The Stop Button

Blankets (2003) OGN WA: Craig Thompson. Oddly callous memoir about creator Thompson growing up conservative Christian in rural Wisconsin in the eighties and nineties. The first half is rough but searching. The second half is more polished; usually for nothing. Thompson figures it out by the end, when it’s too late. More unfocused than bad.

Doctor Strange (1974) #14 [1976] W: Steve Englehart. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. The TOMB OF DRACULA crossover finishes up here, with Strange outwitting Drac to save Wong’s immortal soul. Most of it plays as a TOD issue, only with atrocious Englehart scripting. And despite great Colan and Palmer art… the action’s lousy.

Ginseng Roots (2019) #11 [2023] WA: Craig Thompson. The Brothers Thompson finish up their Chinese trip, with Craig showing a great deal of cultural sensitivity and enthusiasm. The boon is their third wheel–a “sister”/tour guide. Lush art; wonderful as usual.

Ginseng Roots (2019) #12 [2023] WA: Craig Thompson. Craig–GINSENG’s protagonist, not the creator–figures out if he’ll actually be able to turn all his ginseng research into a comic. Good thing since it’s the last issue. It’s a double-sized, glorious finale to the series.

Monkey Prince (2021) #4 [2022] W: Gene Luen Yang. A: Bernard Chang. MONKEY wraps its origin arc with a big, but not dangerous cliffhanger. Monkey and Shifu team up with Robin again, this time intentionally. They’ve got to save Monkey’s parents from the demonically possessed Penguin. Yang has fun with the teen superhero team-up. Good jokes and a great pairing of culture and canon.

Monkey Prince (2021) #5 [2022] W: Gene Luen Yang. A: Bernard Chang. New town, new school, new girl, new supervillain boss for the parents. The parents are fun and funny but also a tad psychopathic. They’re now bad parents, endangering Marcus. Though Marcus manages to get into danger on his own. Yang continues to impress, especially how he weaves in the DCU. Good, creepy action art. Who needs Batman when you’ve got MONKEY.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #38 [1975] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. More filler to delay the Dracula showdown with Doctor Sun. Unfortunately, it involves the return of Harold H. Harold, Wolfman’s most obnoxious creation (to date). Quincy and Co. team up with Sun; I’m sure they won’t regret that choice.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #39 [1975] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Doctor Sun’s master plan comes into focus, with the vampire hunters unwittingly (but predictably) playing into his plans, which–shocker–aren’t just about trying to kill Dracula. Colan seems to be doing a Will Eisner homage at times, which is something, at least.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #40 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Frank Giacoia, Gene Colan. Gorgeous art, thank goodness, to compensate for insipid dialogue and more plot churning from Wolfman as the army tries to take on Doctor Sun. Will Dracula have to get involved to save the day?

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #41 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Dracula’s back from the dead (again), because no one else can possibly stop the evil Doctor Sun (again). Dippy Wolfman script, great Colan and Palmer art. Sadly, Blade joins the gang just so they can be racist at him (again).

