Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street
Gordon Bennett just wanted to have some stability for the future. So after selling his chain of grocery stores in the 1990s, Bennett turned to the stock market. Looking around for the right people to work with, he chose Bernie Madoff. Over a decade later, Bennett would become one of the countless lives rocked by the reveal that Madoff had been orchestrating the biggest Ponzi scheme America has ever seen. The emotional trauma experienced by Bennett and other victims of Madoff’s wickedness deserved a more consistently engaging docuseries than Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street. Continue Reading →
The Last Kingdom
Lars Von Trier is a complicated figure. The Danish director has ardent fans, fervent critics, and a whole host of international film watchers in-between. After 25 years of varying other projects, he returns to his favorite hospital in The Kingdom Exodus, the five-episode third and final season of his acclaimed supernatural series. The sepia-toned world hasn’t changed much, though, as Von Trier has gone through several scandals, health concerns, and personal challenges over the last two-and-a-half decades. His vision remains undeterred. Continue Reading →
The Mysterious Benedict Society
SimilarCigarette Girl, Dark Winds, In the Land of Leadale,
Roswell Soul Land 2: The Peerless Tang Clan, The Lost World, Word of Honor,
Studio20th Television,
If nothing else, the new Disney+ program The Mysterious Benedict Society reaffirms that the hallmarks of Wes Anderson’s works have gone fully mainstream. As its first episode opens with a needle drop of Electric Light Orchestra’s "Livin’ Thing" plays over a montage of various adolescents living in perfectly arranged dollhouse environments, you’d be forgiven for wondering why Tony Hale is providing the opening narration instead of Bob Balaban. Like that Series of Unfortunate Events TV show, Benedict Society shows that Anderson’s style is something even kids are supposed to be aware of nowadays. Continue Reading →
La Femme Nikita
By the time the 1990s rolled around, the action film genre in America was in a bit of a doldrums. The same figures who had dominated the previous decade were still making movies, but their efforts were becoming more forced and listless. Even masters of the form like Walter Hill and Clint Eastwood were coming up with duds like Another 48 Hrs (1990) and The Rookie (1990), chasing past glories with sequels and knockoffs rather than attempting anything new. Sure, the Hong Kong scene was thriving with the works of John Woo and Tsui Hark, but few in the US outside of film circles were familiar with them. Continue Reading →
The Mandalorian
Created byJon Favreau,
StarringKatee Sackhoff, Pedro Pascal,
It’s the season finale of The Mandalorian Season 2, and I hope we’re all prepared to feel our feelings. Last time, Mando and the Grogu Rescue Crew (Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and Cara Dune) sprung former Imperial sharpshooter Migs Mayfeld (Bill Burr) so he could help them get access to the Imperial intranet and get the coordinates for Moff Gideon’s light cruiser. The mission was a success, though not without its problems, as Mando (Pedro Pascal) was forced to use the terminal instead of Mayfeld, necessitating the second-ever removal of his helmet since taking the Creed. They got the intel and headed out (sans a released Mayfeld) to face off against Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and get back that little green guy. Continue Reading →