"The Sopranos" Season 1

Introducing the biggest baddie since Michael Corleone, Tony Soprano explodes onto the scene as the heart, soul and mind of one of the biggest mob families in New Jersey. Every episode we see the ups and downs of running a mob with the FBI breathing heavily down their necks while, at the same time, managing a dysfunctional family, featuring a stressed out wife, a rebellious teenage daughter, and an awkward preteen son.
After several strokes, Tony seeks counsel to cope with the constant stress. At first, he was adamant, often swearing and telling the psychiatrist off, but he always returned by the end of the episode. As the season progresses, however, he becomes more loose about his secret. I guess to kick it up a notch on whether the psychiatrist will alert the authorities.
Outside the home and the therapist office, the DiMeo clan struggle to keep their grip tight with their clients only to often lead to disasterous results, like Tony losing his friend Artie because he intentionally blew up Artie's restaurant. Chris, Tony's protégé, struggles with an existential crisis of trying to make his own name. He even tried to write gangster film screenplays to gain some fame.
Even though Tony runs everything, it's his Uncle Junior who's the head honcho, and much of the season has them clash on how to efficiently run the family, which makes you wonder how this show managed to stay on for 5 more seasons after this.
The biggest chip on Tony's shoulder is his mother is always comparing him to his father, calling him a saint. This is actually the reason I decided to check out this show. It is rumored that a spin off film is in the works, The Many Saints of Newark, with James Gandolfini's son, Michael, filling in the role of Tony Soprano, as it will show Tony's father during the time of the 1967 riots in Newark. But the flashbacks were enough to see that he wasn't always a saint. But who knows?

The season got off with a roaring start that makes want to stay tuned every week. Then the season kind of waned when the FBI made a move on the family's less important members. When the season ends with the Sopranos enjoying spaghetti at Artie's refurbished restaurant, you wonder if it's worth continuing to season two. I wonder if HBO had no idea how the viewing audience would react, so the gave the show a neutral ending in case the show bombed.

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Aired on HBO: January 10 - April 4, 1999
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Vincent Pastore, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Nancy Marchand
Directors: David Chase, Dan Attias, Nick Gomez, John Patterson, Allen Coulter, Alan Taylor, Lorraine Senna Ferrara, Tim Van Patten, Andy Wolk, Matthew Penn, Henry J. Bronchtein
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.7/10 (Average)

Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Drama Series - Nominated
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (James Gandolfini) - Nominated
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Edie Falco) - Winner
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Lorraine Bracco) - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Nancy Marchand) - Nominated
• Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (John Heard) - Nominated
• Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (David Chase) - Nominated
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (David Chase) - Nominated
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess) - Nominated
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (James Manos Jr.) - Winner
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Frank Renzulli) - Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

• Best Drama Series - Winner
• Best Actor in a Drama Series (James Gandolfini) - Winner
• Best Actress in a Drama Series (Lorraine Bracco) - Nominated
• Best Actress in a Drama Series (Edie Falco) - Winner
• Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film (Nancy Marchand) - Winner

(Click here to view more awards for "The Sopranos" Season 1.)

Videos
TV Sins - Everything Wrong With The Sopranos "Pilot"

"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"

To the people of Kazakhstan, I am very sorry this movie exists. Actually, no I'm not. The dude is from England. He's England's problem.

I honestly hate mockumentaries. It's rather infuriating to watch such pure sh*t where people are conned into making a fool of themselves. I read that Sacha Baron Cohen was arrested 92 times over the course of the production. That should tell you something. If 92 people call the police on you, maybe you shouldn't do it. 

There really isn't much to say; the film kind of speaks for itself on what NOT to do. 

I want to applaud Pamela Anderson for being such a good sport in this sh*tty movie, and I am glad this didn't ruin her reputation. Kid Rock could get a grip, however, and not divorce her over this movie.

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Released On: November 3, 2006
Rating: R
Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Pamela Anderson, Luenell, Alan Keyes, Former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA)
Director: Larry Charles
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91% Certified Fresh (Are you serious?)
IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (*sighs*)

Awards

Academy Awards

• Best Adapted Screenplay (Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer & Todd Phillips) - Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

• Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Nominated
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Sacha Baron Cohen) - Winner

(Click here to view more awards for "Borat".)

"The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"

This movie would have been good if it wasn't a musical. Many of the numbers took me out of the movie from the Aggies number to the Governor dodging reporters. Otherwise, it was a cute movie.
This is my first movie starring Burt Reynolds (*gasps* I know). I'm sure many first time viewers at the time were as surprised as I was to see Smokey carry a tune.
This is also the first time I saw Dom DeLuise's ugly face. I knew him from voice roles in several Don Bluth movies, An American Tail, The Secret of NIMH, and All Dogs Go to Heaven.
I'm having a hard time understanding that the Chicken Ranch was still functioning in the early eighties. I understand prostitution was harder to catch at the time, but Miss Mona's girls weren't going nowhere. And what's worse, the sheriff does nothing about the illegal prostitution. Hell, he's engaged in a hot relationship with the madam. But it only took some schmuck from New Jersey to stick his nose into the Texas institution. Of all the dirty laundry Ed Earl hung up about Melvin P. Thorpe, cheap toupee, sock in his underwear, how come his place of origin never came up to show that this Texas lover is a fraud?
The governor brings up a recent memory of our real government where our leader constantly avoids his job that he was voted in for. Sometimes I wish we were a parliament instead of a congress. The British Parliament has the vote of no confidence. House of Lords vote the Prime Minister out simple as that. No trial, no bullsh*t. However, at the same time it's probably a good thing we don't have the vote of no confidence because then we'd have a revolving door of Presidents.
Despite all this, I'm disappointed that the Chicken Ranch closed for good, and all they did about it was Ed Earl and Miss Mona got married. That's it. There's two hours I'll never get back.
If it was the best, why did they close it? Melvin P. Thorpe's message is that prostitution is illegal and immoral. Wait until he finds out in 15 years that Tony Soprano is running a brothel in his home state of New Jersey. Yes, it's a strip club, but he uses those girls as an influence to his clients.

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Released On: July 23, 1982
Rating: R
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Dom DeLuise, Charles Durning, Jim Nabors
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 56%
IMDb Score: 6.0/10

Awards
Academy Awards

• Best Supporting Actor (Charles Durning) - Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

• Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) - Nominated
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) (Dolly Parton) - Nominated

"Deadpool 2"

F*ck Deadpool.

I know he may ask for time, place, and position, but f*ck him! Yes, I laughed my ass off at this movie, but then I sat down thought.

While Wade was contemplating that "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" and "Papa, Can You Here Me?" sound similar, I'm contemplating that...

