Month: February 2021

A new hospital drama has burst onto the Netflix scene and it is exactly what you never knew you were waiting for! One part ER, one part Grey’s Anatomy and one part entirely its own, New Amsterdam is engaging, sincere and jam packed with a delightful cast.

Based on the book Twelve Patients: Life and Death in Bellevue Hospital by Eric Manheimer, New Amsterdam opens as a new medical director breaths new life into the oldest public hospital in the United States. Filled with new ideas and an unconventional approach to hospital administration, Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) starts his new chapter at the hospital by promptly firing every doctor in the cardiology department, save one. Dr. Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims) is promoted to head of the department while he, and the rest of the department heads, scrambles to find his bearings in the ever-changing landscape at New Amsterdam.

Despite his drastic decisions early on, Goodwin wins over the staff with his inexhaustible optimism and unwavering commitment to patient care. A champion for his staff and a proponent of solutions that make sense, he quickly earns the loyalty and affection of his team of department heads and together they begin to reshape New Amsterdam into a beacon of hope and health in their city.

Eggold does a fantastic job of embodying the energetic Dr. Goodwin. His boyish good looks and utterly guileless presentation endears him to viewers from the start. But Eggold isn’t the only on-screen treasure here; the whole cast is pretty impressive.

Janet Montgomery, as Dr. Lauren Bloom, Freema Agyeman as Dr. Helen Sharpe, Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome and Anupam Kher as Dr. Vijay Kapoor round out the leads in this drama. Each character is skillfully fleshed out by a team of talented writers and brought to life in an earnest and believable way by the superb cast of actors, each episode building on the team’s back stories while effortlessly moving the narrative forward one patient at a time.

Filming for the series takes place in New York City and makes use of a number of unoccupied and unstaffed wings of area hospitals by renting them out for production. This added revenue has been a boost to the New York state health care system. Interestingly, at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in April 2020, production of the series had to shut down due to state regulations, cutting the season short. In response, producers donated the show’s supply of personal protective equipment to the state’s front line medical personnel.

This little show with a big heart is entirely bingeworthy. It’s got a bit of cheese to it, but that’s okay. It somehow adds to the charm of the whole thing. So, set aside some time, settle in and get to know the good doctors of New Amsterdam.

Netflix’s latest trending true crime documentary is a winding tale of conspiracies, flukes, cover-ups and Los Angeles’ seedy skid row. Set aside a few hours to binge this tale of a missing young girl and a hotel with a notorious reputation – it is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!

In the winter of 2013, Elise Lam, a university student from British Columbia, Canada, was wrapping up the Los Angeles leg of her first solo travelling adventure when she suddenly disappears. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel explores the mystery of Lam’s disappearance, the media attention this case garnered and the unusual internet following the investigation attracted.

During this four-part mini-series, filled with re-enactments and interviews with people who were connected with the hotel or Lam, various theories and explanations are floated by the viewer, from solid police leads to wild internet conspiracies. What emerges is a winding tale of strange coincidences that leaves the viewer second guessing what is truth, what is possible and what is urban legend. What makes this whole mysterious disappearance even more unnerving is that is all unfolds under the roof the notorious Cecil Hotel.

Built in the 1920s as a hotel catering to businessmen, this once posh establishment had fallen on hard time through the 1930s, never regaining its once respectable reputation. Switching management and ownership over the decades, The Cecil Hotel became known for cheap long term room rentals and hallways full of illegal activity. It also became known for the multiple deaths that occurred within its walls.

By 2013, a block of floors had been renovated and marketed as a youth hostile, still offering inexpensive rooms but to a younger and trendy traveller, instead. This is what drew Elise Lam to the infamous hotel, where she would ultimately meet her end.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel goes down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and gets tangled up in the odious reputation of an ancient building but in the end the story comes back to a missing girl and the family who deserves answers. At times a bit drawn out, and at other times tense and spooky, this take on the mystery of Elise Lam is intriguing and compelling. If you are a true crime buff, this docu-series is definitely worth the watch.

