05
Jul
The John Singleton drama series about the rise of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s follows a young street dealer named Franklin Saint (Damson Idris); Mexican wrestler Gustavo ?El Oso? Zapata (Sergio Peris-Mencheta); CIA operative Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson); and Lucia Villanueva (Emily Rios), the daughter of a Mexican crime lord.Premieres Jul 05, 2017 Source: Metacritic
03
Jul
Recommended At the end of Season Three of Ray Donovan, following a shootout with Russian mobsters that left our antihero (played by Liev Schreiber) wounded and his father, Mickey (Jon Voight), on the run, Ray received absolution for his past sins from a Catholic priest who had taken an interest in him in a powerful season finale. Now it's time for Season Four to get underway, and Ray's going to walk the straight and narrow now, right? Think again.Ray's descent back into his old ways begins when he begins an association with boxer Hector Campos (Ismael Cruz Cordova), which soon…
02
Jul
Theodore Melfi’s feelgood drama about Nasa’s black female mathematicians in the 60s adds up to something special, while Heal the Living is a sublime opera of feelingI first saw Hidden Figures (Fox, PG) alone in a screening room on the morning after Donald Trump’s election victory, in a mood that would swiftly kill the pleasures of many an innocent, well-meaning movie. In this case, however, it proved perversely perfect timing: Theodore Melfi’s rousing, grand-hearted story of the black female Nasa mathematicians who defied civil rights-era workplace prejudice to advance the space race was, corny as it sounds, just the direct,…
02
Jul
The documentary series narrated by Liev Schreiber features colorized black and white pictures and film footage from the 1920s to the 1960s.Premieres Jul 02, 2017 Source: Metacritic
01
Jul
Recommended In 10 Words or LessFunny chaos that's as relevant as ever Reviewer's Bias*Loves: Laugh-In, Henry Gibson, Jo Anne WorleyLikes: Goldie Hawn, Sammy Davis, Jr. Dislikes: Formulaic comedyHates: Casual racism, how awful things don't just go awayThe ShowA controversial president drowning in scandal, Republican leadership ignoring the poor, social unrest, civil-rights battles, racism, clashes over reproductive rights, gender inequality, international strife...boy, the late 60s were a mess, huh? Thank goodness we've come a long way over the past 50 years. I mean, if we hadn't, then revisiting Dan Rowan and Dick Martin's Laugh-In would feel incredibly relevant and frustrating, watching…
30
Jun
Highly Recommended Decoy a one-season undercover cop show from 1957-58, was unknown to this reviewer until it turned up in our unwanted screener pile. Because it starred cult actress Beverly Garland I was moderately curious to see it, only to discover that it's an unusual, even groundbreaking series of exceptional interest. For starters, it was the first - and still among the very few - American cop show with a female protagonist. One would imagine that, Decoy coming from the 1950s, that a male co-star would have been required to do all the heavy lifting, to sweep in and save…
30
Jun
New York City therapist Jean Holloway (Naomi Watts) becomes involved with her patients and their lives in this psychological thriller series written and created by Lisa Rubin.Premieres Jun 30, 2017 Source: Metacritic
30
Jun
During Hitler's anniversary speech on November 8, 1939, a man is arrested on the Swiss border for possession of suspicious objects. Just minutes later, a bomb explodes in the Munich Burgerbraukeller, immediately behind the Fuhrer's lectern, killing eight people.The man is Georg Elser (Christian Friedel), a carpenter from Konigsbronn in the Swabia region.When a map of the site of the assault and detonators are found on him, he is sent to the head of the Criminal Police in the Reichssicherheitshauptamt,Arthur Nebe (Burghart Klaussner) and the head of the Gestapo, Heinrich Muller (Johann von Bulow) to be questioned. From them, Elser…
30
Jun
Medieval nuns Alessandra (Alison Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), and Ginevra (Kate Micucci) lead a simple life in their convent. Their days are spent chafing at monastic routine, spying on one another, and berating the estate?s day laborer. After a particularly vicious insult session drives the peasant away, Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly) brings on new hired hand Massetto (Dave Franco), a virile young servant forced into hiding by his angry lord. Introduced to the sisters as a deaf-mute to discourage temptation, Massetto struggles to maintain his cover as the repressed nunnery erupts in a whirlwind of pansexual horniness, substance abuse,…