That's right, Deadpool 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past have the same plot.
Deadpool has a habit of trolling Wolverine, and I think it's because they are very similar. They're both Canadian, they have healing powers, and they have a dead girlfriend they killed.
Okay, Deadpool isn't responsible for Vanessa's death, but he feels just the same. As he struggles to cope with Vanessa's death he begins to feel for another person. A young mutant, named Firefist, fights against a scientist destined to wipe out the mutant race through a series of Mike Pence conversion therapies. Deadpool tries to teach him that he doesn't need to resort to violence to get revenge, although that sounded pretty nice to Deadpool. But it take his act of sacrifice to actually bring Firefist around, and not destroy the world.
Hot on their heels is Cable, a futuristic humanoid, who sounds a lot like Thanos, who travels back in time to kill Firefist before he kills the scientist and brings on the apocalypse. So it up to Deadpool to set things right before Cable gets is metal arms on him.
Deadpool continues to defy stereotypes as he decides to build his own team, the X-Force, but it becomes short lived because every member, except for Domino, die in a parachute drop with one gruesome death after another. But Deadpool manages to assemble his X-Force in the end, with Cable, Domino, Firefist, Dopinder, and Weasel.
The end credits has Deadpool playing with Cable's time traveling device, which he uses to go back to X-Men Origins: Wolverine to kill the Deadpool in that movie. As funny as that was, the bastardization that the original Deadpool is the reason we have Deadpool now. Based on the logic of Professor Hulk's time travel, that timeline won't have a Deadpool that coincides with his original timeline. Deadpool goes to when Ryan Reynolds is given the script to the now disastrous Green Lantern film, and kills him as a favor to Canada. Again, Reynolds' Green Lantern is the reason we have Deadpool now, so that's two timelines that no longer have Deadpool because he's too stubborn to let go of his past.
Speaking of his past, can we have a portion of Deadpool 3 dedicated to Wade Wilson's past before he became a mercenary with Sister Margaret's. I want to know the reason he quit after his 31 confirmed kills.

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Released On: May 18, 2018
Rating: R
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Jack Kesy
Director: David Leitch
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.7/10

Awards
Grammy Award
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media - Nominated
(Click here to view more awards for "Deadpool 2".)

Videos
CinemaSins - Everything Wrong With Deadpool 2 in 19 Minutes or Less
Screen Junkies - Honest Trailers - Deadpool 2 (feat. Deadpool)
How It Should Have Ended - How Deadpool 2 Should Have Ended

"Big Mouth" Seasons 1-3

Where was this show when I was going through puberty ten years ago? Well, to be fair, Netflix was still mailing DVDs to our homes, then; we had no idea we would be watching Family Guy on steroids on the Internet.
This show strips away the stigma of sexual education like Steve Carell's chest hair in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Right from the first episode you're warned of what you're getting into. When a child enters puberty, he or she is assigned a hormone monster that channels their adolescence from positive to downright offensive outcomes. Through each of the main characters, we learn that not all puberty is the same.
Andrew Glouberman is a budding awkward teen with extremely weird sexual kinks: a tomato shaped like a butt, an assistant at his dad's firm, Nick's sister Leah, his cousin Cherry, and Missy. From his stand point, he has intentions in his actions, but he often goes way too far to prove a point, like when he believed Lars didn't need his chair. He struggles to come into his own because his parents refuse to talk to him about his ever changing body.
Nick Birch struggles with his small stature compared to Andrew. In fact, Nick is the complete opposite of Andrew. His parents are super affectionate it's almost embarrassing. Nick goes through several hormone monsters before currently settling on Connie. Nick's past monsters set him at odds with his friends; even he and Connie got off to a rough start because Nick suddenly became sensitive about his body.
Jessi Glasser struggles with the ups and downs of puberty the minute her period appeared. She constantly battles the Depression Kitty mostly because her mother has come out as a lesbian, her father is constantly distant, her stance on women's rights is often attacked, and she just realized she likes Nick's scary older brother, Judd, and his musky smell.
Jay is the inappropriate oddball of the group. It is unknown who his hormone monster is, Maury is convinced he's his own, and he is constantly jizzed up to anything. It actually pushes him to question his sexual identity. By the end of season 3, he has come out as bisexual, but nobody believes him. In season 3, we also learn he lives in a broken home; his father is a Saul Goodman-like two-bit lawyer, his mother is a wino, his brothers are abusive, his dog battles existentialism, and it's basically every man for himself.
Matthew is only other out kid in the group. He often teams up with Jessi on outings to protest age old sexist rituals. He constantly struggles with his solitude, fearing he'd find no one. But all that changes when he meets Aiden. Then he is flustered because his parents don't seem to know, let alone understand, that he's gay. I can see this go two ways. Mom will be all for it, but Army Dad is the kicker. he will either disown Matthew or go Call Me By Your Name and tell Matthew he's secretly gay too and applauds him of his bravery.
Missy is the group nerd that should be taken more seriously than she is. She comes from a supportive mixed family who teaches her to be herself. She always has something smart to say on whatever the subject is. But when she tries to speak up for herself, she is either shot down or she shoots others out of the way. Season 3 ends with Missy and her new monstress, Mona, likely starting a sexual war with the group. I feel she is going to really develop with will throw everyone off, but she slowly lose her intellect, brains for boobs. By the end she will have a Rizzo-esque musical number, hopefully sobering herself up. She has the capacity to be sexually attractive, and she knows it, but acting on it is what scares her. 

Is it weird to think about that on a 13-year-old animated girl?
Let me be clear that these kids are THIRTEEN years old! They are thinking about sex way too much. I remember being thirteen. I was still getting used to the morning reveille that goes on down there. I had no idea how to correlate with another partner. And the nudity is outrageous just because they are thirteen.
The adults in the show proves that we are never done developing. Coach Steve is an emotionally stunted adult who was still a virgin at 47. Apparently, the monsters help you develop until you can actually perform sexual intercourse, which may explain why Jay doesn't have a monster; he's constantly f*cking his pillows.
Jessi's parents demonstrate that marriages just fall apart, and that you can discover your sexuality late in life. Jessi's mother was actually dumped at the end of season 3, and she wants to move to the city, so we'll have to see where they go from there.
Andrew's parents appear to be a loveless relationship, and it appeared to get worse when the Menopause Banshee starts knocking on Mrs. Glouberman's door. But it's clear there's still some flamage in the marriage, Mr. Glouberman is just a stereotypical, angry Jewish man.
Nick's parents show that they're super affectionate with each other and their wildly different children. I actually wonder how long this will last, especially since Nick is starting to act hostile.
The hormone monsters make it all worth it because their outrageous humor causes you to do spit takes on the stupidest of jokes. When a child is confronted with a conflict, the monsters are always on the sidelines shouting horrendously bad advice, and you kind of sit on the edge of your seat wondering how the child will actually respond. But I wonder how the logic of the monsters work. Can the kids see each others' monsters? Can Nick see Maury and Andrew see Connie? When they consult with their monsters, are the kids imagining the conversation or are they seen as possibly insane, especially in a crowd? I believe I had Connie growing up; I wasn't about masculinity. Don't get me wrong, I want to look good, but I wasn't hitting the gym 24/7. I still feel the Depression Kitty's claws on me; it's a constant struggle right now. But I'm not helpless, so I'm sure that is scaring her off.
I find this show extremely helpful in educating the human anatomy, especially since I'm too embarrassed to ask certain questions. My mom is just as supportive as the Birches, it's overwhelming. There is one subject I want to talk about, but I need to do some research. One of the episodes had the kids put on a musical based on the 1994 film Disclosure. Stay tuned.

