Year: 2022

News and Quick Comments

“Belfast”: the making of a movie master

At a wobbly time in a 9-year-old’s life, his grandmother has some key words.
“You’ll always be Buddy from Belfast,” she says, “no matter where you go and what you become.”
That line – from Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographic film “Belfast” (shown here) – rings true. And we have to marvel at just what the kid did become.
He became a president, a prime minister and a king. He led armies, solved mysteries, explored Antarctica and created a monster. And two opposite Branagh films are in theaters: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 14, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 16: “Alien” leaves, “Edge” arrives

1) “Resident Alien” season-finale, 9 p.m. Syfy. Desperate to keep the town’s only doctor, the mayor plans a surprise party for when Harry returns to his cabin. What he doesn’t realize is … well, “Harry” is really an alien (shown here in a previous episode) who took over the body of the real Harry – who was a crook, ducking other crooks. And “Harry” is carrying the egg of a half-alien that could hatch and start eating people. The result is a dandy mix of humor and drama, with some of the best moments centering on the mayor’s wife. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 14, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 15: Comedies start, “Bachelor” ends

1) “Young Rock” season-opener, 8 p.m. NBC. All four actors who play Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are needed today. We see him as a kid and as a teen, idolizing a big-hearted, big-bodied dad (shown here) who has little time. We also see him trying to break into Canadian pro football. And we see him in the future, played by the real Johnson. Those scenes, with Randall Park, are fairly funny; the others are merely interesting, treading a line somewhere between comedy and drama. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 13, 2022
Stories

“Sanditon” is back … and different; here’s a guide

By all logic, there wouldn’t be a second “Sanditon” season … or even a first one.
Its author (Jane Austen) had died after barely starting the novel. Two centuries later, the production company bailed out after one season; some key actors departed.
Yet here it is, starting its second PBS season (shown here) at 9 p.m. Sunday (March 20), two years after the first one ended. A lush and popular show is back … and renewed for a third season. Here’s a guide to some sweeping changes: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 13, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 14: Three finales collide

1) “The Bachelor” finale, 8-10 p.m. today and Tuesday, ABC. Clayton Echard was in a loving mood last week. On consecutive nights, he slept with Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey (shown here), telling each “I love you” and/or “I’m falling in love with you.” The third night, he found that Susie Evans was unhappy about this, despite him saying “I am the most in love with you.” She left; now the show has four hours to straighten this all out. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 12, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 13: Basketball soars; the dead keep walking

1) Basketball. At 6 p.m. ET, CBS has an hour announcing the brackets in the NCAA tourney. Before that, there are still conference tournaments to settle. On CBS. It’s the Atlantic 10 at 1 p.m. ET and the Big Ten (shown here in a previous game) at 3:30; on ESPN, it’s the SEC at 1 and the American at 3:15. Also, ESPN2 has the Ivy League at noon. In each case, the winner gets an automatic tourney spot; in most, the loser will get one, too. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 11, 2022
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for March 14: Finales for “Bachelor,” “Alien,” more

1) “The Bachelor” finale, 8-10 p.m. today and Tuesday, ABC. Last week, Clayton Echard planned to spend “fantasy suite” nights with the final three women. The first night, he told Rachel Recchia (a pilot, shown here) that he loves her. The second, he told Gabby Windey he’s falling in love with her. The third, he found that Susie Evans was unhappy about the first two, even after he explained that “I am the most in love with you.” She ended up leaving, maybe forever. Now the show has four hours to straighten this all out. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 10, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 11: Let’s be charmed or turn red

1) “Charmed” season-opener, 8 p.m., CW. This show could have shattered when Madeleine Mantock (who played Macy) left. Harry lost his lover, Mel and Maggie lost their sister, the “power of three” was broken. But now comes a terrific hour that seems to make the show better than ever. We meet a mechanic and graffiti artist (shown here), smart, sturdy and self-reliant. This hour wastes too much time in denial, but sweeps “Charmed” in some intriguing directions. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 9, 2022
Stories

A “silly” actor conquers a deep, disturbing role

By now, we know Samuel L. Jackosn as a fun guy.
He’s does all those commercials, alone and with Spike Lee and Charles Barkley. He’s Nick Fury in Marvel shows; he hosts award shows for movies, sports and videogames. He does the cartoon voices of a dog, a dinosaur a superhero and more.
So it’s a detour to see him in “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” (shown here), which arrives Friday (March 11) on Apple TV+. Here is Jackson, 73, as a 93-year-old man, clinging to tiny shards of his memory. Was he able to retain his fun side?
“Yeah, I’m not a method actor,” he said. Between scenes, colleagues saw “how silly I can be.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 8, 2022