When a family vacation takes a tragic turn for the Bloom family no one could have guessed a wounded bird would be just the thing to bring the family back to each other. Penguin Bloom is the beautiful telling of the true story of Sam Bloom and how a sassy magpie reminded her to live again.

On a trip to Thailand, the Blooms’ vacation ends abruptly when Sam Bloom (Naomi Watts), wife and mother to three boys, falls from a balcony, breaking her back and leaving her partially paralyzed. Once an avid surfer and active mother, Sam struggles to come to terms with the life altering effects of the accident. When they return home to Australia, Sam realizes that everything about their home reminds her of the life she will never live again, and she begins to slide into depression.

Sam’s husband, Cameron (Andrew Lincoln), hustles to keep the family functioning. He juggles the physical care of his wife, the day-to-day operations of managing a busy family and his work commitments but, inevitably, things begin to fall through the cracks. To add madness to mayhem, Sam and Cam’s eldest son, Noah, rescues an injured, baby magpie.

While the boys are at school and Cam is at work, Noah asks his mom to take care of the little black and white magpie they named Penguin. The last thing Sam wants to do is take care of an animal. She is consumed with anger and frustration with her situation and grieves the loss of her mobility deeply. In her grief and anger she pushes away her friends and her family. But she cannot escape the little magpie who has become her shadow and constant companion.

As Penguin grows, Sam begins to warm toward the cheeky bird. Soon Sam is laughing at and engaging with Penguin which, in turn, helps her to engage differently with her family. All of that is put at risk when Penguin gets injured by wild birds and goes missing for days. In the aftermath of Penguins disappearance, the Bloom family confronts the unspoken pain of the accident and begins to heal, truly. With healing comes change and a fresh start, for the Blooms and for their quirky little bird friend, Penguin.

Penguin Bloom is one of the sweetest family movies I have seen in a while. Naomi Watts is captivating as Sam Bloom. She portrays the reality of a struggling mother and woman rediscovering herself with authenticity and beauty. And Andrew Lincoln, always a favourite, is heart-breakingly genuine as dad and partner, Cameron. The casting of the three boys, Griffin Murray-Johnston, Felix Cameron and Abe Clifford-Barr is brilliant. The family has a chemistry and rhythm that is entirely believable. Rounding out the cast is Jacki Weaver as Sam’s mother and she is, as always, a wonderful choice.

Based on the book of the same name by Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Grieve, Penguin Bloom was an instant hit in Australia upon its late 2020 release. With its touching storyline, strong cast and funny little bird, it is no wonder. Be sure to check this one out with the whole family!

A space odyssey for modern times, Away is sure to fill all your cravings for adventure, action, connection and drama. Filled with sweeping space-scapes, intense drama and heart-warming moments of human connection, this series is more than just a space adventure, it is a earnest portrayal of the human spirit’s drive to rise to new heights and new challenges.

Hilary Swank leads a cast of brilliant actors, including Josh Charles, Vivian Wu and Ato Essandoh, who each bring depth and sincerity to their characters. The cast is diverse, hailing from different backgrounds and countries but, thanks to the superb writing, this show avoids tokenism and gives each character a juicy backstory that gives the actors a lot to work with. Each sub-plot could be a series of its own, truly.

The main storyline focuses on Commander Emma Green. A driven astronaut who has shared her race to Mars with her husband, Matt, Emma struggles to balance her role as wife and mother with her singular dream of landing on Mars. As Emma and her team enters orbit, things on the home front are suddenly in peril when Emma’s husband Matt suffers a stroke that leaves him paralyzed. Emma wrestles with guilt and home sickness as she continues to journey further from earth.

Emma Green isn’t the only astronaut torn between two worlds. Each member of the international cooperative team has their own story and struggle. Despite home struggles, Misha Popov (Mark Ivanir), a Russian cosmonaut, is determined to make his daughter proud while continuing his impressive career as an in-flight engineer. He bonds during the mission with Chinese chemist, Lu Wang (Vivian Wu) over similar cultural expectations and ideology. Wang has a private conflict of her own when her secret affair with a colleague at NASA command in discovered.