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Season 1
Released on Netflix: September 29, 2017
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Jordan Peele
Directors: Joel Moser, Bryan Francis, Mike L. Mayfield
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.7/10 (Average)

Season 2
Released on Netflix: October 5, 2018
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Jordan Peele
Directors: Bob Suarez, Bryan Francis, Joel Moser
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.0/10 (Average)

My Furry Valentine
Released on Netflix: February 8, 2019
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Jordan Peele
Directors: Kim Arndt, Bob Suarez
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.1/10

Season 3
Released on Netflix: October 4, 2019
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Jordan Peele
Directors: Bob Suarez, Bryan Francis, Joel Moser, Kim Arndt, Mike L. Mayfield
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.9/10 (Average)

Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards

• 2018 - Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (Mark Rivers) - Nominated
• 2019 - Outstanding Animated Program - Nominated

(Clicking here to view more awards for "Big Mouth".)

"The Mandalorian" Season 1

 From the guy who dated Monica Gellar comes the TV show equivalent of getting the knock-off toy for Christmas as this was the answer to the Boba Fett movie we have asked for.

This western style adventure chronicles a notorious Mandalorian bounty hunter, not Boba, as he encounters a child with extraordinary abilities. For reasons we do not know, it is hunted by Gus Fring wielding a black lightsaber. That's it. That's the whole show.

Like westerns, this was highly predictable. Badass lawman making a living picking up scum from the desert, finds a child, develop, attachment of the child, becomes a wanted man, saves a random village he stumbles upon from local terrorists, the main bad guy corners him in the bar, they fight, you think the bad guy is dead; I'm surprised a western style poster with Gus' picture didn't show up on the screen with the text printed on it: "Gus Fring will return!"

Alright, let's settle this once and for all. How effective are blasters to the Mandalorian? Over the last forty years we have seen that one shot is all it takes to kill you, unless you are shot in the arm, then you're mildly injured. The worse damage it could do to the Mandalorian is strip his armor of its dignity. The blaster bolts bounce off of him and he's just pissed.

The pilot episode showed the Mandalorian putting his asset into carbon freeze. As I recall in Empire, Darth Vader considered it crude to put prisoners in carbonite. It appears, however, to be a common source of transporting prisoners. Maybe word spread of Han Solo surviving carbonite  and so bounty hunters started using it. Unless, the prisoners were wanted dead. 

This show ran the bad stormtrooper aim joke into the ground. It's not funny anymore. And the possiblity of the Mandalorian being a Gungan, it's like get some new jokes. You're the reason everyone hates Star Wars now. 

The story is set in wake of the fallen Empire, so no, the child IS NOT YODA! It makes me mad that we have access to all nine main movies, two spinoffs, a TV series, books, comics, and fabled bootleg movies to know that the child isn't Yoda. Yes, it's the same species as Yoda. But that doesn't mean its name is Yoda. That's incredibly racist. That's like calling every black person LeBron.

It's hard to truly get engaged with the show. It is forty percent walking through the desert, forty percent fixing the ship, ten percent negotiating, five percent playing peekaboo with the child, and five percent trying to skip ahead to the next episode when the credits roll. 

I will say this. The filmmakers seem dedicated to return to basics on some things, like using puppets and other practical effects. It does, however, look too shiny to really give that eighties aesthetic. I mean that's what made Star Wars so special. They managed to craft a compelling science fiction story that stood the test of time. I'm sorry, this show will fade in time. This is the Way.

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Released on Disney+: November 12 - December 27, 2019

Rating: TV-14

Stars: Pedro Pascal, Nick Nolte, Taika Waititi, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog, Giancarlo Esposito

Directors: Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, Deborah Chow, Bryce Dallas Howard, Taika Waititi

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93% Certified Fresh

IMDb Score: 8.6/10 (Average)

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Drama Series - Nominated

Primetime Creative Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Taika Waititi) - Nominated
• Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) (Greig Fraser & Baz Idoine) - Winner
• Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes (Joseph Porro, Julie Robar, Gigi Melton and Lauren Silvestri) - Nominated
• Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Giancarlo Esposito) - Pending
• Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Ludwig Göransson) - Pending
• Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less) (Andrew L. Jones, Jeff Wisniewski, Amanda Serino) - Winner
• Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special (Brian Sipe, Alexei Dmitriew, Carlton Coleman, Samantha Ward, Scott Stoddard, Mike Ornelaz and Sabrina Castro) - Nominated
• Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (Andrew S. Eisen) - Nominated
• Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (Dana E. Glauberman and Dylan Firshein) - Nominated
• Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (Jeff Seibenick) - Nominated
• Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation (David Acord, Matthew Wood, Bonnie Wild, James Spencer, Richard Quinn, Richard Gould, Stephanie McNally, Ryan Rubin, Ronni Brown and Jana Vance) - Winner
• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation (Shawn Holden, Bonnie Wild and Chris Fogel) - Winner
• Outstanding Special Visual Effects (Richard Bluff, Jason Porter, Abbigail Keller, Hayden Jones, Hal Hickel, Roy Cancino, John Rosengrant, Enrico Damm and Landis Fields) - Winner
• Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie (Ryan Watson) - Winner

(Click here to view more awards for "The Mandalorian".)

Videos

TVSins - Everything Wrong With The Mandalorian "Pilot"

TVSins - Everything Wrong With The Mandalorian "The Child"

How It Should Have Ended - How The Mandalorian Should Have Ended (Season One)

Screen Junkies - Honest Trailers | The Mandalorian

"Mrs. America"

 Was this show meant for you to be uncomfortable? Because I was uncomfortable the whole time. I blame my school and my educators for this. There was so much that I didn't know about this time period. I remember the 2008 election very well, and the way news anchors kept talking about Hillary Clinton, I thought Clinton was the first woman ever to run for president, and my teachers didn't correct me. But this show has a different message: former U.S. Representative Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman to run for president in 1972. At first glance, you would think that the show forgot about Victoria Woodhull (1872), Belva Ann Lockwood (1884), Gracie Allen (1940), and Margaret Chase Smith (1964). But of course the key word is "black". 

Also growing up in school, I was lead to believe that all women were unanimously for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment. Clearly that wasn't true. Phyllis Schlafly, a woman who has the ability to be hated and rooted for at the same time, leads the charge to STOP the ERA from passing. I had a hell of a time searching for the complete text of the amendment, but here it is below:

SECTION 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

SECTION 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

SECTION 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

This seems simple enough. Organizations like NOW campaigned equal rights to all women: equal pay, health benefits, protection of lesbians, gay marriage, proper abortion care, a lot of this stuff we have now. But Schlafly and the rest of the STOP ERA were stuck on abortion, lesbians raising our children and drafting daughters into the military. The Vietnam War was winding down at the time, but the tensions against the war held on. I'm not sure what their argument truly was. They are proud Daughters of the American Revolution. Do they understand what women did in the Revolution? A woman gave up her petticoat so Paul Revere could muffle the oars on his boat as he sneaked across the Charles River. Molly Pitcher was one of the many women bringing water to thirsty soldiers at many battles. At one point, when her husband was wounded, she loaded a cannon herself. And let's not forget Betsy Ross sewed our nation's flag. There are plenty of women who want to serve their country, and plenty of men who don't. Why would you deny a woman's right to be drafted. Actually from what I understood, the Gulf Wars and the war in Afghanistan, after 9/11, we had so many volunteers that a draft wasn't necessary. 

