Crime Time... "Spenser Confidential"

Spenser Confidential (2020)

Rated R

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin

Directed by Peter Berg


The Story:

Spenser (Wahlberg) is a former cop who has spent the last 5 years in prison for beating his commanding officer. On the day Spenser is released from prison, his old boss winds up dead. Spenser's alibi checks out, but now he's got to figure out who killed his boss and why, putting him in the cross hairs of the bad guys and the Boston Police Department, which may be one and the same!

Your mileage could definitely vary with this one.

Truth be told:

I've never read the Spenser books by Robert B. Parker.

Aside from casual memory of my dad watching Spenser For Hire back in the day, I barely watched any of those shows either.

So I cannot rend my garments and gnash my teeth for how Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg have destroyed the character and tromped on my childhood.

Instead I can say that I had a pretty good time watching the film, and hope enough of us have tuned in since the Netflix Original premiered last Friday to green light further sequels.

:)

Looking around online, it seemed that many critics hated it, while audiences have pretty much given it a thumbs up.

One review said it harkened back to the dumb action flicks of the 80s.

Buddy, that's my bread and butter, and I consider that an endorsement, not a detractor! :)

Winston Duke fills out the role of Hawk really well, using his considerable size as both a weapon and that there is more to Hawk than just brawn.

Alan Arkin does his usual splendid routine as the put-upon father figure who just wants his boys to get along.

As with all Peter Berg action flicks I've enjoyed over the years, it's a fairly fast moving affair that keeps you buckled in and enjoying the ride from start to finish. This is his 4th collaboration with Mark Wahlberg, and perhaps they have finally found a franchise that can keep them partnering up for the foreseeable future, until Mark doesn't want to play action hero any longer.


Good job all involved!

Let's Go "Pocoyo"!!

Pocoyo (2005)

TV-Y

Created by David Cantolla, Luis Gallego, Guillermo Garcia

The Story:

Pocoyo is a curious little 4 year old boy who enjoys hanging out with his best friends Pato and Elly. The narrator (Stephen Fry) guides us through each episode as we wonder what exactly will Pocoyo be up to this time.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I've never been one to be first to the party, but I'm one that happily tells you how great the party is once I arrive.

Which leads us to Pocoyo.

Clearly, having started in 2005, I'm a little late to the adventures, but flipping through Netflix earlier this month, there Pocoyo was staring back at me while I was looking for something to watch with Remy.

And isn't he cute?

That's what I thought, so I figured what the heck, how back could it be?

I was greeted with adorable 3D animation with minimal (normally flat out plain white) backgrounds but some of the cutest characters ever to grace an animated series. These are roughly 7 minute episodes that are packaged together to make one full show that runs less than 30 minutes.

So, do you have children? Grandchildren? Just like fun animation? Then this is the show for you!

Okay, it's for your kids, but you're totally going to enjoy having it on in the background.

The music is good. The animation is adorable. The narration is soft and charming. The characters themselves absolutely charming.

Dialogue, aside from the narrator is minimal.

That said, the narrator will ask once or twice if the viewers can help Pocoyo (or whomever) if we can help solve the problem, and you will hear a few children voices chime in with assistance to get the story back on track.

Then 7 minutes later, the next segment begins with the theme song and the character introductions.

The writing is rather clever, and the characters all have very distinct personalities.

Given a choice of hundreds of animated shows that you can be forced to endure alongside your children, I would easily place this one in the Top 10 shows you could watch and enjoy on repeat viewings.

You might even find yourself watching along after the kid leaves the room...

Just saying...

:)

Viewer Discretion Advised:

The episode "Elly's Doll" darn near killed me.

I started laughing so hard, I could not catch my breath.

I thought, "this is it, I'm going to die...at least I'm going to die laughing..."

Thankfully I did manage to recover, though my wife's continued laughter kept triggering me to laugh again.

I was beginning to think she was after the insurance money!! :)

Needless to say, I did come back the next day to watch the episode from start to finish.

I did indeed still laugh, just not as hard, or as life-threatening as the previous evening.

Thank goodness!

Pocoyo is currently streaming on both Netflix AND Amazon Prime.

There are 4 seasons available on both. The 4th season introduces a new character and changes narrators. Still enjoyable, but not quite the same as the first 3 seasons.


