Fosse/Verdon, Game of Thrones and Special

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. It has been a bit of a dry spell for entertainment but it seems the weather has changed and lots of good stuff coming in the pipeline. Here are a few highlights.

1) Fosse/Verdon on FX is a master class of acting with Michelle Williams as Gwen Verdon and Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse as they take us through their very tumultuous  working and personal relationship, while making some of the classic films we know and love such as Cabaret. This series is influenced in part by executive producer  and their daughter Nicole Fosse . This gives an insider's view of the pain of creating art on film and theater. The genius of Bob Fosse the choreographer seems to have been greatly assisted by famed dancer Verdon during the filming and editing of Cabaret yet she remains uncredited while he goes on to win an Oscar. 

2) Game of Thrones. Final Season on HBO. I am savoring each episode like the tasty morsel that it is. I am on a GOT Fantasy League and I am anxious to see how it all ends. It is great as the first couple of episodes bring the characters together at Winterfell. One of the highlights is Jon finding his true birthright , Brienne of Tarth being knighted and Arya ... welll lets just say that she is no longer a virgin...

3) Special is not like anything else on Netflix. A semi-autobiographical series  written by and starring Ryan O'Connell as a young gay man with Cerebral Palsy as he finds a new job writing for an online publication and initiating his independence from his mother poignantly portrayed by the extremely talented Jessica Hect. O'Connell is hilarious and heartfelt often in the same scene. Shout out on of my favorites Punam Patel as his best friend and the most annoying boss ever Marla Mindelle.

Bonus: Bonding on Netflix is not for the feint of heart. The story of two best friends Tiff and Pete (Zoe Levin and Brendan Scannell) a post graduate who is moonlighting as a dominatrix who makes her shy broke best friend as her assistant. The results and the clients are hilarious and cringe worthy at the same time. a binge watch.

The Act, Shrill and The Twilight Zone

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. Spring still feels like Winter and Us is still dominating at the box office . However a have some smaller screen treats in store for you.

1) The Act a Hulu Original featuring the amazing Patricia Arquette as the picture of evil incarnate wrapped in motherly love. Based on a true crime story this is the story of Dee Dee Blanchard and her disabled daughter Gypsy Rose ( chillingly played by the incredibly talented Joey King). Dee Dee moves into a new neighborhood in a new house built especially for her by Habitat For Humanity. Caring for a disabled child is hard thankless work for the  overworked Dee Dee and she needs several pills of her own to cope. Gypsy Rose has a multitude of ailments- Epilepsy, Leukemia, MS, vision and hearing impairment and an allergy to sugar. Confined to a wheelchair , Gypsy Rose seemed the unluckiest of children except for her loving tireless mother. Except she wasn't really sick... Dee Dee was a perpetrator of Munchausen  by proxy. ( Look it up- I don't want to spoil it for you. This unbelievable story is true. Special shout out to one of my favorite actresses  Chloe Sevigny as the suspicious next door neighbor Mel. #TheAct

2) Shrill streaming now on Hulu is the perfect vehicle for the superbly comedic Aidy Bryant as Annie Easton a young journalist trying to find her voice while not getting tripped up on the body shaming she endures on almost a daily basis including her jerk of a boss played by John Cameron Mitchell .  A fresh voice in comedy for anyone who has  been told they did not meet the standards set by society. Shout out for Lolly Adefope as Fran her lesbian roommate and the fabulous Julia Sweeney as her mom. #Shrill

3) The Twilight Zone   produced by the wunderkind Jordan Peele ( who also narrates) now streaming on CBS All Access looks promising so far with two really impressive episodes that are eerily reminiscent of the original series while retaining their own uniqueness. The first episode features a comic (Kumail Nanjiani) who meets a famous comic played by a creepy Tracy Morgan  and asks what the secret to making people laugh- hint. it will cost you everything in .... The Twilight Zone. The second episode is  Nightmare at 30,000 Feet featuring Adam Scott as a nervous passenger with PTSD who finds himself on a flight to Tel Aviv where he discovers listening to a podcast about a lost flight and is directly describing in detail the flight he is on. Needless to say this is my favorite as it is loosely based on the original episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet which aired back in 1963. Look for the Easter Egg on the scene on the beach for extra points. #TheTwilightZone

I am the Night, The Other Two and Black Monday

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. Winter has been a rainy and cold one and now the awards season is over it is the perfect time to cuddle up and binge or hit films on the big screen.

1)  I am the Night has just finished up the last episode on TNT and now is the perfect time to binge watch this chilling series . This fantastic limited series follows a young girl Fauna  Hodel ( the amazing India Eisley) as she begins her search for her birth mother set among the 1950's Hollywood and discovers the grisly secrets of murder and incest that reside in her family. With the help of a washed up journalist perfectly cast Chris Pine , she begins the journey down the rabbit hole of mob ties, back street abortions, torture and perhaps the most famous murder of all time - The Black Dahlia. Based on true events - this story is captivating, color rich and full of disturbing imagery, Best of all it is inspired by true events .

