Considering how dark 2020 is, it is a good time for a lighthearted remembrance of things past, before the pandemic.
Television
TV Review: “Ratched” — A Sensational Sartorial Folly
Ratched is lurid, violent, sexually explicit, outrageous, and has nothing whatsoever to do with Ken Kesey’s novel or Milos Forman’s award-winning film adaptation.
Television Review: “Aggretsuko” — The Season Three Blues
For some reason, Aggretsuko riffs on Japanese idols in its third season, and the shift makes the show less appealing.
Television Review: “Class Action Park” — The Most Dangerous Place on Earth
Visitors (of all ages?) were invited to drink copious amounts of liquor and possibly get laid. This was as close to Pinnochio‘s Pleasure Island as they were ever going to get.
Television Review: “Howard” — Homage to One of the Greatest Artists of the 20th Century
The great lyricist behind the Disney renaissance receives a moving tribute.
Television Review: “An American Pickle” — Sour to a Fault
Seth Rogen puts in double duty as an early 20th century Jewish immigrant and his modern great grandson in a comedy that starts off sweet but leaves a bitter aftertaste.
Television Review: “Frayed” — Going Home, Yet Again
Frayed is an Australian/British comedy, and its refreshing sense of gallows humor draws on the pessimism in both cultures.
Television Review: “Love on the Spectrum” — Celebrating Autism
Love on the Spectrum is a trailblazing docuseries that dismantles myths about autism and romance.
Television Review: HBO’s “Perry Mason” — American Justice, with Loose Ends
The parallel plot — maybe the real plot — percolates just below the surface: the meta-textual challenge of figuring out how the HBO Perry Mason will morph into something resembling its CBS progenitor.
Television Review: “Fisherman’s Friends” — Corny, but Cornwall Shines
What makes this somewhat derivative movie soar is its music.