The Mars crew is rounded out with Ram Arya (Ray Panthaki), the Indian pilot and medical officer who is estranged from his family and Kwesi Weisberg-Abban (Ato Essandoh) the botanist turned astronaut who infuses his Jewish faith into his life’s work.

Aside from the genuinely enthralling storylines and superb acting, Away is chock full of beautifully shot scenes, Whether tight angles from inside the space capsule or sweeping shots of outer space, the cinematography of this series is of big-screen quality.

They spared no expense in production, perhaps that is why this excellent series is destined to be a single season event. Regardless of it’s short run it is still well-worth the time to watch. It really is one of the best series I’ve watched in a long while. Don’t binge this one, savor it, take it all in and love it while it lasts. Away is not to be missed.

Sam Cooke was so much more than a crooner. He was an entrepreneur, a visionary and an activist. Known for his crowd-pleasing ballads, Sam Cooke used his mainstream popularity to make connections and elevate the voices in his community. The former earned him global accolades; the latter may have contributed to his unexpected death in 1964.

Remastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke is a documentary that tells the story of Sam Cooke’s rise to commercial success in the 1960s and his natural activism and resistance against segregation and racist policies in the United States during the Jim Crow era. The title of the documentary reflects the belief that Sam Cooke was not only murdered physically but his life as an activist and leader was also brutally taken from his community.

Cooke was born in Mississippi but raised in Chicago from a young age. His father was a minister and as the son of an enslaved woman, he dreamed of a life of freedom and safety for his family. Cooke was raised singing in the church and for his community. He was a contemporary of Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye and Smoky Robinson and quickly gained commercial success among white audiences as well.

As his popularity rose, he began to tour throughout the United States and it was on these tours where he first experienced segregation laws first hand. He resisted the idea that a black man could perform for white people but if black people wanted to attend the same performance they had to stand at the back or sit in a balcony. He led boycotts and began having an open conversation about inequality and racism. It was around this time that he met Mohammed Ali and formed a close friendship with the prize fighter.

Cooke’s friendship with Ali led to meetings with other Black civil rights leaders, like Malcom X. It was these meetings that caught the attention of government officials and Klan leaders alike. While his popularity and influence continued to grow, Cooke realised that his autonomy as an artist and his ability to help other artists succeed was tied to how the business side of his career was managed. He founded a record label and a publishing company which elevated his influence and power within the industry.

Remastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke examines Cooke’s life, popularity and business as well as the circumstances that lead to his death. A quick glance at his death tells the story of a popular musician being shot in a seedy Los Angeles motel but a more in depth look reveals a complicate, multi-layered situation that has never felt like the whole, true story to those who knew Cooke best.

This documentary celebrates the life of Same Cooke the artist, reveals the truth of Sam Cooke the civil rights activist and mourns the death of Sam Cooke the cultural leader. Make time during this Black History month to learn the truth of this complicated and gifted man, Sam Cooke.

This bite-sized miniseries is the perfect binger for these cold winter days. Based on Debra Feldman’s biography, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, this four-part mini series, Unorthodox, gives the viewer a glimpse into the secret world of orthodox Jews and the community that both shapes them and confines them.

The series opens with a young woman, Esther, preparing for a journey and leaving her apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She tucks a few precious items into the waistband of her skirt and scurries out of her apartment and down the street, constantly checking to see if she is being followed. It is revealed that she is fleeing her community and escaping to Berlin where her estranged mother lives.

The story follows Esther’s early days in Berlin, as she tries to find her way in a secular world, and her husband’s bewilderment and determination upon discovering her missing. Flashbacks that reveal the intimacies of Esther’s unhappy life build an understanding for the viewer why Esther would give up her life, her security and her community for the risk of the unknown.

In Berlin, Esther meets a group of students from the local music conservatories and becomes fast friends with them. When a professor tells her of a scholarship program for underprivileged student, Esther determines to win that scholarship and use it as the firs step to a new and independent life for herself. The day before her audition, with her husband in Berlin searching for her, her new friends helping her prepare for her future and her mother revealing the truth behind her own decision to leave her community years before, Esther must decide for herself whether she will return to what is familiar or whether she will risk it all for a future that is hers alone.