2) The Other Two is probably the funniest program on television. Executive Producer is Lorne Michaels who has a history of hits along with writers  from SNL. The story line follows the siblings Brooke and Cary Dubek as they struggle to find their place amidst the breakout of their rising star younger brother Chase Dreams . Momager Pat Dubek ( the hilarious Molly Shannon with a mom haircut) and Ken Marino again as his inept manager make this funny tale of a Justin Beiberish singer and his ascent to world wide fame and the comedy and heart this cast brings to this show.

3) Andrew Rannells, Don Cheadle, Regina Hall, Casey Wilson and Ken Marino are just a few reasons to watch Black Monday on Showtime. Another one is Paul Scheer who is a comedy genius and heartbreakingly sweet during his journey out of the closet. Well written and whip smart ,this series follows the days leading up the worst stock market crash in 1987 where a group of bad boys lead by Cheadle take on traditional old guard Wall Street. This comedy has everything including a red Lamborghini limo , lots of cocaine and a robot butler.

Velvet Buzzsaw, Russian Doll and The Passage

My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. Happy 2019!! I am back with new faves after a brief hiatus and i am ready to share some great new entertainment

1) Velvet Buzzsaw now streaming on Netflix is a great new offering from the director of Nightcrawler Dan Gilroy. A satirical  look on L.A. art scene, this darkly twisted horror film tells the story of a cache of paintings by an undiscovered after his death by a gallery assistant played by the remarkable Zawe Ashton . A gallery owner- Rene Russo and an art critic - the ever talented and handsome Jake Gyllenhaal lift this paintings to a high bidding price and must have for every art collector. The only drawback of this artist is that all his disturbing paintings have a life of their own and the owners of the art seem to be mysteriously dying. Oh.. and the fabulous Toni Collette is magnificent as gallery owner Gretchen . A must see.

2) Russian Doll also now streaming on Netflix is a perfect hybrid meta series for 2019 . Part Groundhog Day and part Happy Death Day,  young woman  Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) keeps dying and returning to a birthday party held in her honor. Caught in a time loop , she returns each time and events change . She thinks she is the only one until she meets another  one -Charlie Barnett and when they join forces  the universe reveals the meanings of their lives and deaths. Like the nesting dolls this series is named after, the layers keep peeling off to reveal another layer. Greta Lee and the amazing Elizabeth Ashley give great performances and I am looking for a season two.

3) The Passage on Fox based on the best selling trilogy by Justin Cronin, has captured the best parts of the book in this captivating series about a group of death row inmates and a little girl who are infected with  a virus that has the power to heal and the power to turn them into highly infectious viral vampires. The little girl Amy and her Agent Wolgast may be the only ones to save the world from the onslaught of Fanning's virals as they try to take on all of humanity. Mark-Paul Gosselear, Saniyya Sidney, Jamie McShane,Henry Ian Cusick and Vincent Piazza form an amazing cast and the promise of a great story . I cannot wait to see how it all unfolds.

Anna and the Apocalypse,Mary Poppins Returns and a Very Nutty Christmas

My Top Christmas  Obsessions This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. Christmas is upon us and I have been so busy I have been neglectful of you. While TV programming has been filled with a Christmas binge watchers paradise, the quality is slowly draining from the genre. Lazy writing and cliche characters abound ,so it would be nice next year to lose some of the formulaic writing out there. Do we need more Christmas princesses or bakers or movies that come off the assembly line. That is my Christmas wish for you. How ever I have seen a few things that i liked  at theaters and television that rose to the holiday occasion.

1) Anna and the Apocalypse-at theaters now and streaming soon could be a holiday classic if you like musicals, zombies and Christmas. This little gem has the audacity to bring in zombies during a Christmas high school play in the small town of New Haven. Some catchy tunes and a real living breathing bad guy have Anna and her chums singing and fighting for their lives.Ella Hunt as Anna is fantastic and up the challenges to save the world.

2)  Mary Poppins Returns blew me away. How a movie with a whole new cast succeeded in creating a new nostalgia for something we have never seen is mind boggling. Emily  Blunt has recreated Mary Poppins for a new era. Sharp tongued and witty and fresh while showing us the love and kindness in her eyes. What ever time period this it felt like a companion piece to the 64 film. I can actually say I prefer Lin-Manuel Miranda's Cockney accent was better than Dick Van Dyke's. I loved the songs and the magic and the way the director Rob Marshall pulled back the silliness and original Banks kids Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane ( Emily Mortimer) were great . Blunt is the heart of the show and every scene she is in steals the show. The bonus points are musical numbers by Angela Lansbury and Dick Van Dyke and the great number from Meryl Streep as cousin Topsy. This is a true Christmas classic for me.

