked to see that Michael Jackson's highly anticipated and expensively promoted album had been knocked out from number one by Nirvana's Nevermind.
Iain and I discuss what this did and did not mean as far as the record industry is concerned. Regardless, this is another pivotal year in the music industry. We discuss some of our favorite tracks (some popular and some obscure) and this year within the contexts of our individual bios.
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