Premise: Twisted Metal is an American post-apocalyptic action-comedy television series developed by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Michael Jonathan Smith. Based on the vehicular combat video game franchise of the same name published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, John Doe, a talkative milkman with amnesia, is given a mission to traverse the desolate world to deliver a cryptic package. He faces a life-altering opportunity but must confront ruthless marauders in deadly and destructive vehicles to secure a chance at a better future.
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett, and Thomas Haden Church.
What it reminds me of: The Domestics, The Last of Us, and The Last Man on Earth.
Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Apple TV, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play Movies
Premise: After learning that a stranger has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton), Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell), Chris Chambers (River Phoenix) and Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman) encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys’ adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
Cast: River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, John Cusack
What it reminds me of:Stranger Things, Super 8; both of these have been compared to Stand By Me. Mostly, due to the adventure, as well as the ensemble of young actors.
Premise: The series chronicles the inner workings of a jury trial in the US through the eyes of juror Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego, who is unaware that his jury duty summons was not official, and that everyone in the courtroom aside from him is an actor. Everything that happens, inside and outside the courtroom, is planned.
Cast: James Marsden, Ronald Gladden, Alan Barinholtz, Kirk Fox, Susan Berg, David Brown, Ross Kimball, Pramode Kumar, Mekki Leeper, Edy Modica, Brandon Loeser, Ishmel Sahid, Ron Song, Maria Russell, Trisha LaFache, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola.
What it reminds me of: Punk’d, Jackass, The Prank Panel, The Truman Show.
Why I like it: James Marsden. Kirk Fox. Ike Barinholtz’s dad. This show’s premise is so wild. There is no way it should have worked. I don’t know how they pulled it off, but they sure did. This show is so laugh-out-loud funny. The acting is crazy good, across the whole cast. I don’t know why it took so long to make a show like this. James Marsden plays a fictionalized version of himself. In each episode, he becomes more and more of a selfish, over-confident actor. Which seems to be the exact opposite of who he is in real life.
Since following this show, I have followed the cast on social media and read interviews with some of them, including Ronald Gladden. One thing that stuck out to me is that James Marsden kept in close contact with Ronald after the show ended and helped him readjust to real life.
I still don’t know how nobody recognized Kirk Fox. The San Diego native is known for shows such as Parks & Rec,Community, and FXX’s Reservation Dogs. Check these shows out along with his hilarious and deadpan stand-up comedy.
Premise: In a global cataclysm, “The Sudden Departure,” 140 million people disappeared without a trace. Three years later, residents of Mapleton, N.Y., try to maintain equilibrium when the notion of “normal” no longer applies. Intense grief has divided families and turned faith to cynicism, paranoia and madness, leading some of the traumatized to join the Guilty Remnant, a cultlike group. Kevin Garvey, a beleaguered police chief, must keep peace between townspeople and the cult, a task made tougher with concern about his kids. His daughter alternates between apathy and rebellion, and his wayward son befriends a charismatic prophet. “The Leftovers” is based on the best-seller by Tom Perrotta, who is one of the series’ executive producers.
Cast: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Ann Dowd.
What it reminds me of: You know how every few years a television network releases a new show about a plane/group of people dissapearing? It’s like those shows, but much better. Really, this show is very original and just so interesting.
Why I like it: Damon Lindelof. I know, a lot of times on this website I just say a name and say, “That should tell you enough.” He is behind shows like Lost and The Watchmen. Justin Theroux is so damn good in this show. Ann Dowd is absolutely crazy, as always. The third and final season is so good. There is something in the finale that is one of the emotional things that I have ever seen on a television show.
One of the biggest television hits of the year is The Last of Us. And for good reason. The show starts the loveable Pedro Pascal and the even more loveable Bella Ramsey. The relationship between the two of them, on-screen and off, could not be more wholesome. Watch interviews with them. It almost, but does not ruin their on-screen rough characters. Kind of like when you see that picture of the Fawn from Pan’s Labyrinth in between takes!
The television show streamed every Sunday on HBO Max and is being hailed as one of the greatest video game adaptations. But maybe the people who are saying this never saw the original, live-action Super Mario movie with Dennis Hopper. That thing was a fever dream. People wouldn’t complain about Christopher Pratt being cast as the titular character in the new Mario movie even if they saw the 1990s film or really any of the movies.
Back to The Last of Us. I played a little of The Last of Us and even started up again when I started watching the show. I am not good at that game. I think I am more of a Super Mario person. Back to Mario.
Anyway, here are the things that I didn’t like about the finale:
The finale should’ve been two parts – The action sequence in the hospital seemed too rushed.
What did Joel think was going to happen when he brought an immune person to a science center?
