Hacks, Halston and The Woman in the Window

                                               My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. If you are a Stephen King fan like me you will be happy to know that in the coming year , remakes, new films, books and adaptations are looming on the horizon with Lisey's Story on Apple TV+  starring Julianne Moore and Clive Owen and I am very excited! But for now here is what I am liking.

1) Hacks streaming on HBO Max has one of the funniest people on the planet- Jean Smart. She is probably one of the most talented actresses out there and she is perfectly cast as Deborah Vance, a Las Vegas staple whose very lucrative career as a comedian has made her the must-see show on the strip. She finds out that the hotel where she headlines is looking for a younger vibe and reduces her performances to fewer nights a week. She reaches out to her agent to hire a young comedy writer Ava (a very talented  Hannah Einbinder) who just might be having some issues of her own. Their chemistry is immediate even if the don't realize it.This is on my much watch list.

2) Halston streaming on Netflix is another Ryan Murphy limited series  and I watched it all in one evening and you should too! Ewan McGregor embodies the tortured soul genius that is Roy Halston Frowick- the man who created the eponymous pill box hat for Jackie Kennedy. He rises to the top of his game, driven to succeed and he is smart enough to enlist a talent pool to push him to the top. Elsa Peretti was one such talent who went on to update Tiffany's brand with her beautiful jewelry (she sadly died on March 2021). His self destructive behavior came in the form of sex, Cocaine and Studio 54 as well as the man who many thought brought him to his demise-Victor Hugo (Gian Franco Rodriguez). The wonderfully talented actress Krysta Rodriguez brought the heart to Liza Minnelli  with her beautiful friendship with Halston. This is a compelling story of selling your soul to the highest bidder.

3) The Woman in the Window streaming on Netflix has all the hallmarks of  your favorite thrillers (Rear Window, Copycat and many others.) There is a division of people who loved this movie and the ones who didn't. I was so excited to see Amy Adams, Julianne Moore (in a small role) and Gary Odman in a movie together I might be a little less harsh. Amy Adams is Agoraphopic Dr. Anna Fox who never leaves her apartment and spends a great deal of time watching the Russells ( the neighbors across the way) until she witnesses what she believes is a murder. only after calling the authorities- No one believes her. Perhaps it is the copious amounts of wines with her medication that make her an unreliable witness. Or is there something more sinister going on?

The Mosquito Coast, Cruel Summer , Shadow and Bone and Promising Young Woman

 My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. Watching some final seasons of my favorites and while I am sad to say good-bye it is time to wrap up  the story and go out with a bang. Pose, Younger and Good Girls are all saying farewell and I have been in love with them all , but it is time to break up . I look forward to new relationships and new beginnings.

1)  The Mosquito Coast streaming on Apple TV+ is showing early promise. Starring Justin Theroux as Allie Fox - based on a best selling novel by his uncle Paul Theroux, this thriller is a fascinating story about a brilliant inventor and his family living off the grid. The Fox family is self sufficient and environment conscious , home schooling teenagers Dana and Charlie. But they are harboring a secret and a slip up costs them their safety and they must escape. Allie, Margot, Charlie and Dana are the perfect cast with Justin, Melissa George, Logan Polish and Gabriel Bateman. This might be Justin's best role since The Leftovers.

2) Cruel Summer on Hulu is a guilty pleasure and fun to watch. Told in 3 time frames, it can be a bit confusing but I am hoping the end result is worth it. Set in the early 90s a young  popular Kate goes missing while a previously shy bookworm Jeanette blooms and  seems to magically take Kate's friends and boyfriend. Her popularity evaporates quickly when Kate is found after being held prisoner and accuses Jeanette of hiding her kidnapping from the small Texas town where they live. Is Kate lying or is Jeanette covering up something darker and more dangerous.

3)  Shadow and Bone is so much better than I expected it to be.Streaming on Netflix this YA story is about a world where the youth is tested for gifts or powers and utilized for the good of the people. A young cartographer Alina Starkov is traveling to stay close with her best friend Mal who is a military and gets drafted to go on a dangerous mission to cross the "Fold" in a sailing vessel where many voyages have sailed and never returned. Alina offers herself to join the crew and they are attacked by winged monsters Volcra. It is at that moment that Alina discovers herself to be a "Sun Summoner" who can summon light. As a magical "Grisha" she just might have the power to heal her country. She will soon discover allies and enemies as she navigates her way in the world.

Bonus: Promising Young Woman available for rent is a very dark movie about revenge in tbe best possible way. No wonder it was up for awards. Carey Mulligan as Cassie makes a habit out of pretending to be wasted at bars and wait for the predators to pounce . And they do! She flips the script on them and this continues for a while as we discover a dark secret she carries from her college years. Then she reconnects with an old school mate who breaks down her walls and maybe we will see her happy but then she finds an even darker secret. Carey is fantastic in this role and some solid performances from Alison Brie and Bo Burnham and Laverne Cox.