Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

The tv series returns where it left off. Sherlock is on a plane out of GB once Moriarty is dead or is he? They are turning the plane around - Sherlock has taken a great deal of drugs and is in the past trying to solve an old murder. It is his brains way to attempting to also try to decide if Moriarty really is alive. The back in time with authentic period clothing is fun. The mystery is interesting and it is a great lead into the movie. All in all: I say: SEE IT

Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

Based on the books and starting over from the failed movie this is the tv series. A girl discovers she has powers and fights demons. The first one she needs to go against is her evil father. She also needs to find her mother, a caring aunt type, her memories, and her best friend. It seems interesting so far - a little teenage cheesy, but what do you except from a young adult novel. All in all: I say: TRY IT

The Magicians

The pilot shows a group of young people with magical potential being sucked into a battle. The characters seem interesting. It depends a lot on who the bad guy is and what he has planned as to whether or not I can recommend it. All in all, I say: WAIT & I'll report more when I've seen more.

Shades of Blue

Kole (Stalker) is an FBI agent looking to make a name for himself by putting down a group of corrupt cops. He focuses on the single mom of the group played by Lopez (Selena). Liotta (Alone) and de Matteo (Sopranos) also star. The acting is good - the problem is it is so predictable. All in all, I say: SKIP IT once you've seen one you've seen it all.

Zom-B MIssion

The 7th book in the series, Amazon writes, "B Smith and the other Angels are relieved to finally receive their first mission - to safely escort a group of human survivors from the zombie-infested streets of London to New Kirkham, a barricaded safe haven in the country. But after battling through crowds of undead monsters, B discovers that the survivors of the town don't necessarily represent the best of humanity. And when evil influences make their way to New Kirkham, unearthing demons from B's past, the humans will be forced to choose between being honorable and being safe. 

Darren Shan continues his adventures of a teenage zombie trying to right the wrongs of a flawed human life, exploring the morality and ills of society through the lens of an apocalypse gone wrong--and a terrifying hell on earth reigning."

All in all, I say: SEE IT if you have read all the others. Otherwise - it's kind of gruesome.

Sesame Street

HBO saves Sesame Street from being cancelled because it was costing PBS too much money. It is done in a more modern and more inclusive way. The quest are just as worthy - thanks to HBO for saving this American past time. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Rosie O'Donnell: A Heartfelt Stand Up

A comedy special done in a club in a mall in her home town. She talks about her kids, her marriage, and the illnesses her family have suffered. It was funny and heart breaking. All in all, I say: SEE IT on HBO

Angie Tribeca

Brought to you by Carell (The Office) a slapstick show about a police force and their cases. It focuses on Angie played by Jones (The Office). Burns (Justified) also stars as the Captain. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you liked the comedy behind Airplane. SKIP IT if that's just not your thing.

The Imitation Game

Based on the true story behind how a brilliant mathematician broke the German's unbreakable code to end WWII. Not only, that but he created what would led to computers. Knightly (Pride & Prejudice), Cumberbatch (Zoolander 2), Goode (Downton Abby), Kinnear (Skyfall), and Strong (6 Days) all star. All in all, I say: STREAM IT it's on HBO or Showtime.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

On the anniversary of Sept 11th the American Ambassador to the new & free Libya attended some peace negotiations and found himself and a secret CIA facility under attack. The fact that all the former dictator's weapons had been pillaged and distributed to some very unsavory characters is a big problem. The biggest problem - no way to tell who supports America and who is against them. A group of 6 CIA contractors were hired to protect the CIA agents stationed there. They attempt to save the Ambassador and then end up fighting off more insurgents to protect the CIA facility. The CIA being so secretive and everyone needing someone else's permission to do anything meant that they were on their own against countless numbers for 13 hours. Based on the true story - it was beautifully filmed and acted. It will make you angry and it will make you cry. All in all, I say: SEE IT - if that wasn't enough to convince you then perhaps these guys will convince you.

So...you believe me now?!

The 5th Wave

Based on the very good and popular young adult novel about an alien species takes over the Earth. Wave 1 is an electromagnetic pulse, Wave 2 earthquakes & tsunamis, Wave 3 incurable bird flu, Wave 4 is silencing as many survivors as possible, and the 5th Wave is using human children in a battle to finalize who the Earth belongs too. In the middle of all this is an orphaned girl (Moretz from The Equalizer) looking for her brother. British actor Roe (The Cut) plays the love interest. Livingston (Office Space), Siff (Billions), Schreiber (Ray Donovan), and Robinson (Melissa & Joey) also star.

