Oct 20-26 - Shows (and Bodies) Piling Up
Restlessness, impatience, and avoiding tasks I'm supposed to be doing all contributed to my already watching this week's episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks (I've enjoyed every episode) and the third episode of the new Frasier series (still finding its footing, but more there to attract me than put me off) - both Paramount+, and the latest Doom Patrol (a musical episode, including an a capella rendition of the opening theme; this being the back half of the final season, I'm going to miss this crew) on Max. Waiting for me still are this week's Loki (Disney+) and Gen V (Amazon).
I've yet to break the seal on the new and ongoing seasons of Our Flag Means Death on Max, or Syfy's Chucky that's accumulating over on Peacock. I found that each works better for me when I have fuller options to be able to get into a groove and binge.
Arriving yesterday on Netflix was an 8-episode British crime thriller limited series involving a murder being investigated by four different detectives in four different time periods, ranging from the 1890s to 2053. The loose premise is interesting enough that I've avoided trying to find out too much about it ahead of just giving it a watch. It's Bodies (2023 8 episodes, all available on Netflix) I did see that this is based on an 8-issue DC Vertigo comic series of the same name written by the late Si Spencer, published in 2014, which I must admit I was unaware of.
Today on Amazon Prime, we have the return of the sci-fi comedy drama series Upload for the start of its third season.
Created by Greg Daniels, it stars Robbie Amell and deals with a near-future world in which the human mind can be digitally uploaded into a potentially eternal existence in a virtual reality. Along with playing with the potential possibilities and horrors of all this, the series quickly connects with conspiracies and legal and corporate battles of a world with such technical possibilities. Again, this is the start of season three, and season two ended on a cliffhanger, so the details are far more than I'd try to get into here. With the understanding that this is a story well in-progress, here's the trailer for this new season of Upload. This will be an 8-episode season, with two episodes dropping each Friday starting today, ending November 10th. This season wasn't noted as being the final one, so I've no idea whether it will reach a reasonable ending point on the 10th, or if they're going for a fourth season.
Over on ad-supported freevee (if you have Amazon, that's an easy way to get to freevee content) we also have the start of season two of Bosch: Legacy. Season one ended on a cliffhanger, so I expect this to hit the ground running. Checking, I see that they've posted the first four episodes of the new season today, so fans can dig well into this new season right away.
Starring Titus Welliver, this second season of Bosch: Legacy is for all practical purposes season nine of Bosch, a series that had seven seasons over on Amazon Prime. All adapted from Michael Connelly's detective novels, the seven-season earlier series followed the character as an LAPD homicide detective, while this current series follows him as he moved into the private sector as a private investigator, while his daughter, Maddie, follows his career footsteps by becoming a police officer. A very successful show for Amazon, with a solid line of novels to be adapted, this show's already been renewed for a third season.
While on Amazon Prime, I'll note that a legal drama loosely based on a real-world situation about a David and Goliath court conflict in the funeral business arrived back on the 13th. Starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones, it's The Burial (2023 R 126m) The film had a limited theatrical release earlier in the month, so as to give all involved a shot at nominations next award season.
While looking for something else, I saw that somewhere along the line Netflix had added a new something from Wes Anderson. An adaptation of a Roald Dahl tale about a wealthy man who decides to master an extraordinary skill, it's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023 Netflix lists it as running 39 minutes, imdb says 41) Star-studded and with rapid-patter and a sort of poker-faced fairy tale feel, it's clearly an Anderson piece.
Back on Amazon Prime, and rolling back to 1962, ageless monster kid Terry Beatty recently noted that an unfamiliar Hammer film from '62 was currently there for the viewing. It's based on Russell Thorndyke's The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn character, a costumed, smuggler hero in the 18th century. As an authorized Disney version was in the works at the time, they changed the character's name from Dr. Syn to Parson Blyss to avoid legal battle with the notoriously litigious House of Mouse, and was released in the U.K. under the title Captain Clegg. Amazon has the U.S. release version, which was titled Night Creatures. The Disney version was originally done as a three-part item for broadcast on Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and also cobbled together into a theatrical release, then variously butchered and reedited for other releases over the years, and finally given the macabre Disney Vault treatment at various times. Starring Patrick McGoohan, it's currently not officially available, including not being part of Disney+.
This Hammer version, starring Peter Cushing, includes Oliver Reed and several faces familiar to Hammer films and other British productions of the period, including Michael Ripper, Milton Reid, and Jack MacGowran. That it takes more carnal paths and ends more harshly (and more in keeping with the source material) than Disney's version did is also pretty much on-brand for each. Anyway, as I've not seen this version before, I thought I'd point it out while it's freely available to Prime users. I'd only suggest that if you're interested you look soon, because Prime is infamous for suddenly shifting old inventory back behind individual paywalls.
Around this time last year Disney+ treated us to a seasonal special drawing on Marvel properties with the fun Werewolf By Night, presented in an appropriately atmospheric and effective black and white, it opened the door on monsters and monster-hunters in the MCU. As of today it's being also offered in color. It's an interesting move, and will make some of it pop a bit more, but I suspect in a comparison the first version, which went to some pains to capture the feel of classic monster pics of the 1930s, will still be the preferred form.
A reasonably seasonal item hits the 52nd anniversary of its release today. Marking Clint Eastwood's directorial debut on October 20, 1971, co-starring Jessica Walter, shot $50,000 under its $1 million budget, completed at least four days ahead of schedule, and shot mostly at Carmel-by-the-Sea so he could film in places very familiar to him, from a local radio station, bars, and friends' homes, it was Play Misty For Me (1971 R 102m) This one's currently available at no extra charge to Amazon Prime users.
While, happily, there's still so much more out there to see, that's all I have the time and energy for this week. Should something else come to mind, especially if I suddenly realize I'd forgotten something I'd intended, I'll feel free to update it so long as it's still Friday. I hope I was able to point out some new or returning item of interest that you might have otherwise missed. - Mike
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