23
Sep

Streaming Picks: Halloween 2023

I’ll be on vacation for two weeks, so I’ll miss my monthly update of great films and shows hitting streaming services in October. Instead, I’ll leave you with this list of spooky selections (on these services as of 9/19) to watch throughout the month, or to save a few for Halloween night. If you’re really a horror obsessive, I recommend getting a subscription to Shudder (or AMC+), which has by far the best selection of scary movies, TV and documentaries.

FILMS
10 Cloverfield Lane – Paramount+
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein – Prime Video
The Addams Family (1991) – Paramount+
Addams Family Values – Paramount+
Alien – Hulu
Aliens – Hulu
Alien 3 – Hulu
American Psycho – Peacock
Angel Heart – Paramount+
Army of Darkness – Prime Video
The Babadook – Hulu
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – Prime Video
Birdemic – Peacock
The Birds – Peacock
Black Christmas (1974) – Peacock
The Black Phone – Prime Video
Blade – Max
Blade II – Max
The Blair Witch Project – Paramount+
The Bride of Frankenstein – Peacock
Bug – Prime Video
The Cabin in the Woods – Max
Candyman (1992) – Peacock
Carrie (1976) – Max
Casper – Peacock
Cat People (1942) – Max
Child’s Play (1988) – Max
Children of the Corn (1984) – Prime Video
Cloverfield – Paramount+ with Showtime
The Conjuring – Max
Constantine – Max and Prime Video
Crimson Peak – Netflix
Dawn of the Dead (2004) – Peacock
The Dead Zone – Paramount+ and Prime Video
Deep Blue Sea – Prime Video
The Descent – Max
The Devil’s Backbone – Prime Video
Diabolique (1955) – Max
Doctor Sleep – Max
Dracula (1931) – Prime Video
Drag Me to Hell – Prime Video
Event Horizon – Paramount+ with Showtime
The Exorcist – Max
The Fly (1986) – Max
The Fog (1980) – Prime Video
Frankenstein (1931) – Peacock
Friday the 13th (1980) – Max
From Dusk Till Dawn – Max
Gerald’s Game – Netflix
Get Out – Peacock
Ghostbusters (1984) – Peacock
The Good Son – Hulu
Halloween III: Season of the Witch – Peacock
Hellraiser (1987) – Prime Video
Hellraiser II: Hellbound – Prime Video
Hocus Pocus – Disney+ and Hulu
Hollow Man – Peacock
House (1977) – Max
The House of the Devil – Peacock
Inferno (1980) – Prime Video
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – Max and Prime Video
The Invisible Man (1933) – Prime Video
The Invisible Man (2020) – Peacock
It – Max
It Came from Outer Space – Peacock
It Follows – Paramount+ with Showtime
Jacob’s Ladder (1990) – Paramount+ and Prime Video
Jaws – Netflix
Jennifer’s Body – Max
King Kong (2005) – Hulu
Knock at the Cabin – Prime Video
Let Me In – Max
Let the Right One In – Peacock and Prime Video
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) – Max
Magic – Peacock
Malignant – Hulu and Max
Mama – Prime Video
Mimic – Paramount+
Mother! – Paramount+
The Mummy (1932) – Prime Video
The Mummy (1999) – Peacock
The Nightmare Before Christmas – Disney+
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Max
Nope – Prime
Overlord – Paramount+
Phantasm – Peacock
Phantom of the Opera (1943) – Peacock
Prince of Darkness – Peacock
Psycho (1960) – Peacock
Pulse (2001) – Prime Video
A Quiet Place – Paramount+
A Quiet Place Part II – Paramount+ and Prime Video
The Ring (2002) – Prime Video
Rosemary’s Baby – Paramount+ with Showtime
The Ruins – Paramount+
Saw – Peacock and Prime Video
Scanners – Max
Scream (1996) – Paramount+
Scream 2 – Paramount+
Secret Window – Prime Video
Se7en – Hulu
Shadow of a Doubt – Peacock
Signs – Prime
The Silence of the Lambs – Max
Sinister – Prime Video
Sleepy Hollow – Max
Slither – Peacock
Suspiria (2018) – Prime Video
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight – Peacock
Tales from the Hood – Peacock
Tammy and the T-Rex – Peacock
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – Peacock
The Thing (1982) – Peacock
Triangle – Peacock
Troll 2 – Prime
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me – Max
Us – Peacock
Videodrome – Peacock
The Visit – Peacock
The Wolf Man (1941) – Prime Video
World War Z – Paramount+
You’re Next – Max
Zombieland – Netflix

