TV Review: Miss Scarlett

 PBS Masterpiece Theater, 3 seasons

T.V. Series Review: Magnum P.I. (1980-1988)

 Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) is based in Hawaii where he works as a private investigator.  He has several good friends who help him in his business, which involves one difficult case after another.  There is one episode where Selleck is stuck under a WWII airplane.  He begins talking to a spider; and in so doing he solves the case he is working on, if he could only get away.  He stays in the home of Jonathan Quayle Higgins (John Hillerman).  Theodore TC Calvin (Roger E Mosley) is a friend who owns a helicopter business, and often uses it to help Magnum's spy business.  Orville Richard Wright (Larry Manetti) has connections with the mob, and other contacts helpful to Magnum.  This was a very entertaining show for Sheri and I when we were first married.  We watched it religiously.  It introduced us to the acting skills of Tom Selleck who for some time is one of my favorite actors.  

TV Series Review: ***^Shadow and Bones (2021-2023)

 This is a Netflix series of two seasons with eight episodes in each season.  I found it entertaining in a week when I was home alone while Tony was at school.  

The story is that there are people with special powers, (make ice weapons, blow wind, manipulate fire, manipulate dark or light and others) and those without.  Those without are more numerous and begin to hunt those with power.  Those with poser have to touch hands and so you see handcuffs thaty keep peoples' hands apart.  General Aleksander Kirigan (Ben Barnes) is one of those hunted and to even the odds who uses a different type of magic, and creates a void, an dark empty space between dividing the country which is difficult to travel and has scary monsters in it.  

The show revolves around two orphans, Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) and Malyen Oretsev (Archie Renaux) who found each other as children and have always been together.  It seems they are intended for each other.  However it is discovered that Alina is a creature of light.  It then becomes her job to destroy the void.  Kirigan first becomes aware of her power, and brings her to his palace to train her and use you powers to magnify his.  It is only after a few episodes that she becomes aware that Kirigan is trying to ue her power so he can extend the fold he created.  He does force her to combine with him and is able to manipulate the fold enough to destroy whole communities.  She is finally able to force her will and get away from him.  Season one ends with him being taken away by one of the fold creatures.

In season two he comes back and has creatures which cannot be killed attached to him.  He is even more powerful.  They meet the king's son, Nicolai Lantsov (Patrick Gibson).  There is also a group of thieves who themselves "crows" who help "Saint" Alina including: Faz Brekker (Freddy Carter), Inej Ghafa (Amita Suman), Jesper (Kit Young), 

They seek a sword that can cut shadow--and finally find the sword.  They also seek another animal that can enhance power.  The discover this in fact is not an animal; but is Malyen, the Saint of Light's childhood love.  For the enhanced effect, she must kill him.  

The show builds to a mighty conclusion, with people with special powers on both sides.  I have enjoyed binge watching this series.  It is rated TV-14.  They throw the LBGTQ stuff at you pretty hard with kissing and such.  It is funny how that studd doesn't show up until a few episodes down the line until after you are enjoying the series.  I guess they are trying to make a statement that they are "correct."

Disney+ TV Review: ****^Star Wars: Andor 2022

 Andor is incredibly good as it keeps building until we hit the climax in the last episode.  Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) is nothing more than a mercenary or thief.  He is recruited by a rebel organizer, Luthen Rael (Stellen Skarsgärd) He and Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) work together in funding the rebellion.  Andor and some other reels carry out a successful heist of an imperial payroll, thus getting needed money for the rebellion.  Cassian hangs low, but in doing so is unjustly imprisoned.  He is set to work on some unknown device.  Escape is impossible as the floor is wired with electricity in it which is turned on at any hint of escape.  But when we realize that any sentence is a life sentence in this prison (a whole floor was killed when one was due to be released) escape becomes the goal.  

Andor's adoptive mother, Maarva (Fiona Shaw) passes away.  He must return to the funeral.  However the epire want him captured so they can torture him and learn secrets of the rebellion, particularly the identity of Luthen Rael.  Luthen Rael also wants to kill Andor so as to prevent being exposed.  It seems there is not much hope for him.  The highlight of the whole series is when Luthen's mother, through a droid, gives her own eulogy and calls for rebellion.  The tension just builds and builds to this point and finally pops.  In the chaos, Andor gives his life to Luthen.