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #42 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. So much racism. So much. Blade’s just here as a target. Anyway–Wolfman wraps up the third(?) final showdown with Doctor Sun, in full tell don’t show mode. The obnoxious supporting cast doesn’t help anything either. Lackluster in the extremis.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #43 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Wolfman punts on Blade’s vengeance art (as always), leaving the previous cliffhanger unresolved. Instead, he does a done-in-one reset involving a reporter. The art’s nice and the characters are far less obnoxious than the regular cast.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #44 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Aside from the perplexing choice of Boston as the new setting, lousy supporting character moments, and over-baked dialogue, it’s not bad. There’s movement on Blade’s arc (finally) and great art on guest-star Doctor Strange. Plus deep cuts to Dracula’s Marvel origin. Crossover concludes in DR. STRANGE (1972) #14.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #45 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Blade and Hannibal King team up in a back door pilot and Wolfman does a full, immediate cop-out on the DR. STRANGE crossover death for Dracula. Instead, Dracula decides to start a cult. Weird, dumb, but gorgeous art.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #46 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Dracula gets married, which is boring. Blade hangs out with another racist, also boring. To stay engaged, Wolfman does a horror comic done in one about a toxic waste monster. Not good but different, with solid but not great art.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #47 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. It’s an all romance issue. Dracula and Domini talk past each other with agendas and love at first bite. Blade’s girlfriend distracts him from his life-long quest. Rachel’s sick of Frank. Harold comes back for some ungodly reason. Speaking of godly, Wolfman goes 100% Christian comic, with Jesus being a visually passive but ostensibly active participant. Blah.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #48 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Competently executed filler with a lead story about one of Dracula’s victims as she encounters him time and again throughout her life. Not great but gives Colan and Palmer variety.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #49 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Dracula’s trapped in a woman’s magical library where she hangs out with her favorites from classical literature, and he’s a mega prick about it. Good but not great Colan and Palmer art.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #50 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. It’s the battle no one needed–Silver Surfer versus Dracula! Thanks to the art, the comic works out, but Wolfman tries too hard writing the Surfer. He gets the protagonist spot, making Dracula a supporting player for an anniversary special. Also, the Christian stuff is overbearing.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #51 [1976] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. It’s a mostly action issue–Dracula’s fundraising for his cult, evil vampire Blade happens in, Drac’s racist as usual, they duke it out. Meanwhile, Frank successfully gaslights Rachel into admitting men are always right. Blah. Not even the art keeps it going.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #52 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. It’s Dracula vs. an unknown super-being who looks like Adam Warlock but isn’t a warlock because Wolfman’s doing a Christian comic. Colan’s the same but less. Colan’s real close to phoning it in level.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #53 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Blade and Hannibal King need to track down Deacon Frost for their vengeance arcs. Only problem is Blade’s dead. Good thing there are guest stars like Damian Hellstrom available. Real good art, slightly obnoxious King narration, but it’s solid action comics.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #54 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. The Son of Dracula is born, on Christmas Eve. Will Dracula keep wife Domini happy as his minions plot against him, in league with his nemeses? Of course. Gorgeous night-time wintery art–Colan’s seeming Eisner nods are back. Best “normal” issue in ages, which sadly means some racism towards Blade from his white pals.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #55 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan. An occasionally problematic, but incredibly ambitious TOMB, centering (eventually) around bride of Dracula, Domini. Colan and Palmer have a glorious issue. Wolfman does okay (it’s complicated) but there’s a lot of earnest to it. At times, so much things get silly.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #56 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Harold writes a novel about fighting Dracula. It’s terrible (one has to wonder if Wolfman was self-aware when mocking garishly purple prose). So is the comic any good? No. The art’s good. The story is surprisingly bland.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #57 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Wolfman tries another done-in-one-ish horror comic about a man who keeps getting reincarnated until he meets Dracula in present-day Boston. Lots of racism in the flashbacks (Wolfman frankly revels in it), while the regular subplots get pushed again further. Bah. But some good art.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #58 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Blade and an old friend team up to save the friend’s wife from an odd vampiric affliction. The story gets silly at times, but… at least no one’s racist in it towards Blade or his Black friends. In the story, anyway. Wolfman’s got to make sure Blade treats his girlfriend like garbage. Fine art, but the story’s more compelling for once.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #59 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Unsurprisingly, the fearless vampire hunters bungle ambushing Dracula as he celebrates the birth of his son. The regular cast doesn’t like the idea of using… guns with silver bullets to kill Dracula (it’s unsporting, but then there’s no comic if they ever succeed). Great art and a silly finish. Wolfman’s bad at Christian comics.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #60 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan. Phenomenal art–Dracula raging against a thunderstorm–would make the issue stand apart, but then there’s also all the weird and icky. First, it retcons last issue’s Christian comic cliffhanger. Then Dracula rants about being a rapist when he was alive. Wolfman’s idea of writing him sympathetic is something else. But, the art.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #61 [1977] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. After a distressing intro with the insipid vampire killers, the issue settles into the main event—Mrs. Dracula trying to resurrect Junior. Except if Junior comes back he’ll be a Heaven vampire, Dad’s mortal enemy. Wolfman’s overwriting passes obnoxious, but it’s weird enough to compel, with help from the gorgeous art.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #62 [1978] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. The issue starts soft, with Domini and Janus talking too much before Janus turns into a golden eagle (the Heavenly version of a vampire bat?). But then there’s a great, weird fight scene, followed by actual suspense. Wolfman overwrites it a tad, but the main story about a haunted house, is rock solid.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #63 [1978] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Drac, son Janus, Frank Drake, and guest star Topaz fight a demonic, telepathic worm monster in a haunted house. Lots of setup to fill pages before a strange time jump back to gladiator times. Lots of great art. And in the last few pages, Wolfman figures out how to make it compelling.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #64 [1978] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Dracula and Topaz go to Hell so Satan (not Mephisto) can babble incessantly about Dracula being so badass he most be destroyed. It’s another of Wolfman’s terrible Christian comics. Back on Earth, lots of (misogynistic) talk of the fearless vampire hunters. Not even the art can help this stinker. Okay cliffhanger. Maybe.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #65 [1978] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan. Human Dracula roams Boston by daylight, becoming a reluctant hero, while the fearless vampire hunters debate whether killing him in his resurrection is fair game. They decide human or not, he goes. Then there’s some cowboy vampire hunter. Is it lazy or just bad? Good art, though.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #66 [1978] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan. Dracula is in New York City, trying to find daughter Lilith to turn him back into a vampire. He meets a divorcée at a discotheque. His cowboy hitman pursues. Good art, if strange (cowboy vs. vampire in seventies New York. Wolfman overdoes the Christian stuff again and teases The Cowboy about his real name not being manly enough.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #67 [1978] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan. Still in New York, Dracula tracks down daughter Lilith, who takes advantage of his humanity to beat the everblooming shit out of him. Great art, a tad exploitative at times (cleavage angles are a big thing). Harold shows up and gets into a buddy cop movie with Drac. Bad Christian comics too! It’s packed.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #68 [1979] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Really good conclusion to the Dracula as human arc. Not without many faults, including the barely present Colan pencils. The art is good, but it’s very different than usual. The ending’s a talky disappointment but the ride there is phenomenal. Even with problems, the writing’s got momentum going for it.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #69 [1979] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. On the run from his old subordinates, Dracula—once again a vampire—finds himself protecting scared children. There’s a lot about crucifies too, which Wolfman manages not to bungle. It’s the first time he hasn’t screwed up the Christian stuff. Art’s good. Still that “New Colan” vibe. Maybe we won’t go back.