Aside from winning multiple awards, Unorthodox, has the unique distinction of being one of the only mainstream series to be filmed in Yiddish and English. The production team worked hard to create authenticity in the New York scenes that depict the traditions and ceremonies of the Hasidic community. They engaged consultants from the community as well as relying on information from Debra Feldman, the author of the source material. The end result is a beautiful portrayal of a community grounded in faith and steeped in tradition.

Unorthodox is a touching story filled with emotion and beauty. It honours the struggle within us all to find our authentic place in the world while struggling to stay connected to family and tradition. It is a wonderful choice for a binge watch and has a companion piece, Making Unorthodox, which dives deeper into the production and team behind this stunning miniseries.

Mystery. Drama. Thriller. Heist flick. Revenge story. Call it what you will but before long you will fall prey to the charms of Netflix’s smash hit Lupin.

Since it’s release in early January 2021, this series has rocketed to the top of viewing charts in France, the U.K., the U.S. and Canada. It is the first French language series to break into the top ten in the U.S., so its no surprise that before the first season was completed this series was picked up for a second season.

The story focuses on Assane Diop, the son of an immigrant who moved his family to France to provide a life of stability and security for them. Instead, Diop’s father was framed for a theft by his wealthy employer, Hubert Pellegrini, and died in prison, by his own hand, in shame. Before his death, Diop’s father gifted him a book about a gentleman thief named Arsene Lupin. It is this book that inspires Diop’s plan of revenge twenty-five years later.

Diop adopts the persona of Lupin to exact revenge on his father’s employer. Con artist, cat burglar and master of disguise, Diop as Lupin could give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money. As he moves towards his target, Hubert Pellegrini, he maintains a level of social responsibility and rights wrongs for others long the way.

Omar Sy gives an elegant and engaging performance as lead character, Diop. He is a suave type of everyman and is convincing in his straight-forward delivery of the gentleman thief. Creators, George Kay and François Uzan, do a brilliant job of translating Maurice Leblanc’s book Arsene Lupin into an enthralling tale for the small screen.

Plans for season two are well underway and show runners have even hinted at a Lupin/Holmes crossover which has fans of both series incredibly excited for what is on the horizon for Lupin. Be sure to tune in and get caught up before season two drops later this summer.

Snowpiercer is back for a second season and nothing is as straight forward as it seems.

At the close of season one, Head of Hospitality for Wilford Industries miracle train, Melanie (Jennifer Connelly), hands over the leadership of the train to Tailes, Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) following an uprising against the first-class passengers and leadership on the train. As Layton struggles to find a balance as leader while still sorting out his loyalties to his class of passengers a new crisis strikes the train.

As the train nears Chicago, its point of origin, to begin another revolution, the engineer begins to pick up a ghost signal over the radio. As he frantically searches for the source of the signal, Melanie has a sinking feeling that the gig is up. While she was almost sure that Mr. Wilford did not survive being abandoned outside the train years earlier, she knew, when it comes to Wilford, there are no guarantees.

Not only did Wilford survive, but he also rebooted Melanie’s protype train, Big Alice, and had spent the ensuing years circle the globe, just slightly behind the schedule of Snowpiercer, biding his time and planning his revenge. His moment of revenge begins as Big Alice latches on to Snowpiercer and Wilford’s crew, lead by Melanie’s own daughter, boards the train with a list of demands.

Season two opens as Melanie struggles to break the connection between the trains from the outside. Eventually she finds herself aboard Big Alice and face to face with a very suave yet embittered Wilford – and the daughter she thought had died years earlier. Now Melanie must wrestle with her loyalties, her guilt and the weight of responsibility to Snowpiercer’s passengers as she decides what her next move is.

Season two is just as thrilling and engaging as season one with more back story revealed and every alliance tested. Sean Bean joins the cast as the mysterious Mr. Wilford, a calculating and dangerously patient foe of the battered residents of Snowpiercer. He walks the line between charm and terror perfectly as he diabolically exacts revenge and creates chaos for all of those who stand against him.

