The Small Screen Diaries- 05/28/24
I’ve been managing to wrap up a show pretty consistently every day for the past couple of days, and this was no exception. I finally finished One Life (Netflix). 14 episodes later and I can at least understand why people get emotional, it’s just that the character left standing is the one I didn’t like. I never related to him, no matter what struggles were thrown his way, because I thought he was such a dis likable person from the beginning. I never felt his redemption, so he’s left alone in the end, and I just don’t care. I’m glad … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/28/24
Snack Shack
I am someone who admittedly has a lot of really dumb films in my “desert island” list, or the favorite/comfort films list. I enjoy many teen movies from my day, from bigger hits like She’s All That and Varsity Blues, to even some lesser hits, like Get Over It. but, as I age, I should be aging past teen films, and yet, here comes Snack shack, which surprisingly is really good. the first indication that this is something special is that it is an independent feature that got a theatrical release, instead of being banished to streaming. That means we … Continue reading Snack Shack
The Small Screen Diaries- 05/27/24
As we near the end of the Emmy consideration period, I just finished Franklin (Apple Plus), which was a moderately interesting look at a specific period in history, but featured actors who never felt like they were of the time period. It’s one of the least interesting things Apple has put out, and with the limited content as strong as it is, I wouldn’t nominate even Douglas. I also didn’t enjoy the audio description, which didn’t balance enough in the dubbing, so the dubbing was much louder than the original voices, making conversations between two people hard to follow when … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/27/24
Ordinary Angels
When this film first dropped, it seemed like it was just another faith based film. Those always depend on the budget, and often can vary widely in quality. Last year I saw a few faith based films that weren’t terrible. This really isn’t faith based. It just happens to have a guy who attends church, and later in the film a church parking lot is used. Otherwise, this feels less like Miracles From Heaven and more about a redemption story mixed in with a perpetually tragic family drama. American Idol alumni, and current Jack reacher, Alan Ritchson stars as a … Continue reading Ordinary Angels
The Small Screen Diaries- 05/26/24
Kicking off today with some new shows and season premieres. First, I have to say how delighted I was when I found out Trying (Apple Plus) had made it to a fourth season. I love this show, I don’t know anyone who watches it, and I would easily recommend it. It follows along the same lines as another one of my favorite shows, Breeders, but with a much more optimistic and light approach. The season finale does a bit of a time jump,so the kids are a little bit older, and they’re saying goodbye to their grandmother who was introduced … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/26/24
Madame Webb
the internet certainly has an opinion on this film. It’s like a grand offense that occurred, the cinematic equivalent of slapping someone’s mother. But is it really? If you want to comb back through, you’ll see that I didn’t quite buy the doom and gloom of Morbius, if for no other reason than it was the most normal performance Jared Leto has ever given. But, Madame Webb also has moments where it clearly could have been at least a decent film. So, let’s break down the hate, and see if it’s warranted. but first, the audio description. Laura post and … Continue reading Madame Webb
The Small Screen Diaries- 05/25/24
I’ve been finishing a lot of shows. but, maybe I’ll need to start one soon. Amazon is bringing back Nurse Jackie. I should probably start watching that now. In terms of finales, I did get to The Connors (Hulu) which really made me think that they were going to resolve that Mark plot in the same episode, but I guess we will wait for him to inevitably be arrested next season. In the final season. I always find the amalgamation of cast that they have in each episode interesting, as they talk around characters who aren’t there. Ben’s off getting … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/25/24
an American Bombing: The Road To April 19th
While this is definitely not the first documentary on the Oklahoma City bombing, it is the most recent, which means it has a 2024 outlook on extremism. So this MAX documentary ultimately ends up right where you think it will, discussing January 6th. Extremism is extremism. It is important to understand history so we are not doomed to repeat it. And thus, the glimmer at the current state of affairs is brief, and the majority of the film is a deep dive into the Oklahoma City attack, Timothy mcVeigh, and what caused him to be a domestic terrorist. I had … Continue reading an American Bombing: The Road To April 19th
I.S.S.
Now is an excellent time to make more thrillers about tensions between America and Russia. I’m not sure we really ever stopped, though I do remember the Red Dawn remake specifically switched the baddies to North Koreans because they couldn’t run the Russian narrative at the time. Well, now we are shooting So you Think You Can Dance alumni Ariana Debose into space. Yeah, I know, she won an Oscar. But she started on So you Think You Can Dance. #neverForget Debose plays an astronaut we know next to nothing about, as the movie starts with her already on her … Continue reading I.S.S.
The Small Screen Diaries- 05/24/23
Starting off today with some cancellations. MAX cancelled, and I totally understand, The Girls On the Bus. We’re on the same page. That’s rare. Originally, I saw it billed as a limited series, but I guess they changed gears. Also, Apple Plus cancelled Still up, which is more disappointing, but not worth rioting over. That show was going to have a problem going the distance anyway once the initial quirky catalyst was thrown out the window. It’s still finale season, and I wrapped the season finale of Fallout (Amazon), which I am saddened doesn’t actually credit an audio description narrator … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/24/23
The Small Screen Diaries- 05/23/24
Well, we finished Jeopardy Masters (Hulu), which has had a mixed ability to get audio description to Hulu, but the finale has it, so I can talk about it. A new Final boss is crowned, but since all three will be back for the third go around of this, we might get a new boss next season. I also knocked out the season finale of Will Trent (Hulu), which really swung for the fences there at the end with an end that will change how the show is in Season 3. I gotta say, I also immediately hated the wife … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/23/24
Girls State/Boys State
This year, Apple released a documentary, Girls State, which I decided I had to check out. I ddidn’t realize it was technically a sequel, because documentary sequels are rare, but there was also boys State, which I had never seen and decided to check out. I’d love to buck the trend here, even as a mal critic, and tip my hat to the ladies, but there’s a contrast here. Although, both films have audio description of pretty similar quality. The first film, Boys State,takes place in Texas. It features aspiring high school leaders who come together and form a fake … Continue reading Girls State/Boys State
The Small Screen Diaries- 05/22/24
Time to finish a few more shows. One of them was a series finale, The Good Doctor (Hulu), which wrapped its 7 season run with an episode that seemed poised to kill off some characters. Luckily, most survive. With a time jump forward, we see some truly confusing shit. I mean, not to be that guy, but there was clearly a 10 years later, but did all of those lives feel like ten years later? Charlie’s an attending, but the other two are still playing with baby Eden? Like flash everyone forward please, not just some characters. It’s so weird … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/22/24
The Small Screen Diaries- 05/21/24
I finished a lot of shows on Monday. Tuesday, I finished the limited run of Knuckles (Paramount Plus), which saves a lot of the action for the final episode. This thing is still too long, should have been heavily edited into a movie that overall sucked less. I’m a fan of Adam Pally, so to see him get so much screentime in something this high profile was a plus, but this is so stretched for time. It was also nice seeing Stockard Channing, who I feel like hasn’t acted in a while. I haven’t seen her in a while anyway. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/21/24
Schindler’s List
Not that the internet needs one more review of Schindler’s List. Let’s be honest and say that all these years later, and this is as engrained in the finality of cinema as Citizen Kane, The Wizard of oz, or Casablanca. 30 more years could pass, and nothing will change in regard to Steven Spielberg’s historic accomplishment. I somehow missed the official 30th anniversary of this film last year, and was reminded of it earlier this year when The Zone Of Interest caused many to reference this classic. It had been years since I saw this, and what I saw was … Continue reading Schindler’s List
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