In the midst of all our film viewings, we somehow (no idea how) squeezed in binging a variety of series......so for those perusing the billions of hours of streaming content available on various platforms, here's some brief impressions to help in your decisions.....
Alien: Earth (2025-Hulu/FX)
Fans of the Alien-verse, here's a dream come true.....Eight ooey-gooey, slime-dripping episodes featuring not only our favorite Intergalactic abomination, but some all new horrific creatures to generate weeks of bad dreams...... Yes, they've landed on earth to wreak disgusting havoc, thanks to two competing mega-corporations that rule the depicted future world.
Inventive, scary and, at more times than we could count, darkly funny.
Plenty of MVPs here, both alien and human. On the flesh 'n blood side, Sydney Chandler as the leader of a group of children who were once dying, but whose minds were transferred into superstrong teenage bodies......and Samuel Blenkin as the odious, insufferably smug Boy Kavalier (or "boy genius") who oversees one of the mega-corporations.
On the alien side, there is of course our leading face-hugging, acid-dripping Xenomorph, once again running rampant, to everyone's horror. But watch out for the scene stealing Eye creature, an adorably terrifying spider-like whats-it who jams his own singular oversized eyeball into hapless humans and animals, replacing their minds with its own.
Brimming with ominous dread and slurpy gore, an 'Alien' fan's nightmare come true. 5 stars (*****).
Hanna (2019-2021/ Amazon Prime)
Propulsive, fast paced action suspense thriller based on the 2011 film with Saoirse Ronan and Cate Blanchett. Esme Creed-Miles takes over Ronan's role as a practically feral teen, living off the grid in a forest with her father. They've escaped from a black ops experimental program where Hanna was born, raised and trained to become an international assassin. (and also genetically altered to give her extra strength and stamina.)
The story spills out over multiple European locations, where Hanna ends up as both predator and prey against a continuing rotation of enemies, frenemies and all out adversaries (including Mirelle Enos, Dermot Mulroney and Ray Liotta.)
Jason Bourne lovers should eat it up and Esme Creed-Miles will grip you as the formidable but terribly vulnerable young warrior girl. Drags on a bit for 3 seasons, but delivers a satisfying conclusion. 4 stars (****).
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-2023/Amazon Prime)
We hadn't signed up for Prime during all the years this show was collecting multiple Emmys, but at long last can agree with all the critics and viewers.....it's a non-stop delight, top loaded with unforgettable characters, situations, settings and the warp speed laugh-out-loud dialogue that's a specialty of the show's writer-directors, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino.
The show's ambitious in its conception and re-creation of New York City and environs of the late 1950's and early 60's, when JFK's ascendence was right around the corner. And the two leads deliver performances beyond spectacular......Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel, a whip-smart young Jewish woman who defies the tenets of womanhood laid down by her family, her religion and the1950's Patriarchy.
In her Quixote-like pursuit to become a stand-up comedy star, Midge is befriended, mentored, and tormented by her equally fierce, fearless, hard-scrabbling talent manager Susie Myerson, played with riotous, laugh-out-loud, take-no-prisoners abandon by Alex Borstein. Along their crazy tortuous path to superstardom, you'll also savor superb supporting performances from a huge cast, including Tony Shalhoub, Jane Lynch, Kevin Pollack and many, many others.
If you haven't caught up with this one yet, put it at the very top of your list......5 stars (*****)
The Summer I Turned Pretty ( Amazon Prime-2022-2025)
The very bottom of the YA teen angst barrel, based on the best selling novel by the show's producer-writer and sometime director, Jenny Han.
As you might've already surmised, we watched at the behest of BD (Beloved Daughter). For three agonizing seasons, the series dwells on that surefire trope that assembles and then waterboards the YA demographic.....the romantic triangle.
And a more spoiled rotten, whiny, self absorbed trio you'll never find......17 year old 'Belly' (Lola Tung) and from a wealthy family she's more or less grown up with, its two brothers Conrad and Jeremiah (Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno. They've been alternately teasing and crushing on her since childhood and now, with teen hormones fully raging, let the endless competition to finally woo and win her commence.
Abysmal and tiresome on every possible level, with the show dragging out its "Who will Belly end up with" shtick until even its most loyal viewers lost patience with it.
We'll not waste any more time discussing this calculating soap-opera-ish slog. Zero stars (0).
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