Get on board for a second season of survival and treachery as Snowpiercer prepares for another revolution. New episodes are streaming weekly beginning January 25.

Superstore is the latest sitcom to drop on Netflix and it is the show you didn’t know you were waiting for. This series is set in a big box store and features the antics and oddball situations of a collection of quirky personalities and their inter-connected lives. Superstore is the brainchild of creator/producer Justin Spitzer and stars comedy genius, America Ferrara.

Ferrara leads the cast as Amy, the responsible yet personable floor manager who is often the voice of reason that keeps the staff from going over the edge of chaos. Ben Feldman plays opposite of Ferrara as Jonah, a new recruit who dropped out of college and found his way into the Cloud 9 store in St. Louis.

This duo is just the tip of the comedic iceberg in this series. Lauren Ash as assistant manager Dina Fox is brilliant. She makes every scene she appears in with her intensity and incredibly awkward social interactions. Colton Dunn’s sarcasm and dry wit as store announcer Garret McNell plays well off of Mark McKinney’s eternal optimism as store manager Glenn Sturgis.

In all, this ensemble cast has excellent chemistry and play off of each other’s strengths and subtilties brilliantly. Perhaps this dream team is why so many comedy heavy weights stepped in to the series in guest star appearances. Look out for the likes of Howie Mandel, Jason Ritter, Sean Gunn and Cecily Legler Strong.

The writing throughout the series is top notch. With Justin Spitzer at the helm, the scenarios that unfold at Cloud 9 are funny because they are relatable. While some happenings are a little over the top, the cast plays out each episode with controlled comedic excellence that adds to the hilarity.

Superstore is full of funny and entirely likable. If you are looking for a new series to binge then look no further, this new-to-Netflix series is jam packed with eccentric characters and tons of laughs!

Netflix Subscribers, the Doughtlander is over!

Season five of the ever-popular Outlander has dropped – and just in time! After four seasons of intrigue, romance, time travel and revenge that spanned four countries, two wars and two hundred years, Claire and Jamie and set to face the fight of their lives. This time, it’s not just their own lives that are at stake but the lives of the children and grandchildren, too.

The season opens with Claire and Jamie preparing to celebrate the marriage of their daughter, Brianna, to Roger at their home on Fraser’s Ridge. In the midst of the celebration, there are political maneuvers afoot as Governor Tryon presses Jamie to form a militia to capture the leader of the rebellious Regulators, Jamie’s godfather, Murtagh Fitzgibbons. While Jamie agrees to lead a military force, when the time comes, he hopes to be able to shield his family from the worst of the upcoming and inevitable Civil War.

The war is not the only inevitable clash the Frasers encounter this season. Stephen Bonnet, the villainous sea captain that raped Brianna and escaped a hanging, returns and Brianna is determined to rid her family of him once and for all but he is crafty and connected, so Brianna is forced to be as devious and single-minded as her foe. Bonnet is not the only villain the Frasers tangle with though as The Ridge is threatened with unrest.

Jamie’s best laid plans come to heartache and loss as other forces work against him, causing him to test his honour and loyalty. Jamie also struggles as his past decisions come back to haunt him as he tries to protect his family and his land from dangers within and without.

Like the four seasons previous, Season 5 is chock full of adventure, danger and heart-stopping sacrifice. Fans of the book will notice some of the obvious departures the series takes from the original plot but, in all, this season stays true to the essence of the characters and the plot laid out in seasons 1-4.

Sam Heughan and Catriona Balfe bring their characters into this new conflict with the same grit and earnestness they have portrayed all along and Sophie Skelton (Brianna), Richard Rankin (Roger) and John Bell (Young Ian) all have stepped up their game this season as their characters face new challenges and new dangers.

Outlander, Season 5 is everything fans have come to expect from this series. It does not disappoint, and, in fact, it holds a few truly delightful surprises. Get ready to binge on this long awaited treat, Outlander fans.