Marlene should have never let two guards take Joel out into the outskirts of town and give him a knife, knowing what he is capable of
Marlene should have never let two guards escort Joel out of the building on their own, knowing what Joel is capable of
I do understand how Joel had adrenaline when it came to get Ellie out of the hospital; the same as a mother lifting a car off of her child. However, how did Joel kill every single one of those Fireflies? I know, I know. It’s like watching John Wick and asking, “How exactly did he kill all of those guys with a pencil?” But this isn’t John Wick. How did Joel, a former revolutionary militia member take down all of those other revolutionary militia members? They didn’t split up? One didn’t sneak up behind him? They all were just shooting all willy-nilly. They weren’t taking cover correctly.
In the garage, Joel was about to take off with Ellie and Marlene stopped him and gave him a speech. Once again, she put her gun down and didn’t think Joel was up to any tricks. She put way too much trust into Joel. And her men.
Marlene should have locked up Joel until the surgery was over.
Would Ellie have survived the surgery? Did we know if she would or not?
What is going to happen next season?
Ellie will eventually find out that Joel was lying to her about the ambush at the hospital and how he had to pull her out of surgery.
Also, Joel killed Marlene who was pretty much like a mother to her.
Other people will find out about Ellie. Maybe a Firefly in the hospital radio-ed someone else and let them know about Ellie being immune.
Joel lied to Ellie saying that there were other immune people. Ellie will find out that this isn’t true, but not until she spends a lot of time looking for these people like her.
We will meet up with Joel’s brother, sister-in-law, and nephew or niece.
We will come across more protagonists and more antagonists, obviously, but we won’t be able to tell who is good and who is bad for some time.
Love interests for the characters? Maybe. It is very, very rare that any television show or movie doesn’t have a love story. And I think that’s because this shows the love story here is different. Joel is like the father that Ellie never had and Ellie is like the daughter that Joel has not had for a long, long time.
We will find out more about Joel and Ellie’s backgrounds in full flashback episodes.
By now, you have probably watched the premiere of The Last of Us on HBO Max. I haven’t yet, but that’s just because there are so many news shows and returning shows that I am making my way through. I am also binge-watching Veronica Mars for the first time and watching Hunters.
Anyway, I am a HUGE fan of post-apocalyptic television shows and movies. I feel that everyone is watching The Last of Us, even people who aren’t big fans of post-apocalyptic media. So, I figured I would put together a list of some of my favorites for you to watch while you are waiting for the next episode of The Last of Us.
I haven’t beaten The Last of Us on my Playstation yet, I do plan on getting back into it again soon, but I do recommend picking up the first one as it is only $20. It’s a beautiful and terrifying game.
28 Days Later
Resident Evil
World War Z
Zombieland
Zombieland 2
The Divide
The Domestics
Birdbox
I Am Legend https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/dtKMEAXyPkg
Water World
This Is The End
A Quiet Place
Shaun of the Dead
Snowpiercer
The Maze Runner https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/AwwbhhjQ9Xk
The Hunger Games
https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/mfmrPu43DF8 The Last Man On Earth https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/-biQK8le1wI
The Walking Dead
Fear the Walking Dead
The Leftovers https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/FLT3YUALJno
By now, you are probably missing Black Mirror and wondering when season six is coming out. There isn’t a release date yet, but we do know the cast will be bigger (Aaron Paul, Zazie Beets) and there will be more episodes than in the previous season.
It is rumored that Charlie Brooker wasn’t working on any new seasons until the real world (Trump and the Pandemic) was settled down and we weren’t all living in our own episode of Black Mirror. Totally understandable. Well, hopefully, the world is more settled down by the time season six drops and we don’t have another reality show host turned president.
Anyway, I have been watching and re-watching some shows that keep me saying, “This is a great show to watch in place of Black Mirror until the new season hits Netflix.” And I decided I would share that list here.
Show: Fantasy Island
Where to watch: Fox/Hulu
Synopsis: People who walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.
About: I started watching this show randomly one day. I thought it was going to play out like a soap opera. It is far from. I never watched the original show from my parent’s time, but I did watch the horror movie version of the show that came out within the last few years. The new show is technically a continuation and follows the same plot: People arrive at the island to make a dream come to life and then they go back home feeling restored. The show also follows the staff on the island and how they make everything possible.
Show: The Peripheral
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Synopsis: Set in the future when technology has subtly altered society, a woman discovers a secret connection to an alternate reality as well as a dark future of her own.
About: I reviewed this show already on this website, but this show is such a cool show done by the creators of West World. It is super violent and super techy. The premise shows us what the world of VR could be like. Not really, but still, check it out.
Show: Upload
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Synopsis: A man is able to choose his own afterlife after his untimely death, by having his consciousness uploaded into a virtual world. As he gets used to his new life and befriends his angel (real-world handler), questions about his death arise.
