The Small Screen Diaries: 07/01/26
I did go to the theater yesterday, and my equipment mostly worked.It lost connection twice, and we still need to explain to Dolby that screen readers are a must for those who don’t go with sighted people, but overall it was fun. Also, Netflix picked up Nemesis for a second season.Still nothing on Man On Fire. TV Shows Watched: X-Men 97: S2E1 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Mating Season: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Widow’s Bay: S1E6 (Apple) with audio description, Daemons Of The Shadow Realm: S1E5 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description, and Abbott Elementary: S5E20 (Disney Plus) with audio description … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 07/01/26
Little Brother
Dysfunctional family comedies have always had an anchor in cinema. They’re practically comfort food because almost everyone has some kind of dysfunction somewhere in the family tree. Maybe it’s an eccentric uncle, an odd cousin, or a grandparent who makes every holiday unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. Those little pockets of chaos make these movies relatable because, at the end of the day, we’re all at least a little kooky. This is why we love revisiting the Griswolds and Fockers, why the road trip in Little Miss Sunshine works, or why we’d even entertain the possibility that it is … Continue reading Little Brother
Half Man: Series Review
It would be hypocritical of me not to recommend Half Man because for all six episodes, I felt deeply uncomfortable. As of the writing of this review, my favorite film of 2026 is Blue Film, another project that made me feel deeply uncomfortable. I don’t know what it is about 2026 and this sudden excellence in making audiences squirm, but it seems to be a trend because Half Man is a weirdly exceptional series that I genuinely never want to watch again. That’s not a criticism. It’s also a difficult show to recommend because it is so bleak, so disturbing, … Continue reading Half Man: Series Review
The Bride
I maintain that if I’m going to end up watching a bad film, I would much prefer to watch a film that took risks, made bold choices, and shot the moon, as opposed to something that feels like a thousand other movies, and even in its benign state, still somehow managed to be an utter failure. If you can’t follow a formula, get out of the game. And, no, pandemic era War Of The Worlds was not taking risks. Locking Ice Cube in a room is the opposite of risk taking. What is taking a risk is whatever the hell … Continue reading The Bride
The Small Screen Diaries: 06/30/26
It’s looking good for a trip to the theater today. In the meantime, Amazon announced that Reacher is returning in August for its fourth season (it is already renewed for Season 5), followed by Neagle, the spinoff which launches immediately after Reacher’s season finale in September. TV Shows Watched: Detective Hole: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Spider-Noir: S1E6 (Amazon) with audio description, The Bear: S5E2 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Star City: S1E4 (Apple) with audio description, Crutch: S1E8 (Paramount) with audio description, and Marshals: S1E8 (Paramount) with audio description Detective Hole- Still not renewed, but Netflix bothered to slap … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/30/26
The Small Screen Diaries: 06/29/26
TV Shows Watched: House Of The Dragon: S3E2 (HBO MAX) with audio description, Criminal Record: S2E7 (Apple) with audio description, Million Dollar Secret: S2E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Young Sherlock: S1E7 (Amazon) with audio description, DMV: S1E? (Paramount) with audio description, LAst Week Tonight: Sunday (HBO MAX) no audio description yet, and Elzabeth: S3E16 (Paramount) with audio description House Of THe Dragon- If you’re wondering what happens, our Queen kills it with her acting, and the title of the episode is Queen’s Landing. It tells you all you need to know. Two decapitations, one of a semi-major character. Roy Samuelson’s … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/29/26
Witch Hat Atelier: Season 1
Admittedly, I have not seen nearly the amount of anime that many fans would probably require before seeking my opinion on something like Witch Hat Atelier. It’s not that I’m unfamiliar with the medium. I’m a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki and the Studio Ghibli films, and I realize that many of the cartoons I watched growing up originated overseas. So I’ve always had an appreciation for anime, just not necessarily at the level of people who’ve made Crunchyroll their number one subscription service. What makes Witch Hat Atelier different is that it’s part of Crunchyroll’s push into audio described … Continue reading Witch Hat Atelier: Season 1
Mr Holland’s Opus
