Hollywood

 In its third season, falls into the “not” category; first season was creatively twisted to the point of guaranteeing a second scenario, but sunk precipitously into idiocy, and season three is worthy of assassination: “Eve” (Sandra Oh, Golden Globe Winner) a bored MI5 agent, and “Villanelle” kooky, inventive serial killer (Jodie Comer, Emmy Winner), are matched as pungently powerful protagonists …

Incredulous, that the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution has yet to be ratified, after decades of crusaders pulverized opponents, attaining notoriety on an unprecedented scale: “Mrs. America” focuses on feminine forces, both yeas and nays, in this fascinating dissection of the female arena, framework of women grabbing control of their lives, thus enabling gratification to those who …

Dimensionless days, no longer defined by obligations, just “long day’s journey into night”; director Sam Hargraves “Extraction” piqued my interest solely because of the title; the universe has been “extracted” from the known, mundane, minutia, parameters that delineate Sunday’s from Friday’s; “Extraction” takes viewers into the crime-infested world of Bangladeshi drug lords and the kidnapping of “Ovi” (Rudraksh Jaiswal) the …

No matter your interest, macro or micro, in the sport’s arena, “The Last Dance” (ESPN, & Streaming devices) is worth every viewing second; parts 1, & 2 aired Sunday, April 19th continuing through Sunday, May 17th, 2020.  “The Last Dance” three words conjuring memories of prom nights, weddings, once in a lifetime celebratory events, reverberating with profound poignancy, lending a …

Days have lost delineation, season’s anticipations in limbo; monotony, intimidating, threatening benign ennui, Netflix to the rescue: “TIGER KING”: surprisingly compelling, the “catfighting” saga between  “polar” forces: Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, Don Antle, all under the guise of animal protection, procreation; as an urbanite I found the intensity of the protagonists captivating; producer Rick Kirkman, fairly narrates all sides of …

Eric Lawson’s newest book, “The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz”, and “The Red Lotus” a novel by Chris Bohjalian, disparate times, but astoundingly on point in today’s Dystopian reality; what London and its people withstood during traumatic WWII, in light of present realities, elicits strong comparisons; “The Red Lotus” clairvoyantly address …

Writer/director Eliza Hitman’s painfully insightful portrait of a teenager’s journey to terminate an unwelcome pregnancy resonates with the bleakness of director Cristian Mungiu’s 2007, “4 months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”; “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” unveils the trauma, bullying of “Autumn” (presciently depicted by first time actor Sidney Flanigan), a pregnant small town Pennsylvania high schooler and her cousin “Skyler” …

Vivarium: an enclosure adapted or prepared for keeping animals under seminatural conditions for observation or study; from its inception we recognize that “Gemma” (Imogen Poots) and “Tom” (Eisenberg) are stepping into a parable concocted by writer/director Lorcan Finnegan, in which they are the observed specimens; infused with bludgeoning metaphors: “Yonder”, suburbia of cloned homes, an address, number “9”, inescapability, release …

Watching these two stunning biographical tales, it was shocking the commonalities these two women shared despite being over a century apart in age. “Self Made” based on the life of Sarah Breedlove/Madame C. J. Walker (1867-1919), the first self-made, female, African-American, millionaire, depicted royally by Octavia Spencer; “Self Made” is an examination of ambition and fortitude in an ambiance fraught …

HBO has long been a harbinger of quality, innovative entertainment (“Game of Thrones”, “Boardwalk Empire”, “Veep”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, etc.); here are a few recent programs that are binge-worthy distractions, from an enforced, monotonous, interminable confinement: “THE OUTSIDER”: filmic interpretation of Stephen King’s creepy, compelling story about the invasion of evil, assuming identities of the innocent; Cynthia Erivo is supernatural …