Tomb of Dracula (1972) #70 [1979] W: Marv Wolfman. A: Gene Colan, Tom Palmer. Big finale has some great art. Some. It’s also a whiff of a finish, with Wolfman going all in on a “Rachel’s a broken woman” bit. No special guest stars. No big payoff. Wolfman basically soft booted last issue and now we’re at the end. But some good—some great art. “New Colan” is mostly gone. Too bad about the script.

All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s04e04 “By the Book” [2023] D: Stewart Svaasand. S: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton, James Anthony-Rose. While the majority of the episode concerns Shenton’s pregnancy fears, new guy Anthony-Rose works on his bedside manner (for the humans, not the animals). And Madeley has a monumental life change she quietly processes.

All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s04e05 “Papers” [2023] D: Jordan Hogg. S: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton, Will Thorp, Patricia Hodge, James Anthony-Rose. Ralph is finally off to war, but frets about leaving West with no help other than new guy Anthony-Rose. For his part, Anthony-Rose gets the traditional CREATURES onboarding with the adorable Tricki Woo. Meanwhile, Madeley’s smoldering slow burn arc heats up a bit.

All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s04e06 “The Home Front” [2023] D: Stewart Svaasand. S: Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton, James Anthony-Rose, Will Thorp, Tony Pitts, Imogen Clawson. The episode feels like something of a rerun–Shenton’s worried about another miscarriage after moving back home with the fam. Meanwhile, Madeley’s got some momentous changes on the horizon (or does she?). It’s nice to see Clawson and Pitts, regardless.

All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s04e07 “On a Wing and a Prayer” [2023] D: Jordan Hogg. S: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton, James Anthony-Rose, Imogen Clawson, Tony Pitts. Nice Christmas episode about Ralph trying to get home to see Shenton, even if it means he has to go AWOL. Back in town, West and Madeley throw the annual party. It’s a wee patriarchal and they’re in trouble with four more war seasons, but it’s nice.

Casanova (2005) 3 episodes D: Sheree Folkson. S: Rose Byrne, Peter O’Toole, David Tennant, Laura Fraser, Rupert Penry-Jones, Shaun Parkes, Nina Sosanya. Too long miniseries with old man Casanova O’Toole telling stories of his younger days to maid Byrne. Tennant plays in the flashbacks; he’s cute, but O’Toole gets good, especially when Byrne pushes him. The visible TV budget hurts it. Writer Russell T Davies cast Tennant as DOCTOR WHO based on this part.

Criminal Record (2024) s01e01 “Emergency Caller” D: Jim Loach. S: Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo, Zoë Wanamaker, Stephen Campbell Moore, Joana Borja, Ian Bonar, Chizzy Akudolu. Black female detective Jumbo comes across evidence of an innocent man in prison, only to find her bosses (and the original detective, Capaldi), don’t want to hear about it. It’s an AppleTV+ prestige outing, pretty and thin. Capaldi’s good enough; Jumbo’s likable if not particularly good.

Criminal Record (2024) s01e02 “Two Calls” D: Jim Loach. S: Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo, Shaun Dooley, Cathy Tyson, Ian Bonar, Chizzy Akudolu, Andrew Brooke. After an exciting cliffhanger resolution, the episode gets way more self-contained, as Jumbo continues her investigation into top cop Capaldi. The acting’s all good enough (if only just at times), with Capaldi now feeling like a stunt cast. Is the show always going to be so episodic?