About: This show has Black Mirror written all over it. It’s actually quite similar to San Junipero, one of my favorite Black Mirror episodes that also received an Emmy nomination. This show is super fun, super funny, and the special effects are really strong. I didn’t love the second season, though.
Show: Made For Love
Where to watch: HBO Max
Synopsis: A young woman, on the run after 10 years in a suffocating marriage to a tech billionaire, suddenly realizes that her husband has implanted a revolutionary monitoring device in her brain that allows him to track her every move.
About: It might sound like a reality dating show, but it is far from that. This show also has been reviewed before on our site! And Cristin Milioti is in both shows! This show is wild. I don’t know how it didn’t get renewed for season three. Basically, what if Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk had an offsite compound where they lived and worked and haven’t left in ten years and their wife wanted out, but they made that impossible due to a new piece of technology? Some of the tech and special effects in this show are super interesting. And Ray Romano and Patti Harrison are great additions to this cast.
Show: Severance
Where to watch: Apple TV
Synopsis: Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
About: Tom originally reviewed this on our website! I just watched it the other day. The season ends on quite a cliffhanger, so much so that I wish I knew before I watched the show or else I would have waited for the new season to come out. Also, there is no information on when the new season will come out, but it has been filmed!
Premise: Reboot is about the dysfunctional cast of an early 2000s hit sitcom, Step Right Up, who must face their unresolved issues and navigate social media cancel culture when a young writer pitches a reboot of their show.
Cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy, Krista Marie Yu, Judy Greer, Paul Reiser.
What it reminds me of: The show reminds me of 30 Rock, Great News,Unreal, and Episodes. I am a big fan of behind-the-scenes shows.
Why I like it: The show is created by Steve Levitan who created Modern Family, so that is a start. The cast should also be enough to get you interested in this show. You will recognize the cast from many things, but if Calum Worthy is a newer name to you, he was fantastic in Hulu’s The Act and Netflix’s American Vandal. I can’t believe it took so long for a show like this to come out. This show gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like be the cast and crew of a reboot of a 90s sitcom.
Last year was the year of television shows and documentaries on scam artists and shady company founders. You probably saw one or two, I happened to watch all. Or so I believe. Here is a little bit about each other, in case you haven’t seen it!
WeCrashed
TV show or Movie: TV show
Where to watch: AppleTV+
Premise: WeCrashed is an American drama streaming television miniseries that premiered on Apple TV+ on March 18, 2022. The series stars Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway as Adam and Rebekah Neumann, the real-life married couple at the heart of WeWork, a coworking space company whose valuation reached $47 billion in 2019 before crashing as a result of financial revelations. The series is based on the podcast WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork by Wondery.
Cast: Jared Leto, Anne Hathaway.
Trailer:
Inventing Anna
TV show or Movie: TV show
Where to watch: Netflix
Premise: Inventing Anna is an American drama television miniseries created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, inspired by the story of Anna Sorokin and the article in New York titled “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People”[1] by Jessica Pressler. The series was released on Netflix on February 11, 2022.[2][3]Julia Garner starred as Anna Sorokin, the title character. The series received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly Garner) but criticized the inconsistent tone.
Under the assumed name Anna Delvey, Russian-born Anna Sorokin is able to con members of New York City’s upper crust into believing she is a German heiress with access to a substantial fortune. She uses this persona to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, goods and services while working towards her goal of opening an exclusive art-themed club.
Cast: Anna Chlumsky, Julia Garner, Arian Moayed, Katie Lowes, Alexis Floyd, Anders Holm, Anna Deavere Smith, Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney, Laverne Cox
Trailer:
The Dropout
TV show of Movie: TV show
Where to watch: Hulu
Premise: The Dropout, based on the ABC Audio podcast of the same name, is a series about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. The show touches on experiences that likely motivated Holmes’s deceptions and lies in a linear fashion, starting from her preteens and all the way to her exposure as a fraud.
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews.
Trailer:
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
TV show or Movie: TV show
Where to watch: HBO
Premise: The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley is a 2019 American documentary film, directed and produced by Alex Gibney. The film revolves around Elizabeth Holmes and her former company Theranos. It is considered a companion piece to the book, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.
Cast:
Trailer:
The Tinder Swindler
TV show or Movie: TV show
Where to watch: Netflix
Premise: The Tinder Swindler is a British true crime documentary film directed by Felicity Morris and released on Netflix on 2 February 2022.[1] The documentary tells the story of the Israeli conman Simon Leviev (born Shimon Hayut) who used the dating application Tinder to connect with individuals who he then emotionally manipulated into financially supporting his lavish lifestyle on the pretext he needed the money to escape his “enemies.”
