“Succession”‘s series finale was so bleak it made “Barry”‘s bruise-black finale (which aired right after it) look downright sunny in comparison. More than half of “Barry”‘s main cast was killed or wrongfully convicted for murder–with Hollywood even giving them the full villain treatment, which is probably worse than death for most of Barry’s limelight-obsessed characters–and…
Category: Mindless Mondays
Predictions for “Succession”‘s Series Finale
“Succession” is widely thought of as TV’s Best Drama (winning that very award the last two times it was up for it at the Emmys). There’s going to be a serious hole in quality to fill when it, “Barry,” and “Ted Lasso” all end over the next week. So let’s look at how it might…
Season Finale Reviews: “Schmigadoon,” “Lucky Hank,” “The Diplomat,” and “Rabbit Hole”
“Schmigadoon”…I loved the first season of what turned out to be one of the best TV series Apple+ had ever produced (no small thing on a platform rapidly becoming known for its high-quality), but was skeptical if it really needed a second season. It turns out that it probably didn’t, but the second season is…
All 2022 Movies Reviewed, Graded, and Ranked From Worst to Best
Note: More than ever, it would be truly impossible to watch all the movies that came out in a modern calendar year. I’ve seen well over two hundred 2022 movies, but there were still a dozen major ones I would’ve loved to have seen before finalizing this countdown–although, frankly, I doubt it would’ve made much…
TV Reviews: “You,” “Your Honor,” and “Mayor of Kingstown”
Although “You” remains the worst show I watch, it definitely had some competition with the completely unnecessary second season of “Your Honor.” Both had such lousy seasons, that it makes me question watching any more shows with variations of the word “you” in the title. “You”…Although I’m sure this isn’t actually the worst show on…
Actresses that Could Play Pauline Kael in Tarantino’s Final Film “The Movie Critic”
Rumors are flying that Quentin Tarantino’s final movie will be called “The Movie Critic,” and that it’s about Pauline Kael in the late-70’s, possibly about her experience going from movie critic to Paramount studio consultant (for a few months). None of this is confirmed, but if Quentin’s final movie really is about Pauline Kael (and…
“Groundhog Day” is the Best Romantic Comedy of All Time
On the (actual) 30th anniversary of “Groundhog Day,” Alabama Liberal talks about why it’s the rare romantic comedy that is actually funny and romantic. Also, why the movie’s unique character study and heady philosophical questions (is it actually a stealth Buddhist movie too?) make it not only one of the best movies of all time,…
All 2022 TV Shows Reviewed, Graded, and Ranked From Worst to Best
Note: It would actually be impossible to watch all of the scripted series that came out in 2022, but 100 shows is certainly nothing to sneeze at. I usually just do a movie countdown, but I figured I watched enough TV series to be close to complete for the year’s best shows (somehow I just…
The Best TV Characters of 2022
This was such an exceptionally good year for TV characters, I had to extend the usual “Top 10” list to 15 mentions. Of course, I did the same thing for the “Worst” list as well, but why focus on the negative? The bottom line is that if you couldn’t find a TV show (and character)…
The Worst TV Characters of 2022
Note: As anyone who’s ever checked out Alabama Liberal’s countdown of the year’s worst TV characters knows, this list doesn’t really gravitate towards bad characters on bad TV shows, and tries to focus on lousy characters who suck up time on otherwise good series. Of course, there’a a few exceptions to that you’ll probably be…
Mom Jokes: The Local Lawyer
The local United Way office realized that it had never received a donation from the town’s most successful lawyer. The volunteer in charge of contributions called him to persuade him to contribute. “Our research shows that out of a yearly income of more than $600,000 you give not a penny to charity. Wouldn’t you like…
All Seasons of “Better Call Saul” Ranked, Reviewed, and Graded
“Better Call Saul” is often called the “Best Show on TV” and sometimes even “the last great TV drama,” referring to how 20’s television is definitely trending more towards “quantity” than “quality.” And it’s true that every year there are a dozen heralded “new” series that feel more like interesting trifles than shows that can…
Mom Jokes: A Man Walks Into a Pharmacy…
A young man goes into a drug store to buy condoms. The pharmacist says the condoms come in packs of 3, 9 or 12 and asks which the young man wants. “Well,” he said, “I’ve been seeing this girl for a while and she’s really hot. I want the condoms because I think tonight’s ‘the’…