Criminal Record (2024) s01e03 “Kid in the Park” D: Jim Loach. S: Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo, Shaun Dooley, Zoë Wanamaker, Charlie Creed-Miles, Cathy Tyson, Stephen Campbell Moore. Another episode, another main case, this time a (white) kid hit in a drive-by shooting. The show is quickly just becoming compelling characters in rote copaganda situations, albeit with British accents. Capaldi seems like he’s doing a Pacino impression.

Criminal Record (2024) s01e04 “Protected” D: Jim Loach. S: Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo, Shaun Dooley, Zoë Wanamaker, Charlie Creed-Miles, Cathy Tyson, Stephen Campbell Moore. The show’s still spinning its wheels, feigning the contemporary murder investigation is important. Capadi’s veering into one note, especially given the serpentine reveals. They all make Capaldi more suspect and Jumbo more of a martyr. Literally.

Criminal Record (2024) s01e05 “Possession with Intent” D: Shaun James Grant. S: Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo, Shaun Dooley, Zoë Wanamaker, Charlie Creed-Miles, Cathy Tyson, Stephen Campbell Moore. Capaldi’s cronies go after Jumbo’s son and push things over the edge. It’s extraordinarily serious stuff for the show and unclear it can survive the flex. Loads more big reveals and twists too. Some real good acting.

Criminal Record (2024) s01e06 “Beehive” D: Shaun James Grant. S: Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo, Zoë Wanamaker, Charlie Creed-Miles, Cathy Tyson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Rasaq Kukoyi. It’s the first–and entirely unexpected despite it being the natural conclusion of multiple melodramatic devices–great episode of the show. Perfect amount of tense drama and a capable cast. Capaldi, Jumbo, Tyson, Kukoyi, and Creed-Miles are outstanding. It won’t be as good again.

Criminal Record (2024) s01e07 “The Sixty-Twos” D: Shaun James Grant. S: Peter Capaldi, Tom Moutchi, Shaun Dooley, Charlie Creed-Miles, Georgina Rich, Cathy Tyson, Mark Weinman. Big reveal flashback episode. Great Capaldi and Moutchi performances, intricate, deliberate scripting. But it is all to excuse racism, knowingly, in copaganda. And the cliffhanger in the present is oddly complacent in continuing it. Only with some misogyny. But maybe they’ll pull it off?

Criminal Record (2024) s01e08 “Carla” D: Shaun James Grant. S: Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo, Shaun Dooley, Charlie Creed-Miles, Georgina Rich, Rasaq Kukoyi, Tom Moutchi. Half excellent, half eh finish. Jumbo and Capaldi are great oil and water cop show partners, except of course… he maybe framed an innocent Black guy. All is revealed, with about four endings too many, and none with the right characters. Real good acting all around, even with the rushed third act.