A woman has the choice to do what she wants with her life. You chose the life of the housewife, and that's fine, but why are you forcing hundreds of thousands of woman to choose the same lifestyle? You can't support women and condemn them at the same time; that doesn't make sense. That's like talking trash about your favorite celebrity while wearing a T-shirt with their face on it. Same goes to working women. I ask that you support women in whatever they decide to do. Everyday, I question why supporting women at all. It's hard to pick a side when everyone is at each other's throats. And all to stop three sentences from ruling the land. And by the way, if the ERA had passed on time, you know Schlafly and the STOP ERA would take full advantage of it. 

Abortion. Why would you force a woman to keep a baby she doesn't want? You may say that it was her fault she wasn't careful. But what if she's 12 years old, and her father raped her? Would you still force her to carry the baby to term in her fragile body? Pregnancy is dangerous, always has been; women have died giving birth. Don't get me wrong, I don't like killing babies either, but I want women to have the choice. Like if it was mine, I will present my argument. I'd want to raise the child, but if she says she wants an abortion, I'll try to fight, but in the end it's her decision.

One of the biggest issues I had with the show is the men. I get it that times were different, but clearly these women were going places, so the men need to be supportive no matter what. They played like they were supportive, but Fred Schlafly didn't take it seriously that his wife could have won U.S. Representative, Jill Ruckelshaus' husband was vetted without her knowledge, Marc is pissed that Brenda is experiencing lesbianism, President Jimmy Carter fires Bella Abzug from the National Advisory Commission for Women, and newly-elected President Reagan dismisses Phyllis' chance of a Cabinet position. It seems that men think this is a game for women to play. I'm sure a lot of those sick bastards got hard watching women talk politics. Many of them in the show say that's why they married their wives: their wit. But they still attempt to lay down the law that men rule the country. Really the men just lit a fire under the ass of women, which will be the men's undoing.

On the other side of the issue, Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan lead the charge to ratify the ERA. The two clash one different versions of the same opinion. Friedan appeared to feel ancient to the new generation of feminists where she was basically saying, "Death to all Men!", and Steinem is trying to gather allies on all sides to push the movement forward. Steinem also clashes with Abzug on politics. Azbug, a former U.S. Senator knows the political game too well, and she struggles to relay that to Steinem, who wants to charge in guns blazing. It was a perfect balance to see a seasoned member of our government try to reason with a youngin' wanting change now.

One of the most compelling stories in this series is Alice Macray, Phyllis' right hand woman in the STOP ERA movement. Over the course of the series, she acts as a pipeline from Phyllis to the other women, but she eventually begins to question her beliefs, especially one drunk night at the National Women's Convention. She discovers a woman blessing the Eucharist, a God-fearing Christian woman who is a feminist, and that lesbians are not all bad. Her arc ends with her having a job, and that she feels empowered that she doesn't have to ask her husband for pin money.

This was a wonderful series that completely changed my perspective on several things. It's a shame it had to end, but I await more films and TV shows like it. 

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Released on FX On Hulu: April 15 - May 27, 2020
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, Elizabeth Banks, Kayli Carter, Ari Graynor, Melanie Lynskey, Margo Martindale, John Slattery, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tracey Ullman, Sarah Paulson
Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Amma Asante, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Janicza Bravo
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
IMDb Score: 8.2/10 (Average)

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Limited Series - Nominated
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Cate Blanchett) - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Uzo Aduba) - Winner
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Margo Martindale) - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Tracey Ullman) - Nominated
• Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special (Tanya Barfield) - Nominated

Creative Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Carmen Cuba & Robin Cook) - Nominated
• Outstanding Period Costumes (Bina Daigeler, Erin Byrne, Bettina Seifert, Erika Larner, Mila Hermanovski and Eileen Kennedy) - Nominated
• Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) (Kris Bowers) - Nominated
• Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie (Robert Komatsu) - Nominated

(Click here to view more awards for "Mrs. America".)

"Da 5 Bloods"

Right from the very beginning, I thought that this was a sort of mockumentary because it opens up like a Civil Rights doc where more black people were being sent to Vietnam than white people. Then it goes to four retired vets, in their seventies, returning to Vietnam. Throughout the film, there are snapshots of often little-known, or unknown to white people, black heroes whenever they were brought up to prove a point in the group's bravery, which I'm pretty sure the pictures are there to show white people that they were real people.

This is probably a white thing to say, but I didn't think it was going to be good. Five young men discover treasure in a gunned down plane, that Uncle Sam has been sneaking to the NVA. It's like someone watched The Goonies and Without a Paddle and thought: What if they were black?

But I did wind up liking the movie. Underneath the silly plot that it is, the film shows that racism knows no boundaries, and former VC soldiers haven't forgiven the American soldiers. We have seen PTSD in movies before, but this kind of takes to a new level where one of the guys is haunted by his dead CO because he killed him with friendly fire. And honestly, it's rather humbling to see seventy year old men, no matter what color, cry with joy, and perhaps respect, for when they find his remains.

This is basically a Vietnam film of a new era. In the past, it was often played for laughs when an older person suddenly transforms from a kind and quiet person who does the crossword to one of the most feared leaders in the land. Everything floods back to them. It's like they never left. The last thirty minutes of the film is where it truly gets real, when one of the members finds redemption in killing his CO while digging his own grave. In the final shootout, a grenade is thrown, and another member throws himself on top of it without a second thought. There's a sense of brotherhood that has never been lost, even when they were at each other's throats. When it came down to it, there is nothing that will tear the spirit of Da 5 Bloods apart.

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Released on Netflix: June 12, 2020

Rating: R

Stars: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Jean Reno, Chadwick Boseman

