Rare is the prequel that adds so many layers to its subtext that it actually manages to justify existence, but there are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Regency-era romance Bridgerton gets dialed up a notch as it examines racial politics and erotically-charged emotional drama in irresistible spin-off, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Showrunner Shonda … Continue reading TV Review: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
TV Review: Love & Death
Last year, this critic personally passed on covering Hulu’s Candy, a true crime limited series featuring Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey in leading roles. Now almost exactly a year later, HBO Max drama Love & Death arrives, covering the exact same topic. What this iteration lacks in stylistic flourishes and period-piece costume and hairstyling it … Continue reading TV Review: Love & Death
SXSW 2023: Beef
A24 and Netflix finely season their newest collaboration: dark dramedy Beef, a searing depiction of road rage taken to its most outrageous extreme. Showrunner/writer/creator Lee Sung Jin wrings masterful performances from both Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, both of whom have never been better. Throughout a ten-episode run, Beef builds up an increasingly tense atmosphere, … Continue reading SXSW 2023: Beef
TV Review: Up Here
Being a major sucker for a good musical, I will watch literally any one of them that comes my way. In terms of the television format, an absolute obsession over Glee, Smash, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was kind of a no-brainer. Along comes Hulu’s Up Here which, to my surprise, could easily join the pantheon of … Continue reading TV Review: Up Here
TV Review: You – Season 4, Part 2
Thank the stars above that Netflix decided to only have a one-month gap in between half-seasons. You Season 4 Part 2 is the show at peak greatness. Delivering twist after twist may be like second nature at this point, but the grandness of the shocking turn taken only two episodes into this welcome return-to-form left … Continue reading TV Review: You – Season 4, Part 2
TV Review: You – Season 4, Part 1
During its unexpected journey in the transition from being an overlooked Lifetime gem to an unexpected Netflix smash hit, creepy romance/thriller You evolved beyond its Dexter counterpart and into something truly special. Season three ended in a sort of reset, appearing to promise that Joe (Penn Badgley) would be stalking librarian Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) and … Continue reading TV Review: You – Season 4, Part 1
TV Review: Wolf Pack
In a surprising turn of events that must be confusing to a number of people, Teen Wolf creator/showrunner Jeff Davis has set his sights on another werewolf show set in a brand-new universe! Aptly titled Wolf Pack, this Paramount+ series carries the star power of Buffy icon Sarah Michelle Gellar, and a cast of young … Continue reading TV Review: Wolf Pack
Film Review: Teen Wolf: The Movie
★★★★ Back in 2011, MTV’s Teen Wolf came roaring into a very different kind of television landscape ready for a major shakeup. Heavily inspired by the format and style of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jeff Davis’s Teen Wolf become one of my favorite shows during the course of an impressive 100-episode run. Nearly six years … Continue reading Film Review: Teen Wolf: The Movie
TV Review: Hunters – Season 2
Far back in the bowels of 2020, the first season of Hunters emerged from virtually out of nowhere. Amazon Prime’s crowning action/thriller/drama, the series depicted a sort of “what if” scenario involving hunting down Nazis, and the rise of a so-called Fourth Reich. In August of that same year, the show was renewed for a … Continue reading TV Review: Hunters – Season 2
TV Review: Servant – Season 4
As a general rule of thumb, I have pretty much learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to M. Night Shyamalan’s twisty-turny horror drama, Servant. Four seasons deep, and Servant is still flirting with the kind of mysterious, alluring qualities that many showrunners would balk at. The sheer audacity of its atmospheric tension is … Continue reading TV Review: Servant – Season 4