All in all, I say: SEE IT - it is fantastic. It's super close to the book.

Angel From Hell

Lawson who was on Psyche plays almost the same character - the only difference seems to be her job. Pollack (Casino) plays her father, but doesn't really have any funny lines or scenes - a waste of his talent. Bornheimer (You Again) plays her brother - he has some better lines, but again not much more than that which is a waste of his talent. Lynch (Glee) plays a drunk and desperate for friendship guardian angel. I just don't see how it's gonna last. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Telenovela

It reminds me of Soapdish which was a soap opera about what goes on behind the scenes of a soap opera. This is a telenovela about what goes on being the scenes of a telenovela. Longoria (Desperate Housewives) doesn't speak Spanish and she's the star of the show. Her ex is the other lead. The man with whom she is in love with on the show is her gay best friend and her other best friend is the costume designer. It's not horrible, but it's not great. The acting is on point; it's the writing that needs some work. I haven't laughed out loud, but it did make me smile once or twice. All in all, I say: TRY IT - the old episodes are on-demand and it's only about 20 minutes long.

Superstore

Spitzer created and writes for this half hour comedy - he also helped on The Office. His parts are well written and funny. Not laugh out loud funny, but I smile. It's not horrible, but it's not fantastic. It's fun to sit and watch for 20 minutes - because I DVR it. Ferrera (Ugly Betty) and Feldman (The Perfect Man) star. All in all, I say: TRY IT.

Mozart in the Jungle

On Amazon - two seasons - Bernal (Salt & Fire) won an award for his portrayal of a composer for the NY symphony. The show also shows the lives of many of the others musicians as well as the people who work behind the scenes of a symphony. I decided to watch and then binged for a couple of days and got through two seasons and now I am tortured waiting for season three. All in all, I say: SEE IT

The Shannara Chronicles

MTV trying to get in on more teenage supernatural stuff releases this based on a series of books I believe and helped along by Favreau (Iron Man and Elf). Butler (Arrow) is the son of the guy that saved the planet during the last demon war and now he will do what his dad did - predictable. Kiwi actor, Bennett (Arrow) is a Druid with powers - it's all about magic recently have you noticed.

Oh boy - I think as long as he is in this I will see where it goes and try to last another couple of episodes. All in all, I say: TRY IT.

Billions

Since when did Showtime become the new HBO. They hit a gold mine with this - I see many, many awards in their future. This is one to put Showtime more in the big leagues. The writing and acting in this make the plot - who cares about the plot - holy cow. Lewis (Homeland) and Giamatti (Straight Outta Compton) are ... there are no words ... worthy of any and all accolades. Siff (Sons of Anarchy) and  Akerman (Children's Hospital) are no different than their male counterparts - holy crap they act the crap out of their parts. Their characters are crazy and crazy good. All in all, I say: SEE IT - in fact purchase SHO for your cable package and download the app and watch it now and don't cancel SHO because they are getting some good stuff these days.

Diablo

Not a Hollywood big screen Western. The guy who wrote it also directs it - his IMDb photo is a selfie with him and Glover (Lethal Weapon). Eastwood (The Longest ride) stars as a man in search of his wife who has been kidnapped. MAYBE. Maybe what you ask. I can't say there are 2 twists in this that make it a MUST SEE. Keep in mind this is really young Eastwood's first western and it was written and directed by a man that did a documentary about the elder Eastwood. Goggins (The Hateful Eight) is actor enough to make you see it - see it for his performance alone and you will NOT be disappointed - that man is one of the most unappreciated actor in the business right now. The Native Americans in this are authentic. All in all, I say: SEE IT - it is or will be in the future a key piece of film in the western genre.