Director: Spike Lee

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92% Certified Fresh

IMDb Score: 6.6/10

"The Great" Season 1

This show is wildly entertaining and hilarious, but it also hurts my autistic skull about how inaccurate it is. But I did like that it admits it's not entirely true. My guess is that they stretched and changeed some things so that we can actually move the plot along and get Catherine onto the throne by season two.
Some of the things I didn't like about this show were the constant yelling of the following words, in which the magic is ruined for them: f*ck, c*ck, p*ssy, c*** (even though that last one wasn't magical to begin with). Also the smashing of the glasses on the floor really got annoying after awhile.
Despite the inaccuracies, it seems to be well structured as a plausible story line. Even though Peter is actually Peter the Great's grandson, I can imagine that he was still haunted by his grandfather's massive shadow. But the show displays how incredibly stubborn he is in moving Russia forward. Catherine comes in with progressive ideas, and he disapproves all of them simply because it is his god given right. From the very beginning, Catherine knew she was destined to rule Russia, but she isn't waiting for Peter to die. She decides to do it herself.
But of course, she needs help. Mariel, her servant and fallen lady of the court, helps her gain the knowledge of everyone in court: who could be trusted and who needed to go. Through this, Catherine establishes alliances with General Velementov, a decorated, but broken, war hero, and Count Orlo, a bumbling idiot with just as much power as Peter himself. But even then, they come with their own challenges. Velementov is a blubbering drunk with and infatuation for the new empress, and he is troubled with a string failures in the Russo-Swedish War. He is a brilliant tactician who is constantly overruled by Peter, who sends more troops to die, basically. And Count Orlo, likely based on the real life Grigory Orlov, provides Catherine the political knowledge she needs to successfully take over the empire. Unlike his TV counterpart, Orlov was actually quite confident and actually a leader in the coupe. He and Catherine were lovers for a while, and is rumored to be the father of one of her children.
Speaking of lovers, Peter believes Catherine's main purpose to make heirs for the throne, boys particularly. However, he suspects that she is sexually frustrated since he's often getting some with every girl in his field of vision. So he hires a young man as a gift to Catherine. This creates a problem further down the line because Catherine falls for the man and wishes to ascend the throne with him by her side. The season ending coupe spelled certain death for him...maybe.
More on the subject of lovers, Peter has taken in a girl in particular, but she is married to a member of the court, and all he really could do is sit and watch. The situation is doing well for them as it provides security for them, he can accompany the emperor on their many adventures, and she satisfies the emperor. Over the course of the season, Peter begins to fall for Catherine, and that spells doom to them as well. They become one of the few enemies that Catherine have to face in her quest for the throne.
But the one person standing truly in her way is the Archbishop. He envisioned a beautiful woman to marry Peter and give him many children, and that was Catherine. Peter may be emperor but the Archbishop influences the emperor in supporting, often outrageous, laws that Catherine believes are keeping Russia in the Dark Ages. It's hard knowing at this point if he'll support her as empress or if he'll form an alliance with enemy nations to try and bring Catherine down.
I really hope this series gets renewed for a second season. This can't truly be the end.

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Released On Hulu: May 15, 2020
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Sacha Dhawan, Charity Wakefield, Gwylim Lee, Adam Godley, Douglas Hodge, Belinda Bromilow, Richard Pyros, Bayo Gbadamosi, Sebastian de Souza
Directors: Matt Shakman, Colin Bucksey, Bert & Bertie, Ben Chessell, Geeta Patel
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
IMDb Score: 7.8/10 (Average)

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Tony McNamara) - Nominated
• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Matt Shakman) - Nominated

(Click here to view more awards for "The Great" Season 1.)

"Awkwafina is Nora from Queens" Season 1

This show is stupid in the sense of The Office, but it is outrageously hilarious. It's kind of a throwback to when comedians had a TV show based on a fictional account of their lives (Home Improvement, Roseanne, Martin, Newhart). I know that's still happening today, but this one appears to have the heart of those heyday shows rather than just looking for cheap laughs (¡Rob!, Marlon).
Nora is young woman in her late twenties, and still living at home. Like her, her father is just coasting through life, and the only person keeping both of them alive is Grandma. Nora is annoyed by her perfect cousin, Edmund, who is getting all kinds of deals and earning money. She is struggling to land a decent job, and actually hold it. She's gone from a discount Uber driver to counting cards at a blackjack table, to defrauding focus groups, to selling haunted houses. But when perfect Edmund needs her help, she steps up and creates an app that could bring them both money. But as she gets her job, in China, she gets busted for possession of cocaine. Well, her assistant was caught with it, but Nora took the blame.
In between Nora and Edmund's antics, Wally, Nora's dad, slowly starts to enter society and begins dating. He happens to meet a free-spirited woman with the same situation as him, and understands the frustration he endures.
Grandma even gets some screen time, duking it out with old Korean ladies at the casino, being the most feared woman in Elmhurst, and having a K-drama inspired backstory of how she was once heir to a rich fortune in China.
It's hard to imagine a girl with no job can have such a captivating story that you want to keep tuning in. Maybe it's because she is so relateable to many people's situation: meager jobs that seem to come and go while still forced to live with their parents. Often you feel like you fail at everything you do. But it's the people around you, who care about you, that makes it all worthwhile, and a comfort that there's always a chance to try again.
It's uncertain that this will get a second season, and I won't be surprised if it doesn't return next year. But I will be returning to Queens as long as Nora is still living there.

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Aired on Comedy Central: January 22 - March 25, 2020
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Awkwafina, Lori Tan Chin, BD Wong, Bowen Yang, Jennifer Esposito
Directors: Lucia Aniello, Jamie Babbit, Natasha Lyonne, Steven Tsuchida, Anu Valia, Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (Average)

"Saturday Night Live: SNL From Home"

This is truly an Emmy-winning episode. When I learned that they're putting together an episode from home, I, I'm sure like everyone else, wondered how it would work. And they pulled it off. I can't wait to see another one.
Of course that had to have Tom Hanks host this episode as he was recently diagnosed with the Coronavirus and recovered. But what about John Krasinski and Dua Lipa? Their episode was scheduled for March 28 until governors across the country issued stay-home orders. Will they get to perform in an Home Edition episode? Also, are we going to count this as Tom's 10th time hosting?
What probably helped sell this episode is that the cast managed to establish personas that are able to function in their own homes. The "Zoom Call" sketch featured Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon as two people who struggle to break in new technology and break down when it doesn't work. Aidy and Kate built up a reputation of playing socially awkward characters, so it was fitting to see them portray characters that aren't taking social distancing very well. It also holds up a mirror to our current society as many struggle with having to stay home all the time.
Video game sketches have been a small staple in the SNL pantheon. The early seasons featured two guys playing Pong while discussing their lives. Recently, they've made a surge in video game testing sketches that feature avatars going haywire. The "Twitch Stream" sketch may have taken the cake where we witness a gamer play Call of Duty: Warzone and hilariously die almost immediately in live streaming. I find it hilarious because I can sort of relate that detailed games like Call of Duty are frustrating. The closest thing I played was LEGO Star Wars. I know it's not the same as Call of Duty, but I can relate to the frustration he has in playing the game.
The "Whatcha' Cookin' On" sketch is another episode of the Kyle and Beck show. Unless you haven't been watching because John Belushi isn't on anymore, you know about the series of pre-recorded sketches displaying Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett's friendship. This one is just so them in terms of being able to create a rap out of their FaceTime conversation on trying to decide on a sketch idea.
The Weekend Update segment is just something I think we needed after all this time, and Colin Jost and Michael Che kill it every time. Can we please have a show with these two? A Deesus & Mero sort of thing. The pictures they use for their stories blended into the background so it looks like Dr. Fauci and President Trump were in Colin's living room.
Bailey Gismert, played by Heidi Gardner, made a few appearances on Weekend Update, but this is the first time we see her YouTube channel, Bailey at the Movies. Both here and on Update, she gives her reviews on popular movies, but she often gets distracted and seems to forget the rest of the movie and just complains about it. Kind of reminds me of someone....
Kate McKinnon and Larry David helped bring their celebrity impressions to the home as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Senator Bernie Sanders respectively. This helps bring their "fans" to the same level as them in funny ways to show that they are in the same boat as us; no one is spared from this virus.
Speaking of which, music coordinator Hal Wilner had passed away from the COVID virus, so the show ended with many cast members past and present discussing fun memories with Hal and saying how much they'll miss him. The segment was also spliced with Hal's own words about his love for the show and how proud he was to be part of it.
Aside from the Hal Wilner tribute, I enjoyed the musical performance by Chris Martin, who played "Shelter from the Storm", by Bob Dylan. I thought it was a great pick since we are all riding this storm together, and we are trying to shelter each other by staying inside and flattening the curve.
This special episode was an absolute hit, and I can't wait to see more. I also can't wait for them to be back in Studio 8H when all of this is over.

