Nine Perfect Strangers, Clickbait and Ted Lasso

    My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. We are in the middle of September and I am ready for the holidays and yes maybe even you Hallmark Channel. So many new seasons of favorite shows like Truth Be Told and Home Before Dark and lots of previews of new series to come.

1)  Nine Perfect Strangers a Hulu Original from the folks that brought us Big Little Lies (even down to the same writer Liane Moriarty). is a different type of series than what we have seen. Nine strangers have randomly been invited to be a part of Tranquillum- a controversial treatment center catering to a very elite group. Run by Masha ( Nicole Kidman) and two of her top staff members, this focuses on mental and spiritual as well as individualized therapy. The nine include a family dealing with a suicide, a drug addict and a best selling author who may have written her worst book as well as  a rounded out few others whose secrets I won't spoil. Things quickly escalate when new "protocols" are introduced by the mysterious Masha and breakthroughs and breakdowns start happening with patients and staff. Oh, and someone is threatening Masha's life as well. Great cast including a very toned down performance from Melissa McCarthy and great performances from Michael Shannon and Bobby Cannavale.

2) Clickbait , an original streaming  limited series on Netflix in instantly addictive for anyone who wants a hook from the very start. This starts with a video of a man who is bruised and beaten holding cards that say " I abuse women" and "I killed a woman" . The headline states that if this receives 5 million views  this man will be murdered. The views and comments quickly escalate and the video goes viral. A young woman Pia Brewer (Zoe Kazan) instantly recognizes the man is her brother Nick ( Adrian Grenier) and reaches out to his wife and work for confirmation. Each episode centers around a character and their involvement with the kidnapping and video. A story line emerges of a cheating husband who was on multiple dating sites and living a secret life. But is it all true? Pia and police officer Amiri work together to piece together a mystery that deepens at every turn. This was an enjoyable binge.

3)  Ted Lasso is back on Apple TV+ and the boys and girls of  AFC Richmond are at it again and although two the star players  Jamie Tart and Roy Kent exited the team last season, they may be not be gone for good. A new character Dr. Sharon, a sport psychologist is brought on to assist the team with mental health and spirit and Sarah Niles is a fantastic addition to the cast . Each episode is as good as the previous one with the Christmas episode Carol of the Bells which will be a tradition to watch every year. Season 2 is a home run or whatever the call it in England!

                                       

Brand New Cherry Flavor, Aftermath and The Swarm

  THE HORROR OF IT ALL    

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers and fellow horror enthusiasts. I am reading some great horror that will soon be making it to the big and little screen -The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, My Best Friend's Exorcism and The Final Girl's Support Group, all by Grady Hendrix and in pre-production. If they are anywhere as good as the books I will be very happy.

1) Brand New Cherry Flavor a limited series streaming on Netflix has a Twin Peaks vibe to me. Set in LA's 90s A young filmmaker Lisa Nova  (Rosa Salazar) arrives  with a remarkable short film that has garnered interest around Hollywood- namely Lou Burke (Eric Lange). Burke has taken her under his wing and stolen her movie. She decides to get revenge on him with a curse from the witch Boro (The amazing Catherine Keener). Her only payment for this curse is that she keeps regurgitating small mewling kittens that Boro seems to use for her own purposes. Two episodes in and I am really intrigued. Dark and twisty is my favorite kind of story. Keener, Salazar and Lange  have the best chemistry together and I cannot wait to finish this.

2) Aftermath  a new movie streaming on Netflix is based on a true story about a San Diego home in 2011. The movie opens with a young couple -Natalie and Kevin who are trying to piece their life back together after an affair.  She is a clothing designer and he cleans houses after murders and suicides. He discovers a beautiful home after cleaning after a murder/suicide. this house has all the modern technology because it was built by the former owner. They move in and from the very beginning there is something wrong. Is it haunted, are they being stalked by neighbors?  Mysterious noises and objects move around in rooms and there are racist rants posted online under their name and pornography starts arriving under Kevin's name. The leads are good Ashley Greene and Shawn Ashmore and believable in their roles. Lots of  genuine jump scares and I was pretty tense the entire movie. The big twist at the end and the final one in the last shot make us believe there might be sequel which would obviously not be a true story. Some of the acting by supporting roles was not the best but I think for the most part this very watchable.

3)  The Swarm also streaming on Netflix is a French Horror film with a clever concept although not the most original it was pretty well done. Virginie Hébrard is a newly widowed single mother raising a teenage daughter  and small son on her own . She makes a living  breeding and raising locusts for food and selling them to local businesses. Her locusts are not breeding and she is on the brink of bankruptcy. She suddenly discovers that the locusts have a very special appetite that makes them thrive and breed but it soon takes a toll on her mentally and physically. This felt like a decent throwback horror filmwith some good hoorror moments.

Blood Red Sky, Fear Street Trilogy, and American Horror Stories

    THE HORROR OF IT ALL    

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. I just watched Last House on the Left recently and it still holds up as one of Wes Craven's best even since the 70s in my opinion as a raw cringeworthy tale of murder and revenge. I am trying to keep up with all of the recommendations coming from my groups and upcoming trailers. Be sure and catch season 2 of Evil on Paramount + because this season is so well written and continues to surprise with drawn from real life stories.

(1) Blood Red Sky a new Netflix Original is a vampire tale with a twist. A group of terrorists hijack a transatlantic overnight flight get more than they bargain for when it is revealed that one of their passengers is a vampire and they really poked the bear with this one. Nadja is traveling to New York from Germany to visit a specialist for a mysterious illness and she brings her young son. She has been covering a  very dark secret backstory that is revealed in flashbacks, Her unconditional love is what somehow is the heart of this story and I really enjoyed this action/horror hybrid.

