In mid-March 2020, I made my way to a movie theater to watch The Hunt. I stayed far away from people; I went to a late show so fewer people would be there; I chose a not-so-popular theater to ensure I would be in a smaller crowd. I did my very best to avoid people at all costs.
In other words … I did pretty much what I had before the pandemic—but this time, I was wearing a mask over half my face.
I submitted my review (it was a mild thumbs-up) the following day and started writing a planned cover story about streaming entertainment during the pandemic. I sent a sketch of myself to my brother, Mike—who did cover illustrations for my RN&R articles for years—in which I was bouncing popcorn off of my mask, scowling from my movie seat. Mike was going to take that idea and turn it into a hilarious and topical cover illustration.
Then I got the call. The Reno News & Review was, for the most part, ceasing operations.
I was about five months away from my 25th anniversary as the RN&R movie reviewer, and I was banking on at least 25 more. Thankfully, I was a young man when I started, so 50 years reviewing movies wouldn’t have been that crazy. (I might forget what a movie is, and what birds are, at some point in my late 70s—but, hey, that could make for interesting reading, right?)
While I was no longer writing for the RN&R, I kept reviewing some movies for our sister paper, the Coachella Valley Independent. So while the number of trips to the theater have severely decreased—I think I put 20 miles on the truck last month—I still saw a fair number of movies. (Here’s a link to my 2021 best-of list that ran on our sister paper’s website.)
When I got the call from Jimmy Boegle asking me to return to the RN&R website, I asked if I could pick up where I left off. So … basically, this is the story I was going to write two years ago—except the shows are newer, of course.
Here are the shows I’ve binged and enjoyed recently while practicing viral avoidance and working remotely from an apartment the dog has deemed far too small. (She’s right!) Most of these shows are recent, while a couple are slightly older.
Station Eleven: I just completed this 10-episode series on HBO Max, and it might be my favorite of the lot. It’s sort of like Stephen King’s The Stand meets community theater, but without the supernatural stuff. Actually, you could almost call it a partial rip-off of his novel. It’s incredible that this was already in production when the pandemic started. Some of its viral apocalypse subject matter is uncanny, and quite scary. There are great performances all around, plus a wonderful use of alternate timelines. Not a bad episode in the bunch.
1883: I started watching Yellowstone¸ but I didn’t get hooked. However, I am enjoying this Yellowstone prequel. It has Sam Elliott in a (mostly) dark, gritty, old-timey Western. Some of the hairstyles and makeup lack proper period accuracy, but the story is solid. It lost its way a bit in episode 5—the latest to air on Paramount+—but I hope it can get back on track.
Peacemaker: James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad was one of 2021’s better films. John Cena’s Peacemaker character was actually one of its weaker links, so a show based around it didn’t get me excited. Then the show actually started airing on HBO Max. Not only is it a legit sequel to the movie; Gunn has a major hand in it, and Cena really finds his way with the character. Eagley, his bald eagle sidekick, is pure joy.
Beef House: I somehow didn’t know Tim and Eric had created this nutcase Adult Swim programming as of two weeks ago. I found out about it watching Red Letter Media (hands-down the best film criticism available on the internet) and dove in. This show, which aired in 2020, is typical weird-assed humor from two of the strangest men to ever get budgets for their humor. It’s loosely based on shows like Family Matters and Full House, but frequently features explosive diarrhea. Beef House is six episodes of some of the most bizarre TV you are ever likely to see.
Hawkeye: Disney+ unleashed a bunch of Marvel shows these last couple of years, including Wandavision, Loki and this holiday-themed contraption. Let’s face it: Hawkeye has always been a background character in the Avengers universe, but this show allows Jeremy Renner to shine and take the role to the next level. It doesn’t hurt that the great Hailee Steinfeld is along for the ride.
Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure: I basically stopped following football the day Joe Montana retired. He was the game for me, and I just don’t have time in my life for multiple sports obsessions, so I whittled that facet of my life down to MLB (specifically, the New York Mets). Montana fans might not be aware that Peacock has been running a decent weekly sports biography about the most exciting quarterback to have ever played the game. As of this article, five of the six episodes have aired.
Saved By the Bell: Also on Peacock, this modern revival of the absolutely lousy high school comedy is unexpectedly hilarious. Season 1 was a nonstop laugh machine. Season 2, which was released last November, is still funny, but I’m not deep enough into it to say whether or not it hits the high mark of the first season. Either way, this has already turned out to be something much better than anybody could’ve possibly imagined. Mario Lopez, it turns out, is a comedic genius!
The Righteous Gemstones: This HBO Max series failed to hook me in its first season—a surprise, considering I’m usually a sucker for anything Danny McBride does. Because I was writing this article, I went searching for a show to round out my list, and I saw that some Season 2 episodes had been released. I binged the four available episodes of Season 2, laughed my ass off, and plan to keep watching going forward. I’ll also go back and give Season 1 another shot. Born-again Christians constantly behaving terribly and cursing equals comedy heaven.
The Book of Boba Fett: The Star Wars franchise is starting to grate on me a bit. The Rise of Skywalker was trash, so the movie portion of the brand is at a crossroads. The Mandalorian is decent, but follow-up The Book of Boba Fett had a very slow start. The newest episode of this Disney+ show, its fifth, focuses entirely on the return of the Mandalorian; in fact, it’s basically a Mando episode. The Boba Fett character is failing to impress, but maybe the show will catch fire now that Mando has joined the crew. The upcoming Obi Wan show with Ewan McGregor looks promising.
Cobra Kai: This Netflix show, which originated on YouTube, is a mixed bag. Some of the seasons are enjoyable; some of them are subpar. The recently aired Season 4 was one of the better ones, but they are running out of old characters to recycle. We will know this show is in its end times when Hilary Swank of The Next Karate Kid or Jaden Smith (from The Karate Kid remake) show up high-kicking. Actually … I take back that last comment. It would be kind of fun if Swank showed up. Make an offer to Hilary Swank, now!
Ahh … isn’t that nice? I feel a sweet sense of closure now. Here’s to new beginnings—as well as the mixture of praise and near-slanderous remarks about cinematic and streaming endeavors that will come my way on social media!
It was while I was writing this column that I found out my dear friend Kathy Griffin had passed away.
Kathy, without a doubt, will always be one of the sweetest, funniest, most passionate and supportive people I have ever known. My happiness quotient always jumped up a thousand percent whenever I saw her. So many of you reading this knew and loved Kathy, and can relate to that warm, happy vibe she always inspired.
It’s heartbreaking to know I won’t be able to have some pancakes with my pal and talk about movies, music, local business and life going forward. When I think of Reno, I think of Kathy Griffin, and that’s always going to be the case. I will never forget her, and I will always honor her memory and what she meant to us and the Reno community.
(I might forget what a movie is, and what birds are, at some point in my late 70s—but, hey, that could make for interesting reading, right?)
This is a disgusting agist remark made by a fool
Update: The episodes after this article was written have gone in a completely different direction. Boba Fett is a supporting player in his own show now, and this is a good thing. It’s become something akin to a Return of the Jedi sequel (with more of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker) and an extension of The Mandalorian. In short, far more entertaining.
Also…I watched the first season of Yellowjackets and oh..my…god!