Deadwater Fell (2020) 4 episodes D: Lynsey Miller. S: David Tennant, Cush Jumbo, Anna Madeley, Matthew McNulty, Stuart Bowman, Lisa McGrillis, Laurie Brett. It’s an all romance issue. Dracula and Domini talk past each other with agendas and love at first bite. Blade’s girlfriend distracts him from his life-long question. Rachel’s sick of Frank. Harold comes back for some ungodly reason. Speaking of godly, Wolfman goes 100% Christian comic, with Jesus being a visually passive but ostensibly active participant. Blah.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e01 “Rare” D: Marc Webb. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Pardis Saremi, Mandy Patinkin. Attempt at a KNIVES OUT (but with lots of sex) mystery set on a 1%er yacht. Beane’s the adopted poor with a tragic past and an acerbic wit. Once there’s a murder, she gets investigating alongside childhood disappointment Patikin, who failed to solve her mother’s murder. Patikin’s the whole show (once he arrives), Beane’s not ready for the lead, and the whole thing’s desperate.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e02 “Sordid” D: David Petrarca. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Mandy Patinkin, Jere Burns. Slightly better than the first episode, but still a severe lack of charisma from anyone but Patinkin (and Zhou). It doesn’t help the murder victim (Michael Gladis) is the most likable character.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e03 “Troublesome” D: Alrick Riley. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Mandy Patinkin, David Marshall Grant. Patinkin makes every scene good–whether supporting Beane or Linda Emond as the too Swedish Interpol agent–but the plot’s still dull, the style intentionally confounding, and Patten terrible. Just
embarrassingly terrible.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e04 “Hidden” D: Alrick Riley. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Linda Emond, Mandy Patinkin. There’s about half a really good episode here, by far DEATH’s best. Turns out having likable characters–especially unexpectedly likable characters–helps. Patinkin continues to delight in a part where the performance is the thing. Beane’s getting more comfortable. It’s 40% fine. 35%.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e05 “Exquisite” D: Yangzom Brauen. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Angela Zhou, Pardis Saremi, Linda Emond, Mandy Patinkin. Beane has a picturesque Maltese date with Kohli while Patinkin teams up with Pardis Saremi to hunt Keyser Sozo. Plus Patten doing business stuff. It’s better than the low but not particularly good. Saremi’s fantastic though. The show hasn’t been good to her.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e06 “Tragic” D: Yangzom Brauen. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Angela Zhou, Pardis Saremi, Linda Emond, Mandy Patinkin. Turns out Patten is a great singer at least. Lots of developments and reveals this episode–no one and nothing as they seem (again)–to get the chairs in order for next episode’s reveals (again). Kohli’s real good, ditto Edmond.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e07 “Memorable” D: James Griffiths. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Mandy Patinkin, David Marshall Grant, Michael Gladis, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Jere Burns. Initially obnoxious stylized flashback episode where Beane reviews Patinkin’s casework all those years ago. It gets real bad at times, partially because concept, partially because Griffiths’s direction is bad. But somehow, it gets through, and all of a sudden, there’s intrigue and compelling situations. With not insignificant caveats but… it works.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e08 “Vanishing” D: James Griffiths. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Angela Zhou, Linda Emond, Mandy Patinkin, Lisa Lu, Jere Burns. The plot dominos are falling at an accelerated rate, making for a packed episode, which jogs back before last episode, runs parallel, then runs subsequent. I’m sure someone thought it was a neat idea, but it’s not. Desperate Wes Anderson-esque direction too. Some real good acting, some bad; it’s Patten’s best episode, another good one for Zhou.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e09 “Impossible” D: Dinh Thai. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Rahul Kohli, Hugo Diego Garcia, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Danny Johnson, Christian Svensson. Beane’s got to do an episode without Patinkin, which actually works out. She’s come a long way on the show (and this episode continues to reveal the writing’s failing her). The passengers are now hostages; really good episode for Johnson, bad one for Cutmore-Smith. And then the cliffhanger reveal is actually a surprise. Multiple ones, in fact.

Death and Other Details (2024) s01e10 “Chilling” D: Dinh Thai. S: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Pardis Saremi, Linda Emond, Mandy Patinkin. Yikes, it’s so bad. The episode has lots to resolve–there are a couple decent twists, but it’s mostly atrocious. Beane and Patinkin never even get their due, presumably something for season two, which they very ill-advisedly set up. Every scene ends with a fade-out ending moment, and there are about twenty scenes. It’s exhausting. And awful.

Doctor Who (2005) s14e00 “The Church on Ruby Road” [2023] D: Mark Tonderai. S: Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Michelle Greenidge, Angela Wynter, Gemma Arrowsmith, Anita Dobson. Not great but okay enough outing for new sexy, Black, possibly queer Doctor Gatwa, who continues to be Black, sexy, and possibly queer. The adventure includes on-demand retcons, goblins, skyships, and an iffy new companion, Gibson. Gatwa can hold things together fine, though.

Echo (2024) s01e01 “Chafa” D: Sydney Freeland. S: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, Vincent D’Onofrio. Spin-off from HAWKEYE show for anti-hero Alaqua Cox, except ECHO’s a DAREDEVIL character so there’s a lengthy setup involving D’Onofrio (and featuring a Charlie Cox cameo as Daredevil) leading up to the events in HAWKEYE. Way too busy front, with the later series setup (Cox going home to Oklahoma) much better. The fighting’s okay, but there’s not enough. Good acting. Panavision aspect’s a tad much.

Echo (2024) s01e02 “Lowak” D: Sydney Freeland. S: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, Vincent D’Onofrio. Sort of fun episode (fun for ECHO) with Cox trying to get her family onboard with taking on D’Onofrio’s crime empire. Graham Greene’s adorable as Cox’s dad. It’s trope after trope, but it’s fine; they’re setting a low bar and clearing it.

Echo (2024) s01e03 “Tuklo” D: Catriona McKenzie. S: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, Vincent D’Onofrio. Phenomenal action episode with Cox having to rescue her civilian friends from D’Onofrio’s hitmen. Fantastic direction from McKenzie. It’s just a really good done-in-one. With, apparently, a THIN RED LINE homage.