The sage of Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) is weaved into the other stories.  However this story did not reach its head yet.

season two

TV Review: ****^Star Wars: The Bad Batch

 I thoroughly enjoyed Star War: The Bad Batch, as I generally enjoy anything Star Wars.  This is a new animated series.  The original premise we have about the Bad Batch, is they are just that, clones who were mismade some how.  However it has been an advantage to them as they are generally more aggressive and they fight outside the general mode of the other clones, which makes them a more formidable fighter.  However, as this series progresses we find that perhaps their differences were not accidental.  Each has special skills.  Hunter is the leader and has intuitive insight, Cross Hair is a superior marksman, Wrecker has great strength and also a reinforced skeletal system, Tech is a Tech genius, Echo was a regular droid but captured by the drones and hooked up to a computer and so can now access any computer. And then we add a fifth member to the Bad Batch, a young girl.  She too has her own special abilities and by the end of the series we begin to figure out what those are.  

Conflict is created when one member of the Bad Batch is very intense on following orders, and as such leaves the group and joins the empire.  However we are never sure how much the empire actually appreciates him, or are they just using him.  All of the episodes from the first season are now available through Disney+.  

A few years later all of the Bad Batch Seasons are available.  There are three seasons in total.  Omega, the young girl mentioned is vital the the Empire as they want to utilize her in making more clines.  She is a force sensitive clone.  She is captured and held prisoner.  The emperor wants to use her blood to be able to make force sensitive clones.  The rest of the Bad Batch is determined to rescue her.  This puts them all in harms way; but they are a team.

From season to season this series only gets better.  As in all dangerous situations; they are in great peril and not all survive.

The Primary cast:

Omega, Michelle Ang

The Bad Batch; Cross Hair, Wrecker, Hunter, Tech and Echo, Dee Bradley Baker. Baker also voices most of the other clones.

There are three seasons with 47 episodes.  This is great Star Wars fun.

TV Review: Dwight in Shining Armor

 Dwight in Shining Armor is an offering from BYUTV.  It is now in its fifth season and I have enjoyed them all.  There is only one episode remaining.  The premise is that the Champions Spell has been caste by the courts magician because Greta, the princess, was in deep trouble.  The Champions spell puts everyone to sleep,  until a champion is found.  In this case that took 1000 years,  and the champion is a high school student.  In this story, two extreme cultures collide.  Creatures awake as the spell is fulfilled, and so we find trolls, and dragons and many other creatures and characters in our modern world.  It was been a great ride.  Sloane Morgan Siegel is the champion, Dwight,  Caitlin Carmichael portrays the princess Greta,  Joel McCrary is Baldric the court magician and Danielle Bisutti, Hexela, a witch who helps Baldric.  

TV Review: *****The Mandalorian

 I have really enjoyed the first two seasons of Mandalorian.  It was genius on the part of Disney to introduce the little Yoda from the very first episode.  I think after that introduction everyone was hooked.  And then to bring Ahsoka Tano to the screen in season two.  She is so hard core.  The return of Luke Skywalker was just the most.  I love the Star Wars universe and characters; and this film reintroduced old characters but also brought to the screen new intriguing characters.  I wait for the next season and hope Disney politics don't ruin it.  Great fun.  Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian, Gina Carano as Cara Dune, Giancarlo as Moff Gideon (the bad guy) and Rosario Dawson and Ahsoka Tano.  

T.V. Movie Review: Veronica Mars

I have now watched all of Veronica Mars, including the four seasons and the movie.  I think that is 72 episodes and the movie.  The character Veronica Mars (Kristin Bell) is fascinating to me.  I really enjoy her spunk, but she often puts herself in harms way.  She is joined by her father (Enrico Colantoni) and her boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring).  The stories center around the fictional community of Neptune, California which is supposedly by the beach  close to San Diego.  It is incredible what a big crime influence there is in such a small town; and the ineptitude of the local police department.  Mars and her father are private detectives who often solve crimes while the police take the credit.  The biggest case is solving the murder of Veronica's best friend.  From there we have bombers, and a couple of occasions, a bus going over a cliff, rapes, and any other types of crime.  I have really enjoyed following this presentation is is available through Hulu.  