I often find myself tackling new releases, and I rarely ever have the time to come back around to a classic, or a favorite of mine. So, for my birthday, as a gift to myself, as the first birthday being on the TomatoMeter, I wanted to review a film I love. I think all critics have a few films that fall off the beaten path of typical classic fare, which are films that just hit them in the right way, and maybe not the same for everyone. I often cut to the chase nowadays and say my favorite film is … Continue reading Mr Holland’s Opus
The Small Screen Diaries: 06/28/26
I didn’t get to do everything I wanted on my birthday, so the film I wanted to finally get to the theaters to see will have to wait a few more days until my next window. However, I did pick some shows I actually wanted to see. Plus, despite the massive influx of patriotic content this week, X-Men 97 returns on Disney Plus on Wednesday and Silo returns for its third season on Apple on Friday. Also, Survival Of The Thickest drops its entire final season on Thursday, Disney Plus has an Adventure Time series on Monday, and Amazon is … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/28/26
The Small Screen Diaries: 06/27/26
This diary is for yesterday, which I didn’t watch as much TV as usual. The day I’m writing this on is my birthday, and I got pulled to a filling Olive Garden lunch yesterday, which took a nice chunk, as did the nap after. I’ll give you a prize though, as Amazon has renewed Every Summer After for a second season, and I didn’t even need to start watching it yet. Meanwhile, Amazon hasn’t picked up Spider-Noir. Go figure. Since it is my birthday, today, not yesterday, I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported me along the way … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/27/26
Strung
Chloe Bailey plays Layla, a young violinist with a complicated past, who is offered a chance to tutor a wealthy kid in her home, in a tutor/nanny hybrid situation, which seems to have a very open end of what she’s here to actually do. It has all the vibes of previous films, where this family is full of secrets, and Layla has to figure them out for herself. The film is directed by Malcom D. lee, whose entire filmography is on the other end of the spectrum. This is the director behind The Best Man, roll Bounce, Welcome Home Roscoe … Continue reading Strung
The Small Screen Diaries: 06/26/26
Lots of sixes yesterday. The month, day, and year all ended in a six. 666. I’d say the devil has risen, but I’d argue… people are saying… it’s gonna be huge… like no one has ever seen before… that maybe he’s already here. And on a TV related note, the creator of Adolenscence got a straight to series order for a new series with David Harbor and Millie Bobby Brown. They’ll play father and daughter, a dynamic I’m sure is new to them. TV Shows Watched: Free Bert: S1E8 (Netflix) with audio description, Monarch: S2E9 (apple) with audio description, The … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/26/26
Going In Blind: Chapter 51
There are plenty of films about making movies. Some are documentaries, while others are traditional scripted fare, like the pandemic-era Netflix comedy The Bubble, which was very much a product of its moment and probably won’t be remembered much beyond that. Chapter 51 takes a different route. It adopts the mockumentary format, but underneath all of the absurdity is a surprisingly grounded core. The film centers on what is supposedly one of the most disastrous productions in movie history, with its reputation placed alongside famously troubled shoots like Apocalypse Now and The Wizard of Oz. You could certainly think of … Continue reading Going In Blind: Chapter 51
The Small Screen Diaries: 06/25/26
TV Shows Watched: Man On Fire: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Margo’s Got Money Troubles: S1E4 (Apple) with audio description, Deli Boys: S2E3 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Rise Of The TMNT: S2E8 (Paramount) with audio description, Scarpetta: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description, SNL: Olivia Rodrigo (Peacock) with audio description, and Running Point: S2E7 (Netflix) with audio description Man On Fire- Shockingly, still not renewed, even though when I see it in my watchlist it has the title of Most Liked. I made a comment yesterday about Aldis Hodge living in the shadows of Morgan Freeman in Cross, and how … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/25/26
The Small Screen Diaries: 06/24/26
In case you’re keeping score, Peacock has opted not to do a second season of Ponies. The girls are fired after just one mission. TV Shows Watched: Nemesis- S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description,Your Friends And Neighbors: S2E5 (Apple) with audio description, Cross: S2E7 (Amazon) with audio description, St Dennis Medical: S2E9 (Peacock) with audio description, America’s Culinary Cup: S1E4 (Paramount) with audio description, and Virgin River: S7E8 (Netflix) with audio description Nemesis- I always feel so frustrated that this is the audio description for Nemesis. Someone looked at a predominantly black cast, and thought Vito was the guy. Nemesis is … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/24/26