Echo (2024) s01e04 “Taloa” D: Sydney Freeland. S: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, Vincent D’Onofrio. Another great episode–probably the series peak given it’s an increase after the previous high–with a bunch of character development for D’Onofrio. He’s outstanding as the show flashes back into his relationship with Cox. Very on it episode.

Echo (2024) s01e05 “Maya” D: Sydney Freeland. S: Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, Vincent D’Onofrio. Incredibly rushed finale centering around the tribe’s powwow, which they’re basically just introducing now. Can Cox defeat D’Onofrio’s hitmen as they crash? Possibly with magic? It’s nicely made, with a weirdly wasted (but also not) last fight. The rush means skipping connecting the dots, which doesn’t help the actors at all.

The Equalizer (2021) s04e01 “Truth for a Truth” [2024] D: Solvan Naim. S: Queen Latifah, Liza Lapira, Adam Goldberg, Tory Kittles, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint, Ilfenesh Hadera. Latifah quickly wraps up last season’s cliffhanger so she can hunt ex-bestie, back-from-the-dead-and-bad guest star Hadera. Meanwhile, Hayes and Toussaint have a weird day at home worrying about things. The action’s not good, but it’s nice having the whole team together (Kittles hangs out). And Hayes and Toussaint have heart.

The Equalizer (2021) s04e02 “Full Throttle” [2024] D: Solvan Naim. S: Queen Latifah, Liza Lapira, Adam Goldberg, Tory Kittles, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint, Eden Marryshow. Same bad direction from Naim and some not great writing or acting, but… the show’s trying to introduce a restorative justice angle (without naming it), and it’s interesting. The main plot involves drag racing, diplomats, and diamonds, with a mystery investigation backbone. Then Toussaint’s at home trying to convince Hayes the military’s a bad choice, and it’s a good subplot.

The Equalizer (2021) s04e03 “Blind Justice” [2024] D: Geoffrey Wing Shotz. S: Queen Latifah, Liza Lapira, Adam Goldberg, Tory Kittles, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint, Marvin Jones III. After a rocky start, the episode evens out okay with a nice guest star turn from Jones as a blind vet who knows the secret to Latifah’s case. Toussaint and Hayes having a delightful casual mystery at an old folks home might be what puts it over (definitely). And the ostensible sincerity helps.

Grantchester (2014) s08e05 “Episode 5” [2024] D: Martin Smith. S: Robson Green, Tom Brittney, Al Weaver, Tessa Peake-Jones, Kacey Ainsworth, Oliver Dimsdale, Nick Brimble. Partially a pilot for Bradley Hall and Melissa Johns as the lead coppers, while Brittney continues his sad man arc. Weaver’s by far got the most heart here.

Grantchester (2014) s08e06 “Episode 6” [2024] D: Rob Evans. S: Robson Green, Tom Brittney, Al Weaver, Tessa Peake-Jones, Kacey Ainsworth, Charlotte Ritchie, Nick Brimble. Season finale takes an “all’s well if it ends well” approach to Brittney’s guilt and self-loathing arc, in no small part thanks to Green’s interventions. Some good scenes (finally) for the ladies–Ainsworth, Peake-Jones, Ritchie.

Inside Job (2021) s01e01 “Unpresidented” D: Pete Michels, Vitaliy Strokous. S: Lizzy Caplan, Clark Duke, Christian Slater, Brett Gelman, John DiMaggio, Tisha Campbell, Bobby Lee. Okay animated comedy about Cognito Inc., the banal office space behind the Deep State. Caplan is the driven woman who doesn’t make enough friends for the white guys, so she’s paired with Duke, a lovable but untalented bro. Slater’s Caplan’s dad, doing the Nicholson impression he’s been mastering since youth. It’s okay. Duke’s a lot better than Caplan, but her writing’s bad.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e01 “February 18, 2024: Supreme Court” [2024] D: Paul Pennolino. S: John Oliver. Oliver goes after the Supreme Court in general and Clarence Thomas in particular, recapping all the reveals on Thomas’s profound corruption. Oliver’s got a funny potential. If only. There’s also a bit on out-of-touch politicians, but really maybe we just shouldn’t let terrible white people speak in public?

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e02 “February 25, 2024: Pig Butchering” [2024] D: Paul Pennolino. S: John Oliver. Oliver covers “pig butchering,” a successful social engineering scam where the scammers catfish people out of money, except with the added accouterments of crypto currency and the scammers actually being human trafficked hostages. Very humanist take—don’t abuse the hostages in the Global South, Karen. Depressing, worrying, quite good.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) s11e03 “March 3, 2024: Airplanes” [2024] D: Paul Pennolino. S: John Oliver, Rose Byrne, David Costabile, Adam Pally, Roy Wood Jr.. After their latest problems with the FAA, Oliver’s feature is on Boeing and how the company’s fallen apart since a late 1990s merger. Basically, the company’s been cravenly indifferent to safety immediately following the merger. Oliver emphasizes pleading with the company not to be full of shit and kill people. Good luck? The amusing gag commercial has a DAMAGES reunion with Rose Byrne and David Costabile.