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Aired on NBC: April 11, 2020
Rating: TV-14
Stars: Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Melissa Villaseñor, Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim, Bowen Yang, Chris Martin, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Larry David, Fred Armisen
Director: Don Roy King
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
IMDb Score: 7.1/10

"Four Weddings and a Funeral" (2019)

I never thought I would be back here, because the 1994 film, this series is based on, was my first post. I didn't think of it at the time, but I realize that's it's weird to squish five major events into a two-hour movie. Now I realize that they're gonna have to make some sh*t up in order to stretch a two-hour movie into a ten-part miniseries.
So, they Americanized it, but still have it set in a fantasy version of London where the Brits aren't giving them sh*t for being Yanks, well except for the constable that warned Maya twice about littering the Thames. In order to make this series last longer, they front loaded the botched wedding to give drama to Maya and Kash. Both times, I don't think this counts as a wedding because it didn't happen. To quote Wesley, from The Princess Bride, "You didn't say it, you didn't do it."
Also, it was kind of tacky to reference the other well-known Richard Curtis film this side of the pond, Love, Actually. I'm actually surprised that Hugh Grant didn't show his ugly face in this one, since he was in both films. The Love, Actually Easter eggs include, but aren't limited to: the cue card messages, opening with "Love is All Around Us", a cheating American politician, a British politician voting against his party, a black singer appearing at a wedding to sing at the ceremony, a mysterious jewelry gift meant for someone else, a dumb, blond guy looking to get laid with an American girl, and a guy's best friend having feeling for his date.
Honestly, the person that stole the whole show was the Queen, watching the reality dating show, Love, Chalet (oh, forgot that Easter egg), saying, "Zara found love, how nice." That is really the best part of the series.
I had forgotten a few details since I saw the movie, but I was sure that the four weddings would be among the four friends. I remember now that they attended all the same weddings. I remember that when Kash's friend, Basheer, marries Fatima, whom Kash was dating in an arranged marriage.
The part that bothered me the most was when Maya was applying for a job, she gets hired by a young Parliamentarian who touches her inappropriately. When she confronts him about it, he said to remember that she came up to him, at a gym, in a sports bra. First of all, dude, just f*cking apologize. Second, she dressed the part for the situation. He was at the gym; the sports bra is the proper attire for the gym. It would have been weird if she showed up in a blazer asking for a job. It'd be like applying to be a police officer wearing an apron and a toque.
I know this is just a miniseries, but if there is one character that should get its own movie or show, it's Basheer. I've noticed this in movies, and this will get playfully racist, Indians and Pakistani people are the absolute wingmen. You never fly solo. Never. Basheer was very upset, much like Maya was for stealing Kash from Ainsley, that he wanted Kash to hit him with his car. When Kash needed a chaperone (that's a very Victorian way, that's not weird), he texted Bash, and Bash dropped whatever he was doing. Bash drove Kash to the airport to "stop" Maya's wedding and was willing to stay at the airport in case it didn't work out. We all need a Basheer in our lives.
The funeral was actually very nice, but of all the ABBA songs Gemma would've picked, she picked a breakup song. What about "Honey Honey", "Fernando", "Waterloo"? I feel Gemma and her son Giles play off of the plot of The Sound of Music (probably why Kash starred in it) with them struggling from Quentin's death and finding love again in Duffy. And Arsenal sucks.
This was a fun series and I recommend it, if you're not too busy bingeing Friends or The Office for umpteenth time this isolation time.

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Released on Hulu: July 31 - September 11, 2019
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Nathalie Emmanuel, Nikesh Patel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, John Reynolds, Brandon Mychal Smith, Zoe Boyle, Sophia La Porta, Harish Patel, Guz Khan
Directors: Charles McDougall, Tristram Shapeero, Catherine Morshead
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%
IMDb Score: 8.0/10 (Average)

"Ally McBeal" Season 1

It is such a shame that this show isn't talked about more nowadays. Instead of watching Friends, maybe give this show a chance.
This show is wildly funny, entertaining, and very boundary pushing as the main characters face all kinds of prejudice in and out of the workplace. First off, it was obvious that sexism was going to play a strong role since the titular Ally was sexually harassed, and she quits and joins a law firm featuring her ex-boyfriend from childhood, and later his wife. As the season progresses, we dive into racism, physical appearances, marriage preferences, and discrimination.
Some of the cases the law firm takes on are often outlandish and silly, but it opens up, as it should, conversations that weren't discussed out loud before. Georgia, Billy's wife, was fired because her boss's wife didn't like that she was pretty. That isn't fair to the boss, and that isn't fair to Georgia. It makes you realize how we as human beings are quick to judge people based on the premise of their cases rather than listen to their motives.
The start of the series depended on cutaway gags that help define certain moments, one of which involves a dancing CGI baby that rocked the Internet in the late nineties. As the season goes on, they become less dependent on them, and it makes me struggle with the fact of whether it's a good thing. The gags help you become engaged in the show, and you'd keep watching. By the season finale, you'd be committed enough to keep watching so it becomes less reliant on gags. With that being said, the gags are a staple part of the show, and seeing them less makes me wonder if it would do away with them eventually, which would suck because they are an essential part of the story.
Whether we lose the sight gags or not, we do have the amusing and uplifting habits displayed by the cast, from Fish's "Fishisms" to Cage's bells to Elaine's eccentric inventions. Richard Fish, one of the senior partners of the firm, has a habit of spouting gibberish that he passes off as a thread of philosophy. He comes at a very weird angle on discrimination in the sense that he practically tears down the victims while uplifting them at the same time, like women using flirting to move up in the workplace because men are pigs and can't think of anything other than sex. Then the men act on the flirtations, and then the women are objectified. It is a very tough conundrum both men and women have to face in order to achieve gender equality, which still rings true today.
John Cage, the other senior partner, is an oddball of a lawyer with a gift of controlling the space to his advantage. He has an automatic flusher so that he'd have fresh toilet. He hears ringing bells to get him pumped for trial. He calls witnesses to the stand but doesn't question them. And yet, he manages to sway the jury and win his cases.
Elaine is Ally's secretary and the firm gossip. She is always up in Ally's business believing to be helpful in every situation. In the meantime, she creates wild gadgets she believes would help extend physical beauty in some form, from the face bra to the ice pack glasses.
Whenever, they're not winning cases, they're enjoying a drink at the bar downstairs, dancing with a pair of twins, and listening to music by the real life Vonda Shepard, who also sings songs for the show.
Ally, is a young lawyer trying to figure out her life as well as trying to recover from the breakup of a childhood relationship. It doesn't help that she works in the same firm as the ex-boyfriend, and what's worse, his wife soon joins the firm. She is tortured by his presence, meanwhile she pushes every boy away that comes near her, feeling no one can replace Billy, the ex. But as the season progresses, Ally and the wife become close friends and even allies in some cases, and Ally and Billy manage to reestablish their relationship as friends.
I find this to be a very entertaining show, and I can't wait to see what's in store in season two.