SHOWS
Black Mirror (Seasons 1-5) – Netflix
Evil (Seasons 1-3) – Paramount+
Hannibal (Complete Series) – Hulu
The Haunting of Hill House – Netflix
Stranger Things (Seasons 1-4) – Netflix
The Twilight Zone (Complete Original Series) – Paramount+
Twin Peaks (Seasons 1-2) – Paramount+
Twin Peaks: The Return – Paramount+ with Showtime
The X-Files (Complete Series) – Hulu
Yellowjackets (Seasons 1-2) – Paramount+ with Showtime

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22
Sep

Emmy Re-Do: 2012-13

The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards should have aired this week. Alas, two strikes prevented them from going on as planned (as they should… give ’em hell, WGA and SAG!) and they won’t be handed out until January. Instead, I’ll take a look at what happened 10 years ago, correcting them the way I have the Oscars for many years. Winners in bold.

COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock (NBC) – Season 7
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) – Season 6
Girls (HBO) – Season 2
Louie (FX) – Season 3
Modern Family (ABC) – Season 4
Veep (HBO) – Season 2

Should have won: Veep
Not even nominated: Happy Endings (ABC)

Modern Family‘s reign continued unabated. And while there’s certainly nothing wrong with the show’s fourth season, it was well past time to shake things up. While Veep would come to dominate later, its second season was when the show took “the leap,” going from a good show to a truly essential one.

But there’s still no excuse for the Academy completing ignoring Happy Endings, especially in its final season. ABC may have screwed up its schedule, but the show maintained a level of cleverness none of these nominees managed.

COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (“A Goon’s Deed in a Weary World”)
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development (“Flight of the Phoenix”)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (“Hostile Takeover”)
Louis C.K., Louie (“Daddy’s Girlfriend, Part 1”)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (“Episode Two”)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (“The Habitation Configuration”)

Should have won: Jason Bateman
Not even nominated: Joel McHale, Community

The less said about Jim Parsons’ wholly undeserved win (his third!), the better. Jason Bateman, the glue of one of the funniest shows of the 2000s, only got one measly nomination for the show’s final original season. While the fourth season – especially in its wacky initial configuration – didn’t always work, Bateman was still at his deadpan best.

Speaking of not working, the fourth season of Community was mostly a trainwreck, but Joel McHale never wavered as group leader Jeff Winger, pondering moving on as his graduation approaches. Now let’s never speak of that finale again.

COMEDY ACTRESS
Laura Dern, Enlightened (“All I Ever Wanted”)
Lena Dunham, Girls (“Bad Friend”)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (“Luck of the Drawing”)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (“Hogcock!/Last Lunch”)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (“Running”)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (“Leslie and Ben”)

Should have won: Amy Poehler
Not even nominated: Patricia Heaton, The Middle

I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus and no number of Emmys can truly capture how great she was. But like Candice Bergen before her, it got to be a little too much. Instead of the second of her six wins, I’m giving this to the oft-nominated Amy Poehler. Like the rest of the cast of Parks and Rec, she never got her due. And her big wedding to Ben Wyatt marked one of her best performances.

Patricia Heaton, meanwhile, must have disappeared from voters’ minds entirely. Despite six consecutive nominations (including two consecutive wins) for Everybody Loves Raymond, she never got nominated for The Middle. (Though neither did anyone else, despite being a reliably funny show for nine seasons.)

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17
Sep

The List: Top 10 ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Episodes

Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered 10 years ago this week. The cop comedy was definitely hilarious right out of the gate, but it fixed its minor issues early on to become one of the most reliable sources of laughter for the rest of its run. It got unceremoniously canceled by Fox, but found a new home at NBC in a matter of hours after a well of online support from the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda (who later guest-starred) and Mark Hamill (who didn’t but should have). Its final season was delayed due to COVID and a reckoning with how the media portrays cops in an almost exclusively positive delight. While I respect the effort, it made for some very cringe-y moments in its last episodes. (Though it did give us John C. McGinley as a police union president who’s cartoonish but basically realistic.) Here are my top 10 episodes.