Resident Alien (2021) s03e01 “Lone Wolf” [2024] D: Robert Duncan McNeill. S: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Judah Prehn, Gracelyn Awad Rinke, Enver Gjokaj. Changes are coming to ALIEN in this setup for the season (not just the kids getting a lot older, either). Tudyk’s ever the delight, ditto Reynolds. The A plot is Tomko unintentionally romancing evil alien Gjokaj. Good acting, nice directing and writing. Solid stuff, with a surprisingly sincere finish.

Resident Alien (2021) s03e02 “The Upper Hand” [2024] D: Lea Thompson. S: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Enver Gjokaj, Meredith Garretson. Tudyk, Tomko, and Wetterlund team up to investigate evil alien hybrid Gjokaj, while the rest of the town works on their subplots. Lots of heart again, lots of comedy. Some really good acting from Tudyk, Gjokaj, and Reynolds. Thompson’s direction is good. ALIEN is steady as ever.

Resident Alien (2021) s03e03 “141 Seconds” [2024] D: Robert Duncan McNeill. S: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Judah Prehn, Elizabeth Bowen, Jenna Lamia. Tudyk crashes Prehn’s family vacation to Yellowstone because the greys seemingly have something going there. Intrigue and hilarity abound. Back home, everyone has a lackadaisically paced mystery-related subplot, with a lot more time spent on the human factor. Particularly for Tomko, Bowen, and Reynolds. The cliffhanger sets up the season. Off direction from McNeill, however.

Resident Alien (2021) s03e04 “Avian Flu” [2024] D: Kabir Akhtar. S: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Judah Prehn, Elizabeth Bowen. Tudyk falls for the alien sent to evict him from Earth (guest star Edi Patterson), while Reynolds and Bowen crack their case, Tomko bonds with daughter Kaylayla Raine, and Meredith Garretson breaks down (even more). Lots of laughs, heart, and fears, and a great Tudyk performance. Good episode distracts from the season’s still slow start.

American Fiction (2023) D: Cord Jefferson. S: Jeffrey Wright, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross. Sublime deconstruction of the American academia novel, as through the eyes of exhausted ultra-brow author Wright, who realizes maybe he is willing to sell out to get rich. Especially since he’s back home visiting mom Uggams, sister Ross, and brother Brown. Great performances—Wright’s fantastic–with just the right amount of big twists and little. Stellar feature debut from Jefferson, who adapted Percival Everett’s novel ERASURE.

Argylle (2024) D: Matthew Vaughn. S: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson. Spy novel writer Howard finds her fictional hero (Cavill) has an unlikely real-life counterpart (Rockwell). Numerous good moments, but it’s always a little too desperate and too cheap. Lots of the cast seems checked out, with Howard doing the lion’s share. Bad special effects don’t help either.

Bruce Springsteen – The Promise – The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010) D: Thom Zimny. S: Bruce Springsteen, Mike Appel, Roy Bittan, Clarence Clemons, Jimmy Iovine, Nils Lofgren, Patti Smith. Okay assembled footage doc with the E Street Band recounting the creation of the DARKNESS album. Zimmy’s way too lazy when it comes to structure, but there’s some great Springsteen interviewing. It just needs about ten more minutes to contextualize. Alas, no. But for some Boss process insights? All good.

Drag Me to Hell (2009) D: Sam Raimi. S: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, Adriana Barraza, Reggie Lee. Bank loan manager Lohman pisses off old lady Raver, who puts a curse on her just as she’s up for a promotion and meeting boyfriend Long’s parents for the first time. Even worse… the curse is real. Often great direction, but the script’s a passively misogynist mess, Lohman’s barely okay, Long’s bad, and the end stinks.

The Evil Dead (1981) D: Sam Raimi. S: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly. Now classic low-budget young adults in a haunted cabin gore-feast is a great debut for director Raimi and leading man Campbell. Great, gruesome special effects, terrifying sequences, and untold buckets of blood abound. Excellent production values for the money, with outstanding photography from Tim Philo and a perfect score by Joseph LoDuca. Edited by Joel Coen! For DVD, Raimi reframed the 4:3 16mm to an HD aspect radio SPECIAL EDITION, which was anything but. The reframing killed the timing, atmosphere, and almost everything else. Blu-ray and UHD restored the original aspect ratio, thank goodness. Followed by EVIL DEAD II.

