Pasckie Pascua's Nerdy Squirrel Reviews: TV Series.

“Beau Is Afraid” (2023, Amazon Prime) surrealist tragicomedy horror film written, directed, and co-produced by Ari Aster. Weird. weird movie. The first part that mainly took place in an apartment building was fun although silly. Yet from that point, the madness accelerated to an exhausting frenzy.        Joaquin Phoenix is Beau Wassermann, an extremely confused son of a wealthy widow. Mr Phoenix's performance commitment reminds me of Daniel Day Lewis or Johnny Depp's preference to take in a crazy slew of diverse characters. Joaquin totally threw himself in Beau's insane moondance! (He earned a Golden Globe nomination for the effort.)        As I inferred, the dadaist showboat was eccentrically fine from the building ruckus and even up to the Nathan Lane/Amy Ryan part (daughter played by Hayley Squires was lovably wackadoodle) but from that point it was all messy abstractions.       ...

“Bad Sisters” (Apple TV+) Season 2, Irish black comedy about the five Garvey sisters—Eva, Grace, Ursula, Bibi, and Becka—who live in present-day Dublin. The actresses: Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson.         Based on the Belgian series “Clan,” the first season won several awards and nominations, including an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Ms Horgan.        Pretty much the show is the five sisters. The maddening chemistry, wild orchestration, and yet restraint mix. Season 1 seemed to exhaust all its fire and spice although Season 2 was still fine, notably with the inclusion of Thaddea Graham as persistent detective Una Houlihan, and Fiona Shaw as the awkward Angelica Muldoon. 🎥💻📽 “No Good Deed” (Netflix) dark comedy , follows three families vying to buy the same house, which they all think will solve their problems. In case you have seen...

“Joan” (Amazon Prime) British crime drama miniseries, based on real-life character Joan Hannington , a figure known as "the Godmother" by certain aspects of the British criminal underworld. The series features Ms Hannington's journey from housewife and mother to petty offender, diamond thief and criminal mastermind in 1980s London .        Sophie Turner is Joan O'Connell-Hannington and Frank Dillane is Joan's partner-in-crime and husband Boise Hannington.        A huge chunk of the series is fictionalized although the material is supposedly a reading of Joan's autobiographical book. Never mind. The tight script made the show a compelling watch, anyhow. And stellar acting by Ms Turner and Mr Dillane kept me glued. 🎥💻📽 “Sherwood” (BritBox) 2 Seasons, British television crime drama series, inspired by real life murders in the mining town of Nottinghamshire , England in 2004, a dark past arising from divisions created b...

“Hit Man” (2023, Netflix) romantic comedy crime film directed by Richard Linklater , follows an undercover New Orleans police contractor who poses as a reliable hitman as he tries to save a woman in need.         The basic premise was based on the true story of a college professor who worked for the Houston police in the late 1980s and 1990s as a fake hitman , as described in a 2001 magazine article by Skip Hollandsworth .        Hard to lose with Mr Linklater as director. Plus Glen Powell as the central character Gary is fun to watch. He won a Golden Globe nomination, Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.        The otherwise predictable plot is comically interesting mainly due to how Glen handled and carried it all the way. Nice recommended date movie. 🎥💻📽 “The Bikeriders” (2023, Amazon Prime) crime drama written and directed by Jeff Nichols . Inspired by ...

“The Dead Don't Hurt.” (2023, Paramount+) Western drama written, directed, and produced by Viggo Mortensen . A nicely-made little period piece.         The story: In 1860s San Francisco, Métis Franco-Canadian Vivienne Le Coudy falls in love with Danish immigrant carpenter Holger Olsen, and goes with him to his remote cabin in northern Nevada. Highlighting her independent streak, she refuses to marry Mr Olsen and gets a job as a barmaid in the nearby town of Elk Flats, a town dominated by corrupt landowner Alfred Jeffries and his alcoholic son Weston.         A restrained but powerful performance by Vicky Krieps . Awards-worthy, in fact. Her essay of Vivienne reminds me of the earlier movies of Meryl Streep. Under-acted but sharply internalized. Viggo's mild-mannered Holger complements Vivienne's steely insistence. 🎥👍📽 “Blood for Dust.” (2023, Hulu) action crime thriller. Travelling salesman Cliff is dr...

“Territory” (Netflix) Australian neo-Western drama. Story revolves around the world's largest cattle station , Marianne Station, which has been owned for generations by the Lawson family dynasty. Marianne Station is based on the real-life cattle station called Anna Creek Station located in South Australia, which is considered the largest cattle station in the world. Rival cattle farmers, various gangsters, Australian Aboriginal elders, and mining magnates seeking control of the mammoth property.         Easily, “Territory” reminds us of “Yellowstone.” Robert Taylor's Colin Lawson is Kevin Costner's John Dutton. So much so that the first two episodes seem a dry derivative of the popular Taylor Sheridan-masterminded series, set in Montana.        But the series changed trajectory as we got midway. The conflicts got intense, the backstories compelling, and the power play heightens. Clearly, we are seeing Season 2....

“Smile” (2022, Paramount+) psychological supernatural horror film written and directed by Parker Finn , in his feature directorial debut . A follow-up to his 2020 short film “L aura Hasn't Slept .” This little scare-ride has earned (so far) $217.4 million from a mere $17 million budget. Hence, the movie spawned a Part 2 in 2024, which I didn't bother to watch (after the first 2 or 3 sequences).         Story: Therapist Rose Cutter witnessed the bizarre suicide of a patient, then becomes overwhelmed with increasingly disturbing and daunting visions that lead her to believe she is experiencing something supernatural. Susie Bacon is Rose Cotter, a major reason why this screamer worked.         Sosie is the daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. She should get lead starring roles, hoping she won't be typecast as a “scream queen.” She shows more promise than that stereotype. 🎥💻📽 “The Dead Don't Die” (2019, Ne...