3) A Very Nutty Christmas on Lifetime is a Christmas movie that is in on the joke. It is magical and there is a baker of course ( this time i didn't mind) It is about a stressed baker (MELISSA JOAN HART - who I love) who's  boyfriend breaks up with her right before Christmas and the height of her busy baking season. The gift of a nutcracker who turns into a real man brings the magic and love of the Holiday Season. Supporting cast Marissa Jaret Winokur, Rizwan Manji, Conchata Ferrell and Barry Watson as the Nutcracker. This is soo much better than the rest of the dreck out there. I enjoyed it immensely.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!!

Homecoming, The Kominsky Method , Three Identical Strangers, Dirty John and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

My Top 5 Obsessions This Week

Greetings to all my semi constant readers. I have been so busy this last month , but I haven't forgotten you. Before the Christmas holidays hit us , i have a few November leftovers that are still worth savoring. 

1) Homecoming. Streaming on Amazon Prime is one of the best offerings they have had and a whole new way to appreciate our America's Sweetheart Julia Roberts. This is a top notch twisty thriller like we haven't seen in years. Heidi ( Roberts works at Homecoming a facility that rehabilitates soldiers coming back from war so that they may transition into society. But is it really? The episodes time flip and Heidi  is a waitress at a diner a few years later with little memory of the job she previously had and the Department of Defense investigating the facility is having a tough time getting to the truth of what really went on. Roberts is amazing as well as a creepy performance from Bobby Cannavale as her driven former employer. Stephan James, Sissy Spacek and Shea Whigham give solid performances that help build the tension in this must see.

2) The Kominsky Method streaming on Netflix is the smarter, funnier version of Grumpy Old Men with Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin as best friends who have weathered the loss of love and rebellion of their aging bodies as they are searching for answers to the questions of love and aging. Douglas is a former actor Sandy Kominsky who now teaches acting in his studio to young hopefuls and Arkin as his agent deals with the love of his life (Susan Sullivan) -his wife to cancer and an alcoholic daughter. Witty and touching , and while Douglas gives a strong performance , Arkin is the heart of the show . Great cast including Nancy Travis and Sarah Baker that keep the guys grounded . And Ann Margaret- who is looking fantastic and aging gracefully !!!!

3) Three Identical Strangers soon to be available on DVD or Streaming is one of the best documentaries I have seen in the last few years. 1980's New York a young man attends college to find everyone is welcoming him back to the new semester even though he has never been. He finds he has an identical twin he had never met and the newspapers go insane with the story. But wait .. there's more a third young man reads the article and discovers he is the missing triplet. A fantastic tale I would never have believed to be true. A heartwarming story of three brothers who discover at 19 they have siblings. The talk shows, magazine covers and a cameo on "Desperately Seeking Susan" with Madonna made them the toast of the town. But a much darker side was soon revealed when it was discovered a famous "doctor" was involved in the boys adoption through a renown Jewish adoption agency. He studied the boys secretly throughout their boyhood under false pretenses and it is revealed the boys were part of some bizarre scientific study their entire lives . Horrifying and disturbing , this story unfolds  one shocking discovery after another.

4)  Dirty John  a limited series on Bravo , based on a true story  and on  a critically acclaimed Los Angeles podcast. Starring Connie Britton as Debra Newell  a successful interior designer who  is swept away on an online date by "Dirty John" Meehan  ( Eric Bana)a handsome doctor who's charm and good looks swept past her many defenses. Her daughters take an immediate dislike to him and warned their mother who ignored all signs and married him quickly in Vegas and then the trouble begins. Britton is always amazing and Bana has never been more hot or more dangerous. Great performances by Jean Smart, Juno Temple and Julia Garner (Ozark ) This is the perfect antidote to all the holiday programming.

5)  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the most recent offering from the producers of Riverdale now streaming on Netflix quietly came in October and proved to be an even darker , wittier version than i even expected. Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) starts the season as a half- mortal/half- witch who is looking forward to her 16th birthday where she will embrace her witchy self  in a dark baptism. But she has doubts... lots of doubts especially when dealing with all things Dark Lord and the new school -The Academy of Unseen Arts with Father Blackwood where she is scheduled to attend,  leaving her mortal boyfriend and best friends behind. With the help of her two witch aunties Hilda and Zelda and cousin Ambrose she battles the duality of her nature and the evil that seems to stalk her . The great cast including Shipka and Lucy Davis, Chance Perdomo, Michelle Gomez, Miranda Otto, Richard Coyle and a welcome blast from the past Bronson Pinchot as Principal Hawthorne. Darkly comic and devilishly clever this series has it all and may prove to be more popular than Riverdale.