Tell Me Your Secrets, Flack and Allen v. Farrrow

  My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. It seems like Spring will be here soon and March will bring a renewal and a lot of new premieres to look forward to. I appreciate all the comments and support you have been giving and the great discussions we have had regarding our favorite new shows. I am happy to report that I have some new favorites this week.

1) Tell Me Your Secrets an Amazon Prime Original is highly addictive. It is one of the most binge-worthy series I have seen in awhile and that is high praise. There are so many twists and turns that I was compelled to watch the 10 episodes in three nights. The story revolves around a reformed rapist, a serial killer's accomplice and  the grieving mother of a daughter who is missing and may be one of the serial killer's victims. How these 3 character's plot lines conjoin is the crux of the story. There are many great supporting actors in this series - Doug Savant, Ashley Madekwe, Charles Esten and the ageless Richard Thomas and a shout out to Enrique Murciano (Bloodline). However, the series belongs to the three leads- Lily Rabe(Karen Miller) Amy Brenneman(Mary Barlow) and Hamish Linklater ( the creepy John Tyler).  Mary Barlow's daughter is missing and presumed to be a victim of Kit Barker  and Karen Miller who brutally murdered nine young women, hires John Tyler a possibly reformed rapist to search for Karen who is put in a witness protection program and hiding in a small Louisiana parish. As Karen is turning into Emma Hall she is trying to build a new life and regain her memories of the murders with the help of her psychiatrist Pete. The problem is the sleepy little town she is hiding in harbors a very dark history. This is a must watch.

2) Flack another Amazon Prime Original  starring Anna Paquin as Robyn an American working in a ruthless London PR firm that would stop at nothing to protect their famous clients. This is probably one of the best vehicles for Paquin's unique talents of snarkiness and vulnerability. Robyn is very successful at blackmailing, cajoling her self -indulgent, narcissistic clients into submission while she cleans up their messes - dead bodies, affairs and reputations. This does however takes its toll on her love life , her relationship with her sister and her drug and alcohol addiction. All this may seem dark but it is witty and funny and often heartwarming. She has some great  workplace friends -Lydia Wilson. Sophie Okonedo and the newbie Rebecca Benson as Melody is doing her best to follow in the footsteps of these cutthroat women. One very tense episode is filmed entirely on a long distance flight with one of her annoying clients yet - the talented Bradley Whitford.

3) Allen v. Farrow an HBO MAX Original would seem to be a story we already are familiar with, played out across the media for decades. Woody Allen famously ran off with his girlfriend's very young adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn ( now 50 years old ) and married her. They now have children together. That scandal has been the fodder of gossip and stand up jokes for many years. But this series isn't focusing on that -it is mainly shedding light on the allegations made by Dylan Farrow - 1 of only 2 of Farrow's 14 children that Allen actually adopted during their  relationship. Farrow made claims early on that Allen had been obsessed with Dylan from an early age and then Dylan spoke during interviews that he had sexually molested her at an early age. Her brother Ronan ( the only biological child of the Farrow-Allen relationship) has been a huge supporter her claim. This is a shocking series and there also seems to be a lot of facts missing. The other children must have been traumatized during all this upheaval , yet we see very little of them. I am definitely watching this with an open mind but it is fascinating footage.

Firefly Lane, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar, It's a Sin and Framing Britney Spears

 My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. Many of us have been working from home for almost a year and we need distractions now more than ever as winter has hit hard. New seasons of Big Sky and Servant  are out and wrapping up story lines. Here are some new things I found.

1) Firefly Lane on Netflix has brought the very talented Katherine Heigel and Sarah Chalke together as Tully Hart and Kate Mularkey as best friends growing up on Firefly Lane. Unlikely friends with secrets- we see them through a series of flashbacks to teen years, college years and as they have their hearts broken to the early forties. This kind of corny friendship is exactly what we need right now. I have been missing some feel good dramedy for a while and it is great to just enjoy a series and watch these two actresses in action. Some great supporting actors such as the very handsome Ben Lawson as Kate's love interest Johnny. Roan Curtis and Ali Skovbye are terrific as a young Kate and Tully.

2) Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is available right now for rental. It is silly and entertaining as you would hope for with musical numbers as the icing on the cake, but this is not a musical! This is the story of two zany best friends Barb and Star -Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo who decide to treat themselves to a trip after they are forced to end their careers at Jennifer's Convertibles. Mumolo known for her writing on Bridesmaids teams up with Wiig and a great supporting cast for a candy color romp through a Florida resort. The supporting cast is superb with hilarious Vanessa Bayer, Fortune Feimster , Phyllis Smith and the wonderful Michael Hitchcock. Jamie Dornan is the big surprise- singing, dancing and generally heating up the screen. My favorite is Wiig in a dual roll as the perfect evil villainess. And culottes.. don't forget culottes.

