Reviews

1. Pluribus (AppleTV)
It takes a lot to show us something we’ve never seen before. To present ideas that make us truly think. To make us think in ways we’ve never considered before. To leave us with thoughts that linger for days and make us look at the world differently. To make us question our consciousness, our existence, our humanity, our world, ourselves. Pluribus does all of this and does it with such entertaining wonder (and, admittedly, sometimes true horror) that I am constantly overwhelmed with how refreshing it truly is and how lucky we are to exist in a timeline with Vince Gilligan and the team of writers and directors he has assembled and how lucky we are to be the recipients of this kind of magic trick. Oh, and the magnificent Rhea Seehorn, who never won that Emmy for Better Call Saul that she so deserved? You’d better believe she’s coming for it now.
[Note: This is the only show I’m purposely not providing a trailer for, because I believe this show is best experienced knowing as little as possible about.]

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As someone whose educational blindspot is American history, I am always seeking out easier ways to learn about our country’s past than having to sit down and read sizable textbooks and, thankfully, Hollywood has helped me out on more than one occasion. This week, Netflix has dropped a four-episode limited series about a pivotal moment in United States history that deserves to be more than the footnote that it has turned out to be: the assassination of President James Garfield by Charles Guiteau.

Never heard of Guiteau? Forgot all about Garfield? You’re likely not the only one. Death by Lightning is a historical drama that is all at once dramatic, educational, hilarious, illuminating, moving, inspiring, tragic and utterly absurd that is delivered via four powerhouse performances in four episodes that will not only make you want to learn more about James Garfield, but just may help you understand a little better who we are and how we got to this place we are now.

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Memory makes the heart grow fonder, or so they say. Or, at the very least, time makes you forgive some of the little things. Which may explain why, when I find myself looking back on TV shows or movies that I love, I find myself growing more fond of them in time, and forgiving them for minor things that I may have had issues with before. This is certainly evident as I was compiling my Top 25 Movies of the Century So Far list, as I was linking my reviews to my favorite movies, I found that my original reviews of these movies, all of which I have grown to absolutely love, were not all raves, much to my surprise.

So maybe it’s just easier to be more critical the first time around, or familiarity fosters a better sense of fairness, who knows. But it does seem that my first impressions of TV shows and movies aren’t always the lasting ones, which prompted me to go back and see if I perhaps had overestimated a show that bowled me over so much at the time, I thought it was one of the best things I had ever watched.

Well, it looks like I’m not the only one, as this brief meteor of a show, which only had two short but brilliant seasons, is still sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes nine years later, which means not a single critic has published a negative review. In over 42 reviews of the first season and 99 reviews of the second, not a single naysayer. I’m clearly not the only one who agrees Fleabag is perfect. Thank goodness.

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Season two of the glorious Peacock original series Poker Face just dropped, so I figured it’s the perfect time to re-run my review of season one, which I wrote back in January, 2023, published on WeLiveEntertainment.com. The only thing that’s changed in the two years since I wrote this is that Peacock has now even more to offer, so if I haven’t convinced you yet that it’s worth a try, then maybe now’s the time. Enjoy my review of Poker Face, season one, from 2023:

This new era of prestige television that we are lucky enough to enjoy has seen the balance of power shift from the networks to streaming services, as the most awarded, critically acclaimed, and popular shows are now found on any of the multitudes of streaming platforms, each one with their own slate of lauded original programming. Every major streamer has joined the party, even Roku hitting the critical jackpot with their highly-praised original film, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which premiered in November. It seems as if the only major streaming service that hasn’t jumped on the prestige TV bandwagon is Peacock, seemingly happy to bask in its vast catalog of popular shows from NBC’s archives, in addition to churning out under-the-radar original programming marked by reality series, competition shows, and formulaic sitcoms.

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Well, it’s 2025, which means we’re at the quarter-century mark, so everyone is posting their lists of their favorite films from 2000-2024, so I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and add mine to the parade.

But, before I give you my list, I thought it would be fun if I reminded you of my past picks:

Here were my Top 10 from 2000-2009, published on January 10, 2010:
1. WALL-E (2008)
2. Donnie Darko (2001)
3. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
4. In Bruges (2008)
5. Gladiator (2000)
6. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
7. Memento (2000)
8. Batman Begins (2005)
9. The Hurt Locker (2009)
10. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

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