29
Jun
Mali's music defines the country's cultural identity. Radical Islamists are threatening the musicians. Together with the stars of Malian Global Pop - Fatoumata Diawara, Bassekou Kouyate Master Soumy and Ahmed Ag Kaedi - we embark on a musical journey to Mali's agitated heart. Can their music reconcile the country?Rated: Not RatedRelease Date: Jun 29, 2017 Source: Metacritic
28
Jun
DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) and DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) David Tennant investigate a rape at a house party in the third and final season of the crime drama.Premieres Jun 28, 2017 Source: Metacritic
28
Jun
A successful Bangkok architect in the midst of a midlife crisis is reunited with an elephant he knew growing up. The two embark on a road trip to the man's childhood home in the idyllic Thai countryside. Along the way, they meet a colorful cast of characters that includes a pair of nonplussed local police officers, a forlorn transgender sex worker, and a mysteriously wise drifter. [Kino Lorber]Rated: Not RatedRelease Date: Jun 28, 2017 Source: Metacritic
26
Jun
Skip It Director: Patrick JohnsonStarring: Nate Rubin, Kris Kiley, Brina PalenciaYear: 2015Your guess is as good as mine as to why American Pie worked when so many other coming-of-age sex comedies die a terrible death as soon as they hit the screen, some as soon as they hit the straight-to-DVD shelves. Maybe it was Eugene Levy, maybe it was the pie, who knows, but that film is now a classic, and in comparison, The High Schoolers Guide to College Parties will never be. Not only will it never become a classic, it will never be seen by more than the…
25
Jun
The second Fifty Shades is flawed but easy on the eye, while Annette Bening gives the performance of her life as a single mother in 70s LAI don’t believe in the term “guilty pleasure”: if a film, however ropey, gives me pleasure, I’m not ashamed to concede that something about it is working. Still, the delight I take in Fifty Shades Darker (Universal, 18) pushes this attitude to its limit. The first film based on EL James’s potpourri-porn novels was surprisingly sly, pruning and embellishing the author’s lilac prose with something like irony. This follow-up, directed in gaudily gilded fashion…
25
Jun
The prequel to Prime Suspect is set in 1973 where 22-year-old Jane Tennison (Stefanie Martini) begins working on on her first murder case as a WPC (woman police constable) with Greater London's Metropolitan police. [Aired between 2 March 2017 and 6 April 2017 in the UK under the name Prime Suspect 1973]Premieres Jun 25, 2017 Source: Metacritic
23
Jun
Highly Recommended In 10 Words or LessYoung female friendship portrayed perfectlyReviewer's Bias*Loves: The look of classic cinema, Peter SellersLikes: Positive female relationshipsDislikes: Rich peopleHates: Running into old casual racism, adulterersThe MovieGeorge Roy Hill, who would go on to win an Oscar for The Sting, while directing a string of well-regarded films including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the iconic Slap Shot, started off his feature-film career with stage adaptations before tackling Nora Johnson's novel, The World of Henry Orient. Obviously his earlier work, including his time with "Playhouse 90" and "Kraft Theater", set him up well to tackle…
23
Jun
Set in 1985 Los Angeles, struggling actress Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) ends up on a women wrestling TV show in this comedy created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch that was inspired by the 1980s professional wrestling league.Premieres Jun 23, 2017 Source: Metacritic
23
Jun
Nowhere to Hide follows male nurse Nori Sharif through five years of dramatic change, providing unique access into one of the world?s most dangerous and inaccessible areas ? the ?triangle of death? in central Iraq. Initially filming stories of survivors and the hope of a better future as American and Coalition troops retreat from Iraq in 2011, conflicts continue with Iraqi militias, and the population flees accompanied by most of the hospital staff. Nori is one of the few who remain. When ISIS advances on Jalawla in 2014 and takes over the city, he too must flee with his family…
23
Jun
Based on the real-life courtship between Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Zoe Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional Muslim parents. When Emily is beset with a mystery illness, it forces Kumail to navigate the medical crisis with her parents, Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) who he's never met, while dealing…