Backcountry

Filmed in Canada this film claims to be based on a true story. I would disagree - there are way too many differences. Canadian actress Peregrym (Teen Wolf) must have been fresh from her split to Zachary Levi when she filmed this. Her acting seemed all over the place in my opinion - not that she was good before this - you get my drift. Balfour and Campbell (both from Haven) appear - makes sense being that they are both in Canada, so it must have been an easy gig for them. A couple go off the path in a national forest while bears are active - will they survive - all the action happens in the last 15 minutes I would say. You wait for it the whole time and then the effects are ok considering The Revenant now has the best bear scene. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - it did creep me out a bit, but I think a better male & female lead would have made it worth seeing.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography

Lowe starts his autobiography telling a story about how he met JFK, Jr. There are some fantastic stories about the filming of "The Outsiders". He has met a lot of interesting people - one of the most interesting ones in my opinion was Cary Grant. I actually listened to this book on the way to and from work instead of reading - excellent choice on my part. Lowe reads the book and does VOICES - he does pretty good imitations of all the people he has met. It really adds to the book to hear his inflection and the voices. All in all, I say: LISTEN TO IT - it on my list of top 5 best autobiographies.

Zom-B: Gladiator

In the 6th book in the series B has decided to return to the Angels. On a mission B is kidnapped by hunters. They take B to a barge where very wealthy and very psychotic people are battling zombies. They are excited to find B - who is a zombie but can also talk. With only one more fight in B it is the end? All in all, I say: READ IT if you read the others, There is a disturbing character in this book I didn't think was necessary - a little much for a young adult novel in my opinion. If you haven't read the other books then SKIP IT

Zom-B: Baby

5th book in the series finds B wandering away from the Angels. The Angels have a mission that B isn't sure is the right things to do. While wandering around London trying to figure out the next move B runs face to face into a nightmare from childhood. I don't mind the internal conflict, I don't mind the thinking zombies verse the non-thinking zombies, but the supernatural baby and demon things are just too weird. All in all, I say: READ IT if you read the others - if not SKIP IT

Under the Mistletoe

A Christmas ghost story. A man is guiding his son, as a ghost, after he dies in a car accident. His mother (Newman from Red Widow) is at her wits end and seeks the help of her son's teacher (Shanks from Stargate SG-1) to get her son back to living life. They fall in love. It's overly complicated and edited strangely. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Christmas Lodge

Shanks (Stargate SG-1) and his daughter are trying to fix up his families lodge in the mountains. It is becoming too much for him. A family that use to visit the lodge every year at Christmas happens to be a family of contractors. The work to help him fix the place up in time for Christmas. He does fall in love with the daughter in the family. It's a religious movie - the acting was strange - it seemed a bit forced at times. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Take Me Home

Written, directed, and starring Jaegar (Parenthood) this independent film is funny and touching. His wife plays the romantic lead in the film. She thinks her hisband is cheating on her and then finds out her distant biological father has had a heart attack. She gets the first taxi she can find. He pretends to be a taxi driver to earn extra cash - he ends up driving her from NY to CA. They work out a lot of their issues along the way. Garber (Sicario) and Rose (Heroes) also star. All in all, I say: STREAM IT on Amazon Prime.

Northmen - A Viking Saga

Hopper (Black Sails) is the leader of a group of Vikings who are the last to refuse to join the new King. They are outcasts looking for an outpost of viking in hopes of settling with them. The crash in a storm and wind up on the Scottish coast too far from the viking settlement. They kidnap the local King's daughter in hopes of getting ransom and/or safe passage, but end up fighting for their lives when the King sends his most vicious fighters to kill them all - even his daughter. Norton (Belle), Duken (Inglorious Bastards), and Gregory (Strike Back) play vikings. Skein (Transporter Refueled) plays the bad guy. Kwanten (True Blood) plays a Christian priest - and horribly. The fighting isn't bad, the plot is ok, the writing is so so, the acting is hit or miss, and the setting is perfect. All in all, I say: SKIP IT and just watch History Channel's Vikings. I believe this film was a STARZ original.

Pure Gold

A Russian tv series about an ecologist that finds gold and finds her life in danger. She is helped by a local who has just gotten out of prison. The local government, police, and local corporation are all involved in the conspiracy. It's more like a novella - a short soap opera that has an end to it. The acting is horrible. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - I found it on Amazon Prime

Zom-B Angels

B comes into the hands of a doctor that has been a zombie since WWII because of a Nazi experiment. He has developed a compound designed to train the aware undead - revitalized - to fight the bad guys. B has to decide if it's worth it - giving up part of her freedom again - in order to follow this doctor and his angels. There is a lot of discussion about God in this - I could have done without all that. I also don't know why she isn't more upset with the doctor after he makes his confession - which would piss me off. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - or at least skip the God parts - if takes away from the original concept of the story.

