The Survivors

 6 part Australian limited series about a couple who returns to their small coastal hometown 15 years after a storm caused the deaths of 3 of their friends. A good Australian cast brings the script home. It's short, compelling and enjoyable with some really beautiful coastal scenery tossed in for good measure. It's worth the short amount of time it takes to finish, but its nothing too special. Add a point if your love your Aussies.

Motorheads

What we have here is the plot of Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift and several other high school dramas rehashed. They even went so far as to cast the love interest in FAF:TD as the mom in this series. The new kid on the block unseats the dickhead rich kid as the town stud through his racing prowess. Watching all these 25 year olds running around posing as teens from a high school that has never existed anywhere was really cringe to me. A 7.5 IMDB ranking is absurdly high for a series that hasn't a single original idea. That's not to say that you can't enjoy this series, but I certainly did not. Pass

 

The Amateur

Rami Malek plays a CIA computer genius analyst whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack. He then wiggles his way into training for and going after the killers. A really good cast is offset by technology bells and whistles and a very mediocre script. It's enjoyable, but this is nothing you haven't seen a hundred times. Instead of using Braun, Malek uses brains to get the bad guys. It's Good to see the Marvelous Ms. Maisel (Rachael Brosnahan) finally starring in something, but her role is smaller than her talent. Worth watching but forgettable.

 

Animal Kingdom

 J, after his mom's OD, joins his grandmother's criminal gang with his four uncles. Set in Oceanside, Ca. there is lots of crime, drugs, sex and adrenaline fueled action that starts to become formulaic real quick in this TNT production. I watched all 6 seasons and what we have here is kind of a cross between Sons of Anarchy and Point Break. Based on the excellent Australian film from 2010 this bares only a slight resemblance to that, but the series isn't without merit or enjoyment. It has script holes galore so that 8.2 IMDB rating is a full point too high, but I'd put this at about a 7, it would even be lower except they started doing flashbacks in s4 to the 1970's and it helped maintain the shows longevity and finally added some decent music to what was a horrendous soundtrack. The shows finale was a strong one. Soft recommendation if you don't like it after s2 you won't like it at all.

Becoming Led Zeppelin

 

Absolutely phenomenal documentary about the formation and early years of one of the greatest rock bands ever. This is filled with interviews and stunning rare early concert footage and when taken in the context of what year all this went down, makes it all the more mind blowing. The editing here really stands out, but the best thing about this film is that it knows when to shut up and let the music do the talking as these sequences crackle with energy even 55 years later. Being a huge Led Zeppelin fan, I am not certain how a non-Led Zeppelin fan would take a film like this, but its best we don't worry about those three people. A highly recommended and excellent film and A MUST SEE for fans of Led Zeppelin.

The Phoenician Scheme

Made an appearance in the theatre for this one as Wes Anderson is firmly in my top 5 directors. Del Toro plays a uber wealthy businessman who after "another" failed assassination attempt decides to make his estranged nun daughter his sole heir as he undergoes a very ambitious business project. This is not Wes Anderson's best work, but the cast is ridiculously good and loaded from top to bottom and, of course, his signature sets are on full display, so there is merit here but this will be better for fans of Anderson than a typical moviegoer. A 6.8 IMDB rating is really spot on.

 

Mountainhead

 

Debuted on HBO this past week, Mountainhead sees 4 of the worlds richest men meet for a weekend at Schwartzman's mountain retreat in Utah. In the meantime, the latest Social media update is spreading enough disinformation to make the world riot around them as the 4 contemplate world domination. An all-star cast featuring Steven Carrell, Rami Yousaff and Jason Schwartzman along with a lifestyles of the rich and famous home are the draws here, but not much else. Mountainhead straddles the border between Drama and Comedy, but the film does neither particularly well. What the film does do is show us the dangers posed by the MEGA rich and, at a time in history when the Elon Musk types are operating with impunity that maybe just enough to give Mountainhead a try. Fun Fact...it is no accident that Mountainhead and Fountainhead rhyme. Ayn Rand's famous novel glorifying capitalism is really put through its paces here. A very soft recommendation just because the film so easily slips into the current Zeitgeist.