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Aired on Fox: September 8, 1997 - May 18, 1998
Rating: TV-14
Stars: Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, Peter MacNicols, Jane Krakowski, Lisa Nicole Carson, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Gil Bellows
Directors: James Frawley, Jonathan Pontell, Dennie Gordon, Arlene Sanford, Sandy Smolan, Victoria Hochberg, Michael Schultz, Mel Damski, Dan Attias, Thomas Schlamme, Joe Napolitano, Allan Arkush, Elodie Keene, Jeremy Kagan, Dennis Dugan
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (Average)

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Comedy Series - Nominated
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Calista Flockhart) - Nominated
• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Allan Arkush) - Nominated
• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (David E. Kelley) - Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

• Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy) - Winner
• Best Actress in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) (Calista Flockhart) - Winner

(Click here to view more awards for "Ally McBeal".)

"Dickinson" Season 1

When Apple announced they were establishing a streaming service, I'm sure we all laughed. That's ridiculous! Why would a computer company be interested in competing with Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu? Why would a computer company be interested in competing with J.P. Morgan? But that's another story. The point is Apple TV+ is here, and it's very serious. Their mission is to stream original content only, things only Apple Studios would produce. However, when I signed up I found Star Wars. So, it's not all original. But that's another story.
You know that boring reclusive poet we are supposed to read in English class? Well, what if she was a rebellious teen, speaking in 21st Century lingo, and dating Wiz Khlifa? While still set in the late 1840s, we witness Emily Dickinson argue with her old-fashioned parents about marriage and her place in the home, dream of the independence and the poems she'll never see published, and suffer as her secret girlfriend marries her brother.
The show is written for you to understand and feel Emily's predicaments, especially when she meets other accomplished authors of her era. We see Henry David Thoreau as a weirder shut-in than she is, and Louisa May Alcott is in it for the money. While it adds to the sympathy we have for Emily not being able to share her words, it stands to understand how she is more remembered than her counterparts. Let's face it: no one reads Thoreau or Alcott willingly, except for Greta Gerwig who wrote and directed Little Women last year. I'm sure no one reads Dickinson willingly either, but she is among the first to come to mind when you have to list American authors and poets.
Hiding behind Emily's ever-widening shadow is her sister, Lavinia, who is desperate to find a boy and get married. There is an episode in which she gives a bad boy, she was seeing, a nude sketch of herself that she drew, and he went and showed it to everyone. You'd think she'd hide in her room until she died, because that's what you would do if your nudes get leaked. But I think she took a page out of Emily's confidence book, and released the rest of her sketches showing she has nothing to hide. And there was nothing risque about the sketches, as far as TV-14 will allow, it was something she's proud of.
The part that annoys me the most, and I think it's the whole point of the series, is that Emily never truly runs away. Today, she would have struck out on her own, be an accomplished poet, and win all kinds of awards. But she's stuck living in her parents' home. Everyone around her puts her down saying she isn't an author, women shouldn't read, shouldn't write, shouldn't have a legacy. Well, that can't be true. Though possibly made up for the show, we see Emily's got quite the following in her lifetime from lovesick boy, George, to closeted gay man, Ben. And let's not forget about Sue. Her best friend growing up, and actually more than friends, we see the two struggle with their relationship as know they will never be legally together. What hurts more is that Sue marries Emily's brother, Austin, who is extremely jealous of their friendship. So jealous that Austin bans Emily from their wedding.
Emily Dickinson may have died alone, but her story, real or make believe, is an invigorating one, and I can't wait to see what season two has in store.

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Released on Apple TV+: November 1, 2019
Rating: TV-14
Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Toby Huss, Anna Baryshnikov, Ellen Hunt, Adrian Enscoe, Jane Krakowski
Directors: David Gordon Green, Lynn Shelton, Silas Howard, Stacie Passon, Patrick Norris
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.5/10 (Average)

"The Handmaid's Tale" Seasons 1-3

It's amazing that this story was able to be adapted into one of the most talked about shows of the decade. I read the book, and I found it 85% world building and 15% actual plot. As I read it, I found it extremely teachable, something we'd be taught in school. My school was big on dystopian societies and rebuilding governments, Watership Down, Alas, Babylon, Lord of the Flies, A Tale of Two Cities, Les Misérables, The Scarlet Letter, 1984, and I thought why wasn't The Handmaid's Tale one of them? Especially in a time when it's scarily relevant? And it's now an award-winning series.
The first season follows the book, my guess they never intended to go beyond one season. It sets up this world where America has fallen and Christian radicals have taken over.
Offred serves as a Handmaid to a high ranking Commander. As she endures her living situation, she recalls past memories of the time before to keep her sane. She remembers her husband and their child, and she wonders where they'd be. She also recalls her suffragette mother, whom she's sure she's dead. Meanwhile, she engages in a dangerous relationship with Commander as well as the driver, who is also a secret Eye. With the Commander she is drawn to the time before when women had more freedom. She engages in luxuries that many, including her, took for granted: playing Scrabble, reading Cosmo, applying face cream. With Nick, the driver, she feels the companionship she once had with Luke. Every night she's with him, she wishes it would last forever, and when they weren't together, she longs for him at night.
Seasons two and three are more action based with many plot twists that often lead nowhere because the Handmaids' plans, to overthrow their leaders, get foiled by some nosy neighbor, or Serena Joy reminds Offred that she's in charge, or that Offred changes the plans last minute. It makes it frustrating that she is all about trying to sticking it out as a Handmaid, then she's given an opportunity to break out, but she can't leave without her daughter, but her daughter disappears, so she decides to break out the other children, but she stays behind for some God forsaken reason. It makes you rethink about staying committed to the show that can't stay committed to the plot.
I guess what keeps us committed is often Offred's flashbacks are filled with people who question her relationship with Luke as well as her mothering her daughter, like when she doses her up with Benedryl so June could send her to school sick. Aside from that, the characters established as evil robots in the show are given origin stories showing them once human, like Aunt Lydia. I think that may have to do with the publishing of The Testaments, which she plays a major role in.
Season four is coming soon, and producers believe they can go forever. Maybe not with Offred/June in the lead, but the world of Gilead is constantly building, so there are plenty of stories to be told. I don't know, you can do so much world-building before it starts becoming tiring. Ahem, Marvel. But, I anticipate Season four's arrival.

