The Split

 

A limited UK series about a divorce lawyer. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Hulu.

Irresistible

 

Written and directed by Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) and showing on HBO Max. Steve Carell (The Office) is a democratic party campaign manager, and Rose Byrne (Spy) is a republican party campaign manager. They are squaring off in a small town helping on a mayoral race. Chris Cooper (Breach) is the mayor. There is a twist. It's not bad for his first movie. All in all, I say: STREAM IT

Pixar Popcorn

 

On Disney +, this is a series of very short clips starring your favorite Pixar movie characters. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Oasis: A Novel

 

Amazon writes, "Alif had exciting summer plans: working on her father’s archeological dig site in the desert with four close friends ... and a very cute research assistant. Then the sandstorm hit.

Their camp wiped away, Alif and the others find themselves lost on the sands, seemingly doomed ... until they find the oasis. It has everything they need: food, water, and shade―and mysterious ruins that hide a deadly secret. As reality begins to shift around them, they question what’s real and what’s a mirage.

The answers turn Alif and her friends against each other, and they begin to wonder if they’ve truly been saved. And while it was easy to walk into the oasis, it may be impossible to leave ...

". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

In a Holidaze

 

Amazon writes, "It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.". All in all, I say: READ IT

The Removed

 

Amazon writes, "In the fifteen years since their teenage son, Ray-Ray, was killed in a police shooting, the Echota family has been suspended in private grief. The mother, Maria, increasingly struggles to manage the onset of Alzheimer’s in her husband, Ernest. Their adult daughter, Sonja, leads a life of solitude, punctuated only by spells of dizzying romantic obsession. And their son, Edgar, fled home long ago, turning to drugs to mute his feelings of alienation.

With the family’s annual bonfire approaching—an occasion marking both the Cherokee National Holiday and Ray-Ray’s death, and a rare moment in which they openly talk about his memory—Maria attempts to call the family together from their physical and emotional distances once more. But as the bonfire draws near, each of them feels a strange blurring of the boundary between normal life and the spirit world. Maria and Ernest take in a foster child who seems to almost miraculously keep Ernest’s mental fog at bay. Sonja becomes dangerously fixated on a man named Vin, despite—or perhaps because of—his ties to tragedy in her lifetime and lifetimes before. And in the wake of a suicide attempt, Edgar finds himself in the mysterious Darkening Land: a place between the living and the dead, where old atrocities echo.

Drawing deeply on Cherokee folklore, The Removed seamlessly blends the real and spiritual to excavate the deep reverberations of trauma—a meditation on family, grief, home, and the power of stories on both a personal and ancestral level.". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Dating Plan

 

Amazon writes, "Daisy Patel is a software engineer who understands lists and logic better than bosses and boyfriends. With her life all planned out, and no interest in love, the one thing she can't give her family is the marriage they expect. Left with few options, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiancé.

Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. When he learns that his inheritance is contingent on being married, he realizes his best friend's little sister has the perfect solution to his problem. A marriage of convenience will get Daisy's matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfill the terms of his late grandfather's will. If only he hadn’t broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago…

Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that very little is convenient about their arrangement. History and chemistry aren't about to follow the rules of this engagement.". All in all, I say: READ IT

The Turn of the Key

 

Amazon writes, "When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Case of the Haunted Haunted House

 

Amazon writes, "Sherman Holmes has officially settled into his new city, and the World's Greatest Detective Agency has opened its doors. While his put-upon partner, Watson, would be happy to keep the jobs as simple as missing pets, when a worried worker with an outlandish tale of ghosts walks in, there's no stopping Sherman from taking the case.

Now, the new duo must investigate a local “haunted” tourist site where the scares are going off-script and otherworldly interference is suspected. With Sherman lost in the history of the mystery, Watson finds himself needing to adapt quickly to his new job's unique challenges.

Facing booby-trapped halls to navigate, pesky former coworkers popping in without warning, and growing attention from a local criminal element, even an operative of Watson's talents is going to need some help getting through this case alive.