10. “The Lake House” (Season 8, Episode 2)
Like I said, Season 8’s attempts to grapple with the “copaganda” label were noble but rough. But it still had plenty of gems like this one, in which Jake attempts to “Parent Trap” the separated Kevin and Raymond, enlisting a reluctant Terry into his scheme. There’s some moving, detailed character work here, but it also finds time for Rosa to get incredibly high and eat chips with Scully for the whole episode.

9. “Ding Dong” (Season 7, Episode 7)
The show’s best recurring antagonist without a doubt was Madeline Wuntch (Kyra Sedgwick), whose rivalry with Holt produced some of the show’s biggest laughs. (Let’s enjoy some of their insults right now, shall we?) In her last appearance, she dies, but still puts Holt to the test in an incredibly complicated last act of subterfuge, forcing him to let go of their bitter feud.

8. “Bureau” (Season 3, Episode 22)
Andre Braugher’s deadpan delivery as Captain Raymond Holt made for one of the great comedic performances of the 2010s. (Alas, it resulted in four Emmy nominations but no wins.) But pairing him with an equally deadpan Dennis Haysbert was a stroke of genius. The latter plays Holt’s former partner, now working for the FBI, but with a sinister secret. Their Mission: Impossible-esque break-in to steal classified documents results in one of Braugher’s funniest moments.

7. “The Crime Scene” (Season 6, Episode 6)
While the show had a supremely gifted ensemble, this episode sidelines most of them to let Peralta and Diaz (in a series of increasingly wild hairstyles) focus on a seemingly unsolvable case. It’s a whip-smart, hilarious episode that also has room for genuine character growth.

6. “The Bet” (Season 1, Episode 13)
And here the seeds were planted for the best will they-won’t they of the 21st Century. Amy loses a bet to Jake and has to attend the “worst date ever,” which gets interrupted by a last-minute stakeout. The two bond over the course of the night, and their romance would play out beautifully over the rest of the series.

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10
Sep

The List: Top 10 ‘The X-Files’ Episodes

The X-Files premiered 30 years ago this week. While I was a latecomer to the series, it quickly became one of my favorites. No matter how ridiculous the case, there was something indescribably wonderful about the partnership between Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson). (This also explains why episodes and seasons when they’re not together tend to suck.)

As someone who ended up not carrying about the show’s overarching alien mythology – especially when it got too convoluted for its own good – you’ll notice most of my favorites don’t have much impact on future stories. But that’s why it’s my list.

10. “Redrum” (Season 8, Episode 6)
Easily the best episode of the post-Mulder years, this hour provides a showcase for the great Joe Morton. He plays Martin Wells, a Baltimore prosecutor who finds himself bloodied in a jail cell with no idea how he got there. En route to another prison, he’s shot and killed by his father-in-law. But then he wakes up again, alive and clean. As his days progress backwards, he slowly begins to piece together what happened to him and his murdered wife. Scully and Doggett (Robert Patrick) barely factor into this episode, as Wells does most of his own investigation and faces his own reckoning.

9. “Drive” (Season 6, Episode 2)
It would be easy to put this episode on the list because of the connection forged by its guest star (Bryan Cranston) and writer (Vince Gilligan). But it has so much more to offer than an intense dry run for Breaking Bad. Cranston excels as the bereaved, bigoted hostage taker. Like his late wife, he’s got a ticking time bomb in his brain, forcing Mulder to drive him west as fast as possible. While the episode as a whole is thrilling, it endures because it refuses to make its characters all good or all bad, and has a throughline of plausible government conspiracy running through it.

8. “Home” (Season 4, Episode 2)  
The show’s most disturbing episode already had a cult following before the show became widely available on DVD and streaming. Removed from syndication packages due to its graphic content, it took on an almost mythical status. Of course in 2023, its violence isn’t that shocking. But its story of a family of inbred shut-ins still is. It’s not only the scariest the show has ever been, but also the saddest.