"Bye bye, See you soon!" ~ The Narrator

Armageddon It... "The Umbrella Academy"

The Umbrella Academy (2019)

TV-14

Starring Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castaneda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Cameron Britton,

Created by Jeremy Slater

The Story:

In 1989, 43 children were born on the exact same day, none of whom came from mothers that were pregnant when the day started. Reclusive billionaire Reginald Hargreeves scoured the globe attempting to adopt as many as he could. He wound up with 7 of them. As they grew, he trained them to become a team of superheroes as they all exhibited superpowers, except one. Now, decades later, they are reunited for the first time in ages at the passing of their father...

So what to say and where to begin?

It's based on a comic book, and as I've mentioned, it's got superheroes in it.

The first episode is a little slow with introducing everyone and setting the stage, but it's a trip well worth taking.

Without spoiling too much, one of the siblings, Five (Gallagher) returns from the future where he has witnessed the end of the world. It's up to him and his family to try and avert that catastrophe from coming.

However, temporal assassins have been dispatched back in time as well to ensure Five fails.

Yeah, that's spoiler-free enough.

The storyline is spread among the cast as they get their own character arcs and intersect with one another as deemed appropriate from the plot.

There is also heavy flashbacks/flash forwards as the narrative requires. 

With such an ensemble cast, some characters will grow on you and become favorites: Five, Klaus (Sheehan) and Hazel (Britton) and some you may just want to throttle...Luther (Hopper) I'm looking at you.

As everyone in our house has finished the series, we all came to one conclusion:

Vanya (Page) is the character that nobody liked from the very beginning.

That we watched it all in different viewing groups and didn't discuss anything until it was over makes this outcome even more amusing.

If you've watched/read enough superheroes in your life (or ever read any book or watched a tv show or movie...) you will likely know each and every twist and turn that is going to happen over the course of the show's 10 episodes.

That's okay, at least you don't have any last minute twists that make no sense coming at you just as a "gotcha" moment.

While fans are still mourning the loss of the Marvel properties on Netflix, it's good to see that they are shoring up the superhero front with other properties that probably cost a lot less to produce.

I'm intrigued by the possibilities that Season Two will hopefully hold for this show, and we'll all be back to watch when they're ready.

You Can Check It Out Anytime You Like..."Instant Hotel"

Instant Hotel (2018)

Hosted by Luke Jacobz

The Story:

5 pairs of Australian instant hotel owners all take a one night vacation at each other's home/hotel. They then judge each hotel they stay out to figure out what is the best Instant Hotel Down Under!

In addition to judging each other, renowned designer Juliet Ashworth pops by to see what's right, and what's wrong with the hotel.

Sounds like riveting reality tv, no?

Yes!

There are 12 episodes now airing on Netflix.

The first 5 belong to one group of hotel owners.

The second 5 are a whole new group!

The twist comes from the last 2 episodes when the winners of each group have a "Hotel-Off!" with participants from each of the 2 different casts coming back to judge.

Crikey!

All in all, you'll find some typical reality tv scheming, contestants you root for and contestants you can't stand, and some you love that you can't stand them. :)

I disagree in theory as to how the final judging takes place.  I don't think the actual finalists make for fair judges... but they are also there to help create last minute drama to help themselves win.

Fair enough I suppose.

Still, quite enjoyed my trip Down Under. Gorgeous scenery.

And, I'm of the opinion that the right duo won.

At least, of the 2 choices I had. :)

Watched an episode a night, then binged both of the finale episodes.

See?

Not your typical Netflix viewer. :)

I'll be back when they offer up a new season.

Road Trippin' ... "The Last Laugh"

The Last Laugh (2019) 

TV-MA

Starring Chevy Chase, Richard Dreyfuss, Andie MacDowell

Written and Directed by Greg Pritikin

The Story:

Moving to a retirement community, talent manager Al Hart (Chase) laments having to give up his career. As fate would have it, his very first client, comedian Buddy Green (Dreyfuss) is at the community, and the two rekindle their friendship. 50 years earlier, Buddy turned down his shot on the Ed Sullivan Show. Al's got a great idea: put Buddy back in the game as they take a road trip across America to get on The Tonight Show!

It's a buddy comedy/road trip for the geriatric set!

Dreyfuss and Chase are both in fine form in the film.

Chevy, in particular, looks to be in the best shape he's been in recent years. He actually gets to play the straight man, as such, in the duo. So much of the mugging for the camera he's been asked to do over his career is not there in this film.