2) Fear Street 1994, 1978 and 1666 streaming on Netflix.This trilogy came from the mind of R.L. Stine ( Goosebumps) but this was definitely much more on the adult realm. The films start in 1994 and trace it all the way back to 1666 where the curse for Shadyside began. This town has been cursed for centuries and in 94 a group of teens are targets for undead serial killers who terrorized the town while the neighboring town Sunnyvale is thriving . They discover the witche's curse which has held the town in terror since 66. All three films are good and gory and the talented cast appear in all three but my personal favorite is 1994. A throwback trilogy that is fresh thanks to Netflix releasin close together. What a great concept!

3) American Horror Stories streaming on Hulu is our newest fix from Ryan Murphy and each episode is a standalone episode with the exception of 1 and 2 which center around The Murder House from season 1. The plot revolves around a gay couple (Matt Bomer and Gavin Creel) who bring their teenage daughter Scarlett (Sierra McCormick) to the house to revive it as a haunted bed and breakfast. That seems doomed from the beginning since they don't believe in the spirit world and Scarlett already seems troubled with an obsession with violent porn. This is creepy, gruesome and even hilarious.I enjoyed it and the acting was great. No spoilers but rubber man is back!!

 

Shmigadoon, The White Lotus and Physical

                                                           My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. Even though we are in the midst of Summer, I am already dreaming of the Fall and Pumpkin Spiced goodness. But I digress. Let's get back to Summer programming and Big Brother and all of the available content right now. Don't forget to catch Barb and Star on Hulu!

1)  Shmigadoon! streaming on AppleTV+ is everything you ever wanted but didn't know you needed. Keegan-Midchal Key an Cecily Strong  as Melissa and Josh a couple trying everything to keep their relationship alive including a couples retreat . During a hike, rain soaked and lost, they stumble into the candy coated town of Schmigadoon, A full musical number is already under way when they cross the bridge into a full scale technicolor old school musical. Drawn from Oklahoma, Brigadoon and every other score you can imagine, this story is about true love and Melissa and Josh cannot leave unless they find it together or apart. Presented by Lorne Michaels -this cast is amazing - Alan Cumming, Martin Short, Kristen Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit and Jane Krakowski. The score, choreography and wardrobe make this my summer hit!

2) The White Lotus streaming on HBO Max is a delightful surprise-Fantasy Island with all the quirks that make us human. This mini series from Mike White ( Enlightened, Chuck and Buck) is one of the favorite shows I am watching right now. The story revolves a group of guests staying at a high end Hawaiian resort managed by charming Murray Bartlett as Armond who tries to satisfy every guest's whim. The series covers 1 week and various plot lines for each of the guests. the delightful  Jennifer Coolidge is Tanya who is looking for happiness and a good massage and Connie Britton and Steve Zahn and their two children struggling to connect and a very unhappy newlywed groom who feels entitled and spends a good amount of time chasing Armond around for a room change. White knows how to direct the best performances out of this very talented cast  and a special shout out to Sydney Sweeney as Olivia Mossbacher . I already want another installment.

3) Physical streaming on AppleTV+ is a rainbbow colored 80's treat. A screenshot into the world of aerobics and how it became a staple in everyone's VCR ( I am not explaining what that is!). Rose Byrne is Sheila Rubin who is battling all her own demons in the quiet of a motel room scarfing down bags of fast food and berating herself all the while in a voice over that we can all relate to. While her clueless husband is running for a local office on a "Save the Wave" campaign she discovers the world of aerobic dancing through a drifter dance instructor Bunny (Della Saba). She sees the possibilities of video emergence in the world and finds a way to finance her dream. I loved the snarkiness of it all and Byrne's and Saba's performances were great as well Rory Scoval as her husband. This will find the intended audience I hope and we can see more of it.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Language Lessons and Supernova

                                My Top Three This Week - PRIDE EDITION

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. It is that time of year again. Pride. We made it a whole year and things are opening up. We said good bye to some of our favorite series like Pose and Special and we will be sad to see them go but new things are on the horizon. If you have not joined Frameline Film Festival and gotten a streaming pass -get it NOW.

1) Everybody's Talking About Jamie will officially be out in September but I was able to see a premiere in San Francisco and it was fantastic. Based on the smash London musical, Jamie which is  also based on a  television documentary Jamie : Drag Queen at 16. This is a boy who lives his life out loud .. with music numbers. He wants to be a star and  famous drag queen and his first step is getting through high school with his best friend Pritti and his drag queen mentor Loco Chanelle The score is pop music at it's finest with some great numbers and the cinematography and wardrobe is  eye-popping. Max Harwood as Jamie is electrifying and Lauren Patel as his best friend Pritti is a scene stealer. Richard E. Grant as Coco is a heartfelt performance as is Sarah Lancashire as his mother as well as Sharon Horgan as the misguided Miss Hedge. A great film.

2)  Language Lessons ( a Frameline event) i-directed by Natalie Morales and starring Morales and Mark Duplass as a terrific story for our time and an unexpected love story between a gay man and an online Spanish teacher. Duplass is Adam who receives 100 Spanish online classes from his husband Will.During the beginning lessons with Cariño (Morales) his husband his killed in an accident . He is devastated and Cariño helps him heal through speaking Spanish during their classes. He is in Oakland and she is in Costa Rica. Their bond continues until he becomes concerned when she appears with mysterious bruises on her face and then begins the deepening of their story. Heartfelt and funny with genuine tearful moments that will punch you in the gut.

3) Supernova streaming now on Prime is beautifully shot and Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci are completely believable as Sam and Tucker a long time couple are traveling across the English countryside for one last time before Tucker finally succumbs to his dementia, There are few laughs in this heartbreaking and realistic view of what it means when you vow " in sickness and in health" for any relationship - gay or straight. Watch this with someone you love.