TV Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)

I thoroughly enjoyed this 8 part series taken from the Lemony Snicket books.  the first two episodes are entitled, the Bad Beginning.  And it really is a terrible beginning.  While at the beach, the Baudelaire children, Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louise Hynes), and Sunny (Presley Smith)  discover that their parent have perished in a fire, and they are farmed by the bank to Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris), who is their closest relative (lives closest) rather than a relative they may have actually met.  Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket narrates.  Count Olaf is not a good man, and he will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune which is  tied up in trust until violet comes of age.  The Count figure to outwit the banker, Mr. Poe (K. Todd Freeman).  He has had his way so far with his terrible acting company (henchmen).  In the first episode Joan Cusack guest stars as the neighbor who is a judge.  The children wish she could rescue them.  The schemes cooked up by the Count are terribly devious, including his marrying violet, while he holds Baby Sunny as leverage.  Plenty of unfortunate events take place in this movie to keep it entertaining.  The "Turn Away" song at the beginning of each episode is quite entertaining by itself.  Neil Patrick Harris sings the theme song for each episode in the character he has taken.  The Count is like a bad cat that keeps coming back.  In the first he plays himself, an actor, the second he portrays a scientist's assistant, and actually murders the scientist.  the third he is a sea captain with a peg leg, and the fourth he is in drag as the secretary to an optometrist, who is a former love.  There adventures carry them through a lizard room, a cliff by a lake, and finally to a factory where the worker work for nothing.  This is very entertaining.  It is available through Netflix and appears to be a made-for-Netflix series.

Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (Full Episode)

This is a Charlie Brown Special focusing on Halloween and Linus.  Of course it has all the characters, including Snoopy chasing the Red Baron, and getting shot down, Charlie Brown, who only gets rocks, Lucy who is embarrassed by her brother, Linus, who believes in the Great Pumpkin and gives up his halloween waiting for its arrival, Sally, who loves Linus enough to wait for the Great Pumpkin with him, and Schroeder, whose music touches the emotions, as Snoopy demonstrates.
Loved this show as a kid, and still love it.
There are a couple versions on You Tube

TV Review: Alfred Hitchcock Presents

I have been enjoying the Alfred Hitchcock presents, first season on Netflix.  There are some very interesting stories, and an introduction to many actors in their early years.  There are spy movies, murder movies, strange things and some things not so strange.  There is revenge, against the wrong person.  Christmas is really good where a parolee is hired to be Santa Clause.  We see a new version of Anne Borden, where it says the younger sister committed the murder, and Anne took the blame.  There is much to enjoy here.  There are 39 episodes, all 24 minutes with a one minute introduction by Alfred Hitchcock.  Great fun, just for the entertainment value without having to think too much.  I can't get Tony too interested, but coming from the 1950s era you don't have to worry about language, or bad morals.  They do show macabre things from time to time.

TV Music Review: A Very Murray Christmas (2015) (Miley Cyrus, Silent Night)

This is a christmas special which was available through Netflix this year.  Bill Murray is due to host a Christmas Eve special.  However New York is snowed in, and as his special guests are not going to show, he is looking for anyone to perform.  I felt most of this show was a train wreck.  The performances are very poor, with the exception of Miley Cyrus singing "Silent Night."  However even that is convoluted because Miley Cyrus and George Clooney only show up in Bill Murray's dream after he passes out due to drinking too much alcohol.  Paul Shaffer is also a breath of fresh air in this mess.  He is very talented on the piano, as shown by his playing for Miley Cyrus.

Movie Review: The Boy Who Left Home to Find out about the Shivers.

This is a presentation in the series Shelly Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre.  I watched it thinking it might be scary.  It is based on a Brothers Grimm story.  It wasn't.  For the most part it was just stupid with corny special effects.   A person who has never been scared agrees to stay in a haunted castle.  Tony and I where slightly amused by the second day in which the bowl using a skull for the ball and bones for the pins.  Because he conquers the castle, he is given the princess to marry.  He then gets the shivers thinking about the responsibilities that come with that.

TV Review: 69th Annual Tony Awards (2015)

There is lots of music in this two-part presentation of the Tony Awards.  Kristen Chenoweth and Alan Cumming.  This presentation has many presentations of musicals from the year.  One of the highlights is "Stronger" from Finding Neverland with Matthew Morrison and Kelsey Grammer.  The hosts present a few funny gags.  But another highlight is a musical satire of musicals where people burst into song.  This is very entertaining stuff.  There is some political correctness fa-la-la, but there is lots of talent displayed here.