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Season 1

Released on Hulu: April 26 - June 14, 2017
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O. T. Fagbenie, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley
Directors: Reed Morano, Mike Barker, Floria Sigismondi, Kate Dennis, Kari Skogland
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.5/10 (Average)

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Drama Series - Winner
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Elisabeth Moss) - Winner
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Ann Dowd) - Winner
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Samira Wiley) - Nominated
• Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Reed Morano) - Winner
• Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Kate Dennis) - Nominated
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Bruce Miller) - Winner

Creative Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Alexis Bledel) - Winner
• Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series (Russell Scott, Sharon Bialy & Sherry Thomas) - Nominated
• Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) (Colin Watkinson) - Winner
• Outstanding Period/Fantasy Costumes for a Series, Limited Series, or Movie (Ane Crabtree & Sheena Wichary) - Nominated
• Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) (Julie Berghoff, Evan Webber & Sophie Neudorfer) - Winner
• Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role (Brendan Taylor, Stephen Lebed, Leo Bovell, Martin O'Brien, Winston Lee, Kelly Knauff, Zach Dembinski, Mike Suta & Cameron Kerr) - Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

• Best Television Series (Drama) - Winner
• Best Actress (Television Series Drama) (Elisabeth Moss) - Winner
• Best Supporting Actress (Series, Miniseries, or Television Film) (Ann Dowd) - Nominated

Season 2

Released on Hulu: April 25 - July 11, 2018
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O. T. Fagbenie, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, Amanda Brugel
Directors: Mike Barker, Kari Skogland, Jeremy Podeswa, Daina Reid
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.5/10 (Average)

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Elisabeth Moss) - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in Drama Series (Joseph Fiennes) - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Alexis Bledel) - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Ann Dowd) - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Yvonne Strahovski) - Nominated
• Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Kari Skogland) - Nominated
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Bruce Miller) - Nominated
• Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Daina Reid) - Nominated
• Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Bruce Miller & Kira Snyder) - Nominated

Creative Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Kelly Jenrette) - Nominated
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Samira Wiley) - Winner
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Cherry Jones) - Nominated
• Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series (Sharon Bialy, Sherry Thomas, Russell Scott & Robin D. Cook) - Nominated
• Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) (Colin Watkinson) - Nominated
• Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes (Ane Crabtree & Natalie Bronfman) - Nominated
• Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) (Burton LeBlanc, Talia Reingold & Erika Caceres) - Nominated
• Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) (Mark White, Elisabeth Williams, Martha Sparrow and Caroline Gee) - Winner
• Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) (Elisabeth Williams, Martha Sparrow & Rob Hepburn) - Nominated
• Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (Wendy Hallam Martin) - Winner
• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour) (Joe Morrow, Lou Solakofski & Sylvain Arseneault) - Nominated
• Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role (Stephen Lebed, Brendan Taylor, Kelly Knauff, Kelly Weisz, Kevin McGeagh, Anderson Leo Bovell, Winston Lee, Xi Luo and Cameron Kerr) - Nominated
• Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Bradley Whitford) - Winner
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Cherry Jones) - Winner
• Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) (Colin Watkinson) - Nominated
• Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) (Zoë White) - Nominated
• Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes (Ane Crabtree & Natalie Bronfman) - Nominated
• Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) (Adam Taylor) - Nominated
• Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (Wendy Hallam Martin) - Nominated
• Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) (Elisabeth Williams, Martha Sparrow & Robert Hepburn) - Winner
• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) (Joe Morrow, Lou Solakofski & Sylvain Arseneault) - Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

• Best Actress (Television Series Drama) (Elisabeth Moss) - Nominated
• Best Supporting Actress (Series, Miniseries or Television Film) (Yvonne Strahovski) - Nominated

Season 3

Released on Hulu: June 5 - August 14, 2019
Rating: TV-MA
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O. T. Fagbenie, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, Amanda Brugel, Bradley Whitford
Directors: Mike Barker, Amma Asante, Colin Watkinson, Dearbhla Walsh, Daina Reid, Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 8.1/10 (Average)

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Drama Series - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Bradley Whitford) - Nominated
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Samira Wiley) - Nominated
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Alexis Bledel) - Nominated

Creative Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series (Sharon Bialy, Sherry Thomas, Russell Scott and Robin D. Cook) - Nominated
• Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes (Natalie Bronfman, Helena Davis Perry and Christina Cattle) - Nominated
• Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling (Paul Elliot and Ewa Latak-Cynk) - Nominated
• Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) (Burton LeBlanc and Alastair Muir) - Nominated
• Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) (Elisabeth Williams, Martha Sparrow and Robert Hepburn) - Winner
• Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role (Stephen Lebed, Brendan Taylor, Leo Bovell, Rob Greb, Gwen Zhang, Marlis Coto, Stephen Wagner, Josh Clark and James Minett) - Nominated

(Click here to view more awards for "The Handmaid's Tale".)

"Crazy Rich Asians"

Are you ready for a stir fry of movie tropes set in a topical location and served with half a compelling plot? Because Crazy Rich Asians is the movie for you. Based on the best-selling novel, and Meet the Parents and The Proposal, Rachael stars as an economics professor who goes with her dashing boyfriend to his cousin’s wedding in Singapore. But before they even left the airport, they are escorted to first class, where she learns that her dashing boyfriend is heir to a titular wealthy family. Then she reunites with her friend from college, Awkwafina, and they head to the mansion. She gets invited to a bachelorette weekend where she gets ambushed with a gutted fish in her hotel room. Instead of running away knowing that the family doesn’t approve of her, she fights back by chatting up the royal princess about an economic article the princess wrote. Then comes the MOST! B*TCHING! WEDDING! EVER! I mean, HOLY SH*T! I stand, and I APPLAUD! They decorate the church with plants and grass, which was okay. A woman starts singing “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” the flower children walk down the aisle, then the woman stops singing, and the aisle floods with water, and here comes the bride. Mind blown. Movie weddings are ruined forever. There is no way you an out do this. Well, I would have added a cello bit when the music resumed. Still great though.

Then Mother decides to play dirty and hire a private investigator to uncover Rachael’s dirty past that even she didn’t know about; her mother was married to another and had an affair, and Rachael was the fruit of that passion. Rachael runs away. Her mother comes to town to take her home. Rachael defeats the dashing boyfriend’s mother at mahjong and telling her that she’s leaving to give her dashing boyfriend the happiness he deserved, but the dashing boyfriend chases her down at the airport, proposes to her, and takes her back to his house where everyone is suddenly all besties with Rachael, including Dashing Boyfriend’s mother.

The only thing keeping this film from being hailed as super brilliant is the fact that they cast two of the most American Asians Hollywood has to offer, Awkwafina and Ken Jeong. With them in the movie, you’re getting a low rate comedy with cat fights, you know, like some Mean Girls sh*t, and we almost the got that. The trailer seemed like there was going to be. The girls did some bawk-bawking but hardly any walk-walking. Instead of a cat fight, we get a casual win at mahjong and Rachael walking away like a smart comedy. You can probably do both good and bad comedy, but this movie couldn’t do it. It needs to pick a lane and stay in it.

One thing that happens in the beginning, and never shows up again, is the communication thing inspired by an episode of Gossip Girl; I thought it was going to be a reoccurring thing throughout the movie, but it doesn’t, with the exception of the “Hook, line, and sink her” text. Instead it gets this perfect movie thrown out of proportion and it goes downhill from there. See the paragraph above.

“There are children in America that are starving” is the cheapest shot put to film since Parzival virtually kicking Sorrento in the groin. And it was only funny because Dr. Ken said it.

For hopes in the coming sequel, I expect the film to work out whether it’s going to be a high rate or low rate comedy, give us the plot where Rachael is pregnant before the wedding, since we’ve already met the Focker in this movie. Oh…I think I just wrote the next film. Credit me. XOXO!

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Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92% Certified Fresh

IMDb Score: 7.2/10

Awards
Golden Globes

• Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Nominated
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Constance Wu - Nominated

(Click here to view more awards for "Crazy Rich Asians".)