7. “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat” (Season 11, Episode 4)
It’s pretty much impossible to look at the two revival seasons as anything but a failure. The Season 10 finale (“My Struggle II”) belongs with the series’ worst episodes, alongside “Space” and “First Person Shooter.” And while its very last episode wrapped up some threads in a somewhat satisfactory way, the whole endeavor feels mostly like a very expensive shrug. Still, I’d happily watch more Mulder and Scully adventures any day. Especially if they’re like this one, one of two written by series MVP Darin Morgan (the other, “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster,” barely missed this spot). Brian Huskey (who’s appeared in everything from The Bourne Identity to Veep to my beloved Best Week Ever) shines as an escaped mental patient who spends the entire episode trying to convince Mulder and Scully he was their partner for years before he got “too close to the truth.” The episode playfully toys with the “Mandela effect,” and satirizes the misinformation epidemic, marking the revival’s only successful attempt at drawing on current events.

6. “Leonard Betts” (Season 4, Episode 12)
The show’s most-watched episode – thanks to a coveted post-Super Bowl spot – shocked long-time fans and newcomers alike. This perfectly structured hour begins with title character (Paul McCrane) getting decapitated, then walking out of the morgue like it was just a bad headache. It ends with a stunning revelation about Scully that impacted her (and Mulder) for years to come.

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1
Sep

Streaming Picks: September 2023

FILMS
Top Picks
Bad Education (2020) – Prime Video 9/1
El Conde – Netflix 9/15
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar – Netflix 9/27
Released by HBO a month after everything shut down, Cory Finley’s Bad Education won the Emmy for Best TV Movie but has been otherwise forgotten. This black comedy about a real-life embezzlement scandal at a ritzy school district on Long Island is quite scathing in its indictment of snowballing greed, but still empathetic for the humans caught up in the chaos.

Netflix ramps up its awards season offerings this month. Up first is El Conde, the latest from Pablo Larraín. The Chilean filmmaker takes on his country’s most infamous leader (Pinochet), but with a typically surreal and darkly humorous eye. In his version, the dictator still roams the country as a vampire. The film will compete for the top prize at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. Also premiering there is the latest from Wes Anderson, who adapts the short story by Roald Dahl into a short film. This should be a match made in whimsical heaven.

