Tiny Beautiful Things Mini-Series Review

There are times in life when everything spirals out of control. As much as we try to control or stop the spiral, the only thing we can do is wait for it to stop.

The new Hulu mini-series, Tiny Beautiful Things, is based on the book of the same name by Cheryl Strayed. Clare Pierce’s (Kathryn Hahn) life is nothing short of a dumpster fire. Her relationship with her husband, Danny (Quentin Plair) has fallen apart. Her teenage daughter Rae (Tanzyn Crawford) hates her. As she tries and fails to put the pieces back together, Clare starts writing an advice column. She is also dealing with the still lingering loss of her mother Frankie (Merritt Wever) to cancer decades ago.

I loved the series. Hahn blew me away. Her emotional chaos was a whirlwind in the best way possible. I was drawn in immediately and taken on a journey that proves that we can heal, even when the darkness seems to swallow us whole.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Tiny Beautiful Things is currently streaming on Hulu.

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Great Expectations Review

One of the beauties of a literary classic is that we can come back to it time and again and still find something new within its pages.

Last week, the latest adaptation of Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, premiered on Hulu/F/X. Pip (Fionn Whitehead) is a young man from a lower-class family. Living with his sister and brother-in-law, he is invited to be a companion of sorts to Estella (Shalome Brune-Franklin). Estella is the adopted daughter of Miss Havisham (Olivia Coleman), a wealthy recluse. When Pip receives a financial windfall from an unknown benefactor, the doors to the higher classes open for him.

Coleman was born to play this role. She is both compelling and repellant (if that is possible). As the viewer, I could feel and smell the decades-long grief and anger that she clings to like a liferaft. Whitehead’s Pip starts off as a boy who is curious, intelligent, and eager to spread his wings beyond what is expected of him. I feel for Brune-Franklin’s Estella. She is more than a sharp tongue, a quick-witted young woman who she initially appears to be. Like all of us, she wants to please her mother, but at what cost to herself?

It’s been decades since I read this book. I love the color-blind casting and the opportunity to look at text with fresh eyes. Since watching the first two episodes, I have a new appreciation for Great Expectations and its timeless coming-of-age narrative.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

The first three episodes of Great Expectations are available for watching on Hulu. The next episode will be released on Sunday, March 9th.

Boston Strangler Movie Review

There is something about an unsolved crime that piques our imagination. Regardless of whether one is an average person, a journalist, in law enforcement, etc, it makes us want to put on our detective hats and discover the truth.

The new Hulu film, Boston Strangler, is based on the true story of the serial killer who murdered 13 women in Boston in the early 1960s. Reporters Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) and Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) start looking into the story when no one else will. Underestimated because they are female and expected to stay in their lane, Loretta and Jean start digging.

Though their editor, Jack Maclaine (Chris Cooper) throw them a bone, hoping to make them go away, he soon learns how tough these women are. Though the challenges in front of them are numerous, they are determined to find the murderer before another woman is found dead.

Part thriller and part feminist tale, it speaks (once more) to the fact that female representation that goes beyond the traditional model is often erased or ignored. Knightley and Coon have amazing on-screen chemistry. Their drive to succeed in a world that would send them back to home is inspiring and badass. Without the work of Cole, McLaughlin, and others of that generation, we would still be tied to the kitchen with our apron strings.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Boston Strangler is available for streaming on Hulu.

History of the World Part II Review

Mel Brooks is one of those comedians who both raises ire and makes the audience double over in laughter.

History of the World: Part I, is one of the many classics that exist within Brooks’s decades-long resume. Earlier this week, the long-awaited sequel, History of the World: Part II was released on Hulu. Narrated by Brooks, the cast includes a long list of performers. Among them are Ike Barinholtz, Nick Kroll, and Wanda Sykes (who also had a hand in writing and producing the series). As with its predecessor, certain historical events are lovingly mocked as only Brooks can.

What blows my mind is that Brooks is 96 and still sharp as a tack. He also brings with him the Jewish humor that has become part and parcel of his shtick. Adding to the allure of this program is the perspective of the other members of the creative team who added additional layers to the comedy.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

History of the World: Part II is available for streaming on Hulu.

The 1619 Project Movie Review

There are two types of history. The first is the one that is told by the ones who hold the pen. The second is the truth, which is often withheld by those who want it to be buried.

The new six-part Hulu documentary, The 1619 Project, is based on the book The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story co-written by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Told through the lens of Hannah Jones’s familial history and the lens of American history, she reveals what most of us (hopefully) already knew.

This country is built on racism and the backs of black Americans. Since they arrived as chattel more than 400 years ago, every dignity, respect, and human right has been denied to them. Over the course of the series, it delves into the various ways that multi-generational disenfranchisement has created a legal, social, and financial vacuum that has yet to be filled.

As difficult as it is to watch, I feel like it is necessary. The film speaks to the potential of his country and its (somewhat) inability to face up to our collective sins. Obviously, we have work to do. But at the same time, there is a feeling of hope, knowing that there are enough people in this nation who truly believe in its ideals and do not pay it lip service.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

The 1619 Project is available for streaming on Hulu.

Killing County Documentary Review

I would hope that no one joins a law enforcement body with the goal of purposefully oppressing and killing their fellow citizens. It is one of those professions that in a perfect world, we would admire and lift up those who make it their life’s work. But we live in the real world, where police brutality has become just another headline.

