Tag: 2022

REVIEW: Black Bird (2022 – Limited Series)

Ray Liotta and Taron Egerton in “Black Bird,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

Series Developed by Dennis Lehane.

Apple TV+ is starting to pick up steam as a serious streamer with several fantastic shows. Black Bird, from award-winning novelist and screenwriter Dennis Lehane, is one of its latest solid series. Unfortunately, since Apple TV+ is yet to have a massive subscriber count, shows like it, For All Mankind, Severance, Shining Girls, and so on and so forth will probably struggle to find an enormous audience. Black Bird should be an easy sell for many people in this day and age where true crime adaptations are all the rage. The mini-series is based on James Keene and Hillel Levin’s autobiographical novel In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption.

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REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Nippy”

The following is a recap and review of the tenth episode of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers.

In the tenth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul — titled Nippy — “Gene” (played by Bob Odenkirk) tries to convince someone to take part in a con job with a very brief time window. Nippy was written by Alison Tatlock and directed by Michelle MacLaren.

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REVIEW: NOPE (2022)

Steven Yeun’s character looks upward and tries to monetize what he sees in Jordan Peele’s NOPE — Photo: Universal Pictures.

Directed by Jordan Peele — Screenplay by Jordan Peele.

With Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele’s name became synonymous with the social-horror genre. A master of horror on the rise, who is still building his oeuvre, Peele’s films as a director thus far have felt like event films, to me. Get Out was a masterpiece and one of the best films of the 2010s, and Us was a fantastic horror film that I think is exceptionally rewatchable, rewarding, and thought-provoking. He didn’t land all of his big ideas with Us, but it was still one of my favorite films of 2019. I absolutely loved it. So, when his third outing as a director was announced and revealed to be a sci-fi horror flick starring two of my favorite actors of the 2010s in Daniel Kaluuya, re-teaming with Peele after Get Out, and Steven Yeun, who made his name known with The Walking Dead but whose best performance can be seen in Lee Chang-dong’s masterpiece Burning, my expectations reached a fever pitch. So, does NOPE work? In a word, yep.

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REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Fun and Games”

The following is a recap and review of the ninth episode of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers.

In the ninth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul — titled Fun and Games — Mike (played by Jonathan Banks) meets with Nacho’s father, while Kim (played by Rhea Seehorn) makes a definitive decision about her future. Fun and Games was written by Ann Cherkis and directed by Michael Morris. The episode is dedicated to Julia Clark Downs.

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REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Point and Shoot”

The following is a recap and review of the eighth episode of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers.

In the eighth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul — titled Point and Shoot — Lalo Salamanca (played by Tony Dalton) demands that Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) or Kim’s (played by Rhea Seehorn) must kill Gus Fring (played by Giancarlo Esposito). Point and Shoot was written by Gordon Smith and directed by series co-creator Vince Gilligan.

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REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Plan and Execution”

The following is a recap and review of the seventh episode of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers.

In the seventh episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul — titled Plan and Execution — Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) and Kim’s (played by Rhea Seehorn) smear campaign against Howard Hamlin (played by Patrick Fabian) plays out for all to see. Also, Lalo Salamanca (played by Tony Dalton) finally returns to Albuquerque. Plan and Execution was written and directed by Thomas Schnauz.

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REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Axe and Grind”

The following is a recap and review of the sixth episode of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers.

In the sixth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul — titled Axe and Grind — Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (played by Rhea Seehorn) continue with their plan to ruin Howard Hamlin (played by Patrick Fabian) and get an early Sandpiper case payout. Elsewhere, Lalo Salamanca (played by Tony Dalton) tracks down one of Werner Ziegler’s colleagues. Axe and Grind was written by Ariel Levine and directed by Giancarlo Esposito, who made his television directorial debut with this episode.

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REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Black and Blue”

The following is a recap and review of the fifth episode of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers.

In the fifth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul — titled Black and Blue — Howard Hamlin (played by Patrick Fabian) finds out that Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (played by Rhea Seehorn) are messing with his reputation. Elsewhere, we finally find out what Lalo Salamanca (played by Tony Dalton) is doing. Black and Blue was written by Alison Tatlock and directed by Melissa Bernstein.

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REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Hit and Run”

The following is a recap and review of the fourth episode of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers.

In the fourth episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul — titled Hit and Run — Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (played by Rhea Seehorn) move on to the next stage of their Howard Hamlin (played by Patrick Fabian): Jimmy must disguise himself as Howard to make him look bad in front of Clifford Main (played by Ed Begley, Jr.). Hit and Run was written by Ann Cherkis and directed by Rhea Seehorn. This is Seehorn’s directorial debut, and it’s honestly a really good showcase for her.

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REVIEW: Better Call Saul – “Rock and Hard Place”

The following is a recap and review of the third episode of the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, available on AMC in the U. S. and on Netflix internationally. Expect story spoilers.

In the third episode of the sixth season of Better Call Saul — titled Rock and Hard Place — Nacho (played by Michael Mando) makes a definitive decision about his future while he is on the run south of the border. Meanwhile, Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (played by Rhea Seehorn) try to gain access to Howard Hamlin’s car to further damage his reputation. Rock and Hard Place was written and directed by Gordon Smith, the writer-director behind such incredible episodes as Five-O; Chicanery; and others. I’ve been known to really praise his episodes, and, in a way, this episode rivals some of his best.

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