Other Recommendations
3:10 to Yuma (2007) – Peacock 9/1
10 Cloverfield Lane – Paramount+ 9/1
10 Things I Hate About You – Prime Video 9/1
2001: A Space Odyssey – Prime Video 9/1
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein – Prime Video 9/1
A.I. Artificial Intelligence – Paramount+ 9/1
All About My Mother – Prime Video 9/1
American History X – Paramount+ with Showtime 9/1
Angel Heart – Paramount+ 9/1
Annihilation – Paramount+ 9/1
Army of Darkness – Prime Video 9/1
Arrival – Netflix and Paramount+ 9/1
Be Kind Rewind – Max 9/1
Bend It Like Beckham – Hulu 9/1
The Big Lebowski – Paramount+ with Showtime 9/1
The Birdcage – Prime Video 9/1
The Birds – Peacock 9/1
Blade – Max 9/1
Blade II – Max 9/1
The Blair Witch Project – Paramount+ 9/1
Blazing Saddles – Paramount+ with Showtime 9/1
Bourne series – Prime Video 9/1
Bowling for Columbine – Prime Video 9/1
Boyz N the Hood – Max 9/1
The Brady Bunch Movie – Paramount+ 9/1
Candyman (1992) – Peacock 9/1
Carrie (1976) – Max 9/1
Cat People (1942) – Max 9/1
Chicken Run – Peacock 9/1
Children of Men – Prime Video 9/1
Crazy Stupid Love – Max 9/1
The Deer Hunter – Netflix 9/1
Déjà Vu – Prime Video 9/1
Desperado – Peacock and Prime Video 9/1
Drag Me to Hell – Prime Video 9/1
Easy A – Peacock 9/1
An Education – Hulu 9/1
The Exorcist – Max 9/1
Face/Off – Prime Video 9/1
Fast Times at Ridgemont High – Netflix 9/1
Four Weddings and a Funeral – Prime Video 9/1
Frida – Paramount+ 9/1
Friday – Max 9/1
Friday Night Lights – Peacock 9/1
Get Out – Peacock 9/1
Hail, Caesar! – Hulu 9/1
Hamlet (2000) – Paramount+ with Showtime 9/1
Heartburn – Max 9/1
Hugo – Paramount+ and Prime Video 9/1
The Hunt for Red October – Paramount+ with Showtime 9/1
Jarhead – Prime Video 9/1
Jaws – Netflix 9/1
John Wick – Peacock 9/1
John Wick: Chapter 2 – Peacock 9/1
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Peacock 9/1
Juice – Max 9/1
A Knight’s Tale – Hulu 9/1
The LEGO Movie – Hulu 9/1
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) – Max 9/1
Long Shot – Paramount+ 9/1
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – Prime Video 9/1
The Mask of Zorro – Peacock and Prime Video 9/1
Matilda – Netflix 9/1
The Matrix series – Peacock 9/1
Meet the Parents – Hulu 9/1
Melancholia – Hulu 9/1
Mother! – Paramount+ 9/1
The Mummy (1999) – Peacock 9/1
My Big Fat Greek Wedding – Peacock 9/1
Notting Hill – Peacock 9/1
Observe and Report – Prime Video 9/1
October Sky – Prime Video 9/1
Of Mice and Men (1992) – Prime Video 9/1
The Other Guys – Peacock 9/1
Philomena – Max 9/1
Primal Fear – Paramount+ 9/1
Psycho (1960) – Peacock 9/1
Public Enemies – Netflix 9/1
Raising Arizona – Hulu 9/1
Red River – Prime Video 9/1
Road to Perdition – Paramount+ 9/1
Rocky – Prime Video 9/1
Roxanne – Prime Video 9/1
The Rundown – Peacock 9/1
Sabrina (1954) – Max 9/1
Salt – Peacock 9/1
Saw – Peacock 9/1
Schindler’s List – Paramount+ with Showtime 9/1
Se7en – Hulu 9/1
Shadow of a Doubt – Peacock 9/1
Slither – Peacock 9/1
Source Code – Max 9/1
Spanglish – Prime Video 9/1
Spy – Max 9/1
Stand and Deliver – Paramount+ with Showtime 9/1
Stand by Me – Netflix 9/1
Sugar – Prime Video 9/1
Super 8 – Paramount+ 9/1
Superbad – Netflix 9/1
The Talented Mr. Ripley – Paramount+ 9/1
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight – Peacock 9/1
Tales from the Hood – Peacock 9/1
Terminator 2: Judgment Day – Paramount+ 9/1
Thief – Paramount+ with Showtime 9/1
The Thing (1982) – Peacock 9/1
To Catch a Thief – Prime Video 9/1
True Lies – Hulu 9/1
United 93 – Peacock 9/1
Up in the Air – Netflix 9/1
Us – Peacock 9/1
Videodrome – Peacock 9/1
The Virgin Suicides – Paramount+ with Showtime
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit – Netflix 9/1
Wild Things – Prime Video 9/1
The Menu – Hulu 9/3
The Banshees of Inisherin – Hulu 9/4
Anchorman – Netflix 9/5
Mad Max: Fury Road – Hulu 9/9
The Wolf of Wall Street – Netflix 9/12
Fast & Furious 6 – Peacock 9/15
Fast X – Peacock 9/15
Love, Simon – Hulu 9/15
World’s Greatest Dad – Hulu 9/15
The LEGO Batman Movie – Peacock 9/15
The Accountant – Hulu 9/28
Girls Trip – Peacock 9/30

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1
Aug

Streaming Picks: August 2023

FILMS
Top Pick
How to Blow Up a Pipeline – Hulu 8/24
One of the year’s best films, Daniel Goldhaber adapts Andreas Malm’s climate activism treatise into an edge-of-your-seat thriller with piercing moral clarity. A must-see.