Instead, he has Sherman Holmes. ". All in all, I say: LISTEN TO it on Audible. I missed that there was a first book, but it didn't matter.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

 

Amazon writes, "Blessed with enormous talents and the energy and ambition to go with them, Franklin was a statesman, author, inventor, printer, and scientist. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and later was involved in negotiating the peace treaty with Britain that ended the Revolutionary War. He also invented bifocals, a stove that is still manufactured, a water-harmonica, and the lightning rod. Franklin's extraordinary range of interests and accomplishments are brilliantly recorded in his Autobiography, considered one of the classics of the genre. Covering his life up to his prewar stay in London as representative of the Pennsylvania Assembly, this charming self-portrait recalls Franklin's boyhood, his determination to achieve high moral standards, his work as a printer, experiments with electricity, political career, experiences during the French and Indian War, and more. Related in an honest, open, unaffected style, this highly readable account offers a wonderfully intimate glimpse of the Founding Father sometimes called "the wisest American."". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Republic

 

Amazon writes, "The question The Republic sets out to define is "What is justice?" Given the difficulty of this task, Socrates and his interlocutors are led into a discussion of justice in the city, which Socrates suggests may help them see justice in the person, but on a grander (and therefore easier to discuss) scale ("suppose that a short-sighted person had been asked by some one to read small letters from a distance; and it occurred to some one else that they might be found in another place which was larger and in which the letters were larger," 368, trans. Jowett). Some critics (such as Julia Annas) have adhered to this premise that the dialogue's entire political construct exists to serve as an analogy for the individual soul, in which there are also various potentially competing or conflicting "members" that might be integrated and orchestrated under a just and productive "government."". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Utopia

 

Amazon writes, "A utopia is a community or society possessing highly desirable or near perfect qualities. The word was coined by Sir Thomas More in Greek for his 1516 book Utopia (in Latin), describing a fictional island society in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt to create an ideal society, and imagined societies portrayed in fiction. It has spawned other concepts, most prominently dystopia.". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Undoing Project

 

Amazon writes, "Forty years ago, Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original papers that invented the field of behavioral economics. One of the greatest partnerships in the history of science, Kahneman and Tversky’s extraordinary friendship incited a revolution in Big Data studies, advanced evidence-based medicine, led to a new approach to government regulation, and made much of Michael Lewis’s own work possible. In The Undoing Project, Lewis shows how their Nobel Prize–winning theory of the mind altered our perception of reality.". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

We Mammals in Hospitable Times

 

Amazon writes, "We Mammals in Hospitable Times rushes headlong into an awfully dangerous planet: a spinning rock in outer space called Earth, where the smallest zoo animals are forgotten in fires, cats flee vacuums, lovers betray and abandon one another, basements flood as the globe warms, and an adopted parrot shrieks unfamiliar names. The narrator of these poems wavers between wary―“sometimes I mix up fear with hissed instructions”―and wide-eyed, wanting desperately to make sense of all this perplexing behavior.   Sometimes paranoid, occasionally manic, often very funny, these poems consult archaeologists, biologists, psychiatrists, encyclopedias and even aliens, trying to understand how so many disparate things can be interrelated. And even as the poet reaches some grim conclusions about our collective fate, this sense of doom only increases her awe at the strange and fleeting beauty that surrounds us, whether it be gams of satiny whales, the shiny pink hill made by microwaved bologna, or the cyanobacteria of an Antarctic lake radiating orange light.   With this highly anticipated debut, Jynne Dilling Martin delivers poetry that offer armfuls of empathy, curiosity, and spiritual force.". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Felicity

 

Amazon writes, ""If I have any secret stash of poems, anywhere, it might be about love, not anger," Mary Oliver once said in an interview. Finally, in her stunning new collection, Felicity, we can immerse ourselves in Oliver’s love poems. Here, great happiness abounds. Our most delicate chronicler of physical landscape, Oliver has described her work as loving the world. With Felicity she examines what it means to love another person. She opens our eyes again to the territory within our own hearts; to the wild and to the quiet. In these poems, she describes—with joy—the strangeness and wonder of human connection. As in Blue Horses, Dog Songs, and A Thousand Mornings, with Felicity Oliver honors love, life, and beauty.". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Quiet

 

Good book if you want to understand me better, Amazon writes, "At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society.