Dreyfuss instead gets to play the funny man, but as his comic notes, he doesn't have an act so much as he has a lifetime of jokes.

With Netflix releasing movies seemingly every day, there's going to be a lot that slip under the radar as they can only promote so many films on their home page when you log on.

This is a good thing.

Direct competition to the networks, broadcast and cable, and to Hollywood with their big budget attempts, it's going to make everyone up their game.

That makes the audience the true winners here.

The Wedding Bells Ring..."A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding"

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018)

TV-PG

Starring Rose McIver, Ben Lamb, Alice Krige, Honor Kneafsey, Sarah Douglas, Theo Devaney, John Guerrasio,

Directed by John Schultz

The Story:

It's been a year since the events of A Christmas Prince. Amber (McIver) has been blogging away but now it's time to jet back to Aldovia for her Christmas Day wedding to King Richard (Lamb). However, the protocol of the proceedings and the palace's insistence on how the wedding, and Queen-to-be-Amber's life are to be run may end up killing the marriage long before the big day. However if that doesn't sound dramatic enough, there is also a financial crisis plaguing the kingdom and casting doubt on the King's effectiveness already!

I was pleasantly surprised to see a sequel to last year's Christmas hit, but apparently enough Netflix viewers watched to warrant a sequel.

Like most sequels, they don't quite live up to the bar established by the predecessor, and that too is the case here.

The falling in love angle is already done, the charming cast established, so now what?

Putting Amber's lifestyle in direct conflict with her expected behavior as a royal works, and then they give the financial crisis to affect the King and distract him from his bride to be and also provide an always timely look at the struggles of the people in the labor force.

The entire cast comes back except for Amber's dad (Guerrasio) who was recast and has a much larger role this time around. Even the treacherous Simon (Devaney) returns, but is it to be redeemed or to scheme while Aldovia is in turmoil?

All these questions and more will be answered, and now I sit back and wonder if A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby will be next year's sequel?


Final Grade: B-

Someday "A Christmas Prince" Will Come

A Christmas Prince (2017)

TV-PG

Starring Rose McIver, Ben Lamb, Alice Krige, Honor Kneafsey, Sarah Douglas, Theo Devaney, Daniel Fathers

Directed by Alex Zamm

The Story:

Amber (McIver) is a reporter that is stuck basically reworking every other reporter's stories so they work better. She lands the assignment to go to Aldovia to cover Crown Prince Richard's (Lamb) coronation or abdication of the throne. Using a case of mistaken identity, Amber infiltrates the castle staff to try and uncover the real story and get to the truth. However, her work may just undo everything in the process!

I'm not sure if this was Netflix's first original Christmas movie or not, but it was probably their most buzz-worthy title of last year.

I partially watched it last year, but was tapping around on my computer and not paying attention.

So this year, I did my due diligence and watched it from start to finish, no electronic devices anywhere around to distract me.

The results?

As I've said on other reviews this year and in reviews of Christmas Past, there is a very specific formula for these Hallmark/Lifetime/FreeForm Christmas movies. You get the right cast, a decent script and you'll nail it and create an instantly rewatchable comfort film that earns a replay every December going forward.

Netflix pretty much nailed it.

I didn't find it the "so bad it's good" category that earned a lot of the buzz last year. I enjoyed it for not taking itself too seriously and giving us the obvious checklist of what to expect.

A good cast, carried mostly by McIver (I almost didn't recognize her at first due to actually having color on her skin instead of her usual iZombie pale look!) that connects and shares a nice chemistry throughout.

All of the characters have a personality instead of just a cookie cutter background extra, and that is always appreciated.

You'll know how the movie ends long before it ever gets there, but again, that's comforting and enjoyable, especially this time of year.

I'm happy, and I'll be back to visit Aldovia again next holiday season.


Final Grade: B

A Holiday Lump of Coal... "Holiday Breakup"

Holiday Breakup (2016)

TV-14

Starring Manon Mathews, Shawn Roe, Katie Leclerc, Matt Riedy, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Diane Robin

Written and Directed by Temple Mathews

The Story:

Chloe (Mathews) and Jeff (Roe) are a couple that have just moved in together. Except, after a lecture by his dad, Jeff begins to realize how childish Chloe is always acting, and the two break up. However, with the holidays looming, they decide to just pretend to still be together to avoid all of the awkward pity parties that they might be forced to hear. Will the pretend love rekindle their lost love, or is their relationship forever doomed?