Evita (1996) D: Alan Parker. S: Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce, Jimmy Nail, Victoria Sus, Julian Littman, Olga Merediz. Adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical about Argentine “Spirtual Leader” Eva Peron features an almost really good Banderas and a very blah Madonna. Director Parker does a bad job filming an otherwise handsome production. There are a handful of really good numbers, but Banderas can only compensate for so much.

Gimme Shelter (1970) D: David Maysles. S: Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor. Singular documentary covering The Rolling Stones’s 1969 U.S. tour and the disaster of its last venue, the Altamont Free Concert. Phenomenal multi-layered document of tragedy, with artful control throughout. Absolutely devastating and, in hindsight, hopeless.

Knights of Badassdom (2013) D: Joe Lynch. S: Peter Dinklage, Summer Glau, Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwanten, Margarita Levieva, Jimmi Simpson, Brett Gipson. Nearly clever fantasy-horror-comedy about Live Action Role-Players (LARPers) unleashing a demon during a tournament. The acting’s never terrible just bland. Dinklage, Simpson, and Gipson are pretty good. The too bumpy third act does it in.

Moonage Daydream (2022) D: Brett Morgen. S: David Bowie. Way too long super-cut of extremely on television David Bowie with music video footage and interviews providing the career retrospective “narrative.” Bowie’s charisma carries the entire thing, though can’t stop the drag or the trite. The world’s best and worst greatest hits promo video.

Moulin Rouge! (2001) D: Baz Luhrmann. S: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, Garry McDonald, Jacek Koman. Abjectly terrible tale of famous Paris nightspot and its star crossed denizens. Many levels of atrocious on display, whether it’s the writing (ha), choreography (bigger ha), or Kidman’s performance (biggest ha). Sadly, the joke’s on the viewer. Amusing–for a fraction of a second–to see McGregor act (in a bad part) while Kidman’s incapable of doing so.

Nanny (2022) D: Nikyatu Jusu. S: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, Leslie Uggams, Olamide Candide Johnson. Real deal performance from Anna Diop as a nanny suffering shitty white people to the point it affects her mental health. Also, there’s maybe magic. Incredibly tense, nice support from everyone, great photography, real good direction. The second to third act transition is rocky, but the film comes through big.

One, Two, Three (1961) D: Billy Wilder. S: James Cagney, Liselotte Pulver, Horst Buchholz, Pamela Tiffin, Hanns Lothar, Arlene Francis, Leon Askin. Brisk but empty madcap comedy about Coca-Cola rep Cagney’s shockingly sexist (even for 1961) adventures in pre-Wall Berlin, trying to sell Coke to the Russians while cheating on wife Francis with secretary Pulver and keeping boss’s horny daughter Tiffin away from East Berliner Buchholz.Lots of wink-wink-nudge-nudge ex-Nazi jokes. Buccholz’s awful, Francis’s great; everyone else is in between.

Suitable Flesh (2023) D: Joe Lynch. S: Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech, Barbara Crampton, Hunter Womack. Weird, icky homage to eighties Lovecraft adaptations with some creepy moments and wacky performances, particularly Graham and Lewis–with everyone having at least two great moments. Quirk overcomes the forecasted, predictable conclusion.

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021) D: Questlove. S: Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, B.B. King, Mahalia Jackson, Sly Stone. Consistently awesome documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival (aka Black Woodstock). They filmed the whole thing and then couldn’t sell it. Fifty years later, SUMMER resurrects the memories. Some original footage was lost and it would’ve put things over the top. It could easily run twice as long without drag. So good.

Under Suspicion (1991) D: Simon Moore. S: Liam Neeson, Laura San Giacomo, Kenneth Cranham, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Maggie O’Neill, Stephen Moore, Malcolm Storry. Moody 1950s-set British thriller about man slut P.I. Neeson getting into trouble after rigging a divorce case and romancing client’s mistress San Giacomo. Director Moore’s script tries hard not to be predictable but eats its own tail. Neeson’s fine, San Giacomo’s not; Cranham’s good as Neeson’s sidekick.

Willy’s Wonderland (2021) D: Kevin Lewis. S: Nicolas Cage, Emily Tosta, Beth Grant, Ric Reitz, Chris Warner, Kai Kadlec, Caylee Cowan. Silent man with a muscle car Cage finds himself broken down in a tiny town, working off his repairs at a Chuckie Cheese-style joint. Only the animatronic animals are all killer monsters who eat people. Never quite good, never too bad; it tries and succeeds at being a gory lot.