Zom-B City

B has escaped the underground facility and decides to wander around London during the day when the real zombies are hiding. She meets some interesting "live" people, and meets up with a very terrifying group. She even hangs out at home for a little while. Someone has been spray painting red Zs around town - she's about to discover the secret behind those. All in all, I say: READ IT if you read the other three.

Zom-B Underground

B wakes after the school attack to be in a cell. What new hell will be unleashed? I like all the new characters - I don't like the weird guy from the first book - it just doesn't seem to fit. B becomes a more interesting character - still a smart ass. All in all, I say: READ IT - we learn more.

Zom-B

This is the first book in a long series. The main character is B. In this book B is trying to figure out how to live in a diverse school and a racist and abusive home life. There may or may not be a zombie outbreak. All in all, I say: READ IT - it is a set up for the rest of the series. It is a quick, easy read - there is a twist if you don't read the back of the books or too many reviews. There are drawings every chapter or so that are interesting as well.

The Hateful Eight

Sam Jackson (Pulp Fiction) plays Major Marquis Warren. Marquis Warren in real life was the man responsible for creating Rawhide and Gunsmoke. In the movie his character is an ex union soldier who escaped from a Confederate prison by burning it to the ground. He is currently a bounty hunter - his horse dies while he's on his way to Red Rock, Wyoming to turn in the dead men for bounty. Kurt Russell (Escape from New York) plays John "The Hangman" Ruth who brings in his bounties alive so they can hang. Curtiz directed a western called "The Hangman" about a Marshall that makes sure people hang for their crimes. Jennifer Jason Leigh (Twin Peaks) is being brought in by the hangman for murder. She plays Daisy Domergue. She plays  a song on the guitar that is a variant of  a traditional folk song "Jim Jones at Botany Bay" - kind of a similar journey Daisy is taking only on land rather than on sea. There was an actress with the last name Domerque - she starred in the western Santa Fe Passage. Goggins (Justified) plays the son of the head of a group of southern rebels and now is on his way to being a sheriff. Mannix was a tv show that revolved around a detective. Bichir (The Bridge) plays Mexican Bob. 

Tarantino - the writer, director, and narrator (Kill Bill) said, "Twice per season, those shows would have an episode where a bunch of outlaws would take the lead characters hostage. They would come to the Ponderosa and hold everybody hostage, or go to Judge Garth's place — Lee J. Cobb played him — in The Virginian and take hostages. There would be a guest star like David Carradine, Darren McGavin, Claude Akins, Robert Culp, Charles Bronson, or James Coburn. I don't like that storyline in a modern context, but I love it in a Western, where you would pass halfway through the show to find out if they were good or bad guys, and they all had a past that was revealed. I thought, 'What if I did a movie starring nothing but those characters? No heroes, no Michael Landons. Just a bunch of nefarious guys in a room, all telling backstories that may or may not be true. Trap those guys together in a room with a blizzard outside, give them guns, and see what happens."

Roth (Four Rooms) plays an Englishman Oswaldo Mobrey. Joe Gage is played by Madsen (Reservoir Dogs). Bruce Dern (Django Unchained) plays southern General Sandy Smithers. Parks (Kill Bill) plays OB the stage coach driver. Jones (No Country for Old Men), Bell (Inglorious Bastards), Tatum (21 Jump Street), and Stark (Django Unchained) also star.

The cinamatophy was great - the acted was amazing - the plot was decent. Greg Nicotero (The Walking Derad) does the bloody special effects. Problem - the first 2 hours are all a set up leading to all the action in the last hour. Like Reservoir Dogs everyone is lying or withholding some part of the truth. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you like Tarantino and want to see all his movies or if you like Django Unchained and Kill Bill series. If you are more of an Inglorious Bastards, Pulp Fiction fan then I say: SKIP IT and wait for video.

Flesh and Bone

A poo steel town ballet dancer has to leave dancing when she gets pregnant by her brother. He joins the military and gets even more messed up. She returns to dancing and it just seems to make her even more disturbed. All the other dancers in the company are also highly disturbed. It's not about dancing, so if that's what your interest is just watch two scenes: the Black Swan dance on the Russian's boat, and the final episode (dance sections only). All in all, I say: SKIP IT and just watch Centerstage.