 

In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.". All in all, I say: READ IT

Henchgirl

 

Amazon writes, "Mary Posa hates her job. She works long hours for little pay, no insurance, and worst of all, no respect. Her co-workers are jerks and her boss doesn't appreciate her. He's also a supervillain. And her parents... well, they're the most famous superhero couple in Crepe City, along with her sister. Cursed with a conscience, Mary would give anything to be something other than a Henchgirl, but no matter what she does her plans always seem to go awry.". All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Invisible Girl

 

Amazon writes, "Owen Pick’s life is falling apart.

In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a computer science teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel—involuntary celibate—forums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn.

Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.

Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre Maddox disappears—and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.". All in all, I say: READ IT

I See You

 

Helen Hunt (Mad About You) is a wife, mother, and therapist. She has had an affair and is trying to repair her marriage. Creepy things are going on inside her house that she can't explain. Her husband and cop Jon Tenney (The Closer) is trying to solve a case that seems like a case he and his partner closed years ago. There are 2 massive twists - super creepy. All in all, I say: SEE IT on Amazon.

Clarice

 

On CBS...did you ever wonder what happened to the FBI agent after the end of The Silence of the Lambs. This is her journey. Michael Cudlitz (TWD) also stars. I've only seen one episode, but she is perfect and I am hooked. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

 

Speaking of the Night Stalker...this is a super creepy hotel and the case is even more disturbing. This documentary on Netflix will send chills up your spine. All in all, I say: SEE IT If you go to LA stay away from this hotel.

Firefly Lane

 

Katherine Heigl (Woodhull) and Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) star as best of friends in the series based on a book for Netflix. It focuses on the ups and downs of their lives and friendship. It's a soap opera. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

The Equalizer

 

This is a remake of the old show - this time the main character is a woman - QUEEN LATIFAH!! It's so good - I've only seen one episode, but it was so good. True to the plot, yet updated for the times. On CBS. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Challenger: The Final Flight

 

A series on Netflix that interviews journalists, NASA, families, and politicians about the Challenger disaster. The documentary takes you before, during, and after. It's a lot - its heart breaking. It was hard to watch. I know where I was...All in all, I say: SEE IT

Penguin Bloom

 

This is an Australian movie on Netflix. It is based on the true story. Naomi Watts (Lakewood) is paralyzed on a vacation and is struggling to deal with her new life. Andrew Lincoln (TWD) is her husband. He, his kids, and a bird help her reach her potential. The bird also helps the family heal. All in all, I Say: SEE IT

Alone

 

Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) is all alone in his apartment during a mass infection/fast zombie type apocalypse event. It's a little slow and predictable. I also don't like the fast virus zombie. All in all, I say: SKIP IT on Amazon.

The Dig

 

This movie on Netflix is based on a novel. Carey Mulligan (Shame) is a dying widow who wants the mounds on her property excavated. Ralph Fiennes (Dolittle) is the man in charge of the dig. It's based on a true story. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Sightless

 

A once famous musician is blinded by acid and has to figure out the world around her. As the movie goes there are some strange occurrences which makes all us think there is something else going on here. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - too creepy It's on Netflix.

The Undoing

 

This is a series on HBO Max from David E Kelley (LA Law). Nicole Kidman (The Hours) and  Hugh Grant (Five Eyes) star as a wealthy couple who seem to have it all. There are some secrets that will lead to murder that will destroy the family. It's a murder mystery. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - I was bored.

Walker

 

This is a remake on CW starring Jared Padalecki. It has been updated, but overall it has a similar plot as the original. I've seen two episodes - I'm not sure. Right now I have not really liked it. All in all, I say: UNSURE

WandaVision

 

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their Avenger roles in this Disney + show. each show is set in a different decade, but they are all in the same small town. I can't give away much more or it will ruin the plot for you. All in all, I say: SEE IT

The Little Things

 

Denzel Washington (Fences) and Rami Malik (Dolittle) are detectives who stumbled upon a serial killer. I think you can guess who Jared Leto (Tron 3) plays. It takes place in LA - the characters are interesting even if the investigation is predictable. It's on HBO Max. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Palmer

 

A movie on Apple starring musician Justin Timberlake. He has been released from prison and ends up at his grandmother's home trying to get his life back on track. A neighbor's kid comes between him and his master plan for the good. It's sad and sweet. You will cry. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Fate: The Winx Saga

 

