Nerdy Squirrel Reviews by Pasckie Pascua

“The Patient” (Hulu) psychological thriller . A therapist is held captive by a serial killer who seeks help to curb his homicidal urges. On first look, I didn’t bother to check this series out. Later, I did, when I couldn’t find an interesting series to add to my list at that particular time. I didn’t realize this series is quite good!         The always-reliable Steve Carell is expectedly, reliably watchable here as Alan Strauss, a therapist mourning the recent death of his wife and then held captive in a basement. But it is Domhnall Gleeson as Sam Fortner, a serial killer and Alan's patient, that totally owned this quietly macabre psycho-show. Sans the sinister cliche of a deranged soul, Mr Gleeson terrified us still. He was nominated for a Golden Globe supporting actor plum for this one. Didn’t win because awards for “whites” that time were already distributed, I guess. Otherwise the awards fiasco’s diversity quotient would have suffered? LOL!        “The Patient” is majority

“The Equalizer 3” (2023, Netflix) vigilante action-thrille r. Loosely based on the 1980s television series of the same name , the film stars Denzel Washington as retired U.S. Marine and DIA officer Robert McCall. I saw I and II and I was a follower of the Edward Woodward TV original. So I know what I’m gonna get here from the get go, all directed by the unfailing actioner Antoine Fuqua. He had me at hello per 2001’s “Training Day.”        And yes! Mr Fuqua teamed up with Mr Washington is a winner. But as I’ve said, I knew what I’m gonna get in this Equalizer banger. The good killah cut `em all down like tortilla pins in a bowling alley, easy. The same clinical agility and swashbuckling finesse of all the John dudes of stylized mayhem. John Rambo, John McClane, John Wick. Thank God, McCall’s first name isn’t John but Robert, not so action hero-like? But equally armored with vicious cool albeit with almost zero weaponry other than his arms and wily smirk of a smile that yes, of cours

“The Crown” (Netflix) Season 6, historical drama . Covers the Queen's reign into the 21st century and is set to include the death of Diana and its aftermath, the first meeting of Prince William and Catherine Middleton and the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles .         Quiet, no overdrawn drama denouement. That’s pretty much how the royal saga ended. Focus was the painfully safe Prince William and his love story with Catherine Middleton , essayed with obligatory faith by Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy. Lesley Manville had a flashback interlude as a dying Princess Margaret, do they have to do that again? V anessa Kirby and Helena Bonham Carter already delivered the message, with equal restrained gusto and decadent allure. Not that I am saying Ms Manville wasn’t remarkable as well, she was.         Season 6 is a “let’s get it done” OCD fix for me. I got this far so I had to last till it’s done. They could have upped the intrigue more by focusing on Prince Harry (the

SEASON 3 of "The Morning Show." Apple TV. Inspired by Brian Stelter 's 2013 book “ Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV .” The show examines the characters and culture behind a network broadcast morning news program. Etc etcetera.         As for me, the concluding episode (of Season 3) sort of redeemed the show from the (political) self-immolation or self-congratulation of the previous episodes. Plotpoints were creamed with partisanship bias based on supposedly real events. Very frustrating to me. I mean, episode 1 to 9.         But the finale (episode 10) "The Overview Effect," written by Anya Leta (from story by Charlotte Stoudt and Ms Leta), made up for the blatant political subjectivity of the previous ones.         Anyhow, for me, the most real character in TMS is Cory Ellison (played by Billy Crudup). Real, in the sense that his persona didn't get the soap operatic confection or stale theatrics that we usually see on current TV

“Leave the World Behind” (Netflix), ps ychological thriller film, based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam . Premise: A family vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.        Apocalypse is not a new theme in cinema. Name some: Dr Strangelove, Time Barrier, Battle of the Worlds, The Road, Days Later, Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow, Interstellar, A Boy and His Dog, Deep Impact. Many more. So I am sure you are not so excited by this movie's pitch.        But since movies these days are mostly about boring superheroes, endless convoluted prequels, “correct” remakes, and contrived wokeness, I simply minded only TV series features. This movie’s director Sam Esmail pissed me off with his eerie sound editing experimentation in “Mr Robot” though I du

“Hell on Wheels.” Amazon Prime. Historical drama. 5 Seasons. Western series about the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States. The panoramic saga chronicles the intertwining lives of the project’s laborers, mercenaries, prostitutes, surveyors, politicians, and others who worked and died in the mobile encampment, called "Hell on Wheels,” that followed the railhead west across the Great Plains. In particular, the story focuses on a former Confederate soldier who initially joins the railroad to track down Union soldiers who murdered his wife and young son during the American Civil War. In the process he becomes a foreman and eventually chief engineer on the railroad.        Historical cinema is no brainer to me. I am addicted to this genre. Five seasons: Season 1 began in 1865, shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln; Season 2 covered 1866; Seasons 3 and 4 opened in 1867; and Season 5 carried the series into 1869. This is the kind of se