In case you think I love all Christmas movies equally, here's proof that I don't, and I apparently have some sort of filter on what I consider a good Christmas movie, and the ones I just don't like.

I've often said that most films that are made now have competent direction, decent acting and the only thing that truly can let a film down for me is a bad story.

This hits the trifecta.

First, the story is written and directed by the same guy. So the terrible dialogue and 1 dimensional characters are all his fault.

Then the acting is abysmal. Chloe's "childishness" is so overblown, it's a wonder that anyone likes her at all. Then Jeff is so preoccupied with having breakup sex, the two are just oil and water and not only do I want them to either get back together or stay apart, I need them to do it now.

My other usual complaint when I don't like a movie is that it had too long of a running time. Trim 15, 30, 45 minutes and the movie would be better.

Well conversely, this movie that clocks in under 90 minutes, the standard "perfect time" for a movie....

However it feels like you're enduring a 3 hour marathon.

If you'd like to see for yourself, the movie is currently streaming on Netflix.

Thankfully it was not a Netflix original, and maybe it will go away by next year.

:)

Final Grade: D-

Kurt Russell IS Santa Claus... "The Christmas Chronicles"

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

TV-PG

Starring Kurt Russell, Judah Lewis, Darby Camp, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Oliver Hudson, Martin Roach, Lamorne Morris,

Directed by Clay Kaytis

The Story:

Kate and Teddy Pierce (Camp & Lewis) stay up late on Christmas Eve to catch Santa (Russell) in the act. However, when they stowaway on his sled, they inadvertently set off a chain of events that could have serious repercussions to Christmas.

Netflix's third (and final?) Christmas release for 2018 premiered on Thanksgiving Day and seems to have attained the status of instant classic from all the buzz that seems to surround it.

While the previous films played like a Hallmark/Lifetime cable movie, The Christmas Chronicles seemed to have the big budget feel of a film that could have been in theaters.

Looking back at similar stories on Santa needing help to save Christmas, we've had several hit theaters over the decades, so maybe that's it.

The greatest strength of this film is Kurt Russell.

There's no role he can't pull off, but until now, I don't think anyone ever thought, hey, wouldn't Kurt Russell make a great Santa Claus?

Someone did.

And it was nothing short of genius.

This isn't your typical ho ho ho nice Santa.

This Santa has that little extra Kurt Russell swagger that makes the film a real joy to watch, as Russell seems to be loving what he's doing onscreen.

You'll find yourself laughing one minute and crying the next.

:)

Plus Kurt gets a chance to channel one of his other greatest roles in the middle of this film as well.

Totally worth your time, and I'll probably give this one another spin later in the season, and it has definitely earned an annual replay.

Final Grade:

A-

Countdown to Christmas 2018: The Princess Switch

The Princess Switch (2018)

TV-PG

Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar, Alexa Adeosun

Directed by Mike Rohl

The Story:

Stacy (Hudgens) is entered and accepted into an annual Christmas baking competition in the European country of Belgravia. When she arrives, she bumps into Lady Margaret (Hudgens) and the two realize they must be related because the resemblance is striking. Lady Margaret so wants to live just a normal life so she concocts a scheme to swap places with Stacy for just 2 days, after all, what could possibly go wrong?

Netflix offered up their next holiday original the week before Thanksgiving.

Taking the successful Lifetime/Hallmark/Freeform/Disney formula and basically Parent Trapping Christmas, Hudgens steps into this Princess and the Pauper update and gets to play the spunky baker who years for something more and the shy princess who simply wants all the attention to go away.

Naturally with the 2 obvious love interests, a prince (Palladio) and a best friend zoner (Sagar) you can see exactly how the movie ends roughly 5 minutes after it starts.

But they wouldn't call these formula movies if the formula didn't work, right?

This one hits all the right notes and should be one that winds up in your annual Christmas movie viewings for years to come.

So far Netflix has been 2 for 2 this year, but their most ambitious Christmas offering is still to come!


Final Grade: 
B

Countdown To Christmas 2018: The Holiday Calendar

The Holiday Calendar (2018)

TV-PG

Starring Kat Graham, Quincy Brown, Ethan Peck, Ron Cephas Jones

Directed by Bradley Walsh

The Story:

Abby (Graham) is a struggling photographer who wants nothing more than to open her own studio. With the holidays fast approaching and her life in a bit of a spiral, Gramps (Jones) gives her Grandma's antique advent calendar. However, as each day reveals a new gift, that gift seems to come true in real life and it sends Abby down a path that could forever alter her future.