The new three-part Hulu documentary, Killing County was produced by Colin Kaepernick and Ben Meiselas of the MeidasTouch podcast. It follows the news coming out of Bakersfield, California, where a number of men (mostly with a darker hue) were killed by police. The audience follows the investigation into their deaths and why the cops immediately reached for their weapons instead of using other tactics.

This is a must-see film. The hardest interviews to watch were those of the family members of the victims. Through their eyes, we were seeing their loved ones as human beings, not a name on a police report or a quick sound bite on the evening news. What I took away from it was the right that we, as citizens, have to tell the law and the judicial system when they have gone too far.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Killing County is available for streaming on Hulu.

Three Minutes: A Lengthening Documentary Review

Films (and images in general) can tell a story like nothing else can. It allows the viewer to temporarily immerse themselves into that world and understand the perspective of those who call it home.

Three Minutes: A Lengthening is a documentary that was recently released on Hulu. In 1938, David and Liza Kurtz went on a grand tour of Europe. Among the places they visited was Nasielsk. Located in Poland, David was born in that town and later emigrated to the United States. The Jewish residents were more than happy to welcome back a native son who had done good.

David took out his camera and started filming. In total, the footage lasts about 3 minutes. Little did any of them know that this mini-film would be one of the last records of the Nasielsk’s Jewish population. Most of them were murdered in the Holocaust. Narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, the film follows the endeavor to not just locate the shtetl, but to put a human face on those who lived there.

One of the best aspects of the movie is that it takes the bigness of the Shoah and makes it feel like the audience is being directly spoken to. With all of the details that we know about the period, it is hard to absorb that millions were murdered because of who they were.

By bringing it down to a micro level, we see the individual lives that were lost and it allows us to (hopefully) do everything we can to make sure that it does not happen again.

Do I recommend it?

Absolutely.

Three Minutes: A Lengthining is available for streaming on Hulu.

Flashback Friday: Flip or Flop Nashville (2018)

When an IP is successful, the expectation is that there will be a continuation of it of some sort. That does not guarantee, however, that it will be as successful as its predecessor.

Flip or Flop Nashville (2018) aired on Hulu. As with its HGTV reality show originator, the purpose of the program was to follow a couple who purchased, rehabbed, and then resold homes that desperately needed a makeover. This spin-off, it took place in Nashville. Formerly married couple (now business partners) Page Turner and DeRon Jenkins took on the task of revitalizing properties that needed much more than a cosmetic update.

As expected, there are unforeseen problems that may delay the project’s completion and drive up the costs. The hope is that when all is said and done, the house will be sold for a profit.

Like all reality television (and television in general), the program is formulaic. As much as I enjoyed the show and the buildup to the final product, it becomes repetitious and boring after a while.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Best New Television Shows of 2022

1. Obi-Wan Kenobi: The DisneyPlus series answers the question of what happened to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in between the events of Revenge of the Sith (2005) and A New Hope (1977). My favorite part of the series was the introduction of Reva Sevander (Moses Ingram).
2. Anatomy of a Scandal: Based on the Sarah Vaughan book of the same name, this Netflix miniseries follows the investigation of a politician accused of rape.
3. The US and the Holocaust: This Ken Burns multi-part PBS documentary exposes how the United States failed to help the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust.
4. Ridley Road: This PBS/Masterpiece program is based on the book of the same name by Jo Bloom. It tells the story of a young woman of Jewish descent in the 1960s who goes undercover to stop a Neo-Nazi group from destroying the UK.
5. Gaslit: Julia Roberts plays Martha Mitchell in this Starz production that tells the tale of Watergate from Martha’s perspective.
6. Dangerous Liaisons: A sort of prelude Les Liaisons Dangereuses, it started off a bit slow and took a few episodes to get interesting. Unfortunately, Starz canceled it at the end of the first season.
7. The Serpent Queen: Samantha Morton plays the title character in this Starz series about Catherine de Medici. Wow, that is all I have to say.
8. Women of the Movement: This ABC/Hulu miniseries told of the murder of Emmett Till and his mother Mamie’s journey to get justice for her son.
9. Ms. Marvel: A young woman goes from an ordinary teenager to a superhero who saves the world.
10. Andor: The prequel to Rogue One, the series explains how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) became the rebel leader who led the fight against the Empire.

This will be my last post for 2022. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for taking time out of your day to read this humble writer’s work. I’ll see you in 2023.

Kindred Mini-Series Review

Family history, as lovely as it is, can be complicated. This complication gets worse when it comes to America’s past and the sin of slavery.

The new Hulu miniseries, Kindred, is based on the book by Octavia E. Butler. Dana James (Mallori James) is a twenty-something writer who has recently moved from New York City to Los Angeles. After getting settled, she starts a friend-with-benefits relationship with Kevin Franklin (Micah Stock).

Somehow, she keeps getting pulled back to the past and 19th-century plantation. After saving Rufus Weylin (David Alexander Kaplan), Dana’s involvement in the lives of her slave ancestors and their masters becomes more entangled. When Kevin starts traveling back with her, the level of danger rises.

Dana is determined to figure out the connections between the past and the present, but at what cost to her and Kevin?

I remember reading the novel years ago and being blown away by it. It was one of those narratives that after all of the years, is powerful and relevant. Combining science fiction with history and our problematic past is an impossible to ignore literary melting pot.

Obviously, the series has been updated to our time. Though the first episodes kept me hooked, the story lagged toward the end. By the time the final credit rolled, I was underwhelmed. I wanted more, but something more was missing.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Kindred is available for streaming on Hulu.