Other Recommendations
8 Mile – Peacock 8/1
21 Jump Street – Peacock 8/1
Adventureland – Paramount+ 8/1
Amadeus – Prime Video 8/1
American Gangster – Max 8/1
Animal House – Peacock 8/1
Annie Hall – Max 8/1
The Assistant – Max 8/1
Avatar – Max 8/17
Before Midnight – Max 8/1
Boogie Nights – Paramount+ with Showtime 8/1
Bowfinger – Peacock 8/1
The Bourne Ultimatum – Max 8/1
Casino – Paramount+ with Showtime 8/1
The Color of Money – Paramount+ 8/1
Coming to America – Netflix 8/1
Dazed and Confused – Peacock 8/1
Despicable Me – Netflix 8/1
Double Jeopardy – Paramount+ 8/1
Enemy of the State – Hulu 8/1
Fargo – Max 8/1
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift – Netflix 8/1
Fast Five – Netflix 8/1
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Netflix 8/1
The Fighter – Paramount+ 8/1
Galaxy Quest – Prime Video 8/1
Ghost Town – Paramount+ 8/1
Gone Baby Gone – Paramount+ 8/1
The Grifters – Paramount+ with Showtime 8/1
How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Peacock 8/1
I Am Not Your Negro – Max 8/1
Jacob’s Ladder (1990) – Paramount+ 8/1
The Jerk – Netflix 8/1
Jerry Maguire – Peacock 8/1
Jurassic Park – Hulu 8/1
Kingpin – Max 8/1
Lost in Translation – Netflix 8/1
Midnight in Paris – Hulu 8/1
Miss Congeniality – Max 8/1
The Naked Gun – Max 8/1
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear – Max 8/1
Neighbors (2014) – Peacock 8/1
Night Moves (1975) – Max 8/1
Notting Hill – Hulu 8/1
The Nutty Professor (1996) – Peacock 8/1
Ocean’s Thirteen – Max 8/1
Ocean’s Twelve – Max 8/1
Rescue Dawn – Paramount+ with Showtime 8/1
Ronin – Max 8/1
Rosemary’s Baby – Paramount+ with Showtime 8/1
Rubber – Max 8/1
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – Peacock 8/1
Searching for Sugar Man – Max 8/1
Sicario – Paramount+ 8/1
Sweeney Todd – Paramount+ 8/1
Take Shelter – Max 8/1
Thelma & Louise – Paramount+ with Showtime 8/1
There’s Something About Mary – Peacock 8/1
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) – Max 8/1
Traffic – Prime Video 8/1
The Truman Show – Paramount+ 8/1
Twister – Max 8/1
When Harry Met Sally – Prime Video 8/1
Zodiac – Paramount+ with Showtime 8/1
The Northman – Peacock 8/3
Game Night – Hulu 8/4
Skinamarink – Hulu 8/4
Paddington – Netflix 8/14
Catch Me If You Can – Paramount+ with Showtime 8/16
Thoroughbreds – Hulu 8/16
The Big Short – Netflix 8/23
Bringing Out the Dead – Paramount+ 8/23
Sausage Party – Netflix 8/23
Cinderella (1950) – Disney+ 8/25
Malignant – Hulu 8/27
Snowpiercer – Hulu and Prime Video 8/29
Women Talking – Prime Video 8/29

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11
Jul

2023 Emmy Picks: Limited/Anthology Series and Movies

LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES
Beef (Netflix)
Black Bird (AppleTV+)
Dahmer (Netflix)
Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)
Love & Death (Max)

Potential surprises:
Documentary Now! (IFC)
Fleishman Is in Trouble (Hulu)
George & Tammy (Showtime)
A Small Light (National Geographic)

In my dreams: The English (Prime Video)

TV MOVIE
Boston Strangler (Hulu)
Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas (NBC)
Fire Island (Hulu)
Reality (HBO)
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku)

Potential surprises:
The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (Netflix)
Prey (Hulu)

In my dreams: Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (Paramount+)

ACTOR IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR TV MOVIE
Steve Carell, The Patient
Taron Egerton, Black Bird
Evan Peters, Dahmer
Daniel Radcliffe, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Michael Shannon, George & Tammy
Steven Yeun, Beef

Potential surprises:
Sam Clafin, Daisy Jones & the Six
Billy Crystal, Mr. Saturday Night
Jesse Eisenberg, Fleishman Is in Trouble
Woody Harrelson, White House Plumbers
Ben Whishaw, This Is Going to Hurt

