Nerdy Squirrel Reviews by Pasckie Pascua

“American Rust” (Showtime) crime drama . 2 Seasons. Based on the 2009 novel by Philipp Meyer, this series is set in a small Rust Belt town in Pennsylvania . Chief of police Del Harris takes on an investigation when the son of the woman he loves is accused of murder.        Del Harris is Jeff Daniels; the woman that he loves is Grace Poe, played by Maura Tierney. Reliable character actor Bill Camp is on Season 1. You can't lose with these three veteran performers.        On the outset, the sullen, grim and downcast photography sets you up to a lumbering side-trip to steeltown decay. You could almost smell the concrete stench of abandoned steel that is smothered by all kinds of dirt and filth. Which is, you know, good viewing to me.         Season 1 pretty much kept me glued. Fine aching, especially by Alex Neustaedter and David Alvarez as the tormented young men Billy and Isaac.        But we lost the intrigue in Season 2, aside from here comes again the super annoying dim lighting

“The Bear” Season 3, drama of some sort. I must say I enjoyed Season 1 and Season 2, regardless of some episodes that seem painstakingly stretched. Examples: Carmy's monologue and the family dinner “battle royale” of fiery mouths.        Season 3 is, uhh. I don't know. We were already on Episode 9 (of 10) but still I couldn't grasp a conflict or story or a real dramatic sequence other than the yelling and the F word. The only time that I sense a story is in E7, Tina's episode with Michael.        I don't question the overall acting though. But S3 is basically a ruminative, impressionistic redo of S1/S2 or Carmy's elongated mushy dramatics. And damn, this is NOT comedy as categorized by the Emmy people. Comedy is "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." 🎥📺📽 “The Perfect Couple” (Netflix) mystery drama miniseries based on the 2018 novel with the same name by Elin Hilderbrand . More like a daytime soap opera with a bit of Hollywood glitz confection.

“Forgotten Love” (2023 Netflix) Polish drama adapted from the novel “Znachor” by Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz . The story takes place during the period between WWI and WWII, about a surgeon who is at the peak of his medical career when his wife leaves him, taking with her his daughter.        The title is a bit cheesy, the plot is a daytime soap derivative. I didn't even notice this “Forgotten Love” as I surfed Netflix's lineup, looking for a movie to watch on a weekend. Until my living room watch comrade and BFF Cindyrella suggested that we try this obscure Polish period drama.         And so I was captivated. Although I was far from enthralled, I totally enjoyed the old school storytelling and no-frills, no-pretensions filmmaking. The 2-hr, 20 minutes feature wasn't boring at all yet no bloated sex scenes, no ultra-dramatic tensions, no swashbuckling fight scenes.         Just a story being told the way we knew it. And kickass acting, especially by Leszek Lichota as the centr

<>“Running with the Devil” 2019, starring Nicolas Cage and Laurence Fishburne . Traces the journey of cocaine, moving from the fields to the processing facilities, and then crossing borders to reach the distributors. Hey, Mr Cage and Mr Fishburne together in a crime/narcos movie is a winnable bet, don’t you agree? Add Cole Hauser, who pretty much essays the same Rip character that he muscled around in “Yellowstone,” you are at 7-3 odds you'd enjoy this macho ride-along.        The characters are introduced as The Cook, The Man, Agent In Charge, The Boss, The Snitch, The Farmer, and The Executioner. So you know how the entire ride is gonna be. To his credit, the director Jason Cabell had a winner in 2016’s “Smoke Filled Lungs,” which he wrote, directed, and won Best Actor for at the Milan Filmmakers Film Festival. The movie also won Best Picture.        To my disappointment though, “Running…” isn’t a winner. It was simply a visual recitation, told in “matter of fact” non-imag

“Dog” (2022, Tubi) comedy drama road film directed by Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin , both making their respective film directorial debuts. The film stars Mr Tatum as an Army Ranger who is tasked with escorting the military dog of his fallen friend to his funeral. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, praising the direction as well as Channing’s performance, and was also a box office success, grossing $85 million worldwide.        There's really nothing so new about the storyline. Dog movies are pretty much the same and almost all of them elicited tears from many “hooman” eyes, of course. “Dog” is no different. However, Lulu–the female Belgian Malinois–touched me at a time when Hurricane Helene was crushing me mentally, a PTSD stab that brought me back home. Wounded memories of typhoon deaths and cataclysmic destruction.        What has a dog got to do with it? Far from my home country and family, I felt “alone.” Not alone to face the shudder here in Ash

“Manchester by the Sea” (2016, Amazon Prime), written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan . The much-acclaimed kinship drama stars Casey Affleck , who later won the 2016 Academy best actor award, for his powerful yet restrained role as Lee Chandler, a grumpy loner.        My BFF living room watch partner suggested watching it a few years ago but I said not now, if that's okay. Why? I read the Wiki info that it is a depressing movie. Until, ironically, last week or so as I wrestle with hurricane induced funk.        “Manchester…” revolves around the themes of depression , guilt , grief , responsibility, dysfunctional families , and post-traumatic stress disorder . Lee is a depressed and grief-stricken dude who becomes the legal guardian of his teenage nephew after the death of his brother.        Fine cinema as cinematic art. At the 89th Academy Awards , “Manchester by the Sea” also won for Best Original Screenplay , plus additional nominations for Best Picture , Best Director , Best S