As someone who no longer has cable, I don't get the joy of watching FreeForm (Formerly ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas) where they saturated their airwaves with original and classic Christmas movies.

Nor do I have the luxury of Lifetime or Hallmark for a Christmas movie fix.

When I wrote up a list of Christmas movies that I do have access to, including what I own and what streaming services I have (Netflix & Amazon) I have over 130 choices...

So 25 Days of Christmas doesn't cut it at our house, and we start November 1st!!!

But as I said, I do have Netflix, and they carry a few of these offerings from Christmases past, they have started creating their own Christmas movies as well.

This year, they've introduced 3 (so far...) that I'm aware of, and The Holiday Calendar was the first of those 3.

Now the thing with Christmas movies you have to remember, is they often follow a very obvious pattern, but those of us that like Christmas movies usually don't care about that, it's a warm and comfortable feeling that makes you feel cozy while you watch it.

Or it's dreadful. :)

Thankfully, this wasn't dreadful. It was a lot of fun, and while you know how the film is going to end, you enjoy the trip that you're taking to get there.

So far so good, and this one will enter the ranks of the movies we will watch again each Christmas time.

Hoping Netflix continues this trend of yuletide offerings each year!

Final Grade: B

He's Baaaaaaack..."The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale"

The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale (2018)

Starring Joel McHale

The Story:

Joel's back, doing what made him famous the first time around: poking fun at the best, worst clips you can find on television today!

Seriously, that's it.

For those with a long enough memory and cable subscription, you may remember back in the day there was a little show called Talk Soup. It was hosted by Greg Kinnear, and they mocked some of the outrageous clips that were found on the daytime talk shows.

This ran for years, with Kinnear ultimately heading off to become a leading man in Hollywood, and subsequent hosts came and went, each springboarding to further fame after their hosting gig.

Then the show was rebranded as "The Soup" as television was not only inundated with crazy talk shows, but reality tv was going gangbusters and deserved a special place in the sun to enjoy the absurdity of it all.

The ringleader in all of this? Some guy named Joel McHale.

Following its predecessor's lead, Joel stood in front of a green screen and made quips about the clips until E! decided to pull the plug.

Joel headed to Hollywood and the rest is history.

Until 2018, when Netflix decided wouldn't it be great if we brought back something old as something new again?

And here we have the perfectly titled The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale.

It's wordy. It's a bit conceited. It's the perfect title for Joel's comeback.

There are guests aplenty in each episode, usually from another Netflix series or special, but otherwise you get Joel being Joel and mocking everything from the clips to his own show to Netflix ... dun dun ... itself.

All is right with the world again.

New episodes stream every Sunday, but we're getting close to the end of the first 13 episodes.

Hopefully he'll be renewed for a Season 2 later this year.

Final Grade: A-

My Kind Of Band..."Now More Than Ever: The History Of Chicago"

Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago (2016)

Not Rated

Starring: Chicago

Directed by Peter Pardini

The Story:

The band you know. The story you don't. Follow their history from their creation in 1967 (!!) until their long overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a nearly career defining retrospective, warts and all.

I would imagine that for most casual fans of Chicago, you know the band, you know the logo, but likely aside from Peter Cetera, you probably don't know their names.

The documentary will help erase that and give them their due as one of the longest tenured rock bands still performing today.

Naturally, as with most rock bands, it wasn't all sunshine and roses, and the biggest piece missing from this documentary is the inclusion of Peter Cetera.

However, that's not for a lack of trying.

Whatever beef he's got with the band, he's not letting go, which is a shame.

He was a huge part of their success in the 80s, though producer David Foster will happily let you know it was all him. :)

This documentary is currently streaming on Netflix.

Final Grade: B+

Not Just Kid's Stuff... "The Toys That Made Us"

The Toys That Made Us (2017)

TV-14

The Story:

We were all kids once. We all liked to play. Come revisit your childhood with a walk down memory lane and learn the fascinating story about the toys we all played with and how they came to life.

This Netflix original will be an 8 part documentary series, the first 4 parts are already up and available.

They are: Star Wars; Barbie; He-Man; G.I. Joe

They are all fascinating to watch and will take you back to when you were a kid, and you'll be amazed in some cases that you even had that very toy to play with.