In my dreams: Chaske Spencer, The English

ACTRESS IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR TV MOVIE
Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy
Riley Keough, Daisy Jones & the Six
Elizabeth Olsen, Love & Death
Bel Powley, A Small Light
Rachel Weisz, Dead Ringers
Ali Wong, Beef

Potential surprises:
Emily Blunt, The English
Lizzy Caplan, Fleishman Is in Trouble
Dominique Fishback, Swarm
Betty Gilpin, Mrs. Davis
Kathryn Hahn, Tiny Beautiful Things
Sydney Sweeney, Reality

In my dreams: Amber Midthunder, Prey

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11
Jul

2023 Emmy Picks: Comedy and Variety

COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Barry (HBO)
The Bear (Hulu)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Shrinking (AppleTV+)
Ted Lasso (AppleTV+)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Potential surprises:
Atlanta (FX) – 2 nominations
The Great (Hulu) – 1 nomination
Poker Face (Peacock) – new show
Wednesday (Netflix) – new show

Ineligible: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks

In my dreams: Reservation Dogs (Hulu)

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Bill Hader, Barry
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Potential surprises:
Donald Glover, Atlanta – 3 nominations including 1 win
Nicholas Hoult, The Great – 1 nomination
Bob Odenkirk, Lucky Hank – new show
Adam Scott, Party Down – never nominated in this category
Jason Segel, Shrinking – new show

Ineligible: None

In my dreams: Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Potential surprises:
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me – 2 nominations
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me – 2 nominations
Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere – never nominated
Elle Fanning, The Great – 1 nomination

Ineligible: Kaley Cuoco, Issa Rae, Jean Smart

In my dreams: Devery Jacobs, Reservation Dogs

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11
Jul

2023 Emmy Picks: Drama

DRAMA SERIES
Andor (Disney+)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
The Crown (Netflix)
House of the Dragon (HBO)
The Last of Us (HBO)
Succession (HBO)
The White Lotus (HBO)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Potential surprises:
The Boys (Prime Video) – 1 nomination
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) – 4 nominations including 1 win
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Prime Video) – new show
The Mandalorian (Disney+) – 1 nomination
Queen Charlotte (Netflix) – new show
Yellowstone (Paramount Network) – never nominated

Ineligible: Euphoria, Ozark, Severance, Squid Game, Stranger Things

In my dreams: The Sandman (Netflix)

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Brian Cox, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Jeremy Strong, Succession
Dominic West, The Crown

Potential surprises:
Jeff Bridges, The Old Man – new show
Kevin Costner, Yellowstone – never nominated
Harrison Ford, 1923 – new show
Diego Luna, Andor – new show
Jeremy Renner, Mayor of Kingstown – never nominated
Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason – 1 nomination

Ineligible: Jason Bateman, Lee Jung-jae, Adam Scott

In my dreams: Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: Picard

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Sarah Snook, Succession
Imelda Staunton, The Crown

Potential surprises:
Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters – new show
Helen Mirren, 1923 – new show
Sophie Nélisse, Yellowjackets – never nominated

Ineligible: Jodie Comer, Laura Linney, Sandra Oh, Reese Witherspoon, Zendaya

In my dreams: Juliette Lewis, Yellowjackets

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1
Jul

Streaming Picks: July 2023

Programming Note: Paramount+ has merged with the Showtime app, but subscribers don’t automatically get access to all Showtime programming without paying an additional fee. So while the app will henceforth be known (clunkily) as Paramount+ with Showtime, I’m only using that name for titles only available on that higher tier.

FILMS
Top Pick
Knock at the Cabin – Prime Video 7/25
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest mind-bender opened a little softer and to more mixed reviews than 2021’s knockout Old. But this claustrophobic thriller about the (dangerous) power of faith is another win for the director who has continued to bet on himself after several high-profile failures.