Doobie Brothers - Chicago 1977 Full Concert

This Chicago concert was part of a TV series called Soundstage produced by WTTW Chicago.  This was after the Doobie Brothers had released their 7th album and many of the original band members had left and been replaced.  They had also gone through a stage with three brass pieces.  In this version they have two guitars, and three percussionists, bass and keyboard.  They band members include:
Lineup:
Pat Simmons - Guitar & Vocals
Michael McDonald - Keyboards & Vocals
Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter - Guitar & Vocals
Tiran Porter - Bass & Vocals
John Hartman - Drums & Percussion
Keith Knudsen - Drums & Vocals
Bobby LaKind - Congas & Vocals

Again, the highlight of this series is the last two songs, "Black Water" and "Listen to the Music."  These two songs stir my blood and get me moving.  They are truly rock classics.  I especially like the a'capella part of "Black Water."

TV Review: Doctor Who: Season 8

This was a very fun ride this past weekend.  We have the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Cabaldi) played as a sour old man, and Clara (Jenna Coleman) as a beautiful young woman who is torn between her boyfriend (Samuel Anderson) and the Doctor.  They of course have many adventures.  They start in Victorian England, where many people self combust as well as a time traveling dinosaur.  Turns out a robot race is harvesting human body parts to fix their space ship, when end up on the moon with a decision of whether to kill the egg (the moon is an egg) or let the new creature be hatched.  The decision could have eternal consequences for human kind.  The Doctor takes a Q like stance in this one, testing the humans.  This really gets Clara angry.
A recurring character through out the series is Missy, who is collecting dead bodies.  This leads to a climatic finale involving Cyber-men.  The love between Clara and her boyfriend is tested many times, as Clara runs off with the Doctor.  However the final test is even more dramatic.

Music Review: Austin City Limits Hall of Fame: 40th Anniversary

This is a PBS production.  The night was dedicated mostly to Willie Nelson.  He performed the first Austin City Limits, and so it was fitting that he should help in celebrating 40 years.  The story line contends that Austin City Limits is the longest running music program on television.  Although of a different flavor, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been aired since early 1960's which would make it longer.  They have had a radio broadcast since 1929.  However, 40 years of performances is a remarkable achievement.

TV Review: Columbo

Columbo is Peter Falk at his best.  His bumbling character, who is not bumbling but more hounding is a delight to watch.  Crime films in his day are much different than they are now.  Now they focus on the blood, and on Columbo the blood was not a part of the scene at all.  It is incredible how little the victims bleed. There is no blood splatter.  There is no DNA testing, no swabbing.  None of that stuff.  However there is Columbo, who has a sense about who the murderer is, and then has to go about proving it with the murderer doing everything to not leave evidence.  However there is always something that makes Columbo think, and feel ill at ease, and so he pursues things like a hound dog.  This is now available on instant Netflix.  There are many high powered guests.  Steven Bochco is usually writing the screenplay.  Columbo first came out in 1971 for NBC and was a staple for many years with the final production in 2003, although it was not a continuous run.  It ran for about 7 years, and then came back 10 years later for a 10+year run.  

TV Movie Review: ***^Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (2009)

This film is based on the characters of Robert Parker.  I have not read the books, but this is the first film installment not based on the books.  There are two major story lines, Captain Healey from the state police and Stone are shot doing a surveillance; and a woman whose son was kidnapped and presumed dead shows up with questions.  She received a letter which tells her that her son is still alive.  Stone at first stays away form this investigation, allowing officer Rose (Kathy Baker) follow the leads.  Stone in the meantime pursues who would shoot the Captain.  I like the music.  The storm weather of the North East also adds to the film, as does Stone portrayed by Tom Selleck.

TV Review: Granite Flats, Season 3

This is a series that just keeps getting better and better.  This season is intriguing because of the spying genre, figuring who the "Plumber" might be, and the intricate relationships.  Christopher Lloyd does an excellent job as the professor.  There is a nice love triangle, marital strife, and personal growth.  Check this series out on Netflix or BYUtv.  Season 1; Season 2.