The designers, creators, marketers, etc. etc. etc. are all brought out to reminisce about what it took to get those toys into your hands and make your childhood the sunshine and roses that you remember.

The behind the scenes cut-throat business of toy empires are brought to light, and it's amazing what a lucrative business these toys were.

Each episode is about 45 minutes, so they all fly by fairly quickly, and no, you don't have to watch them all, but they are all totally worthwhile.

Coming in 2018, the remaining 4 episodes will be airing: Lego; Hello Kitty; Transformers; Star Trek

I'm looking forward to watching those as soon as they hit Netflix.

Final Grade: A-

Understanding Serial Killers..."Mindhunter"

Mindhunter (2017)

TV-MA

Starring Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Hannah Gross,

Created by Joe Penhall

The Story:

FBI Agents Holden Ford (Groff) and Bill Tench (McCallany) have trained law enforcement officials from coast to coast. However, they are about to embark on something off the beaten path as they decide what better way to figure out the mind of a killer, than to actually sit down and interview them.

Should I mention this is based on a true story?

It's the 70s, and while serial killers existed, they had yet to have that term attached to them.

In fact, there's a lot of things that these first two pioneers of profiling would create as they bounced from coast to coast discussing WHY with some of the worst of the worst to ever stand before a court.

It's a slow burn...

But man, is it intense and fascinating!

At 10 episodes in length, it doesn't suffer from many of the pacing issues that plague the shows that extend into the teens.

Be warned though, it is driven by a very dialogue-intensive narrative.  So if you aren't a fan of talking heads in your police dramas, this may not be the show for you.

That being said, the slow burn effect keeps building throw the series and at the last episode, you want nothing more than to start the next episode to find out what the heck happens next!

This Netflix original is available to stream whenever you're ready to venture down the seedy side of town.

Final Grade: A-

Just Drive..."Wheelman"

Wheelman (2017)

TV-MA

Starring Frank Grillo, Caitlin Carmichael, Wendy Moniz,

Written and Directed by Jeremy Rush

The Story:

The Wheelman (Grillo) is out of prison, but has to make some runs to pay off his debts that he owes the mob. However, when a job goes sideways due to a betrayal, things get personal when they go after The Wheelman's family!

Netflix keeps churning out original content, often with little or no fanfare other than the movie shows up on the home page for a day or two, then it disappears into the sea of streaming content.

You've got to give it to Netflix though, they are giving subscribers new content seemingly on a weekly basis.

Wheelman is a no frills, all thrills movie shot almost entirely from within the car, so it's pretty much Frank Grillo's movie to carry.

Thankfully, he does a fine job, and much like he did in The Purge sequels, especially Anarchy, he shows that he's more than qualified to be a leading man carrying an action film.

Jeremy Rush also shows promise with his first feature film as both a writer and director.

Not a bad first gig for him.

So if you like thrillers, it's worth taking the ride.

See what I did there? :)

Final Grade: C+

Locked And Loaded..."The Punisher"

The Punisher (2017)

TV-MA

Starring Jon Bernthal, Amber Rose Revah, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ben Barnes, Jaime Ray Newman, Deborah Ann Woll,

Created by Steve Lightfoot

The Story:

The world thinks Frank Castle (Bernthal) is dead. However Agent Madani (Revah) believes he might be alive and well, and back to racking up the body count in New York City.

You know, after watching this one, it wasn't nearly as violent and bullet-riddled as I thought they would make it.

Sure, it was still worthy of a series starring Marvel's biggest vigilante.

But there was a lot of new characters introduced in the series, and aside from Karen Page (Woll) it opens up a whole new section of the Marvel Universe on Netflix.

Sadly, it will also be the last new series that makes it to Netflix since Disney is starting up their own streaming service in a few years.

Still, we'll take what we can get, and Bernthal, who was the best part of Daredevil Season 2, brings Frank Castle to life.

We get to relive Frank's tortured backstory as it slowly unfolds and we find out who killed his family and why.

As with all of the 14 episode Netflix series, it's a bit padded with juggling side stories from the new characters.

That said, it's one of the best Marvel series on Netflix.

Give it a whirl and judge for yourself.

Final Grade: B+

The Critics Aren't That "Bright" After All

Bright (2017)

TV-MA

Starring Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Edgar Ramirez, Lucy Fry

Directed by David Ayer

The Story:

In a world where humans live side by side with the creatures of fairytale legend, Daryl (Smith) is an LAPD cop who is saddled with the first Orc recruit, Nick (Edgerton). When the pair stumble upon Leilah (Rapace) and her magic wand, they must put their differences aside once and for all if they hope to survive the night and all of the different groups that are coming for them to get that wand.

