My second daughter and I were counting down the days until we could see Jamie Lee Curtis in “Halloween Kills” on the big screen. We were so disappointed. I love the Halloween franchise but this one had no great storyline and was beyond violent. “Dune” on the big screen is the way this movie should be seen, but at over 2.5 hours it’s a commitment. Stellar cast but you must be able to do some science fiction and a long movie to enjoy. And that is everything I saw in the theater this past month but boy, did the streaming services deliver!
Hulu definitely hit it out of the ballpark this month with five series and one documentary that I enjoyed. I can’t honestly say I “enjoyed” the documentary “Jacinta” about an adult daughter and her mother being locked up in the same prison, but it opened my eyes to generational drug abuse, incarcerations and how even being a mother cannot get addicts clean. This is an honest look at three generations working through the consequences of drug abuse.
“Only Murderers in the Building” starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez is a highly stylized comedy/drama about an apartment building that is housing a murderer and many other secret lives. I loved this show. There is adult language.
While “Ordinary Joe” is currently airing on NBC, you can watch it on Hulu. It’s a fascinating look at one man’s life from three different views based on three different options offered to him on the day he graduates from college. “The Good Doctor” is still airing on ABC but if you’re new to this amazing show about a doctor who is on the autism spectrum, you can start from the beginning on Hulu. Freddie Highmore is brilliant in the lead of this drama.
“The Big Leap” is set with the backdrop of a reality dance show, but it’s really more about second chances and finding a healthy path for families and individuals who seem to have lost their way. I love dancing, and I love some of the many storylines of the contestants.
If I got an Emmy vote, I’d give my vote to Michael Keaton for his work in “Dopesick.” This limited series is based on two documentaries following the Sackler family and Perdue Pharma and the crimes they committed in marketing, making and distributing OxyContin. I’ve mentioned before that it’s a struggle for me to find any entertainment that my hubby and I can agree on but this is one we both loved.
Apple TV offered up the second season of Octavia Spencer’s brilliant “Truth Be Told” and the second season of “Ted Lasso.” John and I both love “Ted Lasso,” although we wish the language was PG. (I even dressed up as Ted for Halloween.) “Truth Be Told” is rapid fire crime solving while also offering a look at what it takes to make a popular podcast.
Netflix dropped another season of the thoroughly delightful and entertaining “The Great British Baking Show.” This show is like a warm hug. To see regular folks who love to bake compete while being kind to other competitors is a breath of fresh air. The second show I watched on Netflix was “Maid.” Similar to “Jacinta” on Hulu, this is a rather hard show as it’s about a mom leaving an abusive relationship only to be totally out of money. It was eye opening to me to see how hard it is to navigate getting help, government and other sources. Real life mother and daughter Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley give exceptional performances.
Finally, HBO Max offered up two extraordinary documentaries. “The Crime of the Century” is the documentary about the Sackler family and Perdue Pharma. It is one of the documentaries that the exceptional “Dopesick” on Hulu is based upon. The second is “15 Minutes of Shame.” This documentary follows real life people who have been publicly shamed and the fallout that occurs in their lives. One story has a local Chattanoogan featured. I was very conflicted about how I buy into some of these “shaming” stories, that may or may not be accurate.
So the pumpkins went away and that means Hallmark Christmas movies. And blockbuster releases for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Color me happy and pass the popcorn!
by Merrile Stroud
Hulu definitely hit it out of the ballpark this month with five series and one documentary that I enjoyed. I can’t honestly say I “enjoyed” the documentary “Jacinta” about an adult daughter and her mother being locked up in the same prison, but it opened my eyes to generational drug abuse, incarcerations and how even being a mother cannot get addicts clean. This is an honest look at three generations working through the consequences of drug abuse.
“Only Murderers in the Building” starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez is a highly stylized comedy/drama about an apartment building that is housing a murderer and many other secret lives. I loved this show. There is adult language.
While “Ordinary Joe” is currently airing on NBC, you can watch it on Hulu. It’s a fascinating look at one man’s life from three different views based on three different options offered to him on the day he graduates from college. “The Good Doctor” is still airing on ABC but if you’re new to this amazing show about a doctor who is on the autism spectrum, you can start from the beginning on Hulu. Freddie Highmore is brilliant in the lead of this drama.
“The Big Leap” is set with the backdrop of a reality dance show, but it’s really more about second chances and finding a healthy path for families and individuals who seem to have lost their way. I love dancing, and I love some of the many storylines of the contestants.
If I got an Emmy vote, I’d give my vote to Michael Keaton for his work in “Dopesick.” This limited series is based on two documentaries following the Sackler family and Perdue Pharma and the crimes they committed in marketing, making and distributing OxyContin. I’ve mentioned before that it’s a struggle for me to find any entertainment that my hubby and I can agree on but this is one we both loved.
Apple TV offered up the second season of Octavia Spencer’s brilliant “Truth Be Told” and the second season of “Ted Lasso.” John and I both love “Ted Lasso,” although we wish the language was PG. (I even dressed up as Ted for Halloween.) “Truth Be Told” is rapid fire crime solving while also offering a look at what it takes to make a popular podcast.
Netflix dropped another season of the thoroughly delightful and entertaining “The Great British Baking Show.” This show is like a warm hug. To see regular folks who love to bake compete while being kind to other competitors is a breath of fresh air. The second show I watched on Netflix was “Maid.” Similar to “Jacinta” on Hulu, this is a rather hard show as it’s about a mom leaving an abusive relationship only to be totally out of money. It was eye opening to me to see how hard it is to navigate getting help, government and other sources. Real life mother and daughter Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley give exceptional performances.
Finally, HBO Max offered up two extraordinary documentaries. “The Crime of the Century” is the documentary about the Sackler family and Perdue Pharma. It is one of the documentaries that the exceptional “Dopesick” on Hulu is based upon. The second is “15 Minutes of Shame.” This documentary follows real life people who have been publicly shamed and the fallout that occurs in their lives. One story has a local Chattanoogan featured. I was very conflicted about how I buy into some of these “shaming” stories, that may or may not be accurate.
So the pumpkins went away and that means Hallmark Christmas movies. And blockbuster releases for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Color me happy and pass the popcorn!
by Merrile Stroud
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