On Netflix and based on a series of books I think. This is filmed in UK, so most of the cast is UK. Fey, fairies, and so on exist in this secret world. There is a conspiracy afoot and no one knows who to trust. It's got a lot of teen drama too. All in all, I say: SEE IT

United We Fall

 

On ABS this half hour comedy star comedian Will Sasso from MadTv. Its a typical family comedy. All in all, I say: SEE IT - it's light hearted

L.A.'s Finest

 

On Netflix, this series is the female version of Bad Boys. Jessica Alba (The Eye) and Gabrielle Union (Bring It On) star as the two cops that cause trouble where ever they go, but they always catch the bad guy. All in all, I say: SEE IT - it's fun with lots of action.

News of the World

 

A western on Netflix starring Tom Hanks - yes, Tom Hanks in a western. He travels the wild west reading newspaper stories to small towns for a fee. He comes across a young girl that had been kidnapped by Natives and was recently set free when the Natives were being forced on the Trail of Tears. It is well done. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Nigh Stalker

 

On Netflix, this documentary focuses on the investigation behind finding the Night Stalker in LA. It has the police, journalist, and families of victims. It is super creepy. It made me angry at how they botched the investigation over and over again. All in all,  I say: SEE IT

Danger: Diabolik

 

On Amazon, this movie based on a comic book is so bad. Everything about it is ridiculous. All in all, I say: RUN AWAY

Locked Down

 

On HBO Max this pandemic movie stars a married couple going through growing pains. A diamond heist might be what they need to fix their relationship. Chiwetel Ejiofor (2012) and Anne Hathaway (Solos) star. She annoys me, but I was bored; and I like his acting. All in all, I say: SEE IT

The High Note

 

This movie on HBO Max stars Dakota Johnson (50 Shades) as an assistant who wants to be a music producer. Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish) is a famous musician who is getting older and has some life changing decisions to make about her career. It lags in some spots and in others it's decent. I blame editing. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Call Your Mother

 

Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) moves from the Midwest to California to be nearer her children. It's a short, half hour comedy on ABC. The plot is predictable, but it's nice to get something to watch that you don't have to think about. You can just have it on in the background. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Bloom

 

An Australian tv series on Hulu starring Bryan Brown (Cocktail). There is a horrible flood that kills dozens of people in a small town. A strange flower is blooming where their corpses rotted. People who eat the bloom can reverse aging. The people in town go a bit crazy. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - it turned into a soap opera quick.

Charming

 

Wilmer Valderrama (That 70s Show) does the voice of a Prince that has won the hands of all the Princesses in the land because of a curse. On Netflix, this animated feature focuses on Charming rather than the Princesses. It's okay. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

History of Swear Words

 

This series is hosted by Nicholas Cage and plays on Netflix. It is exactly what it claims. The guests are researchers and comedians alike. It's a quick and fun informative show. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Reprisal

 

On Hulu a woman seeks revenge against a motorcycle gang that attempted to kill her. Abigail Spencer (madmen) stars as the wronged woman. All in all, I say: SEE IT  It's different and has some fun scenes both funny and action.

Gretel & Hansel

 

This is a live action horror based on the fairy tale. The woman is indeed a witch and she is looking for someone to join her in her immortal, disgusting ways. It's a long and boring and gross movie. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Pages & Co: The Bookwanderers

 

A young girl who lives with her grandparents above their bookstore discovers she has a special talent. Characters from her favorite book can visit her and she can enter their books and visit them. This newly discovered ability is somehow linked to the disappearance of her mother as well. She has to learn to control her talent and find her mother. All in all, I say: READ IT

Audible Novellas

 

A family loses a loved one and this book focuses on how they deal with that loss during their thanksgiving holiday traditions. It's well performed and free on Audible. All in all, I say: LISTEN TO IT

A Snow Day: A Holiday Romance

Also, free from audible was a quick holiday romance. All in all, I say; LISTEN TO IT

Mermaid Saga

 

Set in Japan, this is based on their myths about mermaids. If you eat mermaid flesh you become immortal. If you eat it again you become human. Mermaids in water are ugly, evil creatures. Not everyone who eats the flash lives as human forever, some become demons roaming the earth trying to eat people. Very disturbing. All in all, I say: SKIP IT