Other Recommendations
3:10 to Yuma (2007) – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
20th Century Women – Max 7/1
The 40-Year-Old Virgin – Prime Video 7/1
Aftersun – Paramount+ with Showtime
Air Force One – Peacock 7/1
Alien – Hulu 7/1
Aliens – Hulu 7/1
Alien 3 – Hulu 7/1
American Gangster – Peacock 7/1
American Psycho – Peacock 7/1
Apollo 13 – Peacock 7/1
The Aviator – Paramount+ 7/1
Billy Elliot – Peacock 7/1
Bridesmaids – Netflix 7/1
Bullitt – Max 7/1
Caddyshack – Max 7/1
Charlotte’s Web (1973) – Paramount+ 7/1
Chinatown – Paramount+ 7/1
Closer – Hulu 7/1
Collateral – Paramount+ 7/1
Compliance – Max 7/1
The Descent – Max 7/1
Die Hard – Hulu 7/1
Die Hard with a Vengeance – Hulu 7/1
Do the Right Thing – Peacock 7/1
Dunkirk – Max 7/1
Election – Max 7/1
Eyes Wide Shut – Paramount+ 7/1
Father of the Bride (1991) – Hulu and Prime Video 7/1
The Firm – Paramount+ 7/1
A Fish Called Wanda – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
Ford v Ferrari – Hulu 7/1
Forgetting Sarah Marshall – Hulu and Peacock 7/1
Gaslight – Prime Video 7/1
The Godfather series – Paramount+ 7/1
Good Will Hunting – Max 7/1
Harold and Maude – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
How to Train Your Dragon – Prime Video 7/1
The Hunger Games series – Peacock 7/1
Inside Man (2006) – Peacock 7/1
The Iron Giant – Prime Video 7/1
Jackass Number Two – Paramount+ 7/1
Jaws – Peacock 7/1
Kick-Ass – Hulu, Netflix and Prime Video 7/1
King Kong (1933) – Max 7/1
King Kong (2005) – Hulu 7/1
Klute – Max 7/1
Legally Blonde – Prime Video 7/1
Lethal Weapon series – Max 7/1
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Hulu 7/1
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Hulu 7/1
Marathon Man – Paramount+ and Prime Video 7/1
Meet the Parents – Peacock 7/1
Men in Black – Prime Video 7/1
Mouse Hunt – Paramount+ and Prime Video 7/1
Mrs. Doubtfire – Hulu 7/1
No Country for Old Men – Paramount+ and Prime Video 7/1
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
The Other Guys – Prime Video 7/1
Paths of Glory – Prime Video 7/1
Pride & Prejudice (2005) – Netflix 7/1
Pulp Fiction – Max 7/1
Rain Man – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
Reds – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
Risky Business – Paramount+ 7/1
The Road Warrior – Max 7/1
Role Models – Peacock 7/1
Saturday Night Fever – Paramount+ and Prime Video 7/1
Saving Private Ryan – Prime Video 7/1
Searching for Bobby Fischer – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
The Shawshank Redemption – Prime Video 7/1
The Shining – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
Shirley (2020) – Max 7/1
Shoplifters – Max 7/1
The Skeleton Twins – Max 7/1
The Squid and the Whale – Netflix 7/1
A Star Is Born (2018) – Prime Video 7/1
Star Trek (2009) – Netflix 7/1
Step Brothers – Hulu 7/1
Support the Girls – Hulu and Prime Video 7/1
Titanic – Netflix 7/1
Trainspotting – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
The Truman Show – Prime Video 7/1
Uncle Buck – Netflix 7/1
Under the Silver Lake – Max 7/1
V for Vendetta – Max 7/1
Vanilla Sky – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/1
Where the Wild Things Are – Max 7/1
Whiplash – Hulu 7/1
Wild Things – Hulu 7/1
The Outfit – Peacock 7/2
It Follows – Paramount+ with Showtime 7/12
Ambulance – Peacock 7/23

NEW SHOWS & SPECIALS
Top Pick
What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5) – Hulu 7/14
At this point, it doesn’t matter how long this saga of four vampires (and their increasingly impatient familiar) runs or what shenanigans they get up to. It’s firmly cemented itself as one of the funniest comedies of the decade.

Other Recommendations
Wham! – Netflix 7/5
Bluey (Season 3, Part 3) – Disney+ 7/12
Full Circle – Max 7/13
Futurama (Season 11) – Hulu 7/24
How To with John Wilson (Season 3) – Max 7/28

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