I'm not sure if the critics want to savage this movie because they don't like the inroads that Netflix is making by releasing movies directly onto Netflix and bypassing the movie theater with their Netflix Original movies, but this was hardly the worst movie of 2017, or any year for that matter.

It's Netflix's first true "big budget blockbuster" or "popcorn movie". Is it a great movie?

No, I don't think anyone will put it into that movie.

Is it totally watchable?

Absolutely.

It checks off all the marks for a big budget buddy cop action flick. The two cops that don't get along, but then get along just fine when the chips are down and they realize they only have themselves to rely on if they are going to survive.

It also serves an underlying message on racism in America, without trying to get too preachy and letting the action carry the movie.

I've read that many critics felt that the storyline was too confusing and people couldn't follow along with all of the backstory.

What?

I'm pretty sure that those opening billboards that show that this is a world where we coexist with the Lord of the Rings was pretty straightforward, if you ask me.

Guesstimates put those of us that watched Bright during the opening weekend at 11 million Netflix users. As there are no box office receipts to gauge whether this was a success or a mega flop, I'll do the math:

11 million times $ 8.00 a ticket (averaging a matinee and a full ticket price) puts the weekend box office for this film at $88,000,000.

Yeah, that pretty much justifies any price Netflix spent on the film, and shows why they already said yes to a sequel.

Trust me, I've seen a bad Will Smith movie (After Earth).

This isn't even close.

Final Grade: C+

Check Those References Carefully..."The Babysitter"

The Babysitter (2017)

TV-MA

Starring Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, Robbie Amell, Hana Mae Lee, Bella Thorne, Andrew Bachelor, Emily Alyn Lind, Leslie Bibb, Ken Marino

Directed by McG

The Story:

Cole (Lewis) is 12, and he's the only kid his age who still has a babysitter. He doesn't really mind when his mom and dad (Bibb & Marino) leave though, because his babysitter, Bee (Weaving) is hot! However, when he finally decides to break curfew and spy on what his sitter does when he's supposed to be asleep, he learns that Bee is not the sweeetheart he was led to believe!

A Netflix original released in time for the holiday season, it's a worthy addition to the horror-comedy genre.

If you've managed to somehow miss this one so far, my recommendation is to avoid the trailer as it's a little spoiler-ific.

Or, if you don't have 90 minutes to spare, watch the trailer and you'll see a lot of the fun condensed into 2 minutes.

The cast is a lot of fun, and the script lets them poke fun at the genre while still never letting go of the fact that this is supposed to be a scary movie.

Amell does such a great job as Max that you almost aren't rooting for him to get killed as the movie goes along. :)

Fun stuff, and I'll be back next year for another round!

Final Grade: B

Those Kids Are Growing Up So Fast..."Stranger Things 2"

Stranger Things 2 (2017)

TV-14

Starring David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Matthew Modine, Paul Reiser, Sean Astin

Created by Matt & Ross Duffer

The Story:

Nearly a year has passed since the events from Stranger Things. However, there's a new Doctor (Reiser) in charge at the Department of Energy, and he's doing everything in his power to help Will (Schnapp) with his episodes that are still tormenting him from being in the Upside Down.

Welcome back to Hawkins Indiana, population a couple million binging on their favorite kids from the 80s! :)

So if you are like the millions that fell in love with Stranger Things last year, and watched as it became a pop-culture phenomenon in the year in between seasons, your wait is finally over.

If you're one that thinks Stranger Things is overrated and being pushed down our throats...

You're dead to me.

:)

The Duffer Brothers are back, and they will fill in the gaps with what has happened in the year we've been away, and with some other flashbacks, they'll take us back even farther.

A whole slew of new characters will be introduced, and Will Byers will graduate from plot device in Season One to Plot Device with a little more to do in Season 2. ;)

The dynamics between the two seasons is really evident, and they don't try and forcefully recreate the magic of season one. This is another year, and the characters have grown and changed, and will continue to do so for as long as the series runs.

That's a good thing.

So there you go.

No spoilers in there, but I'm pretty sure if you watched Season One, you are likely already finished with Season Two and came to the same conclusion:

Really? We have to wait another year for the next season?!?!

: )

Final Grade: A