3) It's a Sin on HBO Max is from the people who brought us Queer as Folk and Years and Years. A story of beginnings and endings in the time of the AIDS crisis in London. A group of  young people connect and become flatmates in 80's London amidst the Thatcher era. Roscoe, Ritchie, Ash, Jill, Ash and Colin share everything in the way that only the young can do- with madness and zest for life. The music of the 80s like Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Yaz set the backdrop as we slowly watch this silent disease mow through the lives of these characters. Heartbreaking and funny with some great actors. Neil Patrick Harris is so very good as a young Colin's mentor at his job on Saville Row. Olly Alexander is very good as Ritchie but the heart of show is two characters Jill (Lydia West) and Colin (Callum Scott-Howells).

Bonus: Framing Britney Spears on Hulu will make you rethink everything you knew about this pop icon. The rise and fall of America's sweetheart Britney Spears is the story of a sweet young girl who became part of the machine . Her romance  with Justin Timberlake , his creepy video for Cry Me a River with a Britney look alike, her virginity and the questions that were asked by prominent media people will all make you cringe when viewed with a 2021 lens. She is fighting the conservatorship of her father who has been in charge of her finances, career and love life as well as crumbling mental health makes us all wish we had been better people and advocated for a better life for this still young woman.

Palmer, The Little Things, The Stand and WandaVision

    My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. Be sure to check out the exciting debut novella on Amazon "Convent Down the Lane" by Tim Delaney. After taking a short hiatus I am back to share my new favorites. Good news- Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and Servant are back for new seasons as well as Search Party. That alone is worth getting out of bed for, but wait there's more....

1) Palmer now streaming on Apple TV + is probably one of the best films Justin Timberlake has ever made.  Palmer, a  young ex-con has returned to live with his grandmother ( the fabulous June Squibb) and is struggling to find work and rebuild a life he had thrown away. He connects with a young neighbor Sam ( Ryder Allen) who lives next door and is having his own trouble fitting in. Sam, is a free spirit who loves playing with dolls and doing cheers, is completely unprepared for the hostile world he is living in. Palmer (Timberlake) becomes very attached to young Sam and takes him under his wing and they quickly form a family of two after Sam's mother Shelly ( Juno Temple) abandons him.  Alisha Wainwright  plays Maggie a school teacher who forms a bond with both Palmer and Sam. Ryder and Timberlake are so excellent together you will root with them all the way to the end of this tearjerker. A high recommend ...

2) The Little Things with the dynamic cast is now streaming on HBO Max. Billed as a thriller- it feels moody and thoughtful and almost a character study of  the way a heinous crime can eat away at a good detective. Rami Malek, Jared Leto and Denzel Washington form an unlikely trio in this well written thriller. I wont spoil the plot by revealing who is who as there is some ambiguity even up to the very end. The film starts with a possible murder and links to some previous grisly crimes. Denzel does what he does best playing flawed characters that you root for. Rami Malek is vert convincing as a savvy detective and Jared Leto is perfectly creepy in a role that he inhabits with a Manson like glee.

3) The Stand streaming on CBS All Access is hitting it's stride. Like most of us loyal fans of the book I was skeptical of the first episode and the non-linear story telling. But the cast is great and as many of us know telling a story about a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic is quite a brave move. The Stand at its core is a story of the final battle of good and evil when mankind is missing most of its humanity. Introduction to the large cast with flashbacks worked most of the time as the episodes got richer and further into the current world of Boulder City and Las Vegas. Some great casting choices like of course Whoopi as Mother Abigail and Alexander Skarsgård as Randall Flagg at his menacing best. James Marsden as Stu and Odessa Young as Frannie have definite chemistry and  Greg Kinnear is perfect as Glen Bateman.  Henry Zaga  as Nick is woefully miscast in what could have been a standout role. But two of my favorites are Owen Teague as the creepy Harold and Brad William Henke as Tom Cullen (M-O-O-N). All and all , this feels satisfying to me as a fan.

Bonus : WandaVision on Disney+ is fun for everyone even if you don't know the backstory (like me). From the Marvelverse comes Wanda the Scarlet Witch and Vision the android. An unlikely couple who are living in the black and white town of Westview in the 1950s. The town seems perfect and is probably harboring a big secret not unlike Wanda and Vision who are pretending to be the perfect couple. Each episode seems to be modeled after classic TV shows like Dick Van Dyke and Bewitched. Even with a laugh track I am intrigued with the wardrobe and set pieces as well as the storyline. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are perfect as the couple and they have a great supporting cast like Deborah Jo Rupp, Kathryn Hahn and Randall Park .